Miranda followed the noise and saw two people standing in front of a flowerbed, broken shards of a celadon flowerpot scattered around their feet."You are so thoughtless! My dress is covered in dirt now. What are you going to do about it?" One of the girls dressed as a maid spoke up, "I already told you this orchid belongs to my lady. You insisted on taking it, and now the pot is broken! This orchid is rare and precious, worth a fortune. You have to pay for it!" The other maid, though looking guilty, tried to maintain her composure. "Stop pretending. That orchid clearly belongs to the estate. You tried to steal it, and when I caught you, the pot broke. It's not my fault! I'm a maid of the Croyso family!" "How shameless!" ...Miranda recognized the maid claiming to be from the Croyso family. She worked for Selena, perfectly imitating her mistress’s sharp temperament. Listening to their quarrel, Miranda quickly pieced together what had happened. It seemed that Selena’s maid had seen
After dinner, everyone retired to their respective rooms, the evening winding down into a quiet, peaceful night. Miranda, exhausted from the day's travels and engagements, sought some much-needed rest. She slipped out of her day clothes and into a pale white nightgown, the soft fabric cool against her skin. The bath had soothed her tired muscles, and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders as she climbed into bed. The gentle rustling of the night wind through the curtains was the only sound as she settled beneath the covers, her body sinking into the mattress. Miranda quickly succumbed to the overwhelming tiredness that had been building throughout the day. Within moments, she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, unaware of the world around her.She didn't know how much time had passed when, through the fog of her slumber, Miranda vaguely felt someone shaking her. "Miss, wake up! Something’s happened!" A voice cut through the remnants of her sleep."Something happened?" she repeat
The incident began on the east side of the estate where Martha and the others were staying. At the time, she and Nina were sound asleep, but they were abruptly awakened by a rapid knocking at the door. Outside stood a guard, his tone urgent, informing them that bandits had invaded the estate, and the guards were doing their best to hold them off. He urged them to flee for their lives. When they saw the guard covered in blood, although filled with doubts, they didn’t hesitate. They immediately got up and hurriedly dressed. Just as they finished, a man dressed in black broke through the door, knocking down the guard without a word, with other guards in varying degrees of injury trailing behind him.The guards fought valiantly, suffering heavy casualties, but they managed to severely wound the man in black. At that moment, the guards from Croyso's side arrived just in time to rescue Martha and her maid."The guard captain is interrogating the man in black outside. Although he's gravely i
"Miss Miranda is absolutely right!" The head guard nodded in full agreement, though his expression remained hesitant. "But now, my concern is that we haven’t extracted any useful information from the man in black, and we still don’t know where his accomplices are hiding. Could they be at the mountaintop or the foot of the mountain? If we get it wrong, even if we manage to escape the manor, we might just walk right into their trap."This was indeed a crucial problem. If they could pinpoint the location of the man in black, their chances of survival would improve significantly."Regardless, send someone suitable down the mountain to call for help," Miranda instructed. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Did the guards thoroughly inspect the man's attire?"The commander nodded. "We did a careful search, but found nothing.""No, that's not what I meant. I’m asking if there were any other things on his body, like dirt, leaves, or grass. The temperature differs between the top and bottom
About half an hour later, a group of black-clad figures silently infiltrated the manor, only to find it brightly lit yet eerily empty. They searched the rooms thoroughly but found no one. Frustrated, they noticed a line of writing on the white wall in the main hall: "I appreciate your kindness in visiting so late, but as propriety dictates, men and women should avoid contact, so it’s best we don’t meet."Just then, another figure leapt in, throwing a corpse dressed in black onto the ground."This damn fool ruined everything!" one of the black-clad men snarled, raising his blade and hacking at the body. "Because of this fool's blunder, our presence has been exposed, and even the servants have fled. But the only path down the mountain is the one we came up, and we didn’t notice any movement along the way. They must have fled towards the summit.""Good, then we’ll continue the pursuit," another replied.The leader nodded. "Everyone, spread out and surround the area. If you spot the targe
"Eh? There's a little maid here!" A voice of surprise came from the side, followed by the appearance of a shadowy figure clad in black.Under the dappled moonlight, the girl before him had an ethereal beauty, as if she were a fairy. Her exposed skin shimmered faintly, almost translucent, while her tear-streaked face, delicate as white jade, exuded a sorrowful yet enchanting allure. A lewd glint flickered in the man's eyes as he licked his dry lips and chuckled, "I didn't expect to be this lucky, catching such a pretty little maid. Hmph, since the credit never goes to me, I might as well have a little fun with this maid!"He swaggered towards her.Miranda, dressed in a maid's uniform borrowed from Molly, was mistaken for a servant. She was in a daze until the black-clad man appeared in front of her, snapping her back to reality. She took two steps back, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear, "What do you think you're doing?" Her watery eyes flashed with three parts anger and
As the mountain wind blew, the man's fur cloak billowed behind him like wings. Standing there with his clothes fluttering in the air, his strikingly handsome features appeared out of nowhere, eerily silent, like a bewitching demon. Even though the bright moonlight illuminated his form, casting a long shadow, he seemed less human—an unsettling chill settled in one’s heart, yet it was hard to ignore his excessively captivating appearance."You... Duke of Veylar?!" The scarred man swallowed nervously."Oh? You recognize me?" Reginald smiled slightly, casually plucking a leaf and slowly walking forward. "That makes things easier. Since you know who I am, you should be aware of my methods. Will you confess willingly, or must I force it out of you? Who sent you to tail Ma—"Suddenly, something felt wrong. The night obscured his view of the woman hidden by the trees, but as he approached, his heart skipped a beat.The woman’s long hair was disheveled, fluttering wildly in the mountain breeze.
