Chapter 39

Terosa was belatedly regretting the decision she had made in the past.

Certainly, marriage talks had taken place between her family and the grand duke's house.

However, upon hearing that the prospective groom was sickly, she had quickly declined, and her father had dismissed the matter after a brief deliberation.

Perhaps, the grand duke had searched far and wide for a fiancé for his youngest son before finally settling on the Duke of Illenat's household.

'If it's Illenat, I could've had a chance too... Ah...'

Terosa turned her head cautiously, still lingering with regrets.

The figures of the two were gradually growing distant.

She had heard the rumors that the boy was frail and thin, but why did he look so perfectly fine from here?

'I can't trust any of it! How does he look sickly at all?'

Terosa, feeling frustrated, reluctantly moved her steps.

Of course, it was better to be healthy than ill, but that didn't mean she wanted to spend her life married to someone unattractive.

At least if he had a decent face, she wouldn't feel embarrassed wherever she went, and her heart would be at ease.

And if she happened to like him as well, she could easily ignore all the trivial issues.

'It's so unfair that I can't even get married over this. I mean, how could they just... Ahh...'

As always, Terosa was searching for a marriage partner.

In truth, she was trying to escape, even just a little, from the arranged marriage her family was unilaterally pushing for.

So she was always on the lookout for a noble heir who suited her, and the grand duke's youngest son fit the bill.

'Of all people, it had to be Brillie... Ah, I might just lose my mind.'

Brillie, like herself, was a duke's daughter, but she did not possess the refinement expected of a lady.

She merely carried a sword and acted as a knight, just like rough-looking men.

Yet her skills and accomplishments were proven, making her seem all the more out of place.

'I can't get married like this. How am I supposed to endure this?'

She couldn't even complain; blaming others seemed almost beneath her.

It was she herself who had refused the grand duke's youngest son.

Of course, even if she had accepted the engagement, her father might have objected, but such speculation was meaningless now.

'I should at least try to find someone who resembles him. Surely there's at least one or two, somewhere?'

Steeling her heart, Terosa readjusted her parasol.

She couldn't bring herself to wish for their engagement to break off, nor did she want to display such petty jealousy.

After all, so-called "fate" was not something one could overcome with human will.

'If we really are fated, the chance will come. A broken engagement isn't all that difficult, after all.'

Terosa still harbored a faint romanticism about fate.

She hoped, even if it was just an arranged marriage, that someone suitable for her would appear.

For now she busied herself refining her own appearance, clinging to that hope.

'Whether you're my fate or not... shall I observe just a bit longer?'

* * *

Clarke nonchalantly vaulted over the barrier and landed slowly.The soldiers had gone off in another direction on patrol, and only a few rooms of the mansion were lit from within.By now, most people would be asleep, so it was finally time to start moving.

'Shall I just take a look at the interior structure and leave today?'

Clarke stealthily set foot around the mansion.Not even the sound of his breathing, let alone his footsteps, could be heard.It was almost as if he had merged with the darkness itself, hiding even the presence of his existence.

'The place is quite spacious. Indeed, a duke's house is something else.'

Clarke evaded the soldiers while searching for a wall he could scale.

On principle, one should not steal from House Illenat.

But principles could be forged by others, and there was always the chance that the duke's house had concealed their wrongdoings.

Above all, he only intended to look around for a moment, so it could hardly be called a crime.

'This spot will do.'

Clarke placed his foot on the wall and quickly climbed up.

No one could possibly discover he was climbing the wall.

Moving swiftly, he used a special technique to ensure not even the smallest sound escaped.

'First, let's get up to the roof...'

Clarke reached the mansion's roof and quietly scanned his surroundings.

No one would expect an intruder to have ascended to the rooftop in mere moments.

Meanwhile, having taken the high ground, he could watch the soldiers' movements at a glance and move stealthily.

'Where might the young lady who wields a sword be?'

Clarke walked slowly along the roof, seeking the room where his target might be staying.

Usually, guest rooms were placed on the upper floors, and the lower floors used for managing the mansion.

Which meant the family members would generally reside in the middle floor, where the essential rooms were also located.

'In my experience, women's rooms tend to be around here...'

Trusting his instincts, Clarke chose a room.

By now, the resident would likely be in bed or already fast asleep.

Of course, if she was a skilled swordsman, even the slightest disturbance would be detected, so he had to always move with caution.

'Doesn't the Duke of Illenat have only one daughter? That must be it, then.'

Clarke checked the positions of the soldiers several times before climbing down the wall.

His sense, honed by years of theft, was rarely mistaken.

And even if he was wrong, he could escape so swiftly they'd never guess his route.

'Usually windows like these aren't locked...'

Standing upright atop the wall, Clarke tilted his head.

