Annelie, accompanied by Parides, strode forward, shaking the moisture from her hair that had not yet fully dried. A few wet strands could be seen curling and clinging to her cheeks.
Having just washed, her skin looked exceptionally clear and pure. A faint scent of water seemed to linger around her.
Since she was not using any appearance-altering magic, she now stood before everyone in her true form.
Xenon glared with irritation at Chedler, who stood transfixed, and at his subordinates behind him.
'This is exactly why I wanted to drive them away quickly.'
Annelie, who had once again updated the number of people smitten with her today, stood before Chedler with an indifferent expression.
Startled by the suddenly closed distance, Chedler failed to hide his flushed complexion as he parted his lips to speak.
"Greetings. I am Chedler Carol, in service to Count Ruejak..."
"Very well, Sir Chedler. Do you simply need me to remind you what words I spoke this morning?"
As if she had no need to hear the full greeting, Annelie asked coldly.
From Xenon's perspective beside her, whenever Annelie set her mind to spewing harsh words, they always felt like blade edges. So that knight was about to be sliced to pieces with words.
'He should have left when told to leave.'
Xenon managed his expression with effort, concealing his inward amusement. Meanwhile, Annelie crossed her arms and continued her mockery.
"I suppose you don't know the busy circumstances, but are you saying you'll postpone the danger to the territory's people for the sake of maintaining appearances? Truly absurd."
At Annelie's rebuke-filled gaze, Chedler hastily denied it.
"There is a misunderstanding. The Count is by no means trying to escort the Resurrected One for the sake of saving face."
"Oh, really?"
With a face showing not a speck of belief, Annelie scoffed. Of course, Xenon didn't believe the other's words either. Samuel probably wouldn't either.
Despite the atmosphere thick with disbelief that should have been embarrassing, Chedler instead wore a serious and solemn expression as he once again asserted their innocence.
"We simply wish to offer our assistance."
Assistance! Not interference?
Xenon nearly burst into loud laughter and hurriedly bit his lip. If only Annelie hadn't stepped forward, he would have mocked them thoroughly!
"We are dining quite sufficiently without any help."
"That is not it."
With a troubled expression, Chedler pondered for a moment before carefully lowering his voice.
"Have you not yet found the Dullahan?"
Even though he lowered his voice, the surroundings were quiet enough that no one present could fail to hear Chedler's words.
"We have found it."
In that moment, Xenon saw Annelie's shoulder flinch slightly. She was surprised by words she hadn't expected. Xenon was equally surprised.
Even Annelie, the leader of that Dullahan, hadn't yet found it and was pursuing its trail—so how could these people claim to have found the Dullahan first?
Following the surprise came suspicion. Perhaps they were saying anything to somehow lure the Resurrected One out?
As if sensing their thoughts, Chedler added an explanation.
"To be precise... we have learned what the Dullahan is targeting."
Annelie tilted her head askance. Even so, she quietly waited for Chedler's next words.
Noticing that she was showing interest in this topic, Chedler spoke while trying to hide his relief.
"It is His Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince—they meant that trash, didn't they.
Xenon learned that the Crown Prince was still somewhere in this territory. Having lost his subjugation force and fled in disarray, he should have immediately run back to the capital, but it seemed he still had some useless pride left.
Xenon clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression.
'Truly, even dog shit would be more useful than him.'
Occasionally Annelie has nightmares. From Xenon's observation, those nightmares fell largely into two types.
Her past life, and her past before the execution.
When she dreamed of her past life, Annelie looked quite depressed. However, when she had nightmares about her past, she became extremely angry. Naturally, she cursed Maxel too.
Xenon hoped Maxel wouldn't even be mentioned from Annelie's lips. He didn't even want curses to come out, and prayed she would completely forget his existence.
So he couldn't help but dislike Chedler bringing up the Crown Prince like that.
"The Lord is worried that perhaps the entire territory has earned the Dullahan's grudge due to His Highness the Crown Prince's rash actions."
Ultimately, he was saying it was that damn Crown Prince's karma. If so, as the Crown Prince of a nation, shouldn't he humbly take responsibility and offer his life to appease the Dullahan?
He wanted to shoot such stinging words at them, but Xenon suppressed his irritation.
'Anyway, we might be able to meet the Dullahan.'
Annelie would compromise. She wanted to meet this Dullahan, so she wouldn't care what means she used to achieve her goal.
"...Interesting."
Finally Annelie spoke. Her voice was still cold, but Xenon could guess what she would say next.
Xenon glanced at the cooking preparations he had left unfinished. He would need to put those away.
"Then guide me. To where the Dullahan will soon appear."
