CH 23

A spark flicked in his icy eyes. I turned my head to the side as if I had no idea what I had done to Frinel.

“…What do you think?” he asked, hiding his true feelings.

I replied with a smile. “Why did I ask that?”

Frinel stared blankly at that smile. It wasn’t that he hadn’t done anything until now. He gathered nobles and talents who would be on his side, formed an order of knights, and invested business funds in commoners to attract them. He used them all to collect gold coins. Accumulating gold coins and creating an order of knights for him was all for that day.

“Do you really have no interest in the throne?”

It might sound trivial to some people, but it was actually something he wanted to hear the most. No one had ever told him to stand up against the empress, let alone provoke internal conflict.

Surprisingly, Lobelia’s words were like magic. It felt as if the swamp that had been restraining his limbs was disappearing.

Frinel smiled and said with a lighter expression, “I wonder if I should be greedy a little more. Thanks to Lady Lobelia’s cheering.”

“I wasn’t cheering.”

“You’re so tough. Well, that’s your charm.”

Despite his joking tone, Lobelia just rolled her eyes leisurely.

There was a moment of silence between the two. Frinel cleared his throat as if he had more to say.

“Cough, cough, Lady Lobelia.”

“Yes?”

His blue eyes glanced at her.

“By any chance… will you be dating someone with a bit of caution after getting hurt before?”

“I don’t know. I just want to get my child back first… But would anyone date me even if they knew my condition?”

“If your identity were revealed, wouldn’t the nobles line up?”

“Ah, is that so?”

“It’s not something to say so calmly. It’s best not to be discovered. Unless someone can protect you firmly.”

As if that ‘someone was referring to himself, Frinel slightly pushed his chest forward.

“It’s all right.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t have any thoughts of dating.”

“Even if it’s me?”

He smiled slyly. But Lobelia remained expressionless and lightly ignored Frinel’s words. Then she took a small gold watch from her clutch and checked the time.

“Ah, the time has already come to this. I think Sera already got the bread.”

“Bread?”

“Yes. Chandrine Bakery. Do you happen to know where it is?”

“Of course. That famous place… I’ll take you there.”

He rose first from his seat as if nothing had happened, even though he hadn’t received a reply from her. They left the cafe together, looking slightly more affectionate than before. Fortunately, Chandrine Bakery wasn’t too far from the cafe where the two of them were.

“Ah, Lady! Your Royal Highness is also with you!”

“Ah, Sera.”

It seemed to be just in time. Sera waddled with several boxes of eclairs in her arms. I hurried over and picked up several boxes in her arms.

“Did you buy this many?”

“Yes. Lady told me to buy a lot…! There are two in each box.”

Just in time, a carriage with the seal of Duke Gracie approached in front of us. I loaded all the boxes into the carriage. Then I picked up one of them and handed it over to Sera.

“Take it, Sera. One box is for you.”

“Pardon…?” Sera’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

The eclair from Chandrine Bakery is a luxury product that commoners like her can’t easily taste. Even nobles couldn’t believe they could taste such a dessert at such a price.

“Lady is joking, right?”

“No. Do I look like I’m joking?”

“…Not at all.” Sera shook her head frankly.

I smiled and went on. “That’s for Sera. You have taken good care of me, so I want to give you something.”

“L-Lady…”

Sera’s eyes were colored with emotion. She accepted the box with tears in her eyes.

“Would you like to get in the carriage first? I’ll greet His Royal Highness first and enter it.”

“Yes, yes!” She hugged the box preciously as if it were a treasure and bravely climbed onto the carriage.

I took another box and headed to Frinel, who was waiting for me in the distance. He was still staring at the long line at Chandrine Bakery.

“What are you looking at?”

“I don’t think I can stand in line like that.”

“…Sweet things, don’t you like them?”

“It’s just… Hmm?”

Then, his eyes turned to the box in my arms.

“Are you going to give it to me?”

At Frinel’s question, I shut my mouth tightly.

Frinel taught me swordsmanship and even lent me gold coins. I couldn’t repay him with my heart, but I wanted to show at least a little sincerity. The reason I dared to give him this eclair was because it was such a delicious dessert that made your mouth ecstatic.

