Chapter 53
After getting the Royal Palace Library basement key, Lucy did not delay her visit to the palace.
“The library basement… it obviously sounds like there would be valuable books there.”
Filled with excitement, Lucy headed to the main palace.
Of course, she wasn’t planning to visit only the library.
Since she was already at the palace, she wanted to meet the Emperor if possible.
Now that her intelligence and stamina stats had increased, she didn’t have to act as timid as before.
“He won’t refuse to see me, right?”
Contrary to her worry, a royal knight came to escort her.
“His Majesty requests your presence in the audience chamber.”
The Emperor wanted to see her first?
Lucy followed the knight to the audience hall.
The Emperor greeted Lucy.
“You’ve come.”
Lucy greeted him properly.
“It’s been a while since the banquet.”
Lucy was surprised inside.
It sounded as if the Emperor had been waiting for her visit.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve neglected the Emperor.”
After completing her first quest, the Emperor had completely slipped to the back of her mind.
Still, the Emperor was Lucy’s father.
Building a good relationship with him would help later when exposing Elisha’s misdeeds.
“I hear you’ve been through a lot lately.”
Lucy flinched slightly.
A lot really had happened.
Some of it could even get her scolded by the Emperor.
After all, she had caused a scene at Elisha’s social party.
And that party was one the Emperor himself had encouraged Lucy to attend.
Instead of behaving well at a gathering arranged out of the Emperor’s consideration, she had acted poorly.
Lucy grew tense, thinking the Emperor might be angry.
But he brought up something unexpected.
“I heard there was trouble at the hunting contest.”
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them.
Was he going to blame her for what happened there?
She carefully looked up at the Emperor.
But instead of anger, his eyes were filled with concern.
He hadn’t called her here to scold her.
He was worried about her.
Lucy felt deeply moved.
She lowered her head slightly and replied.
“There was a small accident, but I returned safely.”
The Emperor nodded.
Though his expression was calm, many thoughts ran through his mind.
If things had gone just a little worse, Lucy could have died.
Among ten fingers, some hurt less when bitten—but that didn’t mean one wanted to cut any off.
Even if one child mattered less than another, he still didn’t want to lose her.
And he didn’t believe the accident was just a coincidence.
The horse Lucy rode suddenly going wild?
Lucy was a member of the imperial family.
She was always at risk of assassination.
Realizing this again, the Emperor had ordered a secret investigation into the incident.
Lucy thought all evidence was gone since the horse had disappeared, but an imperial order carried far more weight.
He had learned that Elisha had visited the stables before the accident.
The Emperor asked Lucy carefully, as if testing her.
“Do you truly believe it was just an accident?”
Lucy hesitated.
What should she say?
Should she say she suspected Elisha?
“No. I can’t say that.”
The Emperor’s favor still leaned toward Elisha.
If Lucy openly accused her now, she might offend him.
“I think it was an unexpected accident.”
That was the right answer.
If Lucy had mentioned Elisha, the Emperor would have been disappointed.
He would have thought Lucy was trying to bring down her sister, even if they shared only half their blood.
People called the Emperor cold-blooded for killing family to take the throne, but in truth, no one carried that weight more heavily than he did.
That was why he treated his daughters differently—so they wouldn’t follow his path.
So Lucy wouldn’t even dream of challenging her sister’s position.
He wanted to pass on the throne without bloodshed.
To do that, he needed to confirm Lucy’s intentions here.
Fortunately, Lucy gave the answer he wanted.
Still, he did not forget that Elisha had gone to the stables.
His sharp instincts, honed by ruling the empire, pointed to Elisha as the one behind the incident—but investigating her was his responsibility, not Lucy’s.
“I hear that some young men helped you.”
The Emperor intended to reward them.
No matter how neglected Lucy was, they had saved a member of the imperial family.
He looked at Lucy for a moment, then suddenly asked what he had been curious about.
“I hear those young men often visit your annex. Are you close with them?”
When he heard the rumor, he found it very interesting.
He never expected them to visit Lucy instead of Elisha.
He had also heard that Lucy had been rude to them at a social party.
Maybe, as the rumors said, they were courting her.
And they were no ordinary men.
They were sons of prestigious families in the empire.
Not insignificant men, but ones truly suitable as potential spouses.
“We met by chance and have maintained a good relationship,” Lucy answered honestly, though she was puzzled by the Emperor’s interest.
“As a thank-you for their help, I’m planning to invite them to the annex.”
One of the Emperor’s eyebrows rose.
“Well done.”
He spoke sincerely.
“Then why did you come to the palace today?”
“I came to see you, Your Majesty. I felt guilty for not visiting you for so long. Please forgive your unfilial daughter.”
A smile appeared on the Emperor’s lips.
He knew it was flattery, but hearing it from his daughter was different.
He chose to overlook her lie.
“Now that we’ve seen each other, that’s enough. Visit the main palace from time to time.”
“Yes.”
With that, the Emperor dismissed her, and Lucy left the audience chamber.
She let out a quiet sigh.
“I didn’t expect to talk with the Emperor for that long.”
Still, it wasn’t bad.
The Emperor was showing interest in her.
Since she would be visiting the palace library many times in the future, she decided she should see the Emperor whenever possible.
With that resolve, Lucy headed to the Royal Palace Library.
The gatekeeper recognized her and opened the door.
While the library was freely accessible to the imperial family, the basement was different.
Lucy looked around.
The three-story library was tall and grand.
The smell of old books calmed her.
Perhaps because she had been reading so much lately, the unfamiliar place felt comfortable.
She checked around carefully to see if anyone else was there.
Perfect timing—Lucy was alone in the library.
She no longer had to worry about being watched.
After entering calmly, Lucy quickened her pace toward the basement door.
She tried the handle—it was firmly locked.
“It’s time to use the key.”
Lucy took out the key she had prepared.
As she inserted it, the lock clicked open.
Creeeak.
She carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
Relying on a lamp, she descended into the dark basement where no sunlight reached.
At the bottom of the stairs, Lucy quietly approached the nearest bookshelf.
They were all old books.
This time, she had to find a special one among them.
Just as she was thinking nothing stood out—
She noticed a book glowing red among the old volumes.
To be continued.
