Heading to the Secret Bank
The social gathering concluded without much incident, aside from a small friction with Mulia.
By “smoothly,” I mean it wasn’t exactly overflowing with warm camaraderie and laughter.
Flora was the one who kept the energy high, guiding the conversation with lively enthusiasm.
Cecilia and Mulia weren’t exactly chatty by nature, so they naturally fell into the role of listeners.
At least Cecilia offered the occasional smile or polite applause.
From Mulia, such reactions were almost impossible to spot.
It probably didn’t help that she’d clashed with me earlier.
At any rate, if things continued like that the mood would clearly drag.
So I steeled myself and stepped up to the plate.
I reacted to Flora’s stories even more eagerly than Cecilia did.
I also rattled on about funny episodes from my own past without restraint.
I really went all out—to the point where “tear-jerkingly” felt like the perfect description.
If you asked whether I did it to look good in front of the empress, the answer is absolutely not.
I simply cannot stand a sluggish or boring atmosphere at a gathering, that’s all!
We returned to the imperial palace and even shared an early dinner together.
Afterward we stayed with her until Cecilia returned to the emperor’s chambers accompanied by the maids.
“You may all retire and rest now.”
“Your Majesty. May this subject dare ask just one question?”
The question that had never left my mind the entire time we were socializing.
It concerned what sort of connection Cecilia had with my father.
“I permit it. Flora, Mulia. You two may leave first.”
At Cecilia’s gesture the two maids promptly withdrew.
“So. What is it you wish to ask?”
“I was curious whether you might know my father.”
“So that’s what you were wondering about…”
A trace of hesitation flickered across Cecilia’s face.
But the moment passed quickly.
“There was a brief connection when I was young.”
I was startled, but I tensed every muscle in my face so it wouldn’t show.
“However, I do not wish to reveal the details to you just yet.”
“Even so, I am grateful that you told me this much, Your Majesty.”
“I am tired. I will retire first, so you should return as well.”
Only after I confirmed that Cecilia had entered the emperor’s chambers did I straighten my bowed back.
Looks like I’ll have to find out through my father.
And there was one more thing I needed to do.
I had to gather every possible clue about the secret bank I would visit tomorrow.
Upon returning to her room, Mulia removed her purple dress with the help of the maids.
“I wish to bathe.”
“We’ll prepare it right away, my lady.”
After changing into something comfortable, she headed straight for the bathhouse tucked away in a secluded corner of the imperial palace.
The facility was reserved exclusively for the empress and her personal secretaries.
Mulia dismissed the maids who offered to attend her.
“I want to do it alone.”
She slipped out of her dress and stepped inside.
The tub was wide enough for twenty people at once and always filled with warm water.
The air inside the bathhouse was thick and steamy because of it.
Mulia slowly dipped her flawless white feet into the water first.
Then her slender calves, her thighs, and finally her entire body sank beneath the surface.
“Haah.”
She leaned against the tub wall and exhaled a languid breath.
Then she inhaled deeply and submerged herself completely.
When she surfaced again, her deep navy hair was thoroughly soaked.
She swept the dripping bangs out of her eyes and rested her head against the wall once more.
As she stared blankly at the gently rippling water, she gradually fell into thought.
The subject of those thoughts was how she had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by that chief personal secretary at today’s gathering.
She had known the man would be joining because Cecilia had announced it herself, so she had prepared herself in her own way.
She had steeled herself for the intrusion of that man into a garden meant for only the three of them—herself, Cecilia, and Flora.
Work-related interactions were fine.
Work had to be done regardless, and an extra pair of hands always made things easier.
But a social gathering was different.
It was time for close friends to gather and deepen their bonds.
At least if that man had stayed quiet…
Yet Luke had begun lavishing praise on Flora’s and Cecilia’s dresses even before they reached the pergola.
There was nothing inherently wrong with a man complimenting a woman’s attire.
The problem was that the man in question happened to be her number-one target of caution.
And he subtly left me out entirely.
If he had praised her dress too, she would have shown quiet displeasure—glaring, perhaps.
But being completely omitted wounded her pride in its own way.
Just a little. A mere pinky-nail’s worth.
Yet that was only the beginning.
It was true that Mulia had impulsively revealed her displeasure first.
Even so, the correct response from him in that situation would have been to lower his posture and remain silent.
But he didn’t do that…
He had lowered his posture, yes.
Yet the words that left his mouth clearly carried the intent of paying her back.
Right after she attacked, he immediately declared that he wished to maintain friendly relations with everyone.
And that wasn’t all.
When she deliberately refused to apologize, he countered by saying he would simply do well and earn recognition instead.
Because of that I ended up in quite a bind.
As a result, not only Flora but even Cecilia had taken the man’s side.
For Mulia the development had been so unexpected that she was left speechless even if she had ten mouths.
“Haah…”
Flora had always been fond of people, so that much could be overlooked.
