There’s Something Special About Her Chapter 14

Even if it was rough and clumsy, I had no choice.

Right now, I had neither a well-established information network nor skilled informants. I was starting from nothing.

‘And Senior Jake seems like he might know something, too.’

As if he had noticed my gaze filled with subtle expectation, Senior Jake crooked one finger, signaling me to come closer.

I quickly leaned toward him and listened closely.

“Rookie.”

“Yes?”

“If you know, you’ll get hurt.”

“…Then just don’t tell me.”

I was the idiot for getting my hopes up.

“You always act like you know every rumor floating around Nox.”

“This is advice for your own good! It’s advice that’ll do you good!”

Senior Jake raised his voice instead.

“This isn’t just any place. This is Nox! It may be a proper ducal house now, but until not long ago… Anyway, it’s a much more dangerous place than you think.”

Apparently, I had to uncover the ‘darkest secret’ of that dangerous place if I wanted to survive.

“Ugh.”

When I let out a deep sigh of frustration, perhaps mistaking it for disappointment, the other seniors took my side.

“Don’t be like that, Jake. The youngest might be curious!”

“Yeah. Let’s see… an interesting rumor, huh?”

“Wasn’t there a story like that a long time ago? Around the time the previous Duke passed away…”

“Why are you bringing that up now?!”

The senior with the short-cropped hair snapped angrily at the cigarette-smoking senior after he casually brought it up.

‘The previous Duke?’

Killian Nox had clearly told me to find out ‘Nox’s darkest secret.’

No matter how much of a monster that bastard was, if it was something involving his father, couldn’t it be called ‘dark’?

I immediately jumped on the clue I had finally managed to get my hands on, afraid it might slip away.

“If it’s about the previous Duke, shouldn’t I know about it too?”

When I asked seriously, making it clear that I wasn’t just asking to pass the time, the smiles gradually disappeared from the seniors’ faces.

“Hmm, well, you should know so you can be careful.”

In the end, the senior smoking a cigarette scratched his head and began to speak.

“It’s nothing much. You know that the previous Duke died very suddenly, right?”

The death of Killian Nox’s father, Leonard Nox, was a shocking event that had shaken the entire continent.

He had died in a mana train accident while out on a routine patrol of his territory.

The position of Duke of Nox, a title that had already been enough to make even the Emperor tremble, had suddenly been left vacant without any preparation.

At the time, Killian Nox had just come of age at eighteen, and he had a younger half-brother, Elias, who was ten years younger.

But the problem was that Killian and Elias had different mothers.

The first Duchess, who had given birth to Killian, had died of illness when he was only three, and Killian Nox had never had a good relationship with the stepmother his father married several years later.

“The rumor that the Duke was involved in his father’s death?”

“Shh, shh!”

Even though I had spoken quietly because of the subject, the cigarette-smoking senior put a finger to his lips and repeatedly looked around.

As if that mattered, since there was nothing outside the Nox walls in the middle of the night except darkness and trees.

“There’s no one but us here.”

“Don’t you know the saying that there are always ears listening in Nox? Anyway, the problem came afterward. Lord Killian had to lead the ducal house as acting duke for several months. Isn’t that strange? He had an eldest son who was already of age, yet he didn’t immediately inherit the title?”

“Usually, they try to avoid leaving a gap for as long as possible.”

Especially in a case like the previous Duke of Nox, who had died so suddenly.

Whether in public or within the family, the first priority was to show that the house remained firmly in control.

“It was because Lady Renetta, who was the Duchess at the time, was trying to rally the vassal families to her side so she could make her own son, Elias, the next Duke…”

“Oh, for crying out loud! Why are you taking so long to get to the point?!”

The short-haired senior suddenly lost his temper.

He clearly wasn’t comfortable with discussing the Nox family’s private history at such length.

“To put it simply, Elias, who was still young at the time, died afterward too. People whispered that our Duke had killed his younger brother after killing his father. But there was also a strong rumor that the real culprit was Lady Renetta.”

“His own mother?”

“Yep. She was a rather unusual woman in many ways. She was the lady of the house, but she also involved herself in various Nox businesses.”

Senior Jake, who had been quietly listening to the short-haired senior, quickly added,

“Anyway, ever since then, the name Renetta has been something of a taboo, so that’s why I’m telling you to watch what you say too, Rookie.”

“Come on, unless it happened recently, why are you bringing up something that happened so long ago?”

“Yeah, you’re a sharp kid, so you’ll know how to behave.”

