A Pattern Too Precise
Even though he had gained nothing, he withdrew as if satisfied. That fact continued to nag at her. It was not the gait of a defeated man. Estelle stood by the window, recalling the scene. Rubia was flipping through documents again today. The soft scrape of a pen gliding across paper filled the room.
'He must have had a destination in mind.'
Terence's visit yesterday had not been his first. Anyone who approached the princess in that manner would not stop at one or two attempts. There had to be a pattern. Estelle tried to remember how Terence had moved in the novel. The details were hazy. He had not been a major character in volume one, after all. But after seeing him in person yesterday, she could tell he was not the type to act on impulse.
She walked toward Rubia.
"May I look at the office records?"
Rubia paused her pen and glanced at Estelle.
"Why?"
"There is something I wish to confirm."
A brief silence followed. Without a word, Rubia raised her hand and pointed to the shelf beside her.
"Second compartment on that side."
Estelle moved there. The records were neatly organized by date. She pulled out two months' worth and stood by the window to open them. Visitor logs. Schedule logs. Event records. She checked the dates first. She marked the days Terence had visited, then examined the dates immediately preceding them. Imperial subcommittee meetings. Noble banquets. Official imperial ceremonies. Once. Twice. Three times. Every single instance.
Not one was missed. Without fail, the day after or two days after Rubia completed an official schedule, Terence had come.
'He's targeting her.'
Estelle stared down at the records. After handling a major event, the noise from Rubia's Curse of Hearing Emotions would grow far worse. The larger the crowd, the heavier the burden. Terence knew this and timed his visits accordingly.
'What a tiresome method.'
The next time Rubia would have to attend an official schedule was in a few days. Estelle traced the date with her finger.
'Then two days after that, most likely.'
She was about to close the records when she stopped. This alone was not enough. She knew when he would come, but she needed to know what he would bring in order to prepare. Last time he had raised the imperial succession clause and the financial issues of her close aides. Next time he would bring something else. Shaking Rubia's surroundings one piece at a time was Terence's way. If so, the next target would be an untouched direction. She committed that thought to memory.
'It would be best to organize this.'
The corridor was quiet. Estelle had stepped out of the office while Rubia briefly left her seat. She had no particular reason for coming out. Footsteps approached from the end of the hallway. A female knight with neatly tied black hair stood in the same spot as yesterday. Diagonally across from the office entrance. When she saw Estelle emerge, her steps slowed for a moment before resuming their steady pace.
'She was standing there yesterday too.'
Serin approached. Her gait was natural, as if she had a clear destination.
"Lady Estelle."
"Yes."
"How is it that you remain so easily at Her Highness's side?"
Estelle looked at Serin. It was a similar question to yesterday's. Yet the tone was different. Yesterday had been filled with wariness. Today it seemed as though she were trying to verify something.
"I believe I answered something similar yesterday."
"I heard that she rarely initiates conversation with others."
Estelle paused for a moment.
'Rubia.'
So that was it. It appeared Rubia did not often speak first to people. Yet with Estelle, she had done so naturally.
"Is that so."
"It is."
Serin studied Estelle. Her gaze drifted to her neck, passing over the burgundy choker, then returned to her face.
"...Were you inside the office yesterday?"
"Where?"
"When Viscount Terence visited."
Estelle did not answer. Serin seemed to accept the silence. She asked no further questions.
"Please be careful."
It was the same words as yesterday. Yet their weight was different. Serin turned away. Estelle watched her retreating figure. The speed at which she turned was slower than yesterday.
'She must have seen something yesterday.'
The spot where Serin had stood yesterday. The angle from which the office entrance was visible. The fact that she had remained in the corridor even after Terence left. From that diagonal position, she would not have been able to see clearly inside the room. But the fact that Terence had entered and Estelle had disappeared would have been enough for someone who could calculate the implications. Serin was not an unobservant person.
'Well, it shouldn't cause any problems.'
Estelle looked away and turned her steps back toward the office. Then she stopped. Serin's "Please be careful" lingered briefly in her mind. It was the same phrase as yesterday. Yesterday she had not been able to tell whether it was directed at her or served as a warning, but today was different.
'She was worried.'
That was how it read. She did not know exactly how she should respond, but she did not think she had misread it.
'Well, if that's the case, then so be it.'
Estelle walked back toward the office.
It was lunchtime. Estelle stood at the back of the line. Male knights passed one by one from the front. The attendant distributing food did not even glance at them, simply scooping portions with quick, efficient movements. When Estelle's turn came, the attendant looked at her. Once. Twice. From head to toe.
