Episode 55. I Don't Know Her, Locard
"The Wealthy Viscount Ancart Sheds 'Red Tears'! The Red Diamond Theft Incident of the Century"
The Empress, who had opened the newspaper, slowly sat down. It was as if time in the Empress's reception room had suddenly slowed down.
Her hands unconsciously twisted the hem of her dress.
Her face twitched strangely as she suppressed an expression she could not bear to show.
'Why is it here...'
At that moment, a gentle man's hand was placed on her shoulder.
"What is Your Majesty looking at?"
The Empress's expression changed in an instant when Orl sat down next to her, and she smiled.
"It's embarrassing to lose a diamond worth ten million gold, isn't it, Orl?"
"Hmm..."
Orl looked over the article and fell into thought.
The Empress quickly asked to lighten the mood.
"How are the preparations for the competition going?"
"The person sent by Viscount Rene has found the item."
“Can I trust you?”
“Of course.”
Orl smiled brightly.
***
When I went out for a walk in the backyard, Lord Rond smiled faintly at me.
His smile was so rare that I felt like I was seeing it for the first time, so I approached him happily.
“Lord Rond, what’s the matter?”
“I saw the article of Her Highness the Princess.”
“Did you see it? That’s great.”
“Her Highness Milliora was very pleased as well.”
Lord Rond said that and averted his eyes as if he were sorry.
Huh?
He cleared his throat once and said,
“Her Highness gave me a golden sack.”
“That sounds great! How much is the reward from the royal family? You don’t have to tell me the amount. I’ll just say it’s enough to buy a horse or a house...”
When I suddenly got excited, Lord Rond laughed softly, and I felt a little embarrassed and closed my mouth.
“Enough to drink a lot in one evening.”
“Ah... Yes.”
What the heck, even the royal family is stingy when it comes to money.
I looked around the backyard, feeling a bit lethargic.
Then he said something unexpected.
“Her Highness likes you, maid. If you keep doing that, I’ll be grateful.”
“It’s my job. It wouldn’t have been possible without Lord Rond’s help.”
Lord Rond was talking about the Princess as if it were his own business. He was surprisingly boastful.
The Princess likes me, hahaha.
I wanted to know his true feelings, so I twisted my fingers, but held them back.
He opened his mouth again.
“Well... my medicine is almost running out...”
“Ah...”
My mind stopped there.
Normally, I would have gotten up right away to go get the medicine, but today, I couldn’t bring myself to open my mouth.
I thought of Prince Kydel’s chest blocking my view in the warehouse, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Being killed by a handsome man wouldn’t be a beautiful death.
However, seeing Lord Rond’s large body hesitating and checking my mood, I couldn’t refuse. That muscle was no different in size from the size of his pain.
I got up heavily from my seat and said,
“I was thinking about it anyway, but I came here because I couldn’t meet the apothecary director last time. I’ll go back. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you. Miss Loire. I owe you a lot.”
“Oh, what are you talking about?”
I smiled wistfully and headed toward the Third Palace.
I wondered if this was how it felt to walk into the execution chamber, but I braced myself again.
If you’re an illegitimate child and you get discouraged easily, there’s no way you can live.
‘Yes, knock. Knock loudly!’
By the time I arrived at the apothecary, the ground was already covered with spiders.
If the director is busy, I can get permission to make the medicine.
Of course, that’s assuming those hideous things have disappeared from the room.
Just knock well!
I banged on the door with my fist as if it were my enemy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Director Royman! Are you there? I’m Lorisha! Can I see you for a moment?”
Boom! Boom!
“The door is going to break.”
The door slid open, and Director Royman poked his face out.
I stopped in surprise at his exhausted appearance.
How many nights had he been up?
Instead of letting me in, he thrust a bottle of medicine out the door.
“Is this why you came?”
“How did you know...”
“Thanks to the macaroons. I’m going back now. I need to rest a bit. A lot... A long time...”
“Yes. You should. Thank you.”
The door closed before I could finish speaking.
I held the still-warm vial in my arms and headed toward the back garden of the Third Palace.
It was already getting dark, but I needed a cold breeze to shake off my tension.
The Third Palace, empty after the administrators left work, was eerie.
As I sat on the bench, I vividly remembered the time I used to sneak in here with Prince Kydel.
It hadn’t been that long, but it felt like a long time ago.
