Honey Trap (1)
The morning of a holiday without classes at the Academy always began in a bustle, just like any other day. Victoria McKenzie sat at the desk in the study of the townhouse she had won through love and faith—or, more accurately, the one she had purchased with the money she earned from Toto.
A neat stack of letters that had arrived overnight rested on the desk. Victoria began writing replies one by one, starting with the topmost letter in the pile.
The first was from the McKenzie family back home in the Alba region. The family crest stamped on the envelope—a wax seal shaped like barley stalks and a distillery—seemed to carry the faint, refreshing breeze of her homeland. It contained news that her brothers were doing well, that the harvest looked exceptionally promising this year, and her mother’s usual nagging written in affectionate strokes.
‘They really are the definition of overprotective parents.’
With a faint smile on her lips, Victoria carefully penned a reply filled with the latest capital trends and reassurances about her well-being.
Next came the invitations from various noble families in high society. A hunting party combined with a banquet, a tea party to show off newly imported Gallian furniture, a patronage exhibition for a rising artist. In the past, she would have meticulously calculated which gatherings would best elevate her prestige and honor her family name.
But her priorities were crystal clear now. She set most of the invitations aside, preparing short, polite refusals. There didn’t seem to be any events that would interest Erika or benefit her current self.
The third was a regular report from the agent handling her securities trading. In dry, formal language, it detailed the current status of the assets she owned and those she managed for Erika Cage. Following His Highness Mikhail’s advice, she had invested the majority in stable assets like government bonds, blue-chip stocks, and physical gold.
At the end of the report, the agent had cautiously added a suggestion. It was about Collateralized Debt Obligations, which had recently become wildly popular among investors. He noted that the returns on certain products issued by a few banks and trading houses were at astonishing levels, and suggested that even a small investment might be worth considering for the sake of portfolio diversification.
Victoria lightly tapped that section with the tip of her pen. In her mind flashed the words His Highness Mikhail had once casually tossed out. He had clearly said that what he was releasing was “dangerous.” And then, uncharacteristically, he had given her playful advice. Something like, ‘Make sure the students buy safe things like gold or government bonds.’
Without hesitation, Victoria wrote a short note in her reply: Maintain current investment policy. As far as she was concerned, she was still a student, so sticking to sound investments was only right. Especially since she wasn’t just managing her own money.
After devoting herself to writing replies for quite some time, her gaze finally landed on the last letter placed to one side of the desk. A red wax seal engraved with a double-headed eagle. But the shape was somehow crooked, and the sealing technique was unbearably crude. It was obviously a letter from His Highness the Grand Duke Mikhail. She could tell just by looking at it now.
“Honestly… this is exactly why people keep getting the ridiculous idea that Erika and I are Your Highness’s mistresses.”
Victoria grumbled to no one in particular. Yet her voice carried more playfulness than actual irritation. To be honest, the rumor wasn’t entirely bad. Thanks to it, the number of annoying men trying to approach her had noticeably decreased. Most of all, the biggest gain was that Erika’s parents had temporarily put their plans to marry her off to another man on hold.
She carefully broke the wax seal with an ornate letter opener. The letter inside was exactly as expected. It was hard to believe it came from a member of the imperial family—the content lacked any trace of formality, courtesy, or dignity.
It began with nearly casual greetings and pointless jokes, then quickly moved on to a rather minor request. He suggested that, as an owner of an Eternal Special Membership Card for the Far East Maritime Province Tourism Special Zone, she might consider hosting a banquet for her Academy classmates during this summer break.
It wasn’t exactly a new kind of request. Mikhail, who sponsored Victoria as the Ambassador of the Far East, and who was a major buyer of the McKenzie family’s liquor, often made such requests. Things like distributing tickets to a new novel or play by an author he supported, or asking her to introduce him to the McKenzie family’s connections who wanted to use slot machines for promotional events. Requests that weren’t particularly difficult and caused no loss.
As she reread the letter, Victoria could vaguely guess his true intention. The Academy students who would one day lead the Empire. He was probably trying to secure them as potential future customers. By linking pleasant school memories with a positive image of the Tourism Special Zone, he was laying a long-term foundation that would make them gladly open their wallets later. It was such a characteristically Mikhail-like idea.
At the end of the letter was an attached list of people he particularly wanted invited. Most were heirs who would one day lead the Empire’s leading trading houses. It was clear he intended to connect with various companies to further develop the Tourism Special Zone.
Victoria scanned the list, then paused for a moment at one name that had been heavily emphasized.
‘Eleonora Horner.’
The Horner Trading Company. It was considered the best in the Empire when it came to distributing high-end food ingredients. Since it had even received a royal warrant from the notoriously picky Second Princess Anastasia, there was no doubt about its quality and reputation. He was probably trying to build connections to supply ingredients to the luxury restaurants in the Tourism Special Zone.
Victoria nodded to herself. It wasn’t a bad proposal. In fact, it was quite good.
Come to think of it, Erika had also said she didn’t want to go home this summer break. She had even declared she would rather stay in the Academy dormitory than spend time in that suffocating place with her parents. If she could spend quality time with her in the Far East Maritime Province… perhaps, just perhaps, there might be a small step forward in their relationship. The hope rose in her chest.
