Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Where Is She?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ever since that day, Helios and Esther hadn't met even once.
He hadn't uttered those words expecting her to come looking for him, but the anguish was unavoidable. So he merely grasped at intangible matters, forcing them into his hands just to pass the time.
But even then, Helios simply couldn't pretend she didn't exist. That was why he hadn't withdrawn Baron, who was still by her side under the pretext of protection.
This much shouldn't be too much, right? Just knowing whether she's safe or not.
Helios didn't want even that tiny selfish wish stripped away from him.
Damn it, protecting my damn pride...
Frustrated with his pathetic self for wounding the woman he loved, Helios slammed his fist down on the innocent desk.
It was then, as the man who hadn't slept for days reached for yet another cup of the coffee he'd lost count of.
"Your Highness, it's Elick. I have a report to deliver and came to see you."
"Come in."
At the sound of the knock, Helios glanced at the calendar on his desk. There was no way he'd forget the day he received the regular report on Esther's daily life.
Especially now, with nobles' interest in her pouring in after the engagement announcement, he was even more on edge.
"So, how are things?"
Elick had barely entered when Helios urged him on impatiently, prompting a swift report.
"Invitations from nobles keep coming. The engagement to Your Highness is the biggest reason, no doubt. On top of that, the merchant group's goods are drawing eyes, so they're starting to turn a profit."
"Good, that's excellent news. How's Esther holding up?"
When Helios slipped in the question he was most eager for, Elick nodded and replied.
"She's making every effort to attend parties and build ties with the nobles, but she looks exhausted. She's at one today too, though it doesn't seem like it's for networking."
"Those noble types would naturally push her to it."
He tried to respond casually, but Helios knew he was shaken.
Elick must have noticed as well, his gaze fixed solely on Helios's hands fidgeting with the papers.
"What about the Emperor's surveillance net?"
"He attached a few people right after the engagement, but with no real changes, it looks like he's scaled back. Baron's eyes don't miss a thing, do they?"
"......Make her protection the top priority. Report back immediately if anything happens."
"Yes, understood."
After hesitating for a long while, Helios roughly raked back his hair and asked.
"No signs she's struggling?"
"Well......"
As Helios watched Elick falter uncharacteristically, a burning thirst gripped his throat. He quickly downed another gulp of coffee and pressed.
"Go on."
"Even with the Micarus heir attending alongside her, she seemed really worn out. And with him suddenly showing up claiming to be a 'friend,' rumors are spreading that he's trying to hedge his bets between factions."
The moment Noel's name came up, Helios ground his teeth with a feral edge.
Noel wasn't showing Esther any consideration. He had to know hanging around her now would spark rumors, yet there he was, blatantly sticking close. It was suspicious.
"That name keeps popping up in every report."
This wasn't Esther's first time at a banquet. And every gathering she attended, Noel was there too.
At first, his presence had grated, but Helios had tried not to dwell on it.
He'd known for a while that Noel was working those venues to build his own faction, and he trusted that if they were together, Noel would protect her.
Besides, Helios knew he had no business standing at her side anymore.
"What the hell is that guy doing to let rumors like that spread? Not putting distance between them or denying it."
"Baron says they didn't arrive together, but their constant run-ins with Countess Elpis don't feel coincidental. He made a beeline for her the moment he spotted her, like he'd been looking......"
"Even knowing it'd put Esther in an awkward spot?"
"No signs of pulling away. Countess Elpis seems oblivious to the rumors, but House Micarus couldn't possibly be."
Helios shot up from his seat at those words.
"Your Highness?"
Elick's startled voice registered, but it wasn't what mattered to Helios right now.
"And staring at her with eyes like that..."
If Noel was going to act like this, Helios couldn't just sit idle. That complacent attitude alone proved he wasn't someone to entrust her to.
"'Besides'?"
"Pardon?"
"What were you going to say after that 'besides'?"
He growled low, simmering at Noel's utterly selfish behavior.
"Baron only caught a snippet yesterday, so I'm not sure how far it's spread......"
"Just the point."
Helios said it, but he dreaded hearing the rest.
If even worse rumors were circulating, he wouldn't have the face to look Esther in the eye.
He hadn't attended a single party with her since the engagement—just to keep his distance.
But Elick's next words shattered that resolve.
"Rumors that Countess Elpis is......offering her body......"
At the outrageous claim, Helios crumpled the paper in his fist, fixing Elick with a murderous glare.
His low, cracked voice laid bare the rage he was barely containing.
