As night fell, the irresistible aroma of food drifted through Kai's home as usual. The hearth fire crackled and danced, casting its glow upon the four figures seated around the table. It was meant to be the most relaxing hour of the day.
Megrie calmly lowered her soup spoon, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather. "Nata is preparing to marry me off to Orsenburg."
The words hit like a depth charge, instantly shattering the warmth of the dinner table.
"What?" Aaron's wine glass froze mid-air, his eyes turning sharp and cold. As a Captain of the Guard, he understood better than anyone the transactional nature hidden behind the word "marriage." He stared at Megrie, searching for any sign that she was joking.
"Why?" Kai set down his utensils and interlaced his fingers beneath his chin, his deep eyes narrowing slightly. He didn't ask to whom; he went straight for the motive. As a merchant, he immediately smelled the rot of corrupt interests behind this inter-city alliance.
"Absolutely not!"
A roar of fury erupted, breaking the scrutiny of the other two. Kino bolted upright so violently that his chair scraped across the floor with a harsh, grating screech. He slammed his hands onto the table, his face flushed red, his eyes burning with primal defiance and rage.
His explosive reaction drew everyone's gaze. Aaron's probing look, Kai's contemplative silence, and Megrie's piercing eyes all converged on him.
Kino suddenly snapped back to his senses. Realizing his reaction had been far too transparent, he awkwardly averted his gaze and let out an unnatural cough. "I mean..." he muttered, his eyes darting around. "I mean, if you leave, there'll be no one to make dinner. Don't you guys... still want to eat pizza and pancakes?"
His voice grew smaller with every word, trailing off until he looked as though he wanted to bury his head in his chest.
However, the atmosphere at the table did not lighten.
"I'm not going," Megrie's voice rang out, carrying a calm that brooked no argument. "There is someone in that castle who wants this marriage far more than I do. Since that's the case, I'll simply fulfill her wish. As for me, I'm staying to investigate the truth behind my father's death and to build my business. And for that, I will need your help."
Her words made the three men catch their breath simultaneously. They looked at the thin girl before them, her eyes shining like embers, and realized that the aura she radiated was no longer that of a distressed lady in exile.
"You already have a plan, don't you?" Kai leaned forward, a spark of admiration igniting in his eyes. He loved collaborating with intelligent people—especially a woman like Megrie, who could strike back from the brink of despair.
"I do." Megrie turned to Kai. "Kai, I need you to find me a hidden residence in the city and a shop in a prime location. Do not put the titles or leases in my name."
Kai nodded, his finger tapping the tabletop. "Leave the real estate to me. I guarantee no one will be able to trace it back to you."
Megrie then looked at Aaron, her tone solemn. "Aaron, please keep an eye out over the next few days. If a man named Loya comes looking for you, you must receive him. He is my stepbrother, but he is also my eyes and ears—my helper inside the castle."
Aaron's expression shifted. As Captain of the Guard, he had heard of the ill-reputed Loya, but he didn't ask questions. He simply gave a low, firm promise. "As long as he carries your token, I will ensure his safety."
Kino, who had been fidgeting restlessly, finally couldn't take it anymore. He pointed at himself, his eyes wide with the desperate plea of 'I want a mission too!' "What about me? Megrie, what can I do for you?"
Looking at Kino's hot-blooded, earnest face, a warm smile finally touched Megrie's lips. "As for you, I have the most important task of all. Once the shop is settled, you will be in charge of sales and reception. I'm going to open a Bakery."
The two novel terms created a brief vacuum of silence around the table.
"Sales?" Kai frowned, trying to decode the word through his mercantile experience. "You mean... a storefront for trade?"
"And what is a 'Bakery'?" Aaron asked, equally perplexed. In his world, bread and pastries were merely side dishes tossed together in a kitchen; he had never heard of them being the sole focus of an independent "shop."
Kino scratched the back of his head, repeating the words with a confused but honest expression. "Bake... what? Do you want me to help you build fires and roast meat?"
Looking at these three men—each a titan in his own field, yet looking utterly adorable in their bewilderment over modern commercial terms—Megrie couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"It will be a miracle the likes of which Tei Castle—no, all Five Castles—has never seen," she said, winking mysteriously. Her voice was full of ambition. "When the time comes, you'll see."
Late that night, the castle was swallowed by a heavy, suffocating darkness. Loya, moving like a startled bird, avoided the torchlight of the night patrol and silently pushed open the creaking door to Megrie's small room.
Megrie sat by the bed, the moonlight stretching her silhouette thin. She looked at the anxious youth before her and calmly began to explain her plan.
"Loya, I know your conscience is still intact and that you truly want to help me," Megrie's voice was light, but it held a grounding power. "I can no longer avoid the marriage to Orsenburg, so I plan to use this opportunity to disappear from this castle entirely."
"Disappear?" Loya's heart tightened. "Where will you run? The envoys from Orsenburg won't let you go easily."
"I won't leave Tei Castle." Megrie looked up, her gaze exceptionally cold in the dark. "I will hide in a secret place within the city. My father's death remains unexplained; I cannot leave while his memory is still clouded."
She leaned closer to Loya, her eyes filled with trust and expectation. "If you remember anything about my father before he died—even the smallest, most insignificant detail—you must tell me. If you need to find me, go to the Castle Guard and find a man named Aaron. He is my friend; you can trust him completely."
As she spoke, she took a delicate cloth pouch from her bodice and pressed it into Loya's hand.
"These are candies I made for you. You can't buy them anywhere else." Her tone softened. "When you see Aaron, show him this candy. He will understand that you are not like Nata or Gray—that you are the ally I have chosen."
Loya looked down at the pouch, feeling a faint, sweet warmth radiating into his palm. His mother and brother had always treated him as a pawn or a child; no one had ever looked at him like Megrie did—as an equal, a partner to whom one could entrust their life.
The small piece of candy felt as heavy as a mountain in his hand.
"I understand." Loya gripped the pouch, the last trace of hesitation vanishing from his eyes, replaced by a fierce, youthful resolve. "I'll keep a death-watch on Nata and Gray. If they make a single move, I'll make sure Aaron knows."
He looked at Megrie and gave a heavy, determined nod. He did not know that he was stepping into a storm that would overturn his family, but he knew that this time, he had chosen the right path.