Chapter 24

A vein stood out faintly on one side of Lapheche’s forehead.

“Gosh, no! After I made that mistake last time, we had a really open talk, and we got much closer… Lady Minuelle’s just shy, you know? I think that’s all it was.”

“Is that so.”

‘Shy?’

The word struck Esadien as strange.  

‘Was Minuelle ever shy?’

He distinctly remembered the first time they met—how she had openly told him he was handsome, and even said she was glad they were engaged.

’Wasn’t she always… rather bold?’

In both her words and her touch.

It was odd. Even while thinking of Minuelle, his heart wasn’t racing out of control, nor was his face heating up.  

He couldn’t even clearly picture her face or recall her voice.

‘Just like last time.’

Back then too, Lapheche had been nearby. Which meant… perhaps with Lady Celeste, he could speak more freely about Minuelle.  

‘Maybe she’s the key to finding my way out of this maze.’

It was uncomfortable how often his eyes strayed toward Lapheche—but then again, it was only natural to look at someone when speaking to them.

She had claimed to be Minuelle’s friend.

“In that case, would you come to my residence to talk for a while?”

“Oh my, I’d be honored!”

Of course Lapheche wouldn’t refuse.

Esadien said little on the way back to the Prince’s residence, while Lapheche was too busy suppressing her giddy excitement to notice.

‘I’m finally stepping into the Third Prince’s quarters!’

Unlike the lavish Crown Princess’ palace or the Emperor’s grand chambers, Esadien’s residence was minimalist and clean. It reflected his personality—disliking showy or flashy things.

The attendant, surprised to see a woman entering with the Prince, quickly bowed without showing it.

But instead of leading her to the inner salon where Minuelle usually spent time with Esadien, the attendant brought them to a reception room near the entrance.  

Lapheche, unaware, smiled brightly.

After hearing what Esadien had to say, however, only a strained, awkward smile remained on her face.

‘What is this? A mutual mess?’

No—Minuelle had always made her feelings clear.  

The one tangled up in the past, digging his own grave, was Esadien.

‘Hah. Minuelle really gets everything without trying.’

Lapheche had once wanted to get closer to her, but after being pushed away again and again, her feelings had twisted.

One-sided affection always led to exhaustion, and that applied to her and Minuelle too.

Now that she had developed feelings for Esadien, Lapheche could no longer like Minuelle so innocently.

‘The empire’s most powerful house, unthinkable wealth, beauty—and now even Esadien, just like that?’

To someone like Lapheche, who’d climbed up from the bottom, it was infuriating.

‘Let her suffer for once.’

If things fell apart between them and Esadien turned to her instead, even better.

With that thought, she smoothed out her expression again.

“Then, may I help you?”

“Help me?”

“I think Your Highness first needs to take a good, honest look at your feelings. And for that…”

Lapheche offered a sweet, innocent-looking smile.

“You should stop seeing Lady Minuelle for a while—and take some time to think clearly.”

* * *

“Dien, I’ve heard something quite surprising.”

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

It was their usual tea time. The Crown Princess was away on an unavoidable assignment outside the palace, leaving only the Emperor and Esadien to spend time together.

“I heard you invited Lady Celeste to your residence.”

“Yes.”

Esadien confirmed without surprise. There was little that went on within the Imperial Palace that the Emperor didn’t already know.

“Do you perhaps find yourself drawn to her?”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s just that our little one hasn’t been visiting you lately, so I wondered.”

“That’s not it. Minuelle is…”

She said she loved me.  

A dull ache resonated in his chest the moment he recalled that, the same chest that had quieted after meeting Lapheche.

‘Is this guilt?’

Because he had hurt her.  

That’s what Esadien chose to believe.

“Minuelle has been busy. Isn’t the second Lady’s wedding just around the corner?”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

‘Judging by how naturally he says her name, it doesn’t seem like his affections have faded.’  

Still, for someone as reclusive as Esadien to invite someone to his residence—this was no trivial matter.

“Then what about Lady Celeste?”

“I merely met with her to ask something.”

The Emperor drummed his fingers lightly on the armrest.  

‘I suppose that’s enough.’

It wouldn’t look good to pry too much into the relationships of a grown man. Completely unaware that he’d already been probing, the Emperor decided to change the subject.

“Speaking of Lady Celeste.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t she strike you as… odd?”

Odd?  

Esadien quietly set down his teacup.

‘Could His Majesty have sensed it too?’

The eerie calm he felt around Lapheche. That strange, inexplicable pull. But that very inexplicability unsettled him. So Esadien offered another possible reason.

“Perhaps… because she resembles my mother?”

“I did look at her because of that. But people can resemble each other.”

“In that case…”

“Even the placement of the mole is eerily similar.”

But that’s where the resemblance ended. Beyond the face, she was nothing like Maya.

“In any case. You’re aware that she was adopted into the House of Celeste?”

“I heard as much.”

“They say Baron Celeste officially registered her out of gratitude for her help.”

That’s the suspicious part.

Baron Celeste owned several small businesses. He’d been struggling particularly in the southern desert region. But after following Lapheche’s advice and focusing on a few specific items, his fortunes had turned. She’d even predicted desert raider attacks and helped him avoid major losses.

“I figured she just knew the region well, having grown up near the border… but I’m not so sure anymore.”