"While that garbage spreads, what was he doing?"
"We don't have details on that part......"
"Damn it...!"
If he was letting rumors like that fester while hovering around her, that changed everything.
Helios could endure no longer. He frantically rifled through the stack of invitations on his desk.
"Your Highness?"
"Which banquet is Esther at tonight?"
"The birthday party for Young Lord Rackju, I believe."
As Helios rose without hesitation and turned toward the bathroom, Elick ventured carefully.
"Your Highness, do you intend to go?"
"Prepare attire for the evening banquet."
"Understood."
In the end, Helios had to admit he couldn't bury his feelings for Esther.
"We've arrived."
No sooner had the coachman spoken than Helios leaped down from the carriage in haste. The guards stationed at the Elpis Merchant Group's front rushed over at the sight of the Crown Prince in such a state.
"The Empire's Little Sun, Crown Prince Your Highness......"
"Skip the pleasantries. Where's the Elpis Merchant Guild Master?"
Helios roughly yanked loose the tie choking his neck as he demanded, leaving the guard flustered in response.
"She attended Your Highness's birthday banquet today and hasn't returned yet. Shall I send an urgent letter?"
"I mean Esther Elpis. Where is she?"
"You mean Miss Esther Elpis? She's away recuperating."
"That's exactly what I'm asking—where?"
"Even we don't know......"
"What?"
Helios shot the guard a piercing glare, and in that moment of shock, the man stumbled back two steps.
"My goodness, you really should go inside and rest on a day like this. It's so hot out here. What's the matter?"
"Ah, you've arrived. Mr. Oilie, Ms. Dana."
"Oilie?"
Helios muttered the name he'd heard somewhere before and turned around.
There stood a familiar face—one who had been by her side in his previous life and this one alike. There was no way Helios wouldn't recognize him.
He had committed the faces of everyone working at the merchant group to memory.
"The Empire's Little Sun, Crown Prince Your Highness."
Helios watched intently as the petite woman bowed with proper formality and Oilie mimicked her half-heartedly, then returned their greeting.
"But what brings you all the way here?"
Dana asked without so much as glancing at Helios.
"I've come to see Esther Elpis. It's urgent. Might I?"
Catching her off guard with the question, Dana abruptly lifted her head to meet Helios's eyes.
Helios knew what that look meant: Why are you asking about her?
"The young lady isn't here anymore. She fell ill and is recuperating......"
"I know. Where?"
"Pardon?"
Dana stared at him with wide eyes, and Oilie chimed in with suspicion lacing his gaze.
"May I ask what this is about, Your Highness?"
"Oh, Oilie! You can't talk to His Highness like that...!"
Helios went deathly pale as he watched Dana smack Oilie's arm with a sharp crack.
He'd just remembered where he'd heard that name.
Someone from the merchant group is supposedly breaking off to go elsewhere. Wouldn't recruiting him to our side make things easier? They say he made a huge contribution to oil sales......
His name was Oilie? Commoners are all the same—money will buy them. As if a commoner could set foot in a place like this.
He refused the deal? Then kill him. Can't leave him alive after he heard everything. Check that man Oilie's house for evidence, and if there's none, burn the whole place down.
No mistake. The name the Emperor had mentioned was definitely Oilie. Which meant the man standing before him was that man.
"I'm sorry, but she's like a benefactor to me. I can't just casually share her affairs......"
The wariness in his eyes didn't waver, even knowing Helios was the Crown Prince. This man genuinely cared for Esther.
"I have a message that must be delivered in person."
"The doctor kept stressing she needs rest. Besides, that information is top secret even within the merchant group. I can't disclose it without the Guild Master's permission."
Oilie shot back firmly, as if to say it was out of the question. But Helios couldn't back down here.
"It has to be face-to-face. So please, tell me where she is."
As the two showed no signs of yielding in their tense standoff, Dana finally stepped in and bowed to Helios.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. Would it be alright if I contact the Guild Master first?"
Helios knew he had no right to treat roughly the people Esther had gone to such lengths to protect. Recognizing it was time to yield, he replied carefully.
"Please."
"......Please deliver this to the Guild Master."
Dana pulled a paper from her bosom, scribbled something hurriedly, and handed it to the guard, who vanished somewhere.
"Um, Your Highness."
Once the guard was gone, Dana forced her trembling lips into a smile toward Helios. Her hands wouldn't stay still for a moment as she cautiously spoke up.
"How about stepping inside for some tea while you wait?"