~Chapter 18~
“You know what, Shiz? There’s no trust between us anymore. No snacks for you for a whole month.”
“Gasp! I-I was wrong! Waaaah, I was going to come out tooooo…”
Shiz started whimpering behind me, and I panicked.
“D-Don’t cry here!”
If we got caught, the punishment would be way worse than just no snacks!
Before Shiz could burst into full-on wailing, I quickened my pace.
Like a spy on a secret mission, I slipped into my private research lab and immediately locked the door.
Only after making sure no one was nearby did I finally open my bag and pull Shiz out.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“I-I’m sorry…?”
“….”
“I won’t do it again…?”
She lowered her eyes respectfully, probably because she knew she was in trouble.
I was too shocked and too angry, but I tried to stay rational.
‘There’s not much time left before my presentation.’
I didn’t have time to scold her or do anything else.
And honestly, it was partially my fault for being too distracted to check properly.
At this point, all I could do was stop her from causing any more trouble.
“You must stay inside this room until I come back. If someone tries to enter, hide under that desk. Got it?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Shiz nodded quietly. If only she had been this obedient from the start.
“Also, you must not let anyone in the palace see you. This is illegal trespassing, you know.”
“Whimper… Am I going to jail…?”
“…Not if you don’t get caught.”
She looked so dejected that I felt a little guilty.
“If you behave, I’ll get you a present. What do you want?”
At that, her face brightened instantly.
The tears that had been welling up in her eyes vanished in an instant.
“I-I want candy!”
“How much?”
“A lot! A whole lot!”
“You little rascal. Who did you get that greediness from? Alright, I promise.”
I ruffled her hair and held out my pinky.
Shiz eagerly locked her pinky with mine before running off to explore the research lab.
Meanwhile, I focused on making my final preparations.
This presentation was happening right after my probation had ended.
I knew they’d examine every little thing I said, so I had to be as thorough as possible.
I double-checked my materials to make sure nothing was missing and reviewed my presentation script over and over.
As I was flipping through the pages, Shiz suddenly spoke.
“Sis, your hands are shaking. Are you scared?”
“…”
Sure enough, my hands trembled as I held the script.
I wondered if this was how a tightrope walker felt, balancing high above the ground with no safety net.
A bitter smile crept onto my lips.
If I made even a single mistake at this meeting, that man would probably jump at the chance to tear me down.
“You know… Terrifying monsters are living in this palace.”
“Wh-what?”
Shiz’s eyes widened in alarm at my sarcastic remark.
I hadn’t expected her to believe it, but then again, she was still young and gullible.
“Liar! Why would there be monsters in the palace? There should be princes and princesses, not monsters!”
“It’s true. If I were lying, would I be shaking like this? Why do you think I didn’t want to bring you here?”
“W-what kind of monsters…?”
She swallowed nervously.
Looking down at her, so tense, I decided to really scare her a little.
I had to make absolutely sure she wouldn’t leave the lab while I was gone.
“There’s a blue-eyed demon lurking around, just waiting for a chance to get rid of me. His hair is this long, and whenever he finds someone he doesn’t like, he glares at them with glowing eyes before devouring them.”
“Gasp!”
“And that’s not all. There’s also a rabid lion that roams the palace. He’s got a huge scar over his eye, wild red hair, and he stalks around looking for prey. A six-year-old like you wouldn’t even be a mouthful to him.”
“HUH!?”
Shiz looked like she was on the verge of tears, so I decided to stop.
“But don’t worry! I’ve put a strong spell on this research lab. The demon and the lion can’t get inside.”
“R-really? If I stay here, the monsters can’t come after me?”
“Of course. They won’t be able to touch you.”
That was a lie.
But she was just a gullible six-year-old.
“So you must stay put until I get back. Understand?”
“Y-yeah!”
Shiz plopped down on a chair, folding her hands neatly in her lap as if she wouldn’t budge an inch.
Even knowing how young she was, I found it oddly cute.
Now, it was time for the presentation.
I let out a slow breath and stood up.
“I’ll be back soon. Stay here and behave.”
“Come back quickly…?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
To make sure she wouldn’t leave, I placed a simple locking spell on the door.
I also checked to make sure there was nothing dangerous in the room.
‘At least now I’ve secured the minimum safety measures…’
Now, only the final boss was left.
The presentation was being held inside the royal palace, in the inner court where the royal family lived.
Unlike the outer court, where you could move around easily with a pass issued by the royal family, the inner court had extremely strict security checks just to enter.
Even the royal guards were completely different.
The guards here were so huge that they made bears look small, and they never smiled or greeted anyone first.
Honestly, it was kind of scary.
“Pass.”
As soon as I got past one of the guards, two attendants immediately followed behind me.
They were like watchdogs, there to make sure I didn’t do anything suspicious once inside.
Under the tense atmosphere, I finally reached the inner court’s multipurpose lecture hall.
Many nobles and royal mages were already seated inside.
Even though I had been here dozens of times, I still couldn’t get used to the heavy air in the room.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the stage.
These regular report meetings held in the inner court were often attended by many young nobles, men and women alike.
Even people who usually just partied all the time found reasons to show up here.
‘They all want to get on the Crown Prince’s good side.’
In other words, they were here hoping to tear me down.
As expected, sharp glares immediately rained down on me.
“I heard she had a fight with the head investigator recently. How vulgar, to brawl inside the palace.”
“Even after being put on probation, she shows no signs of reflection.”
I could hear them whispering behind my back.
Most of it wasn’t anything nice.
Well, I had been too busy preparing overnight to care about my appearance.
‘Whatever.’
Even if I had come looking polished, these people would have just sneered, saying a commoner was trying to act like a noble.
I ignored them and checked my documents one last time.
Tick, tick, tick.
The second hand of the clock circled around.
Then, just as all the clock’s hands pointed exactly to 9 a.m.,
The sound of neat footsteps echoed closer from the hallway.
‘He’s here.’
The moment I thought that, the door at the back of the hall swung open, and a man with dazzling blonde hair appeared.
Everyone immediately stood up and bowed toward the Crown Prince.
“We greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Reyester Rom Edelheim.
The “beautiful disgrace” of the Edelheim royal family, and the golden rose of high society, walked in like a painting come to life.
One of his eyes was bright and the other darker, and his sharp blue gaze quickly scanned the crowd.
His long, pure golden hair flowed down beside his cheeks.
“Hmm, is anyone missing?”
His soft, clear voice filled the hall.
“No, Your Highness,” the attendant beside him answered.
“Wow, full attendance. How wonderful.”
When he smiled brightly, a few of the ladies sitting down blushed and started fanning themselves.
They were obviously delighted.
He had a face that could charm just about anyone — but every time I saw him, it just made me feel disgusted.
Maybe because he always seemed ready to stab me in the back.
Today would probably be no different.
“Shall we begin the report meeting?”
The blue-eyed devil smiled at me.
It was a smile full of contempt.
