Episode 39

“Do you really think the Empress would reprimand you, Your Highness? Has she ever said a harsh word to you?” the princess said.

Kenneth’s lips curled into a smile, one that was hard to read. Was he amused by her whining or was there another meaning behind it?

I interpreted his smile as the latter, while the princess seemed to think it was the former.

“What are your plans moving forward?” she asked.

“And yet you seem completely unscathed?” Kenneth directed this at me.

I nodded. “She didn’t pull my hair.”

“Were you expecting her to?”

“Of course not. My new hair ornament is quite expensive.”

“If it had broken, the palace would have compensated you more than double its worth.”

“Oh, that’s too bad then.”

I matched his joke with another, which seemed to amuse him. His golden eyes sparkled brightly, and he laughed heartily, the sound resonating through the garden.

The princess blinked, clearly not expecting this turn of events.

“…You two seem quite close?”

It was a difficult question. We had agreed to call each other friends, but defining the extent of our relationship was tricky. I couldn’t deny it, so I took a sip of my now cold tea instead.

The princess shook her head as if to clear it, then raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Alright, alright. Whether you two are close or not isn’t the main issue right now. So, tell me, what’s the plan from here?”

“What do you think, Lady Evelyn?” Kenneth asked.

The best solution, which would satisfy the Empress, would be for me to distance myself from both the princess and the crown prince. I could stop attending the reading club and avoid the palace except for important events.

However, I had no intention of doing that.

“I’m not sure,” I replied.

“Then let’s maintain the current situation. Just avoid gatherings for now. The Empress will be watching closely,” Kenneth said succinctly.

The princess opened her mouth in disbelief.

“That’s ridiculous… How can you…?”

“Alright,” I interrupted, agreeing with Kenneth’s suggestion.

Yes, I could do that.

***

I was exhausted.

If I hadn’t met the Empress, I would have gone to the inn. But today, I couldn’t move any further.

I was at my mental and physical limit.

As I arrived at the Duke’s estate and climbed the stairs, a group of knights emerged, bowing to me.

Leading them was Liam.

I stared at them without acknowledging their greetings.

He wore comfortable clothes and a cloak that indicated his affiliation with the Duke’s house.

His straightforward gaze made him look very earnest, but I remembered where I had seen that expression before.

Now, I wasn’t sure if that serious demeanor was genuine or just an act.

I hadn’t mentioned to either Igon or Liam that I had seen him at the black market in the capital.

Kenneth had suggested that Igon was involved in selling dark magic artifacts.

I had a reasonable suspicion that Liam was helping with this business.

I wasn’t sure how much Igon trusted Liam, but Liam was one of Igon’s main operatives.

If Igon had a secret operation, it was likely he would use Liam.

I believed my suspicion was almost certainly correct.

As I watched him, I recalled what the magician had told me.

‘We, people like us, were taught not to speak of our pasts, except to each other. That is the rule of this world. If I had told someone else, a normal person of this world, about our past, I would have been punished according to the laws of causality in this world. This rule exists to prevent confusion.’

Causality, rules.

If his betrayal of my secrets in the past was the world’s punishment for me, should I forgive him?

“Sir Coward.”

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have exchanged a word with him. But suddenly, I found myself speaking to Liam without thinking.

I was surprised by my own action, so Liam must have been even more startled.

I saw his shoulders flinch.

“Yes, my lady.”

He bowed his head respectfully in response.

“…Where are you headed?”

“I was on my way to report this month’s knightly duties to the Duke and then return to the training grounds.”

“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

I ended the awkward conversation with a light greeting and continued walking. He stood still, and I could feel his gaze on my back.

My thoughts became tangled. Previously, I had found him despicable and loathsome, but now, knowing the truth, those feelings were somewhat mitigated.

However, that was all.

It didn’t mean my dislike for him had turned into affection or that I suddenly liked him again.

Igon had been extremely busy since returning to the capital. It felt inadequate to simply say he was busy; it seemed more like he was overwhelmed with tasks. He often skipped our usual evening meals together.

While I was concerned, his busyness was somewhat fortunate for me. With Igon paying less attention to me, I used the opportunity to investigate the whereabouts of the soothsayer.

Going out directly was not easy. Even though the watchful eyes around me had lessened, there were still many eyes in the capital that recognized the Duke’s carriage.

The only times I could go out freely were for social gatherings or reading club meetings. However, the princess had been avoiding the palace lately, so there were no meetings.

Knowing how much the princess loved socializing, this must have been very difficult for her. Feeling sorry for her, I sent a few letters.

The replies came quickly. Most of her responses were filled with complaints about her frustration and the challenges she faced, and she subtly included remarks about the Empress.

‘She shows no particular signs, but even having lived my whole life with her, I cannot fathom her true intentions. Surely, she is biding her time, waiting for the right moment.’

Her words painted a picture of something fearsome rather than describing her mother.

The princess also expressed her unease about me and the crown prince.

‘I don’t know what they are thinking, truly. I’ve been so worried and anxious lately that I can’t even sleep well.’

I smiled as I wrote back to her, enclosing some tea that might help with her insomnia.

While our letters were exchanged, I received various invitations.

Summer was the season for numerous parties.

Tea parties, evening parties, and balls.

Regardless of whether the hosts were influential or not, my main criterion was the location of the party.

I decided to accept invitations from those living near the south gate or hosting parties close to that area, and I carefully examined the names of the families who sent the invitations, looking for an opportunity.

Of course, I attended the gatherings that were unavoidable.

Tieli’s dinner invitation, the tea party hosted by the Margo twins, and Andrea’s ball sponsored by the princess were events I had to attend.

Igon accompanied me to Andrea’s ball. It was at her earnest request.

‘My mother insists that I must find a proper fiancé this time. Please, won’t you join me with the Duke for the sake of poor me, at the mercy of my cold-hearted mother? Please. It’s well known that wherever the Duke goes, dashing young men follow.’

Despite her unique nature, Andrea was still a noble lady. Given her earnest request, it was right to drag Igon along.

When I asked him, he happened to have no plans that evening.

Perfect.

I quickly sent Andrea a reply confirming our attendance.

Not long after sending Andrea my reply, I received an invitation to an event at the desired location.

Although the invitation had been sent a while ago, it had only now been sorted and delivered based on priority and status.

The party would be held at a salon very close to the south gate.

Conveniently, there was an inn along the route to this salon, making it an ideal opportunity to visit.

I seized the chance, accepting the invitation that I would have ordinarily declined due to lack of close acquaintance, solely to visit the inn personally.

Looking at the guest list, I recognized many names.

Notably, Stella was listed as an attendee.

I hadn’t seen her since our last gathering and had been wondering about her well-being.

‘What kind of party is it that they chose this location?’

The salon itself wasn’t bad. Although it was near the gate, the area was clean and well-maintained, with no buildings older than fifty years.

Seventy years ago, a mishap involving magicians had caused significant damage from dark creatures in that area.

The authorities, wanting to downplay such an incident within the capital, had completely renovated the area.

As a result, everything there was new.

They had cut away and erased old scars and rebuilt from scratch.

However, the newness made the area feel oddly out of place to the residents of the capital.

Though fewer people had such reservations now, it was once subtly avoided.

Upon investigation, I found it was an evening party hosted by Baron Shiroré to celebrate her daughter’s coming of age.

It seemed curious that such an important event for her daughter was held in this location.

For a noble living in the capital, lack of funds shouldn’t have been an issue.

If finding a salon for the party was difficult, they could have postponed the date.