Alessio flinched at my words—just slightly—but enough to tell me he'd realized something.
"Don't tell me... the household staff member you saw in your memory—the one Marius killed—was her?" Alessio fell quiet for a moment, lost in thought, then muttered under his breath, "I suspected he must've done something to her. But I didn't think he'd catch on to her that quickly."
"So it really was her?"
"Most likely, yeah. She's the only one at the Wittelsbach estate with hair like that. Her name was Selena Lippe—the second daughter of Baron Lippe. Her family fell out of favor a few years back, and she had been working under Marius since then."
I froze, my eyes widening.
The name—it tugged at something in my memory.
I placed a hand on my chin, trying to trace the connection.
'Uh... where did I hear that name? It sounds familiar...'
Alessio stared at me in silence, watching my face like he expected something to click—when a knock sounded at the door.
"Good morning! I've brought your breakfast," called a woman's voice—probably one of the inn staff.
When I opened the door, she looked at me, a bit startled.
"Oh, so you're in here, miss. I knocked on your door a few times earlier but didn't get a response."
"Ah!" I blinked. Right. Breakfast.
I'd barely finished washing up before my feet carried me straight to Alessio's door.
"Would you like your breakfast served here instead?" she asked politely.
"Yes, please. Thank you."
She set down two trays of breakfast on the table.
'Wow... this actually looks really good.'
Eggs, warm bread, pastries, fresh fruit, stewed mushrooms, a pot of tea... I stared at the generous spread in front of me.
My stomach growled loudly the moment the scent hit me.
"..."
The room fell into an awkward silence for a second.
"Pfft." Alessio let out a short laugh, clearly amused, and I could feel my face heat up in embarrassment.
"Looks like those stories drained your energy," he said, still chuckling. "Come on, dig in."
Ugh. Of all the times...
My hunger steamrolled right over my shame, and I quickly dove into the food in front of me.
Alessio watched with a bemused expression, his lips curled into a smile.
Yikes! Not the handsome-face-and-smile combo. I'm trying to eat here.
I kept eating anyway.
By the end of the meal, both plates had been neatly emptied, with not so much as a crumb remaining.
"Ahh..." I sighed in bliss once I'd cleaned my plate, patting my satisfied stomach before leaning back in the chair.
"That was amazing. I feel like I could fight a dragon now. Or take a nap. Honestly, probably both."
Alessio wiped his mouth with a neatly folded handkerchief, his movements calm and practiced. He placed it down beside his empty plate and looked at me.
"So, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
"There is. I've been wondering about my family—the Mitfords. What if we tried reaching out to them?"
Alessio leaned back slightly, his brows furrowing.
"That's the strange part. We've tried reaching out discreetly, but there's been no response. It's like something—or someone—is blocking us."
"Then something's definitely going on. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Marius had a hand in it."
"Could be. The Mitford family hasn't shown up at any recent balls either. And whenever someone asks, it's always Marius who conveniently has an excuse ready."
"That alone makes me suspicious."
"But..." Alessio's tone lowered a little, more cautious now. "The Marquess's estate is one of the most secure in the empire. For generations, they've used an inherited warding magic that prevents intruders and spies from entering. It's nearly impossible for anyone with ill intent to get past the outer gates, let alone get close."
"Still..." I said slowly, frowning as my thoughts trailed off, "they know Marius. They've already treated him like a future son-in-law. So there's no telling if they even had their guard up when he visited."
My expression tightened, concern and unease flickering across my face, when—
"Why the long face?"
Someone whispered right next to my ear.
"Eek!!"
I nearly jumped out of my chair, startled out of my skin.
It was Khan.
"When did you get here?" Alessio asked, his brows arching slightly in surprise.
"Just now," Khan replied with that usual smug look painted across his face.
"So, my lady," he said, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips with all the drama of a courtly romance, "are you troubled by something? I'd be more than happy to ease your worries..."
Alessio shot him a sharp glare.
Khan immediately jolted like he'd been slapped with a cold wind, letting go of my hand and lifting both of his in mock surrender.
"Just kidding," he added with a wink.
Alessio let out a sigh and rose from his seat.
"Let's go."
He reached for his coat with a fluid motion, then held out a cloak to me.
I blinked, curiosity clear on my face.
"Where to?"
"Put that on. We're going to the main street market. We didn't bring much with us, remember? Khan's here to show us around."
I glanced at Khan.
He was already looking at me with a wide, almost mischievous smile—like he was saying, 'Leave it to me.'
"But... I still wanted to continue our discussion from earlier," I muttered, a little pout slipping onto my lips.
"We'll finish it tonight," Alessio replied. "Right now, we need to start preparing—both for what's ahead and for settling in here, even if it's temporary. My men should be catching up in a couple of days."
"Alright..."
I sighed in resignation, tugging the cloak over my shoulders. It was warm and smelled familiar...
We stepped out of the room and made our way down the hall toward the stairs. Sunlight streamed through the windows, catching on Alessio's hair as he walked just ahead, the cloak billowing slightly behind me.
I adjusted it around my shoulders, let out a quiet sigh...
and tried really hard not to think about how much it smelled like him.