The Measurements Match
I glanced over at Beth.
Our eyes met, and focus returned to her dazed gaze, as if she'd just been struck by a massive shock.
After staring at me for a long moment with an unreadable expression, Beth cried out, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“I just remembered something urgent.”
With those words, she hurried down the stairs so fast I worried she might trip, and vanished.
I wish she'd at least told us what it was.
While waiting for Beth, Ivetta and I invited the crown princess over to our table.
After settling her into the plushest chair, tucking a cushion behind her back, and serving her lemon pound cake, the perfect tea-time setup was complete.
The crown princess cut a small corner of the lemon pound cake and began eating. Finding it to her liking, she nibbled away with enthusiasm.
Then she suddenly came to her senses, set her fork down with elegant poise, and offered an excuse.
“I get terrible carriage sickness. An empty stomach only makes the nausea worse.”
The crown princess was dressed in a formal outing gown.
She explained that after being invited to a salon hosted by a noble lady and leaving the imperial palace, she'd been hit hard by carriage sickness on the way back. She'd stopped at the first tearoom she saw to rest and recover before continuing.
“Please, have some more.”
Ivetta and I took turns urging desserts on the crown princess.
She spent quite some time with us, enjoying the cake along with the lemonade her maid had brought up.
The conversation mostly revolved around the crown princess's love life.
“What is your lover like?”
Ivetta asked, sounding like an academy student pestering her teacher for stories of first love.
The crown princess pondered for a moment before her lips curled into a soft, melting smile.
“He looks like a puma, but acts like a country puppy.”
Since the secret was already out, the crown princess launched into an enthusiastic recounting of her lover's virtues, only leaving when she was on the verge of being late for her next appointment.
Even after a fair amount of time had passed, Beth still hadn't returned.
“Where did she go?”
The moment Beth left the tearoom, she flagged down a passing hired carriage and headed straight for the imperial palace.
Who is the father?
According to Sophia, the crown princess had only a passing acquaintance with all five candidates for the position of royal consort.
But pregnancy doesn't happen alone.
The probability was twenty percent.
No, it could be much lower.
Because there was also the possibility that the crown princess had a lover who wasn't among the consort candidates.
Still, her instincts were telling her something was off.
Beth was on her way to meet a contact who worked at the detached palace where the crown princess resided.
She needed to confirm exactly who the father of the crown princess's child was.
However, the contact she'd been counting on kept their mouth firmly shut, unmoved by Beth's pleading and charm.
“I don't know either. Her Highness the Crown Princess only keeps close the attendants she brought from Bellot.”
“None of her attendants have been turned?”
“No.”
It didn't make sense. They'd been dispatched specifically to monitor the crown princess's movements, yet they claimed to know nothing—even though she was from a friendly nation.
But Beth didn't have time to argue.
“Fine, whatever!”
Beth stuck out her lips in a pout, stomped her feet loudly, and turned away.
Since it's a premarital pregnancy, they're probably rushing to prepare the wedding.
The moment Beth arrived at the palace, she went to the archives and obtained a list of designers who made men's wedding attire in the capital.
She narrowed it down to a few names and gathered additional records, once again relying on her whining and stubbornness.
“The division chief ordered this?”
“Yeah.”
When Beth claimed that Kyle had urgently requested the investigation, the Blue Hawk field agent carried it out while wearing a clearly suspicious expression.
After all, Kyle had never assigned Beth this kind of errand before.
She knew she'd get an earful from Kyle later for using his name, but Beth had already steeled herself for the scolding.
When Beth firmly insisted despite the agent's doubts, he simply shrugged.
Though he didn't understand why they were investigating, Beth kept insisting it was Kyle's order, so he let it go.
Beth quickly scanned the records of wedding attire the field agent had obtained.
Fortunately, just as she'd hoped, there were measurement records taken for the custom tailoring.
“Thanks.”
Now all she had to do was compare these measurements with Everett's.
If they didn't match Everett Rohas's, there would be no problem.
Having faithfully learned the principles of compartmentalization under Kyle, Beth sent the field agent away.
After joining the Blue Hawk, Beth had taken the most urgent and proactive command yet, successfully obtaining even the records from the uniform workshop that handled the Royal Guard's attire.
And then……
“Oh, shit. This is completely fucked.”
The two sets of measurements were nearly identical.
Considering the difference between mass-produced uniforms and meticulously tailored formal wear, the margin of error was small enough to conclude they belonged to the same person.
Flames of fury ignited in Beth's eyes.
Beth couldn't allow Lina to remain in a relationship with such a promiscuous man for even one more minute.
The paper recording the measurements crumpled mercilessly in her tightly clenched fist.
Around the time Beth was stealing Everett Rohas's uniform measurements from the Royal Guard, Edwin was in the middle of applying a pearl powder face mask said to create smooth, radiant skin.
Claiming that the mask would lose effectiveness if it dripped, he lay perfectly still on the bed. Kyle stood beside him, coldly observing the emperor while delivering his report.
Edwin wasn't really listening.
Kyle glanced at Edwin's ears to check if any pearl powder had gotten in, then eventually gave up on reporting altogether.
After all, there was no chance Edwin would hear anything today.
Today was the day Edwin had decided to confess.
Before revealing his identity as the emperor to Lina, he was trying to enhance his appearance as much as possible.
Kyle sighed loudly enough for Edwin to hear and sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Sighing will give you wrinkles.”
Edwin, who normally had zero interest in his appearance, spoke like an actor who made his living with his face.
Annoyed by the petty jab, Kyle launched a factual counterattack.
“No matter how much Lina likes looking at men's faces, she won't get angry just because you did a mask, will she?”
“She will……”
Fortunately, Edwin's cognitive functions were still intact.
“But what can I do? This is the only thing I have that Lina might like……”
Even to Kyle, another man, Edwin was undeniably handsome.
Considering how the two had grown up almost like brothers, it was an objective assessment that could only come from someone who was truly good-looking.
However, Edwin's greatest strengths weren't his looks, but his power, wealth, and military might.
In those three areas, Edwin was overwhelmingly number one, but when it came to appearance, there was always the chance of finding someone more handsome.
Yet to Lina—a commoner and pacifist—neither the emperor's power, wealth, nor military strength held much appeal.
In a way, Edwin's decision to stake everything on his face was a desperate one.
The Royal Guard uniform hanging right beside the bed—the one Lina had reacted to most positively—seemed to reflect his firm resolve.
“But if your face is too shiny, won't she get even angrier?”
Edwin flinched, as if he'd never considered that possibility.
The sudden movement caused the well-applied mask to drip down along his jawline.
The viscous liquid trailed down his neck and seeped between the collar of his shirt.
It was a sight that would have made any noble lady swallow, but Kyle only felt irritation at having witnessed something he shouldn't have.
“If it were me, I'd say the sympathy tactic would work better. Why not deliberately make yourself look haggard? Wear winter clothes and go sweat it out on the training grounds, or try to look a bit gaunt.”
Kyle made the suggestion with a hint of spite.
Yet Edwin was seriously considering it.
“Would that be better?”
Edwin looked ready to risk dehydration if it meant even a slightly higher chance of being forgiven by Lina.
When the usually arrogant and confident Edwin couldn't hide his tension, Kyle's heart softened again.
“You could do both. Make yourself as handsome as possible, confess, and if the reaction is bad, beg for forgiveness with a haggard face.”
After hearing Kyle's words, Edwin lay back down.
All while remaining completely unaware of what Beth was up to as he enhanced the glow of his skin.