《I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Mafia Family》 Chapter 1 Bang! Michael Rose placed his hand on his chest. There was something warm and wet. Then, looking at his palm, it was all red. Cough¡ª As the blood splattered along with a cough, the gunshot wound to the chest throbbed in pain. He was dying. ¡°¡­You should¡¯ve shot me in the heart.¡± There weren¡¯t any traces of resentment. It was just emptiness. Nikita Borev, who he partnered with for ten years, was just looking at Michael with a sad face. Clack¡ª Dropping his gun on the ground, Nikita ran up to Michael and pressed both of his hands on the gunshot wound. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh, God! What have I done?! What the hell have I done?!¡± ¡°It hurts, dumbass. Don¡¯t press on it.¡± It was too late, anyway. ¡°That¡¯s why you should¡¯ve shot me in the heart. This is happening because you hesitated for no reason.¡± Nikita looked at Michael who was making jokes at a time like this and shook his head. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yeah, you should be sorry. I know you¡¯re sorry, but I know you had to do it. So¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, dummy.¡± Cough¡ª Michael¡¯s heart felt like it was burning the moment he coughed. ¡°¡­Demian?¡± Hearing Michael¡¯s words, Nikita slowly lifted his head. Nikita didn¡¯t say anything, but his expression and trembling lips told Michael everything. If not him, then who else could it be? The boss of the mafia ¡®Kalashniel Family¡¯, the hidden power of the Empire with both the Emperor and the Council wrapped around his finger. Michael didn¡¯t know what to do, and how much he could do in that city ravaged by the civil war, but one thing was for sure; nothing mattered to Michael anymore. ¡°I guess I was a bit of a pain in the neck.¡± Even if more than 90% of the police force was bribed by the Kalashniel Family, Michael and Nikita did not stop investigating them. They took away their badge several times, saying they were ignoring direct orders from their superiors. But they never gave up. And yet. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, really. They found out where my wife and children are.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I understand¡ª¡± Michael squeezed out his last remaining strength and pushed Nikita¡¯s hand away. ¡°Come on¡­ Run away.¡± This innocent bear. They wouldn¡¯t spare you even if they threatened to harm your family if you didn¡¯t kill me. Creak! Michael heard the sound of several cars stopping outside of the abandoned factory building. ¡°Get out of here, you bastard!¡± At Michael¡¯s cry, Nikita clenched his teeth and grabbed Michael¡¯s hand with both of his hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Michael!¡± After Nikita left, gunshots were heard from everywhere. Michael closed his eyes, the sound getting more distant as seconds passed. Well, it¡¯s been a crappy life. Soon, pure white darkness enveloped him. *** And Michael opened his eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± This¡­ I don¡¯t think this is supposed to happen. Rattle¡ª It seemed as if his world was shaking and he realized it only after he banged his head against the wall next to him. He was in a car. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss! Are you okay?!¡± That time, Michael was surprised by the woman¡¯s voice from the front seat. ¡®¡­Miss?¡¯ Michael was staring blankly at the short-haired woman from the driver¡¯s seat and thought that he had seen her somewhere. Then, a name came to mind naturally. ¡°Vanessa Willer?¡± ¡°Yes, Miss. Are you okay? I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m not that good at driving. Are you injured?!¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­. I¡¯m fine¡± That wasn¡¯t the problem. Why was Michael in the car with Vanessa Willer when he should¡¯ve been dead? That woman must be from the Kalashniel Family¡­ ¡°Hm? Ah, aah. Ah?!¡± W-What¡¯s wrong with my voice?! Michael raised his voice as he noticed something strange only to be startled by the soft, girly voice coming out of his mouth. ¡°M-Miss. Are you mad? I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll never cross the speed bump like that again! So please, forgive me just once!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m not mad.¡± ¡°Then may I ask why are you making such an expression?!¡± Vanessa¡¯s face reflected in the rearview mirror was in tears and Michael couldn¡¯t understand the whole situation at all. ¡°Oh, am I dreaming?¡± Michael was so distracted that he spoke his thoughts out loud. ¡°You seemed to be in a deep sleep. Did you not sleep well last night? Were you stressed out about the family event from today¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Family event?¡± At that moment, Michael realised. While Vanessa was making eye contact with Michael through the rearview mirror, Michael saw a truck drifting out from an alley ahead. ¡°Vanessa! Ahead! Look ahead!!¡± ¡°What? Huh?!¡± The truck rushed at a frightening speed towards their car and the breaks broke, or perhaps it was planned from the beginning. Michael quickly reached out from the back seat and grabbed the steering wheel. Then, instead of Vanessa, he was the one who turned the steering wheel quickly to the right. Creeeak! The car rolled over to the sidewalk at 180 degrees, barely avoiding the truck. But the truck, which hit the rear bumper of the car, flew into the air and crashed into a street lamp, a fire hydrant, and another parked car. It tumbled over in the middle of the road. There was a huge explosion. Their car almost overturned, and not only the windows of the car, but also the windows of the building nearby shattered. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Michael moved from the back seat and tapped Vanessa¡¯s arm, which quickly hugged him tightly. ¡°I can¡¯t breathe.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! Where are you hurt, Miss?!¡± Released from Vanessa¡¯s arms, Michael took a deep breath and looked down at himself. Slender arms, slender body, slender legs. A black, gothic style dress wrapped around that slender and small body, cotton gloves and long boots. ¡°¡­¡± Michael hurriedly turned the cracked rear view mirror to look at his face. A girl with long, straight and silver hair, adorned with a black headdress and mysterious golden eyes was reflected in the mirror. ¡°Miss?¡± The girl in the mirror, looking back at Vanessa who was calling for Michael, said: ¡°What¡¯s my name?¡± ¡°Oh, Miss! Have you hurt your head?! Can you show me¡ª¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine! What¡¯s my name!!¡± Surprised by Michael¡¯s scream, Vanessa responded reflexively. ¡°Y-Your Grace¡¯s name is Ashmia Kalashniel!¡± Despite the chaos in the streets, Michael pursed his lips and said: ¡°¡­I¡¯m Ashmia Kalashniel?¡± ¡°Yes, Miss, I understand you¡¯re confused, but I think you should get out of the car, now!¡± However, as she was about to open the rear door of the car, Michael, or Ashmia, grabbed Vanessa¡¯s hand. ¡°No! Don¡¯t get out! Get down, quickly!¡± A second explosion, larger than the first, occurred. ¡°¡­!¡± As the aftermath of the explosion subsided, Vanessa hurriedly got up and looked down at Ashmia. ¡°Miss!! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m okay.¡± Ashmia got up with Vanessa¡¯s help and once again looked down at her body, hands and feet that became ¡®Ashmia¡¯. ¡®What the hell, what happened¡­¡¯ But in the next moment, a strange sensation that helped Ashmia maintain her composure and coolness suddenly spread like a ripple in her head, as if telling her that was not what she was supposed to be thinking about. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stand it!¡± Vanessa¡¯s clothes were a mess from trying to protect Ashmia from the two explosions. In particular, her back was completely tattered, but Vanessa did not suffer any injuries thanks to her ability of ¡®Body Hardening¡¯. ¡°But it might explode again, so hurry up and avoid¡ª¡± ¡°No, not anymore.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± As Ashmia got out of the car, Vanessa gave her a puzzled look. However, Ashmia looked at what was supposed to be the truck without further explaining anything to Vanessa. It was engulfed in flames and destroyed to such an extent that it was difficult to recognize its original shape. [Great damage trom the two explosions¡­] [The police believed it was a premeditated crime against the Kalashniel Family¡­] A memory came to Ashmia¡¯s mind in pieces. However, that memory was the ¡®present¡¯ and had unfolded right before her eyes. ¡°¡­¡± That truck was sent by someone to kill Ashmia. They even made a complex device that exploded twice to make sure it finished the job. ¡°Miss, can you walk?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but please hold on to me.¡± Ashmia¡¯s slender legs were shaking against her will. Assisted by Vanessa, she sat in an outdoor seating area in a relatively unharmed cafe, just around the corner from the scene of the accident. As she sighed, Ashmia¡¯s ears heard the sound of a siren approaching. ¡°Miss, can I bring you some water?¡± ¡°Yeah. No, if you have Jack and Coke.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± At the moment, the number seventeen came to mind. Oh, I¡¯m a minor. When Ashmia saw Vanessa¡¯s expression, she changed her words. ¡°Just give me a bottle of Coke.¡± Chapter 2 ¡°You mean Coke? Okay. Please wait a moment!¡± Vanessa went into the store with a weird look on her face and thought, ¡®Is she really okay? I¡¯m so worried¡­¡¯ when Ashmia ordered a drink she didn¡¯t usually drink. In the meantime, Ashmia let go of her cumbersome headdress and took a deep breath. ¡®How can I have such a vivid dream?¡¯ Michael Rose, the one who was dreaming, was dead. That much was true. However. ¡®¡­Was that not a dream?¡¯ When such thoughts of hopelessness and torture began to clutter Ashmia¡¯s mind, the ¡®weird sense which helped her calm down¡¯ once again quelled Ashmia¡¯s confusion as if forcing her to accept what was going on. ¡°Miss, here¡¯s the Coke¡­¡± Ashmia took the can from Vanessa¡¯s hand and drank it in one go. Gulp, gulp, gulp. Burp¡ª ¡°¡­¡± Vanessa¡¯s eyes widened while watching Ashmia who even burped after drinking an entire can of coke. On the other hand, as the exhilarating stimulation of carbonic acid rose to the top of her head, Ashmia¡¯s thirst and frustration finally subsided. Then, she was able to recall details of the accident that just happened in ¡®Michael¡¯s memories¡¯ more vividly. ¡®Seven years. Yes, this happened seven years ago.¡¯ Michael was also dispatched to the scene, and it was such a big accident that he remembered it clearly. ¡®I¡¯m back¡­ to the past?¡¯ Woosh¡ª Several police cars and an ambulance passed Ashmia with a familiar siren sound. ¡°Miss, where are you going?¡± Ashima stood up suddenly and walked around the corner again, looking at the scene of the accident from afar. She saw police officers who looked younger than they were in Michael¡¯s memory getting out of the car. Some of them were even accompanied by their partners who were killed a few years ago. Little by little, Ashima made out Nikita Borev¡¯s silhouette. But it wasn¡¯t Michael Rose who got out of the same car. ¡°What is this¡­¡± If she really did go back to seven years in the past, why did she become Ashmia instead of Michael? ¡°Haa¡­¡± Ashmia exhaled, unsure if it was a laugh or a sigh, and collapsed. ¡°Miss!¡± After hearing Vanessa¡¯s worried voice, Ashmia fainted. *** Ashmia opened her eyes again. ¡°My Lady, are you all right?!¡± The title of ¡®lady¡¯ and Vanessa¡¯s tumultuous voice, which were heard as soon as Ashmia woke up, immediately shattered the hope that everything was just a dream. ¡°¡­Where are we?¡± ¡°St. Catherine¡¯s Hospital!¡± The general hospital in the Kalanishiel family¡¯s territory. Ashmia resided in a special room on the top floor. But¡­ what was with all those bandages all over her body? ¡°Was I hurt that much?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t protect you better¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± In reality, Vanessa said that there were only minor abrasions and bruises. Ashmia fainted because she was too weak to withstand the shock from the accident¡ªwas what the doctor told Vanessa. However, with the bandages wrapped all around her slender body and the intravenous needles, it looked as if she had been laying on a bed in the intensive care unit. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to get scars, so I¡¯m being extra careful. Don Kalanishiel said¡­¡± tl/n: the word ¡®Don¡¯ in Italian means boss. ¡°Father?¡± After spitting out the word thoughtlessly, Ashmia freaked out. Oh my God, he¡¯s my father! It was a reflexive action that occurred because of Ashmia¡¯s memory where she called Richard Kalanishiel, the boss of the Kalanishiel Family, her father. Ashmia felt dizzy as she was about to faint again. ¡°Yes. He came in a hurry after cancelling the family event, as did the other family members¡­¡± Everyone came and left while I was sleeping? Ashmia let out a sigh of relief, thinking it was fortunate that she wasn¡¯t awake. She wasn¡¯t ready to work on her facial expressions in front of them. ¡®But¡­ what¡¯s going on in my head?¡¯ When she woke up, there was no memory loss and Ashmia¡¯s memories clearly coexisted with Michael¡¯s memories. Their memories weren¡¯t mixed up, but instead they were well sorted out like books in a library and there was a clear line between them. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to accept that ¡®those memories were hers, but also not hers.¡¯ And even more so if those were the memories of a girl who¡¯s been living as a reclusive loner for seven years. ¡®What the hell is up with this kid?¡¯ Without realizing it, Ashmia let out a soft sigh and called out Vanessa¡¯s name. ¡°Vanessa.¡± ¡°Yes, Lady.¡± ¡°Can you go and grab me some painkillers?¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Returning as fast as she left, Vanessa handed Ashmia a small and translucent brown bottle of medicine. ¡°Thank you.¡± Let¡¯s borrow some medicine for now. Otherwise, I¡¯m not confident of facing this girl¡¯s memories that just come out of the blue. ¡°Have you been treated?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s good. Then, I want to be alone for a while.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be outside. Call me whenever you need me!¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t do that. Go find an empty hospital room and get some rest. You must have had a hard day as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all right!¡± ¡°Do I have to order it? You need to recover your strength so that you can protect me like you did today. Go get some rest.¡± ¡°M-My Lady. I¡¯m so honoured!¡± ¡­I feel like I¡¯m some kind of Emperor. Vanessa left the room with tears full of emotion. ¡°I¡¯ll still be nearby so if anything happens, call me first!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Once Ashmia was alone, she got up from the bed, dragging the IV stand to the window. Outside the window was a beautiful night view of the city. However, Ashmia¡¯s focus wasn¡¯t on the beautiful sight, but on her reflection in the window. She raised her hand and touched her face. Forehead, eyebrows, nose, and lips. Every part Ashmia touched, she felt the touch. It was definitely her face. Moving into the bathroom, she stared in the mirror. The more she looked at herself, the more mysterious the hair and eyes were. ¡®Even her eyelashes are silver.¡¯ When Ashmia brought her face near the mirror for a closer look, there was a pinkish energy swirling around her black pupil surrounded by golden irises. She was the only one out of the Kalanishiel siblings to inherit this unusual genetic trait from her mother, Maverett Kalanishiel, called the ¡®Gold Rose¡¯. ¡®This is the real Ashmia Kalanishiel¡­¡¯ Now there was no room for further suspicions. Michael had accepted the fact that he returned to the past seven years ago and became the youngest daughter of a mafia family. ¡®But why?¡¯ As she was thinking about the reason and every possibility, a hypothesis suddenly popped in her mind. ¡®No way¡­ was this my ability?¡¯ However, even if there was a special ability that manifested in death, mana would be required to activate it. Michael Rose was an ordinary person with no mana. He was normal. ¡®¡­That¡¯s not the point.¡¯ Ashmia shook her head before she sunk deeper into questioning something she could not think of an answer to. ¡®More than that¡­¡¯ The question was more of a ¡®what to do in the future?¡¯ than a ¡®why did this happen?¡¯. Ashmia¡¯s death was the starting point of a series of disasters and tragedies that would take place in the next few years. ¡®Since Ashmia is not dead, will the future be different from the one I know?¡¯ The answer to that question was both yes and no. It was an assassination attempt disguised as an accident, targeting the youngest daughter of the Kalanishiel family. However, it was too big to be viewed as a simple assassination. Other than that, such a devastating event took place within the Kalanishiel territory and nowhere else. Although this time the assassination was unsuccessful, it wasn¡¯t something the family could just ignore. ¡®War will begin. Just like seven years ago.¡¯ Even so, the Empire, which was stagnant due to the corruption of the aristocracy, suffered the worst situation of a coup d¡¯etat after the war between the mafia and the aristocracy completely destroyed order and caused the Imperial family and the Council to lose control of the Capital. ¡®And the one who laughed last¡­¡¯ The second son of the Kalanishiel family, Damian Kalanishiel. In those seven years, countless innocent lives suffered and were sacrificed. It was the ¡®past¡¯ that Michael remembered and the ¡®future¡¯ that might take place. ¡®But¡­¡¯ Based on the results alone, it was impossible to conclude that Damian had attempted the assassination. It was clear that Damian was an impulsive and dangerous person with the power to turn half of the Empire into a sea of fire on his own. But he wasn¡¯t sociopathic enough to blow up his own sibling, who was two years younger than him, with a bomb truck. ¡®Then¡­¡¯ Who was behind the assassination that Michael Rose couldn¡¯t figure it out until the end? The man, or organization, must have been the cause of the fall of the Empire. The destruction that Michael had to go through. ¡°¡­¡± After turning on the faucet, Ashmia exhaled lightly and splashed cold water over her face. If this is another chance, I will survive at all costs. Until the end. ¡°This time¡­¡± I will stop the fall of the Empire! Determined, Ashmia looked at the girl, or herself, in the mirror. *** When she walked out the bathroom after wiping her face with a towel, her thoughts and mind were clear enough to feel hungry. It was good that she was hungry. It was a physical reflection of her will to live. Ashmia was about to give up because it was close to midnight. Then, suddenly, she remembered that she was the youngest daughter of Don Kalanishiel. ¡®If I don¡¯t take advantage of it now, then when will I?¡¯ When Vanessa left just a moment ago, Ashmia saw armed mafia members in the hallway, so she approached the hospital door and gripped the handle. ¡®Yes, let¡¯s ask the kids out there.¡¯ Then¡­ Bump¡ª The door opened suddenly without a knock. Chapter 3 tw: slight mention of s*icide ¡°¡­?!¡± In front of the surprised Ashmia stood a tall, beautiful young man with black, well-groomed hair and blood-red eyes. ¡°What? You¡¯re already walking around like this? You seem to be doing better than I thought.