“At last, I’ve completed the investigation on the item you sent.”
The man sitting across from him placed a thick black pouch on the desk.
It was Jade Forenhall, a grand mage affiliated with the Eustian royal palace.
Dante said nothing, silently staring at the pouch Jade had offered.
It was something he’d secretly sent to Eustian a few months ago through a contact at a tavern in the Trillante Empire.
A tavern…
Naturally, the memory of Letier from that time came rushing back to him, pulling Dante into silence once again.
Jade waited quietly for a response but eventually couldn’t hold back and spoke first.
“As you expected, the main ingredient is poison derived from the Traviphobia fruit. The formula had layers of complex catalyst spells entwined, which made it harder to neutralize than expected. It was used in quite a large quantity.”
Only then did Dante quietly respond.
“…So it’s now confirmed that she acquired poison here in Eustian.”
“Yes. The Traviphobia fruit can only be harvested from Travie trees, which grow exclusively in certain regions of the Eustian Kingdom.”
“And the mage who likely helped her with that complex formula?”
“There isn’t one in Eustian. As you know, all mages in this kingdom are under strict royal supervision. None of the mages under my management use that style of spell-work. It’s possible, though… that someone traveled to the Trillante Empire with her.”
Went with her…
Dante let out a low sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead.
One by one, the faces of those who stood by her side floated through his mind.
Were any of them capable of using magic?
“Have you found anything about where she lived?”
“Everything about her is shrouded in mystery. Before she crossed into the Trillante Empire, there’s not a single trace of her movements. We are… doing our best.”
Jade answered calmly.
Dante hadn’t expected it to be easy from the start.
Still, with Reuters left behind in Trillante gathering intel, it was probably time for him to get involved personally.
“When’s the meeting scheduled?”
“Early next week.”
The treaty revision talks between the Trillante Empire and the Eustian Kingdom—which required royal family involvement—were nearly complete.
From here on, the officials could handle the details.
Dante closed his eyes and exhaled like he was letting go of a heavy thought.
“Alright. Keep monitoring everything until the end.”
At Dante’s words, Jade gave a short bow and then left the room.
Alone in the spacious room, Dante covered his face with both hands.
“Damn it…”
He had pretended to be fine, but truthfully, he hadn’t been able to concentrate at all.
Ever since that conversation with Letier a few days ago, he hadn’t been able to maintain his usual calm.
Her final expression kept flashing through his mind.
Letier. Do you really think that?
In her violet eyes had bloomed a moment of confusion.
As if she had sensed his heavy emotions, her gaze had wavered without anchor.
Looking down at her in that moment, Dante had felt a thirst, like his throat was on fire.
He wanted to grab her and shout at her on the spot.
That he held feelings for her.
That if he didn’t express them, it felt like his insides would rot and burn from the pressure.
…
…
After what felt like an eternity of silence, Letier had turned her face away, slipping out from under his hand that held her chin.
She stood abruptly from her seat, head bowed.
Then, pausing for a breath, she walked past him and murmured in a near whisper:
“…Stop messing with me.”
Her voice trembled slightly as it brushed past his ear.
Messing with her…?
Snapping out of his daze too late, Dante reached out toward her—
But Letier had already shut the door behind her.
Lowering his hands from his face, Dante stared blankly at the empty desk.
He’d been too hasty.
He hadn’t even sorted things out with Rubia yet. But seeing Letier with another man had twisted his mood, and he’d made a mistake.
Even now, in this very moment…
He couldn’t stop the bitter thought that maybe Letier and that man from Eustian were getting closer.
The anxiety made him feel pathetic.
“So what now… what am I even going to do…”
He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to stare at the ceiling.
Damn it…
Even those round white patterns on the ceiling reminded him of Letier.
His brows furrowed as he stared upward.
Eventually, he shot up from his seat, leaving the heavy, suffocating room behind.
He needed fresh air to cool his head.
“Miss Therapist.”
“…”
“Miss Therapist?”
“Yes?”
Letier snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head.
Sion was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
Ah… I was having lunch with Sion, wasn’t I…?
“What were you thinking about so deeply?”
He asked with his usual gentle and kind smile.
Letier shook her head and met his gaze.
“Oh, it’s nothing. The food’s just really delicious.”
“Right? I’m glad it suits your taste. Makes the hard-to-get reservation totally worth it.”
He grinned, showing his teeth.
Looking at him, Letier felt uneasy.
Before she realized it, she had gone on quite a few outings with Sion.
Being with him was always pleasant. He was considerate and easy to talk to.
But the more naturally their meetings flowed, the more painfully clear it became that she couldn’t give him what he might be hoping for.
Which was why… she had to be honest with him.
“Sion, there’s something I—”
“After lunch, I thought we could return to the palace and walk through the greenhouse.”
Sion quickly jumped in and caught her words before she could finish.
Letier hesitated, then asked reluctantly,
“…The greenhouse?”
“Yes. You’ll love it—I promise.”
He looked at her with confident eyes.
After lunch, they took a carriage back to the palace and headed to the greenhouse at the highest point of the royal gardens.
The Eustian royal greenhouse was impressively large.
Its walls and ceiling were entirely made of glass, and beneath its tall, rounded dome, all kinds of plants were being grown.
However, contrary to the grand scale of the structure, most of the plants inside were still young and small.
“The royal greenhouse opened only two years ago. So the trees are still young and fragile.”
Sion stood beside her, gently brushing the leaf of a small plant as he explained in a quiet voice.
“Still, it’s quite expansive.”
“I hear His Majesty invested a great deal into it.”
Letier nodded slightly and walked slowly past the familiar plants.
Most of the plants inside were ones she knew well.
Trees used to extract oils she often sourced through Simon.
And plants known for their fragrant scent, uniquely colored flowers, and even a few rare species she’d seen deep in the Forest of Memories—all were rooted and growing healthily here.
“This way, if you please?”
Sion guided Letier toward the farthest corner of the greenhouse.
He stopped beside a tree and looked back at her with a proud smile.
“This tree right here is the most famous in the greenhouse—”
“Hm…”
But Letier didn’t hear him, bending down to examine a smaller tree nearby.
Sion slowly retracted his excitedly outstretched arm and quietly walked over to her.
“Miss Therapist…?”
Though still young, this tree’s appearance was distinctly different from the others.
No matter how she looked at it, it resembled a Phoebe tree.
Letier, squinting and circling the delicate, slender tree, finally spotted its name tag flipped upside down.
She carefully reached out and turned it around.
“Travie tree…”
The tag read Travie Tree in neat lettering, followed by a brief description.
“A tree that grows only in certain regions of the Eustian Kingdom. It can only thrive in specific temperature and humidity conditions, so it requires extra care even inside the greenhouse.”
Sion, now bent beside her, explained softly.
Hearing his words, Letier began to feel that the greenhouse environment might not be well-suited for the tree.
That’s probably why it looks so weak…
“This tree… I haven’t seen one in ages. It used to be common in my hometown, but you never see it near the Eustian capital.”
“Really? Where are you from, Sion?”
“It was a village that probably doesn’t exist anymore. You wouldn’t know it. And I didn’t live there long enough to remember exactly where it was.”
He gave a sheepish smile.
Just then, voices began to murmur near the greenhouse entrance.
Letier turned her head absentmindedly—and froze the moment she saw who was entering.
“I didn’t know His Highness was interested in the greenhouse. If you’d told me, I would have brought you myself.”
Walking in together like a sweet couple, close enough to brush shoulders, were none other than Dante and Princess Rubia.
