I was speechless. I could tell by the passion in his voice that he was telling the truth.
“During my mission in Rimmel, I could tell something was going on. I hate to admit it, but I raced here on horseback and traveled without rest or sleep… In fact, I got here so quickly, I beat the dukes here. I snuck into the party, found the suspicious people, and then ran into Lady Merellis.”
“So, Abel, who planned this?”
“Unfortunately, our enemies didn’t know who bankrolled them. I’m currently investigating how they were able to acquire army uniforms.”
“I see…” Father let out a deep sigh. I knew he wanted to know the answers right away, because the fact that they had so many uniforms meant there was a possibility whoever plotted this had ties to the army.
“Was anyone involved on Rimmel’s side?”
Abel looked troubled for a moment in response to Louis’s question. “I don’t have any solid evidence yet, but I believe it was Duke Sligar.”
“Wait…the Duke Sligar that’s here right now? He hired someone to kill himself?” I blurted out to no one in particular.
“I don’t want to limit our possibilities, but there are only two situations I can think of… The first is that if he was publicly seen being attacked at the same time as the other dukes, they wouldn’t suspect him. He probably had some kind of plan in place to rescue his family.”
“And the other?”
“That it wasn’t him masterminding the entire thing, but his eldest son, Cordis Sligar. He didn’t come to Tasmeria, in fact.”
“You mean he hired someone to kill his own father and brother?” Louis asked.
“This is all just conjecture, but it’s possible, right? It’s not as if it’s the first time someone plotted to kill their own relatives because of some goal they…” I trailed off. That was exactly right. After all, it had happened to me. It came to light that a relative had killed my mother. My father must have been thinking the same thing because a heavy sadness filled the air.
“Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Louis apologized, realizing what we were thinking about.
“It’s fine. You’re right. We can’t exclude it from the realm of possibilities.”
Louis bowed his head. “Abel, I want you to investigate these two points. General Gazell, I’m sorry to ask, but…”
“Of course you have my full cooperation. I’ll use my resources to investigate the enemy’s identity.”
“I’ll do just that, Lord Louis. And thank you for your cooperation, General Gazell. I should be going now. If I stay any longer, it will look suspicious.”
“That’s true. Good luck, Abel.”
“Thank you, General Gazell.”
“Ah, I should be going too. I have plans after this,” I excused myself from Father’s study as Abel was leaving. “Thank you for today,” I said to him, truly meaning it. It was only natural that I had suspected him after meeting him in the palace under such circumstances, but now I realized I had put him into a tough position. He was a spy in the middle of a mission, after all.
“Not at all. And thank you again for your cooperation that day.” He seemed completely casual about the whole thing.
“Um, Abel? Can I ask you a question? What’s your real name?”
“Excuse me?” He stared at me, not expecting that.
It was so unusual to see him taken off guard that I had to laugh. “You said before that you change your name to go undercover. I was wondering, is Abel a fake name?”
“Ah… I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you my real name. The fewer people who know, the better.”
“I thought you might say that.” I sighed with disappointment.
“I have a favor to ask of you, actually.”
“What is it?”
“Right now, Lord Louis is probably already asking General Gazell for permission, but…I want Enarene.”
“What?” I knew that he had gotten quite close to the girls during their training, but I had never expected he’d ask to marry one of them.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I want Enarene to work for me.”
“What? O-oh, you want her as a spy? I’m sure my father will tell Louis the same thing, but that’s up to her. If that’s what she wants, I won’t say no. I’ll go ask her. But what about Anna?”
“Honestly, I think Enarene is better suited for it. But if she wants Anna to come too, I won’t mind.”
“I see…”
If that were to happen, it would make their dreams of joining the army come true. But at the same time, it wasn’t exactly the job they were hoping for. They admired my father and wanted to be like him. Plus, being a spy was very dangerous. Of course, being a soldier was dangerous too. Because of all that, it had to be their own decision.
I called Enarene and Anna to my room and told them an offer had come for them to be spies for the army. I didn’t tell them who had asked to recruit them, just in case they said no. Enarene accepted without a second thought and was so thrilled that she decided to leave with Abel right away. Anna and Abel chatted together while Enarene was getting ready. I quietly watched over them, thinking how nice they looked together. I spotted Abel smiling softly at Anna, something that was quite rare for him. She had a pretty smile on her face too. I decided to excuse myself so that I could leave the two of them alone. I waited by myself in the parlor for a while, and then Abel entered the room.
“Abel?”
“Yes?”
“This might be none of my business, but are you engaged to anyone?”
He gave me a surprised look in response.
“I’m just curious.”
Abel smiled at me. Perhaps it was none of my business. “Unfortunately not. And I don’t think I will be either.”
“Why?”
“Because the fewer people who know about me, the better, due to my job. Also…I’ve decided to devote my life to the kingdom. What woman would want a man like that?”
I couldn’t answer, even though I wanted to ask why he was so willing to sacrifice his own happiness. I stopped myself though, knowing that was a line I shouldn’t cross. When Enarene and Anna returned, Abel and Enarene left the mansion together.
“Are you sure?” I asked Anna as we watched them go.
Surprisingly, Anna had said no to his offer and said she wanted to stay with me.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Are you sure you want to stay here?”
She smiled and said that she did. “Do you remember when you told me that you realized joining the army was just a means to an end but not actually your dream? I’ve realized the same thing for myself. I vowed to serve you, and that is my way of protecting the kingdom. I’m the only one who can do it. I want to devote my life to both you and General Gazell. You both saved my life, so I want to repay the two of you.”
Honestly, I wanted to ask, “Are you sure you didn’t want to go be with Abel?” But she was looking at me with such determination in her eyes that I couldn’t do it.
“If that’s what you want.”
“Thank you! By the way, Lady Merellis, we should be getting ready for your appointment!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, that’s right. Let’s get started then, Anna.”
We went back inside to prepare for my meeting with Duke Grindel.