WHTL 07

“L-Lotier…”

Whatever expression I had while imagining a peaceful future, Minabel must have interpreted it strangely, because she suddenly burst into tears and hugged me from the other side.

Before I knew it, I was wedged between two women like jam in a sandwich.

More than moved, I was having trouble breathing.

“You did well, Bell. If it weren’t for you, this wouldn’t have been resolved so easily. I was really nervous.”

“What are you talking about?! For someone who was nervous, you handled it insanely well! You wouldn’t lose even if a fight broke out in the middle of the road!”

I had no idea what she meant, but being praised always made me happy, so I smiled weakly.

Even though the road ahead was still incredibly long.

“By the way.”

When we boarded the carriage to return home, Minabel cautiously began to speak.

A small laugh escaped me without realizing it. Why was she making it sound so difficult?

“I was wondering when you’d ask.”

“But now that there’s no original story left to destroy, every single action feels even scarier!”

“Okay, okay. So what is it?”

She’d had a look on her face like she wanted to ask something for a while now. Her face brightened.

“It really seems like Tie is unbelievably pretty.”

“Huh? Out of nowhere?”

I prided myself on being someone who could read the atmosphere anywhere, but this was completely unexpected.

What on earth was she talking about?

“She’s a peerless beauty. Truly the Empire’s treasure. Ah, of course, Sister Lupina is pretty too.”

“I don’t know why you call me Lupina, but you can just call me Pina. Anyway, Tie’s beauty is famous throughout the entire Empire. At Tie’s debutante ball, there was a line of people wanting to ask her to dance stretching all the way outside the ballroom.”

As if she couldn’t hear any compliments directed at herself, my sister immediately began bragging about me instead.

“But after dancing three times, I ran out of breath and fainted…”

After that day, I decided dancing simply wasn’t suited for me.

“It really was a spectacular debutante.”

Minabel nodded with a smile, as if remembering it vividly. Well, we’d been friends back then too.

“So because of that, doesn’t it seem like His Highness fell for you too? My vast reading experience proves it.”

“What?”

The color drained from my sister’s face. Mine probably wasn’t much different.

“No.”

I denied it firmly, and Minabel tilted her head in confusion.

Anyway, no. Absolutely not.

If I hadn’t noticed it, there was no way that could be true.

No way!

Lucian Advein returned to the Imperial Palace while surrendering himself to a strange sense of unreality.

Flotier Rosena.

The moment her true appearance was revealed, her pink hair seemed to bleach away before shimmering silver, while her green eyes shifted into a cold violet.

In that instant where she transformed into someone entirely different, Lucian found himself unable to forget what he had felt.

His heart pounded wildly on its own, and it felt as though his brain had been shaken apart.

‘It felt as though that young lady had grabbed my heart with her gaze and was violently shaking it. Like being pierced through with a blade.’

If there had been anyone capable of teaching him, they would have told him that this was called “love at first sight.”

Unfortunately, there was no one around Lucian knowledgeable enough about romance to explain that to him.

“Your Highness, you’ve returned?”

Upon arriving at the Crown Prince’s palace, Heston greeted him with a sullen expression.

A precious attendant, knight, and friend who had remained by his side since childhood.

These days, however, he seemed to have forgotten all sense of hierarchy and constantly spewed rude remarks… Still, Lucian had magnanimously decided to let him live a little longer.

Though he hadn’t expected that “a little longer” would become ten years.

“Mm.”

“Couldn’t you at least tell us where you were going? ‘Don’t follow me, and if I catch anyone tailing me I’ll kill both of you.’ You really shouldn’t throw around the word kill so casually.”

“Then I should’ve elegantly said I wouldn’t let them off?”

“If you intend to live quietly, then you should be even more careful with your words. There are already rumors going around that Your Highness keeps frequenting shabby taverns, and this Heston’s heart has been suffering terribly because of it…”

“But I did go to a shabby tavern, so what’s there to worry about? They reported exactly what they saw.”

Say one word to him, and ten came back.

