Chapter – 35
“Whoever it is, Princess, don’t rush into marriage. A better match might appear.”
“…Pardon?”
When I asked back, the Emperor chuckled.
“Isn’t your middle name ‘Eli’? I heard your father gave you the name of the most precious gem in the world.”
I blinked in slight surprise. I had never heard the origin of my middle name before.
“If Edgar returns, it will be thanks to the Eli Stone you offered today. So wouldn’t that make you two a very good match?”
That made no sense at all.
But the power of authority meant you couldn’t openly call something wrong. I had been both a professor and a graduate student, so I understood that truth very well.
After finishing his words, the Emperor handed me a golden envelope.
“This is my small token of gratitude.”
“Thank you.”
I quickly accepted the envelope. I was curious about what was inside, but it would be uncultured to open it immediately. As if he noticed my thoughts, the Emperor smiled kindly.
“Giving wealth as a reward to a Frellai Princess would be foolish. It’s an imperial audience pass.”
“An imperial audience pass means…”
“The palace is currently restricting outsiders, isn’t it? But with this, you can come see me whenever you need.”
Even I couldn’t say, “But Your Majesty is always bedridden.”
Perhaps he had already considered that, because he added quietly,
“If I am unable to receive guests, the Empress will receive you instead.”
So I obtained the authority to meet the reclusive Empress anytime. Either way, it was something money couldn’t buy, so it was worth keeping.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor smiled playfully and said,
“Then, Princess, I’ll see you next time with your summon.”
With that, he turned and disappeared into the palace. I watched his back for quite a while.
I felt a bit guilty toward the Emperor.
If I had told him that I met someone who might have been the Crown Prince six years ago, he would have been happy. Even if that voice had sounded filled with vengeance… But I couldn’t share uncertain information. Especially not here, inside the palace. I never knew who might be watching or listening.
After the Emperor completely disappeared, I left the palace as well, lost in thought.
Is the reason the Crown Prince cannot return because the true mastermind hasn’t been revealed yet?
Even if he comes back and kills everyone who attended the picnic, Hiten would still remain.
Hiten hadn’t attended that picnic.
Psychologically, it would be more dramatic to corner the culprits this way.
But no matter how I thought about it, wouldn’t it be more efficient for him to return as the Crown Prince and use that power to investigate?
Still… there must be a reason he can’t reveal himself openly. Something I can’t guess.
And either way, it meant the Emperor knew that reason.
Anyway, if the Crown Prince is sharpening his blade to take down Hiten, I have to help him no matter what.
Once again, I engraved the truth “the enemy of my enemy is my ally” into my heart and clenched my fist.
Since he already revealed his return, I should help speed things up and lay the path for him myself.
The original story ended just as the Crown Prince’s revenge began, but things were already progressing much faster now.
Honestly, I like how fast things are moving. It feels refreshing.
Hiten still hadn’t made a decisive move against the Frellai Ducal House.
You have to strike while the iron is hot.
I decided to handle everything for the Crown Prince as quickly as possible. I immediately gave an order to the spy maid waiting by the carriage.
“Spy.”
“Yes?”
“We’re going out tomorrow morning. Remember that. There’s someone I need to meet.”
“Yes! Then I’ll choose your dress tonight—”
“No.”
I lowered my voice and ordered her,
“Prepare a headscarf and a maid uniform for me. I need to move without anyone noticing.”
At my mysterious command, the spy maid looked dizzy.
“And the escort…?”
I looked her up and down. Strong muscles, large build… good at carrying things… A bit questionable, but maybe she alone would be enough.
“Will you alone be enough? It’s not a very dangerous place.”
“Yes!”
The spy maid answered excitedly, as if she had been acknowledged.
“I was originally highly sought after by knight orders and assassin guilds. So please trust me!”
“Hahaha, the return trip was comfortable, wasn’t it?”
After parting with Kiana, the Emperor laughed and looked at his escorts.
“At least on the way out of the garden, you didn’t have to listen to that terrible lecture.”
The escort knights sighed lightly and nodded.
“So… Your Majesty also…”
“Oh dear, it’s better to look pitiful by talking about my child than to listen to those dreadful formulas.”
The knights exchanged awkward smiles.
“Still, she would make a very desirable match for Ed. He was good at science and math too, so maybe he wouldn’t mind listening to her.”
The Emperor chuckled and muttered,
“Our Ed is so innocent and kind… though he’s not the type to act cunning like a fox.”
“….”
The escort knights swallowed their unspoken thoughts.
If the person who had brutally killed his former teacher was really the Crown Prince… then he was already far from being innocent and kind.
That night, Hiten secretly stood before the Teyliz tree.
He had heard that the Emperor had brought Princess Kiana to pray at the tree.
Hiten didn’t believe in such superstitions. But it still left him in a bad mood.
He casually tossed a 12-pelot Eli Stone. It landed on a moderately high branch, glowing as it was absorbed.
Hiten placed his hand on the tree and prayed quietly.
“Let that Crown Prince bastard be dead. And if he’s alive, let him never return.”
The Teyliz tree, having absorbed the Eli Stone, swayed its branches happily.
At that moment, something fell lightly onto Hiten’s head.
“…A note?”
Hiten’s heart began to pound.
There had long been an oracle passed down in the Teyliz imperial family:
“In the note received by Teyliz, there shall be a path.”
There were many interpretations of the word “note,” but the descendants of Teyliz had always been sensitive to anything resembling one. Among those interpretations was the belief that “the gods deliver their will through notes.”
And the Teyliz tree was the most sacred object in the imperial palace.
As if possessed, Hiten unfolded the note.
It was the scribbled memo Kiana had written earlier in the carriage—the paper she had used to secure the Eli Stone.
Of course, no one knew that.
Hiten stared at the Teyliz tree in disbelief, then angrily tore the note apart.
“Damn it! Just because hers was more expensive and placed higher, you ignore mine? You trash tree—I’ll cut you down the moment I become Emperor!”
He kicked the base of the Teyliz tree hard, then stormed back to his palace in anger.
3. First Love Has Returned
The next morning, in the inner shopping street of the capital’s commoner district. It was a special day with street-wide discount events.
“Hey, move aside!”
“Let people pass through!”
Because of that, the streets were packed with people. And in a quiet alley away from the crowded street, there was a shabby tent with a worn-out sign barely hanging.
Retired Priest Maier Els
– Blessings Provided
The temple had been closed for a long time, and the effects of blessings were not well known. Because of that, people like him—who sold blessings for small change in back alleys—were all treated as frauds.
For that reason, Maier’s small stall was not popular. The old Maier was dozing off peacefully, even in the noise outside.
‘How can I…’
Meanwhile, in that quiet alley, behind Maier’s tent, Cesare hid his presence and watched him.
‘Can I make that senile old man move…?’
