Captain Marcus sat back down in his chair, his jaw tightening as he sheathed his sword and gred at the Witch.

  “I’ve asked my men and Lady Estel’s attendant to vacate the Duke’s manor for the present, as you requested,” he said through gritted teeth. “There’s only the two of us and you inside this building now. Speak your demands, Witch Alice.”

  “Demands?”

  She smirked in return.

  “You seem to think that I’m here to barter and bargain with the likes of you, but Captain, I can assure you that you are gravely mistaken,” she said, flicking her hand in a gesture that Estel assumed meant annoyance. “I am not your enemy. Matter of fact, I’m here to help Estel.”

  His expression hardened. “If you dare to deceive me or y a finger on the Lady, I will not hesitate to—”

  “Why don’t you just tell Estel the truth?” she interjected. “You aren’t pnning on returning to the royal capital immediately after this appointment, are you?”

  Marcus paused, his mouth hanging open in unspoken surprise.

  Estel shot him a confused look. “What truth? Are you keeping something from me that I should know?”

  In the silence that suddenly fell, the Captain flinched slightly and averted his gaze to the side, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of his epaulettes were pressing down on him.

  “Very well.” He sighed. “In sooth, there have been worrying reports on my desk since ereyesterday—an unknown party has been riling up the commoners around the dukedom, spreading false rumours about the Duke and inciting them to revolt against you. They pn to storm the manor and capture you, going as far as to present your head to the Crown Prince as proof of their loyalty and to gain favour.”

  “W-w-wha…”

  The room seemed to tilt as Estel felt the ground being ripped out from beneath her. She gripped the armrest to steady herself, her mouth suddenly dry and unable to form any more words.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t want to arm you until I had more concrete information. But please rest assured, I am doing everything in my power to uncover the identities of the instigators and put an end to this conspiracy. I just need you to trust—”

  “Those instigators you speak of,” the Witch boldly interrupted again. “Both you and I know very well that they are at least somewhat reted to Seraphina. Being just a second ML, are you truly able to protect Estel against the protagonist?”

  “Y-you—” the Captain clenched his jaw “—you know who I am, and yet you still have the audacity to speak back to me. Just who do you think you are?”

  Despite the dire circumstances, Estel found herself fascinated at how good the Witch was at getting on Marcus’ nerves.

  “Anyway, it’s best that we both cooperate with each other for the time being,” she continued, unfazed by his scathing remark. “If you help me out, I can promise that Estel will be able to survive this upcoming ordeal.”

  After a moment of conflicted thought, he asked, “what do you want from me?”

  “Order all of your men to retreat from the dukedom,” the Witch said without hesitation.

  “W-what—”

  “I’m not finished,” she pointed out with an annoyed look. “Summon your lieutenant and take him to Meridian…for about a week or so, that will do.”

  Marcus frowned. “For what purpose?”

  “I don’t know, a vacation or something? You should be better at coming up with excuses than me,” the Witch huffed. “I just need you and…what’s the name of that extra again, Larden? Larsen?”

  “Might you be referring to Lieutenant Landrad?”

  “Yeah, whatever, just make sure that you two have to be in Meridian by tomorrow.”

  “Fine.”

  “Eh?” Estel blinked at the determined Captain in surprise. “You sure didn’t protest as much as I thought.”

  “If it’s to keep you safe, I’ll sacrifice my own honour to do anything,” he said without hesitation. “I shall return and make the necessary arrangements immediately. Please excuse me, Estel.”

  The Witch waited until his footsteps faded down the hallway to heave a relieved sigh.

  “As expected of the second ML,” she breathed. “It’s so hard to even look at him in the eye…”

  “What’s going to happen in Meridian?” Estel asked.

  “Hm?” The Witch tilted her head. “Nothing much, why?”

  “Then why did you send Marcus and Landrad there?” she quizzed.

  “Oh, I just need the Captain to get out of my way for a bit,” the Witch nonchantly said. “Since he probably won’t approve of what I’m about to propose next.”

  Estel raised an eyebrow. “I don’t quite like the sound of that…but I’ll hear you out.”