Chapter – 40
In a shabby back alley that felt cut off from the noisy world, there sat a man leaning against a wall, and a woman in strange maid clothes resting her head on his lap. If anyone had seen them, they would never have imagined they were a Marquis and a young lady.
For a long time, Cesare did not move at all, maintaining the same position so as not to disturb my deep sleep. At some point, even the noisy commotion of the scarf discount event faded away.
“Prepared for His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“We’ve gathered only His Highness’s closest aides. Let’s enjoy the hunt together!”
“We all adjusted our schedules for His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Another dream that had nothing to do with me. Loud, cheerful voices of men.
“I will trust no one anymore. From now on, people are nothing more than tools to me.”
A chilling voice, making a vow to itself in the darkness.
“Thennn… whyyy are youuu askiiing…?”
“For His Highness the Crown Prince.”
And even the words I had just spoken mixed in chaotically.
“So be happy, Marquis. Really.”
But that was the last of it. After that, I slept soundly without dreaming. Cesare remained completely still for a long time.
“They’re taking longer than expected.”
Alice muttered anxiously while standing near the carriage.
“They’ll be alright, right?”
Lanak did not answer. Alice seemed to understand why he stayed silent and simply nodded quietly. Then she prayed desperately on her own.
“Please, please, let that damn scarf discount event organizer get what they deserve…”
Lanak could only clear his throat awkwardly a few times.
After some time, Cesare and Kiana appeared among the now slightly thinned crowd.
“My lady!”
Alice quickly ran over to Kiana and asked in a fluster,
“Why are you so late? Nothing happened, right?”
“Ah, I just fell asleep for a bit, so I’m late.”
At some point, Kiana had completely sobered up and looked perfectly fine.
“Then take care.”
She sent Cesare and Lanak off right there at the alley entrance.
Of course, Cesare and Lanak only pretended to leave. They immediately hid their presence and decided to eavesdrop on Kiana and Alice’s conversation. For Cesare, everything about Kiana’s actions today was something he absolutely needed to know—why she was looking for the holy relic, and why the Crown Prince had been mentioned in the process.
Kiana didn’t notice that they had disappeared nearby and patted Alice on the back.
“You worked hard waiting, spy. Let’s hurry back to the Duke’s residence. Oh, and send one letter to the Lisinis Duke’s residence.”
“Yes. I was worried because you were so late.”
“The Marquis may look fit, but his physical ability is terrible. That’s why we couldn’t get out early.”
At Kiana’s words, Alice let out a deep sigh and replied sharply,
“Ah… seriously. That thug really is something else. Why did he even come here?”
“He came for some shady business he can’t tell others about, and apparently even that didn’t go as planned. He admitted himself that he’s kind of a foolish piece of trash.”
“Goodness, the more I learn about that Marquis, the more of a mess he sounds?”
“Spy, there’s nothing in this world that can’t be logically explained. Why do you think someone with that face still doesn’t have a lover? It means everything except his looks is a complete mess—just a trashy thug.”
At that moment, Cesare nearly staggered, and Lanak barely managed to support him. Lanak quickly whispered,
“My lady is lying, right?”
“……”
“Aren’t you upset?”
“…There are reasons for all of it. If you look at the conclusion alone, the young lady isn’t wrong. She’s not the type to say things like that without reason.”
Cesare sighed and pressed his forehead. She was truly a woman who consistently left him bewildered.
Meanwhile, Kiana, as always, was calmly analyzing the situation.
Kiana normally didn’t get hangovers and sobered up quickly. She just didn’t particularly enjoy drinking. After a short sleep, she had completely recovered. She remembered everything clearly. So even as she walked to the carriage with Cesare, her thoughts had been complicated.
According to the High Priest, the holy relic was hidden in a place no one would think of. And Kiana intended to retrieve and secure that relic as soon as possible. Of course, for the sake of the Crown Prince.
Unlike before the regression, events related to the Crown Prince were happening too quickly. Hiten might come to the same conclusion and try to find and eliminate the relic.
‘It wasn’t kept in the imperial palace in the first place because of the risk of misuse by the royal family… but like Mayer said to me, it’s possible he could tell Hiten. I need to move quickly no matter what.’
If the boy who received her item was the Crown Prince…
‘If he can’t appear publicly, then he must have used my item to change his eye color. And if he became a sword master in the meantime, it would be even easier for him to avoid attention.’
According to something Scari had once mentioned in passing, sword masters could surround their faces with aura and blur their impression in people’s memories. It was extremely difficult, and even Scari couldn’t maintain it for long, but—
Still, it was an excellent way to hide one’s identity. Hair could be dyed or covered with a wig anyway. At the same time, it would make revealing one’s identity difficult as well.
‘Though he didn’t seem like the type to lose weight easily… so he’s probably still chubby?’
If he had even lost weight, people really wouldn’t recognize him.
‘I still don’t know enough. I need to prepare for many possibilities.’
Once the chick brought the next letter, she would learn more.
‘Anyway, if the Crown Prince has changed his appearance, then to reclaim the throne, he absolutely needs the holy relic. It’s the only way to definitively prove his bloodline.’
Of course, Kiana was thorough. She even considered the possibility that the Crown Prince had died and one of his aides survived to seek revenge this way. In that case, it was also possible the Crown Prince had lived in hiding and had a child. If he died and only the child remained, they would need to prove that child’s bloodline to place them on the throne.
‘It would be best if the Crown Prince is alive… but if not, I hope he at least has a hidden child. That child would probably have blue eyes, right?’
She thought it would be even better if the child were a son who closely resembled the Crown Prince.
As Kiana let out a faint sigh, Alice, who was opening the carriage door, asked,
“My lady, what are you thinking about? Please get in.”
“Ah…”
Kiana answered honestly, her face full of concern,
“The Crown Prince’s hidden son.”
And then she got into the carriage and left.
It was only natural that Cesare and Lanak, left behind, froze in place.
“…W-what was that…?”
Lanak suddenly looked at Cesare as if he were trash.
“If you look at the conclusion alone, the young lady isn’t wrong. She’s not the type to say things like that without reason.”
“No. No, that’s not it.”
Cesare shook his head in panic. It was the first time Lanak had seen him look so flustered.
“No, what kind of misunderstanding is this…?”
Cesare’s clothes were covered in dust—the very thing he hated—but he didn’t even seem to notice. Lanak sighed and couldn’t help but think again how powerful Alice’s curse had been.
