Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Revealed
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Meanwhile, the escort unit tasked with bringing Canibella to the Remus Kingdom was in complete chaos. Knight Captain Lucrier felt like the sky itself had come crashing down.
The princess they were supposed to protect had vanished, leaving behind traces that suggested she'd been kidnapped. And the soldiers meant to guard her were all sprawled out wherever they lay, dead to the world in deep sleep.
"Get up right now!"
He bellowed at them, rousing them on the spot. Then he quickly dispatched search parties to find the princess. But the trail they uncovered led beyond the cliff.
"Captain, the tracks end here."
"Damn it!"
Anyone could see that Canibella had fallen from this spot. The problem was the location. At the base of the cliff lay a notorious valley that claimed dozens of lives every year.
That meant the princess was as good as dead. Lucrier bit his lip and turned to his vice captain, who was writing up the report behind him.
"Airin, this is something I need to report in person, so keep searching in case of any developments."
"Yes, Captain."
With that, he mounted his horse and rode nonstop toward the Rasoni Kingdom. A few days later, he arrived and was immediately granted an audience with the king.
"...That's everything."
He explained the whole situation. The queen burst into tears upon hearing it, and the consort flew into a rage. To lose a beloved child like that.
*It's suspicious.*
But Lansien harbored doubts. They had prepared the finest accommodations, even for the sake of appearances. With dozens of knights and slaves in tow, how could a large group like that lose track of the princess?
She replayed Lucrier's swift account in her mind as she returned to her room.
*This will all be settled once we catch that bitch Canibella.*
She summoned Lucrier. She couldn't involve Dankun in something like this, so she planned to use him to track down Canibella and resolve all her questions.
"Please find my sister."
"But, Princess, she's..."
"You haven't confirmed it with your own eyes yet. So I'm begging you. There aren't many people I can ask about this."
"What about Her Majesty the Queen...?"
"I'll handle that. Finding my sister comes first."
She couldn't predict how the Remus Kingdom would react if they learned of Canibella's disappearance. Lucrier had no choice but to agree.
"I'll stake my life on it."
He swore a knight's oath to Lansien and rose. She saw him off at the castle gates, handing him forged identification papers.
"I'll definitely find Her Highness and return."
With those words, he mounted his horse. It galloped briskly out beyond the gates.
He pondered where Canibella might have gone. But that mountain range connected both the Luminir Empire and the Remus Kingdom. Unable to decide easily, he headed for the empire first.
*The Luminir Empire has strict identity checks, and returning to the kingdom would be too risky, so she's more likely to have gone this way.*
Disguised as a merchant, he scoured every place she might be. But she was nowhere to be found. No one he asked knew anything.
*She really didn't die, did she?*
The thought crossed his mind, but he shook his head. He couldn't report back on unconfirmed speculation.
*No choice. I'll have to get help from the information brokers.*
The Remiachi family had branches across the continent (except the Sistia Kingdom), so he worried that commissioning them might expose his weaknesses.
But he wasn't in a position to be picky. Besides, if the Rasoni or Remus Kingdoms wanted to know something, the empire could uncover anything.
*What a mess.*
He went straight to the information shop in the capital. A disheveled man with unkempt hair and glasses peered at him.
"What can I do for you?"
"The disappearance of Princess Canibella."
"Oh ho... Isn't that princess already dead?"
"My orders are to find her body if nothing else."
The man eyed him up and down, then smirked.
"Sending the knight captain himself? Must be urgent. Unfortunately, that princess isn't here. Or rather, she never came here to begin with."
"...What?"
"Exactly what I said. She must have died at the site of her disappearance. There's no trace of her entering anywhere."
"......!"
He was stunned by the merchant's words. Princess Canibella was dead! Unable to believe it, he snatched the documents from the merchant's hand and pored over them.
[Princess Canibella, disappeared en route to Remus Kingdom
Contact lost near Neos Valley
Unidentified body floated toward Luminir Empire. Identity confirmed as Princess Canibella]
Lucrier couldn't believe it. She was really dead. He stared blankly at the sketch of the scene. It was perfect—the woman's attire, appearance, possessions. All matched Canibella exactly.
"......"
He gazed at his trembling hands, then paid and headed to an inn. As he opened the door, a messenger bird awaited. He unrolled the letter. It was from Lansien.