¡± ¡®Ashmia¡¯s memories¡¯ reflexively responded to the rude tone. It was a word that Michael would¡¯ve never said even if it killed him, a word he disliked more than ¡®father¡¯. ¡°¡­Brother Damian.¡± Damian barged into the hospital room. Ashmia was confused for a moment and couldn¡¯t figure out what to do or what she shouldn¡¯t do. The discomfort left by Damian in Ashmia¡¯s memories was the cause. ¡®I knew it, but still. I guess you didn¡¯t get along well with your siblings.¡¯ Ashmia thought, trying to pull herself together. ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t seriously injured. But didn¡¯t you just come by?¡± Damian watched Ashmia as she mumbled quietly in an annoyed tone and then sat down on her sofa. ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t drop by because I had work to do. Do you have anything else to eat? This isn¡¯t a ¡®special room¡¯; it¡¯s a mess. Call the guys out there.¡± The door was still open so a guard from the hallway heard the sound and walked into the hospital room. ¡°Go fry a chicken or something. You have half an hour.¡± ¡°In¡­ In half an hour?!¡± Damian raised his eyes at the man¡¯s retort. ¡°Don¡¯t make me say it twice.¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± After the man ran out of the hospital room, Damian unbuttoned his shirt and put his legs on the table in front of the sofa. ¡°Hey.¡± Ashmia took a deep breath to build the courage to say the word she wished she didn¡¯t have to. ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What are you doing right now?¡± Damian frowned and looked at Ashmia. ¡°I thought you were fine, but the explosion deafened you. Did you not hear what I just said to that bastard?¡± ¡°I heard. Go home and eat. What did you come all the way here for?¡± Damian¡¯s eyes narrowed. It was as if to say ¡®See that?¡¯ with his eyes. However, Damian soon found the stabilisers on the bedside table and understood. ¡°Are you on drugs? You¡¯re answering everything I say and you answer it wrong.¡± Damian raised the corner of his mouth in an amused smirk. ¡°People say that if someone¡¯s on the brink of death, they change. So that¡¯s what happened to you.¡± Ashmia was stunned. Was that the attitude of a brother who visited her sister after she almost died? Damian¡¯s trashy personality was annoying, and it was hard for Ashmia to keep calm knowing that he was the person who made Nikita shoot Michael. If I take the gun from a guard and shoot Damian, won¡¯t all of the tragedies that will happen because of him disappear? After the thought crossed her mind, Ashmia heard someone running down the hallway. ¡°Master Damian! Welcome!¡± Thanks to Vanessa, who rushed back to the hospital room after hearing the news from others, Ashmia was able to shake off her cluttered thoughts. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ Vanessa Willer, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Come here.¡± Vanessa approached Damian at his demand. Hit¡ª ¡°Ugh!¡± Damian suddenly lifted his foot and kicked Vanessa¡¯s stomach. Vanessa and Ashmia were both surprised by his sudden violence. ¡°Older brother?!¡± After being kicked, Vanessa stood up straight, enduring the pain. ¡°Who do you have to risk your life to protect?¡± ¡°Miss Ashmia Kalanishiel!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But¡­¡± Hit¡ª ¡°Knowing that, what did you do to make her look like this? Come closer again.¡± Hit¡ª ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t make any noise.¡± Damian stood up, took off his jacket and unbuttoned his sleeves. ¡°Did you say that your ability is hardening?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Did you try using it when you had to?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°So you do know what you¡¯ve done wrong. Clench your jaw.¡± Damian swung his palm towards Vanessa who swallowed dry as if she was prepared. Slap¡ª! ¡°¡­?!¡± Ashmia suddenly ran in front of Vanessa, raising her arms to block Damian¡¯s palm. However, his slap was so strong that Vanessa quickly reached out and supported Ashmia¡¯s body as she collapsed. ¡°What are you doing?! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°Brother, what are you doing right now?!!¡± Damian shouted in frustration only to be met with Ashmia¡¯s scream. Her cheek was bright red after being hit by Damian¡¯s hand. ¡°Vanessa threw herself to protect me! What are you doing?! I won¡¯t be praising you for doing a good job!¡± ¡°You, you¡­¡± Damian¡¯s hand trembled as he pointed at Ashmia. ¡°Are you crazy? You dare yell at me in front of our subordinates?!¡± ¡°Vanessa is my bodyguard! Even if you take my soul and punish me, I¡¯ll protect her!¡± ¡°Lady¡­!¡± Damian raised his hand again, but he didn¡¯t budge. He stared into her golden eyes which were staring back at him and then lowered his hand, swear words slipping out of his lips. ¡°What a waste of time. Brat.¡± Picking up his jacket, Damian walked past Ashmia and left the room, shoving Vanessa roughly with his shoulder during the process. ¡°L-Lady! Are you okay?!¡± As soon as Damian left, Vanessa looked at Ashmia¡¯s red, swollen cheek with tears in her eyes. Vanessa couldn¡¯t help but cry. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯ll get better if I cool it with some cold water.¡± ¡°Why did you protect me?! I should¡¯ve been hit!¡± ¡°There was no reason for you to get hit, so why would you be?¡± ¡°Miss¡­¡± Vanessa quickly brought a towel soaked in cold water with tears still in her eyes. Feeling the coolness on her cheek, Ashmia took a seat on the sofa and praised herself for not killing Damian. ¡°I have fried chicken!¡± While the towel was being soaked in the water once more, the man from a while ago came back in a hurry with a fried chicken wrapped in paper. The scent made Ashmia salivate, forgetting the pain in her cheek. ¡°Do you have Cola?¡± ¡°Yes, here it is!¡± ¡°Yes! Thanks!¡± Ashmia smiled and turned to Vanessa who had a puzzled look on her face. ¡°Shall we have a late night snack?¡± It was a really tough day until the very end. Ashmia couldn¡¯t eat all of it, so she thought of sharing with Vanessa as compensation. As she unfolded the paper wrapped around the chicken on the table, Ashmia ripped off one of the delicious looking chicken legs with one hand. Ashmia felt happy, thinking she was lucky to be revived for that exact moment. *** Her mother, Maverett Kalanishiel, introduced a young woman to Ashmia one day. ¡°Oh, hello Miss! My name is Vanessa Willer!¡± Maverett comforted Ashmia who was hiding behind her. ¡°Mia, shouldn¡¯t you say hello? She¡¯ll be your bodyguard from today.¡± ¡°¡­What is a bodyguard?¡± ¡°Someone who will protect you, Mia.¡± Maverett smiled and continued. ¡°She¡¯ll always protect Mia, even when mom and dad won¡¯t be around. So come on, sweetheart.¡± tl/n: i left it out because it didn¡¯t sound right in english, but here maverett is saying ¡°???¡± which translates as ¡°this older sister¡± and she¡¯s referring to vanessa. for the future, just so you know vanessa is older than ashmia. Ashmia was trembling, but she still carefully grabbed Vanessa¡¯s extended hand. ¡°¡­Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too! I will sacrifice my life to protect you for the rest of my days!!¡± ¡°That attitude is good, but don¡¯t be too fussy from the first day.¡± ¡°S-Sorry!¡± Seeing Vanessa reply nervously to Maverett¡¯s joke, Ashmia burst into laughter. Even after Maverett¡¯s death, Vanessa kept her word. When Ashmia had fallen into despair, Vanessa did not leave her side until the end. Beyond physical security, she encouraged and comforted Ashmia to carry on with her life. The ¡®Ashmia¡¯ from the memories was grateful to Vanessa for protecting her for nearly a decade. For Michael Rose, however, Vanessa¡¯s current appearance was very unfamiliar because the person Michael remembers was a self-proclaimed mad dog. Vanessa, who lost one eye and one arm after the ¡®bomb truck incident¡¯ was always at the forefront of the mafia war that followed. Her near-suicidal assault, which fully exploited her abilities, was always feared by her enemies. Not many people knew that it was a form of Vanessa¡¯s self-punishment because she went mad with guilt for failing to protect Ashmia. She had done such reckless things countless times and ultimately met her end one day when the war was over. After killing hundreds of people alone with thousands of bullets, she shattered like glass and ended her life. *** ¡°The Black Lion¡¯s mansion?¡± Ashmia asked, tilting her head while preparing for her discharge by wearing the clothes that Vanessa had brought her. ¡°Yes. The young Lady¡¯s safety comes first, so Don Kalanishiel talked about letting you stay with him for a while.¡± ¡°Who said that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Master Damian said.¡± ¡°¡­My brother?¡± Ashmia stopped while she was buttoning her shirt. ¡®That¡¯s a little surprising.¡¯ However, because of his appearance last night, Ashmia began to suspect that her brother also had some kind of plot. ¡°But Don Kalanishiel was against it.¡± ¡°Of course he is.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t show my weakness to the person who tried to kill me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± Ashmia could understand what Vanessa was saying. No matter how important appearances are, Vanessa complained that there was nothing more important than the safety of his daughter. Chapter 4 ¡°I heard you promised to increase the number of security guards? They¡¯re enough, actually, I don¡¯t need them.¡± Ashmia tapped Vanessa¡¯s arm. ¡°Vanessa, for me, you¡¯re enough. They don¡¯t know, do they?¡± ¡°Miss¡­¡± Ashmia smiled and continued speaking to Vanessa who was moved by her words. ¡°Oh, and¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Miss!¡± ¡°Can you give it to me?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°The car keys. I¡¯ll drive from now on.¡± Vanessa quickly handed the car keys to Ashmia with a blushing face. *** ¡°Oh, Miss.¡± ¡°Yes, what?¡± ¡°I apologise, but may I ask when you started driving so well?!¡± Ashmia smoothly cornered the roundabout. ¡°¡­D-Did you think I was just sleeping in the back seat every day? I learned a bit by watching you over your shoulder when you were driving.¡± She thought it was an absurd excuse when she said it, but Vanessa, who was in the passenger seat, said with a twinkle in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re amazing! Then, maybe that¡¯s the Lady¡¯s ability?!¡± ¡°What? It can¡¯t be.¡± Ashmia laughed as if it was ridiculous. It¡¯s just because I¡¯ve been driving for twenty years. ¡°I heard that you have the ability to imitate what you see right away!¡± ¡°You mean a copycat? It¡¯s not like that. I just have some talent.¡± ¡°But, if you don¡¯t know your powers, why don¡¯t you go to the Supernatural Powers Bureau when you have time?¡± As Vanessa kept talking about it, Ashmia became more and more curious. Was Ashmia Kalanishiel normal, or was she capable? If she was of Kalanishiel¡¯s bloodline, it was most likely that she was, of course, capable of having powers, but Ashmia was listed as normal at the time of her death. Ashmia stayed at home all the time, so she didn¡¯t have a chance to awaken, but now that I survived it wouldn¡¯t be bad to go where Vanessa suggested. ¡°Alright, when the time comes.¡± ¡°But the police won¡¯t catch us, will they? You¡¯re driving without a license.¡± In the Empire, one could get a driver¡¯s license at the age of eighteen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you were the one driving, it would be more likely for us to get caught by the police.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Ashmia giggled and turned the steering wheel. The streets from seven years ago were strangely unfamiliar and new. She may not be able to walk the streets as Michael Rose anymore, but the fact that Ashmia could see those streets again made her a little happier. For a moment, forgetting yesterday¡¯s terrible death and accident, Ashmia enjoyed the scent of the city coming through the open car window. *** Ashmia¡¯s safety house was located in a luxury residential area a little far from the city center. To be precise, the picturesque mansions were lined up here and there, enough to be called a luxurious area. When she was Michael Rose, it was a place she had never gone to and never had the chance to visit. ¡°Wow!¡± Although it was relatively small, knowing it was her own house, Ashmia exclaimed involuntarily at the sight of the magnificent gothic-style mansion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Huh? No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± How is it supposed to be a safe house when it is so gorgeous? It stands out. While Ashmia was thinking, the garage shutter roared open. When she got out of the car after parking it skilfully, the eyes of two maids who opened the shutter widened. ¡°Y-You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She waved lightly to the maids who were embarrassed but still greeted her at a ninety degree bow. Ashmia handed them the car keys, climbed the stairs of the garage and walked out to the garden. There, a woman who had her hair gathered and tied up neatly, was waiting at the front door. She bowed her head towards Ashmia. ¡°Are you back, Ashmia?¡± ¡°Mhm. Have you been well, Claudia?¡± ¡°Yes, but something happened to you. It could¡¯ve been a big problem. Are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ashmia walked inside through the front door which was opened by the maid. She was surprised to see the special room of St. Catherine¡¯s Hospital, but Ashmia¡¯s mouth fell open when she saw the interior of the incomparably wide and splendid mansion. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± It was when she greeted the maids gathered in the drawing room as she was about to go up the stairs. ¡°Huh?!¡± Vanessa hurriedly helped Ashmia who almost collapsed due to a sudden weakness in her legs. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I must be a little tired.¡± Is this the aftermath of yesterday¡¯s accident? Or because I drove for a bit? How weak is this body¡­? Upon arriving in her room with Vanessa¡¯s help, Ashmia said as soon as she sat on the bed. ¡°Please, warm up the bath water.¡± ¡°I knew you would want one so I prepared it in advance.¡± In ¡®Ashmia¡¯s memories¡¯, this maid named Claudia was a competent woman who always seemed to read Ashmia¡¯s thoughts. In addition, she was also educated enough to serve as Ashmia¡¯s tutor. The only downside was that Claudia seemed so perfect that sometimes Ashmia felt as if she wasn¡¯t human. And in ¡®Michael¡¯s memories¡¯, there was not much information because she was Ashmia¡¯s maid, and Michael didn¡¯t exactly know what happened to her after Ashmia¡¯s death. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ashmia answered with a smile and headed towards the bathroom. *** Ashmia felt as if her fatigue was relieved the second she soaked her body in the warm water. At first, she was so embarrassed that she couldn¡¯t even go to the bathroom because of her gender change. Fortunately, after realizing that whether it was going to the bathroom, changing her clothes, or bathing like she did now, she felt comfortable knowing that if she left her body to the original Ashmia, she would take care of it. First of all, what I have to do is¡­ Above all, it was to develop physical strength. I can¡¯t do anything with this body. No matter how much Vanessa said she would protect Ashmia, she should be able to protect herself as well. ¡°¡­Great.¡± Having organized her thoughts, Ashmia got out of the bathtub. After changing her clothes and drying her hair with the help of her maids, Ashmia called Vanessa into her room. ¡°Vanessa.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lady.¡± Ashmia motioned for Vanessa to come closer. She took a few steps closer to Vanessa, who was only two meters away. Vanessa¡¯s face turned a little red at the slightly burdensome distance. ¡°L¡­Lady?¡± Ashmia held up her index finger in front of her lips. ¡°Quiet.¡± Then, she slowly traced Vanessa¡¯s body, starting with her neck and her shoulders. Her armpits, arms, wrists, chest, waist, belly, groin, knees, calves to shins. After that, she gestured again to take her shoes off. Ashmia ran out of strength trying to remove the heel of Vanessa¡¯s shoe, so she had Vanessa take it off herself. After all checks were done, Ashmia pulled Vanessa down slightly so she could whisper in her ear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t doubt you.¡± Ashmia whispered to Vanessa, who was still embarrassed by Ashmia¡¯s sudden behaviour. ¡°I¡¯m going to search the room now. You know what a wiretap bug* looks like, right?¡± tl/n: a tiny microphone that can be hidden either on or under clothes and furniture, often used by a third party to monitor communications to investigate someone Vanessa nodded. Stand lights, tables, chairs, various picture frames, vases, under beds and mattresses. After completing her search, Ashmia sat down in her chair and looked at Vanessa. ¡°Sit down.¡± Vanessa sat across from Ashmia, who opened her mouth to speak in a low voice with an expression full of doubts. ¡°I think we have a ¡®rat¡¯* in our family.¡± tl/n: rat = snitch Vanessa was about to say something out of surprise, but Ashmia put her index finger on her lips again. ¡°I can¡¯t explain what happened yesterday unless the information was leaked.¡± The family event was basically once a month, but the date was randomly assigned by Richard each time. Even if he didn¡¯t change it and they continued to lurk around for a month at the previous location, it was impossible to find the exact location of Ashmia¡¯s car in the middle of the city, which was not even close to the Black Lion¡¯s mansion. Ashmia¡¯s car, license plate, and route to the Black Lion¡¯s mansion were different each time. ¡°And yet the bomb truck drove straight towards us.¡± As if they already knew where she was supposed to be, without a doubt. Vanessa nodded with a serious look. ¡°Once again, I trust you, Vanessa. I hope you didn¡¯t misunderstand me. I was afraid that someone else may have played a prank on you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t misunderstand. Thank you for trusting me!¡± Vanessa¡¯s loyalty was real. Ashmia could tell just by looking at how Vanessa protected her from the huge explosion yesterday, and there was no doubt about Vanessa in ¡®Ashmia¡¯s memories¡¯. In other words, Vanessa was the only one Ashmia could trust now. ¡°Father will try to catch the ¡®rat¡¯ first before anyone else. My older sister and brothers too. Then, the whole family will be in chaos.¡± ¡°I-I guess.¡± ¡°Instead, the mess will strengthen their vigilance, so the person who tried to assassinate me probably won¡¯t be able to target me for a while. So, I need to do some work in the meantime.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Training.¡± Vanessa¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at Ashmia¡¯s words. ¡°You should train me, Vanessa.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°I trust you, but I¡¯m so weak that there will be a limit to how much you can protect me.¡± Of course, Michael Rose was able to use various martial art skills that police officers had to learn, and he was good at street fighting, but it was impossible to imitate those movements with Ashmia¡¯s body who grew up as a houseplant. It was also clear that even if she could, it was going to arouse suspicions if she suddenly imitated those skills with that weak body. Although her first goal was to develop her stamina, she needed to learn martial arts while being trained by Vanessa in order to have an alibi. