Chapter 98
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Will Spring Come to Horror Games Too?
“Your Highness, your true feelings just slipped out.”
“It seems like you’re happier to see Rachel than me.”
Carion, who had come running with a long trail of escorts behind him, pulled both Enoch and Rachel into a tight embrace.
Behind Carion, Louis and the escorts clad in heavy armor came into view.
‘Everyone must be having a hard time because of Prince Carion.’
Rachel felt a sense of kinship as she looked at them.
At the same time, she felt a twinge of suspicion at how overly delighted Carion seemed.
‘Something’s up, isn’t it?’
“Your Highness, even if it’s been two months, isn’t this a bit too enthusiastic? Don’t tell me there’s a mountain of paperwork piled up on my desk?”
Rachel pushed Carion away and asked. He answered immediately.
“It’s not that. Though it will be soon enough.”
Rachel’s expression crumpled at his response. He spouted nonsense about how he’d missed this honest reaction of hers.
“But it is true that I have a favor to ask.”
“I don’t want to do it, whatever it is.”
“Hear me out first. I’m asking this because I trust both of you.”
The word “asking” came out of his mouth instead of an order. And he was even asking for Enoch’s help.
Rachel blinked and waited for Carion to continue.
“Come meet a ghost with me!”
Rachel’s face crumpled again. She’d only just gotten tangled up with a ghost recently, and now this right after arriving in the capital?
“What’s going on?”
Enoch asked to get a grasp of the situation, and the answer came from Louis, Carion’s aide.
“There have been rumors of sightings of Prince Herrion’s ghost in the royal palace.”
Rachel tilted her head. From what she knew of Louis, he wasn’t the type to get swept up in mere rumors.
“At first, I thought it was a scheme by the Third Prince’s faction, so I tracked down the source of the rumors and investigated personally...”
“And?”
“It was real. I saw it clearly with my own eyes.”
Rachel and Enoch exchanged glances. Was this a coincidence?
She’d just been wondering why Herrion had brought down the Baron Hanie family, and now his ghost had suddenly appeared.
‘This is an opportunity, isn’t it?’
“But why meet the ghost?”
“It seems like he has something to say to our prince.”
“Something to say?”
Rachel asked, but Louis didn’t look her way.
“I don’t know what message my late brother wants to give me, but since it seems like he’s looking for me, I’ve been wandering the places where the ghost is said to appear, dragging my escorts along.”
“And you haven’t met.”
“Exactly. Probably because I brought so many people, the ghost didn’t even show its face.”
“We asked those who sighted it, and they said up to three people could see it at once.”
“That’s why I’m requesting Sir Enoch to serve as His Highness’s escort.”
Louis spoke politely to Enoch. But calling him “Sir” despite knowing he was the Fourth Prince was a way of treating him as a knight.
‘He’s really wary. Even as Prince Carion’s subordinate, he’s already trying to keep him in check?’
“So, you plan to drastically reduce the escorts and bring in reliable experts instead? But why me?”
She understood bringing someone like Enoch to prepare for any potential dangers.
But she couldn’t fathom why they wanted her along.
“It’d be too grim if it’s just a bunch of men?”
Even after two months apart, he was spouting fresh nonsense today.
Rachel muttered her true thoughts without realizing it.
“You don’t even like women.”
“What?”
“Nothing. So, when do we set out?”
“Tonight?”
Rachel’s face crumpled several times today. Enoch glanced at her weary expression and shook his head.
“Not tonight. No, not for at least a week.”
“Why?”
“The fatigue from the journey hasn’t worn off.”
“Can’t you heal that with divine power?”
“There’s still fatigue that won’t go away.”
But Carion was not one to just accept that.
“Where’s that kind of thing? I’m not even the one who took you there. Which temple priest dragged you off on their own?”
Carion was trying to dodge responsibility, claiming Rachel’s fatigue was Enoch’s fault and not his.
“I’m not going. And if I don’t, Viscount Sepherd won’t allow it either.”
Viscount Sepherd was Louis Sepherd’s other title. Since his father, the Marquis of Sepherd, was still alive, Louis’s status was still that of viscount.
Enoch knew that if he refused, the aide Louis would convince Carion.
Louis cleared his throat as if he didn’t want to agree, but he didn’t deny it either.
“Until then, Rachel can assist with the Silver Knight Order.”
“No, why?”
“Because Rachel is a friend of the Church.”
“Friend of the Church? I think I’ve read that somewhere...”
Carion’s eyes widened. As a book lover, he knew what “friend of the Church” meant.
“No way! The Church designated Rachel as the Star of the Thirteenth Month?”
“Your Highness, what’s that?”
Louis, who didn’t know much about it, asked Carion.
“The highest honorary position the Church can give to a civilian. How on earth did you manage that?”
“Good luck, I guess.”
Rachel brushed it off with a line straight out of a novel’s protagonist.
“To dismiss that as luck. But the temple is the temple, and you’re my subordinate. No matter your position there, you belong under me.”
‘That’s when he wakes up.’
Whenever Carion seemed casual but suddenly turned overbearing like this, Rachel couldn’t help but sigh.
‘I felt it before, but he’s acting like a kid.’
“Why that face? Don’t tell me now that you’re on good terms with the temple, you don’t need me anymore?”
“I didn’t say anything? And I have no intention of asking the royals to acknowledge my Church ties, just as Your Highness says.”
“Right?”
