Whispers of the Fallen Kingdom

I had achieved my goal for the first day of Somire's imperial party. Although the plan had gone slightly awry, preventing me from spreading the word to as many nobles as I had hoped, the Second Prince and Third Princess had shown interest, which solved the problem. Whether they believed the news or not, it was bound to spread far and wide. All that was left was to showcase Andrea's dress tomorrow.

"Well, I'm going to go mingle with some of the other nobles. Why don't you go rest where the escort knights are gathered?"

"Yes, my lady," I replied with a nod. Franche immediately made her way toward the gathering of nobles.

I've done everything I needed to do. I figured I might as well tail Somire for a bit. I needed to dig up her true identity, after all.

Franche strolled through the ballroom, exchanging greetings with the nobles she recognized.

"Lady Descartes, it has been a long time."

"Indeed. How long has it been?"

"Quite some time. I did not attend the party held at the Eldas Marquisate."

The noble she was speaking with was Teria Tenelope—a viscount who had frequently recommended and introduced various dresses and jewels to Franche in the past.

I heard he invested heavily in Frida. If Frida collapsed this time, he would undoubtedly suffer massive losses. But Franche didn't particularly care. After all, hadn't this man only approached ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her for his own gain?

"Speaking of which, I heard you haven't visited Frida lately. Not to mention dresses, I hear you haven't even purchased any jewelry or accessories..."

So this was why he had approached her. Then again, he would have had no other reason to seek her out. Franche let out a soft chuckle and replied.

"I simply haven't felt like it."

"...Pardon?"

"Did you not hear me? I said I simply didn't want to."

Fwip. Franche snapped her fan open, concealing the lower half of her face. She held her head high, looking down her nose at the viscount.

"If you have nothing else to say, I would appreciate it if you excused yourself. I have nothing more to discuss with you."

"...Forgive me, but have I done something to offend you, my lady? Your sudden coldness is rather disconcerting."

"Who knows? Shouldn't that be for you to figure out, Viscount? Surely something must come to mind."

The viscount was left speechless. His sole reason for associating with Franche had indeed been to boost Frida's sales, knowing that the mere fact of the Descartes Ducal family patronizing the brand would elevate its prestige. But now that his motives had been laid bare, he realized their relationship was salvageable no longer.

"...I shall take my leave, then. Please excuse my intrusion." With a polite bow, the viscount departed. Franche watched his retreating figure and clicked her tongue.

How simple-minded, chasing nothing but money.

Unlike before, Franche now possessed a grand ambition. She hadn't originally aspired to such heights, but if what Jin said was true, she needed to achieve something monumental. Only then will others never dare to look down on me again.

Hardening her resolve, Franche resumed her conversations with the other nobles. Most of the chatter revolved around recent events and the imperial party. But then, she heard a welcome piece of news from a highly influential highborn lady.

"Ah, now that I think of it, I heard from the Third Princess that you are starting a clothing business, Lady Descartes."

"That is correct. I am highly confident ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in both the quality and the design. I have invested quite heavily in it as well."

"I heard the Prince and Princess are looking forward to it immensely. May I look forward to it as well?"

"I would welcome nothing less. You certainly won't be disappointed."

With the influential lady at the center, the conversation naturally flowed toward Franche's new venture. To build up anticipation as much as possible, Franche began dropping details about her boutique.

"Is that truly so?"

"Designs never seen before... My curiosity is piqued."

"And the artisan crafting these garments is an absolute genius?"

Perhaps because the prominent lady ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who led this social circle showed such keen interest, her followers quickly caught on and expressed their curiosity as well. Franche smirked and continued.

"If you are curious, pray visit District 13 of the Descartes Duchy. You will not be disappointed. The master tailor of my boutique is nothing short of a genius."

She left them with just enough mystery to maximize their curiosity. By this point, they would feel compelled to visit at least once.

"Now, if you will excuse me."

Moving on once more, she mingled with other nobles, deliberately steering every conversation toward her clothing business. While their reactions varied, she had achieved her goal.

Time to take a break.

Franche took a glass of champagne from a passing servant and sat down. She had hoped to catch her breath and enjoy a brief moment of leisure, but she immediately ran into someone she had absolutely no desire to see.

"...Lady Descartes."

Asil Freiden. The man she had not only used to break off their marriage talks but had also thoroughly humiliated before sending away. While she didn't exactly feel sorry, she did feel a slight twinge of guilt for using him so unilaterally, making him rather awkward to deal with.

"It has been a while, Lord Freiden," she greeted him smoothly, acting as if nothing had happened.

"I knew you were an odd woman, but I didn't expect this. Tell me, Lady Descartes, are you naturally this shameless and brazen? To greet me so casually after what transpired is quite something."

His tone was sharp, completely devoid of formal respect. Asil's reaction was biting—and understandably so, given how their first and last encounter had gone.

"Was it not you who acknowledged me first, Lord Freiden? I merely responded in kind, so I find your accusation rather unfair."

A strange tension crackled between them. The atmosphere grew so frigid it felt as though the surrounding air might freeze solid.

"I merely meant that seeing your face has ruined my day."

"You certainly have no qualms about speaking so rudely."

