Honey, I Believe That’s Your Misunderstanding

“A wild horse wreaked havoc at my mansion last night and knocked down our fence. I’m trying to find that vile thing.”

“I see that you’re looking for a wild horse. That sounds interesting. What kind of wild horse was it?”

“It was a black horse. It’s… I hear it’s an enormous black horse.”

“An enormous… black horse?”

With a smile slowly curling up on Yulias’s lips, she asked politely.

“Please give me more details.”

“What more should I say?”

“It won’t be possible to paint a portrait just by saying that it has two eyes, one nose and one mouth. Please do tell me more of its characteristics and the exact circumstances in which it arrived.”

Hearing Yulias’s words, Marquis Kafrenn shot an irritated look at the butler who accompanied him here, who then replied in the nobleman’s stead.

The butler politely took a step forward and explained what he had witnessed.

While listening to the butler, Yulias wrote down everything she was told. Her hand was moving so fast that it became blurry to the naked eye.

Then, after the witness account was finished, she nodded.

“I’ve determined the information you wish to retrieve. As this will be information at the Red Level, this shall cost 800,000 crans. And there is also an additional fee of about 20-30% if you wish for a hastened delivery of results. Would you like to avail our services?”

“8… 800,000 crans?”

The marquis immediately shot up from his seat, his face burning red.

The sum of 800,000 crans was tantamount to about three months of expenses at the marquisate.

By no means was that a small amount of money, was it? And on top of that, there’s also an additional fee?

“Y-You impudent…! How dare you try to deceive me! 800,000 crans for mere information? Hah!”

“If you do not agree with our payment terms, Your Lordship is free to walk away.”

Despite Marquis O’Ellin screaming out at full volume, the smile on Yulias’s lips remained undisturbed.

Norman’s medical fees at the temple alone were 100,000 crans a week, but this…! This was no ordinary rip-off!

“How can there be such a malicious, money-grubbing establishment! Just you wait— I’m going to report you lot to the Noble Senate right now!”

“I understand that you are refusing to pursue the transaction. Would you like to cancel your order and leave?”

“And who the hell would willingly enter a deal with a swindler like you! Butler, let’s go! Information in a place like this is impossible to be accurate in the first place!”

As the marquis huffed and puffed all the way to the door, his butler scuttling after him, the woman murmured with a steady voice.

“About 650 kilograms in weight, 2 meters and 60 centimeters from front hoof to head, and about 3 meters long. With a muscular back, a smooth black mane and clear blue eyes… It was exactly four years and three months ago when an eyewitness came forward, claiming to have seen that horse.”

Shocked, Marquis Kafrenn O’Ellin turned around and looked at her.

“However… Since Your Lordship doesn’t trust this information, perhaps it’s only worth a penny.”

Still as ever, the same smile remained upon her lips as she continued to speak to him.

“If you would like to enter another transaction with us in the future, please do feel free to come back anytime. I shall help you calculate the transaction fees once again. Then, please be careful on your way.”

As though to give the marquis a leeway, she said her farewells in an open manner.

At that, Marquis Kafrenn was left with an indescribably strange feeling as he descended the stairs to the first floor of the building.

It’s as if he had been possessed by a ghost.

‘…How peculiar. As soon as she saw me, she knew who I was. And it’s so strange how she brought up such detailed information about the horse.’

Or did that woman only make up those details about the black horse?

Nevertheless, even if everything she said was true, Kafrenn O’Ellin was absolutely not inclined to spend 800,000 crans just for the sake of his son’s vengeance.

That kind of money could very well be used elsewhere.

‘Hmph! It’s not like Serpiente is the only place that can give out information!’

What wretched things.

In the next state meeting, he would most definitely bring up House Serpiente’s shameless exploitation.

And they would definitely be given a hard time.

With ferocious thoughts swirling in his mind, Marquis O’Ellin arrived at the first floor.

However, as he was about to leave the intelligence bureau with his butler, steel bars akin to that of a cage suddenly dropped down from the top of the double doors.

Clang!

“Huhk!”

A kind but serious voice spoke from the desk behind them. That person sounded completely unperturbed.

“Your consultation ended within an hour. The basic consultation fee is 60,000 crans with a service fee of 11,120 Silver. This is inclusive of the drink that had been served to you, dear customer. Would you like to pay through cheque?”

Nervously, Kafrenn turned around.

Then, he found one particular person who hadn’t been there before when he went upstairs. It was a huge man with a robust physique, now standing behind the desk.

Though the man showed a kind smile, that same sentiment couldn’t be found in his intimidating stature.

“W-What do you mean…”

Kafrenn was feeling so incredulous that he couldn’t even speak properly.

He scowled heavily, but the man’s smile from behind the desk remained as it was.

“If you did not bring your chequebook with you, we can also send the bill to your residence. Or, you may hand over information that corresponds to the price that you owe. Of course, please understand that the price of your information shall only be appraised after we’ve heard of it.”

The man explained, still with a smile.

“Ah, and by the way, the steel bars will not open until your payment has been confirmed. There have been… quite a few people who tried to run away before, you see.”

“Y-Y-You daylight robbers! Open these doors right now!”

Marquis O’Ellin burst into a fit of rage.

His outburst was so ferocious that the servants from his residence, who had come here with him, instantly flinched and bowed their heads.

