Chapter 14
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Pretending to Be Human is Hard Work Today Too
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I stepped out and rejoined Liribel and Rusla, who had been waiting for me.
"Princess! Just now, there were two suspicious people over there......"
"Let them be. It's none of our business."
I had a hunch about who might be behind the presumed spies, but there was no need to explain it.
The night breeze felt chilly, so I urged the two of them to hurry back to the annex palace.
"Did everything go well?"
On the way back, Rusla asked cautiously. She knew little about the imperial palace and was curious about everything.
"Yeah, no major issues. I even agreed to cooperate with the Empress."
"Really?"
In contrast, Liribel, who was aware of the rumors about me in the palace, tilted her head with an anxious expression. Everyone knew that I didn't get along with the imperial family.
I patted her shoulder to reassure her.
"Our interests aligned."
I summarized the conversation for them.
After hearing it all, Liribel's mouth fell open in surprise, while Rusla kept nodding and muttering, "As expected......"
"Why are you so shocked?"
"Well, it's just...... I realized you're an impressive royal after all, Princess......"
Liribel mumbled something incomprehensible.
"Oh! Does that mean you're breaking up with Lord Loreil? You two didn't seem to get along."
"Me? With Sir Loreil?"
I widened my eyes in bewilderment at this nonsense, and Liribel nodded with a flustered look.
"You were exchanging those meaningful glances and all."
"That was......"
She must have mistaken my wary sizing-up for signs of affection.
I fidgeted with my lips, wondering how to explain, then let out a sigh.
"It's not like that. To avoid any misunderstandings, don't say things like that anywhere else, okay?"
"Ah, yes!"
To pair Jeina with Loreil, we couldn't afford any unnecessary scandals.
I soothed Liribel, who repeatedly vowed to watch her words, as we headed to the annex palace.
"The intruder?"
In the greenhouse, filled with the bright light of magical lamps unlike the darkness outside, Empress Cheryl addressed the guard emerging from her shadow.
"Don't tell me you failed to catch them?"
"......My apologies."
The guard in the black mask bowed deeply in apology.
There was a small scratch on his body. The Empress glanced at it disdainfully and sighed.
"You're incompetent. Maybe I should have brought your brother instead."
"......"
"Forgetting the failure for now, how did you not even notice the intruder's presence?"
"I didn't expect them to have already infiltrated the greenhouse interior. It was my mistake."
"All you do is apologize."
The Empress gazed at her empty teacup. It was the one Deyna had drained completely.
"The chance that spy is one of Princess Deyna's subordinates...... is low, I suppose."
"Yes, there's no reason for her to reveal their identity."
If Deyna hadn't mentioned it, they wouldn't have sensed the spy at all.
"Is it an act to leave us in her debt?"
"We'll monitor the annex palace. If the intruder returns there......"
"No, enough. I doubt the girl has anything to do with it."
It was her intuition.
To the Empress, Deyna didn't seem like the type to resort to such petty tricks.
Unlike Deyna's cup, the Empress hadn't taken a single sip from hers. She dipped her finger into the lukewarm tea, swirling it around as she recalled Deyna's face.
'What a bold child.'
A unique girl who had cast aside her smiling mask and clashed with true intentions the moment it dropped.
In her decades at the palace, she'd never met anyone like that.
Deyna exuded a completely different aura from the ever-sensitive Jeina or the dim-witted princes.
'It felt like looking at another royal of equal standing, not a child......'
Her words might have sounded rude, but they didn't come off as arrogant. Her confident demeanor even felt elegant.
It was unimaginable for the Deyna who used to shuffle around with her head bowed, bringing misfortune wherever she went.
"Was it all an act until now, or did she change after recovering her health......?"
If it was the former, it would be easier to deal with. Liars had hidden desires, and the Empress was seasoned at handling such people.
But if it was the latter, things got complicated.
'I'll have to scrap all the plans I prepared for her.'