"I see no reason to show courtesy to someone like you."

"I am the daughter of Duke Descartes, you know."

"And what of it?"

Asil didn't flinch even when she brought up her title. Now that their marriage talks were completely dead, he had no reason to curry favor with the Descartes family.

"It seems you sorely need to learn your place, Lord Freiden. Ah, is this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another result of poor upbringing? Or is it simply a defining trait of the Freiden family?"

Franche fired back sharply. She saw no reason to be polite to someone who abandoned basic etiquette simply because he was in a foul mood.

"...Showing your true colors at last, I see."

"My true colors? I merely adjusted my register to match your level."

Asil shook his head. "Tsk. What a thoroughly wretched day." With those parting words, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

I'm the one having a wretched day.

Not only had she run into her former fiancé, Cassus, but she had also crossed paths with that damned Saintess and the brainless Crown Prince. And now, Asil, whose marriage proposal she had shattered. Is there some kind of curse on me today?

Franche shook her head and downed her champagne. "Tsk." It really was an incredibly unlucky day. Still, she supposed she could take comfort in the fact that her business plans were progressing smoothly.

I wonder what Jin is doing right now.

Franche scanned the sprawling ballroom, searching for Jin. He was nowhere to be seen near the escort knights. Where on earth could he have gone? I'll have to look around.

Rising from her seat, she wandered through the venue. Before long, she spotted Jin in a highly unexpected place. Why is he hiding over there?

Concealing his presence behind one of the massive pillars supporting the ballroom, he was intently watching someone. Franche followed his gaze. Standing there was the Saintess, Somire.

No suspicious movements so far. Somire was wandering around with the Crown Prince, greeting other members of the imperial family and chatting with the nobles. I had hoped she would do something out of the ordinary. Focusing all my senses on my hearing, I began to eavesdrop on their conversation.

It was a typical exchange between nobles trying to curry favor with Somire and the Crown Prince mindlessly showering her with praise.

Hmm? This was unexpected information. In the game, it was simply stated that Barenberg had suffered a crushing defeat. But to hear that they couldn't even put up a proper fight? Had the battle been decided before it even began? No wonder the original Jin Barenberg had been captured so easily.

The Transcendental Mage. The one they were speaking of was the very same mage who had branded me with the Slave Brand when I was first captured.

The only problem is... I knew next to nothing about this Transcendental Mage. She had never made a direct appearance in the game, nor were there any quests related to her. The only thing I knew was from a few brief mentions, which described her as the greatest mage in this world.

I'll have to face her eventually. If Kazar failed to break the Slave Brand, I might have no choice but to seek out that old hag myself. I'll need to dig up more details on her later.

Just then, I felt a strange gaze lingering on my back. Reacting instantly, I spun around. Franche was staring at me intently. What is it? Was she already done? I approached her and asked.

"Are you finished with your business, my lady?"

"Yes. And I ran into quite a few faces I had no desire to see."

"You have worked hard."

"Hardly. But more importantly, why were you watching the Saintess?" Franche asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at me. I decided to tell her the truth.

"She has been acting highly suspicious, so I was keeping an eye on her."

"Suspicious? In what way?"

"She seemed to know all about your personal circumstances, my lady."

Franche let out an understanding murmur and nodded.

"It is indeed a mystery how she found out. Do you think she used an information guild?"

An information guild. It was a plausible hypothesis. No matter how much a player knew about the game, they shouldn't have known about Franche's past. Even I, who had seen the game's true ending, hadn't known about it, so how could a mere player?

"But that raises another question. Why would the Saintess feel the need to dig into your background in the first place?"

"I haven't the faintest idea. But considering how she acted at the last party, she must have some sort of specific motive."

A specific motive. What could it be?

Hmm... Let's connect the strange occurrences that had happened so far. Franche had been ambushed on her way to the party at the Eldas Marquisate. The assassins had been so sloppy they bordered on incompetent, and they carried the crest of the Persia family. Then, at the party, Somire had gone out of her way to approach and insult Franche, deliberately provoking her. If I connected all these dots...

Could Somire be the one who commissioned the assassination and tried to sow discord? I didn't know her exact reasoning, but assuming Somire was the culprit made everything fall perfectly into place.

Using a low-grade guild was the key. Unlike the high nobility, Somire was of commoner origin. She had no real connections to speak of other than the Crown Prince. But the Crown Prince knew nothing about Franche. This meant the investigation and the assassination attempt were entirely Somire's independent actions.

Diging into Franche's background wouldn't have been difficult for her either. All she had to do was slip some coin to a servant to extract the information. If it had been information regarding the Duke, Eden, or Line, it would have been unthinkable. But the secrets of Franche, who was utterly neglected by her family, would have been sold in a heartbeat.

Though I still don't know her motive. It was a possibility that couldn't be ruled out. However, there were still too many unanswered questions, so I would have to investigate further.

"My lady, I believe we should observe her a little longer."

"The Saintess?"

"Yes. I have a theory, but we lack the evidence to prove it."

"Hmm. Won't you share this theory with me?"

"It is a rather long story, so I shall explain it to you later."

I needed more information. The crucial link that connected everything to the final outcome was still missing.

Somire, just what on earth are you?