Chapter 168
***
The next day.
“Oh no…”
I woke up groaning like I was on my deathbed.
The aftermath of last night’s ball had clearly hit me hard.
“I told you, you should’ve gotten a massage before bed.”
“I couldn’t help it. I was too tired to even bathe—I just collapsed and slept.”
Sniffling, I explained myself. Jane, who had been watching me with a sympathetic expression, quickly called in a skilled maid while she prepared the bath.
“Ughhh…!”
The moment I got into the warm, filled tub and started receiving a massage on my sore, knotted arms and legs, a painful moan escaped me.
“Hurts a lot, doesn’t it? I mean, you did dance seven full songs yesterday. No wonder your muscles are tight.”
“I thought I’d be fine…”
I pouted, a little wounded in my pride.
I was used to handling intense training without breaking a sweat—who would’ve thought dancing could leave me this sore?
But this was all that lunatic Nicholas’s fault for asking me to dance five times in a row.
⟨Your Highness, may I request one more dance?⟩
⟨Huh? Again?⟩
⟨Surely you’re not already tired…⟩
⟨Of course not.⟩
⟨If you are, just whisper it to me. I’ll pretend I never asked.⟩
⟨I said I’m fine! Oh, the music’s starting. Let’s dance!⟩
‘What kind of grudge does he even have against me?!’
It’s not like I was going to refuse the Honor Dance anyway. Why did he have to test me and poke at my pride like that?
Even with my grandfather and parents glaring daggers at him the whole time, Nicholas just kept smiling with that sly grin of his, which only made me more furious.
To make things worse, Lucio had been staring at us with an edge sharper than a blade while we danced. It made me tense up so much that dancing became exponentially harder.
“Agh!”
A sharp, searing pain suddenly shot through my calf.
‘Remember the time you had to train the next day through muscle pain with only painkillers to keep you going! Compared to that, this is a luxurious kind of suffering…’
“Aaaagh!”
I tried some positive self-talk, but the pain that hit me made stars flash before my eyes.
When Jane saw the tears welling up in my eyes, she started panicking.
“Oh dear, you shouldn’t have danced with the Marquis and His Grace…”
“Sob… I couldn’t help it.”
I shook my head glumly.
Even though I had been completely drained after dancing around the hall for more than an hour, I couldn’t just ignore my grandfather’s steely glare or my father’s gloomy expression.
But thanks to dancing a full seven times, my family seemed to have forgotten all about Lucio. No one questioned or pried into why I had entered with him, which was a relief.
“You did well. You can go now.”
Once I felt somewhat loosened up, I told the maid I’d give her a bonus and sent her out of the room.
Jane promptly brought over my favorite shower robe.
Seeing it made me flinch for a second, but I pretended not to notice and wrapped it around myself as I asked,
“So, how are things outside?”
“Just as Your Highness expected…”
Jane lowered her voice after glancing around the room, and for a moment, I felt like I was getting a report from a subordinate.
Since Terencium was a massive guild with influence across the entire continent, there were countless branches and members beneath its executives. Many elite agents under the Master directly led teams of their own, but I was…
“…Was it that they didn’t trust me, or were they trying to isolate me?”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
I shook off the creeping thoughts and listened to Jane’s report with a deep sigh.
“So I really made a splash.”
At the welcoming banquet, the commotion had stayed mostly among the nobles, but now…
Well, I had been escorted by the young Lord Elard and danced the Honor Dance with Nicholas, one of the Empire’s top candidates for the throne.
Now there were probably fewer people in the Empire who didn’t know my name.
“But there wasn’t a single bad word about you. Compared to someone who ended up in the palace prison this morning, you’re being praised to high heavens, so don’t feel too down.”
“What do you mean?”
I tilted my head, and Jane explained with a slightly amused tone.
“Remember the young heir of Count Petier you asked me to look into? Apparently, he was found completely drunk in His Majesty’s private garden where he takes his morning walks.”
“What?”
“Seems like he drank too much at the ball and lost his way. He must’ve tripped somewhere too, his wrist was broken and barely hanging on. And worst of all, his pants were…”
That was as far as she got before I burst into laughter.
“Pffft!”
Bert had done an even better job than I expected.
‘How on earth did he manage to plant Kenneth Petier in the Emperor’s private garden where he takes his morning walks?’
I could easily imagine the Emperor’s fury upon discovering Kenneth, likely having relieved himself in his beloved garden.
And with a gag spell cast to keep him from mentioning my name, Kenneth wouldn’t even be able to explain himself. He was probably going mad with frustration.
“Anyway, Count Petier is apparently running around trying to save his son.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Still, how was he going to calm the Emperor’s rage? Especially with the current state of his house.
Then Jane leaned in again and dropped her voice.
“It seems the Count is considering offering up something he’s been keeping…”
My expression hardened.
And a moment later…
I had taken one step closer to the ‘holy relic,’ the very reason I had come to the Empire.
***
Meanwhile.
The long-dormant communication channel between the Empire and Belus, blocked by Lia out of fear it might be tapped, lit up for the first time in a while.