Despite various attempts to test her, she hadn’t lived up to expectations—not even enough to say she was disappointing. It was more accurate to say she seemed completely indifferent.

“They say she first caught the Baron’s eye by reciting a poem by Gricio at a salon.”

Gricio was a poet—student of Lopez and teacher of Enticlo. Though less famous than his master or pupil, Baron Celeste happened to prefer Gricio.

But while Lapheche apparently won his favor with a Gricio poem, she didn’t even seem to know who Lopez or Enticlo were.

“And yet, when it comes to the products she recommended to the Baron—she explained them clearly, and in detail.”

‘As if she’d memorized the answers.’

The Emperor didn’t say that part aloud, but Esadien understood immediately.  

That realization caused his expression to harden.

“Your Majesty… Are you suggesting…”

“Mm.”

The Emperor nodded, encouraging him to go on.

“You suspect that Lady Celeste is a spy from Chitrum.”

Chitrum—an independent nation beyond the desert. They had never bowed to the Empire, nor did they intervene when border dwellers raided imperial lands.

“She was the legitimate daughter of Baron Tempest before entering House Celeste. It’s possible she ended up in Chitrum for some reason… but.”

The Emperor drummed his fingers on the armrest again.  

For a moment, silence.

“Have you heard of the ‘Cult of Flame’?”

“Theodore mentioned it once. That they were causing trouble—not just the desert raiders, but that cult as well…”

Esadien’s low voice faltered for a beat before continuing.

“Could it be…”

“Yes. I’ve taken that possibility into account.”

The Cult of Flame was a sect that denied the existence of the gods and worshipped fire itself. That alone made them a source of unrest—but worse, they carried out arson under the guise of offering sacrifices to the flame.

Naturally, the Emperor had immediately issued a ban on the cult. That didn’t stop them—on the contrary, it likely made them more eager to spread their influence among the nobility and upper classes.

“That’s why I’d like to entrust you with observing her. Since you seem to have grown close to the Young Lady…”

“I merely exchanged a brief conversation with her.”

“Right. Though I imagine our little one might have something to say about that.”

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor burst out laughing. Calm types like Esadien were always more fun to tease.

“That’s enough for now. Be careful not to let anything slip.”

“You have my full dedication.”

Esadien answered with sincerity.

The Emperor, the Crown Princess—they had taken him in, nurtured him after his abuse at the hands of his mother, and helped him grow into who he is now.

He had always wanted to repay their kindness.

“I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

With that vow, Esadien left the room.

Not long after, the Emperor suddenly smacked his forehead and let out a groan.

“Ah, damn it.”

“Are you unwell, Your Majesty?”

“No, nothing.”

He waved off the chamberlain’s concern and clicked his tongue inwardly.

“I should’ve told him it was okay to talk to the girl.”

The second daughter of House Karnian was the owner of the largest merchant guild in the Empire. She could easily be of great help. He had told Esadien not to leak anything—but Minuelle should’ve been the exception.

“Surely he has that much discretion…”

At least, that’s what the Emperor believed.  

What he didn’t yet realize was just how impossibly by-the-book Esadien truly was.

* * *

Sister Juela’s wedding was dazzling beyond comparison.  

The weather was clear, and the decorations were flawless.  

‘Truly perfect!’ 

I smiled in satisfaction.  

But the most perfect of all was my sister.

“You look amazing, sister. It’s even prettier on you than I imagined.”  

“That’s because my sweet youngest sister picked it out so well.”  

Our eldest sister, Elga, held her wedding in the main estate up north since she’s the heir.  

‘It was freezing back then.’ 

It had been winter, and colder than usual that year.  

Even I, who normally wasn’t bothered by the cold despite my weak constitution, had shivered.  

Still, the snow-covered scenery and crimson decorations made for a solemn and beautiful wedding.  

‘But now it’s midsummer.’  

The sunlight was blazing. Since Sister Juela, as the second daughter, wasn’t bound by tradition, she was free to have her wedding here in Roquate.

“Oh my, that’s a carriage from the Imperial Palace.”  

“Must be a gift from the Royal family.”  

From the guests murmuring by the windows, I could tell that Esadien had arrived.  

‘Oh no.’  

I instantly tensed.

It was the first time I was seeing Esadien since that farewell.  

‘How should I act?’

Thank goodness today was my sister’s wedding.  

Even if I stayed calm and didn’t run up to him, no one in the family would think it odd.

“His Highness the Third Prince has arrived. He’s grown up so well—he surprises me every time I see him.”  

“Hoho, me too. Hm? But who’s that red-haired Young Lady?”  

…It was Lapheche.  

My whole body went cold, as if all the blood had drained from it.  

My ears felt like they’d tripled in size as I strained to hear toward the window.

I quickly took a sip of water to hide the trembling at the corners of my lips.

“Who is she, that His Highness is personally escorting her? I thought he was engaged to the youngest Karnian lady.”  

“Oh, look—Sir Tregosnan came too.”  

The ladies by the window and I all let out a quiet sigh of relief at the same time.  

‘If Theo came with them, that’s a bit more reassuring…’ 

But something still felt wrong.

‘Lapheche is supposed to attend the wedding today, so she shouldn’t have entered the palace.’ 

Then why did she arrive in the royal carriage with Esadien?

As the thought took root, my mouth suddenly felt dry, as if filled with gritty sand.