“He must have deliberately avoided calling me that.”
The Empress smirked as if she found it amusing.
Was that child possibly up to something?
Still, he maintained the demeanor of an obedient child, bowing his head quietly.
“Mother, Serdin must not succeed in this matter.”
The Crown Prince interrupted her thoughts.
“No matter what happens, we must ensure his failure.”
The Empress looked at the Crown Prince, feeling frustrated.
What he was suggesting was essentially to sabotage something crucial for the Ilnord Empire.
If things went wrong, they could incur the Emperor’s wrath.
“You should leave now, Crown Prince.”
In the end, the Empress waved her hand dismissively with a slight frown.
“Mother!”
“I understand what you are trying to say, but for now, just leave.”
Faced with the Empress’s firm attitude, the Crown Prince could not voice further complaints and turned to leave.
The sharp ‘bang’ of the door slamming shut was his way of expressing defiance.
She let out a sigh but was more concerned about something else at the moment.
The Empress called for one of the maids waiting outside.
This maid was a loyal servant who handled the Empress’s secret errands.
“I need to find out what Serdin is doing in Promian.”
It wasn’t difficult to obtain news about Serdin.
He had become the center of attention in Promian.
“What? What’s going on between him and whom?”
There were rumors about some sort of tension between him and Princess Violyana.
“It seems the Archmage who accompanied him played a role in creating this situation, but we haven’t uncovered the full details yet.”
“The Princess of Promian, huh….”
What could she possibly be thinking?
The Empress furrowed her brows.
“Even if we suffer some losses this time, there’s no helping it.”
She spoke decisively.
“We need to send a letter in secret.”
The Empress moved discreetly.
***
“Serdin, what are you going to do now?”
Delight’s fierce and sharp gaze bore into him as if he was ready to cut him down at any moment.
“It wasn’t intentional. I had no idea that Hayron would say such things there.”
Serdin was genuinely troubled by the situation and offered an apology, but in the end, it sounded like nothing more than a feeble excuse.
“I will take responsibility and put an end to the rumors.”
Serdin declared resolutely.
“And how do you intend to take responsibility? A simple statement won’t fix this mess.”
Delight sneered at Serdin’s determination.
Did he really think he could put out a fire that had already grown into an uncontrollable blaze?
However, Serdin had a plan in mind.
“Fortunately, it’s currently the spring banquet season.”
“That’s exactly why this is a problem!”
Delight snapped.
Because of the spring banquet season, public attention and curiosity were at their peak.
Delight, overwhelmed with frustration, grabbed the nearest object in his reach.
“I will meet with other people!”
Serdin shouted urgently.
“…What?”
Delight’s actions came to an abrupt halt. He blinked and asked again for confirmation.
“What did you just say?”
“Since it’s the spring banquet season, people are already engaging in many social interactions. If I meet with different people, the rumors will die down.”
“…….….”
“I’ll make sure to be seen with as many different people as possible.”
Delight seemed intrigued by the idea and fell into deep thought.
“That won’t do.”
It was then that I intervened, cutting the conversation short.
“…Why not?”
“Because it’ll look like I got dumped!”
At the banquet, everyone had been convinced that there was something between us.
But if Serdin suddenly started socializing with others, wouldn’t they naturally assume that he had lost interest and cast me aside?
“Do it the other way around. It doesn’t matter if it’s me or Serdin who does it.”
“That’s out of the question!”
Delight shouted in alarm.
“Ollia, you socializing with other people is….”
Even just imagining it seemed unbearable for him. His expression twisted in visible distress.
He was adamant—he did not want to see that happen.
“I feel the same. If it makes you uncomfortable, there’s no need to force yourself into it.”
For once, Delight and Serdin were in agreement.
It was an extremely rare occurrence, something that hardly ever happened.
“So, what, I have to be the one who gets dumped?”
Why was I the one getting dumped?! These two were seriously—!
“I agree. Ollia just made her debut, and if rumors spread that she’s already been rejected, it would be humiliating.”
Blueny suddenly spoke up, siding with me.
“I knew Mom would support me!”
With Blueny and me united, Delight had no choice but to back down slightly.
“…So we’re back to square one.”
The problem was, we still hadn’t found a real solution.
Silence filled the room.
“For now, keep your distance. Try not to be seen together as much as possible.”
Delight warned Serdin.
“Then people will think we’re deliberately avoiding each other.”
“…….….”
My counterargument made Delight’s expression darken.
“But if we stay together, they’ll believe the rumors even more.”
Scandals were such troublesome and exhausting things.
“Ugh, this is difficult.”
I instinctively grabbed my head, deep in thought.
How could we put an end to these rumors?
Then, an idea struck me.
“Let’s find a witness.”
“A witness?”
Delight looked at me in confusion.
“Someone who can prove that Serdin and I have no relationship whatsoever.”
If we tried to explain ourselves, it would only make us look more suspicious.
At times like this, the best way forward was to involve someone else.
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Blueny immediately understood my intention.
“Creating a witness? What do you mean?”
“We need to set up a situation where we’re seen in a social setting with someone well-connected in high society.”
Blueny took the initiative to explain to Delight.
“And in front of them, we act naturally—just as friends, with no romantic implications whatsoever.”
That was the key. To achieve that, we needed a reliable witness.
“So later, if anyone asks about the situation, that person can clarify: ‘From what I saw, they are absolutely not in a romantic relationship.’”
“It would simply look like a gathering between acquaintances.”
Delight nodded in understanding.
“But we need to choose the right person.”
It was crucial to find the right intermediary.
“Among the attendees at the spring banquet… who would be suitable…?”
I hadn’t interacted much with noble families in the past ten years, so no immediate names came to mind.
We had to narrow it down to someone with a broad network and who would be cooperative.
“I happen to know the perfect person. I’ll handle it.”
Surprisingly, Delight already had someone in mind.
“They fit the criteria exactly.”
***
As soon as our discussion ended, Serdin and I deliberately separated.
Until we could establish a witness, we had to avoid being seen together as much as possible.
“I should head to the opposite side of the banquet hall.”
So I intentionally took the long route through the garden.
But then—I stopped in my tracks.
Something was blocking my path.
“We meet again, Princess.”
Hayron greeted me with a pleasant smile.
He was sitting at a table in the garden, sipping tea.
“Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?”
He gestured to the empty seat across from him.
“Try the tea I’m drinking—it’s quite good.”
“I’m fine.”
I was about to ignore him and walk away.
“Haha, I only offered because it’s a rare and exquisite tea. I brought it especially for this occasion.”
Hayron deliberately took a sip of his tea in front of me.
I glanced at the teacup he had set out.
There were two cups.
Even though he was alone, he had prepared for company.
‘Did he anticipate that I would avoid the main hall and take this path?’
Seeing his composed expression, it was clear—this had been intentional.
“……….”
I silently studied Hayron.
There were too many suspicious things about him.
Not just his unpredictable behavior.
But also the extravagant display of his magic.
It required immense mana and precise control.
‘But no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem real.’
What trick was he using?
I had one theory.
‘Since it’s come to this, I might as well investigate.’
I sat down across from Hayron.
***
Near the banquet hall, a few attendants were surveying the grounds. That’s when they discovered something in the nearby garden.
“When the maid told me about this earlier this morning, I didn’t believe her. I thought it was just withering naturally.”
“But this… the plants are completely dead.”
They looked as if they had been scorched by fire.
The vegetation had lost its shape—its vitality completely drained.
“This doesn’t seem like a natural disease. Shouldn’t we report this?”
During the grand celebrations for the imperial’s founding anniversary, something strange had appeared in the palace.
