144.

“But where is it?”

“Here, the vibration got stronger around this spot. Roughly fifty paces or so.”

Ro carefully sensed the key’s vibration as she slowly advanced. She could feel Lady Blake watching her with curiosity, but she had no time to pay attention to that. Compared to the key, which grew hotter as if it had been heated over fire, the vibration kept fluctuating—diminishing and then intensifying again. Then suddenly, in a single step, everything vanished.

She lifted her eyes from observing the key and stared directly at the door in front of her. Compared to the other doors, this one looked plain, old, and seemed made of inferior material. If she had walked by without thought, it might have barely registered at all. Yet Ro clearly saw the carving of a three-headed water serpent on the door handle. Calypso. Her heart began to race.

“What on earth are you doing? We should be leaving this place as fast as possible.”

Lady Blake approached her irritably and grabbed Ro’s arm. Ro casually shrugged her shoulders in response.

“Oh. Something strange caught my eye. But, my lady?”

“Yes?”

“There’s something on your neck.”

“My neck? Is it something dirty? Ugh, get it off me.”

Without suspicion, Lady Blake cringed and obediently tilted her neck forward. Ro pretended to rub her finger across the woman’s neck, then swiftly switched to a knife-hand strike, delivering a precise blow to her vital point. Lady Blake collapsed without even a short scream. Ro gently leaned the fallen noblewoman’s body against the corridor wall, then carefully grasped the door handle.

“The door… isn’t locked.”

She cautiously opened it. Inside was ordinary—torches lit the space, and there was a platform reaching waist height. On top of it sat a palm-sized wooden box. It was utterly plain and unremarkable, yet Ro instinctively realized this must contain Calypso’s ‘life’.

“Damn it. What do I do if it’s really here?”

Ro scratched her head vigorously. Even after coming this far, she hadn’t fully believed Calypso’s words. Whether god, witch, noble, or king—her belief had always been the same: exalted beings didn’t give a damn about how much the lives of insignificant people were ruined.

“So should I open it or not?”

In stories, recklessly opening a witch’s or god’s box often led to danger—death, eternal slumber, or being sucked inside as punishment for greed. At worst, Calypso’s box might be exactly that kind of trap. Talk of saints and such pleasant things, but gods always lured people in that way. She let out a deep sigh.

“Still… Calypso has helped me several times. I’ll consider this repaying a debt. Let me trust my instinct just once.”

Ro took a deep breath and inserted the key into the box’s keyhole. Instantly, the small box suddenly stretched long like a scabbard. Even bold Rosetta was startled by the object transforming in her hands, her heart pounding. She shuddered and turned the key all the way. A clicking sound followed as the lock disengaged.

She swallowed hard. The ‘life’ of a god? She couldn’t even begin to imagine what it might be. A jewel? Or an ancient relic? Ro carefully lifted the lid of the box. Immediately, a gust of wind rushed through the opening. It was so strong that her hair momentarily floated into the air. She thought it felt exactly like sea wind. When she opened her eyes again after instinctively shutting them…

“…What?”

The inside of the box was completely empty. Unable to believe it, Ro closed and reopened the box several times, even flipping it upside down and shaking it thoroughly. But the fact remained—there was nothing inside. Ro burst into a hollow laugh.

“Was I tricked?”

It was infuriating. She felt exactly as if she’d just escaped from someone’s cruel prank. She sighed deeply and turned the elongated box over in her hands.

“It’s strange that the box changed shape… But I’m the fool for believing that nonsense about a god’s life.”

Anyway, it was cumbersome to carry around, and leaving it here felt uneasy. Well, if Calypso started making a fuss about fulfilling the contract, she could just throw the box at her. She bit a long strip from her hem to make a long bandage, then securely tied the box diagonally across her back.

Just as she hastily adjusted her clothes and stepped back into the corridor, a sound reached her from afar. At first, it sounded like the buzzing of bees. Then, a chilling realization pierced through her. From somewhere, she began to hear the murmuring voices of people.

* * *

There were five doors connected to the imperial palace’s secret passage. Two of them were specially designed—allowing exit but not entry. The other three connected respectively to the Emperor’s main residence, the Crown Prince’s palace, and the Empress’s palace.

The furniture and objects remained unchanged since the days when the Empress was alive, but covered with white cloths, they gave the eerie impression that ghosts might appear at any moment. After wandering madly through this place for two hours, the sensation only intensified. Cardier Montrosa irritably swept back his disheveled hair.

“Your Highness, with all due respect, are we certain this is the right place?”

“Yes. How many times must I say it? This is correct.”

Despite her firm assertion, the Imperial Princess appeared somewhat uncertain. After all, the secret passages of the imperial palace were meant to be used only during rebellion or national emergencies.

“I did enter once as a child, but my memory is accurate. I recall a door leading to the secret passage appearing beneath a large tapestry.”

The problem was that from the first to the fourth floor of the Empress’s palace, there were literally dozens of tapestries hanging.

“So what exactly did this tapestry look like?”

“Well, aside from being very large, I… can’t recall clearly.”

Cardier narrowed his eyes skeptically.

“Childhood memories are inherently unreliable.”

“Are you saying you don’t trust me?”

“I don’t distrust you, Your Highness. I distrust human memory.”

“How insolent and impudent! You must correct this habit of speaking harshly just because you have that face.”

They bickered as they continued checking each tapestry in the corridors and rooms. Cardier was on edge due to matters concerning his wife, and the Imperial Princess was equally tense. Just as Owen, who had been quietly stepping back, shook his head and touched a lantern fixture on the corridor wall, a faint draft began to seep in with a creaking sound from somewhere.

* * *

“Milady. Milady. Wake up!”

Ro grabbed Lady Blake’s shoulders and shook her with all her strength. At first, there was no movement, but after lightly slapping her cheeks a few times, the woman winced and regained consciousness.

“What… what happened…? Ugh, my head hurts…”

“Are you okay? Do you remember anything?”

“No… nothing…”

Ro realized in that brief moment that Lady Blake’s eyes were now completely glazed. Since she had originally been using mental strength to resist the poison’s effects, her consciousness had apparently been swiftly eroded. At this rate, Ro wouldn’t be able to take her out—she might not even manage to hide her in a nearby room. Suddenly, a line from Demecharon came to mind.

Ro quickly removed her shoe and retrieved the flower root she had hidden inside. One had already been taken from her, but the other she had placed inside her shoe before they found her. She snapped it in half once more, then brought one piece close to Lady Blake’s mouth.

“Here, open your mouth.”

“Why… why…? No… I won’t…”

The Marquis’s daughter seemed completely dazed. Ro forced the woman’s lips open halfway, then used her hand strength to pry her jaw apart. After placing the root inside and waiting a moment, clarity returned to the noblewoman’s eyes.

“Ugh…”

“Are you back to your senses?”

“My head feels like it’s splitting, but yes.”

“That’s a relief. I was startled when you suddenly collapsed.”

“But… why does this taste so musty?”

Lady Blake murmured as she sucked on the root. …Better not mention it came from a shoe. Ro straightened her posture and slid her arm under the woman’s armpit.

“Come, we need to move. Get up. Quickly.”