The Kenneths’ town house was one of the largest in Hudore, its size a subtle display of the family’s power. Yet in keeping with their famed fortitude and modesty, the building was traditional and unadorned. Liliana arrived outside with Gildo, Olga, and her handmaiden.
I shouldn’t have expected any less from the Kenneths.
They made their way to the living room, where they were greeted by Marianne’s father and brother, who had been informed of their visit beforehand. Liliana was startled to see the marquess himself present. Collecting herself, she smiled and offered a ladylike bow.
Marianne’s father was a stout man in his fifties. His stern features likely made him unpopular with the ladies, but they also lent him an air of reliability. Despite his imposing appearance, he seemed good-natured and spoke gently, unconcerned with Liliana’s muteness.
“Nice to meet you,” he said. “Thank you for looking after Marianne, and for coming to speak with us about my son’s problem.”
Liliana quickly wrote her response—“Thank you for welcoming us so warmly, despite the sudden nature of our visit”—and passed the paper to Marianne to deliver. Even in her father’s presence, the handmaiden stayed focused on her duties. He treated her as a maid in turn, though his eyes softened when they fell on her.
Marquess Kenneth read Liliana’s elegant handwriting and raised an eyebrow. A knowing smile touched his lips, and his posture relaxed noticeably as he looked up from the note. Once his maid had served tea and withdrawn to the corner of the room, the marquess gestured toward the boy beside him.
“This is my son, Billy Kenneth. Go on, Billy.”
“Billy Kenneth, at your service. Thank you for so generously taking the time to see us today, Miss Clarke.”
He was about seven years older than Liliana. His introduction was brisk, and a faint, nervous flush colored his cheeks. He seemed cheerful by nature, but his exhaustion was plain to see. Marianne had been right—he hadn’t been sleeping well.
Liliana smiled and went straight to the matter at hand. To save time, she had written her questions for the Kenneths in advance. She glanced at Marianne, who retrieved the paper from her bag.
“Here is a list of questions my lady has for you. Please take a look.”
“Well, well...” said the marquess, his eyes widening as he read. He shot Liliana a pointed, appraising look, his earlier warmth replaced by the palpable presence of a veteran warrior.
Liliana met his gaze head-on, her calm smile unwavering.
Still watching her keenly, the marquess said, “Billy, do as she asks. Bring something of your friend’s. Marianne, go with him. I’m sure you have things to discuss.”
“Very well,” the handmaiden replied.
He was clearly asking for a moment alone with Liliana, but only she and Marianne understood. Billy simply nodded and followed his sister out. As soon as they were gone, the marquess glanced at Gildo and Olga, who stood protectively behind Liliana. She gestured for them to leave, though they looked reluctant.
The marquess smiled like a ferocious beast of prey—yet the guards’ reactions seemed to please him. “You’ve got some loyal dogs. Fine. Leave the door slightly ajar.”
Being mere commoners, Gildo and Olga had no choice but to comply. Gildo shot Marquess Kenneth a threatening stare before stepping outside. The marquess’s maid left soon after.
Once he was alone with Liliana, Marianne’s father lowered his voice. “Are you planning to use a hex to look for my son’s friend?” Evidently, he had pieced together her intent from the strangely assorted questions she had prepared. Slivegrandian warriors tended to look down on mages and rarely understood magic well, but Marquess Kenneth was clearly an exception.
Liliana gave him a sweet smile. She intended to use hexes in combination with magic, but she saw no reason to reveal that.
“Marianne said you lost your voice,” the marquess continued matter-of-factly. “That means you shouldn’t be able to use magic. But judging by this list, you need to activate your mana for the hex you’re planning.”
After a moment of hesitation, Liliana made up her mind to speak. Marquess Kenneth had been irrelevant in the game; surely telling him a few things wouldn’t cause any major issues. Besides, her instincts warned her that negotiations would quickly break down unless she gave him a decent explanation.
