Episode 41

Episode 41. A Chance Encounter

“So this makes us even, does it?”

Leonard’s voice snapped me back to reality.

“Wh-what… what was that…?”

My flustered words tumbled out as I instinctively covered my mouth with my hand.

The vivid heat of that shocking moment still clung to my lips like a burn.

I was completely shaken. Yet he looked oddly pleased.

Don’t tell me…

I narrowed my eyes.

“Don’t tell me you did that on purpose.”

“Of course not.”

He answered with infuriating calm.

“It was an accident.”

“An accident…?”

“I was so distracted by the flowers, I lost track of myself…”

Despite his words, he touched his own lips lightly with a finger. His eyes curved gently, and the corners of his mouth held a distinctly sly tilt.

…Right. Sure. An accident.

It was definitely a mistake—just one that had been entirely on purpose.

I wanted to say something, anything, but—

“We kept you waiting, Your Majesty.”

The maids returned just in time with the tea service.

They set the simple treats on the table and poured tea with a delicate clink.

“Oh! Your Majesty, your face is so red. Are you all right?”

They peered at me with worried eyes.

“Is something bothering you?”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m just… a little warm.”

I fanned my face, trying to cool the heat that wouldn’t leave my cheeks.

Across from me, a quiet chuckle slipped out.

Oh, stop it. Don’t you laugh.

I’m like this because of you!

“Shall I open the window for you, Your Majesty?”

I nodded quickly.

“Please do.”

As the maid went to the window, Countess Chloe turned to Leonard.

“You seem to be in a very good mood today, Sir Leonard. Did something amusing happen?”

“Amusing? I suppose I had a small revelation.”

“A revelation?”

He brushed his jaw thoughtfully with a long finger.

“That sometimes… mistakes are necessary.”

“Even you make mistakes?”

“Of course. I used to see them as flaws, but today I’ve decided they have their uses.”

He’s saying that just to make me squirm.

I burned with embarrassment and quickly gulped down the tea the maid had poured.

“Ah! Hot!”

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty! We should have let it cool a little…”

“It’s fine. Tea is supposed to be hot. I just drank too quickly.”

Another low laugh drifted from across the table, but I ignored it with effort.

“By the way, where’s Mary today?”

Normally she’d be standing next to Countess Chloe, smiling brightly. Her absence felt strange.

“Mary couldn’t come today, Your Majesty,” Chloe said, her expression clouding slightly.

A bad feeling twisted in my chest.

“Is something wrong with her?”

“Well…”

The wheels rattled steadily over the road.

I sat in a plain carriage—so ordinary it was hard to believe it belonged to the imperial household.

It had been specially made for covert outings, nothing flashy that would give away my identity.

We were headed to Mary’s house.

Her family’s been struggling lately, Countess Chloe had explained in a quiet voice.

The de Bon family had never been wealthy to begin with. Things had only worsened when Mary’s parents vanished in the night, leaving behind a mountain of gambling debts.

Mary had been working herself to the bone to pay those debts and care for her younger siblings. Days in the palace, nights at home, never a moment’s rest.

It seemed it had finally caught up to her.

The drought’s been getting worse, too. She looked so exhausted lately.

My chest tightened painfully.

And yet she never once showed it in front of me.

I let out a long, heavy sigh.

“You’re quite worried about her, aren’t you?”

Leonard sat opposite me, today acting as my personal escort.

Is it really okay for the Knight Commander to be doing this sort of thing?

“A little… I suppose.”

No, that was a lie. I was much more worried than I wanted to admit.

The palace maids had been my lifeline when I first arrived in this world. Without them, I might never have survived the cold, alien halls of the imperial court.

And among them, Mary was especially dear to me.

“Ah. I should buy something before we get there.”

I couldn’t show up empty-handed.

She had young siblings, so even simple food would be a help.

If I’d known, I’d have asked the palace chef ahead of time… but I rushed out without thinking.

“It’s too late to go back to the palace. Do you know any good shops around here?”

Leonard’s lips curved in a gentle smile.

“Luckily, I know just the place.”

Leonard’s recommendation turned out to be a small apple pie shop in a busy district.

A little bell jingled as we opened the door, filling my nose with the sweet scent of baking pastry.

“Welcome!”

The owner greeted us warmly.

“We’d like to buy some pies…”

I looked around the shop. It was small, and the display wasn’t exactly overflowing.

“Are these all you have?”

“Yes, unfortunately. This is everything we could make today.”

He gave a regretful sigh.

“It’s been hard to get wheat lately because of the drought. We barely managed to scrape enough together for these.”

“The drought’s that bad?”

“Oh, don’t even get me started. I’ve never seen it this bad. The capital, the south—places famous for their crops—they’re all drying up.”

“…It’s worse than I thought.”

We’d been discussing the drought at noble meetings for weeks, but the talk had always felt so abstract. Hearing the desperation in the shopkeeper’s voice made it all too real.