It seemed dinner would be served lavishly after all.
* * *
Lady Ruejak was a woman of short thought and emotional temperament, but her father was not.
Due to past grievances, she had a falling out with me, but he was not so emotional as to send assassins.
I accepted his invitation readily for that reason as well. He was someone who would treat me with utmost courtesy as a guest, at least until the Dullahan that appeared in the Montel territory was subdued.
As I expected, we were guided to a luxurious mansion. It was a mansion in the town we had briefly visited earlier, a building that didn't suit the small town.
'I didn't know the Ruejak family had a villa here.'
While I indifferently observed the interior, no one restrained me.
There was no coercive atmosphere whatsoever. Rather, throughout the journey here, they seemed more intent on showing me off to the territory's residents.
With that, Count Ruejak had certainly conveyed his intentions.
Revealing to all the world that they were escorting a guest meant that if something happened to the guest's person, the Lord would take responsibility.
"We have arrived."
Chedler stepped back neatly, as if delivering me to the mansion was the extent of his assigned duty.
"Then I will take my leave."
As I watched him turn away with his soldiers, one of those who had come to greet us at the mansion approached and carefully offered a greeting.
"Greetings, it is an honor to serve you. I am Derin Sejour, Count Ruejak's adjutant. Please call me Viscount Sejour. The Count is on his way and is expected to arrive late at night."
I nodded with an indifferent face.
An adjutant rather than a villa steward. The Count did seem to be mindful of me. Seeing that he sent his adjutant ahead to deal with me since he himself would be late.
With the Count's adjutant stepping forward to attend to me personally, there would likely be no one brazen enough to mistreat me in this villa.
"Dinner will be prepared immediately at whatever location you desire. If there is anything else you need, please tell the maidservants at any time. Everyone is eager to serve the Resurrected One."
His words were not false, judging by the overly shining eyes of the servants visible behind him. Each one had the same look as the territory residents I had seen these past few days.
While it was burdensome, I decided not to refuse since I had agreed to be served. Rather than them, I needed to first attend to the matter regarding Dasha, having obtained a clue.
"We have learned what the Dullahan is targeting. It is His Highness the Crown Prince."
Dasha targeting Maxel?
That couldn't be. Dasha had no reason to target Maxel.
'Unless it's for the Puppet of Birth.'
So if Dasha was truly appearing around Maxel, it would mean she was targeting Lilia, not Maxel. But there was no need to reveal that truth.
I just needed to find a way to quietly contact Dasha, using Lilia as bait.
* * *
Count Ruejak had been respected as a lord.
Perhaps saying he had never done anything to lose the people's trust would be more accurate.
As the lord of a territory that, while on the border, also boasted fertile plains, he had done well what he was supposed to do.
However, the center of imperial power was in the capital, and the Montel territory was far from the capital.
The family had endured for a long time with their position as guardians of the border, but Count Ruejak felt somewhat stifled by his family's stagnant standing.
Having his daughter associate with Annelie Roam was Count Ruejak's ambition to somehow carve out a place for them in the capital. He himself might patrol the border, but he wanted his children to study in the capital.
It wasn't a great ambition. He simply wanted to be slightly more involved in central politics in the future.
For someone like him, this was not difficult.
Bowing his head to his daughter's old friend who had been executed amid the Empire's condemnation but resurrected by God's selection—this much was easy.
"It is an honor to serve you, Resurrected One."
Though he arrived late at night and hadn't fully recovered from his journey fatigue, when she asked to see his face early in the morning, he couldn't refuse.
During the time Annelie Roam had associated with his daughter, Count Ruejak had met her a few times. The Annelie Roam he remembered was an arrogant and rational young lady.
A young lady not lacking in any way as the next Empress.
"Count Ruejak."
She tilted her head slightly as she accepted Count Ruejak's greeting—her appearance was no different from before. Still arrogant, and now even appearing seasoned.
Not only did she feel not the slightest hesitation in treating a noble older than herself with condescension, she even seemed adept at it.
Annelie took the seat across from Count Ruejak, guided by a maidservant. She gave not even a glance to the refreshments prepared with great care.
"You know where the Dullahan will appear?"
She didn't even seem to have the mind for perfunctory greetings.
Count Ruejak had received news from his daughter that she had fallen out with Annelie Roam. Thanks to that, he quickly realized the other party's feelings toward himself were not good.
Instead of forcing insincere social pleasantries, he cleanly moved to the main topic.
"Yes. The Ruejak family has guarded the border for generations and seen many monsters. Each monster has its habits, and we have focused on quickly identifying and responding to them. Information regarding the Dullahan... we already possessed it. So there was no need to investigate."