Chapter 2 Until Freedom It was a gamble, and she would win...
In the quiet study, Vifia drank the drink that the servant had just brought her. The only sounds in her ears were the sound of the Marquis flipping through parchment as he reviewed documents and the rustling sound of writing.
Vifiya calmly put down the teacup. The Marquis also stopped what he was doing and glanced at Vifiya in the reception area, as if he wanted to see something from her.
Vifiya seemed unaware of his gaze and continued to sit obediently in the same place, patiently waiting for him to finish the work at hand.
The Marquis stood up and slowly walked over to sit down opposite her. He leaned against the backrest, his hands resting naturally on the armrests, his eyes filled with the indifference that the girl was familiar with: "Tell me."
Vifiya didn't intend to speak directly. She knew how to make the Marquis believe her. Her brows softened, "Father, several knights have been withdrawn from the side study recently."
It is rare for the Marquis to withdraw his knights, but it is not difficult to notice if you pay a little attention.
The Marquis responded with a "hmm," motioning her to continue.
He didn't completely trust the daughter in front of him. After all, she had hurt him with her knife a few years ago, and now he had a dagger secretly on his waist.
"There will be a period of blank period when the knights change shifts." Vifiya said slowly, tilting her head slightly and looking directly at the Marquis.
The crimson eyes met his directly. Although her expression was gentle and harmless, the Marquis suddenly remembered her approaching him with a knife in hand. His hand on the armrest moved imperceptibly.
She suddenly looked away thoughtfully, then returned her gaze to him with a hint of joy: "Father, I was walking in the abandoned west house in the mansion yesterday. Guess what I saw?"
She met the Marquis's eyes, and without concealing the gloating in her eyes, she looked at the Marquis and said in disbelief, "I actually heard someone planning to steal documents in the side study."
The document that was about to be stolen was a plan for bidding on a mineral vein.
The Marquis' eyes instantly became sharp. He knew very well what Vifiya's words meant. Outsiders could not easily enter the Marquis Seronil's Mansion, which meant that there was a traitor in the mansion.
He stared at Vifiya as if he wanted to see through her. He had indeed made some mistakes in the mobilization of knights recently. It was not impossible that someone took this opportunity to steal the documents.
The study became quiet, and the two of them remained in a stalemate, refusing to give in to each other. At this moment, the Marquis suddenly realized that he had not been able to control his daughter, who had grown up unknowingly and without his knowledge.
Although she seems obedient now, you can't be sure when she will suddenly bite back.
The Marquis's face was as cold as ice, and the scrutiny in his eyes was no longer concealed: "Why did you go to the abandoned house?"
"Father, it's not important." Vifiya pushed a square object across the table.
The Marquis lowered his eyes and immediately recognized that this was one of the retainers of the Casely family. The family crest of the Dumont family was not an ordinary family crest, at least it had to be a relative.
"What if it's a frame-up?"
"What if not?" Vifiya asked back.
"Are you so sure that this is the truth?"
Vifiya had expected the Marquis's questioning. As one of the three founding families of the Segarot Empire, the Kesley family's action of summoning the Knights to apprehend a traitor within their mansion would inevitably lead to rumors, even if the servants were silenced. If there truly was a traitor, it would be fine. But if not...
The Kesleys’ recent political enemies will have loved this blunder.
Vifiya slowly picked up the teacup. She knew that even if the Marquis had believed her to some extent, he would not be easily persuaded. She needed to sprinkle some more things, something that would be enough to move the Marquis' heart.
She put the teacup back in its place and looked directly into the Marquis's eyes. For the current Marquis, how to make him believe this was actually very simple. All he had to do was to make her look more like a member of the Caseley family than his other two sons.
This reason may seem strange, but in all of Vifiya's life experience, the Marquis would look at her sideways for such a simple reason.
Her face showed helplessness and pity: "Father, I don't care about Kesley, you know."
It's time to place your bets.
"So, here's the deal, Father."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Marquis' hand holding the teacup stopped in mid-air, and the scrutiny in his eyes was no longer hidden.
Before she hurt herself, although her growth was reported to him by her personal maid, Vifiya still hid it from everyone and escaped his control in a way that no one could have imagined.
And after this incident, he took her into his hands again with a tough attitude and locked her in the luxurious cage he built for her.
Now, she was slipping out of his control again, uncontrollably.
Vifiya smiled lightly. She had lived so many lives, even if each life was incomplete, she still knew what the Marquis was thinking now.
[Vifiya] gave her her memories, so she knew that [Vifiya] had always been resisting, and now, she would continue to resist, no matter how many times it happened.
Until she was free, for [Vefiya] and for herself.
"Father, if the traitor really exists, please give me a reward as the Marquis of Seronil. If not, then in the days ahead, I am willing to dedicate everything to the name of Kesley."
In the eyes of the Marquis, a young lady who was locked up in the Marquis's mansion, had no friends and almost no social life, and all she had was herself.
Only in this way will the Marquis not doubt that the current Vifiya is not [Vifiya].
