The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 44: Lonely Name

Chapter 44: Lonely Name

Laith was a lonely name. Lonely, because it had no family name attached to it, indicating that the person that carried it had no family to belong to.

In the pages of "Acme Fever," Laith emerged as a girl of twenty, orphaned from birth, whose existence unfolded within the confines of the Capital’s squalid orphanage. There, she endured hunger, battled illnesses, and grappled with abject poverty, much like any other forsaken child.

At the tender age of fourteen, Laith’s fate took a precarious turn as she was adopted by Earl Kemmerson, a man infamous for taking in talented and exceptional children, offering them a better life that tragically remained elusive. For most of his adopted children, life ended in baffling circumstances.

Unbeknownst to many, Earl Kemmerson harbored an insatiable penchant for perilous gambling, which extended to placing wagers on animals and... humans. Among his dark indulgences were illegal underground gladiator fights, pitting humans’, or more precisely children’s lives against each other. It was Grand Duke Damien Dio who ultimately unveiled the gruesome truth of Kemmerson’s wicked ventures and saved young Laith, thus forging an unbreakable bond. In gratitude for saving her from such an unspeakable fate, she became the Grand Duke’s "Shadow Spy."

Endowed with a petite frame, swift reflexes, and unmatched flexibility, Laith proved a consummate master of disguise, weaving amidst people and places with uncanny stealth. Even the most adept warrior or knight would remain unaware of her presence, a testament to her unparalleled skill.

She was an enigmatic phantom, whose face could only be seen by Damien and Felix.

Upon overhearing her exchange with Felix, Rosalie recalled her brother Raphael’s involvement in the lucrative trading business, with furs and leather as his primary exports. These valuable commodities were sourced from magic beasts slain during Hunting Trips with the Crown Prince or his solitary sojourns to the Saint Mountain and its surrounding forests.

Given Izaar’s small, infertile territory and scarce population of magic beasts, the pelts procured from Rische were considered a luxury there, fueling the royalty’s unquenchable greed for more. Raphael Ashter, driven by his cruel and materialistic nature, perceived a rather opportune coincidence in the convergence of his penchant for hunting and Izaar’s fascination with the extraordinary.

’This was the real reason why Raphel chose to gift his hunting loot to his sister rather than anyone else – this way, he could keep the pelts and sell them to Izaar for a rather hefty sum of money.’

Another revelation surfaced—Raphael was scheduled for one of his regular trading trips in less than a week, wherein he would sell this year’s hunting bounty.

’Knowing how sleazy he is, Laith’s intuition might indeed be correct and Raphael could be aiding the members of the Demonic Cult in crossing the border.... Waiting for him to make a mistake is futile; they need to catch him red-handed!’

Energized by the sudden realization of her newfound usefulness, Rosalie practically rushed back to her bedroom. With haste, she opened the first drawer of her polished brown wooden desk and retrieved a square piece of paper and a fountain pen. Her words poured forth frantically, dancing upon the surface of the note.

’All I can do is implore Laith to intercept Raphael at the trading gate and conduct a thorough inspection of his belongings before he departs. It may seem audacious to her, but it is a chance worth taking.’

As she concluded her urgent message, Lady Ashter suddenly paused, succumbing to a daunting moment of frustration.

’But how am I supposed to give it to her?’

Laith’s line of work and her commitment to remaining undetected rendered her a shadowy enigma, always veiled in disguise. Approaching her directly was an impossibility unless she initiated contact first, which, as Rosalie knew, never occurred.

’I cannot simply call out to her either, as her existence is meant to be known only to Damien and Felix. To utter her name aloud could cost me my life on the spot, with no opportunity for an explanation.’

A shiver of fear briefly coursed through Rosalie’s being as she contemplated the risks. She reclined in her chair and let out a long exhale. There seemed to be no alternative; she had to take a daring gamble, praying her desperate plan would yield success.

With a daring resolve in mind, the young lady requested Aurora to prepare a new tray of refreshments for the duke and once everything was back in order, she took the tray and proceeded to visit Damien’s study once more.

Ambling gracefully through the extended corridor on the second floor, she kept glancing about in a casual manner, hopeful of catching a glimpse of the elusive Shadow Spy. As expected, Laith remained elusive, nowhere to be found.

’Perhaps she is lurking nearby, concealing herself outside the window of Damien’s office?’

Unaware of her own actions, Rosalie unconsciously gravitated toward the tall window adjacent to the duke’s study. However, just as fate would have it, her right foot became entangled in the flowing fabric of her dress, and in an unfortunate twist, she found herself plunging uncontrollably, surrendering to the unyielding force of gravity.

Yet, she did not fall.

Like a mysterious phantom, a shadowy figure cloaked in all black materialized seemingly out of thin air. With a deftness akin to a seasoned performer, the figure gently clasped Rosalie’s slender waist while adroitly catching the silver tray with the other hand. It was as if an experienced acrobat had executed a seamless maneuver. And although Lady Ashter was the one who was caught mid-fall, she could not help but silently exclaim,

’Caught you!’

Despite her initial plan to discreetly slip her note into Laith’s cloak, Rosalie found herself overwhelmed with astonishment at the sudden yet anticipated appearance of the enigmatic figure. As a result, she inadvertently dropped the folded piece of paper to the ground, her countenance adorned with a somewhat awkward smile, while her deep gray eyes darting all over Laith’s veiled face.

"Oh... I must thank you for saving me; I nearly injured myself!"

Swiftly disengaging from the girl’s embrace, Rosalie hurriedly departed, leaving the Shadow Spy in a state of unfamiliar bewilderment. For the first time, Laith’s mind seemed utterly blank as she gazed at the silver tray she still held in her right hand. Her attention then shifted downward, and she noticed the folded piece of paper on the floor. She picked it up, and as her eyes finished skimming through its contents, she quietly hid it in the inner pocket of her cloak and looked in the direction in which Rosalie had made her hasty escape.