"My lord," Charles's subordinate reported, "our men confirmed Miss Rebecca bought herbs from demon potion shops and pharmacies across the city. Busy stores don't recall specifics but remember her visits—Rebecca is stunningly beautiful. However, some shop owners noted her purchases. Here's the list." He handed over a paper.
Charles glanced at it. Unfamiliar with such matters, he only skimmed it. He looked up. "Any issues with these herbs?"
"My lord, I consulted physicians. They don't know this combination's purpose, but it's not poison."
Charles nodded, frowning as he stared at the list for a long time. "Keep watching her. Strengthen contacts with Black Town in the Dark Forest. Uncover anything else."
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate left. Charles never imagined Rebecca—a girl with no roots in Rucadan—had accidentally met Rucadan's top Witch Maiden. Intrigued by why such a beautiful girl liked demon potions, the Witch Maiden noticed her on her first shop visit. She'd resolved to protect this strange girl. Thus, Charles's findings were utterly distorted. He didn't know Rebecca bought demon potion materials, including ingredients for a transformation potion to alter her appearance.
Rebecca's luck was unbelievable. Now, she'd deepened ties with the Witch Maiden, who fed false info to sabotage Charles's investigation. Charles could find no trace here. Unless he discovered someone secretly shielding Rebecca, the Ruta Family could uncover the truth. But Charles had no clue he was in the dark.
"My lord! My lord! Disaster!" The subordinate rushed back.
"What?!" Charles asked, alarmed. Rebecca was an unstable element in the Ruta Family. Seeing his panic, how could Charles stay calm?
"Miss Rebecca... she... she..."
"What happened?!"
"She caught several messenger pigeons... then plucked and killed them..."
"Huh?!" Charles's head throbbed. "Repeat that."
"Miss Rebecca seized fine-bred messenger pigeons, even young ones! The rest are too frightened to settle. We can't send messages! My lord, our Black Town contact relies entirely on them!"
Charles rubbed his slightly aching temples. *Is this deliberate? Does she know I use pigeons to contact the Dark Forest?*
"My lord... what now?"
"Protect the remaining pigeons. Send someone via teleportation array to Lisang City, then to Black Town. It costs more, but we must." Charles sighed.
Ironically, this route matched Rebecca's path when "rescued" by Laura to Rucadan. Traveling from Rucadan to Lisang City via array, then riding to Black Town, took significant time.
Charles left his study and reached Rebecca's courtyard. He saw gutted pigeons and Selena trembling nearby. Selena knew their value, but she'd arrived too late.
"Rebecca..." Charles eyed her cleaning pigeons beside a stove and tools. His head ached. *Cooking them? These aren't ordinary pigeons! Breeding messenger pigeons is so troublesome!* He didn't care about cost, but the hassle...
"Hm...?" Rebecca turned, blinking innocently at Charles.
Her gaze disarmed him. He couldn't tell if this was intentional or coincidence.
Charles waved Selena—kneeling and shaking—to leave. He approached Rebecca. "What are you doing?"
"These pigeons are plump... I thought they'd taste good... so I caught a few..."
Charles suppressed his frustration. Her skilled motions showed she wasn't a novice cook.
"Um... these are messenger pigeons..."
"Messenger pigeons?!" Rebecca froze. She stared at the plucked, bled, gutted birds. Then she stole a glance at Charles, like a scolded child.
"Uh..." Charles's anger dissolved. He'd planned to rage and probe, but her deceptive looks left him speechless.
"Alright... fine. It's okay. Eat them if you like. But call the chef next time—you might hurt yourself." He sighed. Though suspicious, Duke Ruta doted on her; he didn't want her injured.
"Oh... sorry..." Rebecca apologized sincerely.
To her, messenger pigeons were mythical. In her Earth world with advanced tech, she'd assumed these were food pigeons, not cinematic relics.
"It's fine... it's fine..." Charles waved and left unsteadily.
Poor Charles.
