It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 50

Marquess Lewein, now hiding in a mountain village, was carefully investigating the locals. He hadn’t expected the princess to leave for the northern fortress, so there were still too many unknowns about this place.

It was a strange village in many ways. The land was so barren, there weren’t even vagrants or beggars. Everyone lived tightly within their means.

Following Lewein was Noy, who obeyed every order without question. When Lewein said move, he moved. When told to mimic someone’s speech or memorize their expressions, he did so perfectly.

Though Noy looked like a teenage boy—almost too young to be out on his own—he was actually in his late twenties and skilled at acting. He could imitate voices and expressions with startling accuracy. For missions like this, he was ideal.

Lewein began his work by identifying people who lived on the village outskirts. One night, he ambushed a man living alone, locked him inside his home, and interrogated him for information.

Most of the questions were simple—who lived where, what the relationships were between villagers. But when the man mentioned people who worked at the northern fortress, Lewein’s attention sharpened.

Only a handful of villagers had jobs at the fortress, which wasn’t surprising. The place belonged to the royal family, and royals preferred even their servants to have noble—or at least “blue”—blood.

Those lucky enough to work there earned significantly more than anyone in the village. Naturally, they were envied.

Lewein was looking for someone with no connection to the fortress. No neighbors, no ties—someone who rarely crossed paths with anyone who worked there.

Through interrogation, Lewein learned about a quiet hunter and his son who lived on the outer edge of the village. The father was hot-tempered and the son was silent by nature—both kept to themselves and had no known connections to the fortress.

“Noy.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll begin right away.”

With his bright, innocent appearance, Noy hid behind a tree and watched the hunter’s son for several days. Time was short, but he understood the disguise didn’t have to be perfect—just convincing enough.

Then, just as Noy was narrowing in, a message arrived.

It looked like a common mountain bird, the kind found all over the north. But as it landed on Lewein’s shoulder, it transformed into a folded piece of paper.

On the back—beneath a single drop of blood—it read:

[…The time has come.]

Lewein recognized the seal and pulled out a communication crystal. His magical abilities weren’t powerful, but they were enough for short-range transmissions.

– “What is it?”

The connection took a moment—probably due to interference or distance. When a dark, rough voice finally responded, Lewein looked into the crystal and replied.

“The master has made his decision. Begin.”

“Begin, huh?”

The voice on the other end grinned, full of excitement, and ended the call. He would need to check in again once things were underway, but for now, it was enough.

“The master has spoken! Let’s move!”

Fortunately, the Rafinas’ nest was half-empty. During the day, most of the adults left to gather moss, leaving only a few females behind. Rafinas had few natural predators, so leaving their young unguarded wasn’t uncommon.

The remaining adults numbered fewer than ten. The rest had gone out to collect the special moss that grew on icy rocks, which they would later regurgitate to feed their young.

To these intruders, it was a disgusting sight—and they hated waiting in the cold forest for days to witness it.

“We couldn’t even light a fire… The repellant stinks… I’ve had enough of this.”

They’d suffered long enough. And now, they were ready to take it out on the Rafinas.

The hatchlings couldn’t yet breathe frost. Their real enemies were only the few adults still in the nest.

Worried about drawing attention from returning Rafinas, they cast a sound barrier around the area and began their work.

They moved fast, slaying the remaining adults one after another. Once they were dealt with, they turned to the hatchlings.

“What are they doing?”

From a distant ridge, Eliza and the other mages watched the strange scene unfold. These were the same people who had been hiding from the Rafinas just a day ago—and now they were cheerfully slaughtering the hatchlings.

“Do Rafinas even have value?” one of the mages asked.

“Not really. Their hides are somewhat useful, but their meat’s poisonous.”

Over half of the hatchlings had already been killed, but some were kept alive—six in total. Each had deep wounds on their legs to keep them bleeding.

The attackers began dragging the young Rafinas down the mountain.

“Uh-oh…”

“I don’t like this…”

Rafinas might have been easier to deal with than Ice Nacs, but the nest they had attacked was only one of many. Eliza had seen several others—easily in the hundreds. And the number of dead young… it was staggering.

With the sound-blocking magic finally lifted, the cries of the young Rafinas pierced the air—shrill, panicked, and heartbreaking.

And soon, from all across the mountain peaks, came the replies.

Deep, guttural roars echoed in return—fierce and thunderous, nothing like the high-pitched wails of the hatchlings.

“Should we stop them…? Or…?” Eliza murmured, eyes narrowed.