Victoria’s gaze drifted to a small table in the corner of the study. On it sat a bottle of the liqueur produced by her family—Vyakh. The transparent glass bottle contained an amber liquid. When she gave it a light tap with her fingertip, the viscous liquor inside rippled gently.
It was just like… her own heart, which trembled helplessly at even the smallest word or casual glance from Erika.
She knew better than anyone that the rumor of it being a “love potion” was nothing more than a marketing story made up by her ancestors. Yet even so, she offered the liquor to Erika whenever she had the chance. Hoping for a miracle. Just in case.
Whether that miracle had worked or whether it was thanks to growing closer as fellow ambassadors, their relationship had indeed progressed quite a bit lately. When you thought about it, that was also thanks to His Highness Mikhail.
Victoria stood up to shake off her suddenly complicated feelings. She planted both hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and laughed with her usual overflowing confidence.
Her laughter filled the study, loud and cheerful.
The grounds of the Imperial Academy were vast. And within those vast grounds were inevitably secluded corners that no one would notice unless they deliberately went looking for them. Eleonora Horner had an almost supernatural talent for finding such places.
For example, an old bench behind the main building, completely covered in thick ivy. She was crouched there again today. Her deliberately oversized Academy uniform skirt completely hid her legs, and her long bangs that covered her eyes acted like a curtain blocking out the world. In this state, neither male nor female students ever spoke to her.
In Eleonora’s opinion, this was preferable. Being a little lonely was far better than being hurt by stares and words and shrinking into herself. Wounds stung and ached, but loneliness was merely cold, and therefore easier to soothe.
As if to prove her point, a novel titled Lilian Girls’ Academy lay open on her lap. It was a story about the deep friendship between girls at a boarding school. As she was deeply immersed in escaping from reality, the sound of footsteps reached her ears.
They seemed to be coming toward her. As the footsteps grew louder, Eleonora instinctively hunched her shoulders and lowered her head even further. She prayed they wouldn’t see her. And even if they did, that they would say nothing and just pass by.
But the footsteps stopped exactly in front of her.
“So this is where you were, Miss Horner?”
A bright, sunny voice. Eleonora couldn’t bring herself to lift her head. The owner of the voice was Victoria McKenzie—the daughter of a count with dazzling golden hair and a brilliant smile, who led the most influential faction among the Academy’s female students.
“I’ve been looking for you for quite a while.”
Victoria sounded slightly out of breath. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead from the hot weather and the effort of searching for her. Eleonora was inwardly shocked. Why would someone so important go through the trouble of sweating just to find someone like her? Had her father made some mistake in business? Or was this simply the burdensome kindness typical of such outgoing people…? All sorts of thoughts flashed through her mind.
As Eleonora’s mouth went dry and she swallowed, a white, luxurious envelope was suddenly thrust before her eyes. The thick texture of the paper and the elaborate wax seal with intricate lettering. It was clearly an invitation.
“…What is this?” Eleonora asked in a voice as small as a mosquito’s. Her gaze remained fixed on the text of her book, unable to look up.
“As you can see, it’s an invitation.” Victoria’s voice remained cheerful. “So… why are you giving this to me…”
Eleonora trailed off hesitantly. “I’ve never really attended social gatherings before…”
She unconsciously fiddled with the corner of her book. Her face burned as she felt Victoria’s gaze on her.
“Do you dislike the idea?” Victoria asked. There was no trace of reproach or disappointment in her voice—only pure curiosity.
“No, it’s not that… I just… don’t know what to do…”
Eleonora’s voice grew smaller and smaller. To her, social gatherings were like battlefields where elegant ladies in gorgeous dresses wielded invisible blades against one another. A world where someone gloomy and socially awkward like her could never dare set foot. That was what she had read in novels.
“You just need to enjoy yourself,” Victoria said gently. “It won’t be one of those stiff, formal affairs. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time. After all, it’s a party being held at the Far East Maritime Province Tourism Special Zone.”
The Tourism Special Zone. It was a place she had only heard about through rumors. A dream resort more glamorous and free than anywhere else in the Empire. Her father was always busy with work, and she had neither the courage nor the motivation to go to such a place alone.
While Eleonora hesitated, Victoria suddenly took her hand.
“You’ll come, won’t you?”
Warmth flowed from the hand holding hers. Startled, Eleonora unconsciously lifted her head. Right before her eyes was Victoria’s face, smiling as brightly as the sun. Overwhelmed by that radiance, Eleonora quickly lowered her gaze again.
Honestly, she couldn’t refuse. When the daughter of a count personally came to find her, took her hand, and invited her, there was no way the daughter of a nouveau riche family whose father had bought his title with money could dare refuse. No, even setting aside the difference in status… she simply couldn’t refuse. Perhaps it was because the warmth coming from her hand was too hot. She didn’t know.
“…I’ll go.”
In the end, a small answer slipped from Eleonora’s lips. At her reply, Victoria’s face lit up even more.
“Really? That’s wonderful! Then I’ll see you at the station on the date written in the invitation!”
With that, Victoria waved her hand cheerfully, just as she had when she arrived, and left. Only silence remained in the spot where she had been.
But it was a different kind of silence than before. Eleonora could still feel the warmth of Victoria’s body heat lingering on her hand. It felt strangely hot. With that feverish hand, she carefully slipped the invitation between the pages of her novel.
She opened the book again, but the words no longer entered her eyes.