‘Askarte, we’re in an unprecedented emergency! Those so-called friends of yours were all just thieves targeting our Lia!’
Contrary to Lia’s hopeful belief that things had settled down quietly, the former Marquis of Diapel and the Grand Duke of Belus had spent a sleepless night and sent a message to the duchy.
And when Askarte saw it…
“Emergency summons of the Demon Swordsmen Corps!”
He began preparing to board the ship for the Empire.
***
Flinch.
“What’s wrong, Lia?”
“Ah… it’s nothing.”
Just as I was stepping into the Elard Duke’s mansion, I shook my head in response to the Duchess’s question.
But noticing my subtle shiver, both my mother and Jane—who was behind me—rushed in with concern.
“Are you cold? Are you coming down with something?”
“Your Highness, should I run back to the marquisate and fetch your coat?”
I quickly assured them I was fine, but the chill that had suddenly run down my spine made it clear, autumn in the Empire was quite different from that in the duchy.
“Maybe you overdid it yesterday…”
Just then, my mother, looking at me with worried eyes, suddenly asked,
“Did you not go watch your friend’s match because you weren’t feeling well?”
“No, that’s not it. I had planned to visit the duke’s mansion today. Besides, the final match is tomorrow anyway.”
“You sound quite confident.”
“Of course. Jack is definitely going to win.”
I smiled, recalling the moment earlier when I had run into Jack as he was leaving the mansion for his preliminary match.
When I apologized for not being able to watch today and cheered him on, Jack said it was fine and comforted me instead.
But his expression had been a bit gloomy, just as I’d expected.
⟨Um, Lia… about yesterday. You and the Second Prince…⟩
⟨Yes, I danced the Dance of Honor with him. You should’ve danced it, since you’re the one who’s going to win tomorrow. I was so upset about that!⟩
⟨…Really?⟩
Seeing him so downcast tugged at my heartstrings.
I gently patted Jack’s arm and said,
⟨Don’t worry, Jack. If you asked someone to dance, no one would say no.⟩
In other words, even if it wasn’t the Dance of Honor, it was still okay—I said it firmly, and Jack gave me a faint smile.
He wouldn’t even be able to muster the courage to ask Diana to dance anyway… but I guess he still appreciated me taking his side.
“By the way, Diana went out with Aiden?”
“Yes. He skipped the preliminary match yesterday, and it seems the young Lord Faelunt was pretty upset. He left early today.”
The Duchess chuckled as she said that while Diana and Aiden had changed a bit since I came to the Empire, they, as usual, bickered every day but still stuck close together.
Hearing that, I wondered if Diana had ultimately chosen Aiden. Then my thoughts drifted—why had Nicholas asked me to dance instead of Diana last night?
But I quickly shook my head. I had a feeling thinking too hard about it would only be exhausting.
“Madam, I heard you called for me. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Duchess! Is it true His Grace the Grand Duke has arrived?!”
Just then, the people I’d been waiting for arrived.
“You both came at the right time. I’m not unwell. And no—it’s not the Grand Duke, but Her Grace the Grand Duchess and the Grand Princess who’ve come.”
At the Duchess’s words, the two looked at me with confused expressions.
They were Viscountess Bardo, the duke’s family physician, and Terin, the chief magician.
***
After saying there were matters to discuss with the Duchess and heading to the drawing room with a meaningful smile, my mother left.
Jane and I, guided by Viscountess Bardo and Terin, made our way to the greenhouse where Spleesia was being cultivated.
I’d always thought I should come see it myself after arriving in the Empire, but I kept putting it off. Now that I was finally here, a heavy feeling settled in my chest.
“I didn’t know Your Highness the Grand Princess was so knowledgeable about herbology.”
Perhaps trying to break the awkward tension, Viscountess Bardo spoke, likely noting Terin’s disappointed sigh when he realized my father hadn’t come.
“Not really knowledgeable—just interested, that’s all. Since I mostly stayed at the castle, I ended up reading a lot of books.”
“But even so, you can’t learn about Spleesia just by reading a few common herbology books.”
Since he wasn’t wrong, I could only smile awkwardly.
Spleesia was a rare herb, more the stuff of legends.
‘It was once hailed as the herb that saved the Duchess’s life… but now it’s faded again from people’s memories.’
“Hmph! There’s no way Her Highness doesn’t know what Spleesia is. Do you have any idea how many mana stones we’ve had to import from Belus for its cultivation? She even came to the Mage Tower several times to take the highest-grade stones needed for research…!”
Suddenly, Terin, who had been silent until now, burst out.
“Viscountess Bardo, I’ve told you countless times—that was nothing but divine luck! Stop wasting precious mana stones on some useless weeds!”
“W-What? Weeds? A waste?!”
Viscountess Bardo turned red and protested, but Terin didn’t stop belittling Spleesia, calling it ‘a monstrous plant that devours mana stones.’
Knowing that Spleesia was far more than just a detoxifying herb, I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.
If a magician like Terin ever learned the truth about Spleesia, he’d never dare speak that way again.