Senior Jake nagged me until the very end, as if making sure I understood, then hurriedly changed the subject.

True to his reputation as a heavy drinker, the new topic was alcohol.

“Have you tried the new wine they got at Peter’s restaurant? It’s not sweet, but it has a nice sharp bite. It’s damn good!”

“Still, Yanick’s beer is the best!”

Peter’s and Uncle Yanick’s were both the names of small restaurants inside Nox Castle.

As everyone mentioned their favorite place and argued so passionately that the veins in their necks stood out, I even learned the names of the drinks that went best with each restaurant’s signature dishes.

I chimed in appropriately while organizing everything the seniors had told me in my head.

Killian Nox had killed his young half-brother and stepmother, clearing the way before inheriting the dukedom.

That was the information I had gathered while I was with Wickers, and it was the accepted version of events.

‘But the people inside Nox are telling a different story.’

Whenever gathering information about a noble family, the starting point was always servants like maids and stable hands.

Stories they had personally seen and heard might contain some exaggeration, but they were generally quite accurate.

‘This is worth investigating further.’

It was the first mission Killian Nox had given me, with my life as the stake.

I was determined to see that smug face of his twist in frustration when he realized I had uncovered something he was certain I could never find.

With that resolve, I tossed a few more heavy logs onto the campfire, which had grown smaller.

Whack!

“Ow, that’s hot! Rookie, you idiot, can’t you be more careful?!”

The short-haired senior snapped after getting hit by a spark that flew up when the log landed on the fire.

Ah, my mistake.

The thought of Killian Nox’s shameless face had made me unconsciously put more strength into my hand.

Fortunately, it seemed no one noticed the imprint of my hand left on the log as it disappeared into the fire.

I awkwardly lowered my head.

“Sorry, sir.”

 

****

 

The night shift that had seemed like it would never end finally came to an end with the dawn.

Senior Hartmann stretched with a loud groan.

“Oooh, I’m dying. I worked so hard that every bone in my body aches.”

Worked hard, my ass. He’d been playing cards at the guard post the whole time.

I grumbled inwardly as the seniors patted my shoulder before leaving one by one.

“We’re heading out. Make sure you give the day shift a proper handover when they arrive.”

“Yes, have a good rest.”

Cleaning the post before the shift change was, of course, also the youngest’s job.

After cleaning up the mess the seniors had left behind and finishing the handover with the day shift, I stepped outside, and by then it was already fully morning.

“Rookie!”

“Rookie, we’re here!”

The ones running toward me and happily calling my name were maids who worked in the annex.

“Long time no see.”

“Rookie, have you been well?”

“My coworker told me you were hospitalized in the infirmary!”

“I heard a rumor that Rookie was the one who stopped the commotion yesterday. Is that true?”

Their bright voices, chattering like birds while dressed in maid uniforms, suited the clear morning surprisingly well.

“Rumors have already spread that far? It was me, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal.”

When I answered awkwardly, they vigorously shook their heads, making their tied-up hair sway.

“But Rookie, you’re still so young! Just having the courage to act in such a scary situation is amazing!”

“But are you really okay to be working the night shift already?”

“Yep, I’m fine. A little tired, though.”

“When you’re tired, sweets are the best medicine!”

A sweet, nutty smell drifted from the small paper bag she held out to me.

These were very kind people who had occasionally come to see me and given me homemade desserts ever since I had first joined Nox.

“As Rookie’s heroic deed has become known, inquiries about joining our RuSaMo have been pouring in—mmph!”

“Haha. She must have eaten too much sugar while making cookies since dawn. She’s talking nonsense.”

“They were just baked, so they should be delicious. Rookie, you eat them all yourself!”

The other two desperately covered the mouth of the one saying incomprehensible things, placed the bag in my hand, and dragged their companion away.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

I waved back at the maid who was still trying to say what I assumed was a farewell despite having her mouth covered, but as their footsteps gradually faded into the distance, I noticed a strange sound mixed in with them.

Clink, clink.

The sound was coming from the blonde-haired maid on the far right.

“Hmm.”

I opened the bag first and took a bite of what was inside. As expected, the freshly baked cookies were delicious.

“He said that guy really likes sweets, didn’t he?”

Suddenly, I remembered a piece of information I had obtained long ago and tossed into the back of my mind.

“This should make a good excuse.”

I closed the paper bag, held it in one hand, and headed toward the main building while chewing on another cookie.