Chapter 73

As the sword glistened in front of her eyes, she didn’t think at first if she should hide her identity.

“What are you doing here at this hour?”

Hearing the stern voice of the guard, she finally got a hold of herself.

She rapidly changed her expression.

“T-That is, The Princess Your Highness! The Princess ordered me to!”

Lara instinctively took the Princess card.

She has to take the Princess as a reason to pull through in this situation.

“Is that your answer, Lady Mirccino?”

However, even though she used the name of the Princess, the face of the guard only became stiffer.

The clanking sound of the armor went throughout the hallways of the Princess Palace.

It came to Lara that something was strange, she then frantically looked around for the Princess.

“Ye-Yes, the Princess- wait, the Princess ordered me to be here!”

None of the familiar faces of the Palace were seen. There were only guards who were holding her up, they seemed to be waiting only for her.

“Drag her and go.”

Lara shed tears as she was being pulled away.

Things went badly wrong for Lara, she couldn’t understand how this happened.

* * *

“Princess, I think it’s for the best if we should go out for a while.”

“Okay.”

Even in her bedroom, the commotion could be heard.

Lara’s loud voice has led some of the ladies to figure out the situation.

Ellie returned with a fearful look after learning the incident, Siervian wasn’t agitated by it.

‘Lara finally… made a mistake.’

She already knew Lara would pull another string after parting earlier in the palace.

As violent as what could’ve happened during their play in the garden earlier, Siervian had to avoid it.

At the end of the day, she couldn’t figure what or where the thing was, Lara was thinking of it as ‘the room’.

‘I can’t lose now.’

She wanted to transfer Lara out somehow smoothly.

After waiting for a few days, Lara finally crossed the line.

‘How can you hate someone you don’t even know?’

Lara couldn’t care less for the maidens and the others in the palace let alone the Princess.

She also didn’t have anything for Lara any more.

‘I just have to defend.’

At the most, She has eyes that can distinguish good people, but she can’t be any more risky than this.

So as the night approached, Siervian had the maidens into her bedroom.

She pretended to be scared of the night so they could stay by her side.

“Don’t worry Princess, we’re by your side, all right?”

“All right, thank you Ellie.”

Holding Ellie’s hand tightly, they left the Princess Palace.

No matter how clever she is, Lara is only a child. It would be easy to counter someone thinking of sneaking inside the palace.

‘The Count wouldn’t know this.’’

There was another reason why Siervian let Lara get her own way today; it was because of Adante, the escort who stood by her and noticed Lara’s strange behavior.

‘I did not expect my father would take action this fast.’

Anyhow, thanks to him, things would work out easily.

…Probably.

“What about Count Mirccino?”

“We raided the Count’s residence, but the sinner had already fled and we are now trying to pursue him. I apologize, Your Majesty.”

Upon receiving the Emperor’s call, she entered the Imperial Palace. Siervian saw her father with a hard face, along with the nervous face of the Captain of the Guard, who was reporting.

Siervian, who was naturally intimidated by this atmosphere, approached her father carefully.

“You must be very surprised about this, Siervy.”

“Yes, about Lara?”

Perhaps he was trying to ease her. In their brief talk, the maids gave a quick explanation of the incident.

As expected, Lara has been caught moving the ‘thing’ to another place.

Without knowing that the escort was watching her, doubting her.

“What object has the playmate been caught with?”

The Emperor asked the Captain in concern of Siervian.

But the Captain was worried the little girl might be terrified of this, even so, the Emperor thinks It was better to clarify the found item.

“…Are you saying that it was an order of the Imperial Princess?”

The words made Siervian shrink instantly.

She looked like a child, although she is one.

Still, she struggled to persuade herself.

“It’s okay, I prepared one more thing.”

Patting the little head of Siervian, Emperor Alderuan slowly explained the situation.

“Lara, your first playmate, seems to have received a strange request.”

“A strange request?”

Recognizing that the playmate’s behavior was a little strange, Sir Roid immediately reported it to the Emperor earlier.

It was not yet clear whether the count had used Lara as a secondary card.

“Yes, did Lara do anything unpleasantly in the past few days?”

However, what they overlooked is that the Emperor is extremely wary of items from unknown sources entering the palace.

This has been the case ever since the flag of the Princess Palace was leaked continously during the food waste incident.

[ Alderuan Erveldote ]

Thoughts: How dare you try to use Siervian again, I won’t forgive this.

She didn’t know how things were going, but She knew her father believed in her.

“Your Majesty, may I daresay a word?”

“What is it that you have to say?”

She fell on her knees as she was solemn in Siervian’s side.

Seeing her loyalty to Siervian, the Emperor accepted it.

“Please take a look at this.”

Ellie took something out of her arms: it was the magic bead that shoots out detailed captured images.

“What is this one?”

“Karmen gave this to Siervian.”

“…”

The Emperor’s eyebrows suddenly become crooked remembering the disciple of the Lord of the magic tower. Both had been vigilant since the ring incident.

The severe aura of the environment grew even more.

What is the recording for?

―Why don’t you listen to me when I say I have a place to go with? Why?!

What came out of the magic presentation was the voice of a young girl.

“I found this while organizing the Princess’s belongings earlier.”

“Who is this?”

“This is the playmate that was taken away earlier, Your Majesty.”

Standing next to the Princess, the Escort commented to the Emperor’s question.

The lights showed a child smiling in an innocent smooth manner, but the words that came out of her mouth were very rough.

―You can’t do anything yourself. Do you think there would be someone who would come for you?

Roid wouldn’t hear this sound as he was escorting the Princess from afar.

However, Siervian was thinking how her playmate’s behavior was somehow awkward, but she was just using such vulgar words.

“How dare…”

The Emperor slammed his table in full rage, but realizing it caused Siervian to startle he quickly grabbed her.

Siervian calmly buries her face into her father’s arms.

“I am not mad at you at all. Alright, Siervy?”

“All right.”

“How could you bear her? You should have told this father right away.”

[ Alderuan Erveldote ]

Thoughts: All of this is my fault, all my fault. What kind of politics did he teach the playmate?

Ellie and the others were restless at the reproachful tone of the Emperor.

Because they thought the Princess would burst into tears at any moment.

But the Princess nodded determinedly.

“Sebi’s fine, please don’t worry.”

At that Princess’s single phrase, Ellie could barely control her emotions.

It was only a few years ago that Sarah had been neglecting Siervian. She thought she had improved a little since then, but she knew that she was still hurting inside.

To the point where she can’t properly defend herself to someone undermining her.

“I am a little late, Your Majesty.”

After breaking through the sullen atmosphere, the Lord of the magic tower appeared.

The Emperor, who was holding the little Princess, comforting her, managed to turn his head. Since there was still more work left, he had to focus.

“What does it look like to the Lord of the magic tower?”

Everyone already knows that the Emperor was an outstanding wizard, needless to say he knew what the ‘thing’ was with a single look. But, since this incident concerns the Princess, this ‘thing’ will be confirmed by others as well.

“Inspect the object, if you please.”

Looking at the serious atmosphere, the Lord lifted the cloth covering the object.

Underneath the cloth was a bottle of some unknown blood, and a bizarre decoration made from animal skins; He unknowingly made a shocking face looking at it.

“It’s a bunch of stuff from the dead.”

The Lord made a little shiver from his whole body causing his beard to freeze in a certain position.

While being called in the night, the Lord got a brief explanation of what had happened.

They have understood some of the intention of why they put this in the Princess Palace.

“Captain.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

He was about to shout due to his built-up anger, but instead, he paused.

He then raised his hands and slowly covered Siervian’s ears, giving an order in a very low voice.

“Capture Count Mirccino, this is a sin against the imperial family, bring him to me by any means.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

But Siervian could see all of the Emperor’s words from his thoughts, and those letters reassured her.

What on earth was Count Mirccino plotting? But of course, they could use the proof they found against him.

‘I’m glad things went well this time.’

This all made Siervian very sleepy now.

The exhausted Siervian fell asleep surrounded by restless people.

It was a very long night indeed.

* * *

Lara’s action spread like wildfire in the Imperial Palace.

“Since when has Count Mirccino been in contact with you?”

“……it seems to be that way since the Count……”

The Imperial faction and the aristocratic faction were opposed to each other, but this time that wasn’t the case. The nobles’ favor varies depending on their own reason.

Nevertheless, a very important factor in this situation was in the Imperial faction, Count Mirccino.

“Could you tell us the reason?”