Chapter 15
The Neuria Palace, where Empress Iyette resided, was filled with liveliness for the first time in a while.
“Ah, Lady Beatrice! We’ve been waiting for you. Was the journey difficult?”
“Lady Kaya, it’s been a while! I was just sitting in a carriage the whole time—I’m perfectly fine!”
“Fufu. You’re still as bright and energetic as ever. Please wait a moment. I’ll inform Her Majesty right away.”
“Oh, there’s no need for that. She knows I’m coming today, right?”
“Of course. She’s been eagerly waiting for you. She’s currently selecting tea and snacks in the reception room.”
Well then!
Beatrice raised a hand lightly to stop the head maid, as if it was no big deal.
Then she pushed open the reception room doors as if entering her parents’ house and smiled brightly.
“Iyette!”
If the Count Hartwell had seen that, she would have gotten another hit on the back.
Not only was she ignoring imperial etiquette, but she had also skipped honorifics entirely and called the Empress by her personal name!
Strictly speaking, this could have been punishable under imperial law.
But it was fine.
Beatrice was the youngest daughter with two older brothers.
She knew instinctively how far she could push people.
“Beatrice? Oh my, if I had known you’d come this early, I would’ve hurried my preparations!”
Instead of scolding her, the Empress opened her arms in delight.
Beatrice hugged her tightly, acting unusually spoiled and affectionate.
“I came early because I missed you, Iyette!”
“You child!”
“It’s true! I ran all the way here—look, my hair is all messy.”
“Alright, alright. You must be tired from running. Sit down.”
“Yes! I’ll sit next to you.”
If Beatrice’s mother, Count Hartwell, or Clyde had seen this, they would have rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
But the Empress, who didn’t see her every day, naturally had no way of knowing.
Beatrice chatted warmly with the Empress as she brewed tea herself, then suddenly clapped her hands as if remembering something.
“Oh right! I brought you a gift, Iyette!”
“A gift? For me?”
“Yes. It’s not anything particularly rare or expensive, so I’m a bit embarrassed…”
She placed a box on the table after receiving it from a maid and opened it shyly.
Inside was a “Nitten flower,” a fluffy blossom with wool-like petals.
More precisely, it was a flower box decorated with Nitten flowers and cute ornaments.
“This is…”
Although it was a simple gift as Beatrice had said, Empress Iyette gently stroked the flowers with affectionate hands.
The Nitten flower was found only in her homeland, the Kingdom of Beretta—and it was her favorite flower.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen a Nitten flower. How did you know I liked this…?”
“I found out by sneaking a word from Father. I heard they only bloom so beautifully when infused with abundant mana, so I did my best.”
“How lovely. To think you’ve already become so skilled at handling mana, Beatrice. I’m glad.”
“Um…”
In truth, she hadn’t infused mana directly. She had simply adjusted the greenhouse layout so that natural mana would gather more easily…
Beatrice hesitated for a moment on whether to correct her, then decided to stay silent.
Empress Iyette and Beatrice’s father, Zedric Hartwell, both came from the Kingdom of Beretta—the so-called “Mage Kingdom.”
Iyette herself had been a genius mage there.
‘If I say I rearranged the greenhouse, she’ll probably ask why I went to such trouble…’
She smiled vaguely to avoid the explanation.
The Empress continued joking lightly:
“At this rate, you might soon be able to help your father and me with my work.”
Ah—this was it!
Seizing the opportunity, Beatrice smoothly followed her words.
“Are you talking about the ‘integrated treatment system’ that combines magical healing and conventional medicine? I heard it’s currently being tested.”
“Oh my, you’ve heard about that from Zedric? Yes, it’s a project I personally designed.”
The Empress then happily began explaining the integrated treatment system in detail.
“Healing magic shares many similarities with divine healing, so it’s easier for ordinary citizens to accept. And also…”
“Hmm.”
Even though Beatrice hadn’t asked, the Empress had already begun explaining—just like her father.
Alchemists and mages really were all the same, especially those from Beretta.
‘But I’m glad I get to see this now.’
In her past life, she hadn’t paid attention to such matters, even though they involved people close to her who showed her kindness.
‘By the time I realized it, everything was already over.’
The same had been true for Empress Iyette’s project.
‘The integrated treatment system was eventually scrapped during its trial phase.’
The reason was clear: a noble lady from the Sharon Count family had died during the pilot program.
‘It affected more things than expected… but that’s not important now.’
Preventing the cancellation of this project was the “first step toward earning a noble title” that Beatrice had decided on.
‘Originally, before Clyde complicated things, this was my goal anyway.’
Though now the Downer territory issue seemed more urgent.
While she was thinking, the Empress let out a small sigh and murmured almost to herself:
“Lately, I feel like the number of patients with unexplained illnesses is increasing. It might not just be my imagination—I want to prepare in advance.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I wasn’t talking to you, Beatrice. Just thinking out loud.”
But Beatrice couldn’t ignore those words.
‘Patients with unknown illnesses…’
Something clicked in her mind.
‘What if those patients all had the same disease, and we just haven’t identified the cause yet?’
And what if the Sharon Count’s daughter, who had died in her previous timeline, was also one of those “unexplained cases”?
‘Didn’t she just say the integrated treatment system was a kind of preventive measure?’
Then her hypothesis became even more likely.
‘And because the cause is unknown, it would be easy for the Princess to interfere.’
Thinking back, the claim that “a fatal mistake by a team member caused the death” never made sense.
A mage as skilled as the Empress would not have simply allowed that.
‘…The more I think about it, the more suspicious the illness itself becomes. It’s almost like a curse.’
A curse…?
As she recalled her conversation with Clyde, another spark lit up in Beatrice’s mind.
A connection.
Between the “cursed Downer Marquessate” and this “unknown disease.”
‘Because the most suspicious place in the Empire right now—and the place most likely to be influenced by the Princess—is that territory.’
It felt as if a light had turned on in front of her.
‘At this point, it feels like fate is telling me to go to the Downer Marquessate.’
What could she do? She couldn’t ignore such a connection.
After a moment of thought, Beatrice raised her hand.
“Iyette! Have you heard of the cursed Downer Marquessate?”
“The Downer Marquessate?”
“Yes. There are rumors about it—people disappearing or dying, and haunted dolls multiplying everywhere.”
Of course, at this point in time, those rumors had not yet spread widely.
But Beatrice shamelessly mixed in fabrication—for a brighter, happier future.
“I only heard about it after Clyde and His Highness Crowell were assigned there, so I looked into it.”
“It does sound like a suspicious rumor.”
“Yes. But after hearing what you just said, I can’t stop thinking about it. If there are so many unexplained phenomena there, maybe the same unknown disease is spreading too.”
“Hmm…”
“I have a feeling there’s a clue there.”
“That’s reasonable. Beatrice, are you interested in investigation and research?”
At the Empress’s question, Beatrice nodded.
“Of course! In fact, I wanted to go the moment I heard about the curse, but I was refused.”
“Oh? Usually for long missions like that, families sometimes accompany them… why not you?”
“They said it was dangerous.”
“Oh my!”
The Empress smiled like a girl, finding it cuter than expected, then gave Beatrice a playful look.
“Beatrice… do you still want to go?”
Shall I help you?