Time had passed, and I felt like my body temperature had dropped, so I went into the hallway. I thought that if I went back to the Princess’s palace through there, I would be less exposed to the cold wind. I shivered slightly from the eerie feeling as I turned the corner of the empty hallway, and something black suddenly came at me and bumped into me.
“Ouch!”
The other person’s hood came off.
“Your Highness Grayon!”
I looked at him and lowered my head in surprise.
His Highness Grayon glared at me fiercely and put his hood back on, and his knight approached me and glared at me fiercely.
I noticed that both the Prince and the knight were holding large bags in their hands.
Then, Prince Kydel appeared behind them.
“What are you doing here?”
He was angry and glared at me, but he was also holding a black bag in his hand.
‘Why is His Highness Grayon here...?’
I hesitated and took a step back. They must have been trying to sneak out of the Third Palace’s side gate with that suspicious bag.
I instantly felt that I had seen something I shouldn’t have. I was so upset that tears welled up in my eyes.
‘F*ck! You won’t get through a single day safely?’
I quickly lowered my head and spoke. I had no choice but to act as calmly as possible and pretend not to know anything.
“I was just returning to my residence...! I’m sorry for walking carelessly, Your Highness!”
But the Prince didn’t answer.
A cold, murderous intent.
Their luggage came into my sight as I lowered my head.
It must have contained the dangerous arrows made by Director Royman.
At that moment, the arm of the guard knight’s cloak was lifted. It was a movement of pulling out a dagger from his waist.
It was to silence me. I held my breath in fear.
At that moment, Prince Kydel stopped him and said,
“Your Highness!”
“She saw us. Locard.”
“She won’t say anything.”
“How can you, who is so thorough in everything, say something like that!”
My hands and feet were numb from the tension as Prince Grayon and Prince Kydel glared at each other.
However, now was not the time to be dumbfounded. I quickly said,
“I didn’t see anything! Your Highness.”
However, Prince Grayon’s expression was unwavering. His eyes were filled with sharp suspicion.
Prince Kydel approached the Prince and whispered in his ear,
“Are you going to kill the goddess of fortune?”
Prince Grayon glared at Prince Kydel, asking what kind of crazy talk he was talking about.
“She was the one who found that shameful infection medicine for Your Highness. Have you heard the rumor about that?”
If I had gone somewhere to tell about that parasite incident, there would probably be songs about the Second Prince floating around in every bar in the empire right now.
Bugs are living in the belly of the little sun, that kind of thing.
Originally, jokes spread like wildfire.
“Locard!”
“She only came to the palace to live. She wouldn’t do anything foolish like talking carelessly and putting herself in danger, Your Highness.”
Prince Kydel was pressuring Grayon with his voice.
The hallway was dark, but Grayon’s face was distorted inside the hood.
Grayon gritted his teeth for a moment and then said as if chewing.
“I don’t know her. Locard.”
“I do.”
“If that’s what you want to say, would you bet your life on her mouth?”
Locard glanced at me at those words.
I thought I was dead now.
There was no reason for him to have ever seen me, or to risk his life for me.
Above all, he is the successor of the Kydel family, which holds the power of the Empire.
A person who has such great responsibility cannot play around with his own life as he pleases.
However, he nodded firmly.
“I will take responsibility for her actions regarding this matter from now on. I am confident in her silence as much as I am in your service today.”
What is this man talking about...
I forgot to breathe and stared at his face, vaguely outlined in the darkness. His Highness Grayon’s muttering sent a chill down my spine.
“That is unpleasant, Locard. That is unpleasant.”
Prince Kydel’s words may not have been what he meant, but his words just now ran the risk of sounding like he considered me as important as His Highness.
It seemed that the Second Prince had heard it as well.
However, Prince Kydel spoke sharply.
“If we are to time the tide, now is not the time to do this, Your Highness.”
His Highness Grayon glared at him and me in turn before gritting his teeth.
“Very well. From now on, she is your responsibility.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“I will take her.”
“Your Highness!”
‘What...?’
I stared at His Highness Grayon with a blank expression, and Prince Kydel gritted his teeth as he tried to suppress his voice.
“Your Highness! Do you not know where we are going?”
At that moment, His Highness Grayon approached Prince Kydel, his hood falling down.
His eyes, revealed, seemed to declare that he would never tolerate any interference or traitor.
As he said, he had no reason to trust me. There was even less reason for me to bear the burden of neglecting a dangerous element.
“Take care of it now, or take it yourself. Decide. Locard.”
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