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Oh, and one more thing.¡± Ashmia said. ¡°I¡¯m going to learn horseback riding.¡± Chapter 5 Ashmia smiled and continued speaking to Vanessa, who blinked at the sudden remark. ¡°This is Randolph¡¯s Riding Field.¡± Vanessa¡¯s eyes grew bigger when she heard the name. ¡°Will that be okay? As far as I know, that¡¯s where the Duke of Pendragon¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But don¡¯t worry. Ivern Randolph is a smart bat. No matter how pressuring Pendragon is, he won¡¯t be able to beat Kalanishiel. All right, then, let¡¯s start training as soon as we set up the training ground. Could you call Claudia?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± After bidding goodbye to Ashmia, Vanessa walked out of the room and took a deep breath. Throughout her conversation with Ashmia, she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she was facing another person since the sudden body search. ¡®¡­Last night too.¡¯ Vanessa found it hard to fall asleep because the moment when Ashmia blocked Damian¡¯s hand wouldn¡¯t leave her mind. In addition, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder to the extent that the average person could not drive a car after being involved in such an accident. However, Ashmia drove with skills superior to Vanessa¡¯s. Even if it was her first time driving, just as Ashmia said. Ashmia constantly surprised Vanessa in one day, even though Vanessa had been serving her for ten years. As if she was another person. ¡®That can¡¯t be¡­ Maybe?! Could it be that the young lady has really ¡®awakened¡¯?!¡¯ Vanessa couldn¡¯t know what Ashmia¡¯s ability could be, but it was Kalanishiel¡¯s bloodline. Ashmia must have an unimaginable amount of power! Vanessa looked around her, pretending nothing was wrong and adjusted her outfit, walking down the hallway as if to not let anyone know of the special and great secret that only she knew about. *** The next day. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s nice.¡± Ashmia admired the training ground set up in the basement. From basic physical training equipment to martial arts training equipment such as sandbags. It was Claudia who said ¡®Please, make a training ground¡¯ but to have such a professional training facility in less than a day. ¡°We will stock up on missing items within a few days.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s enough.¡± Claudia pointed at the empty space and said. ¡°The shooting range is going to be built here, but the soundproofing will take some time.¡± ¡°Okay. Just let me shoot a gun. You¡¯re going to teach me how to shoot, right?¡± ¡°If you want, Ashmia, I will teach you as much as you¡¯d like. But I¡¯m not going to go easy on you.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you so terrifying?¡± ¡®I thought there was nothing you couldn¡¯t do, but I can¡¯t believe you know how to shoot.¡¯ ¡®Is she real?¡¯ Ashmia asked, recalling such thoughts in her mind. ¡°Did you get a call from the horseback riding course?¡± Claudia nodded. ¡°They said that they will arrive in about ten days.¡± ¡°Ten days? You told them it¡¯s okay if it¡¯s proper, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ashmia touched her lips with her fingertips. ¡®It already smells bad.¡¯ She expected it, but she didn¡¯t expect it to end up like that from the start. ¡®Those bastards of nobles are all the same.¡¯ Looking at Ashmia¡¯s complexion, Claudia asked the same question as Vanessa. ¡°Will it be okay?¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no problem.¡± In her previous life, Ashmia couldn¡¯t do anything in front of that stupid ego game, but this time it was different. ¡®Let¡¯s see.¡¯ Ashmia ordered one more thing from Claudia. ¡°I remembered what I needed.¡± Claudia answered Ashmia¡¯s strange words without changing her expression. ¡°All right.¡± *** The training started that day. And. Whoops¡ª ¡°Goodness¡­ Are you okay, my lady?!¡± Vanessa gave a worried expression to Ashmia as she caressed her back while Ashmia vomited in the corner of the training ground. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not okay¡­¡± When she started training, Ashmia felt the weakness of her body once again. ¡®There¡¯s a long way to go and it¡¯s tough.¡¯ Still, it might be the Kalanishiel¡¯s blood running through her veins, but she was not basically weak. After training, she showed a healthy and thriving appetite, even though she had just vomited, and Ashmia eagerly ordered luxurious food. ¡°This is delicious! Do you have any more?¡± ¡°Yes? Ah, yes! We will bring it to you soon!¡± On the other hand, her maids were surprised that Ashmia, who had only eaten in her room for the past seven years, came to her restaurant, her eyes widening as she asked for even more food. ¡°It¡¯s a bit weird eating alone. Vanessa, let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°What?! No, I¡­ Is that okay?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be okay? Claudia, you haven¡¯t eaten yet, have you? Sit next to me.¡± Suddenly, the kitchen became busy when the two ordered more meals. ¡°Oh, my. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Yeah. Perhaps¡­ Was she upset because of the accident?¡± ¡°Of course she is. She took sedatives too.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± As the maids were whispering at the kitchen entrance, a maid said while glaring at them. ¡°Don¡¯t say any nonsense. Why don¡¯t you just carry this?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Okay.¡± When the maid was gone, the others gathered together and cursed her. ¡°Lucky girl. Thinking she¡¯s working alone.¡± ¡°Leave her alone. Matilda said she¡¯s from a slum. There¡¯s nothing good to see.¡± ¡°How come she¡¯s working here? I really don¡¯t understand.¡± Matilda, who had a good ear, heard all the stories but quietly carried her food, ignoring them. *** ¡°Uh, huh!¡± Ashmia ran up and down the stairs and through her mansion. ¡°Lady! You¡¯re doing great! Just a little bit more!¡± The training rotation was in the order of basic physical strength, self-defense, martial arts, and shooting. Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°Relax your shoulders. I can see that you¡¯re afraid of recoil.¡± ¡°Hmm. I want to do that, but I¡¯m constantly getting tired.¡± ¡°But you still have talent. I hope you do your best so this doesn¡¯t turn out to be beginner¡¯s luck.¡± ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± Ashmia couldn¡¯t see it as beginner¡¯s luck. Michael did not neglect shooting and training every day during his lifetime, to the extent that there was a joke which went like ¡®half of the bullets at the National Police Agency¡¯s shooting range are shot by Michael Rose alone.¡¯ Did the habits and efforts of her previous life help? After about three days, Ashmia quickly found a pace that was right for her, and her training went smoothly. Finally, she made sure she trained several times against ¡®weird models¡¯ with Vanessa. At first, Vanessa looked at Ashmia with an expression that said ¡®Why are you training like this?¡¯, but after hearing Ashmia¡¯s explanation, she took it seriously. ¡°Knock it down, but don¡¯t get hurt. That¡¯s important.¡± ¡°All right!¡± Bang¡ª! Ashmia watched while she wiped her sweat with a towel as Vanessa fought against her model. She ate well, slept well, trained hard, and a week passed before she knew it. ¡°Great. Let¡¯s do it like this for today.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°You did a great job too. Let¡¯s take a day off tomorrow.¡± Rest was just as important as training. Vanessa agreed with Ashmia. ¡°Lady. Why don¡¯t you go tomorrow to the Special Ability Management Bureau I mentioned earlier?¡± ¡®Oh, right. Come to think of it, we talked about that. To be honest, I want to lay down all day¡­¡¯ After another sip of water, Ashmia replied while looking at her trembling hands that showed the aftermath of her training. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that.¡± *** The Ability Management Bureau was located in the center of the city, and it was built almost as if it were attached to the National Police Agency. Ashmia got out of the car and looked at the National Police Agency, instead of the Ability Management Bureau. As soon as she died in her previous life, she opened her eyes immediately to find herself in this body, so Ashmia looked up at the absurd building with a strange mix of longing and boredom, even though she had not seen it for about a week. ¡®What are my old colleagues doing right now?¡¯ ¡°My Lady?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± Ashmia turned around as if to shake off her regrets. The prosecutor and staff of the Department of Human Resources opened their eyes wide when they received the documents. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± ¡°Do what you think is right. Please take care of me.¡± Right now, Vanessa was definitely ¡®mafia-like¡¯. The poor employee was sweating and hurried to prepare the examination after hearing the words which sounded like threats, although they weren¡¯t. ¡®It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ When she was Michael, he had to take this ability examination before becoming a police officer. The disappointment he felt when he found out he was normal felt as vivid as if it happened just yesterday. ¡°Lady, aren¡¯t you nervous?¡± ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s whatever.¡± ¡°Really? Then why am I nervous¡­?¡± While chatting and laughing at Vanessa¡¯s words, an employee who had been carrying the documents a while ago came back in a hurry. ¡°Hey, come here.¡± When Ashmia entered the loom that looked like a small glass polyhedron, she saw an icosahedral mana stone floating in the middle of the room. At that moment, her heart began to beat really fast. ¡ªCould you put your hand on the mana stone? Following the announcement from the speaker, Ashmia slowly placed her hand on the mana stone. The test method was simple. Touching a part of her body with the refined mana stone for examination, just like she did now, and it was over. The contact should be kept for a maximum of one minute, and if the person being tested is a person with mana, the mana stone responds to it and lights up, and sensory reactions related to their ability appear. However. 5¡­10¡­ 20¡­ 30 seconds. Vanessa, who was waiting outside, looked more nervous at the unresponsive mana stone. ¡®Are you sure the lady is normal? Would that be possible?!¡¯ At that moment, as if responding to Vanessa¡¯s wish, the mana stone began to glow and vibrate. Whoosh~ ¡®Is it supposed to be like this?¡¯ Ashmia was also experiencing it for the first time, so she couldn¡¯t know. Chapter 6 Vrrrrr¡ª As the vibration became stronger, the intensity of the emitted light also increased. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on?! Are you sure you¡¯re doing it right?!¡± At Vanessa¡¯s shout, the employee¡¯s bewildered voice came through the speakers. ¡ª Miss, could you take your hand off the Mana Stone?! Ashmia pulled her hand away from the Mana Stone, but the light and vibration continued to grow stronger either way. And in the dazzling light, Ashmia saw a silhouette. A man with tall and bushy hair. It was none other than the appearance of Michael Rose. ¡°¡­!!¡± And that wasn¡¯t the end. ¡®What?!¡¯ Michael¡¯s silhouette faded and another silhouette appeared behind him. The appearance of their wavy long hair fluttering was telling Ashmia that the silhouette belonged to a woman, but the light was so strong that Ashmia found it hard to open her eyes, so she couldn¡¯t see the woman¡¯s face. ¡°¡­?!¡± Then¡­ Whoosh¡ª!! The explosion of light was so strong that everyone who was watching turned their heads. Vrrrvrrrrr¡­ As if nothing had happened, the mana stone quickly lost its light and stopped vibrating. Bump¡ª! Vanessa opened the door and ran in shouting while grabbing Ashmia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Lady! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯m fine. But Vanessa, just now, you also¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you crazy bastards! Are you doing your job right?! Call the bastard who manages this place! If you don¡¯t explain clearly what just happened to my lady, you¡¯re dead!¡± ¡°Calm down, Vanessa! I¡¯m fine!¡± While comforting Vanessa, a frightened employee approached them and guided them to the counseling room. Soon, the first employee they met when they arrived walked in with a pale face, holding a document that looked like Ashmia¡¯s test results. ¡°T-The conclusion is that Ashmia Kalanishiel is a talented person.¡± Slam¡ª! Vanessa slammed her hands on top of the desk. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know that?! Quickly explain what just happened!¡± ¡°This is¡­ It¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve seen such a rare case¡­ It¡¯s hard to say, so please understand¡­¡± ¡°Please understand?!¡± The employee avoided Vanessa¡¯s gaze by continuously pushing up his glasses that slipped down because of sweat. ¡°So you don¡¯t know either, do you?¡± As Vanessa¡¯s voice turned cold, the staff spoke urgently. ¡°We¡­ We¡¯ll do a more in-depth analysis and contact you as soon as possible! O-Our facility also has a curriculum to help you with safety awareness and the use of abilities! If you have any thoughts¡­!¡± Ashmia raised her hand to stop the employee. ¡°No, wait a minute. Before that, in that light, both of them¡­¡± Ashmia was about to ask, ¡®Didn¡¯t you see the silhouettes of a man and a woman standing there?¡¯ but closed her mouth when she noticed Vanessa¡¯s and the employee¡¯s expressions. ¡°Yes, my lady. Tell me, did you see something in the light?¡± ¡°¡­Did you not see anything?¡± ¡°Other than it being incredibly dazzling¡­ Did you see anything else yourself?¡± As Vanessa and the staff looked at Ashmia in anticipation, she thought for a second and shook her head. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see anything either.¡± ¡°Hey! Why does my lady have to worry about this?! Aren¡¯t you supposed to know everything?!¡± Ashmia stood up so that Vanessa wouldn¡¯t annoy the workers any further. ¡°All right. There is no need for a detailed analysis and no need to contact me. About the curriculum, too.¡± All information, except for Ashmia¡¯s name, written on the document was false anyway. ¡°I wasn¡¯t here today, got it?¡± ¡°What? Oh, yes! Of course!¡± ¡°Please destroy the documents too.¡± Ashmia left first, and Vanessa looked back at the employees. ¡°Do it properly.¡± Bang¡ª! Vanessa slammed the desk once again before following Ashmia. ¡°¡­¡± The employees looked at Vanessa¡¯s fist marks left on the iron desk and took out a handkerchief to wipe their sweaty faces. *** ¡°Vanessa, can we make a promise?¡± ¡°Yes. What are you talking about?¡± ¡°From now on, analyse the situation before trying to be ¡®mafia-like¡¯.¡± Vanessa understood what Ashmia was saying, but she looked troubled. ¡°My Lady, I apologise, but wouldn¡¯t there be more people who would look down on us and won¡¯t listen to us?¡± Ashmia also partially agreed with this typical mafia idea. In fact, it wasn¡¯t much of a difference compared to when the police dealt with a suspect. ¡°I know. I¡¯ll send you a signal when I need it.¡± ¡°All right! So, what kind of signal should we use?¡± Vanessa asked, her eyes shining with excitement like a child. ¡°Well, if I touch my earlobe.¡± ¡°Yes! But can I scare them and beat them up?¡± Ashmia thought briefly before answering. ¡°If you look at my expressions, you¡¯ll know what to do.¡± After taming Vanessa, Ashmia fell into deep thought. What was the silhouette that she saw in the light? ¡®¡­I hope there will be no troublesome situations.¡¯ Ashmia had not yet awakened, but she knew that her ability was growing. However, it only felt like she had been given pointless homework. Thinking about it, there was nothing strange if she had a hidden ability, and they wouldn¡¯t find out that the current Ashmia was not the real Ashmia. Upon realizing that, she was glad to know that the silhouette she had seen in the light was invisible to others. ¡®I will never come here again.¡¯ With that in mind, Ashmia started the engine of their car. *** The contact from the riding field finally came two weeks later. It was later than expected, but that wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. In the meantime, Ashmia¡¯s stamina improved a little, and the results of training with Vanessa took shape. ¡°What do you think?¡± A black top, white pants, and dark brown leather boots. Ashmia, dressed in neat and luxurious riding clothes, asked while standing in front of the mirror. ¡°You are so beautiful, my lady!¡± Vanessa¡¯s fussy reaction made Ashmia feel good, but it didn¡¯t really help much. So, she looked in Claudia¡¯s direction and only let go of her worries after seeing her nod her head. ¡°Then, shall we depart?¡± Ashmia headed to the garage with Vanessa and Claudia. Eight people were already waiting in the garage to protect her. ¡°Lady Ashmia.¡± Claudia spoke softly to Ashmia who got in the car. ¡°I hope you have a safe trip.¡± Ashmia smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be back.¡± *** If it was just to ride a horse in the first place, Ashmia didn¡¯t need to choose ¡®Randolph¡¯s Riding Field¡¯. tl/n: this can also be ¡®randolph¡¯s horse riding course¡¯ but it¡¯s too long so i adapted. also ¡°course¡± means something like ¡°path¡± so field works as a translation for it too. If she went out a little further in the suburbs, there would be plenty of horseback riding grounds where she could rent a whole day using Ashmia¡¯s personal assets. Ashmia had another plan. However, it took two weeks to bring a horse, same goes for her ¡®opponent¡¯. ¡®How lavishly are you going to welcome me?¡¯ While thinking about this and that, Ashmia began to see a large building and a fence over the hill. When she opened the car window, a fresh smell of horse poop came with the wind. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I smelled this scent.¡¯ Michael once rode a horse. Of course, it was not a sport that a policeman with no money could enjoy freely, so he enjoyed it at a small horseback riding field. Ashmia let out a small sigh as she recalled the terrible memories of her running all night long to catch a criminal with the horse riding skills she had. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, lady. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll protect you!¡± Ashmia smiled lightly as she noticed that Vanessa might¡¯ve misunderstood her sigh. The three cars entered the parking lot one after the other. As expected of Randolph¡¯s Riding Field. Even on weekdays, the parking lot was almost full of luxurious cars. When Ashmia got out of the car after finding an empty spot and parked properly, Vanessa called Ashmia in a low voice. ¡°Lady.¡± Turning her head, she saw a group of people standing in line in front of a luxurious resort-like building. At first, Ashmia thought it was really welcoming, and it would¡¯ve been if not for the ten people holding shotguns in their hands. Escorted by eight bodyguards and Vanessa, Ashmia walked towards them. At first glance, people would think they¡¯re going to a duel. ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty, all of you. You must not speak first and, especially, never pull out a gun until I give you instructions. Got it?¡± ¡°All right!¡± Upon arriving at the entrance of the building, Ashmia was greeted by a greasy-looking man with a moustache, which she had seen only in pictures, standing in the middle of the horseback riding ground. ¡°Welcome to Randolph¡¯s Riding Field. I¡¯m Ivern Randolph, the manager.