Who Brought the Head Maid Back? - Chapter 22

“That is truly strange.”

“Not a single person committed a crime?”

Melbourne scratched the back of his head sheepishly and chuckled.

“At most, it was someone urinating in a honey jar, driving a nail into a pumpkin, or dumping waste in a vineyard. Usually, they’d just take a few hits from Captain Morton and get cursed at while being paraded around the neighborhood, and that was the end of it.”

” ”

Amy blinked in silence. She wondered what kind of incredibly innocent village this was.

‘The most scandalous crime was urinating in a honey jar? Is it like this in every rural area?’

Having lived only in the city and experienced all sorts of hardships, Amy found the warm, friendly atmosphere here as foreign as the biting cold.

‘Still, it’s much better than a place overflowing with conspiracies and schemes.’

Just then, while she was nodding at that thought, the voice of Captain Vernon who was inspecting the interior, reached her ears.

“Wait, the path is blocked further in.”

Amy hurried to where he was pointing and placed both hands on a stone wall where collapsed rocks were piled askew.

“Melbourne, is this facing North?”

“Ah ”

The steward quickly visualized the layout in his head and nodded. “Yes. It seems so.”

“Is there a floor below?”

“No. This is the lowest level of the basement.”

“Good.”

As soon as the steward finished speaking, Amy began to meticulously feel the stone wall. Vernon and Melbourne watched her with confusion before sliding closer to join in.

“What exactly are we looking for?”

At Vernon’s question, Amy shook her head. “Just check if there’s anything unusual.”

For a long while, the three of them clung to the stone wall, pressing on the stones and searching every inch. Just as their backs began to ache and their palms grew numb from the moisture and cold, Amy’s fingertips sensed something.

It was a tiny, protruding stone. Amy tried pressing it firmly. However, the wall remained unchanged. But the moment she reflexively pulled it, a clicking sound echoed, and a round hole appeared in the wall. It was a small opening, barely large enough for a small hand to fit through.

” ”

She swallowed hard and cautiously reached inside to feel around. The hole was such a perfect circle that it was hard to believe it had formed naturally, which convinced her this was the place.

Suppressing her excitement, she searched carefully until her hand caught on something like a handle. Amy pulled it in one smooth motion.

Rumble, rumble.

With a low vibration, the edges of the stone wall crumbled, and another opening appeared. Vernon and Melbourne quickly stepped to Amy’s side to protect her.

They waited for the dust to settle before approaching the hole. Vernon thrust his torch inside to inspect the interior. Amy spoke up.

“I’m going in.”

Startled, the two men tried to stop her. “It’s dangerous.”

“It’s fine. There probably isn’t much in there.”

Vernon hesitated but eventually lowered the arm blocking her path and handed her the torch. Amy held the light high and stepped cautiously inside.

” ”

Inside a room small enough to be seen at a glance, she spotted a single table set against the opposite wall. Amy slowly approached it.

“Is this it?”

On the table sat a statue about the size of a child’s head. It featured a small sphere in the center surrounded by several other spheres, and the entire piece was jet black.

Amy pulled a linen cloth from her vest, wrapped the object, and carefully cradled it in her arms.

“Let’s go.”

Vernon and Melbourne were inwardly surprised that Amy had actually retrieved something, but they didn’t show it. They lit the path and guided her out to ensure she didn’t trip. When they finally stood above ground, Melbourne let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“May I ask what that is?”

Vernon asked immediately, his mouth practically itching to speak the moment they climbed the stairs. Melbourne also waited for Amy’s answer, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Amy glanced down at the object she was holding tightly with both arms.

“You’ll find out when the time is right.”

Amy headed for the Grand Duke’s office in the outer castle. Since Noah still had much to learn, it was the place she used most frequently. Once inside the office, she locked the door securely and carefully placed the statue on the table. Then, she pulled away the cloth.

” ”

She had felt it when she saw it by the dim light in the basement, but seeing it under the sunlight, she thought it was an even stranger object. It had a metallic texture that was neither iron nor copper; it was entirely black, yet it didn’t look like it had been painted with dye.

Amy stared at it blankly, her lips trembling slightly.

“It really existed.”