He had always talked too much, but instead of becoming more dignified with age, he only grew worse.

“That’s exactly why I’m saying please stop going to places like that! Why does the one person who should best understand this loyal servant’s concerns keep pretending not to understand?! Those places are crawling with shady people. And today there were even assas—”

Heston, who had been about to say assassins, suddenly closed his mouth and coldly scanned the surroundings.

Inside the Imperial Palace, there were more listening ears than outside.

“It seems word got around. Things were rather noisy there. Perhaps it’s time I stop going.”

Originally, it had been a place where he bought information.

But seeing assassins lurking there meant either the informant had betrayed him or been killed.

They had been so blatantly clumsy about poisoning drinks and drawing blades that Lucian had merely watched in disbelief—until the unexpected variable named Flotier barged in.

“Enough about that. Do you know anything about Flotier Rosena?”

Ignoring his loyal retainer’s worries, Lucian immediately brought up the real topic.

“The youngest daughter of House Rosena, isn’t she?”

“I heard she isn’t married yet.”

“Yes. She turned seventeen this year. It’s already famous how dearly Duke Rosena treasures his daughters. I hear marriage proposals arrive practically every day, but because her health is poor, they’ve continuously postponed things. Especially after Lady Serpina inherited the title of Young Duke.”

“There seem to be quite a few bold fools around.”

Lucian sneered in displeasure, causing Heston—who had been taking his coat—to stare at him in bewilderment.

When had this man ever cared about any noble in the Empire?

“Then how much do you know about House Rosena itself? Leave out the strange rumors and tell me only the truth.”

“The truth?”

You suddenly start asking about things you’ve never cared about before, so naturally I’m wondering if you’ve finally gone insane.

Though his lips twitched, Heston eventually gave up and continued speaking.

From the reason Serpina—whom the Mage Tower had coveted—ended up inheriting the Young Duke title, to how she had shut herself away in the ducal estate just to remain by Flotier’s side.

Unfortunately, after going through all the effort of explaining, it seemed the Crown Prince only cared about one thing.

“So the sisters are close.”

“Of course. To a terrifying degree. Anyone who keeps up with rumors knows they dote on the younger sister endlessly because Lady Flotier has always been frail. The nonsense about her being some madwoman who torments her sibling is all false.”

“Flotier is unhealthy?”

“Yes. They say she was born weak. She suffered from constant illnesses, and when she was younger there were even rumors she wouldn’t live past ten. She practically spent every day bedridden, though apparently it’s not quite that severe these days…”

At some point, Lucian stopped truly listening and instead recalled Flotier’s appearance.

Sure enough, the moment the disguise magic concealing her appearance had unraveled, all color had drained from her face.

Not merely cold-looking—she had been unnaturally pale.

‘She did look weak.’

He remembered how, when he had released his aura infused with power earlier, she had resisted it with all her strength.

Ordinary people didn’t tremble or suffer to that extent. Usually they simply froze beneath the pressure.

But Flotier had looked as though she might lose consciousness at any moment.

Her appearance had seemed so fragile that even Lucian had belatedly restrained his aura.

‘Come to think of it, the magic her guard had set up wasn’t ordinary either.’

If they could spread ancient magic so widely around the ducal estate, then the mages serving there were surely highly skilled as well.

Now that he thought about it, House Rosena—a family of distinguished merit—possessed influence powerful enough that even Lucian, who intentionally ignored political information, had heard about them repeatedly.

He had heard stories about Flotier too.

That she carefully chose the people she met and was extremely cold and vicious.

But the real Flotier had been completely different from the rumors.

‘Heed the will of God, O owner of the red eyes.’

The image of those eyes—wanting nothing more than simple peace—lingered vividly in his mind.

And yet, for someone with such a frail body to insist on meeting him alone out of desperation…

House Rosena was by no means insignificant.

If the Imperial Family were to fall, they possessed enough power to aim for the throne themselves.

‘Honestly, it would be easier to seize power if divine punishment struck and the Imperial Family collapsed. Calling herself selfish for that… how amusing.’