In the end, Princess Veloster did not rescind her command.

She insisted on having Uncle Devon dragged away.

I glared at Princess Veloster.

“Girl, even your gaze is rude.”

At her words, Uncle Leo Taloff—one of Father’s Academy classmates—gritted his teeth and rushed after the guards as they took Uncle Devon out of the hall.

Father, who had been watching Princess Veloster with a hard expression, followed them out in haste.

I turned to Princess Veloster and said, “I apologize for my father’s and his companions’ misunderstanding.”

She raised an eyebrow.

I continued in a cold voice, “It truly was an outrageous misunderstanding.”

“Indeed.”

“Yes. Lady Beltri would never do such a thing to someone with whom she has shared life and death.”

“......”

Princess Veloster regarded me in silence. I said, “Well then, I shall take my leave,” and passed by her.

From behind me I heard Dahlia’s coquettish voice.

“Your Highness, shall we take our seats again now? Yes?”

“All right.”

I clenched my fists tightly.

Once outside the hall, I immediately pursued Uncle Devon.

‘There are no prison cells in the Outer Palace, so he must be in the Inner Palace.’

Sure enough, in front of the Inner Palace’s cells Uncle Leo Taloff was arguing with the guards.

“I only said a few words!”

“Oh dear, sir, what are you doing? If the Prince Regent learns of this, you’ll be in disgrace.”

“You scoundrel...!”

As Leo Taloff scowled, I stepped forward, removed one earring, and handed it to a guard.

He took the gold-and-diamond earring and cleared his throat.

“I cannot grant you much time.”

The two guards chuckled and stepped back.

Uncle Devon glowered at me. “You brat! How dare you bribe the imperial guards...!”

“Is that the important part?”

“A storm of blood will soon come by the Prince Regent’s hand. If you give even the slightest opening, he will seize it—how dare you bribe them in such a situation...!”

“A certain person told me to!”

“......”

“That certain persons are the ones who gave Princess Veloster an opening!”

I shouted, and Uncle Devon, Uncle Leo, and Father fell silent.

“Even if Lady Beltri was missed, why do this to a guest who came as the Princess of Raontra?!”

In truth, I knew their hearts.

‘If Jihyeok, whom they thought dead, returned as the Eastern Empire’s prince, they’d behave the same.’

They would never guess he’d imprison me in the cells over a pretext of rudeness.

To Father and my uncles, Beltri must have been like Jihyeok to me.

Or perhaps...

‘Like Alexis.’

I knew, yet the situation frustrated me and made me angry.

“What will you do now? Salvatore will never let this opportunity slip!”

“......”

“He will try to eliminate Uncle Devon, once known as the Emperor’s confidant! Then even if the Emperor awakes, his limbs will be severed and he’ll be powerless!”

I swept my hair back as I spoke.

“I should go to the Empress Dowager... no, she is busy protecting Alexis already. Then—then....”

“Erilot.”

“Grandfather... uh, that’s difficult too. If Astra intervenes now, it would declare hostility against Salvatore—”

“Erilot!”

Father raised his voice.

I flinched and looked at him.

“Return to the estate. We will handle this.”

“But—”

“You are not in a state to think rationally.”

“I am.”

“Then why are you so unsettled?”

“......”

“Why so agitated, not knowing what to do?”

“......”

“Are you not also confused by meeting Beltri?”

“......”

Father called her Beltri.

He was certain she was the one.

I could not correct him.

I felt it instinctively myself.

‘It is her.’

She is Beltri.

...My mother.

I closed my eyes tightly.

“Why does Lady Beltri oppose us?”

“I do not know.”

Uncle Devon and Uncle Leo remained silent.

Father gently took my shoulder and met my gaze.

“There must be a reason. Whether she hid her motives from the start, or had to... or her soul changed like Dahlia’s.”

“......!”

“But one thing is certain: she is never our ally.”

“......”

“Go back, Erilot. I do not wish to burden you further when you suffer enough already.”

I dropped my head and answered weakly.

“Yes....”

My chest felt constricted.

After the banquet, the Solar Congress moved together into the guest chambers.

“Shall we have another drink? It was so noisy I couldn’t taste it properly.”

Christopher’s suggestion earned nods from the other princes.

“Indeed. That Salvatore’s swagger is nauseating; I need a drink.”

Prince Adin clicked his tongue, “You brought good liquor~.”

“Since we’re here, shall we call Erilot?”

Abino asked cheerfully. The others agreed.

“All right. Mercedes, let’s drink at your rooms—”

“I’ll pass.”

Prince Mercedes’s expression was still dark.

Adin, propping his head with interlaced fingers, nodded.

“Right, you wouldn’t be in the mood to drink.”

Then—

“Mercedes.”

Behind me came Princess Veloster’s voice. Dahlia, eyes wide, peeked around the doorway at the princes.

Mercedes’s face froze. He glared at Princess Veloster.

“Your remark about Western Empire officials’ rudeness amuses me. In Raontra, we do not lightly address royalty by name, Your Highness.”

Princess Veloster’s lips curved.

“Mercedes.”

“I will not permit further insults—”

“News from home,” she said. “My mother has regained consciousness.”

Mercedes flinched; she placed a hand on his shoulder.

“How fortunate. But let this be a lesson so you never ‘indiscriminately eat food’ again.”

“I—”

He ground his teeth. “Do you think I wouldn’t know it was you who poisoned my mother’s food?”

Princess Veloster chuckled softly and lightly stroked his cheek.

She glanced at the Solar Congress princes and lowered her voice.

“So you must be even more careful.”

“What?”

“If that mad slave-woman loses her mind again, who knows what she’ll do.”

“You...!”

Leaning close to Mercedes, she whispered, “So, child, you must heed my request.”

