“He’s not dead.”

Estella replied in a flat voice to Raul’s trembling question.

“…Haah. That’s a relief.”

Raul let out a sigh of relief and wiped the tears from his eyes with his dry hand. Estella watched him quietly for a moment, then tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled.

“What exactly is the relief? If your betrayal had worked, everyone would’ve been dead.”

“But—!”

“Just to be clear—you didn’t seriously believe Telior would stop after killing only the direct line of the March family, did you?”

“…That’s…”

“Raul. Your betrayal didn’t just risk the lives of me, Father, you, and the Marchioness. It included the lives of all the house staff. I saved Tom, the boy you nearly killed. And from now on, no one will die in front of me again.”

At Estella’s cold words, Raul couldn’t say another word. He bowed his head so deeply it nearly touched the floor. If you’ve got a mouth, you’ve got something to say—this wasn’t one of those times.

“Um… I have something to say,”

Gerard interjected awkwardly, slipping into the chilly space between the two.

“What is it?”

Estella looked at him with mild curiosity. Gerard offered a sheepish smile, then glanced at Raul and replied.

“I used medicine to break the paralysis, but it didn’t fully work.”

“But… I can move my limbs fine.”

Raul flailed his arms slightly, confused. Gerard let out a light sigh.

“Yeah, I got most of it. But your pain sense isn’t back. If you step on a nail while walking, you won’t feel a thing. That means you could bleed out and die without even knowing.”

His tone was blunt, but there was a faint trace of pity in the way he looked at Raul.

Back in her room, Estella opened the notebook and map stored in her desk drawer. The notebook was densely packed with records Estella had written over time—details about the magic stones she’d once owned, the war, and the emperor Aslan.

To prepare for worst-case scenarios, she had encrypted the entries using military ciphers—one of Yoon Seo-yi’s skills. Anyone else looking would see nothing but meaningless rows of numbers.

According to her notes, five magic stones were known to exist in Wintfall.

Of those, two—Nevrion and Flame Stone—had already been found. That left three. She had rough ideas of where they were buried, but the areas were vast, and with monsters possibly attacking at any moment, leaving the castle to search would be extremely dangerous.

Which meant she had to pinpoint the locations and act quickly.

Estella combed through her notes meticulously, looking for every possible clue. Today, she focused on the stone presumed to be closest—Obsidian.

Obsidian was smooth and black like glass. When caught in the light, it gleamed red from within, as if pulsing like a heart—hence its nickname, Heartstone. The smaller the stone, the more potent its magic. It absorbed external energy, stored it, and after a period of time, discharged it in a volatile burst.

Its immense power made it dangerous—but Estella already knew how to stabilize it. For her, there was no problem.

“Where could it be…”

“Did you misplace something?”

Estella had murmured to herself, and Ria—who was nearby—overheard and approached with a kind voice.

Estella was about to wave it off, but then thought: maybe clever Ria could offer a hint.

“Ria, have you ever heard of a place in eastern Wintfall filled with black rocks?”

“Black rocks?”

“Yes. It used to be volcanic long ago. The ground’s covered in smooth, black stones. There are strange, jagged rock spires all over.”

“A volcano, and black stone spires… Ah! Could you be talking about Belzram?”

Ria, who had been thinking carefully, suddenly lit up with recognition.

“Belzram?”

It was a desolate land—so inhospitable that it was nearly abandoned. Wintfall had several such areas.

“Yes. I only know it from stories I heard as a child, but there’s supposedly a place there called the Black Glass Plain. But the monster that lives there makes it too dangerous for people to live nearby. Wait—my lady, you’re not thinking of going there, are you?!”

Ria had been calmly explaining, but her eyes widened with a rising sense of dread.

Estella, however, was already flipping through her notebook and scribbling on a blank page: Belzram, Black Glass Plain.

“No! You can’t go there! My lady, please—it’s home to a Class 1 monster. It’s far too dangerous.”

“That monster’s name is Zuhara, right?”

“…My lady!”

“Thanks. You just saved me a lot of time.”

Estella smiled genuinely and pulled Ria into a hug. But Ria, stunned, stood frozen—fearing that her own words had once again put her lady in danger.

“My lady, Lady Estella has come to see you.”

Leonora had been brushing her hair in a nightgown after her bath. When her maid approached, she widened her eyes and stood from her vanity.

“Estella?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Let her in.”

Leonora adjusted the slightly open front of her gown and straightened her posture.

