The meal had just ended.

Housekeeper Hans came up to the dais where the Grand Duke, Arcadia, and I were seated. In his hand was an invitation stamped with the golden Rucella seal.

“Your Highness, an imperial messenger just came by a moment ago. It’s an invitation from His Majesty the Emperor to attend the imperial ball being held the day after tomorrow.”

‘The imperial ball.’

Arcadia asked.

“Could it be a ball to introduce that woman who has appeared claiming to be the Emperor’s granddaughter?”

“Have you found out anything, Major Moby?”

The Grand Duke asked.

Huh? To Major Moby?

Major Moby replied, his eyes shining.

“There’s a market near the imperial palace frequented mainly by employees of high-ranking noble families. I heard there that His Majesty the Emperor’s affection for the one who appeared as his granddaughter is greater than expected. Viscounts and higher-ranking nobles are whispering that this time, she might really be his granddaughter. There were rumors that a ball might be held, so I guess that’s it.”

“…What about Viscount Schmael?”

Viscount Schmael. The man who brought the woman claiming to be the Emperor’s granddaughter before the Emperor.

At the Grand Duke’s question, Sir Emils stepped forward.

“Viscount Schmael holds a small territory on the outskirts of the central region and has no particularly strong connections to the imperial family. He’s neither extremely short on money nor from a very low-ranking family. As of now, we can’t say for certain that he has any points of contact with Grand Duke Lahert, but…”

Emils paused for a moment before opening his mouth.

“The viscount apparently opposed Grand Duke Lahert at a recent defense council meeting.”

“Viscount Schmael is a member of the Defense Committee?”

As the Grand Duke tilted his head, Ergo, who was in charge of the armory, spoke up.

“He only joined about two months ago. It was when our North was in the midst of fighting the barbarians. But despite having only recently become a member and holding a low position, I heard he took an oppositional stance against Grand Duke Lahert. Over the selection of the guild to supply weapons for the imperial guard’s armory.”

“The weapon supplying guild…”

“Yes. Viscount Schmael objected, saying the guild recommended by Lahert was not sound. I heard Grand Duke Lahert was quite enraged because of that. As the unofficial information was reported to me by the Imperial Weapons Association, of which I am the president, it can be considered reliable.”

Ergo is… the president of the Imperial Weapons Association?

I took another look at the people surrounding the Grand Duke.

Who are these people?

They seem quite, no, extremely trustworthy.

This was the North that I didn’t know about.

“How many days will the ball be held for, Hans?”

At the Grand Duke’s question, Hans answered.

“Three days, I’m told.”

“Then you’ll likely bring out Rucella around the last day. What about movements on the Lahert side?”

“The current vice president of our ‘Imperial Housekeepers Association’ is the housekeeper of the Southern Grand Duke’s capital residence. From what I found out through several intermediaries, Grand Duke Lahert has attended several of His Majesty’s luncheons together with that ‘woman claiming to be his granddaughter’.”

“Several times would be quite unusual.”

The Grand Duke said,

“What does ‘unusual’ mean in this context, Your Highness?”

I asked without realizing it. The Grand Duke, who had been surrounded by people, turned his gaze to me.

“I apologize, I chimed in without meaning to.”

“No, it’s alright. By unusual, I meant unexpected. Lahert has always kept his distance when such women appeared until now. The fact that he even attended luncheons with her could mean he also thinks that woman might be ‘the Emperor’s granddaughter’. Or… it could be the opposite.”

“…The opposite.”

“Meaning he hopes the Emperor will believe that woman is ‘his granddaughter’.”

‘!’

Intuition struck me.

I see.

The one who killed my parents was Lahert, and most likely, the one who threw me to Medeia was also Lahert.

That man knows I am the real imperial princess. He has been hiding that secret together with Medeia. The one who told me to always be ready to be killed.

Therefore, Lahert’s true intentions lie in the latter that the Grand Duke mentioned.

