Chapter 532: The Letter
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 532: The Letter
The dawn bells chimed, and a sliver of pale, pearly light touched the horizon.
The ball had long since ended. The magnificent carriages, like a swarm of satiated ants, had already departed through the towering palace walls.
It wasn't until the very moment before the first ray of sunlight truly graced the earth that an unremarkable black carriage slipped silently out of the palace gates, quickly vanishing into the shadows of the city districts.
"So..."
Inside the steady, quiet carriage, Celicia sat with her long, black-stockinged legs crossed beneath her gown. She held her arms over her chest, her smooth chin tilted slightly upward as she looked down coldly at Muen, who had already reverted to his original appearance.
"While I was exhausting myself dealing with those idiots at the ball, and while my feet were aching from waiting in the cold wind of an early spring night, you were actually off flirting with Ariel? And you even found the time to sneak an attack on my eldest brother, wasting a massive amount of time in the process?"
"No... that’s not right. Even if those nobles are idiots, they wouldn't be stupid enough to look for trouble with you," Muen replied with a sheepish, awkward laugh. "Besides, Your Brilliant Highness Celicia, you are a Fifth-Tier Martial Artist. How could your feet possibly hurt from standing for a little while?"
"You aren't denying the flirting part, then."
"No, that’s also not right! I clearly explained the situation to you, Celicia. How can you call that flirting?"
Muen thumped his chest, his expression one of solemn indignation. "I swear to the heavens—even if I were starving to death, dying in the streets, or jumping off this carriage to become an ugly man no girl would ever love, I would never have any feelings for that flat-chested board! Your suspicion is an insult to my taste!"
"Aren't you a leg man?" Celicia shifted her long legs slightly. "A black-stocking enthusiast, specifically."
"When did I ever say I was... pfft... My apologies, I do indeed have a slight preference for legs."
Seeing Muen curled up like a literal shrimp yet wearing a faint expression of enjoyment, Celicia sighed helplessly and slowly retracted her legs.
"So, have you decided to help Brother Albert?"
"Most likely." Muen rubbed his stomach, where a lingering fragrance remained, and instantly regained his composure. "As Prince Albert said, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Since the Inner Council has firmly sided with the Second Prince, I can't let him have his way so easily. Therefore, helping Prince Albert seems to be my only choice as well."
"You aren't considering a retreat at all, are you?"
"Do you think I'm the type of person who would choose to retreat after coming this far?"
"Foolish."
"It is quite foolish." Muen looked down at his hand, watching his fingers slowly clench into a fist as if he were trying to crush something into dust. "I said it before: some people and some things must pay a price. That is exactly why I came here."
"..."
Celicia’s cold gaze swept over the man before her. In her eyes, he was incredibly idiotic and prone to chuunibyou-esque speeches, yet a strange flash of irritation flickered in her heart. She didn't say anything more, simply resting her cheek on her hand as she turned to watch the layers of fiery clouds painted by the dawn.
The clouds tumbled, seemingly trying to obscure the sun's brilliance, but they would eventually be pierced by that scorching light.
The carriage moved swiftly, the scenery outside blurring past. They crossed the clean, orderly streets of the Upper District and the bridge connecting the two halves of the city, returning once more to the Lower District amidst the thin mist rising from the riverbank.
Unlike the still-quiet Upper District, this busy, crowded part of the city had already awakened before the dawn light had fully arrived.
The reflection of hurried pedestrians danced in Celicia’s eyes. Her gaze followed a little girl holding a paper windmill until she disappeared at the end of an alley.
"Is that all you and Brother Albert talked about?" Celicia asked suddenly.
"Yes. Afterward, we discussed some details regarding that charity gala. However, Prince Albert is just as the rumors say. For someone who has been tormented by the Royal Curse for over twenty years, he is exceptionally capable. He has arranged everything flawlessly; he simply lacks the manpower to execute his plans."
Muen looked at Celicia’s profile. "Why? Did you notice a problem?"
"A problem... is there one, or isn't there?" Celicia tapped her finger against the window frame. "What do you think? You spoke with him in person. Did you find anything unusual about him?"
"...I'm not sure. I'm not that familiar with him, after all. This was technically our first formal meeting." Muen’s lip twitched. Weren't you the one who sent me to test him? Why are you asking me now? "However, regarding the First Prince, there is one thing I can say for certain."
Celicia glanced back. "Speak."
"That First Prince is indeed more suited for that seat than your other brother, Andrew," Muen said seriously, straightening his posture.
The carriage wheels rumbled, and the wind noise from their sudden acceleration swallowed his words, ensuring that a sentence that could never be uttered in public vanished within the cabin.
"Heh."
As if finding such an obvious answer boring, Celicia let out a soft chuckle and turned back to the scenery outside.
"Sir, a letter for you."
A messenger suddenly passed by the carriage. Pulling his hat low, he quickly slipped several envelopes through the window.
Muen caught them, his eyes sweeping over the familiar family crest on the seals. Once he confirmed their authenticity, he didn't hide them from Celicia and opened them directly.
"What is it?" Celicia asked casually, still leaning on her hand.
"I asked the family to look into something for me." Muen unfolded the stationery and added, "It's about the supply chain for that food processing factory from before. Even though the key players weren't caught, it's impossible for them not to have left a trail. We should be able to find something through this."
"And the result?"
"There are a few supply channels that are very suspicious..." Muen narrowed his eyes. "Heh, there are actually several nobles involved. I wonder if the famous Mr. Robin is among them."
"Let me see." Celicia reached out.
Without hesitation, Muen handed her the letter—a document that could potentially expose part of the Campbell family's intelligence network.
Celicia’s eyes moved rapidly across the text. "It's unlikely. These people are most likely members of the Inner Council, but the probability of one being Robin is low. He would hide in a safer place; he wouldn't expose himself so easily."
"I know, but at least we have a lead now, right? Once you find the end of the thread, everything becomes much easier."
"True... but I think the one you need to watch out for isn't just this Robin. Based on the information we have, his role is to coordinate the Inner Council's resources on the surface and handle practical matters. He is the hands and feet of the Inner Council. But behind him, there are people hiding much deeper." Celicia frowned slightly; even her expression turned solemn at the mention of this.
"Bai Hu..." Muen whispered.
While the Inner Council was indeed formidable, it was impossible for them to leave no trace at all. After such a long investigation, information that was previously unknown was gradually surfacing.
This included the founder of the Inner Council and its current Speaker—the entity codenamed Bai Hu.
The mist surrounding Robin was slowly being dispelled, but as for Bai Hu, Muen still had no clues whatsoever.
The unknown represented true danger.
"Forget it. There's no use talking about that now." Celicia shook the paper in her hand and looked at what Muen was still holding. "What's the second letter?"
"Ah, this..." Muen snapped back to attention and opened the second envelope.
The moment he saw the contents, his expression became complicated.
"What? A love letter?" Celicia arched an eyebrow.
"Not a love letter. A letter from home."
In a rare move, Muen didn't play along with Celicia’s banter. Instead, he carefully read every word on the page, going over the brief sentences again and again. "A letter from my father. He told me not to worry about the consequences and to just go all out."
Muen took a deep breath and let out a strange laugh. "Now, I can truly mobilize every resource the Duke's Estate has in Belland."