Whether the marquess noticed her tension or not, he betrayed nothing.
Liliana deployed a soundproof barrier around the room. “Actually, I already got my voice back.”
The marquess showed no surprise. Still seated calmly on the couch, he gave her a piercing look. “May I ask why you pretend to be mute?” He must have wondered why she hadn’t told her guards—or even Marianne.
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.”
Liliana smiled, satisfied. “My father has many enemies, which puts me in danger. That’s why I act mute.” Nothing she said was untrue; assassins frequently slipped into her estate, and more than one of her meals had been poisoned.
“I see,” the marquess murmured, studying her. “Who else knows you can speak?”
“Only the person who helped me regain my voice.”
“‘Helped you,’ hmm...?” He gave a thin, unreadable smile. “And who knows about your visit here?”
“Only those who came with me. I don’t intend to tell anyone else.”
“Your escorts are mercenaries, aren’t they?”
“Yes. I hired them personally.”
The marquess seemed to grasp the implication—that the guards were hers, not Duke Clarke’s. He also appeared to accept that the duke didn’t know she could speak. His expression eased.
Liliana technically had no right to involve herself in the search for the missing immigrants, given her age and status. Marianne had said the Kenneths couldn’t afford to send anyone to look for Billy’s friend, but the marquess’s presence in Hudore suggested otherwise. He must already have been taking action. Liliana’s help was hardly necessary, but she had wanted to ease Marianne’s distress—to say nothing of her other motives.
“I understand you’ve already sent people out to search,” Liliana said. “How is it going?” She didn’t want to expose more of her circumstances, and Billy and Marianne would return shortly, so she got straight to the point.
The marquess raised an amused eyebrow. “Did Marianne tell you that?”
“No. She believes your family can’t afford to send anyone.”
The marquess’s smile deepened. He rested an elbow on the arm of his couch and stroked his chin. “Then what makes you think there is a search?”
“Why else would you be in Hudore outside the social season?” Liliana asked. Marquess Kenneth rarely appeared in the royal capital even when he had reason to.
The man let out a throaty laugh. “You make it sound like I expected my son’s friend to go missing.”
“Even with the fastest horses, it would take you a week to get here from your marquessate,” Liliana said, implicitly affirming the marquess’s statement. She didn’t look away, even as the tension thickened. Her instincts whispered that they had reached a decisive juncture.
“Are you suggesting I’m involved in his disappearance?”
“I would never. But I do suspect you might have been able to predict it.”
“Is that so? You say some interesting things, young lady.”
The marquess laughed sardonically. Liliana didn’t flinch. He was old enough to be her grandfather, yet the two of them were measuring each other like seasoned opponents. It felt like a duel between titans.
Liliana had reached a conviction. The Kenneth marquessate might be liberal enough that a noble and a commoner could visit Hudore as friends, but one of them was the marquess’s youngest son. There was no chance he would travel without guards. Billy didn’t seem aware of it, but his friend had almost certainly been used as a decoy in the investigation of the recent disappearances.
The two stared each other down for a long moment. Then the marquess laughed again, clearly entertained. “You’re His Highness’s fiancée candidate, aren’t you? Your competition doesn’t stand a chance.”
“You are too kind,” Liliana replied.
A chill ran down her spine. That was the last compliment she wanted while actively trying to lose her candidacy. Still, regardless of the marquess’s thoughts, she could extricate herself from becoming crown princess if she pushed the right events into motion.
Marquess Kenneth gave a ferocious smirk. “I must say, this is the first time I’ve been challenged so directly by a seven-year-old.”
Liliana felt a flicker of anxiety. Had she gone too far? She spent most of her days surrounded by adults, and the only children she interacted with were the crown prince and the sons of the three largest ducal families, all of whom had been raised under stricter education than most. She no longer remembered how to behave like a seven-year-old, so she doubled down and met his gaze with defiance.
“No one else thinks so highly of me,” she replied.