Invitation of the Crescent Moon - Chapter 61

“Oh my goodness.”

Ashika stared in astonishment at the two people covered in foam. Despite servants, Julma, and Ashika gathering around, Nile refused to let go of the woman.

His stormy blue-gray eyes scrutinized the other person’s face thoroughly.

“You’re quick to run away, aren’t you?”

“I won’t run. Let me go.”

“Who are you? Why did you crawl your way in here?”

“Let go first and then we can talk. With all these people around, where would I run to?”

She looked more like a young girl than a woman. Even completely soaked, she smiled brightly while grabbing Nile’s hand.

“Did you think you could fool everyone with that cheerful smile?”

“They say you see what’s on your mind—is that about yourself?”

The two growled at each other in low voices that only they could hear while in the large washing tub.

“You…”

“Nile, what are you doing?”

Ashika approached the two who showed no intention of separating. The next moment, her surprised eyes grew even wider.

The woman caught in Nile’s grip had a familiar face. She definitely knew that face. The other person also noticed Ashika and widened her eyes.

“My lady.”

That gentle-looking face with round light brown eyes—she had seen this young girl’s face at the Talion mansion before.

“Nile, would you please let go of her first?”

Nile frowned deeply and looked around. Dozens of servants who had been working in the garden had gathered around.

“You, I’ll deal with you later.”

“People who say ‘see you later’ are always the scariest.”

“Why you—!”

“Nile!”

At Ashika’s voice, Nile finally released her. He nimbly jumped out of the waist-high washing tub, while the girl left behind dragged her soaked legs and barely made it out.

Ashika stared at them both with a bewildered expression.

“Both of you, wash up and then come see me.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Even covered in foam, the ever-spirited Mia answered energetically.

****

In the evening, Ashika sat in a chair in her office, quietly observing Nile.

‘What could possibly be going on in that man’s head?’

She had thought he was unique, but Nile was truly a type of person she couldn’t understand.

‘For a while he seemed to enjoy tormenting Julma.’

Under the pretext of making mistakes, he would damage documents or handle tasks completely wrong, like a mischievous child with a grudge. It was hard to tell whether he was determined to be hated or desperate to be fired.

When told he could leave if he disliked it so much, he stubbornly refused. He behaved like a contrary frog that had eaten something strange, causing both Julma and Jeanne to throw up their hands in defeat.

When asked why he acted that way, he would smile warmly as if nothing had happened. At least he listened to Ashika, which was fortunate.

Judging by his behavior, he should have been dismissed long ago, but somehow she couldn’t do it. At just twenty years old, he seemed younger than expected. Rather than making her angry, his childish petulance made her curious about what was going on in his mind.

After everyone who needed to be close to him started avoiding him, things had been quiet for a while. But who would have expected him to get entangled with a laundry maid?

Ashika was perplexed about how to handle this situation.

“Nile, why are you fighting with a child?”

“Does she look like a child to you, my lady?”

Mia was beaming happily for some reason, while Nile continued to glare at her fiercely.

“What else would she be? Don’t bully a child unnecessarily.”

Nile grabbed Mia’s hand abruptly and held it out to Ashika.

“Do you see these rough hands? These aren’t calluses from manual labor but from handling a sword. Why would you bring such a suspicious child into the house?”

Although she had thought he was just loafing around, Nile’s eyes were quite sharp. He was the first to notice something strange about the girl mixed in with the laundry maids.

‘He has remarkable perception.’

Ashika saw Nile in a new light. It seemed unwise to lie to him.

“She’s someone I know.”

“Someone you know?”

After seeing Ashika’s reaction in the laundry room, he had suspected something was off. Nile frowned, looking back and forth between Ashika and Mia.

“Did you bring her here, my lady?”

“No, not exactly.”

Nile wore an expression that said “I thought as much.” Ashika was both surprised and bewildered. Nile’s eyes narrowed as he studied her.

“So, is she a spy from somewhere?”

“A spy? I’m nothing of the sort!”

The smile disappeared completely from Mia’s face. Her eyes turned fierce as she looked back at Nile.

“You’re just a little thing and already working as a spy? Who sent you? What kind of bastard would push a child who’s barely grown to work as a spy?”

Ashika and Mia’s eyes widened. Ignoring their reactions, Nile continued, poking Mia’s forehead.

“If you’ve trained with a sword, you should follow the right path. With your agility, you could go anywhere—why waste your time on this nonsense?”

“I’m getting knighted next year! I’m not just some random person roaming around!”

Mia shouted and then quickly shut her mouth.

“Where are you from? Who do you belong to?”

Nile smiled wickedly with the corners of his eyes curving. When Mia made a tearful face, he lowered his voice sweetly while delivering his venomous words.

“I’ve never met a decent person who exploits children. So you’re working for a real bastard, understand?”

“No, that’s not true. He’s not that kind of person.”

“Have you ever seen a bad person spread rumors about his own wickedness? No matter how much you defend him, it’s useless. If that’s not the case, then tell us who it is.”

