CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57

While the young master Lucien slept soundly in his chamber, blissfully unaware beneath the warmth of his blanket and the soft silence of a room dimmed by drawn velvet curtains, a quiet investigation was already underway deep within the Velebrandt estate. Beneath the marble floors and the elegant spires of the grand mansion, down the less traveled corridors into the underground servant quarters, two figures stood in muted tension.

Knight Rex, tall and broad-shouldered with a commanding presence even while seated, leaned over slightly with both arms resting atop his armored thighs. His usual stoicism was shadowed by a storm brewing behind his eyes—controlled, yet fierce. Across from him sat Maid Marie, her hands neatly folded on her lap, though her thumbs twitched anxiously as she retold the morning’s events.

"He looked like he was poisoned," Marie said quietly, her brows furrowed in memory. "Sprawled on the swing like life had left him. His dessert and utensils on the ground, untouched. I—"

She paused, her throat tightening.

"I panicked. I thought I was too late."

Knight Rex didn’t interrupt. His eyes flickered once to the box on the low coffee table between them. It was a compact magical containment unit—silver-edged with runic inscriptions glowing faintly. Inside, carefully arranged, was the half-eaten jelly dessert Lucien had taken to the garden earlier that day, alongside the silver spoon and the glass dish it had rested in. There were minor smudges of dirt and grass, but the preservation magic kept everything sealed in its exact state.

The lounge room itself was quiet, clean, and well-kept. Pale white light streamed from the ceiling stones enchanted with glow spells, bathing the room in a soft, sterile hue. Books lined the far wall in wooden shelves, and a pot of trailing ivy sat on the side table, its green leaves drooping just slightly.

Rex finally broke the silence. His voice was low but carried weight.

"And he’s alright now?"

Marie looked up and nodded softly. "Still sluggish, but... breathing normally. He even walked himself to the west wing after the identification process."

Rex’s jaw clenched.

"Whoever did this... they were testing something."

Marie’s eyes widened slightly.

"What do you mean, Sir Rex?"

He reached out and tapped the side of the containment box with his gloved fingers. "It wasn’t meant to kill. If it were poison, our young master wouldn’t have woken up in the first place—not without severe aftereffects. No," he said, eyes narrowing, "this was either a drug or a dampening agent. Something to weaken or disorient."

Marie’s expression turned grim. "Should we tell the Grand Duke and Archduchess?"

Rex looked at her with a measured gaze, clearly mulling over her words. She noticed the shift in his eyes before his reply came.

"We must."

But Marie shook her head almost immediately. "Lucien... he asked me not to make a scene. He said he didn’t want to worry anyone. That it might’ve been a one-off incident."

Rex’s brow furrowed.

"This isn’t something to dismiss on a whim. You saw him. You carried him. He’s lucky it wasn’t worse."

"I know that," Marie said, her voice strained. "I know. But he pleaded. And more than anything, you know how he is. He’s always thinking of others before himself. If he senses we raised alarm, he’ll feel guilty. Like he was a burden."

Rex looked away briefly, his jaw tensing again. He leaned back into the couch and exhaled heavily.

"Then..." he muttered after a long pause, "we do it quietly. We don’t escalate. Not yet."

Marie blinked. "You mean—?"

"We investigate discreetly," Rex said firmly. "We’ll run alchemical scans on this. I know someone from the Alchemy Guild stationed nearby. Trusted. Quiet. We’ll know if this was an accident or something worse. And if it’s worse—"

His voice darkened.

"—then I’ll personally drag the culprit to the Grand Duke’s feet."

Marie swallowed but nodded. There was reassurance in Rex’s fury—controlled though it was, it reminded her that Lucien was not alone. That they would protect him. No matter what.

Rex stood and walked toward the door. "Prepare another containment box. We’ll need two samples in case one degrades. And don’t mention this to the other maids. Not until we know more."

"Understood," Marie said quickly, rising to her feet with practiced grace.

Rex paused at the door and glanced back. "Marie."

"Yes?"

"You did well. Bringing him back. Thinking fast."

Marie looked down, a light blush coloring her cheeks. "I just did what I had to. He’s... important. To all of us."

Before either Marie or Knight Rex could rise from their seats to proceed with further investigation, a sudden, unseen wave crept into the room like a cold tide. It struck them both at once.

An overwhelming fatigue bloomed in their bodies.

"...W-What... is this?" Marie whispered, her fingers trembling as she reached toward the edge of the table for support. Her vision swam, the clean white light of the room turning soft and hazy. She blinked rapidly, struggling to keep her gaze sharp, but the pull of sleep was sinking deep—far deeper than any natural tiredness.

Her knees wobbled, and her limbs turned heavy as lead. "Sir Rex... something’s... wrong..."

She turned her eyes toward him, pleading. But her words had already lost their strength, crumbling into a breathless murmur as her head leaned to the side. Her body betrayed her.

