Chapter 31
The woman in a robe ignored him and helped Agasa, who had been crouching down, to her feet.
At the sight, one of Gobard’s knights frowned.
“What I’m saying right now—”
Thud!
Despite his fierce momentum, he collapsed before he could finish his words.
The guard had struck his vital point with the sheath of his sword and knocked him unconscious.
“Phew—.”
The guard nervously looked around again and again.
Looking closely at his eyes, there were faint bruises, as if someone had beaten him badly.
“We almost got caught.”
“If we had, it would’ve been a big problem for you. My father would not have let you off.”
At Brillint’s chilling words, the short guard trembled and awkwardly led the two of them.
“It’s quiet around here. It seems the Duke of Sanderlin’s knights have taken care of the remaining knights. This way.”
“Good. Come on, Agasa.”
“W-wait a moment.”
Still not fully understanding the situation, Agasa looked at the robed woman—Brillint—with a confused face.
Brillint gently brushed Agasa’s cheek and whispered,
“I’ll explain on the way.”
“I don’t want to go to His Highness the Crown Prince’s villa.”
“We’re not going there. Don’t worry.”
“You must move quickly. We infiltrated the Imperial Palace because there’s a gap in security due to the wedding. If we hesitate even a little, we’ll be discovered.”
“You heard him. Let’s go.”
At those words, Agasa found herself moving after Brillint without realizing it.
She had no idea what was happening.
‘Why… why is the lady’s maid…?’
Even as she was lost in confusion, the three of them hurried forward.
The room where Agasa had been confined was the deepest and most secretly hidden place within the Crown Prince’s Palace.
If Neroli had not provided additional information, they would never have known such a place existed.
—
“How does Her Highness know such high-level information?”
Looking at the map of the Crown Prince’s annex that he had received from Neroli, the Duke of Sanderlin muttered.
Brillint had also been slightly puzzled, but no matter where the information came from, it was not important.
—
“Whatever the method… she is doing her best for our family.”
“That’s right. We owe Her Highness a debt we can never repay.”
—
Thus, taking advantage of the guards’ attention being focused on the wedding hall, the Duke of Sanderlin and his daughter infiltrated the Crown Prince’s Palace.
With a forged imperial decree prepared in advance and the guard handed over by Neroli leading the way, they caught Gobard’s knights off guard and succeeded in subduing them without much commotion.
‘Things are going this smoothly?’
Was heaven helping Sanderlin?
Before they knew it, Sanderlin’s masked knights had gathered around them.
Under their protection, Agasa and Brillint safely escaped the Crown Prince’s Palace and boarded a small carriage prepared behind the annex.
“Hurry, Agasa.”
“Y-yes.”
Once they got in, the small, unmarked carriage quietly began to leave the Imperial Palace.
Agasa removed her robe and hurriedly looked at Brillint.
“Lady’s maid! What is all this? Did Her Highness call for me—”
Agasa could not finish her sentence.
Brillint had taken off her hood and was looking down, crying.
“So… I wasn’t mistaken that time. Her Highness was right.”
At her murmur, Agasa also looked down.
In her haste to sit in the carriage, Agasa’s skirt had lifted slightly.
Brillint was staring at her exposed calf.
“Uh, excuse me…”
Then Brillint lifted her own skirt.
“Look.”
“!”
This time, it was Agasa who was shocked.
On Brillint’s calf, there was a mole in the exact same spot as hers.
“Our mother had a mole in the same place.”
“T-that means…?”
“And I have a younger sibling who was lost right after birth.”
With trembling fingers, Brillint gently touched the corner of Agasa’s eye.
“A younger sister the same age as you…”
“Ah…”
“You—you are my sister.”
On Agasa’s face, Brillint now saw traces of their parents that she had failed to notice before.
The deep double eyelids that looked exactly like their father’s, the nose bridge shaped just like their mother’s.
Unable to hold back, she tightly embraced Agasa.
“You really are my sister! I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you right away. I’m so, so sorry!”
Repeating Brillint’s sobbing words in her mind, Agasa muttered blankly,
“I… I’m your sister?”
“Yes, Agasa. We’re family.”
Family!
At that word, tears finally flowed from Agasa’s eyes as well.
She could hardly keep up with what was happening, but Brillint’s tears and trembling voice hurt her heart so much.
