Chapter – 30
Chapter 9: The Road Back to the Capital
Tenebrin’s “Veil of Concealment.”
It was a special tool that didn’t change the wearer’s facial features but made it difficult for others to recognize them.
With this, even someone who had lived with you their entire life wouldn’t be able to tell who you were.
“Are you really giving me something this precious…?”
The princess smiled radiantly.
“Thanks to you, I’ll be able to make better decisions going forward.”
“Your Highness…”
“You saved me in such a crisis, so it’s only natural that I give you at least this much in return.”
As expected, it was Iris—whom she trusted—who had given her the artifact, even if it had been stripped of some parts, and at a high cost.
Perhaps the more she had been deceived, the more grateful Lilian felt.
Lilian accepted it gratefully.
“I will treasure it, Your Highness.”
Even the normally calm Lilian couldn’t help but feel touched in this moment.
Her heart pinched…
“Lady Tillard.”
But just then, the villain grabbed Lilian’s hand and pulled her along.
The feeling of warmth vanished…
“We should get going now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
With tears in her eyes, Lilian turned her back and followed.
“I hope one day we can safely go to Tenebrin…”
Meliora watched Lilian’s group fade into the distance.
A wistful light shimmered in her eyes.
“Ahh.”
She wanted her… so badly…
Lilian seemed like she was made entirely of sugar and candy from head to toe.
How could someone exude such a heart-fluttering aura?
“It’s as if she was born to charm someone with special abilities.”
That was the intuition of a beast-type ability user.
Sometimes, regardless of gender, an irresistibly attractive “controller” would appear.
The higher the grade of the ability user, the more sensitive they were, and the more desirous such a person would become.
“And on top of being a controller, her abilities are just so outstanding.”
Ah, if only more knights had been brought along…
“It’s a shame they came so sparsely, probably to avoid revealing their condition.”
But it didn’t matter who they brought anyway.
“No one could defeat that man by force.”
She meant the man walking back while holding Lilian’s hand.
“He probably hasn’t noticed yet, but…”
The power of annihilation rippled around him.
It was as if it would activate if anyone other than him touched Lilian recklessly.
Moreover, even Meliora received a warning glare over the shoulder.
“Ah… scary.”
Still, she had to wait for another opportunity.
Lick.
In the heart of the capital, there was a shop that always ranked first in the “most beloved store in the empire” list.
“Iris Floren.”
It was a store opened for the granddaughter most cherished by the Tillard family and served as the core of the family business.
The fact that they used only the granddaughter’s name instead of the family name “Tillard” showed just how much they treasured her.
And today was the semiannual day when the shop held a new product exhibition.
Many artifacts, designed by Iris herself and imbued with control abilities, attracted attention every time.
The eyes of those viewing the items in glass cases sparkled.
“As expected of Iris!”
“You even made monocles for those whose vision is weakened by abilities.”
“I’m ordering ten of these, no question!”
This was an event where people could try the new artifacts in advance.
It was also a gathering for Iris’ long-time followers.
Many came to congratulate her.
“Congratulations, Iris!”
“Hehe, thank you!”
“This will surely be praised in the articles again. And…”
A young lady whispered quietly.
“I don’t believe the last article at all.”
“……”
“Anyone who reported such scandalous things about Viscount Pavil will be punished by the Creator.”
“Ah…”
Iris paused for a moment but smiled kindly.
“Oh my, such frightening words! Even if someone is bad, the Creator’s punishment is too terrifying.”
“Oh my, Iris…”
“But thank you for trusting Iris!”
Though she smiled warmly, inside she was sharpening her knives.
She had to remove that useless person from the guest list.
“Thanks to that article, I went through so much trouble.”
She even had to go explain to the Second Empress that she had never played around with Viscount Pavil.
Luckily, her reputation was flawless, or it could have been a disaster…
But then everyone stopped talking as someone entered the shop.
Finally, they’re here!
The symbolic figure who dictated “what’s trendy in the empire” was Madame Rochette.
This woman, elegantly tying up her flamboyant red hair, was both an ability user and a prominent magazine publisher.
Iris ran up to her with a bright smile.
“Welcome, Madame Rochette!”
“It’s been a while, Miss Iris.”
Madame nodded in greeting and was guided through the shop by Iris.
Of course, she’ll like these new works too!
“How do you find them, Madame? What do you think?”
But contrary to Iris’ expectations, Madame Rochette responded indifferently.
“Well… the designs are a bit… similar to last year’s.”
Ouch.
“In terms of function… they’re just barely meeting the safety standards released earlier this year.”
Ouch, ouch.
“No, Madame Rochette! Everything passed according to the imperial standards. The Tillard knights verified them themselves.”
“I see.”
Madame nodded as if pointing out the obvious, as if it were a chore.
“I’ll be leaving now, Miss Iris. Thank you for the invitation.”
“Y-yes, please take your time.”
She barely looked over the new artifacts.
Iris’ followers clung to her immediately.
“Don’t worry about it, Miss Iris!”
“What could an old woman like that know?”
“She runs a magazine, so she’s insufferably arrogant. Her hands are too cheap to even touch money herself.”
Iris forced a smile.
She wanted to just grab and shake these idiots.
“How can I not care?”
That woman saw straight through everything!
“I couldn’t leave it to Lilian, so I just made minor changes to the previous releases.”
She was also known for refusing her grandfather’s “donations.”
Even a single line of criticism would make people believe it…
“Surely, that wouldn’t happen, right?”
Iris forced her anxiety down.
That night.
Even after all the guests had left, Iris waited alone in the reception room of her shop.
Someone arrived holding a huge bouquet made of irises and roses.
“Hehe, welcome, Viscount!”
“Iris, congratulations!”
“Thanks so much.”
Iris scrunched her nose and laughed.
When the problematic article had broken out, she almost fought, but in the end, Karkin relented.
“Since Lilian isn’t here, it’s so much easier on my mind, right?”
“Oh, don’t say that. It makes your sister look pitiful.”
Sigh… if only I could marry you.
“Ugh, I’d be so happy if that were true too.”
It was a lie.
The marriage and marking were meant for Crown Prince Kyle.
But as for romance, it could be anyone else!
The more men, the better—and it was even more fun if they were someone else’s man!
“What could my sister do even if she found out?”
In truth, everything Lilian cherished was merely a toy for Iris.
Iris was confident she could do anything and still be forgiven.
She was the only S-class of this era.
But the next day, Iris’ confidence wavered.
“Phew. What on earth is this?”
Thunk!
Her grandfather, Duke Tillard, had summoned Iris and Cuern to the study.
He slammed down a magazine on the desk: Madame Rochette’s Salon Rochette.
