A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 85: Was Nadia really related to Moonstone House?

In one swift motion, he lifted the chest, its weight heavier than expected. His movements remained controlled, careful not to disturb anything else.

He swore himself not to pocket anything inside no matter what. Just a little peek inside and he will return it to its exact spot.

After taking another glance at the sleeping woman, Kael vanished into the night.

Kael stood in the moonlit clearing, the wooden chest resting on a flat rock before him. The residential areas were far away, and only the rustling of wild plants and the occasional chirp of nocturnal creatures accompanied him.

He exhaled slowly, stretching his fingers before placing them on the chest. A faint glow of mana spread from his hands, sensing the enchantment woven into the wood.

It wasn’t particularly strong.

With precise control, Kael manipulated his mana to unravel the spell, carefully dismantling its structure. The resistance was minimal, and within moments, the magic crumbled like sand slipping through fingers.

Click.

The chest unlocked.

But the moment he lifted the lid—

Fwoosh!

A stream of thick, green liquid shot out.

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Kael’s instincts kicked in. With a sharp twist of his body, he dodged effortlessly. The liquid missed him by inches, splattering onto the nearby rocks.

Sssssssss!

The rocks sizzled and melted instantly, dissolving into nothingness.

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"A super-corrosive liquid… Definitely the work of an alchemist. As expected of a grandmaster." His lips curled into a smirk. An ordinary thief would’ve died the moment they opened it. But he wasn’t ordinary.

He turned his attention back to the now-open chest, his curiosity deepening. Just what was so important that it needed a trap like this?

When he did, he found three objects lying within.

The first—a human heart, still beating. Faint golden energy chains wrapped around it, as if sealing it.

"A heart? Is it her own heart or someone else?" He couldn’t help but wonder for a moment before his eyes shifted to the second item lying around.

It was a crimson stone, crystalline and glass-like, emanating an otherworldly aura.

And the last—a scarlet wool cloak.

Cleodore, perched on his shoulder, broke the silence. "It’s the cloak. That’s what smells like you."

He narrowed his eyes. Carefully, he inspected the fabric from above the chest, ensuring no more hidden traps lay in wait. Sensing no danger, he reached forward and picked it up.

The material felt old yet well-preserved, nothing too extravagant—likely worth a few hundred gold coins at most.

But it wasn’t the quality that stunned him. It was the crest embroidered on the cloak. "This…" Kael’s breath hitched.

A five-clawed black and gold dragon.

It was the ancient crest of House Moonstone, used for centuries before it was altered to a five-clawed gold dragon.

His grip on the cloak tightened. No wonder the spirit sensed familiarity. It was the scent of his bloodline.

"An ancestor’s cloak…?"

Kael’s mind raced. He glanced at the chest again, his gaze drifting between the heart, the crimson stone, and the cloak.

His eyes darkened. "Just who exactly is Nadia…? Why did she have this cloak? Was she really connected to the Moonstone House?" His mind was filled with questions, and only Nadia could give him answers to them. But, how should he get them? That’s the next challenge.

After a while;

Kael carefully placed the chest back inside the wardrobe, ensuring everything looked as close to its original state as possible. Nadia remained undisturbed, still deep in sleep. With a silent breath, he slipped out of the residence unnoticed.

From start to the end, Nadia didn’t even notice a little thing.

The next morning, as sunlight filtered through her window, Nadia stirred awake. Going about her usual routine, she freshened up before heading to her wardrobe.

As she opened it, her sharp eyes immediately caught something unusual.

The wooden chest was slightly off—just a few inches deeper into the compartment than before.

Alchemists are researchers. The deeper their mastery goes, the more hermetic obsession one could see in them. In Nadia’s case, it was all about absolute neatness and control. That’s why one could rarely find specks of dust inside her house and the fact that her alchemist lab is perfectly neat and the equipment is kept in order, in their places.

And so, as the wooden chest’s placement was off by just three inches, a sense of unease crept into her mind. Instinctively, she reached for it, her fingers brushing against the surface. That’s when she noticed it.

"The defensive spell… it’s gone." She gasped, her pupils dilating in realization.

Her heart pounded. She hurriedly opened the chest, scanning its contents. The beating heart—still there. The crimson stone—untouched. The scarlet cloak—exactly as she left it.

"Nothing was taken away. Yet, something had definitely happened."

Her eyes narrowed as she muttered under her breath, "Who could have looked into my things…?"

