The Shadow from the Past
Cayena unfolded a sheet of writing paper.
Dear Lady Elivan,
Have you been well?
I imagine you may despise me, or perhaps regard me as a stranger by now. Ten years have already passed since we parted ways.
I wonder if you ever waited for word from me. I will soon come of age on my birthday. I suppose the news has reached you as well.
Lately, I have been…
Lately, I have been baking pies and cookies while recalling memories of my childhood.
I remember turning your kitchen into a battlefield alongside you, Lady Elivan. I believe I once turned your green dress completely white.
Of course, regardless of all the memories and longing, I will respect your choice. You need not return to the palace.
Still, if we could one day sit side by side at a coffeehouse in the capital and share a cup of tea, it would bring me great joy.
I miss you, my last mother.
With all my longing,
Cayena.
Cayena paused her pen for a moment. The original Cayena had enjoyed flaunting her literary skill with long-winded greetings, though they were nothing more than empty flourishes. In her second life, she had grown accustomed to corporate phrasing—concise and formal, yet she could hardly write something like “This letter is to inform you regarding my return to the palace.”
‘I should write from the heart.’
Her former nanny had been a noblewoman and a longtime confidante of the late empress. After Lady Elivan’s own child died young from fever, she had raised Cayena as her second child. “My last mother.” It was a fitting phrase.
‘To think I feel more affection for Lady Elivan than for my own father.’
Cayena reread the letter she had written, a strange sentiment washing over her. It had been so long since she last felt longing for someone.
She slipped the letter into an envelope, dripped sealing wax onto it, and pressed the imperial crest into the wax.
Two of today’s important tasks were complete. Now it was time for the next.
“I suppose I must visit the Imperial Library.”
“…The library, Your Highness?”
If Vera were asked to name a place least associated with Cayena, the library would have been her first choice. She could not understand it. These were precious days that should be spent building power—meeting influential nobles, not browsing books.
When Vera tilted her head in confusion, Cayena spoke.
“I need to gather information that will be crucial for what lies ahead.”
The Eldaim Imperial Library stood beside the Imperial Academy. Only nobles and academy students were permitted entry, and it was the largest in the capital. That meant it held the very materials Cayena sought.
To avoid unnecessary commotion, Cayena deliberately wore a hat with a veil. The effort proved futile; the moment she entered the library with her entourage in tow, every eye turned toward her.
A librarian approached at once.
“May I ask where you are visiting from?”
Vera answered for her.
“This is Her Highness the First Princess.”
The librarian blinked his large eyes. There was only one princess in the empire. Did that mean the veiled woman before him was the infamous Princess Cayena? He found it impossible to believe.
‘That princess would visit a theater, perhaps, but never a library…’
It was a reasonable doubt.
Cayena extended her hand.
“Will this suffice as proof?”
It was the ring that marked her as the emperor’s legitimate daughter. The librarian’s eyes widened. Could she truly be the princess? Even seeing the evidence, he struggled to accept it. Never before had a princess set foot in the Imperial Library.
Then Cayena lifted her veil. The librarian forgot to breathe at the sight of that unreal beauty. His mouth fell open. Who in the capital did not know Cayena’s face?
“Y-Your Highness the P-Princess!”
He stammered terribly before dropping to the floor in a bow.
“I have no desire to cause a disturbance in the library.”
The librarian sprang up like a jack-in-the-box, his face flushing crimson. Cayena smiled faintly as she lowered her veil once more.
“Then we may consider your verification complete.”
Vera cleared her throat softly at the sight of the librarian’s dazed expression.
“Please guide us to a suitable place for Her Highness.”
Only then did the librarian regain his senses and glance around hurriedly.
“The conference table is currently unoccupied. I shall escort you there.”
Vera checked the long table in the farthest corner and nodded.
“Lead the way.”
Cayena claimed the long conference table that could seat twenty people all to herself.
Managers and librarians, alerted by the commotion, gathered in a rush. They stole glances at the hazy silhouette beyond the veil and asked respectfully,
“What sort of books are you looking for?”
They assumed Cayena had come in search of something extraordinary. With Prince Rezef under house arrest for ten days and the authority over the inner palace temporarily transferred to her, all of high society was watching her every move. What could the princess possibly be after by visiting the Imperial Library?
