“The castle of Lord Kaldenbine Ridge is structured differently from ordinary fortresses. There are two prisons.”

Tie stared at Adeline, who was speaking rapidly, her eyes wide.

“I don’t know where exactly your companion was locked up, but if it’s the top of the northern tower, it won’t be easy to approach. The only entrance is by the staircase inside the tower.”

The other squad members were just as stunned into silence.

Raul and Enzo, in particular, looked as though they could not comprehend what was happening.

But Adeline continued:

“The underground prison is better than the top of the tower. There’s a concealed rear exit, and I’ve never seen more than four guards stationed there. Perhaps because of its complex structure, they believe escape is impossible....”

“Wait.”

Basto cut her off.

With a serious expression, he stepped closer to Adeline.

“Who are you? And how do you know the structure of the castle?”

Now that he thought about it, Adeline had seemed suspicious from the very beginning.

She claimed to run a pub, yet every movement carried the manners of a noble.

And she possessed an oddly large amount of personal funds.

Enzo, watching her with a bewildered expression, spoke as well:

“Lady, were you... in the service of Reginald’s wife?”

That would explain everything strange.

That Adeline had been a servant of the lady of the castle.

“I realized it on the first day at the pub. You carry yourself with noble etiquette. And you pay the village taxes out of your own pocket....”

Raul nodded and continued where Enzo left off:

“Tell us the truth. Were you the wife’s attendant? Did you conceal it because you knew that if the truth came out, it would cause conflict with the villagers?”

If she had truly been the lord’s wife’s attendant, her wealth would make sense.

Attendants were provided lodging and meals.

With frugal living, one could save the entire salary.

But Adeline did not answer.

She only pressed her lips together tightly and stared at the floor.

“Listen. We need to know who you are to accept your information calmly.”

When even Nordix spoke up, unable to endure the silence—

“...Yes. I served for four years. But not the woman you’re speaking of. Not Lecia.”

Adeline finally spoke quietly.

She lifted her head and looked directly at Raul and Enzo.

“I know who you are. At first I wasn’t certain, but after observing you more closely, I realized—you are those young masters. The sons of the younger Marquis Weybril. You served in the Holy Knight Order of the capital.”

Raul and Enzo froze, frowning.

It had never crossed their minds that Adeline might recognize them from their time in the capital.

But she continued:

“Do you not remember? The Consecration Festival.”

“What....”

“Do not lower your heads unnecessarily. Your father was a man of honor. You must carry on his legacy.”

Enzo inhaled sharply.

The memory surfaced abruptly.

The Consecration Festival, held not long after the twins’ father had died during the assault on a Magic Stone.

There, someone had approached them quietly to offer condolences....

‘I, Ardiana Lacrisia, swear in the name of the honor of the imperial house. The empire will bless your path.’

The words of the crimson imperial princess Ardiana.

“...That can’t be.”

Enzo whispered.

Raul stared at Adeline in confusion.

“Lady... you served Her Highness?”

More precisely, not fully—but he vaguely remembered.

A young attendant standing calmly behind the princess.

A youthful face, yet movements confident and skilled.

“Yes. At that time, I served Her Highness.”

“But then why....”

The twins’ heads felt as though they were about to burst from the confusion.

‘Not just some noblewoman’s attendant—but a former attendant of the princess. Why would she...?’

Why had she left the central capital and come to such a quiet backwater?

Why was she running a pub?

How did she know the structure of Kaldenbine Ridge Castle?

There were so many questions they did not know where to begin.

“...I had my reasons.”

Adeline said this with a quiet sigh.

Then added evenly:

“Her Highness showed me mercy. It is said that those who serve the imperial family may never leave the palace for life... but she was very kind. And I absolutely had to return to my homeland.”

Tie pressed her lips together, trying hard to make sense of what she had heard.

So...

‘Adeline unni used to attend this world’s princess....’

And then, suddenly, she had to return home and resigned?

‘Complicated....’

Her head was already beginning to spin.

But Adeline continued:

“To explain that, I must begin with how I became the princess’s attendant in the first place....”

She ran a hand through her hair as if gathering her thoughts, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ then closed the door.

And calmly said:

“In short—because I was supposed to become the lord.”

“......What?”

“The lord of Kaldenbine Ridge.”

Her gaze dimmed, filled with quiet resignation.

“What do you mean—I am ill?”

Adeline’s father had been a narrow-minded man.

She had always felt there was something dangerously unstable about him.

“N-no, that can’t be. Examine me again. Quickly!”

But in the year she turned fifteen,

her premonition became reality.

“I’m dying? I have only a few months left....”

Her father—the helpless and unremarkable lord—received his death sentence before even reaching forty.

At first, he denied reality.

He drank strong wine on an empty stomach despite the physician’s strict prohibition, and locked himself in his study all day, smoking one heavy cigar after another.

To Adeline, it felt as though he was venting his fury upon an already ruined body.

‘That will change nothing.’

Yet she understood his feelings.

Once dead, he would forever lose everything he had loved in life.

He was simply resisting in despair against the fate that had come for him.

But no matter how one struggles, fate cannot be twisted.

He lived exactly one week longer than the physician had predicted, and then he died.

In the lord’s bedchamber, a will was found.

[I, Roman, ruler of Kaldenbine and lord of Kaldenbine Ridge, sensing the approach of death, leave this testament.]

The will was long—three pages filled with dense handwriting.

But its essence was simple.

[Thinking of my daughter, my wife, and the people of the lands who will remain after me, my heart grows heavy. Yet the glory of Kaldenbine must continue even after my departure.

Until my heir, Adeline Kaldenbine, reaches adulthood, I wish for my brother and pillar of the house, Reginald Kaldenbine, to assume the protection of the family and governance of the lands.]

This meant transferring the authority of lord to his brother, Reginald Kaldenbine.

Until young Adeline could assume responsibility.

[I hope that, in accordance with my will, Reginald will protect Adeline and my wife, preserve the legitimacy of the house, and safeguard the well-being of the people.]

But the will was not carried out.

Or rather—it was carried out only halfway.

“You’ve grown so much, Adeline. Greet her. This is Aunt Lecia. Starting today, she will live in the castle.”

Reginald began exercising his authority as acting lord.

He filled the castle with his own people, dismissed nearly all the former servants, and hired new ones.

But he did not protect Adeline or her mother.

“......Adeline. Go to the central capital. It’s too dangerous here.”

Instead, he began threatening them.