"I knew something was wrong the moment you brought that woman from the Heister family into the estate!"
The council room was filled with the heads of the vassal families.
Felix, the head of the Highland family (the most influential one), shouted loudly.
At the end of the long table, Kallion—the lord of Valdormer—sat in silence, just staring calmly at Felix.
That was all it took for the other lords to start adding in their own complaints.
"There are rumors that it was Lady Valdormer herself who leaked our secrets!"
"We should've never trusted the daughter of our enemy family!"
"She should be held responsible!"
"Yes, the Heister family should pay for the damage!"
Rumors had spread quickly that Yuliana had been secretly exchanging letters with the second son of the Silverstel family.
Almost like someone had deliberately spread them.
Kallion sighed and rubbed his forehead with a cold expression.
Most of the lords were angrily demanding action, but a few stayed quiet, watching Kallion carefully.
Even if Yuliana was from an enemy family, she was still officially Kallion's wife—Lady Valdormer. They were unsure how he would respond.
Among the silent ones was the head of the Schultz family—the same one who had hosted a banquet recently.
Kallion watched the angry room in silence, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table.
Bang!
The room fell quiet as the lords sat back down.
Kallion then spoke in a low, cold voice:
"You speak as if my wife is definitely the one who betrayed us."
This rare act of defending his wife surprised the older lords, who spoke again:
"But she was exchanging letters with the Silverstel family—everyone knows it."
Kallion narrowed his eyes.
"And where did you hear this rumor?"
"W-what?"
"I asked you. Who told you that?"
No one could answer. They all looked around nervously.
Only Kallion, Layla, and the head butler knew about the letter. The head butler had served for 40 years—he wouldn't leak anything.
Kallion slowly turned his eyes toward Layla, his secretary for the past 8 years. She was always sharp and careful.
But he remembered her recent mistake at the orphanage—neglecting her duties to assist Yuliana.
He knew she disliked Yuliana, and so did many of the servants.
He hadn't cared much before, but now Layla's recent behavior made him suspicious.
Still, he looked away from her and glared back at the lords.
"You've crossed a line too."
His cold stare made them flinch and look away.
Then he made his position clear:
"Even if the rumor is true, until we prove it, Yuliana is still Lady Valdormer. Watch what you say."
"But—!"
Felix tried to argue again, but Kallion slammed the table.
BANG!
"I will decide whether she is guilty or not. I will investigate this myself."
The lords went silent, not sure whether he was defending Yuliana or threatening her.
Kallion ended it with a firm warning:
"I won't hear any more talk about her."
***
Meanwhile…
Two knights were whispering to each other.
"Did you hear? Lady Valdormer supposedly leaked the mine information to Silverstel."
"Yeah, but we know the truth, don't we?"
One of them looked around and then warned:
"Shh! You'll get us killed saying things like that!"
"Relax. Everyone in our unit knows who really leaked the info."
Jerad, who was nearby cleaning his daggers, clenched his fist tightly.
They were in the Schultz family's secret training base.
Like many noble families, Schultz raised a covert unit of skilled assassins and knights.
They handled missions others couldn't—like secretly giving info to Silverstel.
"It's sad. Lady Valdormer is being blamed just because she's from the Heister family."
"Yeah, but we only do what we're told."
Jerad stood up silently, looking far more serious than his usual cheerful self.
"Where are you going, Jerad?"
"Out." he said coldly, without even turning around.
He climbed to the rooftop and thought deeply.
He had sworn to protect Yuliana—his benefactor and the one who saved him and the orphans.
But now she was being blamed for something his own Schultz family had done.
Helping her meant betraying his family.
Still… he had made a promise.
Without her, he wouldn't be who he was today.
He couldn't afford to wait for help via the trade group she mentioned. He needed to go straight to Kallion—the one who now doubted her.
With resolve in his eyes, Jerad jumped down from the roof.
***
Later that night…
Guards at the Valdormer mansion stopped a dark figure at the gate.
"Who goes there?"
The man in the black cloak answered in a low voice:
"I've come to see Lord Kallion."
The guards frowned.
"Did you have an appointment?"
It was far too late for visits, even with permission.
"What's your name?"
Jerad sighed.
"Tell him I'm from the Helloica Orphanage. He'll know what it means."
"An orphanage?" the guards laughed.
"How dare a street rat demand to meet our lord? Get lost!"
Jerad knew talking was useless.
He turned away calmly, then disappeared into the shadows.
He scaled the estate walls with ease and landed on the roof.
Finding the room still lit, he opened the window and slipped inside.
Before he could even take a step—
A blade was at his neck.
"Who are you?"
The deep voice that asked…
Was Kallion.