[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 34

"My lord, I have something to report," Kasan said, appearing before the Crown Prince, who was sitting upright at his desk, attending to his duties.

"Which matter is it?" Genoa asked without looking up.

"It concerns Crawford," Kasan replied. Genoa set down his pen and gestured for Kasan to continue. Kasan approached and handed him a sheet of paper with a portrait drawn on it.

"This is the Duke of Crawford’s fiancée."

"Have we finally succeeded in infiltrating the Duke’s manor?" Genoa asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kasan shook his head with a grim expression, prompting Genoa to click his tongue.

"Then the Duke brought his fiancée out himself? That’s unexpected." The Duke had likely hidden her away to keep her from the royal family’s eyes. So why bring her out now?

"How many returned?" Genoa asked.

"One," Kasan replied.

Genoa drummed his fingers on the desk. Until now, none of the men sent to the Muhas Desert or Crawford's manor had ever returned alive. But now, one had survived?

His suspicion was turning into certainty, but the following report left him puzzled.

"It was thanks to a new strategy that at least one survived this time."

"Explain in detail," Genoa commanded.

Kasan calmly began his explanation.

Raven always operated in two teams, ensuring they could handle any situation, even if they were ambushed. The same strategy was used when monitoring Edwin, yet they were always discovered and slaughtered.

This time, anticipating that security would be tighter due to the fiancée’s presence, they changed their approach. Instead of two teams, they split into three, with the third team consisting of individuals who operated independently.

The information gathered by the first and second teams was immediately relayed to the third team members. This was a desperate measure to acquire as much intelligence as possible. As expected, the first and second teams were caught by the Wolf Knights of the Duke’s household. 

Fortunately, the third team managed to escape quickly, although even they were later pursued by the Wolf Knights. That one member returned alive was considered a significant achievement.

After listening to Kasan’s explanation, Genoa’s brow furrowed deeply.

"What is the condition of the one who survived?"

"He is severely injured."

"So, this wasn’t a premeditated outing?"

"It seems there was a purpose to the outing. They chose the busiest part of the city, and the Duke carried his fiancée in his arms the entire time."

"Wait, he carried her around?" Genoa’s expression shifted to one of disbelief.

"Yes, from the moment he stepped out of the carriage, he carried her the entire time."

"Hah!" Genoa let out a dry laugh, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

The idea that a man as violent and bloodthirsty as the Duke would walk around carrying a woman in his arms was absurd.

'Has his madness finally reached its limit?' 

Genoa couldn’t make sense of the Duke’s behaviour otherwise.

'No, even if he’s mad, he’s not the type to carry a woman around. If anything, he would kill her, not cherish her.'

Tapping his fingers slowly on the desk, Genoa glanced at the portrait of Angelina.

"Are you sure she’s blonde? And did you check her eyes carefully?"

"Yes, several people confirmed it."

"Did you check if it was dyed?"

"Her hair colour didn’t change after two hours."

"There’s no way to alter gem eyes, so she isn’t a Jueri," Genoa muttered.

This made the situation even more perplexing. If she wasn’t a Jueri, why was the Duke behaving as if he cherished her?

Angelina was undoubtedly a beautiful woman. If she stood out even in a portrait, she must be stunning in person. However, the Duke wasn’t the type to be swayed by beauty. He was known for dealing with anyone, man or woman, young or old, who displeased him.

"Did she show any special abilities?"

"There were no noticeable traits," Kasan reported, causing Genoa’s frown to deepen even further.

He stared hard at Angelina’s portrait again. An unknown commoner, beautiful, but apparently powerless. Yet the Duke bought her expensive jewellery, took her on what seemed like dates, and acted as if he cared for her.

'Could it really be because of that?' Genoa thought.

The Duke might be suffering from a condition that necessitates an heir. The heads of the Crawford family had always been blonde, and this fiancée was also blonde. In the past, the hair colour of the Duchess didn’t matter—their children were always blonde. But if the Duke couldn’t have many children, having a blonde Duchess would ensure the legitimacy of the heir.

When viewed this way, all the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit together.

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