Sable’s eyes widened in surprise. While she had been waiting for the Grand Duke to return from the Capital, she was still unsure about how to inform him of the outbreak. 

 

Now that he had returned, however, she had to make a decision. 

 

Sable gulped. 

 

“Does he wish to see me?” Sable questioned. 

 

“Yes, my lady.” Pierce responded with a nod. “If you would, please follow me.” 

 

Pierce turned to lead the way. Sable quietly followed behind, but her mind was racing. 

 

Not only would she have to find some way to convince them of the outbreak, she would likely have to reveal her identity. She realized that the others were being considerate of her, but with the arrival of the Grand Duke, she could not afford to dodge the issue. 

 

Although his wife and daughter were kind, this was the man who carried out her execution. 

 

Unaware of her thoughts, Pierce continued to lead the way. 

 

It was a short walk to the Grand Duke’s study, but, for Sable, it felt like the longest seconds of her life. 

 

Once they arrived, Pierce announced their presence with a knock. 

 

“Enter.” 

 

A deep voice was heard from inside the room, and Pierce opened the door for Sable, gesturing for her to enter first. 

 

Sable breathed out slowly and walked in. 

 

Scanning the room, she saw the Grand Duchess and Isadora sitting on the couch, as well as Isaac, Claire, Talbot, and Percival, the four knights who had found her, standing at attention. Her gaze settled on the man sitting at the desk. 

 

His appearance remained unchanged from her memory. The Grand Duke’s dark eyes landed on her, and Sable found herself straightening her back subconsciously. 

 

“I greet the Grand Duke.” She greeted him with a curtsy. With her head bowed down, she did not notice the Grand Duke’s eyes widen slightly. 

 

“You are Sable Marten, the daughter of Marquis Marten, are you not?” Grand Duke Lione asked. 

 

Sable looked at him in surprise. Unexpectedly, he recognized her. 

 

“That is correct, Your Grace.” She ignored the looks that the others directed at her. 

 

“Marquis Marten reported you as missing on the day of the Terror Incident.” Grand Duke Lione stated. 

 

Sable frowned. 

 

“I would refrain from believing everything that man says, Your Grace.” A cold edge entered Sable’s voice. As they had never heard her speak like this before, the others revealed shocked expressions. 

 

“...Right.” 

 

Grand Duke Lione examined the girl standing in front of him. Although this was their first time formally meeting, she seemed guarded against him. 

 

“My knights have informed me of your circumstances, but you haven’t told them the entire story, have you?” Grand Duke Lione’s tone was not accusatory, but Sable could detect a hint of wariness. 

 

“Sebastian.” Adelaide spoke up warningly from the side. Before he could answer her, Sable spoke first. 

 

“It is fine, Your Grace.” She turned to the Grand Duchess. 

 

“Are you sure, Sable?” Adelaide gave her a concerned look. 

 

“I cannot keep hiding it from all of you forever.” Sable sighed. “Allow me to formally introduce myself.” 

 

“As you have heard, my name is Sable Marten, the third daughter of Marquis Marten.” Sable paused and took in a deep breath. “On the day of the Midsummer Festival, I discovered the presence of assassins hidden in the crowd during the parade welcoming the Grand Duke and the Lione Knights.” 

 

“You were the child who warned us?” Grand Duke Lione asked. 

 

“Yes.” Sable answered. She waited a moment, but seeing that she was met with silence, she continued. 

 

“After warning the Grand Duke and his knights, I attempted to get away from the assassins. I managed to evade them, but I was careless and let my guard down. They ended up capturing me using a sleeping drug, and I was taken to a warehouse, where they decided to leave me for dead in the North.” 

 

“Didn’t you say that your father abandoned you?” Claire questioned. 

 

Sable let out a tired sigh. For a brief moment, she appeared much older than she looked. The expression on her face did not belong to a child, but to someone who had experienced a painful life. 

 

“...It was Marquis Marten who ordered the assassins to dispose of me.” 

 

She said the words in a quiet mutter, but everyone in the room heard it clearly. For the Grand Duke, it was especially shocking to find that a lead in his investigation would be waiting for him at home. 

 

While he had stayed behind in the Capital to investigate the incident, the assassins who had been captured revealed nothing. Not only were they tight-lipped, but once they realized that they could not escape, they committed suicide using a poison capsule hidden inside their mouths. Whoever the mastermind was, they were clearly powerful enough that the assassins would rather take their own lives than talk. In the end, Grand Duke Lione was unable to find any clues. 

 

“Are you certain he is involved?” Grand Duke Lione questioned. 

 

As much as he wanted to believe Sable, a marquis was not a minor noble and someone like Marquis Marten would certainly have connections. Additionally, they would need evidence of his involvement to arrest him. 

 

“Yes, I’m certain.” Sable met his eyes unflinchingly. “The assassins were following his orders.” 

