Three Silver Coins Beneath the Black Eaves
“Haha. The priests aren't allowed to enter this room today anyway. They said it's some sort of purification ritual done with the bare body, or whatever. Look at this wig! It looks just like my real hair, doesn't it?”
“Princess Titaniaaaa! Where on earth do you think you're going? It is far too dangerous!”
Barbara, usually the very picture of composure, was practically frantic as she tried to pull me back.
I offered a sheepish smile. Barbara had no idea I had been kidnapped at dawn and had only just returned, all thanks to Debbie, who had slipped her a sleeping draught before sneaking out after me. Naturally, when Barbara woke up to find me groaning and sore, she had found it odd and helped massage my stiff muscles, but she had assumed it was merely lingering fatigue from days of grueling travel by carriage.
Barbara was the Empress's person. While the Empress, Prince Adrian, and I were all in the same boat now against the imperial concubine, I still didn't know how much information I could safely disclose. Specifically, it felt precarious to lay bare the full extent of my relationship with the Castrein family.
So, I intentionally beamed like an unruly tomboy and brazenly played dumb.
“No, no, it's fine! Not dangerous at all!”
“Of course, of course! I'm a specialist, after all! Protecting one little princess is child's play for me!”
Debbie chimed in with a sunny grin, making no effort to hide her lethal talents. Barbara’s face flushed an outraged mottled crimson at the sight.
“You were in deep conversation with the young Count of Cortez earlier, and now this out of nowhere? Can't you tell me what is going on?”
“I just want you to be safe, Barbara.”
“I came here to serve Your Highness! I cannot stand by and watch the person I serve walk into potential danger without knowing a single thing!”
“If I had only lived safely, what do you think would have happened? Just for taking me into the palace, Her Majesty the Empress would have been stripped of what little authority she had left, wouldn't she? And I would have been branded as cursed.”
Barbara fell silent, likely recalling the recent incident in the imperial palace where I had joined hands with the Empress. Seeing her hesitate, I offered a soft, quiet smile.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
How much could I trust someone? How much was safe to say? I truly didn't know. It was all so difficult. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was unfair for people who had things far more precious than me to get hurt because of my actions. Having someone like Debbie around was much easier on my conscience—she was here strictly as payment for a transaction, after all.
“I can't be late, so I'm off!”
Taking advantage of Barbara’s stunned silence before she could notice my turmoil, I bolted down the escape route we had secured earlier. Barbara’s sharp gasp echoed behind me.
“Princess!”
“I'll be off too! I'll buy something delicious if I can! If not, I'll steal something from the kitchen later!”
“Debbiiiiiie!”
Was it my imagination, or was the fury in her voice when she screamed Debbie's name infinitely more venomous? I awkwardly patted the wig on my head.
Phlux had shared a few pieces of information—likely concerning corruption within the temple and the imperial concubine's clandestine moves. While intensely intriguing, there was little I could verify while trapped inside the temple walls. And that brought a certain item to mind: the VIP token for Hecate's Tavern. It was the card I had received from Duke Castrein in exchange for revealing the location of Gloriana's Insignia.
Of course, the main branch of Hecate's Tavern was located in the capital, but that didn't mean there were no regional branches. There were exactly two: one at the northern edge within the Castrein territory, and one at the southern edge, right here in the city of Artula.
As my mother from my past life used to constantly tell me: Leave it sitting around, and it turns to shit.
The scent of fresh grass filled the air. With every step, dry turf crunched softly beneath our feet. I glanced around the temple grounds; surprisingly, there was hardly a soul in sight.
The number of ordained priests stationed at this temple was far smaller than I had anticipated. A handful of young boys—apprentices or acolytes tasked with menial chores—and various outsiders delivering supplies back and forth made up the bulk of the population. Phlux had mentioned that he had already bribed or influenced many of those deliverymen and apprentices, which was how we were able to slip out onto an empty path in broad daylight.
“There it is.”
During prayer hours, when all the priests gathered to chant, there was a small back gate used primarily by laborers so as not to disturb the sanctuary. We slipped through it and emerged outside.
From here on, every move counted.
Because the temple was built atop a vast, open expanse, sneaking around unnoticed was no simple feat. I spotted the carriage waiting for us—painted pure white to blend in with the glistening white sands of the south—and quickly clambered inside. Debbie exchanged a subtle nod with the driver before climbing in beside me, and the carriage took off at a brisk clip.