“…If you don’t like it, it’s all right.”

I hid the box behind me. Then Frinel changed his words immediately.

“No, I don’t hate it. I love it.”

“You said earlier that you can’t stand in line.”

“I said it out of jealousy because I wanted to stand in line right now.”

“Didn’t you… just say it’s just?”

“I was just going to say it’s just something that is insanely delicious.”

Eventually, I smiled and handed the box to him. “If you want to eat it, take it.”

“Someone gave it to me, so of course I should eat it.”

Frinel immediately took an eclair out of the box. He hated sweets but still stuffed the eclair into his mouth without hesitation. It was sweet enough to make the tip of his tongue tingle, but he raised the corner of his mouth without expressing it.

“I think it tastes better because someone gave it to me.” That’s what he said, but he thought eating another one right now was impossible.

“I’ll save the rest to eat later.”

Not expecting Frinel to eat one of the eclairs on the spot, I blinked in surprise. Then I quickly calmed myself before speaking again.

“…Go ahead. Then I’ll go now.” I bowed my head.

“Huh?”

He blinked slowly, holding the box vaguely. Since they had the same destination, he thought they were going to ride in the carriage together.

“Let’s go together.”

“But you came here on horseback.”

“It’s alright. I can tell my aide to take the horse.”

“Umm, what if someone misunderstood that we went out together? I don’t want to get into unnecessary gossip.”

“I just want to take you back to the front of the mansion.”

“I don’t like it.”

With an incredibly tender expression of rejection, I pushed him away resolutely.

Frinel, sullen in an instant, bulging out his lips. “Why are you not letting me do anything?”

“…Then what do you want to do to me?”

“That’s not it!” Unknowingly, he shouted in a fit of rage.

“That’s enough then.”

“Ah, person. Didn’t you say you were trying to save a person? Let me help—”

Frinel moved his body as if to climb into the carriage. But I firmly stopped him.

“It’s alright. I’m just going to go by myself.”

“Go by yourself?”

“As you know, the magic of Shinsu is unlimited. As long as I live.”

I swept my face with my palm. My appearance changed to a completely different person, and then I returned to my original appearance. It was so fleeting that no one noticed except Frinel.

“Like this.”

For the time being, I was planning to use the bastards I met today and infiltrate Hamilton March until I made my debut in society once the formal adoption process was over.

“So, goodbye, Your Royal Highness. See you in class.”

“Lobel…!”

He hurriedly stretched out his hand, but Lobelia had already climbed into the carriage. As the door closed, the coachman, waiting for her, slowly began to drive the horse. Then she gradually disappeared from his sight.

With the feeling that there was an invisible wall, his hand that couldn’t reach her slowly lowered. He strangely felt empty because he couldn’t catch her. But apart from that,

“…Unlimited, as long as she lives?” Frinel’s head tilted with a strange tone.

There was no such thing as unlimited in the world. It was nonsense that there was no limit to such a great power.

“Of course, the Shinsu clan… The Shinsu clan…”

With a dark expression on his face, he turned around alone.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

“Bring one to Bella and one to the duke.”

“Yes, Lady.”

Returning to the mansion, I sat down in front of my desk. There were so many things going on that I couldn’t even say it.

…Should I not say that?

Recalling the look of Frinel, as if I made up my mind, I pressed my lips together.

But he’s better than the Empress’s child.  It wasn’t only because of the ‘blood oath’ that I told him my stories.

I slowly opened the diary on the desk, then narrowed my eyes sideways. Ironically, the lies of the two young ladies were the cause of the disappearance of the Shinsu clan. No, they didn’t just disappear…

They were killed.

I wrapped my arms to myself as my teeth were shaking. I wouldn’t have been born if my mother hadn’t been away from the clan.

Unknowingly, my eyes, which became cold without realizing it, turned into a diary.

[If it hadn’t been for the lies of Lady Bonitare and Lady Millanion, the Shinsu clan wouldn’t have disappeared…]

The corners of my lips moved subtly.

Lady Bonitare is now the current empress, Empress Patricia. And…

Marquis Millanion’s daughter.

I gritted my teeth without realizing it.

Kriella.

Surprisingly, there was a horrifying bad relationship between Kriella and me.