IBDFSML Chapter 19

“State your identity.”

The knight guarding the entrance to the conference chamber asked sternly.

In response, Elda answered with a bright smile.

“I’m maid Elda. I’ve brought the refreshments that the head maid requested.”

The knight's sharp eyes scanned Elda’s face once, then glanced down at the tray she was holding.

“Hm.”

Then naturally, his gaze shifted to the tall man standing behind her.

It was Sion, dressed in shabby servant clothes and carrying a ridiculously large stack of firewood in his arms—so high it completely obscured his face.

Suspicious, the knight questioned further.

“…And who is that behind you?”

“Oh, him?”

Elda replied casually, introducing Sion.

“This is Shawn, a servant in charge of firewood. He was summoned along with me.”

“Firewood? I don't recall seeing a servant of that size in the main building.”

“As expected of a knight from the main house! You’ve got such a sharp eye. Actually, both Shawn and I usually work in the annex. We were only called here today by Head Maid Olga to help out. Isn’t that right, Shawn?”

At Elda’s light-hearted prompting, Sion nodded silently. Then, following the plan, he recited his line.

“They said… it was cold inside the conference room… so, I brought additional firewood… I brought it.”

“……”

Hiding under Sion’s cloak and watching the situation unfold, I almost bit my tongue trying not to laugh.

‘…Sion. What was that? That was awful acting.’

It was a funny discovery—learning that my beloved favorite wasn’t perfect at everything. But unfortunately, the time and place couldn’t have been worse.

As expected, suspicion crept onto the faces of the two knights at the door.

“……”

In the growing silence, I cautiously peeked out and mentally prepared myself.

‘If it comes to it… I’ll knock them out with my fangirl powers!’

Just then, a commotion erupted from behind the door.

“---!!!”

The argument beyond seemed to be getting more intense.

“Ah, we should hurry and deliver these sweet refreshments and the warm firewood. If we delay any longer, it might not just be us—sir knights, you might get caught up in it too!”

At Elda’s words, the two knights exchanged grim looks. After a brief moment, they stepped aside.

“Hmm. Fine. You may pass.”

Creak—.

As we pushed the door open and entered, the shouting from within grew louder through the curtain.

“Well done, Maid Elda. Now, go and hide in the corner.”

“Yes, Ms. Lin. I'm happy to be of help!”

Rather than entering the conference room, Elda stepped aside toward the wall near the door.

Before she moved away, I sneakily grabbed a few of the snacks off the tray and tucked them into my clothes.

‘I’ll share these with Sion later.’

I looked up at Sion and said.

“Alright, Sion. Shall we go?”

He nodded.

Then, with a thud, he dropped the pile of firewood he had been carrying in his arms and strode confidently into the room.

Inside, a large table was placed at the center, and various retainers were engaged in a chaotic verbal battle.

“No matter how quickly we try to find a new supplier, there’s no way we can secure that volume of goods in such a short time!”

“Then what do you suggest? No one can guarantee if or when the missing supplies will ever be recovered!”

“Let’s all calm down and wait a bit longer. Didn’t Her Grace the Grand Duchess dispatch knights to search the entire duchy?”

“I’ve said time and again we should’ve deployed knights to escort the merchant group from the start! No one listened to me back then!”

“What, do you think northern knights are some street mercenaries? We barely have enough men to send to the borders as it is, and now you want them to escort caravans?”

At the head of the table, the Grand Duchess sat with a frozen expression, tapping her fingers lightly.

Watching this scene, Sion commented with a cynical tone.

“From the looks of it, there’s no reason to wait any longer.”

Step. Step.

As Sion made his appearance, the eyes of everyone in the room turned toward us.

“Hm? Who are you, young man?”

“A mere servant dares…!”

“Wait, that gray hair… and those blue-gray eyes?”

As confusion and caution filled the retainers' gazes at the stranger's sudden entrance, one by one their expressions turned to shock.

“N-no way…!”

“Isn’t that the one from the annex…?!”

An icy silence fell over the room, like frost spreading through the air. Every eye that had been fixed on Sion now shifted toward the Grand Duchess.

She, too, looked taken aback by Sion’s unexpected arrival, her expression hardening with cold hostility.

Sion gave her a cursory, disinterested bow.