“You said Gregory and Cronen were in a secret meeting?”
“Yes. Under the pretense of maintaining urban security, they sent all the knights far out into the city so they could talk in private.”
“Ugh, Lisianthus actually agreed to ride out with them? What a miracle. I was sure he'd flip the table and refuse.”
A shudder ran down my spine. If Lisianthus had been here, stealth would have flown right out the window.
“When he returns and finds out Your Highness met with the young Count of Cortez and snuck out into the city like this, he'll probably breathe fire.”
“Oh? From his mouth instead of his hands?”
“…I was joking. What on earth were you picturing?”
“Knowing Lisianthus, isn't it plausible? Like biting into an oil flask and flicking a spark with his hand so it looks like he's spewing flames from his mouth…”
Come to think of it, that sounded like a Pokémon. Then again, this world was crawling with divine beasts and demonic beasts, so an actual monster like that probably existed somewhere.
“Princess… do you have a thing for arson?” Debbie gave me an utterly deadpan look.
Right. Debbie knew the truth about that shocking night when Lisianthus and I joined hands to burn down the Rose Palace, traumatizing everyone in sight.
“Ahem. By the way, I wonder how the reconstruction of the Rose Palace is coming along. It'll be so much easier for me if they punch plenty of secret dog doors in the walls.”
“It should be progressing smoothly. The Young Duke…”
“The Young Duke?”
My eyebrows shot up at the sudden mention. Debbie cleared her throat awkwardly, as if realizing her slip of the tongue.
“I-I mean, Lady Bibi! She insisted that whatever the Princess requests must be carried out without question.”
“Ah, our sweet Bibi.” My expression melted into sheer fondness.
Just then, the carriage ground to a halt with a heavy jolt. When we stepped down, we found ourselves amidst a crowded, bustling street. Debbie and I quietly scouted for our destination: a pawnshop nestled in the basement of a three-story building tucked in a quiet corner of the street.
The moment we stepped into the building, a thick, damp smell of dust washed over us. Unlike the bustling outdoor taverns and teahouses overflowing with patrons, this place was eerily devoid of people—so quiet it felt ominous. It wouldn't have been surprising to see rats scuttling across the stone floor.
We descended the stone stairs and knocked on the heavy wooden door. A small viewing slat creaked open, and a pair of eyes peered through.
“Who's there?”
Debbie shot a quick glance at me. I spoke up in her stead.
“Three silver coins beneath the black eaves.”
“……”
Without a word, the heavy door clicked open a sliver. A middle-aged woman with thoroughly ordinary features squinted at us with an irritated scowl.
“What do you want, brats? Coming here with nothing to pawn? This ain't a place for little maids serving fancy noble ladies to come killing time—”
Instead of sighing, I pulled the card from my bodice and casually flicked it between my fingers. The woman snapped her mouth shut instantly and gestured for us to follow.
She led us into a cramped, windowless room whose entrance was concealed by heavy black drapery. The door shut behind us with a firm thud. Inside, a woman veiled from head to toe sat with a long-stemmed smoking pipe between her lips.
“Princess Titania. You certainly are fearless.”
Instead of answering, I offered a bright, cheerful grin. With Debbie's assistance, I was disguised from head to toe as an ordinary housemaid: hair tucked neatly into a hairnet beneath a plain brown wig, dark powder dusted over my skin, and faux freckles stippling my cheeks. While my vivid green eyes remained uncovered, there was nothing about my outward appearance alone that could point anyone toward the name 'Princess Titania.'
However, considering the exceedingly short list of patrons who knew the location of this Hecate's Tavern branch—and even fewer within my age bracket who possessed such a token—paired with the high-profile news of Princess Titania arriving in the south for the Offering Festival, it would have been harder not to guess my identity.
I let out a light scoff right in front of the veiled woman.
“Why did Hecate's Tavern make a customer come all the way here just to file a complaint?”
“…What?”
One of the woman's eyebrows twitched beneath the veil, as if she had just heard something utterly absurd.
“If I recall correctly, I was told someone would visit me within a week. Forget a week after getting this card, let's see… just how long has it been?”
Clicking my tongue in theatrical disappointment, I swept my gaze across the dimly lit room. At my waist, wrapped tightly in layers of cloth to remain hidden, the Emoticon Sword let out a low, resonant hum.