Carion’s face brightened at Rachel’s response. Louis, sensing the odd atmosphere, glanced between them.
“And thanks for the favor, by the way.”
“You’ve done so many, I don’t know which one.”
“The one where you told Count Beston about my brother.”
“Ah. That wasn’t hard. If anything, Count Beston was thrilled. He said he wants to raise him himself instead of sending him to the Academy.”
“You know that’s not happening, right?”
Rachel wanted to send Deyner to the Academy for safety reasons.
Count Beston spent many days heading to border regions rife with battles against foreign tribes. If Deyner became his disciple, he’d be exposed to danger often.
“It’s not that bad.”
“Graduating the Academy comes first.”
Deyner was currently 13. By the time he entered the Academy this year and graduated, three years would have passed. Rachel said if Deyner wanted then, he could go.
“You don’t even talk about your brother at work, but you sure look after him.”
“Just your average big sister. Anyway. While assisting the Silver Knight Order, I detected something strange in Baron Hanie’s territory.”
“Baron Hanie’s territory? The tax-exempt area, right? You stopped by on the way?”
“Yes. I’ll submit a report soon, but the Hanie family was wiped out, and the villages in the barony were completely burned down.”
At Rachel’s report, Carion blinked slowly as if he couldn’t believe it.
“What? That can’t be. They should’ve been rebuilt with aid.”
Enoch stepped in at his incredulous reaction.
“No. My knights and I confirmed it. It seems the baron and his family were already dead when the wildfire happened.”
“A year ago, the baron’s eldest son was appointed as brother’s escort?”
“Who’s that?”
“Of course, the baron’s heir... Don’t tell me he was a fake? Louis!”
“I’ll look into it right away!”
“And.”
Rachel glanced at the escorts and lowered her voice. Carion sent the escorts back and brought his ear close to Rachel’s face.
“I hate to report this, but it seems the late Crown Prince had a hand in the destruction of the baron’s family.”
Carion’s pupils shook. If anyone else had said it, he’d have snapped at them not to spout nonsense.
Rachel shut her mouth, wondering if she’d spoken out of turn, but Enoch added more.
“And there was a curse on Baron Hanie’s castle.”
At Enoch’s testimony, Carion staggered.
“How many people know about this?”
“Just the five knight squad members who traveled with me.”
“Keep it quiet for now. Let’s investigate further.”
“Yes.”
Rachel and Enoch answered in unison.
‘It’s better if Prince Carion investigates personally rather than me doing it alone.’
If Rachel alone uncovered a royal scandal, it would only put her in danger.
“Fine, you must be tired, so rest for three days and then come.”
“Really?”
For once, Carion granted Rachel leave. She didn’t refuse.
“Thank you. I’ll recuperate for those three days.”
Worried Carion might change his mind, Rachel turned and left the palace immediately. Enoch gave Carion a brief nod and followed Rachel.
***
“It was a nice holiday. Won’t have days like this anymore.”
Rachel made a sour face as she headed to work. She’d spent the short three-day break busily.
She’d invited Enoch, Rekeia, and Abyss over for a small party and shared information.
Abyss had brought the curse medium to show Enoch, which helped resolve Rachel’s doubts.
The next day, she met several jewelers recommended by Rekeia, signed contracts, and prepared and sent contract documents to the temple.
The initial products would be gifted to a select few, then sold through the temple afterward.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly. But as she entered the administrative office, fighting off sleep, the atmosphere was heavy.
‘What’s with the mood?’
“Hello. I’m back after a long time, but it’s so quiet?”
Rachel set down her document bag and asked.
Her arrival was early, so there weren’t many people yet, but they usually greeted her warmly.
Today, though, it was as if a wild beast had appeared and they were holding their breath.
Rachel looked around and locked eyes with an administrator. His finger cautiously pointed somewhere.
“Hm?”
A red-haired woman in a black dress was occupying one wall of the administrative office, sitting there.
‘Who was she again?’
It was a face she’d seen before. She mouthed a question to her colleague, unable to speak aloud, but he couldn’t answer.
Because the woman had stood up and approached Rachel.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Dame Peristera, right?”
The moment she heard the voice, it clicked. It was the First Princess Hermian, daughter of the Second Queen.
A First Princess of Kudath should live glamorously, but because of her wastrel younger brother, she lived quietly and reclusively, avoiding attention.
“I greet the First Princess.”
“No need for formalities. I’d like to have a private word. May I borrow her for a bit?”
Everyone in the office nodded. They knew Rachel was under Carion’s protection, but Hermian’s status was no less.
And so, Rachel ended up having tea time with First Princess Hermian.
‘Why is a princess suddenly seeking me out?’
As she thought that, Hermian spoke quietly.
“I imagine this sudden meeting must be confusing.”
“Not at all. Due to my background, I don’t get invited to salons, so it’s a great honor that Your Highness has visited me here.”
As Rachel spoke, she probed Hermian’s intentions.
She’d brought only one maid. A princess would usually have a throng of maids and escorts trailing behind, so the small entourage suggested this was a secret visit.
‘The administrators all saw, though. Anyway, what’s this about? Related to the Third Prince?’
Rachel knew Demian wanted her dead. If she spotted him from afar, she avoided him first.
Sometimes colleagues or Silver Knight Order members would warn her in the halls if the Third Prince was around.
As Rachel tensed and faced Hermian, she opened her mouth.
“The reason I sought you out is...”