And as they did so, they realized that Alexandra-sama was only complying with the strangers’ demands.

No, not that she would not comply. But she gave in to what the strangers demanded. And yet, he would have never done such a thing.

And then…again, he thought.

–I used to think he was a pain in the neck, Lord Sergei. He was a strong man, but he died suddenly…

After that, no matter how many times I pleaded with the Lord, they just laughed at us. So I made a deal with the strangers. In exchange for doing what they asked, they told me that they wanted to support Keira’s engagement.

I knew they were only after money, so all I had to do was tell them where the money was. They were incredibly greedy, but I told them every time money moved in the duke’s territory, and when I told them that I would be more useful to them if my daughter became a duchess, they laughed.

The man was the treasurer.

It was not long after that that Alexandre handed me the letter. When I asked for Alexandra-sama’s signature as well, I promptly got it.

After all that effort, I finally got the letter. So, now that they were both gone, I had no choice but to bet on it. I couldn’t give up.

What were those strangers holding in their hands? I tried to find out, but I had no idea. I even felt like my life was in danger, so I gave up. Should we not have given up then?

But when Alexei succeeded to the title, they disappeared.

I was glad to be rid of them.

It still did not feel good to give money to strangers. It was only a small share, but it seemed that the first branch of the Duke of Yurinova was taking advantage of it. If they disappeared and Keira became a duchess, she could free herself of that money. The world seemed rosy to me. There was nothing to fear anymore.

But Alexei was a disaster.

Where was the former treasurer being held? Surely in the old dungeon of Yurinova Castle, but I couldn’t find him during my stay at the castle before Alexei’s return. Even after I was kicked out, I kept looking for him, following a trail of clues, but I never found him in time.

If only I had gotten my hands on that man, none of this would have happened tonight….

Just then, a monstrous growl could be heard from behind the bushes.

The evergreen branches were snapped off, and something with huge fangs attacked.

“Uwaaaah!”

Novadine exclaimed. He jumped up and tried to run away, but there was another beast with fangs in front of him, and he screamed even louder.

He struggled to escape on all fours, but his body would not move.

Instead, he was dragged backward.

The fangs of the beast were digging into his legs. He was dragged out of the bushes and deeper into the grounds before he could feel the pain. Dust and leaves washed into his mouth as he screamed.

–They’re going to kill me!

Will I die here?

Get eaten. I’m going to die. No, help me, someone!

He was swung around and tossed and slammed to the ground. The pain made him faint, but he found himself coughing, spitting out the dirt and leaves in his mouth.

Crawling on the ground, Novadine finally caught sight of the beast that had attacked him.

Yurinova’s hound.

“Uwah, ah…”

When his eyes got accustomed to the darkness, he caught sight of a group of ravenous beasts that could bite a demon beast to death, staring at him with glowing eyes. A growl, like the rumbling of the earth, echoed through the air.

(I will fight them…!)

He tried to boost his magical power. But, rusted from years of easy living, it didn’t respond in the least to his terrified and disturbed will.

As if sensing this, a large white-furred hound stepped forward.

“Gyaa!”

Novadine jumped up and ran.

Where and how could he escape?