Miranda weakly waved her hand, taking in deep breaths of fresh air, hoping to dispel the strong scent of blood in her nose.Reginald was about to speak when he suddenly noticed Miranda's delicate hands were covered with large scratches, mixed with dirt and grass, making her look quite pitiful. His expression immediately changed as he grabbed her hand to examine it. Then, upon looking closer, he saw several scratches on her face, and her clothes around her knees appeared torn, revealing numerous bruises and scrapes. Seeing these obvious injuries, Reginald's face grew darker and darker. "What happened?""Huh?" Miranda looked back in confusion. Following his gaze to her own injuries, she said, "I tripped."Before she finished speaking, Miranda suddenly remembered Molly, who had gotten separated from her. Thinking back to what she had just gone through, she realized that the men in black must have caught up.Miranda dared not dwell on the thought any further.Her sudden anxiety surprised R
"Your Majesty… what did you say?"In the palace hall, the queen stared in disbelief at the Queen Dowager, who was reclining gracefully on her chaise. Suspicion and shock filled her voice."At a time like this, you wish to arrange a marriage for Sheffield?"Right now, Sheffield and William’s reputations had hit rock bottom. Nearly the entire capital was condemning them—saying William was shameless and despicable, not only backing out of a marriage alliance with the Croyso family but trying to tarnish Miss Croyso’s name in the process. And Sheffield? They called him weak, spineless, and willing to sell out his own future bride for favor.At such a time, everyone was doing their best to avoid association with the Sheffield family—so why would the Queen Dowager choose to draw near, let alone offer a royal marriage?Worse, the broken engagement meant Miranda was now free from her previous betrothal. Without in-laws to tie her down, it was all too likely that the Queen Dowager would find a
Hearing Fulton’s flustered words and watching his unsteady figure stumble away, Earl Croyso let out a barely perceptible sigh. From how the boy first arrived, Fulton had seemed like a good child—soft-spoken, perhaps a bit timid, but upright in character.What a pity...Fulton’s presence had clearly stirred up the lingering shadows of the broken engagement. Earl Croyso had originally intended to comfort Miranda, but somehow, as the conversation went on, it ended with Miranda comforting him instead—leaving him amused.By the time Miranda returned to her chambers, night had fully fallen.She had assumed Reginald would have left long ago. So when she stepped into her inner room and saw that dark red figure bouncing around inside, she was startled and blurted out, “You're still here?”Reginald had hung his coat on the nearby rack and was now playing with one of Miranda’s embroidery needles. He had threaded it with string and was using it like a throwing dart, aiming it with precision at a
Miranda entered the drawing room and, as expected, saw Fulton’s figure. Beside him sat the Earl of Croyso.It had only been a few days, but the once gentle and refined Fulton looked like a different person—thinner, with a haggard expression. The moment he saw Miranda walk in, his eyes lit up, and he rushed toward her. Yet, as if suddenly remembering something, the light in his face gradually faded, and his eyes dimmed.“Miranda—”“You should call me Miss Miranda, Mr. Fulton,” Miranda said quietly, her head slightly bowed, her voice calm.Fulton had a thousand things he wanted to say, but they were all shattered by those formal words: “Mr. Fulton” and “Miss Miranda.”It hadn’t always been this way. Before, she would call him “Fulton” in that soft, sweet voice. Every time he saw her petite figure, he would feel an urge to protect her. When he learned that his father intended for him to be engaged to Miranda, and that she would become his wife, he had truly been overjoyed. For someone of
Miranda, for her part, felt quite confident about this.Seeing the assurance on her face, Reginald nodded and said with a smile, “Alright then, let’s do it this way. I’ll go talk to Brandon about it.” Then, propping his head on one hand, he gave Miranda a strange look and added, “You know, Miranda, I’m starting to think you’re even more ruthless than I am. I only wanted to take down Broad Loft, but you—you’re going for something much bigger. You want to rope Brandon in too and make sure Zachary falls flat on his face.”“Well, this plan only benefits you, doesn’t it, Lord Reginald?” Miranda replied calmly.These past few days, the Blackwell family had turned her life upside down. But because of Croyso, she couldn’t confront them head-on. Now that she had a chance to deal a serious blow to Prince Zachary and the Blackwells without dragging Croyso into it, she wasn’t going to hold back.Just then, Molly’s voice called out, “My lady, Young Master Fulton has come to see you. Lord Croyso wa