In the tension-filled atmosphere, the Grand Duchess finally spoke with a cold voice.

“So, the prince of the annex, is it? If I recall correctly, you were instructed to rest and recover there. What are you doing here now?”

Her words made it clear: You are not welcome here.

But Sion ignored her completely. He looked around at the gathered retainers and said.

“You’re looking into the whereabouts of the goods stolen by Merchant head Noel, aren’t you?”

“…!!!”

“…!?”

The retainers’ expressions changed immediately at Sion’s words.

“How could the prince from the annex possibly know that…?”

“Do you perhaps know something about it?”

Without answering, Sion pulled two letters from inside his coat and tossed them onto the table.

“One details the location of the goods. The other contains evidence of the merchant head’s fraud.”

“N-no!”

“Is this true?!”

A few of the retainers sprang to their feet in disbelief. The others, after glancing at the Grand Duchess for permission, gradually stood and examined the letters as well.

Moments later—

“T-this is…!”

After reading the documents, everyone turned to Sion with astonishment in their eyes.

Sion continued, his voice cold.

“Knight Garen Jade is still on-site. If you want to recover the supplies and arrest the remaining culprits, you’ll need to dispatch knights immediately.”

With that, Sion turned on his heel to leave the conference room.

Startled by Sion’s abrupt attempt at a smooth exit, I quickly whispered to him in a flustered tone.

“Wait, Sion! You can’t just leave like this!”

Sion paused and looked at me.

“If you're going to leave, at least make sure you get proper credit and a reward for this!”

“……”

Just then—

“Stop right there.”

The Grand Duchess’s sharp command cut through the air.

Sion turned back to face her. She was now smiling—but the smile carried a dangerous edge.

“Prince of the annex, answer me here and now. How did you obtain this information?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Despite dispatching knights across the duchy, not even a clue about the missing supplies had surfaced. So how is it that a prince, supposedly resting in the annex, came into possession of this information?”

The Grand Duchess’s sharp questioning chilled the previously charged atmosphere once again.

Several people—likely on the Grand Duchess’s side—quickly chimed in.

“Her Grace makes a valid point. It is a rather suspicious situation.”

“Shouldn’t we first verify whether the contents of those letters are even authentic?”

I furrowed my brow.

‘Oh, I see. So now they’re trying to pin the blame on Sion?’

It was clear: the Grand Duchess couldn’t tolerate the idea of Sion solving a major northern crisis and earning the spotlight.

“…Is that really what matters right now?”

Even while being interrogated, Sion replied with calm cynicism.

“Rather than fussing over the source and authenticity of the letters, how about reconsidering what the North truly needs most at this moment?”

His sharp words caused the Grand Duchess’s smile to twitch ever so slightly. She lowered her voice.

“And you dare lecture me—the mistress of the North—about priorities? I, who has done more than anyone to preserve the grand duchy’s stability? It is because I care for the North that I must investigate a prince suspected of collusion with outsiders and conspiracy against our interests.”

Looking down on Sion as though he were an insolent child, she shouted mockingly.

“By the laws of the North, I order the prince of the annex to be imprisoned in the underground prison. Immediately.”

“W-what…!”

“Hmph.”

The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. Retainers exchanged tense glances.

Those aligned with the Grand Duchess looked triumphant, while the centrists—those loyal to the late Grand Duke—wore expressions of shock. Others silently analyzed the situation with keen eyes.

Then, one elder, mustering courage, raised his voice.

“Your Grace, with all due respect, accusing the late Grand Duke’s son without legal proceedings is not right. Both internally and externally, this would set a terrible precedent.”

“Oh? Then Elder Helio, would you stake your family name and your council seat to vouch for the annex’s prince?”

“…That’s…”

Mocking the elder’s silence, the Grand Duchess turned and barked at the knights again.

“What are you waiting for? Carry out my command.”

The few knights inside the room advanced toward Sion with tense, intimidating energy.

Though they hadn’t drawn their swords, it was clear they were already treating Sion like a serious criminal.

I poked my head out and clicked my tongue at what I was seeing.

“Tsk, tsk. So they are really going for it, huh?”

To be honest, I had half-expected things to come to this.

Just then, Sion’s low voice rumbled from above me.

“Lin. Don’t get involved.”

It was a firm warning—too many eyes were watching us. I nodded vigorously and lied.