She swallowed and reached out, slowly stroking the object from the top. Her fingers delicately traced the cold, hard surface as she moved downward.

The moment her hand touched the flat base that secured the object, a clicking sound occurred, and a lid about the size of two knuckles popped open.

“What is this?”

Inside was a long, rod-like object with a pale yellow hue. Amy held her breath and carefully took it out.

“Is it a gemstone?”

As the sunlight hit it, it sparkled like a diamond.

‘Is this the power source? By what principle does it operate?’

She had many questions, but no way to find the answers. Amy looked at the mysterious object from various angles before returning it to its place. Then, she began feeling around the statue again. At that moment, a small, semi-circular protrusion touched the tip of her finger.

After a moment of hesitation, she pressed it firmly.

” ”

There was no reaction.

“What? I got nervous for nothing.”

Amy let out a held breath and brushed her hair back with a look of disappointment. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Amy, are you in here?”

It was Noah. Amy hurried to open the door. Noah asked as he entered, “I heard you went to the dungeon? Why did you go alone instead of taking me?”

“I went with Captain Vernon and Melbourne.”

“Still. From now on, take me with you.”

Just as Amy was about to furrow her brow and reply that she couldn’t do that, Noah spotted the statue on the table and stopped in his tracks.

“What’s that?”

“I found it in the dungeon. In my opinion ”

Amy trailed off and hesitated. She wondered if it was okay to tell him when it might not even work. Meanwhile, Noah didn’t wait for her answer and strode toward the statue. He reached out and touched it without a hint of fear.

At that moment, sparks flew with a loud crack.

“Ugh!”

Noah grimaced and clutched his ear with his hand.

“Your Highness!”

Amy rushed over, startled. Noah tried to give her a reassuring smile, but his face had turned deathly pale.

“Does your ear hurt? Let me see.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine, why are you holding it?”

At Amy’s insistence, Noah reluctantly lowered the hand covering his ear. Amy inspected it worriedly. Fortunately, aside from the earlobe where a black stone was pierced being slightly swollen and pink, there were no major issues.

“What is this black stone?”

“Oh, this? Mother gave it to me.”

Hearing Noah’s answer, she thought, This is also a legacy from his mother. At that moment, a low humming sound began to resonate from behind them.

“What!”

Startled, the two turned around to see the statue beginning to operate.

“It’s moving!”

As the small sphere in the center began to slowly rotate on its axis, the large and small spheres positioned around it like satellites also began to move. The central sphere was riddled with countless holes, and a swarm of golden light began to pour out from within.

As those lights met the orbiting spheres, they scattered into countless beams. The statue was enveloped in a dazzling light. It looked almost like a small, burning golden torch.

“My goodness ”

The sight of the device moving on its own while emitting light was so fantastical that the two stood there with their mouths agape, staring blankly at the scene.

How long had they been like that? A sudden, urgent knock sounded, and the office door burst open as Melbourne ran inside. He stopped for a moment upon seeing the device, staring at it with wide eyes. Then, he snapped back to his senses and spoke gravely.

“You must come outside, Your Highness. Something strange is happening right now.”

Noah, whose mind was preoccupied with the rotating device, asked perfunctorily, “What is it?”

Amy turned her gaze to Melbourne. Could it be already?

Melbourne wiped his sweat with an incredibly bewildered expression and stammered.

“The weather outside ”

He grimaced as if he couldn’t believe it himself and swallowed hard. Then, he spoke cautiously.

“It’s getting warm.”

The Grand Ducal Castle was in an uproar. Servants, guards, and villagers alike had rushed outside, staring dazed at the ground that was losing its brown hue and turning green.

The chef was still holding a large pan, and a laundry maid was clutching a basket as large as herself. The women who had been drying the meat of slaughtered animals for the winter stood still, their eyes wide in shock.

“What in the world ”

As someone muttered blankly, sweat began to slowly break out on everyone’s foreheads. The guards wearing thick leather armor were the first to throw off their protective gear. The servants followed, unfastening their thick cloaks, and the maids removed their headscarves and coats, standing in the breeze in their light under-clothing.

“It’s not cold ”

People looked at each other with their mouths agape. There was no way to understand what was happening.

“Can such a thing even happen?”

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