“I even walked out of a poor little shitty company after giving them my resignation. Do you really think I can’t get out of a damn castle like this? Eat shit.”

Christelle de Sarnez viciously mumbled while sitting on the window ledge. She happily said terrible things that would make her mother and wet nurse foam at the mouth and faint if they heard her. The explanation the Chief of Staff gave her during the day through the door was getting more annoying the more she thought about it.

No, annoying wasn’t strong enough of a word to describe it.

It made her full of resentment and feel so wronged and frustrated that she could not fall asleep despite it being late at night. She hadn’t had anger issues like this since rage quitting her job and transmigrating into this world.

‘Prince Jesse is currently being suspected of conspiring to kill a member of the Imperial family, a terrorist plot on a school building and a rebellion.’

‘What kind of bullshit is that?’

‘Young miss?’

‘The sound of flowers…blossoming. I suddenly miss spring.’

‘……I see. As a result, the lord wishes for you to stay in your bedroom for a bit and not leave. He doesn’t want you to end up being negatively associated with the Prince for any reason.’

‘Who cares about such unbelievable false charges? Nobody will believe it.’

‘I understand why you would feel that way, young miss. However, politics are not so simple.’

“Politics? Fuck. I just need to vote when I need to vote.”

She gritted her teeth. The cold breeze of December swept through the bedroom but she was not cold at all. In fact, she would feel better if the wind was stronger and colder. Christelle was sitting on the ledge as if she might jump off at any moment as she looked up at the moon. The piece of winter covered by clouds looked tired as if it was half laying down.

Seeing that made her think of the Prince and agitated her some more.

Of course, she knew that the Empress, the Cardinal, and even that bastard of a crown prince would completely believe the Prince. She did not question that at all. There should be no issues as her teacher, Sir Johann was there as well, but……

‘He will still be lonely and frustrated.’

“Is he even really sick? Getting angry is putting all sorts of thoughts on my mind.” At this point, she even suspected whether her father, Duke Simon de Sarnez, was really suffering from the flu.

That was the reason she could not attempt to run away from home all day. If he really was sick, Christelle had to remain in the castle because she didn’t know how the situation in her house might change at any moment. This was one of the new ‘responsibilities’ she had gained after transmigrating here. The things that were serving as a side break for Ham Ga-in, who wanted to close her eyes, close her ears, and live as she pleased…

The family she had to lead and the members she would have to support…

“……I’m concerned about my mother as well.”

Leaving Isabelle de Sarnez’s side in such a situation weighed heavily on her mind as well. She wanted to run to the Prince immediately, but what about her tender ‘stepmother’ who was easy to cry? She didn’t have much affection for her father, but Isabelle was definitely Christelle’s hurting finger.

“It’s frustrating, so frustrating. Can’t do my duuuuuty as a friend. Can’t do my duuuuuty as a partner.”

Her words were being dragged out. She didn’t have an appetite so she didn’t even eat half of her dinner. The Prince would have gasped if he saw that.

‘You are going to faint like that. Please eat one more portion.’ His soothing voice seemed to echo in her ears.

She chuckled.

– Knock knock.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door at that moment. Christelle immediately sat up. It was almost 3 am. Craaaaaaack! An ice blade naturally appeared in her hand.

“Who is it?”

“Ollie.”

It was a very quiet voice.

Christelle immediately recognized the owner of that voice that sounded as if it might break at any moment. How could she not? There was only one person here who called her by that name.

“Mother.”

It was Isabelle.

Christelle quickly closed the window, added a bunch of firewood to the furnace, stabbed the icicle sword in an empty cup, and ran to the door. Click. She heard the sound of a key turning and the door opened from the outside.

Isabelle, who was full of tears, was looking at her. Christelle became shocked and brought her into the room before closing the door. It seemed clear that something went wrong.

“Why are you crying at this time, mother? Did something happen to father?”

She sat her mother down by the fire and asked. She knelt down and used a handkerchief to wipe her mother’s cheek when Isabelle tightly grabbed her daughter’s hand and leaned her head against it. Her pretty eyes looked full of fear. A quiet voice flowed out.

“Ollie, your father…… Simon is planning something terrible……”

“Excuse me?”

She got the chills for a moment. Gentle purple eyes flashed in her mind. It was an unexplainable instinctual reaction.

Christelle did her best to shake her head as she gently grabbed Isabelle’s wrist.

‘It can’t be.’

“It’s okay. Please tell me. I know you came here because you are scared.”

“How, how could he do that to that person……”

“I’ll contemplate it with you. Mother, you are not alone.”

She sincerely said those words. That made Isabelle’s face crumble.

She was only thirty-three. As someone without any special titles or important roles, she had been the Lady of this house since the age of twenty two. She was extremely weak against external shocks. It was especially so because she lived a life far away from the vicious Beau Monde. However, it was fine. Christelle could protect her and wanted to protect her.