"...Are you permitted to be here?"
"Yes."
"Ah, I see."
He did not give her more or less than the others. Only his gaze was different. It was not the same look he had given the male knights earlier. Estelle accepted it and found a seat.
'When the body changes, the treatment changes as well.'
Well, it was only natural. It fell within her expectations. Once she sat down, the knights across from her glanced at her before turning their heads away. They ate in silence. Estelle ate in silence as well.
It was when her meal was halfway finished. One of the passing attendants slowed beside her.
"You are the one Her Highness keeps at her side, correct?"
"Yes."
The attendant seemed about to say something more but stopped.
"Ah..."
That was all. As Estelle lifted her spoon, she heard the voice. She roughly understood its meaning. It implied she was not a knight but an ornament. She accepted the thought.
'Well, I suppose that's how it looks.'
Yet something about it bothered her. It was too vague to call uncomfortable. There was no clear reason to feel troubled by it. It simply lingered. She looked down at her tray. It must be a reaction caused by this body's differences. She vaguely recalled reading about how female knights were treated in the novel, but the memory was unclear. There had been no detailed descriptions of Estelle's role, after all. In any case, those gazes were not strange. And yet they bothered her.
'How odd.'
She did not know what was odd about it. She was not even sure whether she should feel offended by the implication of being an ornament. The fact that such gazes existed was simply that—a fact. She lifted her spoon again and continued eating. She tried to find a reason but eventually let it go. There would be no answer even if she searched. The afternoon arrived.
Rubia pushed a stack of documents to one side. She pressed her fingers to her temple, then lowered her hand. The tips of her toes rested loosely against the floor. There was less tension in them than in the morning.
'Now would be good.'
Estelle picked up the bundle of records she had organized in one corner of the office and walked over to Rubia. Rubia looked at her.
"While I was looking through them, something felt off."
Estelle placed the records on the desk.
"It seems that nobleman is timing his visits to coincide with Your Highness's schedule."
Rubia's hand moved slowly toward the records. Estelle pointed out the dates.
"Here, here, and here. All of them come right after official schedules. This is true for the entire two months."
Rubia accepted it without speaking. Her fingers traced the dates slowly across the page. Estelle waited, watching. Rubia's toes remained still. She appeared to be thinking. Rubia looked up.
"...Where did you find this?"
"It was in the office records. It was there when I looked."
"You cross-checked all of this?"
"It just turned out that way."
Rubia looked at the records again. It took a long time. During that interval, Estelle watched Rubia's hand. After tracing several dates, her finger had stopped on one particular day. The stopped finger did not move. It seemed her thoughts were continuing from there.
"Then it will be in a few days."
The words came out like a mutter.
"Probably."
"Where do you think it will be this time?"
Estelle thought for a moment.
"It will likely be a direction he has not touched yet. Since he has already brought up the imperial succession and the financial issues of your close aides, next time he will bring something different."
"For example."
"...So far he has targeted those around Your Highness. Next time it will probably be a more direct approach."
Rubia looked at Estelle. Estelle looked up. It was an expression she had never seen before. It was different from the way Rubia had looked at her until now. She could not tell exactly how. It seemed as though she were trying to discern something. Or perhaps it was something else. She could not distinguish which. Silence fell. It was not long, yet it felt strangely drawn out.
"...Thank you."
Estelle received the words.
"Well, I hope it was helpful."
Rubia closed the records. She held them in her hands for a moment. It seemed she wanted to say something more. She did not. As Estelle turned to leave, Rubia's gaze lingered in her mind.
'Strange.'
She did not know what that look had meant. She tried to organize it but could not. She tried to let it go but could not. Usually such things did not remain in her head.
'...What was it?'
At that moment, a voice came from outside the door.
"Your Highness. Viscount Terence has sent word that he wishes to visit. He says he will be accompanied by several others this time."
Rubia's hand froze above the records. Estelle looked at it. So there would be multiple people. Not alone. Rubia turned her gaze toward the window. She did not look at Estelle. Tension was beginning to rise in her toes. Slowly. Quietly. Faster than yesterday. Estelle looked down at the bundle of records in her hands. This time, the same method as yesterday would not work. More people meant more noise for Rubia to endure. It would be different from when Terence came alone. She shifted her gaze toward the door. It would be better to leave before the visit. Especially if multiple people were coming.
Estelle took a step.
"Stay."
It was Rubia. She was still looking toward the window.
'Does she mean for me to remain here?'
Rubia opened a document. She said nothing more. The tension in her toes had increased slightly from before.
'The space under the desk will be even narrower.'