CHAPTER 3

THE UNCOMFORTABLE ride of their family's carriage along with an eerie silence accompanied Tori and Lillian. Aside from the coachman, they only brought one knight. But Lillian worried why Tori asked her to bring a hefty amount of gold coins, even if they could just tell the tailor shop to put the tab in the Rozenreff Duchy. Tori also tasked Lillian to bring three coats, which were commonly used to hide one's identity. She had a bad feeling about this one.

Tori enjoyed the scenery silently. She's busy secretly comparing her surroundings from the Netflix adaptation of the novel. But she could feel the intense gaze laced with worry from her maid. And she knew her requests were rather odd for poor Lily.

Worry not, Lily. Unlike before, this is not something irrational. This is a preemptive measure for my future safeguard.

The Rozenreff Duchy indeed posses the knights that were on par with the Royal Knights, but these knights were loyal to the Rozenreff Family, not to her, Lady Victoria Rozenreff. She needed someone loyal to his master, which was both a future genius knight and someone with power. And no one would fit like a glove other than the future royal guard captain, Rowan Cristoff Castaña.

He's one of the two second-male leads of this series. At seventeen, the Duke of Castaña recognized him as his illegitimate son. With noble blood, he could become the youngest captain of the Royal Guard. But before the plot started, he was just a poor boy from the slumps of Pivet Alley. If her calculation was correct, by next year at spring, the Duke of Castaña Duchy would take this young talent. It would be a waste to let this raw gem go.

Before you form any ties, I will make you indebted to me. That way, you will keep wondering about my benevolent heart and will choose to serve me as a knight for your entire life. Once the blood oath has been made and when the Duke of Castaña would claim him. The power of the Castaña Duchy will be at my disposal.

"We arrived, Lady Tori." Lily announced. The knight opened the carriage, and he escorted her down gently. They're in front of the most sought-after tailor shop in the capital, Millesence.

The owner was the one who escorted her the entire time.

"Lady Victoria, it's been a while since you came here yourself. Your presence humbles me." The middle-aged woman bowed slightly to show her respect.

In which she replied with a perfect noble lady's courtesy in front of the other noble customers. This was a simple piece for this body since the original Victoria grew up as a noble lady. A perfect balance while bending the left knee right behind the right knee, a straight-up posture, and with only three fingers holding each side of the dress. "Your flattery indulges me, thank you."

"Is that the eldest daughter of the Rozenreff Dukedom?"

"She's the late duchess' daughter, oh my. What a sight to behold."

"Is she the heir apparent of the Rozenreff Dukedom? If she is, then she deserves it!"

"I heard she is a spoiled rotten lady?"

"I guess they are just baseless rumors."

The positive feedback rained as she intended. "What style would you prefer, Lady Victoria?"

"Give me everything that's something modest yet elegant."

The owner looked taken aback by her request, but he immediately composed himself. At least he knew not to meddle with trivial matters. That's why Tori loved merchants. They always exercise a benefit for a benefit.

The tailors measured her swiftly. "Deliver this to the Rozenreff estate and put my tab under the duchy. Thank you." She smiled sweetly at the tailors and the owner which was for everyone to see.

The moment they went back inside their carriage, her sweet innocent smile vanished. "Lily, prepare the coats. And tell the coachman to head to the Pivet Alley. Give the other coat to the knight and wear the last one."

Dread consumed Lilly's face when she mentioned the wretched place of the slums, also known as Pivet Alley. A noble lady coming to the slums was like practically begging to harass her for gold coins, thus the use of coats. Visitors of slums who used the coats to conceal their identity meant that they have a business to the Assassination Guild hidden inside the Pivet Alley, but they were only hiding behind the pretext of the coat to deceive the criminals and beggars of Pivet Alley. What Tori was aiming for was a small junction at the eastern part of the Pivet Alley, which Rowan Cristof lives.

Tori knew this since Rowan Cristof told this personal information to Sabina at Season 3 of the series. Tori would use this information for herself.

Hiding her identity behind the dark baggy coat with two servants after her, the beggars and small-time criminals wisely avoided them as they concluded that they're a guild's customers.

"Do not make any eye contact," she whispered to Lily, who was trembling. Tori could not blame her. Lily lived all her life as a maid in the Rozenreff Duchy since the time that Victoria's mother, the late duchess, took her from the orphanage. Lily was surely not used to the smelly and dirty alleys as beggars loitered around.

