~Chapter 42~
No one, including my father, knew that there were magic stones in the North.
“There’s a mine in the Solenin Canyon, isn’t there? I thought it would be enough to supply us.”
Cedric added without changing his expression in the slightest.
‘He really is a good actor.’
They say couples grow alike—Cedric and I both seemed to be naturally good at deceiving others.
I shrugged and said,
“There’s only one mine, but the number of nobles living in the capital, Belladona, is countless compared to the North. You’re saying that because you don’t realize how extravagant they are.”
They held banquets every day and used magic stones just to set off fireworks.
Among them, my father dedicated everything to the divine beast. He probably believed that he couldn’t exist without it.
‘He must be anxious.’
Knowing other people’s thoughts and true feelings wasn’t exactly a blessing.
How could anyone not feel disgusted looking at ministers and nobles who wore one face but thought another?
If he had just done well himself, it wouldn’t have mattered, but sadly, my father couldn’t.
You could blame the previous emperor for that, but what use was that now—he was already dead.
“But why are you suddenly asking about the magic stones?”
“Because it’s the first thing the imperial family will need. Your Grace, it’s time to pay back all the humiliation you’ve endured.”
First, I had to block the supply so that my father could no longer get magic stones from Kvarand.
“We need to prevent Kvarand from exporting magic stones to the Renshad Empire. How should we go about it…?”
I glanced at Cedric.
He was silent for a moment, deep in thought.
Then he clenched his hand tightly, smiled brightly, and said,
“I’ve thought of a good way. Things will go just as you want.”
It seemed Cedric had made up his mind to stop exporting magic stones to Kvarand.
I returned to my room and lay down on the bed.
“Things are going smoother than I expected.”
There was just one thing I hadn’t figured out—my mother.
It would be nice if even a bird I sent to the capital could come back with news, but no bird had shown up yet.
“Chirp, chirp!” (Don’t worry. It’s a long distance, so it takes quite a bit of time to get there.)
“There won’t be any problems, right?”
“Chirp!” (Of course! But, hey, why isn’t there any special food today?)
“…I left it under the window ledge.”
The sparrow chirped excitedly and flew to the window.
Zeno glanced at me, then walked over with heavy steps.
“Woof woof.” (You’re going to start moving tonight, right?)
“That’s the plan. The monster hunt ends today, so the real movement will probably start tomorrow.”
“Woof? Wooof?” (Did you ask the forest for help?)
“We’re all meeting in the garden tonight.”
“Whine…” (This grand duke’s estate is basically a zoo now. That guy is fast.)
“The Grand Duke brought a bunch of them here to be friends, you know.”
Zeno let out a long sigh. I knew exactly what that sigh meant.
“I know. Everyone’s around me because of my power.”
“Woof! Woof woof!” (Use it in moderation. What if there’s a huge cost to it later?)
“…Yeah, it’s scary since I’ve never used that much power before.”
I wondered if Isabel was okay. She had been causing snowstorms nonstop for days, so she must have used up a lot of energy.
“Come to think of it, Isabel’s been too quiet lately.”
“Woof woof. Woof.” (You should be happy if she’s not causing trouble. What are you worried about?)
“Isabel’s just as unpredictable as I am.”
The Princess’s Golden Cage is a novel that revolves around Isabel.
A heroine born with exceptional abilities. Loved by everyone and able to get whatever she wanted easily. So this incident must have been quite a shock to her.
Even the father she thought was on her side ended up abandoning her.
For Isabel, her only family was her father and me, her half-sister. It was the same for me, too, but the difference was how our father treated us.
Because of that, Isabel and I naturally ended up on different paths, and she must’ve always felt superior.
Not everything in childhood decides your fate, but it certainly leaves a strong influence.
When I woke up in Claire’s body, much had already been decided, and it was just before the original story was about to begin.
“I should go check on her for a moment.”
“Woof.” (Leave her be.)
“I know she’s being watched, but you never know.”
Isabel could be more persistent than people thought. She wasn’t exactly normal, given that she had tried to seduce her sister’s husband.
I quietly got up from the bed and brushed off my skirt.
I planned to go alone, but Zeno stretched and stood beside me.
“You want to come with me too?”
“Woof! Woof woof!” (Master, a companion is always supposed to stay close! I’ll see you off.)
“My companion is His Highness the Duke.”
“Whine! Woof!” (W-Well! Still! I’m a contracted partner too!)
Zeno turned his head away with a pout.
I stared at the swaying backside walking ahead.
The glossy black fur wiggled as it moved.
“Woowoo.” (…Master, you’re being a pervert.)
Zeno, sensing my gaze, turned his head and spoke.
I couldn’t exactly deny it—after all, I had been looking at his chubby butt.
Standing in front of Isabel’s room, I just stood there, unable to open the door.
The knights assigned to watch Isabel were keeping an eye on her from elsewhere.
They couldn’t openly watch her, after all.
“Grrrrr.” (Staring at the door won’t make it open.)
‘I know. But I came without really thinking about why I came.’
“Woowoo. Woof!” (That’s exactly why I followed you. I can’t go in with you, so go talk properly.)
She was still suspicious, but since I hadn’t openly said he was a divine beast, it was better to go in alone.
Zeno stared at me for a moment, then walked up to the door and gave it a push.
Creeeak—.
“…”
I wasn’t even mentally prepared yet!
But Zeno was already walking far down the hallway like it was none of his business.
Fast little guy.
Normally, Isabel would have yelled if the door opened without a maid announcing someone. But it was quiet.
“…Isabel?”
I cautiously stepped inside the room.
Even after I entered, she still said nothing.
Something felt strange, so I walked to the bed and saw Isabel sleeping.
“Are you asleep?”
It sounded like something an ex-boyfriend would say, but I couldn’t think of a better line in this situation.
She looked like she was sleeping, but something seemed off. Her face was red, and she was breathing heavily.
“Isabel.”
I approached her and looked closely at her face.
Still sensing something was wrong, I reached out carefully.
I felt her breath against my finger near her nose.
“Whew.”
I let out a sigh of relief and slumped at the edge of the bed.
Isabel still had her eyes closed and wasn’t waking up.
How long had she been like this?
If it had been for a long time, the maids would’ve run to me saying something was wrong with the princess.
So this must have started only recently.
I reached out and pulled the bell string.
As I approached the door, a maid quickly appeared.
“Did you call, Your Grace?”
It was Anna, the maid assigned to Isabel. She blinked at me, surprised to see me in Isabel’s room.
“Why is Her Grace the Duchess in Her Highness the Princess’s room…? Did something happen?!”
The people in the duke’s mansion didn’t like Isabel. Word had already spread about what she’d said and done to me.
I smiled like everything was fine.
Only then did Anna look relieved and come closer.
“Anna. Do you know when Isabel fell asleep?”
“About two hours ago.”
“Did she eat dinner?”
“Yes, she had her meal in the room. After tea and snacks, she told me to leave because she was going to sleep.”
“So nothing unusual happened?”
Anna nodded. I glanced at the sleeping Isabel.
“For now, just keep an eye on her. Only change the sheets when necessary.”
“You mean… we don’t need to serve her food or assist her otherwise?”
“There’s no need. Just let me know when she wakes up.”
I wasn’t sure how long she would stay like that, but it seemed the price had finally come due.
‘I should tell His Grace the Duke too.’
I thought the cost of using her powers would be big—but I didn’t expect it would just be falling asleep.
Whether it really was just sleep, I wouldn’t know until she woke up.
But I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that simple.
I turned to leave the room and return to mine, but the maid rushed after me.
“Your Grace, the Duchess…! Her Highness, the Princess…!”