Sniffling together with Brillint, Agasa suddenly had a thought.
‘This is the last time.’
She had a feeling this was her final chance to leave her love behind.
‘If I really am her sister… If my real family stays by my side! I can forget everything. I can escape…!’
This time, she would let Gobard go.
She would never be toyed with again.
She would finally say goodbye to this dreadful Imperial Palace!
Inside the carriage that was moving farther and farther away, Agasa made that vow.
‘Today is the day the great event takes place.’
At last, the wedding day of Ebwawa and Gobard—after so much preparation and trouble—had arrived.
A royal wedding is traditionally held in the temple inside the Central Palace where the Emperor resides.
‘In the time of the founding Emperor, they even held worship services in that temple.’
But as the influence of the Dalia religion declined significantly, the temple now remained closed except for events like this.
Inside the carriage heading toward the Central Palace, I called for Modwei.
[I’m here, Master!]
‘How is Moren?’
[He’s with Hist again today!]
‘Is he coming to the wedding?’
[Nope! Looks like he doesn’t plan to attend! But Hist is playing with him a lot, so he doesn’t seem lonely!]
At that, I let out a small sigh.
‘To think he would even skip Gobard’s wedding.’
I was beginning to worry about Moren’s reputation.
Even if he was the youngest prince who had recently lost his mother, if he secluded himself for this long, unfavorable rumors would spread.
‘There are already rumors that madness has begun to appear in Moren.’
Madness could manifest not only as obsession but also as insomnia or depression, so the rumors were not entirely groundless.
‘…It would almost be better if that were true.’
Since Moren was born a royal, he could not avoid madness.
If so, it would be easier for everyone if it appeared not as a dangerous obsession but as a manageable mental condition.
‘Like Kinya, who only has mild depression and hallucinations.’
As for me, it is publicly known that I suffer from slight insomnia.
Well… what use is it for me to wish for anything?
At least Hist was taking good care of Moren. I would judge his condition myself when I saw him later.
‘Perhaps the fortunate thing is that the Emperor shows no interest in Moren.’
The Emperor is a man who takes great pride in Lornod’s blessing.
Normally, he would never leave alone a son who showed weakness.
‘But… during Moren’s seclusion, the Emperor did not forcibly drag him out.’
With his usual temper, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to send knights to Moren’s palace and haul him out like a criminal.
Why?
‘Has he decided to treat Moren as if he doesn’t exist?’
Come to think of it, he had never shown any particular emotion toward Moren, who resembled him.
Now that Moren’s mother was gone, perhaps he judged it a waste of time to pay attention to him.
‘After all, that man only needs me.’
If I thought of it that way, it made sense that he showed little reaction to Moren’s decision to skip the wedding.
Of course, the Emperor treating Moren like a ghost was more advantageous for me.
It allowed me to focus more on this wedding.
‘Because today is the day Duke Sanderlin rescues Agasa.’
We had put in a great deal of effort for this, so it had to end perfectly.
I gently stroked Modwei’s head as he arranged his wings beside me.
‘Modwei, do you remember the map of the Crown Prince’s Palace I showed you before?’
[Of course! That’s the area I patrol every day!]
‘Good. Then wait there, and when a woman with pink eyes appears, help her.’
[The human who’s always with you, right?! Just trust me!]
With a proud shout, Modwei fluttered through the closed carriage and flew away.
At that, Marin slowly appeared beside me.
[Hmm~ Should I go and help Modwei too~?]
‘You?’
[I’m a little curious whether that human called Agasa will escape properly~.]
Then Nesgal appeared as well and nodded.
[For once, Marin speaks sense! Modwei, who’s fallen head over heels for that purple-haired human, is unreliable, Master!]
Indeed, for Brillint to rescue Agasa, the key was to quickly subdue Gobard’s knights.
Even though it was his own wedding, Gobard would never let his guard down regarding Agasa.
‘Marin, help the knights with Brillint and interfere with Gobard’s knights. Can you tell them apart?’
[Master~, I’m not Modwei~.]
After a moment of thought, I nodded.
‘Then I’ll leave it to you.’
With my permission, Marin also passed through the carriage and flew away as if swimming through water.
When Nesgal disappeared with a chuckle, the carriage stopped right on cue.
Click.
The carriage door opened smoothly, and as I reached to take the hand extended to escort me, I froze.