“This……”

Rustle, rustle.

Isabelle was in her daughter’s arms as she shakingly pulled something out of her inner pocket. Christelle brushed Isabelle’s hair back and opened the paper.

‘First. Prince Jesse Venetiaan is plotting a rebellion!

The Prince has been anonymously sending money to the Bellang Barony in the south to hire soldiers. He was the mastermind behind the imperial gift misappropriation incident that shocked the entire Empire last spring as well. Baron Bellang has been receiving the Prince’s support to take in and train the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom coming down the Unité River. The imperial benevolence and riches that her Majesty has bestowed… The imperial gifts that become the blood and flesh of the people… He used it all to plot a rebellion.

Second. Prince Jesse Venetiaan schemed a terrorist incident against the Imperial family!

On December 19th, there was a terrorist incident aiming for his Royal Highness, Crown Prince Cédric, at the opening of the Imperial Capital’s Garrison Officer Candidate School. The culprit shouted for the Holy Kingdom and the Prince……’

– Crunch!

“What is this? Where did you get this?”

Christelle scrunched the paper as she spoke in a harsh tone. The smell of ink quickly filled the area. The large squiggly writing and the stimulating text… A third-rate trashy gossip shrewdly mixing together lies with the truth…

This was not the type of thing that should be found in the Lord’s Castle of an esteemed Duke. Her blue-gray eyes sparkled like flames.

Isabelle grabbed the hems of her daughter’s pajamas and barely got the words out.

“I was worried about your father and couldn’t sleep…… I was thirsty but there was no water in the kettle. That was why, sob. I went down to the kitchen……”

In the middle of this gloomy night… Isabelle chose to take a walk in the middle of the night instead of waking up her attendant. She put a gown over her pajamas and headed toward the staff area when she saw light and voices coming from the room next to the fireplace. At first, she thought it was guards on duty. Maybe they were all gathered together chatting. She was moving quietly so as to not make the staff feel uncomfortable, when….

– Flap.

A piece of paper fell from inside the room and slipped out. She tilted her head. At first, she thought someone was writing a letter home. However, she heard something that gave her the chills.

‘Good. It is probably better to write rebellion bigger.’

Isabelle questioned her ears. She looked around the dark hallway a couple times, confirmed that nobody was there, before she gathered the courage to head toward the door. She must have heard wrong. The loyal and gentle Chief of Staff would never speak such a terrible word. She cautiously put her ear against the door.

‘Chief of Staff-nim, will we spread this immediately later?’

‘No. We will check to see if Belliard releases the extra edition today. If nothing shows up by the afternoon, spread this at night.’

‘You said in the Claire Plaza, right?’

‘Yes. I will let you know the time as soon as our liege determines it, so keep that in mind.’

It was hard for her to breathe. Her husband was scheming something with the Chief of Staff and the staff. It was a scheme that involved a word like ‘rebellion.’

Isabelle’s hands were shaking but she still managed to grab the paper that fell out the door. Then she headed for her daughter without thinking about anything else. She didn’t have the courage to go to the firmly shut doors of her husband’s room. The only thing she could think of was her beloved child’s face. She read the curse-like words every time she stopped under a magic light and got chills from fear.

This could not happen. The Prince…… Prince Jesse was her benefactor who received her confession and forgave her.

“Simon…… What should I do about him?” Isabelle asked, almost as if she was about to break down.

Christelle clenched her teeth and rubbed her mother’s back. She was doing her best to hold her tongue back as she felt like she would swear first before saying anything. She was full of rage and her breathing was heavy. It would be a lie to say she didn’t feel betrayed. However, more than feeling betrayed, the shock about her father smacking her mother and the Prince on the back of their heads was greater.

Christelle recalled a night from Fall. At the Blanquer Duchy’s Masquerade… She couldn’t even remember her father’s face when she ran into him on one of the balconies.

‘Why is he doing all of this? For that shitty politics?’

“I thought that Simon…… Was having an affair.”

Christelle let go of the hug in shock and looked at Isabelle. She had a despondent smile on her face.

“He only stayed at the Lord’s Castle, and even when he came to the Imperial Capital, it was rare for him to come see us…… I heard that he stopped by the Imperial Palace frequently, so I thought he was cheating on me with an attendant.”

“Mother.”

“But it was something different…… He was committing a completely different sin and keeping us completely in the dark…… Hahaha.” Isabelle laughed as she cried. Christelle hugged her as tightly as possible. As expected, her mother was aware of it. Simon de Sarnez was truly a trashy bastard. Christelle recalled the angering situation she saw in the Empress Palace. The image of a man and a woman secretly meeting in Laura’s office was still vivid in her mind.

However, she could not bring that up right now……

“Hold on.”

Christelle suddenly moved herself away. Isabelle looked at her daughter in shock.