 

“Do you have any evidence?” 

 

Sable lowered her gaze. 

 

“...No.” 

 

“While I do not think that you are lying, it will be difficult to charge the Marquis based on a single witness, who also happens to be his own daughter.”  Grand Duke Lione sighed. 

 

The room fell into silence. For Adelaide, Isadora, and the knights, it was a lot of information to take in. Not only was Sable a daughter of a marquis, but she was also involved in the incident at the Capital. 

 

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, it was Sable who broke the silence. 

 

“...There might be a way to gather evidence.” Sable spoke slowly. 

 

Everyone turned their attention to her. 

 

“When I was being transported to the North, the assassins seemed to have an understanding of the roads. They knew exactly where to leave me, where it would be difficult to trace it back to them.” 

 

“That is true, Your Grace.” Percival agreed with her statements. “The road they used was one of the side roads. Not very many people travel along that path.” 

 

Grand Duke Lione placed a hand underneath his chin as he thought on their words. 

 

“What exactly are you saying, Sable?” Grand Duchess Adelaide asked. 

 

“There is a chance that they might be planning something in the North.” Sable replied. 

 

Of course, what she said was a bluff. 

 

Sable had left out the details that while she was being transported, she was trapped inside a box, and she was in no condition to eavesdrop on the assassins. She only sounded sure because of her memories of her past life. 

 

But Grand Duke Lione and the others didn’t know that. 

 

They were alarmed at her words. No one could refute her, even if they wanted to. 

 

After all, these were the same people who were willing to plot and carry out an attack in the Capital. It was not outside the realm of possibility that they could be plotting an incident in the North. 

 

Grand Duke Lione looked at Percival. 

 

“Inform the knights to be on the lookout for any suspicious individuals or activity while on their patrols.” 

 

“Understood, Your Grace. Claire, Talbot, with me.” Percival saluted and quickly left the room with the two knights. 

 

Sable watched them leave then turned back to the Grand Duke. 

 

“Thank you for your help today, Sable.” He nodded to her in gratitude. 

 

“...Am I allowed to stay here?” Sable asked after a moment. The others blinked in surprise. 

 

“Why would we force you to leave?” Grand Duke Lione responded. 

 

“I…” Her voice trailed off. 

 

“Sable, while you are his daughter, I cannot, in good conscience, send you back to the Capital. If Marquis Marten truly intended for you to die, then he has failed as a father.” Grand Duke Lione softened his tone. “And besides, you are my wife’s guest. Until we figure out the best course of action, you are welcome to stay here.” 

 

Sable turned to Adelaide, and she nodded back with a gentle smile on her face. 

 

“Father, she’s also my friend.” Isadora interrupted, leaving the couch to stand by Sable. 

 

The adults in the room smiled wryly at her actions. 

 

Sable blinked dumbly. 

 

Truthfully, a part of her was expecting the Grand Duke to prosecute her, much like in her past life, but she had to remind herself that, in their eyes, she was an innocent girl. In this life, she hadn’t committed any wrongdoings to warrant their suspicion. 

 

Sable was unsure how to feel about that. 

 

~~~

 

The next few days passed by uneventfully. Sable still spent the majority of her time in the library, but she would occasionally go out for walks or watch Isadora train with the knights. 

 

As she was often accompanied by both Isaac and Isadora, many of the knights became used to her presence. At some point, a few of the knights even began to teasingly refer to her as Isaac’s little sister. 

 

Sable was slowly, but surely, becoming accustomed to the North. She was still sensitive to the cold, but it was manageable as long as she bundled up. 

 

While Sable was at the training grounds, she was careful to keep an ear open for any news about the investigation. So far, the knights had been unable to find anything suspicious during their patrols. 

 

Although she was half-expecting this, she could not help the anxious feeling in her stomach. 

 

One day, while in the library, she decided to ask Isaac a question. 

 

“Sir Isaac.” 

 

He looked up to indicate that he was listening. 

 

“What is Winter like in the North?” An innocent question. 

 

“Cold.” Isaac spoke the first word that came to mind, then glanced at Sable. “Much colder than it is now.” 

 

Sable wrinkled her nose in displeasure. 

 

“What of the knights, then? Do you still go on patrols?” 

 

“Yes.” Isaac nodded. “Mostly for medical emergencies or to deal with the occasional beast that has yet to hibernate.” 

 

Sable’s body subtly perked up. 

 

“Hibernate?” 

 

“Yes, most beasts hibernate in the Winter, but some who fail to hunt enough food will sometimes attack the villages.” Isaac explained. 

 

Sable became lost in thought. 

 

“The outbreak happened when the beasts should normally be hibernating. Is that why the Grand Duke was caught off guard? What caused them to go berserk, then?” 

 

She let out a tired sigh. 

 

For now, she could only wait.