She hesitated. Those descending the mountain weren’t just ordinary criminals. Among them, she was almost certain, were skilled mages—and possibly even a Sword master.

“We can’t take on a Sword master with just the three of us,” someone said beside her. “Let’s follow them for now.”

If they headed toward the northern fortress—toward the princess—they would alert the Tower Master immediately. Eliza nodded silently. That was the plan.

Meanwhile, Lewein had parted ways with Noy and taken the path that led toward the base of the fortress. There, members of Valter’s faction were waiting.

Once reunited with them, Lewein changed into his usual disguise—gear and face coverings he was long familiar with. Then he raised a spyglass and fixed his eyes on the fortress above, waiting for Noy to make his move.

Twilight was settling over the mountains—an ideal time to begin. Because of its location, night fell quickly at the fortress. It worked to their advantage.

From behind a tree, Lewein saw Noy staggering toward the fortress gates, disguised as one of the village boys—Jim.

His hair had been dyed dark to match the child’s. His clothes and skin were soaked in blood—taken from the man Lewein had killed earlier. That man had been their informant, their guide to the village.

Please… please help me…

Noy clung to the gate, screaming with desperation. Though they couldn’t hear him from this distance, the shape of his mouth was clear enough.

His voice didn’t perfectly match Jim’s—but Noy was a skilled mimic. He could imitate hoarse or frightened voices with eerie accuracy.

Soon, the gate—one that even Duke Valter himself hadn’t been able to open—began to creak.

He was let in.

The first phase of the plan had succeeded.

The key is Achilles, the Tower Master.

Could he be moved? Valter was counting on Charlize’s compassion. That she, watching it all unfold, wouldn’t be able to stay still. That she’d beg her fiancé to act.

“Who are you?” someone asked sharply.

“I’m Jim,” Noy answered, his voice trembling.

He had never spoken to the real Jim up close—he’d only observed from afar. But mimicking a wounded victim? That, he could do flawlessly.

He had once been a member of a bandit group. As a child, he had survived by playing roles—bait, beggar, hostage, whatever was needed.

When that group was finally crushed, his talent saved him. His current master took him in and gave him a new life—as an actor of deception.

So now…

I have to succeed. I will succeed.

Failure wasn’t an option. If he failed here, even his life wouldn’t be spared. Not with someone as dangerous as the Tower Master in play.

“Jim? The hunter’s boy, Jim? What happened to you?!”

“Our village… was attacked by monsters…”

Noy pleaded desperately, glancing over his shoulder with believable panic. The blood on him was real. He had run through the forest soaked in it, praying no wild creatures caught the scent.

As he clung to the gate and begged, someone inside shouted for him to step back—they were opening the door.

He stumbled away, pretending to limp, never breaking character.

“Get in, quickly!”

As the gate opened, he darted inside. He heard one of the guard’s shouting questions, and in a cracked, rasping voice, he urged them to close the gate before the monsters came.

“What happened?” a man asked, stepping forward. He looked more refined than the others—well-dressed, authoritative.

From his attire and demeanor, Noy guessed correctly: this was the steward, Baron-Jun, of the fortress. Rumor said he had lost one leg below the knee and wore a prosthetic, though it was barely noticeable.

“Our village… was attacked… monsters… please…”

“Someone get him water!”

Noy collapsed into a fit of gasping breaths. The panic, the terror—it all looked real. No one doubted him.

Clutching Baron-Jun’s sleeve, he begged.

“Please… help us… the villagers… Please!”

“There are no knights here,” the steward said with a pained expression.

He himself had once been a knight, but after losing his leg, he had given up the sword. There were no knights assigned to the fortress—only eight soldiers, not enough to repel a monster attack.

If only Her Highness had arrived with a full escort, perhaps there would’ve been more knights. But for some reason, she had come with only the Tower Master.

That’s right… the Tower Master!

Noy had heard stories. That the Tower Master had slain demon lords in the west. That he had felled dragons. If he stepped in, saving the village would be nothing to him.

But… wasn’t he the man soon to marry the princess? Would someone of such status even care about a poor village?

If it had been any other noble, Noy wouldn’t have dared hope. But he knew Princess Charlize—at least by reputation.

She wouldn’t ignore them. Not her.

If she heard what had happened, surely, she would ask her fiancé to act on the villagers’ behalf.

“I’ll inform Her Highness at once,” Baron-Jun said.

And with that, he hurried toward the inner residence.

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