“Yes?”
“Is there any movement in the Rudbihi family? Like trying to harm mother…”
“Hmm.”
Sir Shubart put down his fork and knife as if contemplating and frowned for a moment.
“I know. They’re very quiet these days. It’s been a while since they stopped trying to assassinate her.”
“I’m glad to hear that. But I think we should be careful.”
They are like leeches to us. Even though they made mother commit all kinds of vicious things, they were afraid of their family being destroyed, so they were going to get rid of mother at any time. But even those unscrupulous people are still observing whether they will need mother again someday.
“Yes, as you say, we better be careful. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Okay. Ah, I also ran out of all the medicine mother gave me.”
In fact, I didn’t want to take any medicine that tasted bad. But I have to pretend to be faithful to mother. That way I will be free.
“Ah, yes, it’s about time. I forgot to tell you about it.”
“Don’t say that. It’s all thanks to Sir Shubart that I can walk around the capital with my face up.”
“It’s an honor to say that. You probably don’t need medicine anymore.”
“What?”
The question was asked before I thought. They always say don’t forget to eat it every day, but I don’t need it anymore?
“You won’t have to eat it anymore even though you run out of medicine. This place is not as cold as in the North.”
Surprised, questioned, and panicked emotions were mixed. I smiled softly so as not to show off.
“So that’s it. Ah.”
“What?”
“Can you give this to mother on the way?””
“What? Necklace?”
I nodded my head.
It was such a simple and modest design for mother, which also looked a little sloppy.
“It is said to be giving you good energy.”
“I didn’t expect you to believe that.”
“It doesn’t cost a lot of money.”
“Yes, I’ll give it to Lu without a scratch.”
“Thank you.”
I bought the necklace at the general store I stopped by a while ago before coming here. It wasn’t sold by the general store but by an old woman who laid a signboard in front of it and read fortune-telling.
I was passing by, and the old woman caught me. I didn’t even say I wanted to get fortune-telling. The old woman handed me this necklace, saying it would make me survive even death. She said it brings good energy, but even if I don’t want to receive it, she said to take it as she feels pitiful for my life.
In fact, I’d never seen a person who talked such nonsense to me before, so I tried to ignore her and go. But she tried to put it in my hand, and I just couldn’t take it away, so I gave her a coin and bought it. I didn’t buy it because I was tempted by the story.
Anyway, I was worried about mother, who lived apart for a while, and I gave it to Sir Shubart because I thought it would be better for mother to have it rather than me.
“I will go now.”
After the meal, Sir Shubart got in the carriage and gave me a sad expression.”
“Be careful.”
“If you need anything, tell Ian.”
“Don’t worry.”
The carriage door closed.
* * *
When I returned home, a metal box with an imperial pattern on it arrived. It seems that the maid received it because I was out with Ian. I didn’t get notified in advance, so I don’t know what’s inside of it. If it wasn’t from Sir Shubart, only one person would know this place.
“Did the imperial family come and go?”
“Yes, he came shortly after Milady left. He told me to give this to Milady.”
Lisa also handed me a letter. I picked it up and went straight up to my room. Originally, the first floor was my room, but in the end, I couldn’t overcome the nerve-racking noise and moved to the second floor.
As soon as I entered the room, I sat down on the bed and opened the box. Unexpectedly, there was a necklace inside the box. I took it out and looked at it in the sunlight coming through the window. The thin cord was made of platinum. As if the whole string had been specially treated or diamonds were crushed attached to it, it gave off a strange light.
The spotless large red ruby in the middle was vivid red enough to tell what he saw and chose. The small rubies on the top and the sides and the gems on the bottom that fell like water drops were all red, so it was splendor itself.
He always stared at me like he was carving my eyes, so he wouldn’t have considered choosing a different color. The letter said he wanted me to wear it the next time we met, and he said he wanted to say something. As soon as I saw the letter, I knew immediately what he was going to say, but the feeling of waiting for it was different.
I put the necklace around my neck for a while and put it back in the box. If he comes to pick you up on the appointment day, I will just do it then and go out. After putting boxes and letters on the table, I lay down in bed.
“…”
When I closed my eyes again, I thought of mother again. I sent her a present earlier, but I thought I should have put something more on it. I wonder if she will like the necklace?
Sir Shubart said she would come here soon. I wish she couldn’t come here for several months, but it will never happen.
“Ah.”
The thought of going to bed ran away as I thought of something earlier. I got up from my seat and went straight down. Fortunately, Ian was in the living room.
“Ian.”
“Is there anything you want me to do?”
“Yes, I need to know more about the prince. Please prepare all the documents that Sir Shubart gave me.”
“I understand. Where should I take it?”
“I’m going to the office. Bring it over there.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Not long after I went to the office and sat down, Ian brought the papers. I started looking for and reading documents about 18 to 23 years ago. This is because I remembered Valery’s story that he almost died when he was born, and I wanted to see if there were any past stories I missed.
However, even if I looked up everything from the year before he was born to the age of five, I couldn’t find anything he said. The things written in this document are almost identical to the historical records kept by the imperial family, so if it is not here, it’s highly like it will not be there either. Then either he lied, or they erased that history. Did they hide the story because they thought he would die?
“Hmmm.”
Not only about him, but around the time he was born, the record was quite short and neat. As if something had been erased.
How can they be so quiet when the empress was pregnant and Valery was born, but the history recorded in detail in other years?
Then I remembered Valery said they installed the safety devices to protect her mother. But it was too suspicious for me to learn more about it since I wasn’t even born then. As I felt a fever in my heart again, I closed the papers and leaned back on the chair.
Pressing hard around my heart, I took out the medicine bag from the inside pocket of the dress when it subsided a little. Leaning on my back, I lifted my head and carefully examined the medicine bag.
“Because this place is not colder than the north.”
In fact, since I came to the capital, I just pretended to eat it and left out a few without eating. I was curious about what kind of medicine it was, but I couldn’t help but wonder more as they said I no longer needed this medicine.
“What did she say when she first gave me the medicine?”
Did she tell me to eat it on my own because I would bother her if I was sick? I started eating it because I thought I would be in trouble if I didn’t listen to mother. It wasn’t until later that Sir Shubart told me it was a medicine to keep the body healthy and warm. And what else did they say?
“…Wait.”
I pointed at the desk, standing up fast enough to make a rattle.
Is it a coincidence? I think my heartache started after I stopped consuming this.
No, mother wanted my power to manifest quickly, right? Did she wait until the time came? Because if I grab anyone and imprint them, the plan will go awry…?
I examined the medicine carefully. Various herbs were mixed together, so it wasn’t possible to know what ingredients were used in this condition.
I knew in my head that my mother was the villainess, but I thought deep down she cared for me and treated me like her daughter. That’s why I liked my mother. And that’s why I didn’t suspect this medicine either.
If I had to work and I felt a little sick, she would put off my plans for another day, and she wouldn’t let me eat alone except when she was away due to special circumstances or needs like now. I thought it was mother’s way of expressing her love.
“Has my brain become dull because I lived with her?”
I crumpled the medicine bag, opened it, and poured it into my mouth. A total of three bags of medicines were not taken. I need to know what kind of medicine it is, so I leave the other two. Then I will know about it.
Ian immediately swallowed the tea he had brought along with the documents and got up from his seat.