¡± [2. The White Horse and the Princess] Ashmia also slightly bowed and said. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Ashmia Kalanishiel. May I call you Mister Randolph?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s an overkill for me. Just call me Ivern.¡± ¡°Yes, but can I ask you why the people behind you came along?¡± Ivern Randolph was quite astonished at the sight of the seventeen-year-old girl speaking clearly without a change in her expression although there were more than twenty armed men in front of her. Chapter 7 ¡®Really, a Kalanishel¡­ You¡¯re worthy of your name.¡¯ Ivern bowed his head once again. ¡°The possession and carrying of firearms and other weapons is prohibited on our riding grounds. There is also a limit to the number of guards that can enter with each guest of honour, so we ask for your understanding and cooperation.¡± ¡°Is that so? We didn¡¯t hear anything like that when we inquired in advance.¡± ¡°I am truly sorry for not being able to inform you. However, since rules are rules, it seems difficult to say anything other than ask for your understanding and cooperation once again.¡± ¡°Ashmia Kalanishiel doesn¡¯t have a title; therefore, you can¡¯t be accompanied by a security guard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± Ashmia raised her hand to stop Vanessa, who was about to rush in. ¡°If the number of security guards has something to do with titles, there must be a lot of honoured guests who are dissatisfied.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then, if I pay an additional fee per person, will it solve the problem?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t have a horse which belongs to our riding field, it will be difficult to do that.¡± Ashmia¡¯s eyes narrowed at Ivern¡¯s words. As expected, her prediction of trouble was never wrong. Even so, Ashmia didn¡¯t expect to face such a rude welcome. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that, after all, I¡¯m the only one who can go in?¡± Ashmia herself didn¡¯t realize it, but when her emotions intensified, the pink hue surrounding her pupils spread and blended with her golden irises, changing her eyes into a ¡®rose gold¡¯ color. As he was met with the mysterious glowing gaze, Ivern unconsciously swallowed dry, feeling cold sweat running down his spine. It was the same with the horseback riding crew who stood behind Ivern, and Ashmia was aware of their tension. ¡®You¡¯re afraid of me, but you don¡¯t back down. No, you can¡¯t back down. Because there¡¯s someone you¡¯re more afraid of.¡¯ And it wasn¡¯t difficult to guess who it was. Ashmia sighed lightly, her eyes returning to normal. ¡°Good. If that¡¯s the case¡ª¡± It was then that Ashmia finally relaxed and was willing to speak to Ivern again. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± An angry voice was heard from behind Ivern. Surprised by the noise, a beautiful woman with blonde hair and sky blue eyes wearing a blue horse riding suit was seen standing with her hands on her waist. ¡°When did those strange rules come into existence, Ivern?!¡± Ivern was taken aback by her words and shook his head. ¡°P-Princess Pendragon. It¡¯s not like that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s your father¡¯s orders, right?¡± Ivern replied to her with silence. ¡°I shall take responsibility, so treat her properly as an honoured guest. It doesn¡¯t matter how many security guards there are!¡± ¡°¡­All right.¡± Ivern Randolph smiled broadly and looked back at his crew. Bowing towards Ashmia, he said. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s head inside. Ashmia Kalanishiel.¡± ¡®Waah, you bat-like bastard.¡¯ tl/n: i couldn¡¯t find a better word for ¡®bat-like¡¯ in english, but basically it¡¯s someone that acts in their own interest, depending on the circumstances. His change of posture was indeed faster than a bullet. ¡°Is that Ashmia Kalanishiel? Nice to meet you. My name is Francesca Pendragon.¡± The blonde woman strode forward and stretched out her hand towards Ashmia. The Duke of Pendragon was considered to have the greatest influence in the political frontiers of the Empire. Of course, there was never an opportunity for Michael to meet the Duke¡¯s daughter in person, so she was a little surprised by Francesca¡¯s ¡®non-princess¡¯ like personality and unadorned impression. Ashmia slightly bent her knee before taking Francesca¡¯s hand. ¡°Ashmia Kalanishiel greets Francesca Pendragon. Thank you for your help and favour.¡± ¡°Ah, what is this? I¡¯m rather sorry. My father is a little extreme¡­ you know.¡± Francesca said jokingly, but there were only a few people in the Empire who could laugh at the Duke of Pendragon¡¯s intensity. And Ashmia, one of those few, replied with a smile. ¡°I fully understand. I think my father has also become a little bit nervous because I have been through some unfortunate events recently.¡± That was her explanation for the fact that she was accompanied by eight security guards. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I heard it was a disaster! Are your injuries okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t seriously hurt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortunate. We can¡¯t keep talking in this place. Shall we head inside?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± While talking, Ashmia caught a glimpse of a giant man standing a few metres behind Francesca. Byren Bernando. Perhaps that was Francesca¡¯s only guard in the facility at the moment. The reason was that one man was enough. He was a man who could beat a bear with his bare hands without using an ability. Security is quality, not quantity. With that man in front of her, it was not worth bringing in eight security guards. ¡°Ivern, list these men as my guards. There should be no problem then, right?¡± ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to do that.¡± Ashmia smiled in response to Francesca¡¯s words. ¡°Here, just let Vanessa go in with me, that¡¯s enough. Thanks again for the favour.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If that¡¯s the case. Ivern, did you hear her?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Francesca looked at Ashmia and Vanessa for a moment with an unknown smile, then turned around. Ashmia instructed her guards to wait in the car before she was guided into the building by Ivern. Francesca, who had been waiting in the lobby after entering first, walked alongside Ashmia and opened her mouth. ¡°Have you always been interested in horseback riding?¡± ¡°No. But now I want to try.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. So, I think there are a lot of people I would like to introduce to you. Lady Ashmia, don¡¯t you know that you are secretly a celebrity among ¡®us¡¯?¡± Francesca said with a meaningful smile. ¡°Is that so? Either way, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I do it because I like it.¡± Francesca led Ashmia into a spacious drawing room. The structure was reminiscent of a small party room rather than being decorated for preparation or relaxation. Only after she stepped in did Ashmia realise why there were so many cars in the parking lot. ¡®No way. Did everyone come because I was coming?¡¯ The young aristocrats of various ages, from teenagers to twenty-year-olds, and their children who were gathered around in groups of two or three had stopped talking once Ashmia made her appearance. ¡°Everyone! She¡¯s finally here! This is Ashmia Kalanishiel, who will become a member of ¡®Fleur¡¯ starting today!¡± tl/n: fleur = flower in french ¡®Starting today, what¡­?¡¯ It was her first time hearing it, but Ashmia couldn¡¯t show her embarrassment here. Ashmia looked around the audience and bent her knees slightly, saying. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Ashmia Kalanishiel. I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± Clap, clap¡ª The sound of insincere applause rang out. Despite the obvious awkward atmosphere, Francesca said with an excited face while pointing towards an empty spot. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and talk for a bit.¡± It was when Ashmia tried to call Francesca¡¯s name while she was talking in front of her. ¡°How dare a gangster come all the way here without knowing the subject of our meeting?¡± ¡°Hey, where is this strange smell coming from? Why are you crawling out now when you¡¯ve been stuck in your house for seven years?¡± Ashmia stopped for a moment once she heard quiet voices coming from around her. Hahaha¡ª Vanessa also looked around her, but she could only hear small laughter here and there, and she had no idea who was speaking. ¡°You¡­!¡± ¡°Vanessa.¡± Ashmia quietly called out to Vanessa, who was about to lash out. ¡°Stay still.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, sorry.¡± ¡°Ashmia? What are you doing? Come here quickly.¡± Watching Francesca wave at her, Ashmia said with a smile on her lips. ¡°Princess. It¡¯s a shame, but I don¡¯t have much time allowed today, so I think I have to check everything out.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s your first time here, so it¡¯s probably right to see everything. I forgot.¡± Francesca beckoned. ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the riding field.¡± Francesca spoke to Ivern while passing through the door leading to the riding field outside. ¡°Ivern, please bring Lady Ashmia¡¯s horse.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Ashmia felt the sneering gazes that continued to pour on her. ¡®I feel like I¡¯m something out of the zoo.¡¯ Francesca stared at Ashmia and said as if she had read Ashmia¡¯s mind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ashmia already felt it, but when she noticed Francesca¡¯s tone and expression, she was convinced. ¡®Ah, yes. Of course, of course.¡¯ She felt like she was watching a poorly acted play. Francesca Pendragon did not approach Ashmia with good intentions. Perhaps confronting the guards at the entrance was also part of Francesca¡¯s act. More than anyone else, it was none other than Francesca who didn¡¯t like her ¡ª ¡®a gangster without a title that dares to come to this riding field¡¯. And the climax of Francesca¡¯s play was. Neighhh¡ª ¡°Oh my God!¡± It was the white horse being pulled from the stable. A white horse that was 1.5 times larger than a normal horse and had bulging muscles all over its body, so wild that even five adults couldn¡¯t control it. ¡®They made me wait two weeks just to find this horse.¡¯ Chapter 8 The laughter of the nobles in the room could be heard through an open window. ¡°How can a person ride something like that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she going to be trampled to death?¡± ¡°It would be nice to see.¡± Francesca still continued her performance. With a worried look on her face, she whispered into Ashmia¡¯s ear. ¡°Will you be okay? You¡¯ve never ridden a horse like that before; you¡¯re so brave.¡± Her brow furrowed in concern, but the mouth behind her hands must¡¯ve been smiling. Ashmia looked down at Francesca and smiled softly. ¡°How can I tame something like that¡­ I¡¯m already looking forward to it.¡± Francesca seemed surprised at Ashmia¡¯s reaction, which was different from what she had expected, but she soon shook her head. ¡°I can find out if there is a better horse on the riding grounds. If you ride a horse like that incorrectly¨D¡± ¡®Don¡¯t pretend it¡¯s okay. This is not a place where you can come without knowing anything. So get lost while I¡¯m still being nice. Otherwise¡­¡¯ ¡°¨Dyou can die.¡± Francesca¡¯s change in tone at the end of her sentence contained her true sincerity and nature. ¡°Thank you for the advice, but¨D¡± Ashmia spoke so loudly that everyone watching in the room could hear her. ¡°¨Dfor a gangster like me, pride is more important than life.¡± Ashmia stared at Francesca, who had a stiff expression on her face, and called for Vanessa. ¡°Vanessa!¡± ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± ¡°Come and help me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Vanessa walked towards the white horse, embarrassing the five men surrounding it. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, so don¡¯t come!¡± One of the men shouted, but Vanessa looked indifferent. ¡°Let it go.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°Let go of the horse. Can¡¯t you hear me?¡± Vanessa¡¯s bloodlust made their hands loosen, and the white horse immediately began to run wild, moving away from the men. Neighhh¨D! The horse raised its hooves towards Vanessa, who stood in front of the animal. If her head were to be pierced by the horse¡¯s hoof, her skull would be shattered beyond recognition. When screams burst out of the room, Francesca was surprised and turned white with fear. However, as she had been training for two weeks with Ashmia, Vanessa easily dodged the horse¡¯s hooves, jumped up, grabbed the horse¡¯s neck with both arms, and hardened her whole body. Crack, crack¨D! Her hardened body not only grew stiffer but also increased in weight. The white horse must have felt like there was suddenly a rock hanging from its neck. Squeeze¨D! Vanessa pressed the neck of the horse, which had fallen to the ground, to the extent that it couldn¡¯t get back up. ¡°Because my lady has to ride it, I made it fall but did not get it injured. That¡¯s what¡¯s important.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ll just do this.¡± The horse struggled, foaming at the mouth, but soon became quiet, gasping for breath, as if tired of Vanessa who hadn¡¯t budged. ¡°Right, good.¡± Vanessa stroked the white horse¡¯s mane a few times, then looked at Ashmia. ¡°My lady, you can ride it now.¡± Francesca and everyone else in the room watched the scene in silence. As only Byren Bernando stared at Vanessa with sharp eyes, Ashmia nodded her head. ¡°Yeah, well done.¡± Vanessa called back the men who had caught the leash and made the horse stand up. As soon as the white horse was up, the men freaked out when they saw it purr. Tsk¨D When Vanessa clicked her tongue, she moved her hands busily without a word to unbind the leash. ¡°Did you just see her? What was that?¡± ¡°Did she knock that horse down?! How could a person¡­.?!¡± ¡°Talent? What other ability could you have to do that?¡± Who is she? Is that how all members of the mafia are? And¨D As expected, Kalanishiel is different. The words that Francesca did not want to hear the most were constantly pouring out amongst the members of Fleur. ¡°¡­!!¡± The whispers seemed to subside when Francesca glared at them, but their gazes were still on Ashmia and Vanessa. ¡°I brought a saddle!¡± The saddle was so big that two men needed to carry it together. Vanessa, who was watching to see if they put on the saddle well, knelt down on one knee and put her hands out as Ashmia approached. Ashmia didn¡¯t know how many times she had practiced this move, as well as the action of grabbing a horse and knocking it down. ¡®No matter how old you are, this is the only thing you can do in the riding field.¡¯ Ashmia, with Vanessa¡¯s help, succeeded in climbing onto the white horse with grace and elegance. Oh¨D! After seeing the peoples¡¯ admiration, Francesca bit her lower lip to the point where it bled. ¡°Treat it like a bull, let it starve, and get mad. Wouldn¡¯t it be best if we make it seem like she got trampled to death by an angry horse?¡± It was a monstrous horse that Francesca had secretly raised by adding to its suffering. But to tame that in such a ridiculous way, and even ride it?! ¡°Wow¡­ Look at that.¡± The appearance of a petite and slender girl with beautiful silver hair and mysterious golden eyes riding on a large white horse was like a painting depicting a legend in itself. Clip¨D Clop¨D Ashmia approached Francesca with a relaxed look. ¡°Thank you so much for saving me such a nice horse.¡± Francesca¡¯s lower lip now seemed to bleed as if she had bitten it a little harder. ¡°Give me the reins. I¡¯ll run.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± After taking the reins from Vanessa and stroking the mane of the white horse once, Ashmia spurred it on. ¡°Hyah!¡± Clip¨D! Clop¨D! The sound of heavy and rhythmical hooves echoed. As the white horse accelerated, a silvery white trace was drawn on the track of the Randolph Riding Grounds. It was comparable to a still work of art when Ashmia was just riding it. But in motion, it resembled a painting brought to life. When the beautiful ride that the people could not take their eyes off ended, they felt a sense of regret and continued to look at Ashmia and the white horse, as if chasing the afterglow. Clip¨D Clop¨D Ashmia returned to Francesca after going around the track. ¡°Let¡¯s go together, Princess.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Francesca doubted her ears. ¡®What did this disgusting woman just say to me? How dare you ask to ride a horse with me when you¡¯re from the mafia?¡¯ ¡°Talking in front of them is not a bad idea either. The choice is yours, Princess.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Francesca stared at Ashmia with her sky-blue eyes wide open and spoke to Byren Bernando. ¡°Bring me my horse.¡± Byren, who brought a black horse of a good breed from the stable, helped Francesca mount the horse in the same way as Vanessa. Francesca didn¡¯t say a word to Ashmia and started riding ahead. Ashmia laughed silently but decided not to touch Francesca¡¯s shallow pride, which seemed to be saying, ¡®I can¡¯t yield this much.¡¯ The white horse followed half a step behind the black horse, and the two animals slowly began to circle the track. ¡°Where did you find such a nice horse?¡± At Ashmia¡¯s teasing, Francesca smiled with her teeth tightly clenched. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean. I¡¯ve never seen such a wild boar-like horse before.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. But just because you don¡¯t know what you did doesn¡¯t mean that you didn¡¯t do it, and the sin you committed won¡¯t disappear.¡± At the indifferent mutter, Francesca jerked her head and stared at Ashmia. ¡°Are you threatening me right now?!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny it, but I think the real threats are the things the Princess told me a while ago.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a big sin to give Ivern some advice on what horse to get you, and I didn¡¯t recommend riding it because I was worried about your safety.¡± ¡°Well, even if the latter is true, Ivern wouldn¡¯t listen to you. That man is a person who would never do anything that harms him. But it seems you¡¯ve misunderstood. I¡¯m not talking about ¡®horses¡¯.¡± ¡°Then what¡­¡­?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about ¡®Fleur¡¯, which the Princess cherishes dearly.¡± Francesca turned her head for a moment, trying to hide her bewilderment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Fleur?¡± We are the model of a very civil and sound social club¡­¡± ¡°Even before entering the building, there was a smell that was paralyzing my nose. Do you think that smoking marijuana is essential for a civil and sound club? I had to spray a little perfume but stopped because I was getting nauseous from all the mixed smells.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s just the personal atrocities of some senseless people! It has nothing to do with Fleur.¡± ¡°So you knew. Whether it¡¯s personal or collective, the police will still investigate.