It started unraveling from the very first step: ruining Deyna's glamorous return to high society.
In the end, she might have to tolerate the girl sharing the same stage as her.
'When I never wanted such a thing.'
She had never wished for a little sun that ignored her words and threatened to outshine her.
The Empress pushed the teacup away roughly, spilling tea onto the pristine white tea table. Staring at the staining tablecloth, she asked her guard.
"Any idea why Princess Deyna noticed the intruder?"
"No, my apologies."
"Do you think she's some hidden master, or she has unimaginable allies, or maybe she just got lucky...... Which is it?"
The guard pondered briefly before answering.
"The second one. If a master informed her of the intruder's presence in the greenhouse before she entered...... it's possible."
"That Helmet Fighter knight, perhaps?"
"Not him. I've seen him a few times in the arena, but his skills don't even reach my toes."
Amused by the subtly prideful response, the Empress chuckled softly.
"So, it's best to assume she has allies we can't see."
"In the worst case, yes."
"Oh, dear. 'Worst case' isn't for that."
The Empress rose from her seat. The guard draped the coat he had hung on the chair over her shoulders.
"The true worst case for us is if Princess Deyna herself is an extraordinary master."
"Impossible...... I sense no power from her at all."
The guard dismissed it as an unthinkable scenario. But the Empress shook her head.
"That's why it's the worst case."
She glanced toward the exit Deyna had used and continued.
"She could be a being with some bizarre power that doesn't show on the surface, just like the rumors. That would be......"
Utterly repulsive.
As if trying to erase the memory of Deyna's grotesque golden eyes, the Empress muttered.
"In the end, I should have let that cursed child die before she could defile my palace with her filth."
With that, she left the greenhouse.
After that, I could focus on Rusla's training.
Because I'd dumped most of the miscellaneous tasks for the arena onto the Empress's side.
Of course, everything was hosted in my name. Even if it succeeded, the Empress gained nothing from the arrangement.
'Guess I'll have to clash head-on after all.'
Such noble conversations full of metaphorical fluff were far less comfortable than a straightforward duel of true intentions.
'Let's see. If I train like this for another week, do a final check in the arena, then report to the main palace once the matches start......'
"Aaaagh!"
Deep in thought, a piercing scream snapped me back to reality.
"Oops!"
I spotted Rusla rolling on the ground and relaxed my grip.
"Sorry, I got lost in thought for a second...... You okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine."
I must have countered instinctively while she was trying to deflect. Rusla pressed her shoulder, struck by my wooden sword, and forced a smile through the pain.
She said she was fine, but her trembling hand betrayed how much it hurt.
"Let's take a break. It's already been two hours."
"Okay."
She didn't refuse, so she must have been exhausted. Feeling a twinge of guilt, I supported her as we headed under a large tree.
Leaning against the trunk and taking deep breaths, she glanced at me.
"Princess."
"Yeah?"
"Am I...... actually improving?"
I turned to look at her, wondering what she meant, and Rusla continued in an uncertain voice.
"I've never once landed a hit this whole time. Maybe I'm just being a burden to you......"
Repeated defeats had crushed her pride.
It was my failure as an instructor not to protect a trainee's confidence.
'Of course. She hasn't won even once. In times like this, sparring with someone else is best......'
To feel her growth, she needed to fight an opponent of similar skill.
No matter how much training, constant losses would cause even improving skills to regress.
As I pondered solutions.
'Ah, that person's perfect.'
A suitable opponent came to mind.
"Alright, let's try a new training method."
"......?"
I told Rusla to wait and approached the forest behind the annex palace.
'Should be around here......'
"Gotcha."
"......!"
Too sudden, perhaps—the man in the shadows hidden by the trees easily let me grab his collar.
I dragged the stunned man back to the clearing and tossed him in front of the wide-eyed Rusla.
"Here, your opponent."
"Opponent......?"
"An assassin who came for me. This is your next sparring partner."
Rusla and the man were both at a loss for words.