Episode 72

Chapter 72. The Empress Is Quite Popular, It Seems

Unexpectedly, there were three of us.

One came looking for someone, one was a liar, and the other was searching for treasure.

Though it was a strange mix, we ended up joining the treasure hunt together.

The reasons were simple.

I was bored waiting for Leonard.

Isaac wanted to observe me.

And Cedric had been genuinely invested in the treasure hunt from the start.

Honestly, I could have just gone back to the banquet hall and waited for Leonard.

But seeing Cedric trying so hard to find treasure made it impossible to leave.

“The hallways and corridors have probably been searched by everyone already. It might be better to check inside the rooms.”

I said, and we started going through each of the rooms lined along the corridor one by one.

Of course, there were signs that others had already searched here too.

Hmm, at this rate, most of the treasure must have been found already.

Still, Cedric showed no sign of giving up.

He was staring intently at an ordinary-looking painting and a vase, muttering about geometry and magical mechanics.

As if he was trying to find some hidden mechanism.

‘Cedric.’

Who would hide treasure using some formula only you can understand?

I had to find at least some snacks to stop him.

With that thought, I opened the door of the last room at the end of the corridor.

“Oh my!”

Inside the darkness, I saw a black silhouette of a man and woman tangled together, then quickly separating.

Bang!

I hurriedly shut the door.

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

Startled by the noise, Cedric asked me.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Is there something inside?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

I shook my head seriously and pushed Cedric’s back.

“There’s really nothing here. So, next room! Let’s go to the next room!”

Of course, it was nothing.

It had to be nothing.

Maybe the people inside just liked the dark and turned off the lights.

Maybe they were the type who disliked brightness.

So those two people happened to meet in a dark room. Because nothing was visible, they stumbled and fell, rolling over and tangling up so that some clothes got disheveled…

Ugh. A scream I couldn’t bring myself to voice echoed inside my head.

My unruly thoughts started running wild, playing out a short film based on this ridiculous scenario.

A film full of scenes so embarrassing I’d never show it to anyone.

‘No! Stop!’

I shook my head desperately to chase away the distracting images.

Then, from beside me, came a chuckle.

It was Isaac.

“Your Majesty, you truly are innocent.”

His laughter somehow grated on my nerves.

I hoped he hadn’t seen anything when I opened the door.

After that, I kept checking the rooms along the corridor.

Of course, just in case something embarrassing like before happened again, I made a few coughs and knocked before entering.

To my surprise, out of ten closed rooms, four had men and women rushing out.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you…”

No, you too.

People are rummaging around everywhere, and you choose such a risky place to be cozy?

After searching the entire floor, we reached the second floor.

Since this was the area for guests, the rooms were quite large.

“It’s going to take a long time to search all of this.”

Maybe because the area was so spacious, Cedric was nowhere to be seen.

He was unusually passionate about the treasure hunt, seeming ready to search every corner of the palace until he found something.

‘He said he wanted to find treasure to give as a gift… but to whom?’

I was very curious, though I also worried he might be pushing himself too hard.

‘I’ll search two or three more places roughly and then convince Cedric to head back.’

Shaking my head, I opened a closet inside one of the rooms.

The closet was much taller than me and looked like it could hold a lot of clothes.

But since it was an unused guest room, it was completely empty inside.

“Nothing here either.”

Just as I was about to close the closet, I suddenly felt a strange touch on my back.

With force, Isaac pushed me inside the closet.

I didn’t even have time to resist.

But his sudden action didn’t stop there.

He quickly followed me into the closet and closed the door.

Though the closet looked big from the outside, it felt cramped with two full-grown adults inside.

“What the hell is going on?!”

I was about to ask, but Isaac placed his finger on my lips.

“Shh.”

Shh?

“Looks like we have guests.”

Only then did I hear voices outside the closet.

Not just one person, but a man and a woman.

They seemed to have entered thinking the room was empty.

The place we hid was just inside the room, around the corner, so we escaped their gaze just in time.

Their voices were surprisingly loud, enough to cover any conversation we might have.

“I wasalone with the Empress, so to avoid misunderstandings, I had to take some drastic measures.”

Since it was urgent, Isaac explained why we were hiding in the closet.

After all, it wouldn’t be good to show him alone with the Empress in a room without other knights or maids around.

But…

“How would they know if you wore a mask from the start?”

“Ah, true.”

Isaac nodded as if it hadn’t occurred to him.

I was sure he did it on purpose.

“But didn’t quite a few noblewomen meet the Empress at the banquet? They could recognize you.”

That was true.

I had greeted many nobles at the banquet. Even if I didn’t greet everyone, many had seen me.

“So it wouldn’t hurt to be careful, right?”

“Right.”

As Isaac and I whispered quietly, the embarrassing voices outside finally faded away.

“Let’s get out now.”

Even if we suddenly left the closet, no one would be surprised, so it seemed safe.

Just as I was about to open the door—

“…?”

What?

Why isn’t he moving aside?

Isaac stood firmly in front of the door, refusing to budge.

When I glanced at him, he slowly raised the corner of his eyes and gave me a meaningful smile.

“I think I mentioned it earlier.”

At that, he grabbed my wrist and clasped my hand tightly.

“The people at today’s event are more interested in other things.”

Though only a thin sliver of light came through the closet door’s crack, his green eyes shone vividly even in the pitch darkness.

Isaac leaned slowly toward me.

Startled, I flinched as he whispered with a smile in his voice.

“There’s still someone nearby.”

Someone nearby?

Then—

Bang!

A loud door slammed, and a sharp voice rang out.

“Why is that woman still alive and well?”

I heard a woman’s voice through the door crack.

I thought it might be the man and woman who had left earlier coming back.

But it wasn’t them.

The voice was chilling and completely different from the nasal tone I’d heard before.

“Lower your voice.”

A man following the woman quickly shut the door.

Who were they?

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to notice we were hiding inside the closet.

“Do I look like someone who can calm down right now?”

The woman’s voice grew louder.

“There are many ears listening.”

“Is that the problem now? Empress. How long do I have to watch that woman wander around freely?”

“…!”

Without realizing it, I turned to look at Isaac.

Did you hear that too?

His mysterious green eyes narrowed.

He was probably smiling.

“Well… it seems the Empress is quite popular after all.”