¡± At Ashmia¡¯s words, Francesca burst into laughter. ¡°Is there anything the police in this country can do? They¡¯re people who don¡¯t have enough time to look at ¡®us¡¯. Call them. I¡¯m also curious about how much they can investigate.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. If you have someone investigating you, isn¡¯t it just a matter of time before you¡¯ll change your attitude?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a funny joke. It¡¯s never going to happen¡­¡± ¡°It could happen. I just won¡¯t say the family or organization. Isn¡¯t the power of Pendragon the only thing pressuring the imperial family right now?¡± ¡°Does Kalanishiel have ten lives? I answered your question quietly, but there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t say!¡± Ashmia smiled, not paying attention to Francesca¡¯s words. ¡°Shall we make a bet?¡± Chapter 9 ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try to regulate marijuana within the club. Let¡¯s see what happens.¡± Ashmia continued speaking calmly. ¡°Fleur is going to have an immediate schism on the inside. Small groups that exclude the Princess will become more frequent, and the person who hides their crimes on behalf of the Princess will gain support and power. In other words, Fleur will lose power and a new club will emerge.¡± ¡°What¡­?!¡± ¡°But they won¡¯t give up on their official position as a member of Fleur. After all, when something goes wrong and they see themselves at a disadvantage, they¡¯ll need a scapegoat to cover up their crimes. That would be you, Francesca Pendragon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re confident, try it. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m wrong. Especially in social clubs like Fleur, where there is no sense of purpose, it happens frequently. It¡¯s ridiculously easy.¡± ¡®How the hell am I supposed to teach this innocent princess who seems to have gotten herself into something dangerous?¡¯ ¡°So, what are you trying to say right now?! Don¡¯t beat around the bush, just say it!¡± ¡°I told you. Regulate marijuanna. Only take care of the members who come to your club even after you control the drugs. They¡¯re the true followers of the Princess. Then, officially dissolve Fleur. The sooner the better.¡± Ashmia dropped the smile from her lips and said. ¡°In the next two weeks, or at the earliest, within a week, both the nobles and those who distribute marijuana in the system will be arrested.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to get your hands on it so they won¡¯t sell it under the name of Pendragon.¡± Ashmia listed some of the family names. ¡°All of them are families that engage in blackmail, threats, and extortion against individuals and commoner groups, as well as the distribution of marijuana. As far as I know, it¡¯s not just them. Seventy percent. No, eighty percent? There are very few families out there that will shake it off and not even dust will come out.¡± Francesca¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°If you wanted to play king, you should have known how to distinguish wolves from dogs.¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Speaking from the point of view of an imperial officer, of course, those who proudly declared that they were gangsters and did bad things were also a problem, but those who hide behind their titles and do insidious things are much more distasteful. ¡°¡­This is the first time I¡¯ve been humiliated like this. Are you saying that even though you know that just one word of mine could put your life in danger?¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s see. Who is more of a ¡®gangster¡¯ now? No matter how much you¡¯ve seen and learnt, you don¡¯t have to act like a princess.¡± ¡°How rude! Do you have any evidence to prove that what you¡¯ve said is true?!¡± ¡®Alright, then.¡¯ Instead of calling Byren Bernando, the princess chose to listen to Ashmia¡¯s story. ¡°Showing the results would be better.¡± Halfway around the track, Francesca stopped her horse. Ashmia, who had followed Francesca with her horse, was now making eye contact with the princess. ¡°Did you come to this riding centre with this in mind from the beginning? To approach me?¡± ¡°You could say that.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ashmia paused for a moment, and then spoke. ¡°I think the princess needs a ¡®friend¡¯.¡± ¡°Friend¡­?!¡± Francesca frowned and Ashmia smiled her way. ¡°Yes, a friend.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to hold hands with the mafia now?¡± Ashmia shook her head. ¡°No. I¡¯m telling you to hold hands with ¡®Ashmia Kalanishiel¡¯, not with the Kalanishiel family.¡± [3. Meet the old instructor] Francesca had heard rumours of the youngest daughter of the Kalanishiel family, who claimed to be a reclusive loner. After hearing that she was almost assassinated, Ashmia suddenly appeared in front of her and said she wanted to be Francesca¡¯s friend rather than ask for attention. ¡°You¡¯re not the mafia boss. What power do you have¡­?¡± ¡°I must ask you the same thing.¡± ¡®You¡¯re not part of the duke¡¯s family either, are you?¡¯ ¡°A fair offer and deal. I¡¯m talking to an individual named ¡®Francesca Pendragon¡¯, not ¡®Duke Pendragon¡¯ to join hands.¡± The moment Francesca heard Ashmia, she felt strangely excited. *** Up until now, she had lived a life of material poverty, but in exchange, Francesca lost her name. ¡®The Princess¡¯, Or ¡®Lady Pendragon¡¯. If not, ¡®Theodore Pendragon¡¯s daughter¡¯. Francesca¡¯s identity was nothing more, nothing less. As Ashmia said, the members of Fleur were mostly gathered under the name of Pendragon, not Francesca, and she knew it. Nevertheless, she couldn¡¯t let go of Fleur because of her loneliness. Ashmia¡¯s words, which described her as ¡®playing king¡¯, were so accurate. Even so, she wanted to forget that loneliness among those who looked after her. *** Ashmia said she treated her as ¡®Francesca¡¯. Her demeanor was so profane that she had never experienced it before, but on the contrary, it made Francesca feel strangely attracted to Ashmia¡¯s character. ¡°¡­I like it.¡± Francesca looked straight at Ashmia as she spoke. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°You said two weeks, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re right, then I¡¯ll think about your arrogant offer afterwards.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°But if it was nonsense, the cost would be great.¡± ¡°You made a good choice. If the princess gets involved in something bad, I¡¯ll be heartbroken.¡± Francesca¡¯s face turned red at Ashmia¡¯s words. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about this!¡± Ashmia smiled knowingly and nodded. After returning to the starting point, the two got off their horses and walked side by side into the building with the help of their own bodyguards. ¡°It was an honour to meet you.¡± ¡°Same here. See you next time.¡± When they got back, everyone looked at them like they were going crazy and wondered if the two of them had changed or if they were different people. What kind of conversation did the two of them have? Ashmia and Francesca turned to each other, understanding their own gazes and expressions. As she walked out into the lobby, Ivern Randolph, who stood with a procession of employees, smiled broadly and bowed ninety degrees in front of Ashmia. ¡°Once again, I would like to say that it was an honour to have you, Ashmia Kalanishiel.¡± ¡°Get home safely!¡± In line with Ivern¡¯s words, the staff bowed and greeted her all at once. ¡®Ha, he¡¯s really clever.¡¯ The subject of the conversation between Ashmia and Francesca may not be known, but he must¡¯ve read the signs of a change in power balance with an animalistic sense. ¡®No matter what era, that kind of guy lives for a long time.¡¯ Ashmia waved lightly. ¡°Please take good care of Bucephalus* while I¡¯m not here.¡± t/n: this is an actual horse¡¯s name. pls google it if you wanna know more about it. ¡°Would you look at that? You have come up with a good name.¡± Ivern replied with a soft smile after quickly realising that it was the name given to the white horse. It was very childish, so he didn¡¯t forget about it. Ashmia finally returned to her car and sighed. She asked Vanessa, who sat in the driver¡¯s seat, with a curious expression. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Did it go well?¡± ¡°Yes. There were some improvisations, but that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all thanks to you, Vanessa.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? All I did was make him listen to me.¡± ¡°That was a big deal. Let me know if you would like to receive a reward. I¡¯ll listen to anything.¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°You better tell me before I change my mind.¡± ¡°¡­Can I think about it for a little bit?¡± At Vanessa¡¯s words, Ashmia grinned. ¡°Then, can we go home now?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s rest for today. I¡¯m tired from running.¡± Ashmia talked a lot. Still, compared to two weeks ago, it was a major improvement. Ashmia said as she smelled the horse faeces carried by the wind through the open car window. ¡°Well, I have a place I want to visit tomorrow.¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± Ashmia looked at Vanessa with playful eyes and answered. ¡°The National Police Department.¡± *** The following day. Dressed in a suit that resembled Vanessa instead of her usual dress, Ashmia got out of her car wearing a fedora hat over her braided hair along with a pair of sunglasses. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay?¡± Ashmia smiled at Vanessa, who looked worried. ¡°Yes. They can¡¯t arrest me just because my last name is Kalanishiel.¡± However, Vanessa¡¯s past record was glamorous, so it was a little risky for her to enter the police department. Ashmia blew her a wink over her sunglasses before climbing up some wide stairs leading to the entrance of the Police Department. Whoo~ As she passed by the main gate, she exhaled. The scent and the noisy atmosphere of the first floor lobby made her feel nostalgic. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only As soon as she was about to answer the police officer¡¯s question at the information desk on the first floor, Ashmia spotted a busy Nikita Borev carrying some documents and heading somewhere. ¡°Excuse me, lady? What¡¯s wrong?¡± At that moment, it felt as if the accident never happened, but Ashmia came to her senses at the officer¡¯s call and shook off her thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m here to meet Detective Clint Westfield.¡± She said the name of the man who was Michael¡¯s instructor. Chapter 10 Clint Westfield opened the door of the interrogation room with a frown. When he saw Ashmia taking a seat first, the frown on his face deepened. Squeak. Clint pulled the iron chair and habitually tried to take a cigarette out of his pocket before he looked at Ashmia and put it back in. ¡°Smoke it, it¡¯s fine.¡± While hesitating at her daring attitude, Clint grabbed the cigarette from the table and opened his mouth. ¡°Little lady, you said you wanted to see me?¡± Why in an interrogation room? There was a strong hint of annoyance in Clint¡¯s hoarse voice. Should I just smoke it? Wouldn¡¯t the little lady end this troublesome meeting sooner if she doesn¡¯t like the cigarette smoke? In the end, when he took out a cigarette, Ashmia finally spoke. ¡°Will you give me one, too?¡± Clint frowned at Ashmia¡¯s words. ¡°They¡¯re not for minors.¡± ¡°Well, there are no wiretaps or cameras in this interrogation room anyway.¡± Clint¡¯s hand stooped. When he heard that the little lady wanted to see him in the interrogation room, he wondered what kind of mischief she was planning. In addition, it was Interrogation Room Number 4. This was a brutal place, jokingly called ¡®Room of Isolation¡¯, because if you pulled down the window blinds, nobody could see or hear anything from outside. ¡°Little lady. No, I should call you the youngest daughter of Kalanishiel.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like either of them, but it¡¯s up to you.¡± Ashmia grinned and took off her sunglasses. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is something a child like you should know, Who taught you that?¡± The words ¡®you did¡¯ came up on the tip of Ashmia¡¯s tongue, but she swallowed them. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside, it¡¯s a waste of time. I¡¯m here to give you information.¡± ¡°Information?¡± Is she trying to whistleblow the Kalanishiel family? tl/n: whistle blower ¨C a person who reports or informs on wrongdoing within a corporation, government, agency. ¡°A list of people who smuggle and sell marijuana in large quantities, including some who use blackmail, intimidation, and extortion at the top of the list.¡± Clint let out a dejected laugh at Ashmia¡¯s words. ¡°I was wondering what you wanted me to do, and you want me to grab a lizard¡¯s tail that will fall off anyway. Besides, wasn¡¯t everything you said a special license for the mafia?¡± ¡°That was one of Andy Bolton¡¯s works. The police got it all wrong and I said ¡®was¡¯.¡± Clint forgot how to light his cigarette at Ashmia¡¯s way of speaking in past tense as he waited for her next remark. ¡°We have never distributed marijuana. ¡°Leon¡± and ¡°Veros¡± are none of our business, but at least the source of marijuana circulating among the high nobility is not from the mafia.¡± ¡°¡­Then?¡± Instead of answering, Ashmia pulled out a folded piece of paper. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Are you ready to make a deal with me?¡± Ashmia asked, grinning. ¡°A deal?¡± Ashmia placed the paper on the desk and pushed it towards Clint, who had a questioning expression on his face. ¡°This is a list of the families responsible for more than 90% of the marijuana distribution in the system.¡± Clint unfolded the paper with annoyance at Ashmia¡¯s gesture to open it. However, his eyes grew bigger and bigger as he read the words written on it. ¡°¡­ Little lady, where did you get this information?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± ¡°Then how do you expect me to believe this?¡± ¡°If you shake off one of the high-ranking people listed there for good measure, you¡¯ll see that I¡¯m not lying.¡± ¡°That joke is too much. None of them are worth shaking off for good measure. Even the low-ranking ones are all from the Pendragon bloodline.¡± ¡°Have you checked everything? Are you sure that everything written there is really related to the Pendragons?¡± Clint didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Actually, more than half of them have been involved with each other. Therefore, it will be easier to secure physical evidence, because I¡¯m not afraid to hide it.¡± ¡°Then, aside from the Baron, it¡¯s everyone listed here? Including the Viscount and the Count¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The order of the list is not arbitrary. The ones listed on top are scammers pretending to be of the Pendragon bloodline as I just said.¡± ¡°Then the names written below¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re the real Pendragons. But we don¡¯t have to go there. If you catch the ones on the top in order, Pendragon will take care of the lower ones.¡± As Ashmia said, if things got bigger, even a Pendragon wouldn¡¯t want anything unnecessary to spark. ¡°So there¡¯s no need to look into Pendragon.¡± ¡°This is all¡­ Andy Bolton, is it his work?¡± ¡°Who else is there? He became a police officer just to do something like this.¡± One of Clint¡¯s eyes twitched. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks On the paper, not only were the names of the family and the heads written, but also the stashing spots of the marijuana. Moreover, the provider of this information is none other than the youngest daughter of the Kalanishiel family. Calling it a well-played prank would be too much. But¡­ ¡°Even if what the little lady said is true, I can¡¯t get a search warrant on this alone.¡± ¡°I know. Therefore¡ª¡± Ashmia leaned her body forward a little as she spoke. ¡°Ask the Imperial Guard for assistance.¡± Tsss! At last he lit a cigarette, but Clint¡¯s hands and expression were once again stiff. The Imperial Guard (IG). Although they also had a lot of internal problems due to the corruption of the guard commander Andrei Baklanov, they had independent investigative powers from the police in some cases, and ¡®Drug Possession and Management Control¡¯ was one of them. But Clint spoke with a puzzled face as he heard the name. ¡°What are you talking about now¡­?¡± ¡°If the power of the nobility can be weakened, it is the Imperial Cabinet that welcomes them with open arms. And it goes without saying that if the opponent is Pendragon, Andrei will also rush to take this information from you.¡± Clint looked around the interrogation room. As Ashmia said, Interrogation Room 4 had no wiretaps or cameras, but his body reacted reflexively to Ashmia¡¯s outspoken remarks. ¡°Look, Detective Westfield¡­¡± Seeing his reaction, Ashmia smiled. ¡°We are not aiming for the heart of the dragon as of right now. We are just trying to cut off one of the hydra¡¯s heads, so there is no need to be nervous.¡± ¡°¡­ Hmm.¡± Clint coughed to hide his embarrassment. ¡°If the power of the aristocracy continues to grow as it does now, it¡¯s obvious that not only will the Imperial Cabinet and the police grow tired, but our mafia as well.¡± Clint smoked his cigarette silently and looked into Ashmia¡¯s golden eyes. ¡°So we have to press it before it¡¯s too late. It¡¯s nothing difficult. Touching a domino in a well-stacked pile is a detective¡¯s job. Then, the rest will fall apart on its own. When they see Andrei getting involved, I¡¯m sure Dimitri, the Commissioner of the National Police Department, will foam at the mouth and send out troops. I¡¯ll use a printing press to send out search warrants if that¡¯s what you¡¯re concerned about.¡± ¡°¡­Then what will the little lady get in exchange?¡± Ashmia grinned at the bold question. ¡°A society in which justice is served and there will be a place for reform?¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird to hear the mafia say something like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thrilled that you recognize me as part of the mafia.¡± ¡°Are you trying to use the police and the imperial family to defeat the power of the nobles?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to say ¡®the enemy of my enemy is my friend¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­Do you have something like a wiretapping device hidden somewhere?¡± ¡°If you are in doubt, why don¡¯t you search me? Or shall I take everything off here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a terrible thing to say. Come on now, I made a mistake.¡± Click¡ª Clint lit another cigarette instead of puffing from the previous one since it turned into ashes before he got to finish it and frowned. He hated smoking but he continued to do so anyway. ¡°Little lady. If you go all the way to the Imperial Guard and nothing really comes up, then you won¡¯t be able to get out of it with a simple ¡®it was a joke¡¯. Do you know that?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll surrender, so you can arrest me.