She hadn’t expected a visit at this hour, but she wasn’t displeased. In fact, the private nature of the visit brought her a quiet sense of delight.

A moment later, Estella arrived wearing her usual training clothes. Her ponytail swung briskly as she bowed politely. She wore no accessories—not even a simple hair clip.

Leonora thought, not for the first time, how can one person change so drastically?

“Did I disturb your sleep?”

“Not yet. But what brings you at this hour?”

“I have a request.”

“A request? For me?”

Leonora’s light brown eyebrows arched sharply like gull wings. This was the first time Estella had directly asked her for anything. Her eyes glinted with interest.

Leonora offered a faint smile, then signaled to her maid to prepare tea.

Before long, the two women sat across from each other at a carefully arranged tea table. Steam drifted from the silver teapot, filling the air with the soothing aroma of lavender and orange.

A tray of sugar cubes and cookies accompanied the tea set—clearly prepared for Estella, as Leonora never snacked at night.

“It’s a tea that helps you sleep. Try it.”

“Thank you.”

Estella gave a short nod of thanks and raised the cup. As the golden liquid entered her mouth, she closed her eyes.

Warm, smooth, and floral—the tea slid past her tongue and down her throat, flushing her body with comfort. The lavender and citrus washed away the day’s fatigue.

Even Estella—who rarely drank anything other than Miraclelium—found this one easy to enjoy.

Leonora’s lips curved as she watched Estella finish the cup.

She nodded to her maid, who quickly moved to pack the tea for Estella to take.

“Take some home with you. Drink it when you need rest.”

“Thank you.”

Estella bowed again without hesitation. Leonora’s smile deepened.

“So, what would you ask of me?”

Estella gently set her cup down and met Leonora’s eyes—steady and clear.

“I’d like to borrow the Abyss Mirror.”

Leonora’s brows twitched.

“…The Abyss Mirror? You mean that old hand mirror our family keeps?”

“Yes. I need that Abyss Mirror.”

It was unexpected. The Abyss Mirror wasn’t some noble treasure, nor a royal artifact. It was just one of many antiques her merchant father had bought to pad out their status when he purchased a barony with the fortune he’d amassed.

Leonora had nearly forgotten it even existed—until Estella brought it up.

But Estella knew about it? How?

More importantly—what could she possibly need that mirror for?

“Why do you need it?”

Leonora narrowed her eyes. The mirror had no apparent value—it was a wonder it hadn’t been tossed out.

Mirrors were everywhere in the estate, from gold-framed pieces to full-length ones gifted by the crown.

Yet she’d asked for that one—specifically.

Which meant Estella knew exactly what the Abyss Mirror could do. How she learned, Leonora didn’t know—but it was impressive.

“I’m going to kill a monster. I need the mirror to do it.”

A monster? And a mirror?

The strange combination made Leonora’s brows lift.

“Lending it isn’t a problem. I could send someone to Barende tomorrow to fetch it.”

That was true. Her father would be thrilled to hear that the March family wanted to borrow something of his. He might even throw in extra gifts.

“But… I can’t just hand it over. It’s technically a family heirloom.”

As she laid out her condition, Leonora carefully watched Estella’s reaction.

But Estella’s gaze remained steady, her posture composed.

“What would you like me to do?”

“Nothing big. Just tell me later how you used it.”

“Yes. I promise.”

“Drink your tea. It’s getting cold.”

Leonora turned her eyes back to her cup, and Estella finished hers. Then she returned to her room carrying the box of tea leaves.

As Leonora had said, Baron Barende sent the Abyss Mirror immediately upon receiving her letter—along with a bundle of other antiques for Estella.

He’d already heard how Estella had changed, and the winds of reform sweeping through Wintfall.

And as someone with a keen nose for money, Baron Barende wasn’t about to miss the chance to curry favor.

The crates were delivered straight to Estella’s room. When she saw the neatly stacked wooden boxes filling her parlor like Legos, her eyes widened.

“Why is there so much? Do you have to assemble the Abyss Mirror or something? Ria, help me open these.”

With Ria’s help, she opened each crate one by one. Inside, all kinds of mysterious antiques had been carefully packed—silver weather vanes, chipped porcelain dolls, even a battered sextant once used for mapmaking.

“Did he send every antique in the barony?”

Ria murmured in amazement.

As they opened the eighth crate—

“There it is.”

Inside lay an old, silver-framed hand mirror with a surface that reflected absolutely nothing.

Chapter 149

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