Her thoughts immediately turned to Penelope.

After all, the young alchemist was the only other person on the premises. At this hour, she was likely already in the lab, preparing for the day’s work.

Still… would she have broken the spell just to take a look? Moreover, Penelope didn’t seem that strong. There’s no way a Tier-4 can break the spell and evade the corrosive liquid.

Nadia wasn’t convinced.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the chest. "I need to buy a specialized storage ring even if I have to spend tens of thousands of gold coins, in order to keep these safe."

A couple of hours later, as Penelope remained absorbed in her experimentation, Kael and Laura arrived at the alchemist’s residence.

Using the excuse of wanting to learn more about the alchemy market, he suggested leaving Laura in the lab while he went upstairs to speak with Nadia alone.

Laura, however, volunteered to go with him.

Kael, who already expected it, smiled and said smoothly, "Your beauty distracts me from pure learning. If you come along, I won’t be able to focus properly. Besides, that grandma is weak anyway."

Laura blushed at the unexpected compliment. Caught off guard, she hesitated before finally nodding.

Kael inwardly smirked at his small victory.

With that, he ascended the stairs, soon arriving at Nadia’s living quarters while Nadia went on meeting Penelope instead.

She greeted him warmly and, after hearing his request, gladly agreed to share her knowledge. As she prepared tea, he decided it was time to test his suspicion.

"It occurred to me that we haven’t even properly introduced ourselves yesterday." Setting his cup down, Kael looked her in the eyes and spoke with deliberate clarity. "My name is Kael Moonstone. The current head of the Moonstone House. And my wife was Laura Flamehart, the fifth princess."

Silence.

Nadia’s hand froze mid-air as she reached for her tea. Her eyes widened slightly, though she quickly composed herself.

Still, Kael didn’t miss the flicker of recognition.

A moment later, she spoke—her voice carrying an odd undertone. "What generation?"

Kael didn’t hesitate. "I am the 37th generation head."

For the first time, he saw something close to disbelief in her expression. Kael leaned back slightly, watching her carefully.

Nadia’s hands trembled, ever so slightly.

It was subtle—just the faintest quiver in her fingers as they rested on the table. Most would have overlooked it, dismissed it as a fleeting moment of weakness, the way hands sometimes shake when fatigued.

But Kael noticed. He had spent years sharpening his senses, learning to read the smallest of gestures.

"Your mother’s name?" she asked, her voice softer, hesitant even.

Kael tilted his head slightly at her reaction. Still, he answered without hesitation. "Hestia Moonstone."

The effect was immediate.

For a fraction of a second, Nadia’s entire body went rigid.

"What’s wrong?" Kael asked, his voice steady, probing. "Do you know my mother?"

Nadia blinked rapidly, as if snapping herself out of a trance. Then, with practiced ease, she shook her head and let out a forced soft chuckle. "No… I don’t," she said, a weight beneath the words. "I just… remembered someone. A close friend from the Moonstone House, long ago."

Kael didn’t buy it. Not for a second.

If it was just a friend, why had her hands trembled the moment he mentioned the 37th generation? Why had her face frozen, as though she had seen something she wasn’t prepared to face? The reaction was too raw, too personal.

A thought suddenly stirred in his mind.

The estate stewardess once mentioned his grandmother had a twin sister—a woman who had left the Moonstone House years ago and never returned. A woman whose name was no longer spoken within the family, as if she had been erased from its history. Could it be…?

His pulse quickened slightly at the possibility.

Kael had spent most of his life as an orphan, his only true family being his sister. But if Nadia truly was that lost relative, then why was she hiding it?

For a moment, he wanted to press further, to demand the truth from her. But then he hesitated.

If he pushed too hard, she might grow suspicious. And if she started questioning him in return… she might suspect that he is the one who might have broken into her home the previous night.

Kael exhaled slowly, forcing himself to let go of the thought. Perhaps, in time, he would uncover the truth. But today wasn’t that day.

He leaned back in his chair, schooling his features into a relaxed expression.

"I see," he said casually, offering a small, charming smile, as if the momentary tension had never existed. "Well, anyway, let’s talk about the alchemy market, Miss Nadia."

For a moment, Nadia’s eyes lingered on him before the elderly alchemist smiled and reached for the teapot beside her, gracefully pouring him a cup of tea. "Very well, let’s talk about the business, Moonstone," she said, her tone returning to its usual composed warmth.