Late at night, Red Rose Manor.
This was an extremely expansive manor, and at its entrance, two Soldiers in white trousers and red military uniforms stood guard.
This was a royal property, the residence of Prince Edessak Augustus.
It was late at night, and in the misty gaslight of the manor, where no one should have been moving, a figure quietly appeared.
This was a man in his thirties, wearing a black trench coat and a white shirt. His hair was short, a golden-brown color. His eyes were dark green, like a moonless lake at night, and the collars of his shirt and trench coat were pulled high, hiding his entire chin in shadow.
He looked up at the distant villa, tugged at his red gloves, and said softly, in a voice only he could hear, "Tonight will be a bit busy."
Marcot was sound asleep. He was the manor's stableman; whenever the Prince needed to go out, he would drive the carriage. He had served the Prince for over ten years and had watched him grow from a boy into a man.
A knock sounded, and Marcot groggily woke up, somewhat disoriented, got out of bed, and opened the door.
Strangely, he felt no resistance or suspicion. After all, it was the middle of the night, and outside stood a man with his collar pulled high.
"Good evening, sir. I am Crestet Cesimir," the man in the black trench coat said politely.
"May I come in?" he asked again.
Marcot's eyes were vacant, as if still dreaming, and he said, "Please come in."
They sat on the small sofa in the room. The man who introduced himself as Crestet Cesimir leaned back comfortably against the chair, crossed his right leg over his left, and smiled slightly, "Mr. Marcot, may I ask you a few questions?"
"Please do," Marcot said, nodding as if he didn't know how to refuse.
"I want to know if there is a young woman around His Highness the Prince, someone who should have appeared recently," Crestet prompted.
Marcot chuckled, "Sir, His Highness the Prince has never lacked young women around him—it was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future."
Crestet bent his right index finger, pressed it against his nose, and pondered for a few seconds, "Let's rephrase that. Does His Highness the Prince have a sweetheart recently?"
Marcot nodded without hesitation, "Yes, not long ago, when His Highness the Prince was hunting in the forest, he accidentally injured a commoner woman who had appeared from who knows where. She was a lovely and innocent girl. His Highness fell in love with her at first sight and, despite objections, brought her back to the manor."
"His Highness not only treated her wounds but also kept her in the manor. I have never seen His Highness so infatuated with a woman, even if she was just a commoner."
Crestet narrowed his eyes slightly, "Do you know the background of that commoner woman?"
Marcot chuckled and shook his head, "Sir, I am just a stableman. If it weren't for the fact that I was driving the carriage during that hunt, I wouldn't know so many details."
"As for the background of His Highness's sweetheart, that is not something a stableman like me could know."
Crestet changed the question, "Do you know that woman's name?"
The stableman still shook his head, "We all call her Miss, but His Highness the Prince never told us what the Miss's name was. Of course, I wouldn't actively inquire; that would be taboo."
"You are very diligent, sir. Thank you for your time, and I wish you pleasant dreams."
Crestet stood up, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.
After leaving the stableman's dream, Crestet busily entered the dream of another sleeping person. Tonight, he was ordered to Red Rose Manor to investigate the matter of a witch being with His Highness the Prince.
Originally, this kind of investigative work, entering a target's dream, didn't require him, a 'Sword of the Goddess,' to do it. However, this matter was of great importance, and Anthony was not at ease entrusting it to others, which is why Crestet was here.
This time, Crestet entered the dream of a maid.
In the dream, it was afternoon, and the setting was an outdoor balcony in Red Rose Manor. The girl, who should have been wearing a black and white servant's dress, was instead wearing an elaborate and luxurious gown, elegantly seated on a carved chair, enjoying the sunlight and refreshments.
Crestet touched his nose and walked towards the girl, who was beautiful, in the prime of her youth, with brown hair that had natural curls, and a somewhat mischievous look about her.
"Good afternoon, beautiful Miss," Crestet asked with a smile, "May I sit here?"
The maid, who was dreaming, seemed unsurprised by Crestet's sudden appearance and agreed to let him sit down.
After Crestet sat down, he asked directly, "Has Prince Edessak fallen in love with a commoner woman?"
"Yes," the maid said, echoing the stableman's words, "Prince Edessak fell in love with her at first sight, just as described in all romance novels. He is obsessively in love with that Miss, forgetting his former beloved, and has fallen into the sweet river of love."
"Former beloved?"
Crestet leaned slightly forward, "Did Prince Edessak ever love anyone else?"
The maid showed a sweet smile, "A count's daughter, a girl as beautiful as an angel. To be honest, we all thought that was the person the Prince should love."
"So, after Prince Edessak met this commoner Miss, he forgot his previous beloved?"
"Yes, the Prince is very infatuated with the Miss who now lives in the manor."
Crestet changed his posture, "Regarding this Miss, have you noticed anything unusual?"
The brown-haired maid showed a thoughtful expression, and after a moment said, "I am responsible for serving that Miss, and she sometimes does have some peculiarities. For example, she will suddenly lose her temper with the Prince and try to escape. But soon after, she will be laughing and talking with the Prince again, and willing to stay in the manor."
"She occasionally shows repulsion towards the Prince. She will tease us. I mean, she teases us like a man, but in the end, she always sleeps in the Prince's bed."
"Oh, and she is also very good friends with Mr. Talim."
Crestet's expression shifted, "Talim?"
The maid nodded, "Yes, Mr. Talim is His Highness the Prince's riding instructor, and also His Highness's best friend. He is also the only one allowed by His Highness to meet and talk with that Miss alone."
Crestet pressed on, "What do Mr. Talim and the commoner Miss usually talk about?"
The maid shook her head, "I don't know. Usually, at such times, we are asked to leave the room."
"However, I once saw the Miss and Mr. Talim looking very intimate; they seemed to like each other too."
Crestet took a breath, rubbing his temples, "This story seems a bit complicated."