The next morning arrived beneath quiet silver skies.
Cold winds drifted softly through the Asheville Estate while pale sunlight illuminated the western forests surrounding Citadel's outskirts. Dew rested over the training grounds and garden pathways while servants quietly carried out their usual routines beneath the peaceful dawn atmosphere.
For once—
Everything felt calm.
No noble scandals.
No political emergencies.
No dragons.
No assassins.
Only silence.
And honestly—
Kel had begun believing the remaining three days before his departure back toward the Rosenfeld Main Estate might finally pass peacefully.
A rare thought.
A foolish thought.
Because somehow—
Whenever Kel believed peace had finally arrived—
The world itself immediately threw another problem directly into his face.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly laughed.
"You really should stop expecting peaceful endings."
Kel calmly sipped tea near the upper balcony overlooking the estate gardens.
"I was optimistic for once."
"That itself was your mistake."
Meanwhile—
Across from him—
Reina quietly reviewed estate reports beneath the morning sunlight while silver hair moved softly beneath the cold breeze. The atmosphere between them remained comfortable now after the past several days.
Peaceful.
Natural.
Almost dangerously peaceful.
Then—
Rapid footsteps suddenly echoed through the upper corridor.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Kel slowly lowered his teacup.
Reina's silver eyes shifted toward the approaching presence immediately.
Moments later—
One Asheville knight appeared before the balcony entrance breathing heavily.
The man immediately dropped to one knee.
"Lady Matriarch!"
His voice carried urgency.
"We received an emergency military report!"
Silence.
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly.
Inside his mind—
Sairen sighed.
"And there it is."
Meanwhile—
Reina calmly stood afterward.
"What happened?"
The knight quickly raised a sealed military document with trembling hands.
"Our border scouts confirmed large-scale troop movement near the eastern territorial lines."
Another pause.
"The nearby viscount territory has begun mobilizing military forces."
Kel's eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
Not the viscount from last night.
Different.
He understood immediately.
Reina quietly took the report and opened it afterward.
The moment her eyes moved across the document—
Her expression subtly changed.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Kel calmly observed her.
"…Which viscount?"
Reina slowly lowered the report afterward.
"Viscount Delhart."
The atmosphere instantly sharpened.
Because both of them already knew that name.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"The old vulture finally moved."
Meanwhile—
Kel leaned slightly back into his chair calmly.
Viscount Delhart.
One of the neighboring territorial nobles surrounding House Asheville.
A man who had watched Reina's unstable position from the shadows ever since she became matriarch.
Back then—
Most nobles believed House Asheville would eventually collapse entirely.
Its former lord dead.
Its internal power fragmented.
Its legitimacy weakened.
And Reina herself—
A young woman suddenly placed atop a crumbling household.
Many neighboring nobles originally expected easy opportunities.
Political control.
Marriage manipulation.
Territory absorption.
Economic domination.
And among them—
Viscount Delhart had always been the most ambitious.
The most patient.
The most disgusting.
Reina slowly walked toward the balcony edge afterward while cold winds moved softly through her silver hair.
"He waited."
Her voice remained calm.
"For the household to stabilize."
Another pause.
"And now…"
She quietly clenched the military report.
"…he likely thinks we're vulnerable again because of recent territorial expansion."
Kel calmly observed her silently.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly asked:
"You predicted this possibility?"
Kel quietly answered internally.
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you act first?"
Kel's dark eyes shifted toward the distant estate forests.
"Because Reina needed to face this eventually herself."
Meanwhile—
The kneeling knight continued nervously:
"Our scouts estimate approximately four thousand troops moving toward eastern river routes."
Another pause.
"They've already begun constructing temporary military camps."
Reina's silver eyes narrowed further.
"Official reason?"
The knight immediately answered:
"They claim border instability and increased monster activity near shared territories."
Silence followed.
Then—
Kel softly laughed once.
The knight visibly stiffened hearing it.
Because unlike amusement—
Kel's laugh sounded tired.
"Convenient."
The cold morning winds drifted through the balcony again.
Kel calmly stood afterward.
Then slowly walked toward Reina beside the balcony edge.
"Delhart doesn't care about monsters."
Another pause.
"He's testing you."
Reina quietly looked toward him afterward.
Kel continued calmly.
"He wants to see whether House Asheville truly stabilized…"
"…or merely looks stable externally."
The silver-haired matriarch remained silent briefly.
Then quietly—
"He chose good timing."
Kel nodded once.
"Right before my departure."
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"You really attract timing disasters."
Kel ignored her.
Meanwhile—
The Asheville knight nervously asked:
"Lady Matriarch…"
"What are your orders?"
Silence.
The atmosphere became heavy now.
Military decisions carried consequences.
Especially for newly stabilized noble households.
Reina quietly lowered her gaze toward the military report again.
Then slowly—
She looked toward Kel.
Not helplessly.
Not seeking rescue.
Only confirming.
And Kel noticed immediately.
Inside his chest—
Something faintly settled.
Because this time—
She wasn't asking him to solve it for her.
She was preparing to face it herself.
The silver-haired matriarch finally spoke calmly:
"Mobilize eastern defensive forces."
The knight immediately straightened.
"Send reinforcement requests toward all nearby loyal subordinate nobles."
Another pause followed.
"And activate border surveillance rotations fully."
The knight nodded quickly while memorizing everything.
Then—
Reina continued.
"No aggressive movement yet."
"We observe first."
Kel quietly watched her afterward.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly laughed.
"She's starting to sound like you."
Meanwhile—
The knight hesitated slightly.
Then carefully asked:
"…Should we request support from neighboring allied houses?"
Reina remained silent briefly.
Then—
Kel finally spoke calmly.
"No."
Both the knight and Reina looked toward him.
Kel's dark eyes remained cold now.
"If you request outside military aid immediately…"
Another pause.
"…Delhart wins politically before battle even begins."
The knight slowly understood.
Reina quietly nodded afterward.
Because Kel was right.
If House Asheville appeared unable to defend itself independently—
Every surrounding noble would smell weakness again.
And once nobles smelled weakness—
They never stopped pressing deeper.
Meanwhile—
Kel calmly folded one hand behind his back afterward.
"Delhart is probing."
"He wants pressure."
"Fear."
"Instability."
Another faint pause.
"So don't give him emotional reactions."
The cold winds intensified softly around the balcony.
"Force him to commit first."
The silver-haired matriarch quietly observed him.
Then softly—
"And if he attacks?"
Kel slowly looked toward the distant eastern skies beyond the forests.
The morning sunlight reflected faintly within his dark eyes now.
"Then…"
A small dangerous smile appeared.
"…we remind him why House Asheville survived this long."
Silence settled afterward.
Heavy silence.
Because everyone present understood something clearly now.
Viscount Delhart had made a terrible mistake.
He believed House Asheville still weak.
Still vulnerable.
Still led by an inexperienced matriarch.
Yet what he didn't know—
Was that the most terrifying existence currently standing beside Reina Asheville…
Had not left yet.