It was a gamble, and she would win.
Night soon enveloped the towering castle, and a bright moon hung high in the sky.
Everything went as planned.
Vifiya picked up the candle and strolled into the dim corridor.
In the silent castle, you can occasionally hear the sound of birds flapping their wings outside.
Three figures sneaked up to the deserted side study in the dead of night.
The moonlight fell into the room, casting a faint silver glow.
A tall and thin man came in and rummaged through the desk. The more he searched, the more anxious he became. His hands began to tremble uncontrollably and cold sweat slid down his face. He had no time to care and his hands moved faster.
The door suddenly opened!
The already nervous man instinctively looked over, his eyes full of panic.
I saw a girl holding a candle outside the door. The dim light shone on her face. Her red pupils were dull under the shadow of her eyelashes, but her golden hair was shining in the faint light.
In the dark castle, the girl looked even more eerie.
He recognized her at a glance. It was Vifia Caseley, the second daughter of the Marquis of Seronil.
But after a moment of hesitation, he immediately drew the dagger from his waist and rushed towards Vifiya.
At such a moment, she didn't hide or evade. A trace of doubt was rising in the man's heart. At a sufficient distance, he could see her expression clearly.
There was no expression on her face, she just looked at him quietly.
The man's face changed when he realized something was wrong. His two accomplices who were watching at the door did not make any sound and did not warn him!
Before she could do anything else, she was subdued in a few moves by the knights who came in behind her.
The castle was suddenly brightly lit, and a man with gray hair walked up to Vifia. Vifia took a step back and simply saluted: "Father."
The knight brought the skinny man before the Marquis of Kesley, and at the same time the other two were also brought over. They couldn't help swallowing, lowered their heads, and their eyes were wandering.
The Marquis turned his gaze away from the man and looked at Vifiya. Although he was disappointed, he said slowly: "Well done, Vifiya, go back to your room."
Upon hearing this, Vifiya stood beside him without moving an inch, and spoke gently, "Father."
The Marquis cast a sharp, scrutinizing glance at her, then quickly retracted his gaze, which once again fell on the three people. When he spoke again, his tone was faintly tentative: "Vifiya, how will you handle this?"
Vifiya did not speak immediately. Her eyes showed obedience to the Marquis, and her words were gentle: "Kill one first."
As soon as she finished speaking, the three men looked up in horror, and even the Marquis couldn't help but look at her again.
The scarlet pupils were clearly innocent, just like Vifiya's usual ones, but the Marquis still felt something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
He opened his mouth and ordered, "Wait for me in the study."
This time, Vifia obediently returned to the Marquis's study.
Her eyes fell unscrupulously on the Marquis's desk. It was the same place where she had sat in a previous life while trying to find clues to get home.
It was only after she encountered failure that she realized she needed power.
She became the first female marquis since the establishment of the Segarot Empire, but there are always gains and losses. She sat in this position. Even if she didn't care about Kesley, she couldn't ignore the people of the Seronil Territory. She should be responsible for the people of the territory.
Everything she had was no longer hers; she was "trapped" in Cyronil, and she could not abandon the people of the territory.
In that life, her clues pointed to the Holy See, but she could never go any further, as if there was some thin membrane blocking it.
When things were stagnant, she took the initiative to appoint the next heir to the Marquisate, until the next assassin came and she died under the assassin's sword.
The sound of the study door opening brought Vifiya back to her senses.
The Marquis glanced at her and sat down opposite her.
Vifiya smiled gently, and the Marquis looked at her seriously. Neither of them spoke first, and neither of them gave in.
After a long moment, the Marquis leaned back and casually said, "I'm not asking how you're so sure there's a traitor. You did a good job this time. What reward do you want?"
Upon hearing this, Vifiya asked, "Before that, Father, may I know what document the traitor wants to steal?"
The Marquis paused, but seeing that she looked frank, he spoke, "It's the plan for auctioning the Edo mine." It was indeed his negligence that gave the traitor an opportunity to take advantage of it.
The Erdo Mine is a large mineral vein that was recently discovered, and many nobles are interested in purchasing it.
Although Vifiya already knew the answer, she still looked surprised. She breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm so glad the plan wasn't stolen."
This sentence is not important. What is important is to remind the Marquis of the value of this matter.
After a pause, she spoke again: "Father, I don't need anything special right now. Can I keep this reward for later? It won't embarrass you."
Although he didn't know why she wanted such a reward, the way she bet her most precious thing made her unexpectedly more like a member of the Caseley family than his other two sons.
For a moment, the Marquis felt a little complicated, but he did not refuse her. He wrote the promised reward on the parchment, stamped it with his own seal, and let her go back to rest.
As for the follow-up treatment of the traitor, the Marquis did not think Vifia knew.
On the way back to her room, Vifiya passed by Stellan's bedroom, which was pitch black.
But Vifia didn't care. Before leaving Seronil, in addition to leaving a reward with the Marquis, she also asked the Marquise to do two things for her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