“A partner?” Reginald caught the implication in Miranda’s words, thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Circle Trading?”“You know about that?” Miranda was taken aback.Reginald let out a cold snort. “The young master of Circle Trading fell in love with Jovanna’s miss at first sight and has been showering her with favors. Not only did he admit to the counterfeit goods incident, but he even offered to supply her inventory at cost from now on—didn’t even want to charge for shipping. With a relationship like that, it’d be a shame not to make good use of it.”Miranda instantly looked a bit uneasy.She had only come up with that idea on the spur of the moment to confuse the mole inside Jovanna’s shop, which was why she had asked Brandon to play along. But the whole situation was still rather awkward, so she’d kept the matter confined to just those within Circle Trading and Jovanna’s team. How on earth had Reginald heard about it? Miranda brooded in silence.“Circle Trading may be a kn
“Good idea!” Miranda beamed with delight and began calculating. “This way, Jovanna will no longer have any connection to the Croyso family, and you’ve never gotten along with Prince Zachary to begin with—this is the perfect opportunity to strike him. Even if you do nothing else but stubbornly hold on to Jovanna’s shop and continue selling silk threads and ready-to-wear garments, it’ll be enough to disgust Prince Zachary and the Blackwell family! But if we simply take down Broad Loft this easily, it feels like letting them off too lightly. Why not take our time and make them suffer a huge silent loss?”Reginald was stunned. His eyes fixed on Miranda, burning with curiosity. “What do you mean?”“Lord Reginald, you may not know this, but Prince Zachary didn’t open Broad Loft just to run a profitable little shop,” Miranda explained, outlining Zachary’s plan to monopolize the silk and clothes trade. “So as long as you buy out Jovanna’s shop, you’re guaranteed to profit!”Reginald had only
The people who had been caught swapping in fake goods were still being held at the Croyso estate. Miranda did want to teach Broad Loft a harsh lesson—ideally, to bring them down completely. However, her father had already smashed up the estatefront of the William family and they argued in front of the king, who had then come down hard on William. In such a sensitive moment, it was not wise to make any further rash moves.Especially considering that Broad Loft was backed by the Blackwell family. Prince Zachary had grand ambitions—he wanted to monopolize the entire silk and garment trade in the capital. Jovanna was already a thorn in his side. If they forced Broad Loft to collapse entirely, it would surely enrage Prince Zachary beyond measure.And frankly, angering Zachary over a single shop just wasn’t worth it.So once the full situation came to light, both her father and aunt agreed—there was no point in provoking Zachary further. Better to tolerate it if possible. Besides, her aunt’
“So what?” Miranda asked, then suddenly realized something. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Don’t tell me—those two times, you were trying to steal my seven-colored glass bead?” Her expression was a mix of shock, anger, and amusement—unsure whether to be furious or laugh.“Steal? What do you mean, steal? That bead should’ve been mine to begin with!” Reginald said indignantly. “I later asked around and heard you barely know anything about chess! I just don’t get it—how did you beat Brandon?”That question had bothered him for a long time.When he first heard the news, he’d nearly died of frustration.He’d been searching for the seven-colored glass bead for ages. Finally, he’d caught wind that the chess club was using one as a prize. So he disguised himself and entered the tournament. He’d already won three matches in a row and was about to get it… but out of nowhere, Miranda had swooped in and won it first.What stung the most was learning that this person who’d won the prize supposedl
Reginald didn’t suspect himself at all. He thought it had something to do with the Sheffield estate or William, and his expression changed instantly, becoming cold as ice. “Something like that happened? Someone actually dared to kidnap you and nearly ruined your reputation? That kind of scum must not be spared—a thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone! Who is it?”Someone dared treat his little kitten that way? They must have a death wish!“Lord Reginald, it’s not convenient for me to tell my father about this. I wonder if you could help me teach that scum a lesson?” Miranda smiled sweetly, her beauty blooming like a flower—but when she mentioned that “scum,” she couldn’t help grinding her teeth.Reginald responded without hesitation. “Of course—I’ll kill him for you!”“How noble of you, Lord Reginald.” Miranda offered a flattering smile—then her expression suddenly turned cold, her face icy and emotionless. “In that case, Reginald, you scum, go ahead and kill yourself to pay for