¡± If things really went wrong, it wasn¡¯t going to end with Ashmia or Clint. Not only would several people, including Clint, lose their heads, but the position of the Imperial Cabinet would also be jeopardized, and it wasn¡¯t known what move Pendragon would make using that as an excuse. But if what the little lady said is true¡­ This event would serve as a very strong warning that the aristocratic crimes would no longer be tolerated, and at the same time it would serve as an opportunity to suppress the power of the arrogant aristocracy, especially the Pendragons. High risks, high rewards. However, it was an offer that couldn¡¯t be rejected more easily. And above all. It¡¯s going to be pretty fun. Clint threw the dice over this ¡®playboard¡¯, which was hard to believe that a girl who was still only 17 years old drew, and smiled fiercely. *** In Michael Rose¡¯s words, he didn¡¯t know if Clint Westfield was a ¡®good shooter¡¯, but there was no doubt that he was an ¡®excellent cop¡¯. However, despite being normal, he was too good to be told ¡®Clint Westfield¡¯s ability was investigation¡¯, so one day it became rather toxic and he retired. Clint died after being attacked by a mysterious man. It was the work of those who were afraid that the ¡®data¡¯ he had collected during his lifetime would become known to the world. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only *** ¡°This information isn¡¯t free, is it?¡± ¡°Of course not. First of all, re-investigate my attempted murder case that was buried by Andy Bolton and share what you find. And¡ª¡± Clint grabbed another piece of paper from Ashmia. ¡°¡ªPlease do a background check on this person.¡± Chapter 11 Clint squinted and tilted his head sideways. ¡°That¡¯s a strange request. Isn¡¯t it common sense that the little lady should know better than I do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily the case.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easy to investigate the little lady¡¯s family.¡± ¡°I understand. Even just scratching the surface is enough, so please do it anyway.¡± ¡°Hmm. Then, little lady¡­¡± Clint said jokingly as he put out the cigarette in the ashtray. ¡°What do I get?¡± Ashmia smiled mischievously. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll give you something that the detective has never had in his life.¡± ¡°¡­? And that is?¡± Ashmia raised her finger and pointed at herself. ¡°A person of authority that can watch your back.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that person the little lady?¡± Clint grinned when Ashmia nodded. But it wasn¡¯t because he took Ashmia¡¯s words as a joke. ¡°And I need to have at least one ¡®police friend¡¯ soon.¡± ¡°Is that why you chose me? It¡¯s an honor, but isn¡¯t it a mistake to choose an old man who¡¯s about to retire?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s an excellent choice.¡± And you won¡¯t retire. The next 10 years are going to be tough, because I¡¯ll save you. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that you¡¯re an old kkondae.¡± tl/n: kkondae means condescending older people, mainly in a workplace. I couldn¡¯t find an English equivalent. Ashmia giggled as she watched the grumbling Clint. ¡°Four days¡­ No, five days will do.¡± Clint lit another cigarette, burning the paper that Ashmia had handed him. Ashmia wasn¡¯t surprised to see it. For she knew that Clint¡¯s memory was extraordinary, even though he was sixty years old. ¡°Well, do we have a deal?¡± ¡°If the list is real.¡± ¡°You¡¯re strict.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in advance that it will take some time to get approval for a re-investigation of the case. Bolton, that son of a bitch, got his hands on the case¡­ Do you understand?¡± As he spoke, Clint said indirectly that he already trusted Ashmia. ¡°Of course. First of all, I¡¯d like to have all the nobles arrested. Every single one of them. It¡¯s too bad I won¡¯t see the detective¡¯s face when he finds out the list was real.¡± ¡°But for the other thing¡­¡± ¡°A day will do, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Huh. Well, it¡¯s very tight. Didn¡¯t I say that it will be difficult to investigate your family? Give it at least two days. It¡¯s harder to handle than it looks.¡± ¡°I see. I know it¡¯s a big deal, but I¡¯ll take it. Now, are we done talking?¡± It was when Ashmia put on her sunglasses and tried to stand up from her seat. ¡°¡­ Little lady, I¡¯m asking just in case.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Do you know ¡®the unnecessarily tall guy with a big head¡¯?¡± ¡®Unnecessarily tall.¡¯ That¡¯s what Clint used to say when he referred to Michael Rose. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ashmia tried her best to not let her voice tremble. ¡°That¡¯s a strange expression. I just grew taller, so why add the word ¡®unnecessarily¡¯?¡± She was lucky that she chose to wear her sunglasses because it was harder to hide her shaking pupils than her trembling voice. Clint tilted his head as he touched his shaggy beard with an expression of approval when he heard her response. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t even know why I said that.¡± ¡°But what about that person?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. There is just one face that comes to mind these days, but strangely, I¡¯m reminded of him again. So that¡¯s why I asked if there¡¯s such a person in the little lady¡¯s family. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m pointing at anything.¡± Ashmia looked at Clint smoking and spoke as she stood up. ¡°Please cut down on cigarettes.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get far.¡± After they exchanged farewells, Ashmia left the interrogation room. Then, under the police¡¯s guidance, she left the National Police Department and as soon as she got into her car, she reached out her hand. ¡°Miss?¡± ¡°Give me some water.¡± Ashmia breathed heavily after taking a sip of water from the bottle. ¡°Are you alright, miss?¡± She nodded in response to Vanessa¡¯s question, but her expression was still stiff. ¡°Oh, I smell the scent of cigarettes. Would you like to change clothes?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. That old man is a bit of a troublemaker.¡± ¡°Huh? Old man?¡± The nickname she gave Clint when she was still Michael slipped by mistake. Ashmia took off her hat and unbuttoned a couple of buttons from her shirt. ¡°Shall we go for a ride? Just to get rid of the smell of cigarettes before we go home.¡± ¡°Well, where can I take you?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go around Central Park.¡± As the car started, Vanessa asked. ¡°Did the conversation go well?¡± ¡°Oh, it went okay.¡± To the extent that she could hear stuff she didn¡¯t expect to. ¡®Unnecessarily tall.¡¯ It¡¯s a world where Michael disappeared, but there were still traces that remained. So what about Nikita? They¡¯d been together for 10 years, wouldn¡¯t he remember more things? ¡°¡­¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Ashmia pushed away those useless thoughts before ¡®a strange feeling that calmed her down¡¯ came up again. Even if someone remembered Michael, nothing would change. Rather, because ¡°she¡± was Ashmia Kalanishiel, there was a future that could be changed and protected. For now, she just had to focus on the future. ¡­ That¡¯s how it should be. Ashmia looked distantly at the children, lovers and families playing in the park. Damn you. I only have ¡®useless¡¯ memories. Whoo! Ashmia sighed, grumbling some swear words under her breath. *** Two days later. Ashmia opened the sealed letter that Vanessa had brought. She looked at the paper inside and pursed her lips without saying a word. She was lost in thought as she showed Vanessa the paper, whose eyes widened. ¡°You didn¡¯t know either?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Call Claudia.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Soon after, Claudia came into Ashmia¡¯s office with Vanessa and bowed down in front of Ashmia. ¡°Did you call?¡± ¡°Yes. Would you take a seat?¡± Ashmia held out her paper for Claudia to take as she sat in the chair opposite to Ashmia¡¯s desk. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I did some background research on you. I think you probably know why.¡± ¡°Because of the assassination. I had the same thought. There must be a spy on the inside.¡± ¡°So I had to make it clear. But looking at your records, there is one interesting thing.¡± Ashmia said, pointing to the piece of paper. ¡°Is this true?¡± Where Ashmia¡¯s finger was pointing, the words ¡°a member of the Imperial Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS)¡± was written. Claudia nodded without changing her expression. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± [4. Bloody Debutante] That was quick. ¡°Of course, it was ¡®before¡¯.¡± ¡°Does father know?¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. Only Don Kalanishiel knows.¡± ¡°How did you become my maid?¡± ¡°I¡¯d have to tell you a long and boring story, would you mind?¡± ¡°In short?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been abandoned.¡± Of course, there was no such thing as an ability to see through lies, but Ashmia could sense that Claudia wasn¡¯t lying. Now I understand why you have those eyes. Perhaps Michael had the same eyes as Claudia when he was shot dead by Nikita. ¡°Did father order you to watch me?¡± ¡°Can I correct it to ¡®protective surveillance¡¯?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s surveillance anyway. I see. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a spy. Instead, there¡¯s one thing I want to make sure of here.¡± Ashmia looked Claudia in the eyes before asking. ¡°Is it me or my father?¡± Who are you loyal to? After a long silence, Claudia spoke. ¡°Before I give you an answer, I¡¯d like to ask you one thing.¡± ¡°Ask.¡± ¡°After the assassination attempt, Miss Ashmia seemed to have become a different person. The Ashmia that I know is¡ª¡± A timid, sensitive and scared girl who was afraid to go out of her room, let alone out of her home, and shed tears at her reflection in the mirror even if she was wearing a pretty dress. ¡°Claudia! Are you suspecting her?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, Vanessa.¡± Ashmia stopped Vanessa and looked towards Claudia. ¡°I understand. You must have found me strange.¡± Said Ashmia before making a pause. ¡°You both know when I became like that, don¡¯t you?¡± Mother. Since the death of Maverett Kalanishiel. ¡°Nobody told me why or how she died. And actually, I didn¡¯t want to hear it either. I was just afraid that I might die one day without understanding or accepting the reality that had already happened. I don¡¯t know how many times I thought it might be easier to end it with my own hands.¡± ¡°Miss¡­¡± Vanessa looked at Ashmia with a sad expression. *** A girl who wanted to be ordinarily happy in her mother¡¯s arms faced the reality that it might not be possible. The world that the girl wanted had faded like a black-and-white photograph. ¡°Why¡­¡± Did mother leave me? Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°Why¡­¡± Can¡¯t I feel my mother¡¯s warmth anymore? Looking at herself in the mirror, starting to look more and more like Maverett as she got older, Ashmia cried because she missed her mother and because she was afraid. *** To escape the memories that gave her headaches and broke her heart, Ashmia opened the vial of tranquilizers and swallowed a pill with an encouraging smile. Chapter 12 ¡°¡­Ironically, it was only when death really came upon me that I realised I wanted to live. I don¡¯t want to fall back into that damned darkness again. It¡¯s been seven years. That¡¯s enough of a waste of time already.¡± A ¡®rose gold¡¯ colour flashed in Ashmia¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. No matter how much I hide behind the death of my mother, if the world won¡¯t leave me alone just because I¡¯m a cub of a black lion¡­ I¡¯d rather become a black lion according to the goddamn world¡¯s wishes.¡± tl/n: in case there¡¯s confusion; black lion = negative & dangerous. Ashmia got up from her seat and reached out her hand to Claudia. ¡°So Claudia, help me. Until we shut this world up.¡± ¡®Be my strength so that I can survive as a ¡®black lion¡¯.¡¯ ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you order it?¡± ¡®Swear allegiance to me. Otherwise, you¡¯ll die.¡¯ Ashmia could¡¯ve said it that way without further explanation. However, ¡°I don¡¯t want to win over my men that way.¡± Claudia looked at Ashmia with a smile, and slowly rose from her seat. She took Ashmia¡¯s hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°My loyalty will always belong to lady Ashmia.¡± Hearing Claudia¡¯s answer, Ashmia nodded. *** Michael was not Ashmia. However, ¡®Ashmia¡¯s memories¡¯ were also ¡®Michael¡¯s memories¡¯. It meant that she had to live with the painful, terrifying, and discoloured trauma of a poor girl who had to hide in the dark until she reached the sweet age of seventeen, only to eventually die a horrific death. Ashmia looked at the girl in the mirror and said¡ª ¡®I¡¯m going to embrace all of you. However, I will choose the path I want to walk on from now. Even if I use your memories and pain like I did today, I won¡¯t ask for forgiveness or understanding. It¡¯ll just be a reminder of commitment.¡¯ *** The next day. Ashmia explained to Claudia what she had been doing, and told her what to do. ¡°Alright.¡± Claudia immediately gathered all the maids in the mansion and said¡ª ¡°From now on, one person should go to ¡®5th Avenue¡¯ every day.¡± The maids looked puzzled by Claudia¡¯s sudden command. ¡°The time should be after lunch until sunset. Go to the store frequented by the nobles and collect rumours.¡± Only then did the maids realise it was a mission, and their eyes widened when they received a stack of bills from Claudia. ¡°A-Are you giving me this much?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reserve fund. Make sure you don¡¯t stand out, and wear clothes that are in trend these days.¡± No matter how small the teahouse was, the prices were high. So, it was burdensome for others to enter a shop for nobles. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I can enter such a place!¡¯ ¡®Even buying clothes that are fashionable among the nobles.¡¯ In fact, the ladies couldn¡¯t hide their smile. The mission felt like a vacation or a reward. ¡°And when you return home, don¡¯t forget to bring a copy of the evening newspaper and extras if you have one.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± ¡°Then, go to Matilda this afternoon.¡± When the order was placed, the maids walked out of the room with excitement. Ashmia, who was watching the process, spoke, ¡°How are you going to do it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself.¡± Ashmia nodded. *** The long-awaited came three days later. In addition to the newspaper that the maid who went to the 5th Avenue that day brought back, there was an article titled ¡®The Imperial Guards Arrested a Large Number of Families and Merchants That Distributed Large Quantities of Marijuana¡¯. Perhaps tomorrow¡¯s newspaper would be a picture of the¡ª ¡®There will be an article stating that Pendragon vehemently denies any connection to this case.¡¯ Ashmia took a deep breath after putting the newspaper extra on the table. It was a small step, but the effort put in to change the future emerged as a visible achievement. But, Ashmia didn¡¯t have time to celebrate it. Knock Knock¡ª ¡°Come in.¡± As she received the sealed letter from her maid, her eyes widened slightly in surprise. ¡°I thought it¡¯d come, but¡­ As expected, it¡¯s big.¡± It was an invitation to a ball hosted by the Duke of Pendragon. At the bottom of the invitation letter, written in what Ashmia believed to be Francesca¡¯s handwriting, was a message urging her to attend. Vanessa tilted her head as she read it. ¡°Are you going to a ball in this kind of situation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all the more necessary because of this situation.¡± Now, an unprecedented situation had occurred in which many nobles, known to the public as the Pendragon Line, had been arrested and even deprived of their titles. The Duke of Pendragon needed to put on a performance to fully deny their connections and renew their image. ¡°For that, there is no better event than a charity ball.¡± Even this was within Ashmia¡¯s expectations, but there was also Theodore Pendragon. It was an unusually fast response, even though it shook her quite a bit. ¡°When is it?¡± Ashmia answered Claudia¡¯s question. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Three days from now.¡± Hearing those words, Claudia¡¯s face darkened. ¡°In three days¡­ That¡¯s a big deal.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re running out of time to get the dress the lady is going to wear.¡± Ashmia smiled bitterly at her, with a look of absurdity on her face. ¡°What am I supposed to say? If it¡¯s a dress, we have them in the closet¡ª¡± ¡°No!¡± Ashmia and Vanessa were both surprised when Claudia, who rarely raised her voice, interrupted Ashmia. ¡°The ball is going to be Lady Ashmia¡¯s debutante and you¡¯re going to wear old clothes?!¡± ¡°No, you see, they¡¯re not old enough to the point of calling them ¡®old clothes¡¯¡­¡± ¡°As Lady Ashmia¡¯s butler, I can¡¯t let this go. I¡¯ll call the seamstress right away.¡± tl/n: i think in the past i referred to claudia as a ¡®head maid¡¯, but she¡¯s more of a butler than a maid. You can say she¡¯s a ¡®personal maid¡¯, but she does more of a butler¡¯s work than that of a personal maid. ¡°In the middle of the night?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Leave it to me.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± An hour later. Claudia had indeed brought the seamstress, giving her Ashmia¡¯s pre-measured sizes, and instructing her on the detailed requirements of the dress. The poor seamstress was sweating after being dragged in with a black cloth covering her face and redrew her sketch several times until Claudia nodded. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡± The seamstress finally looked alive after receiving the final approval. But, she had no clue that she was going to be imprisoned in the mansion to complete the dress within 48 hours. ¡°This is a crime, Claudia¡­¡± Claudia spoke towards Ashmia, who had a bewildered look on her face. ¡°Right now, there can¡¯t be anything more important than the dress. If you give a reasonable reward, you can cover up anything. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Vanessa shook her head as Claudia led the seamstress out. ¡°I knew she had that kind of personality, but I didn¡¯t think it would be like that.¡± ¡°¡­Me neither.¡± But anyway, thanks to Claudia¡¯s terrifying drive, Ashmia¡¯s debutante dress, which had the seamstress¡¯s soul in it, was ready in time. *** Diony Hall, located two blocks away from the bustling 5th Avenue, was famous as the largest banquet hall on the island. As the host was the Duke of Pendragon, the invited guests were also important figures, so Pendragon¡¯s soldiers stood guard not only in Diony Hall, but also in front of the road. ¡°We ask for your momentary cooperation .¡±The guards surrounded Ashmia¡¯s luxurious limousine and searched underneath the car with mirrors attached on metal rods. Claudia, who was in the driver¡¯s seat, looked through the rearview mirror at Vanessa sitting in the backseat with Ashmia. ¡°Vanessa, why are you so nervous?¡± ¡°N-Nervous?! I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look fine at all. Can I get you some tranquillisers?¡± At Ashmia¡¯s words, Claudia replied firmly. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Stabilisers affect the activation of her ability.¡± ¡°Oh, right. It does.¡± ¡°Vanessa, you look as dignified and elegant as any nobleman today. Escort Ashmia with pride.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± Vanessa¡¯s face quickly brightened at Claudia¡¯s rare praise. And Claudia¡¯s words were not empty. Although she didn¡¯t wear a dress to perform the security mission smoothly, Vanessa wore a tuxedo and neatly combed her short hair. She was exuding a masculine charm that most men couldn¡¯t achieve. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll have a great debutante.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be back.¡± As soon as the car search was over, Vanessa got out of the car and reached out to Ashmia. ¡°Miss.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ashmia took the hand and got out of the car slowly. Whispering¡ª The camera¡¯s flash began to go off crazily, along with the exclamations of the crowd surrounding the red carpet. ¡°Look at that, oh my¡­¡± ¡°My God!¡± With each step Ashmia took, she saw the golden thread embroidered on her ivory dress softly reflecting the lights, along with her silver hair. Even those who were taking pictures of her appearance that made it seem like light had taken a human shape had stopped and looked at her. Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only On the other hand, Ashmia¡ª ¡®This- this is crazy! Why are the stairs so long!¡¯ She was already sweating while managing her expression, as her legs were already cramping up from climbing the long stairs with unfamiliar high heels. ¡®How does a woman run around in these things?¡¯ After she managed to climb the stairs to the end without falling, she saw Francesca running from the entrance of the hall with her arms stretched open. Chapter 13 ¡°Welcome, Ashmia!¡± As soon as Vanessa evaded to the side, Francesca grabbed Ashmia¡¯s hands. Then the reporters, who had forgotten their jobs for a while, pressed the shutter button again. ¡®The Princess of Pendragon ran first towards the Kalanishiel and took her hand.¡¯ ¡°I was waiting. Come on in.¡± ¡®And they entered together.¡¯ It was very shocking to see the daughter of the mafia walking with the Princess of Pendragon among the nobles, such as the marquis and the counts, gathered in the hall. And at the same time, it also meant that Ashmia¡¯s debutante had already been extremely successful. ¡°Come on, take this. It doesn¡¯t have alcohol.¡± Ashmia took the glass of champagne from Francesca. ¡°I was very rude back then, wasn¡¯t I? As an apology, and for our eternal friendship.¡± Clink¡ª Ashmia smiled as her glass clashed against Francesca¡¯s with a clear sound. After taking a sip of champagne, Francesca lowered her voice. ¡°As Lady Ashmia said, we regulated the marijuana on the same day, and there was a riot.¡± Therefore, many people voluntarily withdrew just because they had experience in possessing or distributing the drugs, and Francesca, dismayed at the appearance, officially dissolved Fleur immediately. ¡°Then the next day, the Imperial Guard came to investigate. The timing was amazing.¡± Of course. It was Ashmia who took care of that wonderful timing. ¡°I¡¯m really glad. You didn¡¯t get in trouble, did you, Princess?¡± ¡°Yes. My father nagged me for a bit, but he also praised me for taking action before something really bad happened. This is all thanks to Lady Ashmia.¡± ¡°No. Thank you for believing in me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡± Thanks to Ashmia, Francesca managed to avoid a big scandal, so she couldn¡¯t understand how grateful she was. Ashmia smiled bitterly inside at Francesca¡¯s actions, which she seemingly found difficult to adapt to. But anyway, Francesca¡¯s dissolution of Fleur was significant. It may have started out as a social club for Francesca to play king, but in the past when the aristocratic union staged a coup, Fleur played a role in causing the imperial family to collapse from the inside. Now that Fleur had disappeared, it was clear that the future would be different from the one in Michael¡¯s memories. Also, the variable that made Francesca Pendragon an ally and Ashmia¡¯s debutante in the social world couldn¡¯t be ignored. But it was only the beginning. There are still many mountains to climb. ¡®Still, today will go well.¡¯ However, when Ashmia was about to take a sip from the champagne¡­ ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± Suddenly, a shout was heard from the entrance of the hall, and there was a murmur among the people. ¡°Who is here?¡± Ashmia asked, but Francesca couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the entrance with a slightly blushing face, definitely not listening to Ashmia. ¡®It looks like a person invited by Francesca is here.¡¯ Soon, at the entrance of the hall, Ashmia saw a man walking in, escorted by soldiers wearing the royal emblem. Even though Ashmia couldn¡¯t say he was tall, he wasn¡¯t short either. Brown hair, clear blue-green eyes, and a handsome small face. He was the third prince of the empire, Alexandrio, who had a soft, gentle personality and a fandom made of both nobles and commoners. *** Michael Rose didn¡¯t read magazines. It might not be a newspaper, but he thought that magazines were made of gossip and factories that printed fake news. There were several famous rumours that even Michael had heard of, and one of them was ¡®Princess Francesca Pendragon and the Third Prince Alexandrio flirting¡¯. Like most gossip, it felt like a ¡®whatever¡¯ to Michael, but it was a pretty hot topic among the people at the time. Until the third prince died in an ¡®accident¡¯. *** Alexandrio was greeted by the nobles in the hall, and he walked straight to Francesca. ¡°Francesca Pendragon greets the prince.¡± Alexandrio also paid his respects with a light gesture to Francesca, who grabbed the hem of her dress and bent her knees slightly. ¡°Thank you for inviting me to such a wonderful ball. Have you been well, Fran?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Alec. How have you been?¡± As soon as they finished greeting each other with courtesy, Ashmia, who almost choked at the nicknames, coughed quietly. Franesca seemed to take it in a different way, because she clapped her hands lightly. ¡°Goodness, look at me! Sir Alec, this is who I told you about¡­¡± ¡°Ashmia Kalanishiel greets the Prince.¡± Ashmia bent her knee along with Francesca¡¯s introduction. ¡°I heard a lot of stories. It¡¯s an honour to meet you.¡± ¡°Ashmia is my dear friend. Did I tell you?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Yes. If you¡¯re Fran¡¯s friend, you¡¯re also my friend. I wish you all the best in the future.¡± Ashmia could see the faces of the nobles around them hardening at Alexandrio¡¯s remarks. Although these three young people didn¡¯t fully represent the power of their surname, the birth of an entirely new form of cooperative structure between the duke, the imperial family, and the mafia, gave the nobles a sense of immeasurable crisis. Of course, like the princess, this innocent-looking prince didn¡¯t seem to have thought about what he said. ¡®How am I going to lead these innocent people in the future?¡¯ It was when the thought crossed Ashmia¡¯s mind that Alexandrio looked at her face and said, ¡°It may be rude of me, but you have a mysterious eye colour. It¡¯s golden, so beautiful.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The moment she answered Alexandrio¡¯s compliment without hesitation, Ashmia could see Francesca¡¯s lips twitching with jealousy. Ashmia had a strong feeling that if she were to say something like ¡®the prince has beautiful eyes as well¡¯, the friendship she had just built with Francesca would crumble at once, and she might face the risk of assassination. ¡°Lady Francesca, now that the Prince has arrived, how about saying a few words?¡± ¡°Oh, my mind.¡± Ashmia succeeded in diverting the topic and sighed in relief. Today¡¯s ball was hosted by Francesca instead of Theodore Pendragon, who was absent for some reason. Francesca appeared on stage without any sign of being nervous, as if she was already familiar with it. ¡°I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all of you for attending the ball organised by the Pendragon family despite your busy schedules.¡± ¡®She¡¯s very sorry that she has caused a lot of trouble to many people due to a recent unfortunate incident and will provide maximum compensation to those who have been harmed, blah blah.¡¯ ¡°Then, I hope you enjoy tonight¡¯s ball¡ª¡± It was when Francesca was about to finish her speech¡­ ¡°¡­?!¡± Byren Bernando hurriedly climbed onto the stage and grabbed Francesca, pushing her away. At the same time, Bang¡ª! A single shot resonated, and a young musician sitting right behind where Francesca was previously standing, fell to the ground with a bleeding wound on his head. ¡°Aahhh!¡± With someone¡¯s scream, the hall quickly fell into chaos. The assailant, who was disguised as a waiter and aimed a gun at Francesca hidden under the tray, was subdued immediately by the guards, but there wasn¡¯t only one enemy. ¡°Lady! Get behind me!¡± The assailants disguised as reporters and cooks took out their guns and went on a rampage. Bangbangbang¡ª!! The guards tried to retaliate, but there were too many people in the hall to do so. On the other hand, the attackers indiscriminately shot their bullets as if they were trying to slaughter everyone present without even considering their own death. Vanessa turned a nearby table over to use as a shield and hardened her entire body. Ting¡ª Ting¡ª! The bullets that pierced through the table hit Vanessa¡¯s body and bounced off with a spark. Ashmia leaned closer to Vanessa¡¯s back and looked around her. Among the members of the imperial guards, who were toppled by the surprise attack, Alexandrio was seen looking hopeless. ¡°Vanessa! Move to the side! We must save the prince!¡± Instead of answering, Vanessa took the table and quickly moved towards the prince. ¡°Prince! Come here!¡± Hearing Ashmia¡¯s call, the prince turned his head. ¡°What?!¡± When the last guard protecting the prince fell, his feet froze in place. Tsk¨C! Ashmia clicked her tongue and threw off her high heels before running toward the prince and grabbing him by the collar. ¡°Excuse me for a second!¡± Thud! Ashmia threw the prince behind Vanessa and crawled on her arms to the fallen guard. ¡°Lady! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Despite Vanessa¡¯s desperate cry, Ashmia quickly pulled a pistol out of its holster, which the guard was wearing. Click! After checking the magazine with a quick hand movement, she loaded it by swinging it to the side. Bang¨C Bang¡ª! Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only ¡°What about the princess?!¡± Ashmia found Francesca as she shot her pistol over the table. Below the stage, she could see Byren covering Francesca with a table as a shield. Bangbangbang¡ª!! However, it was impossible to move due to the group of people who were focused on shooting their guns at Byren. Chapter 14 ¡°Prince, listen to me.¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°When I give you a signal, you run to the princess and hide under the stage together.¡± There was a gap under the stage, and the carpet covered it like a curtain. ¡°Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, uh, uh¡­¡± Slap¡ª! Ashmia slapped Alexandrio across the face. ¡°Get a hold of yourself! Your girl, you¡¯re supposed to protect her!! Understood?!¡± ¡°I-I got it!¡± ¡°Vanessa! When I give the signal, run! The one with the princess! Don¡¯t protect me and knock them all out!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Here we go! One, two, three!¡± Bangbangbangbang¡ª! As soon as Ashmia ran out, she shot her bullets at the men who were nearby. Crack! And the men who were hit by the table Vanessa threw rolled on the ground. In the meantime, Ashmia bent down and picked up a rifle while it slid across the floor. Tatatata¡ª!! Blood gushed as she cut her bare feet against the broken glass, but Ashmia continued to pull the trigger, regardless. But¡­ Tick¡ª Ticktick¡ª ¡®The bullets?!¡¯ Knowing that Ashmia¡¯s magazine was empty, the attackers raised their guns towards her with an eerie laugh. At that moment, Grr¡­! Byren Bernando, who finished his ¡®transformation¡¯, stood in front of Ashmia. *** Who was the ¡®strongest man¡¯? This old question was a topic of discussion, like a snack loved by many people, regardless of country, province, gender, and age. There were countless talented people mentioned in answer to it, but there was someone who was not necessarily absent from that position. That was Byren Bernando. His ability to strengthen his physique as well as healing, was an extremely rare case that broke the immutable law of ¡®one ability per person¡¯. But if it were simply that, Byren Bernando would not have been in the ranks of the strongest. His understanding of mana, an intangible and clearly existing type of force, and his understanding of his own abilities were also high, and above all, Byren Bernando didn¡¯t neglect his training. Moving like a beast, transcending the limits of a human being, in addition to excellent interpersonal fighting skills. Byren Bernando, who rushed towards the enemy from unexpected places and directions, was a one-man army himself. *** ¡°Huh?!¡± Frightened by the horrific death of their comrades, with blood pouring out like a fountain and a grotesque, terrifying scream, the attackers opened fire, but they couldn¡¯t be a match for the already fully transformed Byren Bernando. Gaaaah¡ª! The roar of the beast echoed through the hall. ¡®It¡¯s over¡­!¡¯ The men who attacked the hall didn¡¯t have the level of leadership or combat power as that of mercenaries, but they were still not clumsy with a gun. Perhaps a hired gang from the back alley. On the other hand, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the power of the Duke¡¯s enlisted troops were all there. Because of the Imperial Guard, the majority of which were filled with sons of nobles who came just to avoid being drafted to the Northern Front, had no real fighting power. In addition, even a few soldiers were attacked from outside and couldn¡¯t come as backup. Knowing that the last card she could count on in such a situation was Byren Bernando, Ashmia allowed Byren to run wild by throwing herself in the crossfire. As long as Francesca¡¯s safety is guaranteed, Byren could come out and fight. Then, the fight was over. ¡°Gaah?!¡± Watching Byren Bernando turn into a half-beast mercilessly tearing apart and killing the attackers, Ashmia fell to the ground as she thought she was really lucky that such a monster was an ally, and only then did she feel the pain in her feet. ¡°Lady! Are you okay?!¡± Vanessa rushed to her side to support her, but Ashmia couldn¡¯t walk on her own even with support. ¡°I think we should stop the bleeding first.¡± Vanessa took off her jacket and tore the sleeve of her shirt, wrapping it around Ashmia¡¯s thigh. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so take care of the other two first.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the prince and the princess. I think backup has arrived.¡± As Vanessa said, the Duke¡¯s soldiers were seen entering the hall as Byren had cleared the hall and swept away even the enemies from outside. ¡°They¡¯re under the stage!¡± Hearing Vanessa¡¯s words, the soldiers rushed to the place. ¡®Is it over now?¡¯ But just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, Ashmia felt a strange discomfort. ¡®Something¡­ is off.¡¯ What were they after? In the end, it looked like a massacre, but the first target was Francesca. However, in order to target Francesca, they must first kill Byren Bernando. There was no way they¡¯d be unaware of that, but at best, their firepower was only enough to tie their feet, not to kill Byren. In other words, it meant that they didn¡¯t consider failure. ¡®However¡­¡¯ What if the target wasn¡¯t Francesca from the start? Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The Imperial Guards, who were quicking collapsing, crossed Ashmia¡¯s mind. ¡°No way!¡± Ashmia shouted, turning swiftly. ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t come out yet!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Francesca and Alexandrio, who were coming out from under the stage with the help of soldiers, looked perplexed. At that moment, one of Alexandrio¡¯s soldiers was seen pulling out a pistol. ¡®Damn it! As expected¡­!¡¯ The target was Alexandrio! Ashmia extended her arms reflexively, but it was impossible to reach them. ¡°No!¡± Alexandrio mustn¡¯t die. Mana swirled around Ashmia¡¯s fingertips, which she stretched with all her might. *** In ¡®Michael¡¯s 7 years¡¯, Francesca was on the brink of insanity after Alexandrio¡¯s death, before she soon found herself embroiled in an opium scandal. However, the Duke of Pendragon not only took full advantage of their influence to silence the press, but the following year, to their dismay, forced Francesca to marry the second prince, who became the Crown Prince. Public opinion swelled with this shocking arranged marriage, but of course, nothing changed. Francesca, who had been rumoured to be addicted to opium even after becoming the Crown Princess, after the coup failed, was charged with using Fleur to instigate the coup and was sentenced to death. Those who witnessed the true Francesca said that she was soaked in opium until the moment of her execution, to the extent that they wondered if she really could¡¯ve done such a thing. After the execution, many people spoke of her like that. If Alexandrio hadn¡¯t died, Francesca might¡¯ve lived a completely different life. No opium addiction, two miscarriages, being used in a coup and execution. Also, a life without loneliness. *** As soon as the mana shot out of her hand, Ashmia¡¯s body dropped as if she had fainted. And¡­ Whoosh¡ª!! ¡°Huh?!¡± The man, who suddenly appeared and pointed a pistol at Alexandrio, flew over the stage. What happened in a flash surprised everyone who was there. But what was more surprising was none other than Michael himself. ¡®How¡­?!¡¯ Click¡ª! Michael, looking down at his hand, shouted as he saw the Duke¡¯s soldiers pointing guns at him. ¡°It¡¯s not me, you idiots! Get him!¡± ¡°Miss? Miss!¡± Michael pointed at the man laying on the stage before turning his head at Vanessa¡¯s cry from behind him. Vanessa, pale, rushed out of the hall, her eyes closed and holding Ashmia in her arms. ¡®What happened?!¡¯ Michael shook his head as if trying to shake off the confusion. ¡°He just wanted to kill the Prince¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± But he was knocked down with incredible speed before pulling the trigger, and Michael was the only one around to see the man aiming a gun at Alexandrio. Suppressing his frustration, Michael raised his hands. ¡°I won¡¯t resist, so please go and check his identity first. Go and see if he really is the Duke¡¯s private soldier!¡± ¡°If you babble one more time, I¡¯ll shoot you!¡± He couldn¡¯t make them understand. It was then that Michael clenched his teeth. ¡°Do as he says.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± The soldiers looked at each other, embarrassed by Byren Bernando¡¯s voice from behind Michael. ¡°Hurry.¡± While Michael was surprised by the unexpected support, a soldier went on stage. And soon, ¡°No dog tags!¡± When it was discovered that it was a fake, the men lowered their guns in amazement. Michael looked back at Byren, lowering his hands. ¡°Thank you. Thanks to¡ª¡± Tsss¡ª ¡°¡­?!¡± But before Michael could finish speaking, his body suddenly turned to golden ashes and began to crumble. ¡°W-What are you?!¡± ¡°¡­Damn, I¡¯m wondering that too.¡± Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only That was the only thing Michael could say back to the soldier¡¯s startled yell. An old mustang jacket, jeans, and faded shoes. Michael¡¯s body, which had the same appearance as the day he died after being shot by Nikita, quickly disappeared. ¡°¡­¡± Byren Bernando watched Michael silently. Chapter 15 In the end, Michael¡¯s body turned into specks of light and scattered. ¡°¡­?!