They waited in silence for her answer. At last, Cayena spoke.
“Bring me travelogues from across the Eldaim Empire.”
At the word “travelogues,” even Vera and the escort knights looked at her in bewilderment.
“…Please wait a moment.”
Nevertheless, it was the princess’s command. They quickly searched the shelves for travel records and began stacking the books on the table by region. The escort knights stood like a wall before her, blocking the curious stares of onlookers.
Cayena lifted her veil just enough to read.
‘I need to find a place to live once I leave the palace.’
This was an extremely important matter to her.
‘I must secure suitable fiefdoms to inherit while Father is still alive.’
She was set to inherit several decent territories from the Hill family’s holdings. The problem was that most of them lay in the east.
‘The east is out of the question because of the Evans family.’
Where could she find a place far from the capital yet relatively free from the influence of powerful nobles?
At first, she had considered hiding in the west.
‘But Raphael or Olivia might find my presence inconvenient.’
The place where she would live after fabricating a nonexistent consort and marrying him had to be somewhere she could control completely. To that end, she needed to select a location in advance and prepare it. A sturdy, clean mansion, a small garden for growing a few herbs, and a sea or lake within walking distance would be ideal.
Of course, there was another reason she had deliberately come to the Imperial Library at this time.
‘I need to lower their guard.’
Countless eyes were watching her, wondering what intentions lay behind her actions. If she appeared to be searching for a summer retreat ahead of the social season, how confused they would be.
It was very much like Cayena, yet the complete opposite of her recent behavior.
She flipped through the travelogues with an air of disinterest, though she examined the illustrations with care whenever they appeared. To any observer, it would seem she was only looking at pictures and not reading the text at all.
In truth, she was reading every word. Anyone who had endured the college entrance exam would have trained themselves to read passages quickly and grasp the core points. It was merely an old habit.
While she organized her future plans, the library grew steadily more crowded. Word that Princess Cayena was there had already spread.
Vera grew displeased at the way the princess was being treated like a rare spectacle.
“Your Highness, the sky is overcast. It would be best to return to the palace now.”
Cayena lifted her gaze from the book and looked toward the window. The sky was indeed gray.
“Let us borrow a few volumes and take them with us.”
Cayena deliberately chose a plausible resort destination, calculating that rumors would spread about which books she had borrowed.
‘It seems quite a few people have gathered.’
She realized the crowd had formed because of her. Vera had chosen the right moment to suggest returning.
“Hmm.”
Outside, carriages jammed the area as nobles arrived to catch a glimpse of the princess. Vera clicked her tongue inwardly and asked Cayena,
“Would you like to wait in the lounge?”
“It should only take a moment, so let us walk a little out front.”
“Are you certain? It looks as though it may rain soon.”
Cayena turned her head and pointed to the side.
“We can use the covered outer corridor.”
She began walking slowly with Vera.
“I looked through travel books today because I needed to divert some of the attention focused on me. The moment one seizes real power, acting as though one has some hidden agenda inevitably creates opposition.”
“That is certainly true.”
“How very like me to search for a summer retreat the moment I receive authority over the inner palace, is it not?”
Vera could not bring herself to agree and simply closed her mouth. In truth, it was exactly the sort of thing the old Cayena would have done.
The veil that had been swaying gently with each step slowly slipped downward until Cayena’s eyes were nearly exposed.
“Shall I fix your veil again, Your Highness?”
Cayena had repeatedly lifted and lowered the veil, loosening its fastening. They would soon board the carriage to return to the palace, but she nodded, not wanting any nobles approaching from nearby to see her face.
“Do so.”
Vera untied the veil fastened to the hat. Just as she was about to stretch it taut and reattach it—
“Your Highness!”
Someone called out to her from behind, their voice bright with delight. The familiar tone made Cayena turn around.
“It has been a long time, Your Highness.”
Cayena’s face drained of color. She knew that face. Dark brown hair, ominously shadowed black eyes, thin lips. It was a somewhat younger face than she remembered.
Yes, it was a face she could never forget.
Henverton Gillian.
He was the former husband who had abused and murdered her.