“I still can’t figure you out. I never really thought so much when it came to love…”
Be careful,” Tii’s tone turned stern, interrupting Marentia. “We’re still inside the city walls. Watch what you say.”
Marentia wore her usual look of indifference, as if nothing could bother her.
Inside the dim, stuffy stairwell, each step creaked beneath Su Ling’s cautious feet. She trod carefully, afraid of startling the two people ahead.
Lianyi had clearly misunderstood the meaning behind her words that day. That’s why the two of them have been avoiding each other for so long.
Su Ling felt she’d have to clear things up with her eventually.
But not now. Compared to her own feelings, there was something else Su Ling cared about much more at this moment.
What exactly were Lianyi and Marentia doing?
The two of them had started meeting together again lately, it was clearly not just about their duties.
Hiding behind the door, Su Ling’s heart was a tumult of emotions. She wanted to know what the two were talking about, yet she was also afraid she might overhear a truth she didn’t wish to face.
Her mind replayed her previous deductions: Lianyi, Marentia, and that mysterious Princess Nori—there seemed to be some unspeakable connection between the three.
As her targets drew closer, Su Ling’s heart pounded even harder.
Pressing herself against the wall, she peered through the crack in the door. Lianyi and Marentia were standing in front of Princess Nori’s room, their voices low and serious.
Could Mor Short’s disappearance really be related to them?
Once this thought surfaced, it grew wildly, impossible to suppress. Su Ling’s hands clenched unconsciously, her nails digging into her palm. The pain kept her mind clear.
But Lianyi was very alert. After murmuring softly for a while, the two parted in different directions as if simply leaving for work as usual.
Inside the shadowy little room, candlelight flickered, casting long shadows.
After taking a long detour, the two gathered together again. Lianyi’s expression held a hint of reproach as she looked at Marentia.
“You didn’t notice the sound at the door just now?”
“Huh?”
Marentia was genuinely startled.
“Our conversation was eavesdropped on, but you didn’t notice a thing, Marentia.” Lianyi sighed helplessly. “Looks like I was right, you really aren’t suited to this kind of work.”
Marentia’s face changed for a moment, but soon she resumed her usual indifferent look, as if wanting to argue but unable to find the right words.
Lianyi said nothing more, but turned instead to the side of the room, where Princess Nori was eating snacks, appearing completely at ease.
“Can we talk now, Your Highness?”
Princess Nori gently wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth and smiled. “Of course, Lianyi. There’s no need to be so tense. It’s quite safe here.”
Lianyi’s face still showed a trace of worry. “Your Highness, forgive me for saying so, but this kind of talk is really best left for late at night, after everyone’s gone to sleep. In case…”
“There’s no ‘in case,’ Lianyi,” Nori cut her off, her tone resolute. “This is an urgent matter. We must talk now. There’s no time to delay.”
Lianyi sighed, her heart filled with doubt, but she knew the little Princess’s decisions were not to be questioned. She nodded, her expression growing serious, and prepared to listen to what Nori would say next.
Princess Nori brushed aside her short hair, straightening herself with a stern look in her eyes.
“First of all, the one with the codename Chameleon is dead, the number three assassin of the Heiyu Assassins, an expert at disguises. His real name was Ashan.”
At these words, Lianyi’s face instantly showed shock and disbelief. She repeated, “Chameleon? He’s dead?”
Princess Nori nodded slightly, her tone tinged with regret.
“Yes, he died because of his own arrogance. I thought, after all the help and information I gave him, he’d manage to finish the job. But in the end, he was too careless… How dull—”
Lianyi frowned, feeling a growing unease.
“So the delivery of the intel was handed off to someone else.”
With that, Princess Nori turned, nimbly jumping down from her chair and pulling out two books from a shelf nearby.
As the books were pulled, a hidden mechanism clicked open. The bookshelf rotated around its center, revealing a doorway just large enough for a person to pass through.
The room beyond the door was shallow. Nori walked in, returning with a portrait in hand—an image of a foreign-looking man.
Marentia glanced at it and immediately felt it looked familiar.
“This is our new collaborator—codename Poet.”
In the portrait was the very wandering bard who had performed for King Steyat Anderson at court before: a head of messy, shining curls, and a flute in hand.
“This man,” Tii rested her chin in her hand, brows knitting together, “What’s his background?”
“He’s number two on the Heiyu Assassins’ list,” Nori replied. “His ability is to control people’s consciousness through his flute.”
“I see…” Tii turned her face away, her expression hard to read. “Are you sure you can trust him?”
“Hah—I knew Ge Yi would have something to say about him.” Nori took a bite of pastry. “Poet is different from Ashan. He left the Heiyu Assassins a long time ago. In the Kingdom of Ansels, he has no real allegiance—he just works for whoever pays.”
“Which means, if someone else offers a better price, he could easily betray us.” Ge Yi replied calmly.
“I know that,” Nori answered. “But the price I offered him is something no one else could possibly match—haha! Besides, I’ve got his weakness in my hand. Mister Poet can’t fight back against me now.”
Her crisp, silver-bell laughter echoed in the room. Marentia shivered inwardly, feeling a vague sense of unease.
“There’s no fish without scales, and no people who only speak the truth… there’s no fish without scales.”
Princess Nori sang softly, and Marentia realized these were the very words she’d exchanged with the wandering bard that day.
So that performance hadn’t just been a simple show—it was also a handoff between Nori and the assassin. Every lyric and line had been carefully planned.
Confident and flamboyant, Princess Nori had brazenly worked with an assassin right under the King’s nose, without the slightest worry of being exposed.
The little blonde girl in front of her filled Marentia with both awe and fear. She didn’t understand how Nori could act so utterly without caution.
But whenever she gazed into those innocent eyes, all her doubts would dissipate, leaving only her affection for the Princess.
“All the codes match up. Just hand over the item at the designated time and place.”
Princess Nori, speaking, took a roll of yellowed parchment from the room and handed it to Lianyi.
“This is a map of the mountainous area near the Duke’s territory. Ge Yi, copy it, and then I’ll hand it to Poet. He’ll deliver it to the Rebels.”
“I understand.”
Lianyi took the parchment, untied the hemp cord, and studied the routes on the map for a while before murmuring in surprise.
On the map, the mountains, rivers, villages, roads, even the layout of defenses and fortifications—everything was meticulously marked. The drawing was extremely professional. For this era, it was a remarkably accurate map.
This was undoubtedly a Military Secret Map of Ansels. Nori must have obtained it from somewhere, but how had she done so without Duke Short ever noticing?
“Copying it won’t be a problem… but how exactly am I supposed to hand it to Poet?” Lianyi asked hesitantly.
“That’s easy,” Nori suddenly hugged Marentia’s arm and grinned mischievously. “With the help of my dearest personal maid—”
Hearing this, Marentia’s face instantly turned pale.
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