“We’re barely hanging on by importing grain from abroad. But if this continues, we won’t last. People might start starving to death.”

“……”

Sadly, I knew the drought wasn’t ending anytime soon.

It would go on for two more years.

“…I’ll take a look at the pies.”

Each one looked delicious.

“Leonard, do you have a recommendation?”

Before he could answer, Countess Chloe spoke instead.

“Sir Leonard stepped outside for a moment.”

“Did he?”

He was so eager to show me the place but didn’t even stay to help me choose.

Oh well. I’ll just pick what looks good.

And since I was already here, I decided to buy extra to share with the palace staff.

The gardeners who always greeted me so politely, the guards at the gates, the chefs… even Cedric.

By the time I was done, the pies were stacked up like a small mountain.

“Surely you’re not planning to buy all of them?”

A voice I didn’t recognize interrupted me from behind.

I turned to see a man with tousled brown curls and a charming smile.

“If you wouldn’t mind, could you leave a few for the rest of us?”

“Of course.”

I stepped aside.

“Thank you.”

His green eyes sparkled as they curved in a friendly arc.

“It’s gotten so hard to find fresh bread or pie lately. I’m lucky today.”

He chose a plain apple pie and a croissant.

As he handed them to the shopkeeper, he turned to me again.

“Thanks to you, I’ll get to enjoy pie for the first time in ages.”

He removed his hat and offered a graceful bow.

“My name is Isaac.”

He watched me expectantly, waiting for my name in return.

Like I can tell him I’m Helena.

That would defeat the whole point of traveling in a plain cloak and nondescript carriage.

This trip was unofficial. If I went formally, I’d have been surrounded by knights and soldiers—hardly the right mood for a sick visit.

“My name’s Rena.”

“You seem like you’re from quite a distinguished family.”

“Not so much. Even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t know it.”

“Strange. That carriage outside looks very impressive. Almost like an imperial one. I nearly fell for it myself.”

“!”

How did he know it was imperial?

It wasn’t marked with any crests—it had been designed specifically for these sorts of outings.

“No need to be so surprised. I know someone who works in that field. Just picked it up along the way.”

“…You’re right. I work at the palace.”

“How funny. My brother works there too.”

“Truly a coincidence. I imagine he’s quite capable?”

“Oh yes. You’d recognize his name immediately.”

When he mentioned his brother, his face lit up with quiet pride.

He must really admire him.

I had the feeling that if I asked more about his brother, we’d be talking all day.

And as pleasant as this strange little chat was, I had other priorities.

Isaac seemed to sense that too.

“Well then, thank you for your consideration. You’re much more polite than the rumors say. I hope we meet again.”

With a respectful nod, he turned and walked out, steps light.

I found myself nodding back automatically, only to realize belatedly—

Polite ‘despite the rumors’?

Wait. He knew who I was.

I spun around, but he was already gone.

When I finally returned to the carriage, arms full of pies, Leonard was waiting outside.

“Did something happen?”

He read my expression like a book.

“I met someone… a bit unusual in the pie shop.”

“Unusual?”

He immediately tensed at the mention of another person.

“Just another customer. He knew who I was. He called himself Isaac… very distinctive sort of man.”

Leonard’s face froze for a split second.

“Do you know him?”

“Hard to say. Isaac’s not exactly a rare name.”

“I see.”

I didn’t think much of it as I climbed into the carriage.

We rode on, leaving the bustling center behind for the outskirts.

The tall buildings gave way to open fields, where the devastation of the drought lay bare.

The earth was cracked and dry, even though it should have been the height of planting season.

The rivers and streams were shriveled to dusty beds.

It’s even worse than I imagined.

The novel had mentioned the drought often enough—but no description could compare to seeing it firsthand.

The drought that had started even before Fay became Empress would go on for five terrible years.

During that time, rumors would spread that the disaster was punishment for choosing the wrong consort, scapegoating the heroine and driving her to despair.

And what had Helena been doing in the original story?

Living it up like the villainess she was, spending extravagantly while the people suffered.

Sure, Fay got all the blame. Helena enjoyed every luxury without consequence—at least until it all caught up with her.

“Countess Chloe. Has the Empress’s household purchased anything extravagant lately?”

“Your Majesty expressly forbade it. We’ve only bought what was absolutely necessary.”

“Good. Keep it that way. We can’t starve with them, but we sure as hell can’t flaunt luxury while they do.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

I caught the glint of emotion in Chloe’s eyes and felt a little embarrassed. I turned my head to stare out the window instead.

Just then, the coachman called out.

“We’re here, Your Majesty. But… something seems off.”

“Off? How so?”

As if to answer my question—

Crash!

A loud shattering sound rang out, followed by a brutal shout.

“Hand it over right now! Or I’ll kill every last one of you!”