Chapter – 21
Lirian knew exactly what conversation Jeanne was conveying on her behalf.
“The man speaking to the princess right now is her guardian.”
Joseph Bespin, she recalled, a count of the kingdom.
The sixteen-year-old princess had a weak faction on her father’s side, so she was assigned a guardian.
Soon, Jeanne whispered:
“Sir, I think the man just left.”
“Then we should go now.”
Lirian knew it wouldn’t be difficult to approach the princess at the temple.
First:
She herself was concealing her identity.
Second:
It was natural for women visiting the temple to converse with one another.
And you can’t have a large entourage of guards without drawing attention.
So, when they pushed through the bushes and avoided unnecessary noise, they saw a girl crouching by the pond.
A teenage girl with deep green hair and silvery-gray eyes.
Her noble lineage was apparent at a glance. Even under the veil, her face was flushed from trying not to cry.
The women around her tried to soothe her, but it seemed useless.
“Your Highness, please don’t be so sorrowful… sob!”
When they finally noticed Lirian, they immediately grew wary.
The princess rose from her spot as if nothing had happened.
“Who… are you? Are you a visitor to the temple?”
“May the Creator’s blessing be upon you. I am Lirian of the Tillard family.”
“…!”
The princess and her attendants were taken aback.
Lirian was fairly well-known in this world.
Infamously so.
She smiled faintly.
Act like you don’t know she’s the princess!
“I couldn’t help but stop upon seeing someone grieving in the Creator’s house. If this offends you, I apologize.”
“…”
“But may I ask why you are so distressed?”
At the temple in a remote area, it was easier to have such conversations than at a social party.
People often spoke honestly, thinking they would never meet again.
“…My… my guardian is ashamed of me.”
The princess clasped her trembling hands together.
“And… my ability… is just too…”
At that moment, Lirian caught a glimpse of something.
Through the gap between her gloves and sleeves, a bluish serpent-like creature slid beneath the princess’s skin.
Even the silhouette of the scales was faintly visible.
No wonder hybrid-type ability users have it rough.
Humans and animals weren’t naturally compatible.
But she forced it to work with her ability.
That’s why the higher the rank, the more obvious it became.
And the count, already in his thirties, wasn’t helping the princess overcome her complexes; he was using it to break her spirit.
Quite the harvest, she thought bitterly.
Lirian’s eyes hardened as she looked at the princess’s necklace.
“So, you’re wearing a control artifact.”
“…Yes.”
“But the necklace-type artifact you’re wearing now is ineffective.”
“…!”
The princess looked up abruptly, as did the attendants.
“What… how can you say that! This was made by Iris Tillard!”
“Yes… I know.”
I designed it.
But someone had cut corners on the materials, making it ineffective.
“The centerpiece is malachite, surrounded by control stones, right?”
Like setting a small diamond.
“But there are too few stones. There aren’t enough circuits to suppress the ability either.”
“…What…?”
The princess looked as if she had been slapped.
Artifacts sold under Iris’s name are extremely expensive.
But if the setting was inefficient and the minerals were insufficient, that was absurd.
However…
“Would you give me a chance?”
“A chance?”
“I have the equipment and materials. If you lend them to me, I can fix it within two days.”
“…!”
“Then the side effects of your ability will be gone.”
It was true.
Because it only required slight modifications to the existing framework.
Helping a villain know in advance where the control stones are located really paid off.
A crisis truly is an opportunity.
And with magical equipment already in her bag, she could do it anytime.
The princess looked skeptical.
“How… can I trust your words? You’re non-awakened—”
“Hm. Would you hear me out first?”
Lirian pulled a recording stone from her bag.
Ah, a tiger leaves its pelt; Ramio leaves a recording stone.
Still, they are alive… right? At least, probably.
We need to let Lirian handle the new work quickly. If Grandfather hears about this, it’ll be a problem.
Iris’s voice was truly pleasant to hear.
Even more so when she was anxious rather than cheerful.
The princess and her attendants were left gaping.
Seeing their faces, Lirian smiled brightly.
“Perhaps now you can trust me a little?”
In Meliora’s quarters within the temple:
“Leaving the repair to Lirian Tillard?!”
Count Joseph Bespin raised his voice.
“Do you want her to suffer more?”
“N-no…”
Meliora mustered her courage.
The guardian, much older than her, was always intimidating.
Even more so since he was defending her rival in succession, her sibling.
“She is a non-awakened, yet extremely knowledgeable about repairs. More importantly, she designed the artifact herself—”
“Ha, Your Highness is far too naive.”
The count shook his head.
If I want to tame this girl, I’d have to mention her looks.
The princess was an A-rank ability user, superior even to her sibling.
If this continued, she would have an advantage in the competition.
He narrowed his eyes and smiled kindly this time.
“It is your Highness’s decision; how could I oppose it?”
“Count…”
“Whatever happens, Your Highness must take responsibility. You know what will happen if it’s repaired even slightly incorrectly.”
“…”
“You don’t want her to be hurt, right? The noble ladies back home would worry as well.”
Meliora could only shrink back silently.
But… I feel like I can trust her.
Confident yet calm people don’t intimidate.
The princess quietly clenched her trembling fists.
Along her wrist, the bluish serpent glided as if swimming.
In the temple, a small workshop was set up for Lirian.
Evren crossed his arms and watched.
Lirian Tillard.
She was truly a woman who never ceased to amaze.
She had persuaded the princess of Tenebrin to allow the repair.
“So this is where you plan to work?”
“Yes, exactly!”
Even her face was the brightest he had ever seen.
Her voice, endlessly high-pitched.
Lirian continued pulling equipment from her bag.
“We just need to add some missing wires and decorations. Torch, automatic cutting box, pliers, cooling box, gloves—”
“…What on earth is in that bag of yours?”
Was there a universe inside it?
The tools seemed endless.
Evren observed her spreading out the equipment carefully.
After struggling with a B-rank repair, he was curious how she would handle this.
“Miss Tillard.”
“Yes?”
“Before you begin, let me test the control.”
“…? Are you in a bad mood today?”
“You’re being petty, holding someone else’s leash. Hand it over.”
“Yes.”
Immediately, his voice calmed.
Evren grasped her much smaller hand firmly.
A sweet yet tingling sensation started from her palm.
And…
The emotion is flowing again.
It was distinctly different from the earlier rank measurement.
Her heart pounded as if a small animal were bouncing around inside.
…Was she a rabbit rather than a butterfly this time?
“Hm.”
Evren furrowed his brows and smiled.
This emotion is strangely addictive.