“It’s really not true, they’re good people… sob…”

She couldn’t say who it was, but felt wronged. The once lively and spirited girl finally burst into tears.

Ashika was stunned speechless. Even as the girl cried, Nile stood with folded arms, examining Mia carefully. His eyes were fierce as he searched for any weakness.

“Good heavens, Nile. I told you she’s someone I know.”

“My lady, let me ask you something, just in case.”

“…Yes?”

When Nile turned to her, Ashika flinched in surprise. She felt herself involuntarily backing down from his sharper-than-usual gaze.

“Is it Talion, by any chance?”

In that moment, Ashika closed her mouth, and Mia abruptly stopped crying. Covering her hiccupping mouth, she stared at Nile with wide eyes.

“I see it is. I really don’t like that place.”

His matter-of-fact tone was merciless. The rude-sounding statement fit his arrogance oddly well, which was strange in itself.

“First their captain attacks a lady and throws her off a horse, then they send a child barely old enough to spy.”

“It’s not spying! I was sent to protect the lady!”

“Why would the lady need your protection? Have you forgotten this is the Duke of Igraine’s house?”

“Well, that’s because the Duke and…”

“Mia.”

Ashika quietly called Mia, cutting off their conversation.

‘We’re thoroughly entangled now. If I leave them be, everything will be revealed.’

Whether it was Nile’s skill or Mia’s innocence—Mia, belatedly realizing her mistake, closed her mouth.

It was an awkward situation. Ashika had also planted someone in the Talion mansion, so she had anticipated something similar in return. But instead of secretly placing someone, Drushia had deliberately sent a conspicuous child.

‘How should I interpret this? What scheme is this?’

Mia opened her mouth while carefully watching Ashika’s reaction.

“If I was discovered, he told me to tell you this.”

Once she had entered the mansion, they would have encountered each other eventually. But she was discovered after just two days, before she could learn about the internal affairs.

“‘Whether you reject or accept, everything should be according to Lady Igraine’s wishes.'”

“What kind of message is that… ha.”

The brazen man’s message was exasperating.

At first glance, it seemed like he was giving Ashika a choice. But she knew better than anyone that wasn’t true.

‘If I send Mia back, he’ll send someone who won’t be discovered.’

In reality, it was pressure disguised as choice.

“Nile, I’ll handle Mia. Could you visit the shop for me?”

The shop she referred to was Iben’s art shop.

Nile finally took his eyes off Mia. He seemed to have grasped the situation, as his expression was considerably more relaxed than before.

“Has it been a month already?”

“I also have something I asked for last time.”

“Yes, I’ll go. And as for this little one.”

At the words “little one,” the corners of Mia’s eyes shot up.

“Throwing her to Jeanne would be perfect.”

“Jeanne… you mean Sir Berth?”

Mia’s fierce eyes sparkled round and bright.

Jeanne Berth, who came from a commoner background, studied at the academy and was knighted. She was the epitome of a knight who overcame adversity alone, rejecting an offer to become an imperial knight to join the Igraine ducal family instead.

The girl’s emotional changes—laughing, crying, getting angry, then happy again—were truly diverse. Even Nile chuckled as if impressed.

“Well then, I’ll be back, my lady.”

Nile left the office casually, leaving the two of them behind. Seeing him return to his usual leisurely demeanor, Ashika breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Why was I so tense?’

Was it discomfort or fear? The tension was unfamiliar, as she had never felt this way even in front of Drushia.

“I volunteered for this. The Duke didn’t push me into it.”

Mia quietly defended herself, apparently bothered by Nile’s accusations.

“Let’s set that aside. You said you came from the territory, right?”

“Yes.”

“Have you always stayed in Talion territory?”

“Yes. I begged them to let me become a knight.”

“Are your parents also in the territory?”

Her bright smile instantly froze. But she quickly answered with spirit.

“I’m of foreign descent. When fighting was intense at the border regions, several villages were affected, and that’s when my parents passed away. When they tried to send me to an orphanage, I refused to go. That’s how I ended up at the Talion main castle.”

“Seeing how Nile was on guard, you must be quite skilled.”

“Of course! I was trained by none other than the former Duke of Talion himself. You should have seen how strictly he taught during training.”

“Wasn’t the former Duke of Talion stationed at the border region?”

Mia closed her mouth with a surprised expression. A question appeared on Ashika’s face.

‘Why?’

It was a casual question. Mia could have made any excuse, but she couldn’t answer immediately. After hesitating briefly, she opened her mouth.

“He alternates with the two captains, coming and going.”

“Why are you so surprised, as if that’s some great secret?”

Her downcast appearance seemed even more suspicious. Publicly, Neoren was known to be staying in the border region.

‘What if that’s not the case?’

What was Neoren doing in the territory? Why deliberately hand over the title early and have Drushia stay in the capital?

Another unsolved question piled atop the layers of problems already accumulated.