EEBT Chapter 12: Stirring the Grass to Chase the Snake
by Scarlet“Here, tea and some light refreshments.”
Naya placed a tray on the table, setting down teacups, a teapot, and some pastries. Adeline watched as Naya arranged the dishes and spoke in a kind voice.
“Thank you. Now, take a break. You must have been working hard all by yourself.”
“Thank you. I hope you have a good conversation.”
As Naya turned to leave, Alex finally picked up the teapot and poured tea into his cup first, then into hers.
“So.”
He began, his eyes following Naya as she left the room.
“Ask away. You must have heard a lot.”
His words, his expression, and even his actions were the complete opposite of the Crown Prince’s. The Crown Prince always smiled at her, but Alex had never willingly smiled at her.
The Crown Prince’s actions were smooth and refined, while Alex’s were stiff and rough.
Yet, for some reason, she felt something different about him—something she didn’t feel with the Crown Prince.
“…First, I heard about the ‘hound of the Army Chief.'”
“Famous, isn’t it? Very famous.”
Alex smirked, as if he knew exactly what she was talking about.
“The Army Chief uses them to investigate or… target families and individuals who don’t align with his interests.”
Adeline relayed what the Crown Prince had told her, though she couldn’t quite recall the exact phrasing he had used. She had no choice but to trail off.
But Alex, as if he could fill in the blanks with just a single word, broke the silence and completed her sentence.
“Assassinate, right?”
“…Was that it?”
“What do you think, my lady?”
Alex turned the question back on her, then took a sip from his teacup. Adeline watched him for a moment, pondering.
Was it really like that?
The Crown Prince’s words had sounded convincing. Even though he had used a lot of hypotheticals, his rhetoric was smooth and had a way of drawing people in.
But Adeline shook her head.
“One assassin is enough for this mansion. A dozen would be too many.”
“……”
“Don’t you think?”
Alex raised an eyebrow slightly. If he had asked this question to other nobles, they would have dodged or given vague answers, trying to interrogate him in return.
In the aristocratic social circles, few spoke their minds so plainly. Their words were often wrapped in layers of literary flourish, leaving only hollow echoes.
Hearing something so different from the usual aristocratic language, Alex looked at Adeline for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
It wasn’t the same smirk as before—it was a faint smile that briefly crossed his face.
“That’s right. One assassin is enough. Well… about 10% of what you said is true.”
“10%?”
“When an officer is caught leaking military secrets, or someone embezzles military supplies, or when a case is too difficult for the city guard to handle…”
Alex explained slowly.
“When things like that are discovered, part of the Riflemen is dispatched to investigate or track them down. The black market raid was similar.”
“What was the reason for that dispatch?”
Alex took another sip of tea before answering.
“A series of child abductions. The frequency had increased recently, and the area had expanded, so a detachment already stationed in the capital, along with the 3rd Capital Guard led by Inspector Whitaker, a former army officer, was sent to investigate.”
“…I see.”
“Under normal circumstances, there would have been no reason to involve you, my lady. Aside from some minor tax issues, there were no other problems.”
“But why…?”
“Sergeant Lake was seriously injured at the time and was about to be discharged. We needed your testimony to prove that the injury occurred during duty. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to receive his pension.”
“Ah…”
“For now, it’s been recorded as an injury sustained during the Asterios suppression operation.”
Alex said this, then took another sip of tea and looked at Adeline. His face was still mostly expressionless, but his gaze seemed to have softened a little.
Or perhaps…
Adeline herself had been misreading him all along.
“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
As he asked this, holding his teacup, Adeline suddenly recalled the earlier encounter between Alex and the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had treated Alex as if he didn’t exist, and Alex had left the room as if he couldn’t stand being in the same space as the Crown Prince.
“…What’s your relationship with the Crown Prince?”
At Adeline’s question, Alex looked at her and asked in return.
“What do you think it is?”
His expression held something she couldn’t casually touch. If she had to describe it, it seemed like a mix of sorrow and anger.
In the end, Adeline slowly backed down and said,
“Maybe it’s too early to ask.”