"Yes, my lady."

Tori asked Lily and the knight, Dean, to address her as 'my lady' when they stepped out from the carriage.

I need to find Rowan!

The power struggle became the crucial point of the story after the wretched Sabina successfully eliminated the true heir of the Rozenreff Dukedom, Victoria. After gaining the power as the Crown Princess, she aimed to be 'The Queen' thus she manipulated everything for the destruction of those who opposed her and her dream. For Tori's past life, when she watched Sabina killing anyone who just dared to look at her in a wrong way, she knew she couldn't watch the Thorny Crown anymore. She abhorred the idea of Sabina getting what she wanted.

And now, I have the chance to clip your horns before it sprouts, dearest sister of mine.

"Are we lost, my lady?" Lily piped in.

"If I may, my lady. I can guide you to the guild's store." The knight hinted.

They thought she got lost. Partially, they're correct. But rather than lost, she was just wandering while looking for a barely fifteen boy with sandy hair and a pair of cobalt eyes. Hence, she's walking towards the area where he lives. The chances of meeting him there would be high.

Tori stopped in her tracks when a bony boy with sandy hair and cobalt eyes laid on the dirty ground of the alley. His harsh glare directed to those young criminals that surrounded him and his stance seemed like he's protecting something underneath him. The surrounding criminals kicked his bony body, but his harsh glare never faltered for a second.

Ah, there he is.

Tori surely displayed a triumphant smirk on her face. She couldn't contain her delight.

He is indeed the rawest of the gems. I can't wait to polish him.

Tori walked towards them and when she was a meter away from the sprawled boy, he looked up at her.

"Dean, take care of them. I want the one sprawled on the ground."

"Yes, my lady."

Tori's knight easily picked up the three gangly criminals away from Rowan. The protests of the three echoed in the narrow alley, but no one dared to help them. The latter kept his head down as he clutched something underneath him, something important for him. Is it food or medicine?

"My lady!" Lily protested when she crouched towards the boy. No one would believe her if she told them that this boy in front of her was already fifteen, much less than if she told them that this would be the future captain of the royal guards.

Tori offered her right hand. "Come with me, boy. If you do, I will provide you a shelter above your head and a bountiful meal every day. All I ask of you is to come with and get out of this hellhole."

Rowan's penetrating gaze pierced her, but she never let go of her gaze onto him. She wanted to convey that she's serious and he could trust him.

"W-what do you want from me?" His voice though gruff was truly trembling, from hunger or for fear, she never knew.

"I'll tell you after you take my hand."

"I won't go with you! You're just going to sell me like what happened to my friends! Nobles are animals!"

"Why, you insolent brat!" Dean drew his sword.

"My lady, be careful!"

"Put the sword back. You're scaring him." Tori coldly brushed her knight. Dean couldn't do anything but placed his sword back. Lily covered her mouth from the shock of the earlier outburst. But Tori remained calm. Now, Rowan was cowering while covering his head for any coming impact.

"You poor boy. Come with me and I'll protect you. And when you're powerful enough, protect me too. How about that?"

Once again, Tori offered her right hand to him. Rowan snuck a peek and clearly at awed with the ruby-eyed woman before him. His gaze alternately changed from her hand to her face and vice versa.

Now, future duke, take my hand.

"Promise?"

Tori grinned, "I promise. And to honor that promise, I'll give you this." She took her necklace and placed it around his neck. "This is a symbol of my promise. Now, will you come with me, boy?"

Even with wariness in his heart, he held her hand. A bright smile graced Tori's lips.

ROWAN WAS inside their carriage. Tori let him wore her used coat to cover his body from the cold. He was now sleeping after staring at her like she's some kind of odd creature. Tori couldn't help but smile as she watched her necklace dangling from his neck.

"What will the duke say about this, Lady Tori?"

"Worry not, Lily. I already came up with an idea. After all, I am my mother's daughter."

Victoria's mother was popular for her kind and giving heart back when she was still alive. She could pretend that she inherited that specific trait of her mother.

"Do you know him, Lady Tori?"

She stared at the boy for a long time before she answered Lily. "Yes. I know him from a long time ago."

Lily felt more bothered. She was positive that Lady Victoria disliked going out of the manor.

Every time you see that necklace, you will remember this goodwill. In the future, you will remember it is I who saved you from that wretched place. Not your father, not the king, and not Sabina, but Lady Victoria Rozenreff.