No matter how meticulously nobles inspected their mansions, they often left their own rooms poorly secured.

The mansion itself was tended to with care by servants, but nobles themselves grew negligent.

That was why windows frequently went unlatched, but this time, he chanced upon an extraordinarily rare exception.

'That gives me more confidence. A young lady who uses a sword should give off that kind of impression.'

As if it was nothing, Clarke pulled out a slender tool and began picking at the window frame.

Peeking inside, he didn't notice any particular movement.

Either the occupant was fast asleep, or had not yet returned to their room.

'If I do it like this... it should open.'

Clarke carefully slid the latch free and slowly pushed the window open.

Of course, he had to ensure not a single sound escaped during this process.

Only such people could be called phantom thieves, moving seamlessly through this world.

'It seems I haven't been detected yet...'

Clarke was just about to step through the window frame when he suddenly met someone's eyes.

The clear, deep blue gaze made a strong impression, but it wasn't the Duke of Illenat's second daughter.

At a glance, it could be mistaken for a woman, but it was undoubtedly a man.

If anything, it was odder that a man had such beauty.

"Are you the famous phantom thief?"

Alter slowly emerged from one corner, keeping his eyes on Clarke.

He had sensed a change in the magic power earlier and positioned himself ahead of time.

He suspected a thief, but never imagined he'd meet one in his own room.

"I didn't expect my feeling to be wrong. Or is it? Perhaps it's not entirely wrong?"

Clarke stopped where he was and murmured confidently.

He was off target from his original purpose, but the result wasn't so bad.

The grand duke's youngest also had dazzling looks to rival his target.

Meeting by coincidence like this could be called fate in its own way.

"You didn't come to see me, did you?"

"That's true...but this isn't so bad, don't you think?"

Clarke belatedly stepped into the room and closed the window.

Alter simply continued watching Clarke without showing any reaction.

If Clarke was caught like this, things could get messy, so it seemed Alter intended to restore the environment to its original state first.

"You don't look surprised to see me. Aren't you worried you might get kidnapped?"

"Do thieves kidnap people these days?"

"My, a thief, you say. Can't you call me a 'phantom thief'?"

"It sounds better, but isn't it the same as a thief?"

"'Chivalrous thief' also has a good ring to it."

"You're just pretending to be one, aren't you?"

"Aren't you being too sarcastic? I'd love it if my face value was acknowledged a little more."

"You want me to be polite to a thief? You should be grateful I haven't kicked you out already."

Alter openly mocked him, but showed no hostility.

The Phantom Thief only stole expensive items; he didn't commit particularly evil acts.

In fact, he'd never hurt anyone, always maintaining a consistent attitude.

"So why haven't you kicked me out yet? Shouldn't you at least shout?"

"I'm a bit tired...and I don't particularly want to fight. I'll let you go this time, so don't come back."

Alter already knew Clarke was in the wrong room.

Originally, he should have broken into Brillie's room and confronted her.

But he'd accidentally entered another and ended up facing Alter.

"Well, you're surprisingly generous. I take back what I said about your face value."

"Do I need to say 'get lost' for you to understand? Hurry up and disappear; you're annoying."

"Well then, for the sake of your kindness, I really shouldn't come back here, should I?"

Clarke glanced out the window, replying nonchalantly.

He usually wore his hair tied back, but now it was completely loose.

Even lacking masculine features, his hair, hanging down, drew attention.

"How about cutting your hair? Someone's going to call you a beauty at this rate."

"Worry about your own affairs. For someone on the run, you sure talk a lot."

"I'm not on the run, I'm ahead. Everyone's trying to catch up because they're behind me, isn't that it?"

"Someone ahead goes around stealing from others?"

"If I want to take what was gained unfairly, is there anything wrong with that?"

"By that logic, I can take your things, and you couldn't object?"

"Oh, resorting to provocation now? If you're confident, please feel free to challenge me any time, young lady of the grand duke's house."

"... You're really insane."

Alter murmured, his eyes narrowing.Although the intrusion had been discovered, Clarke had brazenly walked into the room.He'd even closed the window and started an absurd conversation with Alter.

"This world's already crazy, so why can't I go crazy too? Once in a while, I get to meet beautiful young ladies like you."

"Ha... Get out. If you sneak around again, I'll freeze your mouth first."

"As you command, young lady of the grand duke's house. I look forward to the day we meet again."

Clarke respectfully bent his arm and bowed.Then he quietly opened the window and leapt out.Alter gazed blankly after him, then let out a sigh.

'Can't they do anything right? They should be looking for Brillie, so why do they keep coming to me?'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Young lady isn't a mistake...The Phantom Thief is teasing Alter for looking like a sissy... I mean, girl...【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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