Chapter 40 -

 Selena approached with large strides and, without so much as asking for permission, took a seat at our table. She pointedly ordered a specific wine from the attendant before turning to Amon with a smile.

"You arrived early. Or am I late?"

Crossing her legs, Selena glanced around the room and then spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"It’s just a few steps to walk out, but even that feels tiresome. And the stares—so irritating."

At her words, the gazes clinging to her dropped away in an instant. Pleased, she lowered her voice and continued.

"Bored individuals obsessed with gossip, honestly. Isn’t this all because of the rumors about me being a suspect?"

Amon asked, his expression puzzled.

"But Lord Baldi is mingling well with others over there. Why do you think the attention on you is because of suspicion?"

"Because Baldi throws them plenty of bait. Like what our handsome knight Lord Spencer claimed when he first arrived, how far along the investigation seems to have taken, and all the rest of it."

She poked Amon's chest with a finger adorned with an extravagant ring, continuing her explanation.

"Meanwhile, I keep my mouth shut tight. Compared to Baldi, I’m the far more suspicious one, right?"

Though I had no desire to defend her, I could understand why people thought so. Even to me, Selena seemed several times more cunning than Baldi.

"Then isn’t it unwise to stay here with me? It’s bound to draw even more attention."

"Then why are you here? If you hadn’t come, we wouldn’t have run into each other."

Despite being the one to approach first, Selena shamelessly retorted.

"You don’t seem particularly close to Hayden. Did you come here on purpose? Why?"

"It wasn’t for personal reasons."

"Then why?"

Without waiting for an answer, Selena spoke again.

"Oh, right. They said he died in the Order’s building. What kind of questioning leads to a heart attack?"

Her voice was honeyed, as though teasing.

"The questioning wasn’t the issue. It was just—"

"I know. I’m joking."

Waving a hand dismissively, Selena feigned disinterest. Just then, the attendant arrived with her request: a pale pink wine with a small tassel hanging from the neck of the bottle.

"Do you know what this wine is?" she asked, flicking the tassel playfully.

"I don’t."

"Try it later. It’s incredibly good. I can’t drink anything else but this wine."

After dismissing the attendant, she poured the wine herself. Closing her eyes, she took a deep inhale and savored the aroma.

"I’m usually not the type to stick to one subject, but there are two things I never tire of. The first is this wine. The second... What do you think it is?"

Selena’s face lit with anticipation, but Amon remained indifferent, scanning the people in the hall.

"Hm? What do you think it is? Aren’t you curious?"

"No, not particularly."

"How boring."

Pouting, she gulped down her wine in a single shot, a stark contrast to her earlier savoring.

‘I can’t tell which side of her is sincere.’

I narrowed my eyes at her, and suddenly, Selena whipped her head toward me. Her red eyes met mine through the veil.

"You’re as silent as ever, aren’t you?"

My body flinched instinctively.

‘Did she know it was me?’

Like Balid, I thought the veil would prevent recognition, but it seemed Selena had known it was me all along.

"Julia Reitz…"

She scanned me up and down.

"That was your name, right?"

"Ah, yes," I replied, caught off guard. Selena smiled and stood from her seat.

"It was nice meeting you."

She pushed the wine bottle toward me with her finger. I grabbed it quickly, fearing it might tip and shatter. Her lips curled upward, satisfied.

"Consider it a gift."

"Pardon?"

With a playful air, Selena blew me a kiss and walked away as swiftly as she had arrived. Dozens of eyes tracked her every move, desperate not to miss even her shadow, but she paid them no mind.

Once Selena had left the hall entirely, a buzz of chatter erupted. Many eyes turned to us, including Baldi's, who seemed poised to interrogate us about Selena.

"We should leave as well," Amon suggested, and I nodded quickly, eager to avoid being cornered by anyone.

"Oh, wait."

Just as we were about to leave, I grabbed the wine bottle from the table.

"You’re really taking that with you?"

"Yes. She said it was a gift."

Amon tilted his head, evidently surprised.

We left the banquet hall swiftly. Thankfully, the garden outside was empty. Once inside the carriage, with the curtains drawn, I finally let out a sigh of relief. It felt like I’d escaped enemy territory.

As the carriage began to move, I placed the wine bottle on the seat and adjusted my attire. Amon spoke, breaking the silence.

"There’s something I meant to tell you earlier but forgot amidst everything."

"What is it?"

"Do you remember choosing the right-hand path when we visited Lord Hayden’s estate?"

"Yes, of course. The main gate was clearly to the left, wasn’t it?"

"I looked into it out of curiosity, to see where the right-hand path led."

"And?"

Intrigued, I paused mid-motion, my hand on my veil.

"The right-hand path is a private route Lord Hayden used. It leads directly to his chambers, bypassing the main entrance."

"…I see."

My grip on the veil slackened. That meant Hayden trusted Julia more than anyone else, enough to reveal a shortcut to his private quarters.

‘Perhaps she was the only person he truly trusted.’

If Julia had succeeded in killing Russell and taking her own life as planned, what would Hayden have done? At the very least, if I hadn’t appeared before him again, would he have been content, celebrating Russell’s death as the success of his revenge?

‘Would he, really?’

I recalled Hayden’s haggard face when I first visited him. He had collapsed and fainted, overcome by the shock that I was still alive.

Hayden had been utterly worn down, even while believing everything had gone according to plan.

‘Is that the price of revenge?’

Remembering the desolate atmosphere of Hayden’s funeral, I felt even more bitter.

"If you’re tired, you should rest for a while," Amon said softly, aware of how short the journey to the Order would be.

"That sounds good."

I closed my eyes without removing the veil.

‘The price of revenge.’

Dwelling on what had already transpired was meaningless. Revenge wasn’t something one pursued for reward or results. It was an act driven by necessity.

The vivid memory of hacking Russell’s body to pieces surfaced. Revenge was something you carried out because you could; no, would not avoid it, no matter the cast.

“This is no help at all, as expected.”

A book, as thick as a brick, hit the large table with a thud. Across from me, Carlyle, who had been reading at the same table, jumped in surprise and shouted.

“Lady, please place things gently! If my heart stops from fright, you won’t be taking responsibility.”

“Why say something so ominous?”

I adjusted the stack of books I’d been holding before settling down beside him. It was a day, several days after Hayden’s funeral, in the library of the Order.

“How about you? Found anything useful?”

“Not a thing.”

With a dramatic sigh, Carlyle slammed his book shut as well. For days now, we’d been working to decode Boyd's letter. There had been no breakthroughs yet, but it was undeniably our most significant lead, so we couldn’t give up.

“Do you think there’s really a cipher in this?”

My despondent question was met with a sharp glare from Carlyle.

“Don’t say such defeatist things! You can do it, Lady!”

He clenched both fists as if rallying for a fight, his enthusiasm practically glowing.

Since our shared experience at the council, Carlyle and I have grown closer. Or rather, it seemed that he had come to trust me a little more. For someone who had once clearly drawn a line between us because I wasn’t part of the Order, he now acted as if we were comrades in arms. Perhaps it had something to do with me defending Eloise—though I couldn’t help but suspect his change in attitude might have ulterior motives.

There was a soft knock at the door, and Marvin entered, carrying a tray loaded with snacks.

“Here, have something to eat while you work,” he said.

Following behind him was Eloise. Seeing her, I quickly rose from my seat, forcing a polite smile.

“Hello, Vice Commander.”

My overly formal greeting was met with a small nod from Eloise.

“Good day, Lady.”

Since the incident, even my relationship with Eloise has shifted dramatically. I had come to understand what her chess wager had been about that day.

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