“Thank you for your consideration, my lady.”
The conversation paused, and the atmosphere grew heavy, filled with awkwardness. Then, someone knocked on the door.
*Knock knock.*
“Corporal Swafford, may I come in?”
At Swafford’s voice, Alex looked at Adeline. Seeing his expression, Adeline had no choice but to nod.
“Come in.”
With Alex’s permission, Swafford, also in civilian clothes, entered and saluted him. After briefly glancing at Adeline, Swafford turned his attention back to Alex.
When Alex flicked his finger, Swafford whispered something into his ear. Adeline couldn’t hear what was said, but she saw Alex’s eyes widen for a moment.
“Gather the team after dinner.”
“Understood, Captain.”
As Swafford left, Alex turned to Adeline.
“What’s going on?”
“Something you mentioned to me earlier.”
“Yes. That was…”
“Do you know who might be behind it?”
“…Huh?”
At that question, Adeline froze for a moment. Come to think of it, had the novel ever fully revealed the culprit? She scrambled through her incomplete memories, trying to find an answer.
“Maybe… the Crown Prince’s opposition?”
Alex made a displeased face, and Adeline realized her mistake. Alex was definitely not on good terms with the Crown Prince. And this vague answer…
“Well, it’s fine. We’ll look into it ourselves.”
Huh?
Adeline stared at Alex in surprise, taken aback by his unexpected attitude.
“But before that, there’s one more thing I need your cooperation on.”
However, when he added a condition, Adeline looked at him and asked,
“What is it?”
“Hire Sergeant Lake—Andrei Lake—for a while.”
“…Why?”
“He’ll act as a deterrent against Syed.”
“Can Sergeant Lake really stop Syed?”
Adeline recalled Syed’s abilities from the novel. The king of the underworld, who could effortlessly deceive dozens, even hundreds of people. Along with his cunning, Syed was also skilled in magic and self-defense.
Could Sergeant Lake, with his severely injured leg, really stop someone like that?
“Don’t worry.”
As if sensing her concern, he added one more sentence and handed her a note.
“Sergeant Lake isn’t just a scarecrow.”
The note he handed her had the words *’Open after midnight’* written on the outside.
* * *
Dinner had ended, and night had fallen. Normally, it would be time to sleep, but Adeline couldn’t bring herself to rest just yet.
*Tick tock, tick tock.*
The clock on the wall slowly moved toward midnight.
Adeline slammed the book she had been half-heartedly reading shut. Then, she pulled out the note she had hidden deep in her drawer. What could it mean to open it after midnight?
Was it some kind of magic scroll? Adeline felt a flicker of hope as she glanced at the clock. In this world of the novel, anything was possible. After all, scrolls were mentioned in various parts of the story.
*Knock knock.*
As she fidgeted with the note, waiting, there was a knock at the door.
“My lady, are you asleep?”
At Naya’s voice, Adeline quickly slipped the note into her sleeve.
“No, come in. What’s the matter?”
When Adeline asked, Naya entered and spoke.
“…While checking the mansion’s staff, I noticed that one of the stablehands is missing.”
“One of the stablehands?”
Adeline asked, and Naya nodded.
“The new stablehand left without permission. He was definitely here until evening…”
The new stablehand. That had to be Syed. At that moment, Adeline glanced at the wall clock over Naya’s shoulder, then pulled the note from her sleeve and unfolded it. She read the first line.
[We’ve stirred the grass to chase the snake away, so rest easy.]
For a moment, Adeline stared blankly at the note, unable to understand what it meant.
*What kind of nonsense is this?* she thought, but then it hit her.
And the next line, with the word *’P.S.’* shyly attached, confirmed her thoughts.
[I just didn’t want to leave Naya in the same place as someone like Syed. So, no thanks are necessary.]
“Haha…”
Adeline’s hand, and the tension she hadn’t even realized she was holding, relaxed all at once. Then, exhaustion washed over her in a wave.
Finally, she gave Naya, who was waiting for instructions, a brief order before collapsing onto her bed.
“That stablehand… is fired… permanently…”
With those words, Adeline fell into a deep sleep