“Ollie?”

“One moment please.”

She opened the paper she had scrunched up. She looked at the ugly writing again.

‘The Prince has been anonymously sending money to the Bellang Barony in the south to hire soldiers.’

“How did he know about this? Even I only heard about him donating money to them not too long ago. There’s only one way for him to know this.” Christelle mumbled in a crazed voice. The words she whispered to the Prince on the day of the Andresy trial replayed in her mind.

‘That person, she is the woman who was with my father.’

‘Apparently, she is part of the accounting staff in the Empress Palace. She is twenty-nine years old.’

The Empress Palace, Accounting staff. A thunderbolt-like enlightenment struck down in her mind. That woman was the one who told her father about the Prince’s donations. The two of them dared to trick her Majesty to share secret information about the Imperial family!

“Mother.”

“Yeah.”

Isabelle looked up at her. Christelle’s fists were shaking.

Now it really didn’t matter even if the Duke was on his deathbed. It didn’t matter to her if they said anything about the young matriarch needing to do this or the young Duchess needing to do that. She needed to leave. She needed to inform the Empress about the Duke’s crimes and help the Prince.

‘I don’t give a shit about any of this anymore.’

“Let’s escape the castle together. I will help you.”

‘The genius of the Escape Room.’ That was a title ‘Ham Ga-in’ once held.

*

“Holy, how long are they going to chase me?!”

There was no need to think about it any longer. I threw the water attribute holy stone orb in my hand behind me.

– Baaaaang!

– Shaaaaaaaaaaa!

“Ahhhhh!”

It was basically a water bomb!

Six of seven members of the Imperial Guard, who were tracking me as if their lives depended on it in the middle of the night, screamed as they were swept away by a waterfall in the middle of the field.

I gulped and checked inside my ‘Gabag’ once more. (TL: See ch 204 for Gabag)

I had two of the holy stone orbs that crown prince Cédric had given me. I used water because I didn’t want the trees to catch fire or be broken by the wind, but the effects were much greater than I had expected.

‘Eek, a boulder jam!’

“Demy, careful! Don’t fall!”

– Kiiiiiii!

The red panda jumped in between the boulders. The mountain was quite rough.

I was fine because I was wrapped up in vines, but I was worried about Demy, who wouldn’t be able to see below his feet right now. I couldn’t even think about using a light because my location would be revealed. I felt like we had been traveling for at least two hours but these persistent punks were still following me.

‘Are Captain Duhem and my friends okay? ……I hope they are all okay.’

“I’m sorry you have to work so hard!”

– Screeeech!

“Wait, are you actually having fun?”

– Cree!

That was a relief but I still felt sorry. I petted Tithé, who was sleeping through all of this commotion, and pulled out a one-time use orb.

This was the rescue request orb that Vice Captain Élisabeth had used during the Great Clearance of Demonic Beasts. Captain Duhem had given me three of them, but I had accidentally dropped one earlier. I used one of the remaining two about one hour ago. I had yet to even see the shadow of Marquis Duhem.

‘This is the last one so I have to use it carefully later. Once I become certain that I am in the Duhem March…’

– Cruuuuuuuuu!

The divine beast cried oddly at that moment. Pss! I felt some brush pass by my neck and then I could see again.

“Huh? We are finally out of the forest!”

I smiled brightly and faced the crescent moon that appeared in front of me. The dark dawn sky was very close.

‘Hold on, that’s too close…… This is a cliff!’

“We need to turn in a different direction! Demy! Stop!”

– Kiiiiiii!

‘What do you mean no?! Are you a part of a biker gang or something?!’

“No! Percy isn’t even, ahhhh!”

The short cliff quickly ended.

The red panda, who seemed crazy for speed, threw his small body over the thousand mile gap.

I thought this was a Romfan until now but apparently it was < Fast & Furious >! The area under my feet instantly turned into a dark pit. The four-leaf clovers wrapped around me slowly fluttered. Being cautious was useless now.

I clenched my eyes shut and clenched the last orb to break it. Crack!

– Paaaaaa!

A strand of red mana light shot into the air.

Then gravity started to pull us down. I turned pale and screamed.

‘We are falling!’

“Demy, you are in big trouble if you get hurt!”

– Grab!

Someone grabbed me in the air at that moment. I was flabbergasted as I turned around to look at the person.

Brown hair full of sweat fluttered wildly. The splendid crest on the gown looked as if the milky way was pouring down. In between the light-pink mana that fluttered around like fireflies, the similarly colored eyes curled up into a smile. The illusion-like sight made my jaw drop.

“……I found you, your highness.”

François Duhem smiled as he whispered.

—
Translator’s Comments

SHOULD WE BE HAPPY FRANCOIS FOUND HIM OR SCARED?!!

<< Previous Chapter | Index | Next Chapter >>