With that, she brushed past him and departed.

The princes glanced at her then approached Mercedes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why did she—what’s the matter?”

Mercedes roughly shook off their hands, clenched his teeth, and strode away.

Even as he left, Dahlia kept glancing back at where the princes had stood.

“Your Highness, those were the Solar Congress, right? The princes of the most influential nations on this continent?”

“Yes.”

“Wow! I know them from novels I read about. Seeing them in person is amazing.”

“Yes, you said you read our world’s events as novels in your world.”

“Yes!”

“How accurate are those stories?”

“Accurate? Um, mostly correct, I think....”

Princess Veloster opened the door to her chambers and entered, saying, “Will the future fall of Astra never change?”

Dahlia, entering behind her, looked puzzled.

The Princess stood before a table and gently arranged something.

“...It should collapse soon.”

Dahlia shivered and drew in her shoulders as the Princess’s voice grew chillingly dark.

In the shadows, Princess Veloster’s violet eyes gleamed sharply.

“Faster, and more brutally.”

She clenched something tightly in her hand.

One week later.

Father moved swiftly to secure Uncle Devon’s release.

Jihyeok arrived, breathing an awed “Kra!” as he relayed developments.

“Your cunning is no joke. It’s inherited from your father!”

“Focus on the point.”

“I made the Marquis of Roche’s case into a ‘pride match between West and East Empires’!”

“So no matter their pride, Kalsoye couldn’t harm the Marquis....”

“Exactly. Now process the Marquis as Princess Veloster desires—imagine the uproar when Kalsoye bows to Raontra!”

Fortunately,

‘I’ve bought time.’

Now Salvatore, mindful of the nobles, cannot easily dispose of Uncle Devon.

I stood up.

Jihyeok looked at me curiously. “Where are you off to?”

“To meet Alexis. I’ll enlist his help for Uncle Devon’s matter and bring the Marquis’s faction under Alexis’s banner.”

“A win–win. Shall I ready the carriage?”

“No, we must move unseen.”

If I openly met Alexis, gossipmongers would exclaim that Erilot chose Alexis over Salvatore. Salvatore’s pride would be crushed, and who knows what he’d do.

Jihyeok draped my cloak over my shoulders. “Shall I fetch the Stone of Transit?”

“The dignitaries are here—using it is forbidden.”

“Oh? Assassins might sneak in. What then?”

“I’ll walk.”

“No escort?”

“No, I’ll bring the monsters.”

I tapped my shadow at my feet. Ombre sprang forth, mouth agape. From Ombre’s maw emerged the Crimson Ghoul, Awen, shrunk to palm size.

I told them, “Keep tight watch around us.”

“Understood.”

Awen replied and slipped back inside Ombre.

I departed through the estate’s rear gate.

‘I must reach the Zelkova Grove.’

Alexis visits the grove every weekend around three o’clock. I would aim for that time whenever necessary. It’s about an hour’s brisk walk.

‘I’ll die before then.’

Wiping sweat from my hand, I stared ahead.

“About ten minutes more.”

My pocket watch said he’d arrive just on time.

[Why not walk faster?]

Awen’s voice came.

‘Why? I won’t be late.’

[Because assassins are tracking you.]

...What?

I flinched, frozen.

“Wh–wh–why didn’t you say so earlier?”

I hissed, lips pressed together.

Awen casually replied, [Didn’t you ask? This is the first warning.]

‘Unbelievable!’

I scowled at my shadow. ‘You’re upset I didn’t buy those books?’

[You refused to buy even three books, owner.]

‘I only buy reasonable books! You know Chrono Council forbidden texts are banned!’

[Anyway, run. Today’s movement is irregular.]

Indeed. When shrunk, Awen pouts like a child. I started running, thinking, ‘No more shrinking!’

[Why? It’s more mana-efficient.]

‘Shall I burn the books you’ve read? Use space efficiently, yes?’

[No such thing!]

I scuffled with Awen as I ran—then—

“The stepping stones are broken....”

The bridge of stones leading to the grove had been shattered.

My blood ran cold.

‘They did this.’

Assassins, to herd me into a trap.

[Shall I handle it?]

‘No, stop—!’ I [N O V E L I G H T] cried as Ombre writhed in the shadows.

[Why not?]

I looked around. The air thrummed with divine stones—the great-monster barrier.

I kicked aside fallen leaves.

“Stones everywhere....”

Laid so thickly, Awen would be neutralized upon materializing.

‘How many did they plant?’

Divine stones are rare, expensive ores. Only someone of great means could lay them so extensively.

I grabbed my comm crystal.

‘I must tell Alexis to come here—’

Swhick!

An arrow struck the crystal. I dropped it, then turned toward the shot’s origin.

Assassins were closing in.

“Your vigilance is impressive, to finally meet.”

I forced a laugh.

“Why cover your mouth and head? With eyes so distinctive, how could you be unrecognized... Sir Klipto!”

Sir Klipto—a knight of Raontra guarding the Princess and Mercedes.

His eyes flashed sharply. He laughed and pulled down his hood.

“Now that you know us, kindly come quietly.”

“Nonsense.”

I snorted. Forgive me, but I’m paranoid from past lives.

‘They wouldn’t bring only monsters.’

I drew a harpwood whistle from my collar.

“If you wish to live, put it away—”

Then—

Wheeeee!

A horse’s neigh rang out.

Klipto’s unit froze and turned, faces ashen.

“It’s the Raontra carriage.”

The carriage of their homeland?

Why such shock at seeing it?

‘Oh.’

One of either the Princess or Mercedes must have arranged my kidnapping, fearing the other would thwart it.

So who was it?

‘Who arranged my abduction?’