The night had deepened.
Outside Sir Halren's quarters, the barracks had grown quiet. Most lanterns in the corridor had already burned low, their dim flames trembling within iron cages fixed to the stone walls. Through the narrow window beside the bed, the distant silhouette of Asheville estate could be seen beneath the silver light of the moon.
Inside the room, the air smelled faintly of leather, iron, and aged wood.
Two half-empty glasses of beer rested on the table between the two knights.
Sir Aldric leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, eyes fixed on the veteran across from him.
Sir Halren sat calmly, one arm resting loosely on the table, his expression thoughtful yet heavy.
The story he had just told still lingered between them like a ghost.
Aldric had not spoken for several minutes.
The younger knight's mind was still processing the weight of the veteran's confession.
Finally—
Halren broke the silence.
"You see now why I said those words on the training ground."
Aldric nodded slowly.
"Yes."
His voice was quieter than before.
But after a moment, his brows furrowed again.
"That explains why you agreed with him."
"But…"
Aldric leaned back slightly.
"That doesn't explain something else."
Halren raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Aldric's eyes sharpened.
"That man."
He paused.
"He isn't just someone who understands human nature."
Halren's lips curved faintly.
"Correct."
Aldric frowned.
"You said earlier he's ruthless."
Halren nodded.
"And strategic."
The veteran knight lifted his glass and finished the last sip of beer.
Then he placed the empty glass down with a soft clink.
"That man is not merely observant."
"He plans."
Aldric tilted his head slightly.
"How can you be sure?"
Halren leaned back in his chair.
For a moment he stared at the ceiling, as if carefully arranging his thoughts.
Then he asked quietly—
"Do you know how Lady Reina became the head of House Asheville at the age of sixteen?"
Aldric blinked.
"That's obvious."
"The nobles supported her."
Halren nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"That's the story everyone knows."
His gaze shifted toward Aldric again.
"But tell me something."
The veteran knight's voice lowered.
"Why did the nobles support her?"
Aldric frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Halren leaned forward slightly.
"What motive did they have?"
"Why would powerful nobles support a young girl who had been cast aside for years?"
Aldric opened his mouth—
Then stopped.
Because suddenly he realized something.
He didn't have an answer.
Halren watched his reaction quietly.
Then he continued.
"And another question."
"Who told the nobles where Lady Reina was?"
Aldric's expression tightened.
He had never thought about that.
For years no one in the estate had known where Lady Reina had gone after Lord Mavric forced her and her family away.
The younger knight spoke slowly.
"I… don't know."
Halren nodded once.
"Exactly."
The room fell silent again.
Aldric's mind began turning rapidly.
Halren spoke again, his voice calm but heavy.
"And tell me one more thing."
"After Lady Reina became head of the house…"
"…why did no noble try to sabotage her?"
Aldric frowned.
"They…"
He hesitated.
"They supported her."
Halren's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did they?"
Aldric remained silent.
Because when he truly thought about it—
It didn't make sense.
Nobles rarely supported someone without expecting something in return.
Halren tapped the table lightly with one finger.
"They believed they could control her."
"They believed they could influence her."
"They believed she would eventually marry into one of their families."
The veteran knight's voice became colder.
"But none of them ever succeeded."
Aldric's eyes widened slightly.
Halren leaned forward.
"That is because someone else was controlling the entire board."
The younger knight whispered.
"That man…"
Halren nodded.
"Yes."
Aldric sat back slowly.
"You think he planned everything?"
Halren's expression turned serious.
"I don't think."
"I believe."
Aldric ran a hand through his hair.
"But how could he?"
Halren's eyes darkened slightly.
"Because someone planted the first seed."
"Someone gave the nobles information about Lady Reina."
Aldric blinked.
"You mean…"
Halren finished the thought.
"That person allowed the nobles to believe they could use her."
The veteran knight's voice lowered.
"They thought she would be a puppet."
"But in reality…"
"…they were the ones being used."
Aldric stared at him.
"Used?"
Halren nodded slowly.
"That man planted the idea inside their minds."
"The idea that supporting Lady Reina would benefit them."
"So they helped her rise."
"They cleared the path."
"They removed the obstacles."
The veteran knight's eyes sharpened.
"And by the time they realized they could not control her…"
"…it was already too late."
Aldric leaned back in his chair, stunned.
"You're saying…"
"That entire political shift…"
"…was orchestrated?"
Halren nodded.
"Yes."
Aldric whispered.
"That's impossible."
Halren shook his head.
"No."
"It's simply ruthless."
The room fell quiet again.
Aldric's thoughts raced.
"But how do you know it wasn't Lady Reina's plan?"
Halren looked at him calmly.
"Because I have watched Lady Reina for years."
The veteran knight folded his arms.
"She is intelligent."
"She is brave."
"But she is not ruthless."
Aldric frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Halren's gaze became distant.
"To execute such a plan…"
"…you must remove emotions from the equation."
"You must treat people like pieces on a board."
"You must be willing to sacrifice anyone who becomes a variable."
The veteran knight's voice grew quieter.
"Lady Reina does not think that way."
Aldric swallowed slowly.
"But he does."
Halren nodded.
"Yes."
The younger knight rubbed his temples.
"So you think…"
"That man was behind everything."
Halren answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Aldric looked toward the door.
As if expecting the man to appear there at any moment.
"But…"
He hesitated.
"If he's the one planning everything…"
"Then Lady Reina must be commanding him."
Halren shook his head slowly.
"No."
Aldric frowned.
"Why not?"
Halren leaned forward slightly.
"Did you see what happened today?"
"The selection of the twin swords."
Aldric nodded.
"Of course."
Halren's eyes sharpened.
"Did he ask Lady Reina for her opinion?"
Aldric blinked.
"No."
"Did he ask her which knights she trusted?"
"No."
Halren tapped the table once.
"He made the decision himself."
The veteran knight's voice lowered.
"And Lady Reina did not object."
Aldric remained silent.
Halren continued.
"She did not question him."
"She did not argue."
"She simply accepted his decision."
The realization slowly formed inside Aldric's mind.
Halren leaned back again.
"That tells you something important."
Aldric spoke quietly.
"What?"
Halren's expression became serious.
"That man is not someone Lady Reina commands."
The lantern light flickered across the veteran knight's face.
Halren finished calmly.
"He is someone she trusts enough…"
"…to obey."
The room fell silent once more.
Outside the window, the wind rustled through the trees of the estate.
Sir Aldric sat frozen in his chair.
Because suddenly—
The figure of that quiet man standing beside Lady Reina earlier that morning seemed far more terrifying.
Not because of his strength.
Not because of his aura.
But because of something far more dangerous.
He was not merely a sword.
He was the mind behind the throne.
And if Sir Halren was right—
Then House Asheville was not being protected by its Matriarch alone.
It was being guarded by someone capable of moving an entire kingdom without anyone realizing it.
A strategist.
A manipulator.
A man who planted seeds in the hearts of nobles—
And waited patiently while they unknowingly built the ladder for Lady Reina to climb.
Sir Aldric stared at the empty glass on the table.
And for the first time since meeting him—
He wondered who that man truly was.