¡± With a gasp, Michael woke up again in Ashmia¡¯s body. ¡°My lady! Are you out of your mind?!¡± ¡°¡­Vanessa?¡± ¡°Yes, my lady! I¡¯m here!¡± Vanessa wept as she grabbed Ashmia¡¯s hand and placed it on her cheek. ¡°Is this¡­?¡± ¡°We¡¯re in an ambulance.¡± As Vanessa spoke, Ashmia looked around and noticed a paramedic injecting something in her arm. ¡°Vanessa.¡± ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± ¡°Can you go and check if the prince and the princess are safe?¡± Vanessa nodded and turned around, speaking to Ashmia. ¡°Both of them are safe. They¡¯re coming out of the hall.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m glad. Do they look hurt?¡± No matter what happened, if the two of them were safe, everything was okay. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they look much better than you do.¡± Ashmia burst out laughing at Vanessa¡¯s words. Then, she groaned unconsciously due to the sharp pain she felt in her feet and legs. ¡°My lady? Are you sick? Hey! Why aren¡¯t you leaving?! Do I have to drive it myself?¡± Surprised by Vanessa¡¯s yell, paramedics shouted to close the back doors of the ambulance and start the car. In her hazy consciousness from the painkillers that had spread throughout her body, Ashmia only realised now that her own dress had been dyed crimson, and that it wasn¡¯t its original ivory colour anymore. What would Claudia say when she sees this? ¡®Really¡­ It was a terrific debutante.¡¯ Ashmia fell into a deep sleep as she heard the sirens of the ambulance fade. *** The indiscriminate terrorist attack, which had been called ¡®The Nightmare of Diony Hall¡¯, turned out to be a revenge plot constructed by the nobles who were deprived of their titles after being arrested for the marijuana incident. But, Ashmia shook her head as she folded the newspaper. ¡®No. This¡ª¡¯ It was an attempted assassination of the third prince that was designed to look like an attack. ¡®However¡­ It¡¯s strange.¡¯ In Michael¡¯s seven years, Alexandrio¡¯s death didn¡¯t happen at this time, and it wasn¡¯t like this either. In the special room of St. Catherine¡¯s Hospital, where she was taken care of again less than a month ago, Ashmia smoothed her lips with her fingers, having a bandage wrapped around her feet. *** Originally, the cause of Alexandrio¡¯s death was falling off a horse. As part of the emperor¡¯s birthday celebration which was held the following year, Alexandrio was scheduled to perform his specialty, equestrianism. However, in the midst of watching the crowd, the emperor, and Francesca, Alexandrio suddenly fell from his horse as it ran wild, startled by something. Trampled on by his own horse, he had suffered a tragic death, with his head crushed to the point where his face was unrecognisable. It was later revealed that the cause was a wasp. There were no wasps during that season, and to prevent such accidents, the hives around the riding grounds had been periodically removed. Nevertheless, the wasp venom found in the horse¡¯s body was accepted as evidence, and Alexandrio¡¯s death, which was apparently an assassination, was ultimately treated as an accidental death. *** This case had no resemblance to that. However, if the man¡¯s gun had been fired as it was, the result would¡¯ve been the same, and his head would¡¯ve been crushed. ¡®No way.¡¯ Did the variable occur because of the past that Ashmia had changed? Michael Rose didn¡¯t believe in fate. In spite of all that, Ashmia could feel the struggle to somehow reconnect that cause and effect of what had already happened through ¡®The Nightmare of Diony Hall¡¯. Perhaps, the more she changed the future, the more situations like this would occur. Ashmia was vaguely aware that it wasn¡¯t a problem that could be solved by just eliminating it. ¡®I¡¯ll have to be more careful in the future.¡¯ Considering the power of this terrible casualty. [5. Matilda] ¡®Anyhow.¡¯ Ashmia raised the hand that touched her lips and looked at it silently. Seeing the golden mana on the tops of her fingers, Ashmia exhaled. ¡®My ability to summon Michael¡¯s body made from mana¡­¡¯ She really couldn¡¯t imagine it. Even though it was made of mana, Michael¡¯s body was very agile and strong. While he was alive, Michael had neither the strength to dent a person¡¯s face with his fist nor the talent to move a distance of several metres in one breath. Was it because he was too far from Ashmia¡¯s body that had suddenly collapsed? Or was it because she was given painkillers? Both were possible. And the effects of the usual tranquilisers couldn¡¯t be ignored. Right now, she was continuously injected with stabilisers and painkillers at the hospital, so she couldn¡¯t use mana properly and therefore couldn¡¯t test it. And thinking of it, she had never even practised how to use mana. ¡®I¡¯ll have to add it to my training after I¡¯m discharged.¡¯ In any case, even with such a strange ability, it was necessary to hone it in order to use it as a weapon after awakening it. With this, the doubts about Michael¡¯s silhouette that Ashmia saw at the Ability Management Bureau were resolved to some extent. ¡®Then what was that other silhouette I saw at that time?¡¯ And¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll have to keep my ability a secret for now. Well, this isn¡¯t like summoning a legendary hero. I¡¯m just calling a cop, what should I explain to the others?¡¯ And when Ashmia was immersed in such thoughts¡­ Knock, knock¡ª ¡°Come in.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°How are you today, my lady?¡± ¡°Fine. What about you, Vanessa?¡± Vanessa was bandaged here and there, but she still replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine now!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You¡¯re worse than I am.¡± Vanessa¡¯s ability, hardening, was able to bounce off bullets, but it wasn¡¯t painless. If she got hit, it caused bruises, and in some severe cases, body tissue would tear. That day, Vanessa blocked all of the dozens, possibly hundreds, of bullets with her body to protect Ashmia. Of course, there was no way she was fine. ¡°You should get treated too. Alright?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± However, whether she liked it or not, she would continue to experience battles in the future, and it was also a problem if she were to be hospitalised each time. ¡®But healing is a very rare ability.¡¯ Ashmia was biting her lips, then suddenly widened her eyes at the thought. ¡°It exists!¡± ¡®A very suitable person who has healing powers!¡¯ ¡°Huh?! Wh-what exists?¡± ¡°Vanessa, I think we¡¯ve got something to do next.¡± ¡°Ah, my lady. Your legs are still sore¡­¡± Then¡­ Knock, knock¡ª ¡°Come on in.¡± Claudia quietly opened the door and bowed to Ashmia. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Still sick. What¡¯s going on?¡± Claudia opened her mouth with an unusual apologetic expression. ¡°Don Kalanishiel mentioned the family event schedule.¡± Ashmia unknowingly looked at her legs. ¡°¡­ Doesn¡¯t my father know my condition?¡± ¡°He knows. In less than a month, Lady Ashmia has been through two major incidents, so he doesn¡¯t want to delay it any longer.¡± If that was it, then they could¡¯ve all come to visit her. After sighing, Ashmia spoke. ¡°Okay. When?¡± ¡°Tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not surprised anymore. I have to go when I¡¯m told to go, there¡¯s no other way. Well, we can¡¯t go on like this, so please go through the discharge procedures.¡± ¡°Already done.¡± Ashmia gave Claudia a thumbs up without saying a word. *** Richard mentioning the ¡®family event¡¯ also meant that the spy search was over. ¡°What about us?¡± Claudia grabbed the steering wheel as she was hesitant answering Ashmia¡¯s question, who was in the backseat. ¡°Nobody was considered a spy. However¡ª¡± After listening to Claudia¡¯s answer, Vanessa said with a surprised voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t Matilda the one with sharp eyes? Every time we meet, she asks me to make an impression¡­¡± ¡°Right. That one.¡± Claudia nodded her head at Vanessa¡¯s words, and Ashmia tapped her lips. ¡°¡­Certainly. I¡¯m a little concerned about the ¡®why¡¯.¡± ¡°Should I call and ask?¡± At Vanessa¡¯s low voice, Ashmia shook her head as she lowered the hand that had touched her lips. ¡°No, let¡¯s see how it turns out for now.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± *** After arriving at her house, Vanessa got out of the car and grabbed Ashmia. The maids, who had been flocking around the garage for some reason, greeted Ashmia with twinkling eyes. ¡°Lady Ashmia!¡± ¡°Huh. You guys, why are you here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cool!¡± Then, Cordelia, a lady-in-waiting, opened a newspaper. [The Hero of Diony Hall, Ashmia Kalanishiel.] A large picture of Ashmia was placed along with the title. ¡°You¡¯re so amazing!¡± ¡°I heard rumours that the emperor himself will award medals!¡± At the words of the maids who were chattering, Ashmia let out an awkward laugh. ¡°Alright, move out of the way! Can¡¯t you see? She needs to get some rest!¡± ¡°S-Sorry!¡± Panicked at Vanessa¡¯s words, they backed away, but continued to stare at Ashmia with sparkling eyes, as if they weren¡¯t trying to flatter her. And after noticing Matilda, the only one standing there with her mouth shut, Ashmia headed to her room with Vanessa. *** Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only Knock, knock¡ª After Ashmia finished eating in her room, Claudia walked in to change the bandages on her legs with the help of the maids. ¡°Don Kalanishiel has contacted us about the specific time.¡± ¡°Yes, is the car ready?¡± ¡°Yes. Vehicles, licence plates, and routes are all prepared. Tomorrow, Lady Ashmia just has to choose.¡± Chapter 16 ¡°Okay, you¡¯re doing a good¡ª Ah!¡± ¡°S-sorry!¡± Matilda hurriedly bowed her head, and Vanessa walked over to her and clicked her tongue. ¡°You can¡¯t even do one of these things right?!¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Looking sideways at Matilda being scolded, Cordelia, who had her bandaged leg resting on her opposite leg, bowed her head and raised the corner of her mouth. ¡°Alright, Vanessa. Things like that happen. And Matilda, please be gentler.¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be careful next time.¡± After the two maids left, Vanessa looked at Claudia with a frown on her face. ¡°What you just said is getting on my nerves. Is it really okay to leave that child Matilda alone?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sensitive. It was just a mistake.¡± Ashmia soothed Vanessa. ¡°I¡¯m planning to make it to the Black Lion¡¯s mansion safely tomorrow. For that reason, let¡¯s rest early today.¡± ¡°Alright. Rest well.¡± ¡°Take it easy!¡± After answering their farewells with a wave, Ashmia laid down on her bed. * * * That night. ¡°Cordelia, wake up.¡± At the call of a maid, Cordelia rubbed her eyes and got up from her bed. ¡°It¡¯s your shift.¡± Cordelia nodded as she was handed a lantern. ¡°Anything important?¡± ¡°No. Do you know who¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Yeah, and good job. Rest well.¡± With her lantern, Cordelia went out into the hallway. After Cordelia had walked around the mansion, she stepped carefully to avoid making noise with her footsteps, looked around, and dimmed the light of her lantern. ¡°¡­¡± Then, she sneaked into the storage room where cleaning supplies were kept. Clack¡ª After setting her lantern on the shelf, Cordelia went to a hidden corner of the room, and with familiar hands, she pulled out a small box cleverly hidden under a floorboard. Cordelia looked around once more and pressed the knob of the wireless telegraph in the box. Click, click¡ª But when Cordelia started sending a code to somewhere. ¡°What are you doing there, Cordelia?¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Cordelia¡¯s hand stopped at the voice that came from behind her. Click¡ª Matilda spoke to Cordelia as she cocked her pistol. ¡°Raise your hands, stand up slowly, and turn around.¡± ¡°Oh, Matilda! Why are you awake at a time like this? You aren¡¯t even on night watch today, are you?¡± Cordelia looked startled and tried to approach Matilda, but Matilda took a step back from her and pointed the small pistol in her hand at Cordelia¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t come close! Tell me what you were doing there!¡± ¡°What is this? Is that a gun?! Oh my god¡­! Matilda, why are you doing this? You¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°Stop acting. If you won¡¯t answer, then get out of my way! I¡¯ll see it with my own eyes.¡± ¡°I-I heard something from here¡­ I thought there were rats, so I just came in for a while. Really!¡± ¡°Get out of the way! If you speak one more word of nonsense, I¡¯ll really shoot you!¡± ¡°Oh my god! O-okay. I¡¯ll move out of the way. But Matilda.¡± Cordelia took a step towards her and continued speaking. ¡°Don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t kill anyone if you shoot a gun like that at this distance.¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Cordelia¡¯s surprise attack was quick as she lowered her body and rushed in. Tuk¡ª! Cordelia grabbed the hand Matilda held her gun in and punched her with her other hand. Thwack¡ª! ¡°Huh?!¡± Matilda managed to block Cordelia¡¯s heavy fist. But Cordelia grabbed the arm Matilda used to block her punch and pushed her against the wall. Thud¡ª! Matilda clenched her teeth in shock and pulled the trigger. Bang¡ª! Bang¡ª! Matilda¡¯s actions only seemed to waste two bullets as they shot into the air, but Cordelia frowned. ¡®This sound.¡¯ Blank shots¡­?! ¡°You wench. You¡¯ve been meaning to do this from the start.¡± Matilda smiled at Cordelia¡¯s words, raising her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s too late. People are coming now.¡± But Cordelia let out a smirk and slammed her knee into Matilda¡¯s side. Thud¡ª! ¡°Keuk?!¡± Clatter¡ª When Cordelia let go of the hands she was holding, Matilda dropped her pistol and slumped down. ¡°Will you still be alive by then?¡± Cordelia took a dagger out of her sleeve. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you before they come, then put all the blame on you. Stupid idiot.¡± Cordelia grabbed Matilda¡¯s black bobbed hair. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯ve been wanting to kill you for quite some time.¡± Thwack¡ª Thwack¡ª Cordelia struck Matilda in the face with the hilt of the dagger. ¡°My stomach churns every time I see your insolent face.¡± ¡°¡­Please.¡± Hearing Matilda¡¯s mutter, Cordelia burst into laughter. ¡°What, are you begging for help now? Where can you unlucky wench even go¡ª¡± But then. Slam¡ª! Before she could finish her words, Cordelia fell backwards due to being hit on the chin by Matilda¡¯s outstretched palm. ¡°Shut your rotten mouth.¡± ¡°This¡­ You crazy wretch!¡± With blood dripping from her mouth, Cordelia swung her dagger at Matilda. Matilda hurriedly stood up and dodged sideways, but she didn¡¯t have much space to avoid it in such a small room. Shing¡ª! Matilda suffered no fatal wounds, but the number of cuts on her body continued to grow. She was forced to escape to the hallway, but Cordelia¡¯s sharp attacks didn¡¯t allow it, and Matilda was quickly driven into a corner. ¡®Damnit¡­!¡¯ It was at that moment when the lantern entered Matilda¡¯s sight. Snatch¡ª! Matilda, whose body moved before her mind, picked up the lantern, and Cordelia¡¯s eyes widened as she saw it. ¡®There¡¯s no way?!¡¯ Matilda threw the lantern on the floor without hesitation. Clang¡ª! Fwoom¡ª! ¡°Ugh?!¡± As flames engulfed the oil that spread across the floor, Cordelia retreated, covering her face with her arms. Not missing the opportunity, Matilda stepped on the shelf and jumped over the fire, kicking Cordelia. Wham¡ª!! Clatter¡ª! Cordelia¡¯s dagger slipped out of her hand and rolled down into the hallway. Matilda quickly extinguished the fire on her clothes and tried to get on top of the fallen Cordelia. However, after a few back-and-forths, the struggle between the two of them ended in Cordelia¡¯s victory. ¡°Die!!¡± Cordelia sat on top of Matilda and strangled her with her hands. ¡°Keugh¡­ Heuk¡­!!¡± Squeeze¡ª! As Cordelia¡¯s hands strangled her neck even more strongly, Matilda¡¯s eyelids fluttered, eyes rolling to the back of her head. The moment when the strength in Matilda¡¯s hand drained away as she struggled against Cordelia. Click¡ª ¡°¡­?!¡± There was a faint but clear sound of a pistol being reloaded. The moment Cordelia raised her head, surprised. Bang¡ª! Thud¡ª! With that one shot, Cordelia¡¯s head was thrown backwards, and blood splashed across Matilda¡¯s face. ¡°¡­?!¡± Cordelia fell helplessly on top of Matilda, her eyes wide open. Thwump¡ª ¡°¡­Keuk! Cough! Khak, khak!¡± Matilda took Cordelia¡¯s hand off her neck and breathed heavily. Step¡ª Step¡ª The sound of footsteps approached Matilda. ¡°¡­¡± Claudia pushed Cordelia¡¯s body as it laid on Matilda with her feet and looked down at Matilda as she held her gunpowder-smelling pistol. ¡°Can you stand up?¡± * * * ¡°Hmm.¡± Ashmia looked at the half-burnt wireless telegraph. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a common model.¡± ¡°It¡¯s adapted for military use. We often use something similar to this on the Northern Front.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for the military¡­ so I was very careful. Did you find anything on Cordelia?¡± ¡°There was nothing. Except for her being a trained person.¡± Cordelia¡¯s dagger, which Claudia was holding, had a matte finish on the blade. It was for either military use or assassination. Ashmia licked her lips. ¡®She seems to be a former soldier or a mercenary.¡¯ But since she was dead, there was no other way to get more information. Ashmia handed the wireless telegraph to Vanessa. ¡°Now, shall we hear your story?¡± Ashmia¡¯s gaze turned to Matilda. But at that moment, Claudia quietly raised her hand. ¡°Miss Ashmia. Before that, can I say something?¡± ¡°Okay. What is it?¡± ¡°I want to apologize. Hiring a maid is my job as a butler. Cordelia was also a child I hired myself two years ago. I thought I had done enough research, but because of my negligence, Lady Ashmia almost suffered. So, please punish me first.¡± Vanessa and Matilda both looked surprised at those words, but Ashmia silently smoothed her lips. ¡°I will not deny your words. But we¡¯re not sure if Cordelia was a spy from the beginning. It¡¯s possible that we came into contact without our knowledge during that time. So, I don¡¯t think you can conclude that this is your responsibility.¡± ¡°However¡ª¡± ¡°Okay. Then, I¡¯ll think about that a bit more, but let¡¯s hear from Matilda first.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Ashmia turned her gaze back to Matilda. ¡°Should I say thank you first? Thanks to you, we caught a rat that we couldn¡¯t find.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°Then, how did you know that Cordelia was a spy?¡± Matilda hesitated for a moment before she answered. ¡°It was¡­ a hunch.¡± ¡°A hunch¡­?!¡± Vanessa made a face. ¡°Hey! If something wrong happened because of you, the lady could¡¯ve been in danger!¡± It was fortunate that the flames were extinguished quickly, but the fire that engulfed the warehouse could have spread if it was even a little later. ¡°Think more carefully and answer!¡± ¡°Vanessa.¡± Ashmia stopped Vanessa. ¡°So, you trusted your instincts and even bought a gun because of it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡±