CH 217

The days passed quickly.

In the meantime, I had done a lot. I had picked out new dresses, went for the fittings for new jewellery and dropped in on banquets with dresses perfectly tailored for me. I had met so many people. In the hall large enough to fit countless people, a hedonistic banquet had been held every day. 

And the invites for small tea parties and banquets alike never stopped coming. To the point where my body was exhausted from all the parties I had been attending. Even Rebecca herself would grab some invitations only to click her tongue and remark that even if she were to throw these away, more would be added to the pile the next day. 

“What are you thinking about?”

Dane squeezed my fingertips before letting them go. 

“Just thinking about Rebecca.”

“You’re thinking about someone who’s always by your side?”

“Yeah. I was just thinking about how much suffering one lady-in-waiting can go through by serving the wrong mistress.”

As the words left my lips, Dane curled his eyes and smiled. 

“I envy her.”

I slowly glanced at him. 

“Dane.”

“Yeah.”

“I heard that Rebecca did things in my stead while I was sleeping like a corpse?”

“Yes, she did.”

With his legs stretched out, he rested his chin on his hand languidly before smiling gently. 

“I heard you dealt with her patronus problem. Thank you.”

“You should be saying that to our brother, not me.”

The rays of the noon sun seemed to be illuminating him alone. His soft dark-brown hair fluttered softly. 

“Because he was the one who escorted the Ducal Princess of Aventa.”

Atop Dane’s head was a laurel crown ornate with seven golden leaves, symbolising his status as the 7th Prince. Dane could recently be seen wearing more traditional Imperial Attire than the mediaeval European costumes of the kingdom. I had been sure Dane preferred wearing the kingdom’s clothes. 

“Fleon was Rebecca’s patronus?”

That was something I couldn’t have imagined. The midday sun was beating so relentlessly down on us that I was forced to squint. I could then feel his hand rest on my forehead. I unconsciously took a step back.

“Ah.”

Dane, who had stretched his hand towards me, let his hand hover over my face for a moment before taking it back. I smiled without a word so that he wouldn’t get flustered by me avoiding him anymore. 

There had been a strange distance between us ever since that day. 

I couldn’t bring it up to Dane and instead just buried the situation. It looked like he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it either. Staring at me, Dane smirked. The smile he flashed me was so pretty it was almost as if that incident had never happened.

“Yeah. Brother had always been the ducal princess’ patronus. Just like how I went as your patronus yesterday.”

“Aha.”

Come to think of it, for the past three days, Fleon and Dane had been taking turns acting as my escort to banquets. Though I might not be their patronus, they acted as mine was what Dane was trying to say. 

I was reminded of the most recent banquet we went to. Though the two might be my patronus, they treated me completely differently. To say the least, Fleon was a terrible nagger. If he was the type to pick on everything from A to Z tiringly, Dane was…

“Drink it.”

Smiling wildly, Dane said as he gestured towards the liquor I was holding.

“Though I can’t be sure where you’ll end up waking up in the morning.”

“Huh, what?”

“I was just joking.”

Dane was the type to make me shiver with just a weak smile. And he was being more flirtatious than before. I couldn’t get used to it. I couldn’t tell whether my shivers were because of goosebumps or my heart but I did know that his face was fatal.

His face which looked more masculine as he grew older reminded me of flower tea or mellow wine. Come to think of it, I didn’t manage to catch the faces of the people who had offered me drinks before commenting almost mockingly at the scar on my face just the day before. 

“I think it was a good idea to entrust that to Granius.”

“Really?”

“Granius the Aedile. He is an experienced politician who has been in politics for decades and an exemplary templar. And he is trustworthy. The Templars of Strength can be said to be upright and honourable.”

“Does every templar have their own characteristics?”

Was it something like blood type? I did hear how determining personalities based on blood type alone was just a superstition with no scientific backing but I remembered being obsessed with it. 

“The Templars of the Sword are righteous, knowledgeable and extremely devout in their beliefs. The Templars of Plants are kind, good people. The Templars of Death are the ones closest to despair. And the Templars of Lies and Thievery are those born from their own lies. And the blacksmiths, the Templars of Vulcanus, are generally quite hot-tempered and have a big ego.”

“Ah, that sounds exactly like Fleon.”

“Doesn’t it?”

As we chatted, we eventually arrived at the office. When I opened the door and entered, I noticed that everyone had been waiting for me. Penne jumped up at my entrance, Granius had been standing right behind him, Fleon stared at me while leaning crookedly on a couch and Rebecca could be found standing alone in another corner.

“You’ve arrived.”

We were the last to arrive. 

“As you’ve ordered, we’ve investigated the desert princess.”

Rebecca lowered her head partially. She seemed to have carried out what I had asked for splendidly. The scroll she had next to her seemed to be holding the information I had requested, the one on Ahasia. 

“I apologise for being unable to come to you myself.”

Rebecca was staring at me. I slowly shook my head. I felt sorry for my one and only lady-in-waiting since she was the one running around banquets on my stead. 

I smiled apologetically but Rebecca shook her head. The reason why she couldn’t bring it up to me herself was because of the number of eyes on me. Ever since the Primo Salvatio ended, I had been gaining so much popularity any idol would be jealous. Wasn’t the general public on the consensus that it was the grandest, most splendid performance they had ever seen? Well, all I could recall about it was death and memories of my torturous life. 

“The reason why I called you all here today was to discuss the desert princess before it’s too late.”

Before it was too late. The words I uttered were packed with meaning. It was definitely an urgent issue. According to what was written in the diary, there were only two days left before Ahasia was going to kill me. Besides, I was not the only one in a hurry. In fact, that could be the real reason why everybody was gathered here so secretively. 

“I heard that the suspect behind the murder of the Head Templar of Rivers that occurred on the first day of the Founding Festival turned out to be one of the envoys from the desert.” 

The development had occurred while I was sleeping like a log. For some reason, the Head Templar’s murder was being pinned on one of the envoys from the desert kingdom instead of Deros. Everyone thought that Castor was the one behind it but there was apparently another suspect. As hard as it was to believe, the arrow was pointing back towards the desert kingdom. 

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Apparently the murder weapon was a sword manufactured only in the desert kingdom. Furthermore, the sword, or the Shmezu, looked very unique and many in the banquet hall had reported seeing the suspect carrying it around. I did not know whether it was the Crown Prince or the Emperor who was behind all this but the evidence had been perfectly arranged so that it all pointed to the envoy. This only meant that Ahasia’s situation had become more dire. 

Unless she received immediate assistance from the Empire, her only option was to return to her kingdom and witness its ruin. 

“Unlike the envoys, their Royal Family, especially Princess Ahasia, have no intentions of going against the Empire.”

The desert kingdom was now on the verge of collapse like the state South Korea was in five minutes before the IMF crisis. Princess Ahasia had even avoided all the envoys to escape all the way here, even losing her lady-in-waiting on the way. 

However, it would still be very difficult to request for assistance considering the fact that diplomatic relations between the two countries were already threatening to go under. That would only be a good thing for the ones who were planning on overthrowing the Royal Family. 

“I’m thinking of helping the desert princess.”

At the words I uttered, Fleon raised his head.

“How?”

How was something I already had an answer to in my head.

“What the desert princess wants is an engagement with the Crown Prince.”

“… And you’re going to help her with that?”

“No way.”

Unless I’ve gone insane, I would never let her do that. I would never lead the princess into the hands of the mad Crown Prince. Not only that, it might lead her to kill me a few days from now. 

The desert kingdom, Ra Hate, managed to have 11 princes killed in a succession battle. I heard that some of Ahasia’s brothers, both older and younger, had died fighting for power. Though all of her siblings had died, leaving only Ahasia alive, the king was too old and sickly to check on Ahasia. That was how she became his sole child. 

“Ahasia currently  thinks that she is her kingdom’s last remaining hope.”

“Is that so?”

“I’ll be giving her hope.”

What she wanted was an engagement with the Crown Prince. I wondered what she would get in return if she were to get engaged with him. Firstly, the kingdom will draw more attention from the Empire. Secondly, the ministers of her kingdom would become warier. The diplomatic envoys sent by her kingdom were currently composed only of their king’s subordinates. After the festival ends, there was supposed to be a meeting scheduled between the Empire and Ra Hate. 

“Do you really need to give her hope?”

“Why not? The desert kingdom is the largest exporter of silk on the continent. No matter how much trouble they’re in, there are still useful craftsmen there. Who do you think will benefit the most if the kingdom gets back on their own feet?”

“… The ones who helped the kingdom survive.”

“That’s right. This is probably what Ahasia is using to get that engagement.”

If Ahasia’s goal was to save her kingdom, then she needed the Empire’s help. But in order for Ra Hate to remain in the Empire’s good graces, Ahasia had to choose someone with a high enough status to be engaged to. 

“So, her fiancé does not necessarily have to be the Crown Prince.”

Would Castor accept this engagement? He accepted it in the <Light of Rusbella>. But then Ahasia died.. 

“I would like to bring this to the 2nd Prince’s attention. The 2nd Prince would want to push someone forward, right?”

“Because the 2nd Prince already has a wife he holds very dear for himself.”

“Correct.”

Fleon stared at me uncomfortably. He seemed to be wondering when I had gotten this smart. I was tempted to say that I had always been smarter than him. 

“Then, who do you think the 2nd Prince would want to push forward? The 5th prince is out of the picture since he too has a wife. The 3rd Prince is still reportedly missing and the 4th Prince is apparently part of the neutral faction.”

“Ah, I know.”

Dane tilted his head and smiled. 

“You seemed to have thought everything out, princess.”

“Yeah. I did, Granius.”

Everyone in the room nodded. Except for one person. And he was scowling menacingly. I happily glanced back at that arrogant expression before raising my finger to point at him. 

“What are you scowling for? I thought it all out.”

“What?”

I smiled cheerfully.

“You can get married.”

When I said that, Fleon did indeed look as if I was speaking nonsense. That was an expression worth seeing.

“What do you mean marriage!”

Fleon jumped up. Destroying everything around him was a reaction I had expected from him. I calmed him down with just a few words.

“Then should I get married?”

“What?”

“I can just choose from one of the envoys who came to visit. Ahasia would like the fact that I stepped up. And of course, my partner would be more than 20 years older than me.”

“…..”

“And secondly, no, it’s part of the same point. Since they allow polygamous marriage there, who knows, I might end up being his fifth wife.”

Fleon remained helplessly silent at my words. I really did not mind being the one getting married. But I knew that if I were to suggest it, he would get angry and try to silence me. But it really didn’t matter even if I were to end up doing it. 

“I’ll tell you if I end up hating it. I can be the one getting married too.”

“Have you gone mad? Do you think I raised you just to send you off to someone that old?”

“Who do you think you are to have raised me?”

If anyone were to overhear, they would think he actually cherished me, gave me pretty clothes as gifts and overprotected me. Ah. He was overprotective of me but I was also right to say that he treated me pretty recklessly, no? Moreover, the one who actually cherished and spoiled me was quietly smiling. I averted my gaze from Dane and instead smiled at the seething Fleon. 

“It’s only going to be a fake marriage anyway.”

“A fake marriage?”

“Yeah. Did you really think you were going to get married?”