“Irik, you know how Luna is doing, don’t you?”
“…Huh?”
Irik looked unusually flustered by my direct question.
“Why? You look like you just heard something you shouldn’t have.”
“It’s just surprising that Sister is asking about Luna. You’ve never shown any interest before.” He didn’t sound sarcastic, just genuinely surprised.
Well, this was the first time I brought up Luna’s name since that day, so it made sense. It wasn’t I deliberately avoiding the topic; I just hadn’t been interested.
“Yeah, I know. It’s strange, but she appeared in my dream suddenly.”
“Wow, really? Did that prayer actually work? She’s my sister, but she’s relentless.”
“Prayer?”
“There was a prayer meeting at the southern monastery recently. She didn’t remember who I was but reacted to Sister’s name.”
“…”
“You should have seen how fervently she was praying. But, well, what good would it have done if you saw it.” Irik added, sticking out his tongue in an inexplicable expression. “Anyway, Luna has been staying at the monastery. Most noble-born sl*ves are sold for high prices, but… “ Despite the gravity of his words, Irik spoke calmly. “No one would take a half-crazed slave.”
It seemed like he was recounting a story he was already familiar with.
“Luna has lost her mind?”
But to me, this was all unfamiliar news.
“They are probably doing fine.”
Whenever such stories came up, Redian would always say the same thing: that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
“Wait, so you’re saying Luna’s gone insane?” It took me a moment to grasp his words.
“Yes. She was already half-crazy when she was expelled from the capital.” Irik nodded. “The whole continent knew about it… You really didn’t know?”
Luna and Ash were exiled from the capital shortly after being imprisoned in the Great Temple’s jail. That was the extent of what I knew.
So she went mad in those few days in the Great Temple’s prison? What on earth happened? Not that it matters now.
It was surprising to hear that strong-willed Luna had gone mad, but it wasn’t entirely shocking.
“Do you know how Ash is doing?” I asked the following question that came to mind. “I heard he was moved to a northern monastery.”
“Northern monastery? No way. That can’t be true.” Irik shook his head again. “No one from the Benio family left the capital alive.”
I was momentarily speechless. “He’s dead?”
“Well, I can’t be sure since no one knows what happened in the Grand Temple’s prison.”
“…”
“Rumor has it he hanged himself in the prison. Oh, there was also talk that he stabbed himself in the heart.”
What? I had heard that Ash and Luna were sent to northern and southern monasteries, respectively.
In the Great Temple’s prison… What happened in that prison that left Luna insane and Ash rumored to have committed suicide?
“Okay, that’s enough, right? Now, tell me the real reason you’re here.”
But my thoughts didn’t last long.
“You’re not here just because you’re curious about their news, right?”
The conversation topic changed before I could delve deeper. No one seemed to think I would be deeply interested in their fates. And they weren’t wrong.
“Irik, I need you to do something for me.”
“Me?” Irik’s eyes widened. “Even the crown prince considers himself your dog, and you still have tasks for me?”
“No one in the imperial family, including the Norma, can know about this. You must act discreetly.”
The reason was simple.
“Bergman will soon bring an item.”
“An item…?”
Interesting things always happen in secrecy.
“What? Who are you planning to give this to?”
“Redian.”
“Um, but… isn’t it…”
“I’ll handle it.”
“What is this?”
Irik’s expression was puzzled as he examined the blueprint I handed him. It was the same face Bergman had when he asked me.
“You’ll receive the item from Bergman and secretly instruct our Felicite laboratory.”
A surprise proposal or whatever, there was nothing difficult about it. But since I was doing it, I wasn’t going to settle for something ordinary. Redian, who was to be my man, deserved this much. He deserves this.
Imagining Redian’s reaction made me smile.
* * *
Finally, the long-awaited day to leave for the resort island arrived.
No way… Having finished all my preparations, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Am I excited now? I had never felt this way, not even when I watched the duke’s head fly off.
“Oh my, it’s dazzling.” Juyong, who was following me, admired the scene unfolding below the stairs.
Well, anyone would feel that way seeing that sight.
“First, you’ll leave the outskirts of the capital by carriage, and then you’ll proceed to the resort island through a private route.” Francis briefly reported the schedule as we descended. “Alright, let’s depart, Princess.” And then he stepped back.
“Rere, shall we go?”
Redian was waiting for me in front of the carriage.
“Big Sis, I’ve prepared a variety of concepts. Starting fresh and youthful before we arrive at the island, and transitioning to sexy and sensual…”
This is why Juyong really was a piece of my soul. She knew my tastes so well. I’ve raised her well.
That light, flowing white shirt hinting at a firm body and the untamed silver hair. The outfit prepared for Redian today was the epitome of freshness.
“We’re going, but…” Redian raised one eyebrow when he saw me. I knew this expression meant he was displeased about something. “Are you really bringing all these people along?”
Of course, I had anticipated this reaction.
“Of course. Since we’re going, it’s nice to think of it as a vacation together.’
After all, the procession following Redian and me today was…
“Please take care of us, Your Highness.”
“Ahem.”
Even Francis, smiling annoyingly brightly, and the devils among Redian’s subordinates.
“Won’t it be more fun with more people?”
The heads filling both sides of the carriage were excessively extravagant. So Juyong’s comment about ‘dazzling’ wasn’t about the gold-decorated carriage. It was about those men gathered below the stairs.
“Nia, I’ve never heard of this plan.”
But Redian had no idea about this. Of course not. It was the start of my surprise event.
“When we barely have enough time together…” Redian’s gaze, questioning me with his head tilted, was sharp. “I wonder when you found the time to talk with them.”
No matter how refreshingly dressed he was, the chill in his blue eyes couldn’t be hidden.
“It’s all for you, Rere. It’s good to have people around who can serve you, right?”
The first part was true, but the latter part was a lie. It was indeed for Redian, but bringing them along wasn’t to serve him.
“On that day, you must follow me, not your lord.”
“But if our lord finds out…”
“Who is your lord’s master?”
“Of course…”
“Right. Then you should follow your lord’s master.”
To pull off the perfect proposal, I needed their help.
“Once the schedule is over, it’ll just be you and me.”
“…”
“We won’t have time for anything else.”
But Redian didn’t seem to understand my grand plan.
“Master, you know I’ve been holding back for days…”
This event was prepared with great effort. And since Redian didn’t know about it, our time together had been reduced.
“Do you think we’ll have time to fool around with them?”
That’s why he was wearing that sinister smile with his lips curled up like that.
“You think it’s only you who hold back? I did too.”
But this was the only response I could give.
“You don’t know how beautiful you are when you’re asleep.”
So, I had no choice but to steer the conversation this way.
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