But she truly never imagined Cecilia would react the same way.
She had assumed Cecilia would view the man as nothing more than a competent secretary who happened to be good at his job.
“Just what does she see in him…?”
At this point her curiosity about the man had begun to stir.
Exactly how had he managed to capture the hearts of her closest friends?
“I need to find out.”
Mulia murmured her resolve in a low voice.
But what should she do after she found out?
“Hmm…”
Mulia let out a soft groan, then slowly submerged her face beneath the water.
Soon only the bubbles formed by her breath rose to the surface, gurgling quietly.
Sunday morning arrived.
Today was the day I would go out on personal business.
Before leaving the imperial palace I wrote a letter to my father.
Since Cecilia had personally admitted yesterday that she shared a brief past connection with him, my father would surely remember it too.
I was dying to know what exactly had happened between them.
If the original work had contained an episode about Cecilia’s childhood, I wouldn’t have needed to ask.
Unfortunately our family was an extra among extras that didn’t even merit a single hair’s appearance in Arsenia World, so there was no helping it.
I would have to uncover the truth by any means necessary.
Besides, I also possessed a rather tiresome personality that couldn’t simply let bothersome matters slide.
Before leaving my room I gathered the employee badge issued only to palace staff and an envelope for the letter.
I could only exit the palace after handing the letter to one of the postal workers.
It was my first time leaving in nearly six weeks since entering the palace!
…I had gone out once last month for the orphanage inspection, but that had been official business so we’ll count it as an exception.
“Ah, so this is the air of Deleson. Not bad at all.”
The words slipped out the moment I showed my badge to the guard and stepped past the iron gate.
Even though the air inside the palace grounds and outside was practically identical.
There were two tasks I needed to handle today.
One was to visit the secret bank and open an account.
The other was to obtain ordinary clothes and the tailcoat Cecilia had mentioned.
Out of the two, opening the account is the clear priority!
I hailed a shabby carriage passing by.
When I offered the coachman three coppers and asked to be taken to the eastern outskirts, he accepted cheerfully.
Sitting on the hard bench, I reviewed every hint I had for locating the secret bank.
First, it was housed in a dilapidated building on the eastern outskirts.
Just to be sure I had checked the map of Deleson again yesterday, but there were far more than one or two run-down structures.
If I simply wandered around I would waste the entire outing.
I was on the verge of despair when another piece of information from the original work suddenly flashed through my mind.
Those who used the secret bank knew of a certain symbol displayed somewhere on the building.
And that symbol is shaped like an owl.
The original work had described the detail so carelessly that there was no further information.
Still, simply knowing the shape of the mark would save me considerable effort.
I could ask passersby and eventually find it.
After organizing my thoughts and enjoying the passing scenery, I soon reached the eastern outskirts beyond the city walls.
“Could you wait here? I’ll be back shortly.”
When I offered six more coppers the coachman snatched them up instantly.
“Yes, sir. I’ll wait even if it’s until late at night.”
Now, time to find someone to ask for directions…
“Why isn’t there a single soul around?”
No matter how I looked, I couldn’t spot even one person.
Had the whole street gone under?
The buildings themselves looked reasonably intact, though…
“My lord!”
The coachman suddenly called out, so I whipped my head around.
“Are you looking for a particular place around here?”
“Ah. I’m looking for an owl.”
“Owl” was slang for the secret bank.
Of course, that was another small detail I had learned from the original work.
The question was whether the coachman would understand it…
“Oh… If that’s what you’re after, I’ve been there a few times myself.”
Oh? What wonderful luck.
“Then please take me there.”
“Of course, my lord.”
Thanks to the coachman I reached my destination without wandering at all.
When I stepped down from the carriage and examined the building, its dilapidated state was immediately obvious.
Cracks ran across the outer walls, and strange soot-like stains clung to them.
It really hadn’t been an exaggeration in the original work.
I told the coachman to wait, then stepped inside.
The interior was completely empty, but I felt no alarm.
This part had been explained in the original work as well.
“I’ve come to meet the owl.”
The moment the words left my mouth, half the floor suddenly lifted and rotated slowly to the side.
A moment later a bank desk appeared right before my eyes.
Whoa. To see something described in a novel actually happen in real life…
Moreover, mechanisms like this were usually magic-based, so installing one must have cost a fortune.
As expected of a bank, money was clearly no object.
While I was still marveling,
Welcome, esteemed customer.
A neatly dressed elderly gentleman appeared behind the desk.
I stated my purpose at once.
“I’ve come to open an account.”
“Before opening an account there will be an interview. Is that acceptable?”
Huh? An interview?
There had been no mention of that in the original work…
As I pondered, one obvious fact suddenly struck me.
The protagonist Russell already possessed a secret bank account, but I did not.
Well, how difficult could an interview be?
“That’s fine.”
“Then please follow me.”
The man led me to a room tucked away in the corner.