After her talk with Gilbert, Stella went straight to her room.
She quietly closed the door behind her, then quickly changed her clothes to go back to the library and finish her work.
She had spent the night there before, searching through an old box. She checked the books one by one, hoping to find something that explained the continent's history in more detail, but she found nothing.
What occupied her mind now was not the books.
It was a single name that kept repeating in her thoughts.
"Rosamund Linden."
"That spoiled, arrogant girl… who does she think she is, bullying me like that? Just because she comes from a rich family? Fine… I'll show you."
Stella suddenly stopped thinking. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms.
"Wait. Calm down. Why am I letting this bother me? I've faced worse than her and didn't lose my temper like this. I need to control myself before I do something stupid."
Once she felt calmer, she left her room and hurried toward the library. She remembered the mess she had left there the night before.
"I need to clean the place before Liam comes after dinner like he usually does. I don't want him to see it like this."
Even though Liam was known for being kind to the servants, Stella never wanted to disappoint him.
In her eyes, kind people were often the scariest when they got angry.
Another thought suddenly crossed her mind.
"What were the men from the Caden family doing in the city?"
She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's none of my business. Liam surely has his own ways of dealing with it. No need to cause trouble."
Avoiding trouble was something Stella had learned well over the past few years, at work, at school, in her neighborhood, and even in her family's home.
Most of the time, staying silent was the safest choice.
When she reached the library, she noticed the door was already open. She frowned and whispered,
"Oh… I'm late. I hope Mr. Loran isn't here instead of Liam."
As soon as she stepped inside, she heard two people talking quietly.
One voice was familiar, the other was not.
"Who is that? Usually only family members are here… besides me."
She hesitated at the door, unsure whether to enter or turn back, when Liam's voice called out, "Miss White? You're here? Please come in."
Stella went inside.
There was a stranger standing in the room, someone she had never seen in the house before. She gave him a quick look, "He doesn't look like a normal servant."
He looked about the same age as Liam. He was tall, with light brown hair tied back, fair skin, and sharp blue eyes. He looked calm and confident.
He smiled slightly when he saw Stella.
Liam introduced her, "This is Miss Alina White, Annie's nunny and the person in charge of the library."
The young man nodded politely, "Nice to meet you, Miss."
Liam continued, "This is Anthony Morel, my close friend and my assistant."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Morel," Stella said politely.
After that, Liam said seriously, "We actually came to talk to you about something important, Miss Alina."
Stella felt her heart skip a beat.
"Did they find out about me? My real identity? My lie about where I'm from? Or is something else wrong?"
Before she could think further, Anthony spoke calmly, "You noticed the Caden family's delegation in the crowd today. I saw you."
"Huuh…?"
Stella's eyes widened.
Anthony continued, "You were the only one who noticed. You're very observant."
Stella tried to hide her shock. Only one thought filled her mind, "I have to avoid troubles !"
She said calmly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Morel, but what delegation are you talking about?"
Both Anthony and Liam smiled.
"No need to lie," Anthony said. "I saw everything you did. You reacted well."
Ignoring him, Stella turned to Liam.
"Sir, can you explain what this means?"
Liam replied calmly, "In short, the governor of this region, and the Loran family, are watching the Caden family closely."
"You mean spying on them," Stella said.
Liam laughed lightly, "Exactly. That's why I sent Anthony and some trusted men. Anthony was part of the group you noticed today."
Stella asked, "Then why involve someone like me?"
Liam looked at her seriously, "We need more people. People we can trust. People who are smart and capable. We need someone on the inside."
He paused, then said, "And we chose you, Miss White. There is no one better for this."
"W.....What?!"
Stella's mind went blank, as if time had stopped.