Knight Rex stood frozen for a moment, trying to fight off the same creeping drowsiness with sheer will. His muscles tensed in alarm as the sensation flooded his nerves.

He clenched his jaw. "We’ve been... compromised...!"

Years of battlefield instincts surged. He reached for the small combat dagger strapped to his side, attempting to nick his palm to jolt himself awake—but the force draining his body was already too complete, too unnatural. His fingers missed the hilt entirely. His head lolled back, eyes rolling as his consciousness slipped. He collapsed beside Marie, slumped over like a broken marionette.

A silence fell, heavy and unnatural. The glowing white light of the chamber now seemed too soft, too still.

And then—

A breathless voice echoed across the room, quiet yet resonant, like a whisper threading through the fabric of reality itself.

"Tch... I won’t let a pair of nobodies destroy the future I’ve spent my whole 70% life force crafting."

There was no physical form—only presence. Ancient, weary, and veiled in intent.

"I’ll wipe the slate clean. Even if it costs me another piece of divinity..."

The voice, though otherworldly, carried a tired weight. Whoever—or whatever—it belonged to, it was no stranger to interference.

A soft hum stirred the air as thousands of glittering particles—no larger than flecks of stardust—began to fall from above. They drifted gently like snow, swirling in spirals before settling over the faces of the unconscious knight and maid. Each sparkle dissolved into their skin upon contact, vanishing without a trace.

"Just enough to mask... not to destroy. I won’t risk a backlash. I’ll leave them intact—mostly."

As the final motes of dust disappeared into their bodies, the presence exhaled slowly.

"Sleep. Forget. And let things unfold as they should..."

And with that, the whisper faded.

The soft buzz of the ambient light returned, and the silence deepened once more—no longer pregnant with power, but dull with unconscious calm.

Marie’s chest rose and fell slowly, peacefully, her brow no longer furrowed. Rex’s expression had gone slack, as if the turmoil and urgency that had filled him moments ago had never existed.

The portable refrigeration box beside them hummed quietly. Inside it, the remains of the jelly dessert sat innocently in its sealed dish, the spoon and glass untouched since it had been stored.

It was as if time had paused, intervened, and rewritten.

And no one would know.

__________________________________

Time ticked on quietly in the cozy underground lounge, where soft white light filtered through crystal sconces embedded in the walls. The silence was broken only by the occasional hum of the coldering box in the corner, preserving its mysterious contents with unassuming innocence.

A gentle nudge stirred the figure slumped on the couch.

"Marie... Hey, Marie. Wake up."

The maid’s lashes fluttered, and a light groan slipped from her lips as she slowly blinked into consciousness. Her amber eyes, still clouded with drowsiness, met the familiar face of another maid—Evelyn. The young woman had short auburn hair tucked neatly under her cap and a mischievous grin dancing on her lips.

"Finally," Evelyn whispered with a teasing tone. "You of all people... sleeping in the middle of the afternoon? And this peacefully too. Did someone slip you some warm milk and a lullaby?"

Marie blinked, confused. Her eyes wandered across the room—still tidy, still calm. Everything was in place. The couches, the floor, the faint smell of herbs from the nearby potted plants... all unchanged. But her chest tightened. Something was... off.

Her gaze fell on the coldering box a few feet away, and a cold bead of sweat slid down her neck. Why was she here? What had she been doing before falling asleep?

"I... don’t remember napping," she murmured, more to herself than to Evelyn.

Evelyn raised a brow and shrugged, chuckling. "Well, you were out cold for a while. Even Sir Rex was snoozing like a log over there. Didn’t think a man like him could sleep."

Marie’s head snapped to the side.

There, not far from her, was Knight Rex—seated in a chair, arms folded over his chest, head dipped slightly, chest rising and falling in a slow, even rhythm. As if nothing had happened.

As if he had merely dozed off from comfort.

Evelyn continued talking, her voice light and full of mirth. "Honestly, I was a little freaked out when I came in and saw you two knocked out like corpses. Thought maybe this room had a weird enchantment or something. But I figured it’d be rude to wake you, so I just left the dessert stuff where it was—don’t worry, I sealed the box tighter."

Marie’s lips parted, but no words came out. Her thoughts were hazy, tangled in a strange fog. She couldn’t recall any signs of sleep overtaking her, nor did she remember anything significant from the moment she entered this room with Rex. It was like a Chapter in her memory had been torn out.

Before she could press deeper into her thoughts, Evelyn clapped her hands lightly. "Anyway, you should get ready. It’s nearly time for your night shift."

Marie’s eyes widened. "Ah—thank you!"

She stood up with surprising energy, suddenly alert. "How could I forget?" she whispered to herself, and with a grateful smile to Evelyn, she darted toward her quarters, already checking her breath and clothes in a mild panic.

Unaware that something had been stolen from her mind.