*The Remus Kingdom demands Princess Canibella. Wrap this up and return home...*
He stared out at the sweltering heat outside. Time had indeed passed. It had been spring then, but now it was summer.
"I need to head back soon."
He unfolded the letter again and read it carefully. It detailed exactly what he should do. He read it over and over until he memorized it.
By then, morning had come, and it was time for his audience with the emperor. He followed Lansien's instructions to the letter.
"Her Highness suddenly fell into critical condition from an unknown illness. We were all so focused on her that we had no time to think about the marriage alliance with your kingdom. My deepest apologies."
With that, he offered priority trade rights with the Remus Kingdom. Always hungry for trade advantages, they quickly reached an agreement. Relieved, he felt the tension drain from his body.
Now it was time to return to the Rasoni Kingdom.
* * *
Meanwhile, Lansien was reviewing the report from her belatedly returned vice captain. She'd heard it once from Lucrier, but reading it in writing made it easier to catch every detail.
"Daughter, may I go to bed now?"
At that moment, Muila appeared in her nightgown, speaking in a voice even softer than a whisper. Lansien was irritated by her mother interrupting her focus.
"Go."
Muila felt a flicker of anger at her daughter's dismissive wave, like shooing a bug, but she didn't dare protest. Even as her mother, she feared Lansien.
*If I mess up, she might kill me too.*
Muila knew well how Lansien had brutally killed her own siblings in the past. She dreaded falling out of favor.
"Then... good night..."
She vanished quickly before Lansien could change her mind. Lansien glanced at her indifferently, then turned back to the report. Piles of documents awaited her approval, but this took priority.
*I need to know if that bitch is really dead.*
Lucrier had bought them time with his ingenuity, but if Canibella was truly dead, it was a disaster. No matter how backward the Remus Kingdom was, Rasoni was even weaker. Revealing the princess's absence now could spell doom.
If her death was confirmed, they'd need a replacement. If she was alive, they'd fetch her back and proceed with the marriage.
*But something feels off.*
The report stated that all the knights had inexplicably fallen asleep, allowing the kidnapping to go unnoticed. It detailed the estimated time, route, method, and traces, letting her piece together the incident easily.
"Some unknown man came and helped with the cooking..."
She placed the document on the desk and tapped it with her nails. It was her habit. Dankun emerged from the shadows.
"That man looks suspicious at first glance."
"I know that. Too bad there's no sketch. Would've been helpful."
"A shame. If that cook were alive, we could question him."
"No need to dwell on the past. What bothers me is... these traces seem deliberately planted."
"Deliberately planted?"
She pointed to the reconstructed carriage wheel marks.
"I don't know exactly how the soldiers were positioned or when they all fell asleep. But would they risk drawing attention by using a carriage?"
"To neutralize the princess's resistance, perhaps."
But she judged the kidnapper to be an extraordinary operative. Someone like *him* wouldn't have died so easily. *He* possessed skills too exceptional even to call outstanding.
"Someone of that caliber could've subdued the princess easily. Just knock her out."
"Hmm..."
"Besides, no broken carriage pieces were found near the valley."
"Then..."
"I don't know the exact details. But I can't shake the feeling this was staged."
Dankun's expression hardened at her words. And a hypothesis she'd suppressed resurfaced.
*The autopsy suggested two attackers. What if it was Canibella and the kidnapper?*
If true, it was catastrophic. It would mean Canibella had been sane all along and slipped from her grasp. A fatal mistake. She growled.
"That bitch is definitely alive."
"But the Luminir Empire already found her body."
"She could've colluded with the empire for this charade."
"What power does she have to connect with the empire? I think it's speculation."
Indeed, Lansien was the true power in Rasoni. Muila was a figurehead; everything ran through Lansien's hands. Canibella's presence had long faded from people's memories.
The odds of her ties to the Luminir Empire were negligible. The imperial family wasn't foolish enough to accept any random princess claim.
*I'll shelve that for now.*
She scowled. It irked her that Canibella had entered untouchable territory.
"Then prioritize finding the kidnapper."
"Yes. Will you use that knight?"
"Yes. Bring him here."
"Understood."
Dankun vanished as silently as he'd appeared. She kept drumming her fingers on the desk.
*You're definitely alive...*
She trusted her instincts. Canibella was alive and connected to the empire somehow. She'd pulled some trick.
"I'll erase you with my own hands."
The document crumpled in her grip. It fell to the floor, rolling away.