“The doors shall open once the payment has been made, Marquis.”

“What a load of bull!”

In the end, Marquis O’Ellin had gotten so angry that he reached for a small vase by the door.

Then, at that moment.

“That vase is an antique piece made out of porcelain, and it was a gift from the Archduke of the Kainon Kingdom and its current market value is at 1.21 million crans. It was a gift from His Highness the Archduke to the previous master.”

Jolted as he was, Marquis O’Ellin nearly let go of the vase.

His hands were so slippery with sweat.

‘W-What kind of small white vase is worth 1.21 million?’

And they’re just using it as a lobby decoration?

‘These goddamn…’

Letting out a breath filled with astonishment, Marquis O’Ellin carefully set down the vase back in its rightful place.

The man grinned.

“Thank you for your understanding. Then, let me help you process your payment.”

The man approached Kafrenn politely, pulling out a chequebook.

He was well-dressed, and he had a business smile stamped on his face, so Kafrenn didn’t notice it at first.

One of the man’s arms was a prosthetic.

And at the back of his hand were three deep cuts to the bone…

“Now, please fill this out.”

The man smiled kindly as he handed over the chequebook with his sword-slashed hand.

…And what a seriously damnable kind smile that was.

Marquis O’Ellin’s hands trembled as the man drew closer.

* * *

Grace opened her eyes to a sky where the sun had yet to rise.

As she peered through the gap in the curtains, she saw the faint outline of the sun through the subdued dawn.

Staring blankly as she was, Grace slowly sat up on the bed.

“Why do I feel so refreshed…?”

She felt strangely comfortable.

She felt so refreshed that the word ‘refreshed’ didn’t seem enough.

Haaaahm!

She stretched her arms out into the air.

It felt so light, to the point that everything felt good.

“Is it because I soaked in a warm tub before going to bed?”

Not a single semblance of muscle pain could be felt anywhere.

She rode on horseback with such fervor the day prior. It’s unbelievable that her body felt so light.

Lowering her legs at the side of the bed, she gazed upon the vast landscape beyond the fluttering curtains.

It was a breathtaking view.

Suddenly, she recalled the dream she had last night.

“It was a very fun dream.”

In that dream, she hung out with various animal friends.

The sky became the sea, where whales floated. And on the floor, pretty snakes wandered.

Among them was the black horse, Luki, who gave her a ride yesterday.

While surrounding her, they fought, they cried and they laughed.

Then, these friends gathered together and did their best to pry off the thorns wrapped around Grace.

The wolf and the bear dug deep, taking out Grace as she was previously buried deep inside the pile of thorns. Her eyes were closed.

As soon as the soil beneath the thorns gave way, worms and various vermin crawled out.

The black horse came running and trampled them all.

While huffing heavily out of its nose, the horse continued to move with harpoon-like belligerence, kicking at the soil with its hind legs to bury the thorny vines and bugs completely.

“Um…”

Now that she thought about it, there’s nothing fun about that scene.

But why was she laughing so loudly there?

Was it because the thorns were finally gone?

“And that snake, it was so pretty…”

The snake had approached Grace gently, wrapping around Grace’s leg that’s been constrained with thorns, then it came up.

The silver snake looked straight into her gaze with its red eyes.

She had stared at that pretty snake as though she had become possessed, but the horse once again swooped in to stomp down on the snake’s tail, making it writhe on the ground.

“Umm…”

Yeah. No matter how hard she thought about it, it was a very weird dream.

“That’s not something I always see in my dreams, huh?”

It was also strange how she could remember the dream so vividly even after waking up.

As though to brush away the afterimages of her dream, Grace shook her head and opened the curtains wide.

There in the far east, the sun was still slowly rising upon dawn’s horizon. The moderately cool, early breeze felt good on her skin.

There was still some time before she was scheduled to be woken.

Sitting by the window, Grace took in the pleasant scenery. It’s as if she was enjoying a relaxing vacation after such a long while.

‘Right, I almost forgot. I’m supposed to look around the library today…’

After Julie had returned from Grace’s family residence, the maid told her that Marquis O’Ellin gave his consent to stay at the Blacke family’s townhouse and rest well.

Julie told her that His Excellency the Duke instructed her to inform the marquis that Grace had gotten injured due to his own mistake.

And now, Grace was staying here under the pretense of recuperating until she was completely healed, all with the full support of House Blacke.

‘I’m the one who got hurt, but he didn’t even pretend to be concerned about me. He’s just fully committed to taking this opportunity to establish firm connections with House Blacke.’

Grace’s thoughts were all tangled together.

He, who spoke of giving her all the love she had not been able to receive until now.

And he, who spoke about sharing the deepest secrets of his family.

“…My head hurts.”

There was one big problem.

Her heart was wavering.

Had she always been this spineless of a woman?

Rubbing her head awkwardly, she shook her head again, this time to try and rid her mind of these stray thoughts.

What’s the point of worrying about that now?

She should just focus on making herself at home here until His Excellency would return.

“…But why does his voice keep starting and stopping?”

It’s a curious predicament, but just the mere action of thinking about him almost always elicited an answer from him.

‘Does he happen to hear my voice whenever I think of him? Then, shouldn’t he still be able to hear me now?’

Wanting to test this, she murmured with him in mind.

“Can you hear my voice, Your Excellency…?”