The purpose of the luncheons is most likely to encourage His Majesty the Emperor to believe that woman is his ‘biological granddaughter’. The reason is not yet clear, but…

The Grand Duke asked,

“What is it, Esther?”

“It’s nothing.”

The Grand Duke didn’t take his eyes off me even after my answer. After a moment, he issued an order.

“You’ve all worked hard. The South and the imperial family have always tried to shift their arrows toward the North whenever there was a major failure. We must be careful this time as well.”

“Your Highness, are you certain that woman will fail, in other words, that she’s a fake?”

Arcadia asked with sincerity.

“Yes.”

The Grand Duke replied.

“Why?”

“Green hair and golden eyes. It feels too contrived. Of course, it could be real, but until now, there has never been anyone among the direct bloodline of the Delpast imperial family who didn’t have silver hair.”

“Hoh. Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Arcadia whistled.

“Lord Nugent.”

“Yes, Hans?”

“You mustn’t whistle at the ball. You know that, right?”

Then Arcadia Nugent, the vice commander of the Northern Knights who resembled a cold snowstorm, grumbled like a young son rebelling against his father’s scolding.

“What do you take me for? I won’t do that there.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

Hans grinned.

Seeing that, I quietly smiled, finding the sight heartwarming.

[This is the timeline separator]

The imperial ball. A dazzling yet brutal festival where all the top nobles of the empire gather.

Medeia will definitely be there as well.

[See you again. Bel, la.]

She deliberately revealed my disfigured face in front of His Majesty before turning away. I still vividly remember the murderous look in her eyes as she scrutinized my appearance with a new mask.

Since she said “see you again”, she’ll come to see me no matter what.

Because Medeia is someone who always follows through on what she says.

She’ll want to confirm if I’m still her Bella.

She sent me away with the desire to use me as a double agent, but she ended up seeing me, changed, with my original face revealed.

‘She must be anxious, wondering if I, the imperial princess, have escaped her grasp. It must be unbearable for her.’

Even if I don’t take a single step out of this residence, Medeia will find a way to approach me. Of course, her methods will be wicked. The more I try to avoid her, the more cunning and malicious her methods will become.

In that case, I have no choice but to confront her head-on.

After some deliberation, I decided to visit Arcadia’s office.

[This is the timeline separator]

He was very startled to see me appear suddenly. And he was even more startled after hearing my request.

“You need money?”

“Yes. I want to obtain a recording crystal.”

“A recording crystal? What do you need that for?”

I carefully explained that Medeia would approach me.

“The reason she let me go despite initially refusing to send me was because there was a plan to use me as a spy. I also agreed to do so and left the South.”

“…”

“She saw me changed in front of His Majesty the Emperor. She must be anxious and restless. That’s why she said “see you again”. She’ll really come to see me. So I want to set a trap for her too.”

“A trap?”

“Yes. I want to capture everything she has to say to me, her orders, etc. on a recording crystal. So that can be used as…”

“Evidence.”

The Grand Duke’s voice was suddenly heard, startling me. I turned around to see him leisurely leaning against the doorframe of Arcadia’s office.

“I thought you once said knocking is a basic courtesy of civilized people?”

At Arcadia’s remark, the Grand Duke retorted,

“This is my residence, isn’t it?”

Hearing that, Arcadia made a very disgruntled expression.

The Grand Duke spoke,

“So they let you go willingly because they had such intentions.”

He got up from his seat.

“I apologize for not telling you in advance. It was a proposal I made first to her in order to escape the South. Medeia accepted it out of greed, thinking she could insert her people into the impregnable North. If I attend this ball, she will definitely approach me. If I can get her to say things that reveal the true nature of the South and capture it on video, we can obtain evidence to prove their corruption.”

“I see. It’s a good idea. But…”

The Grand Duke seemed to choose his words for a moment.

“You’ll also need to provide some information to Medeia.”

The Grand Duke looked at me with serious eyes.

Meeting his gaze, I couldn’t help but smile slightly. Because I already had something in mind.

“Yes, I do.”

“What is it?”

The Grand Duke asked. Arcadia’s eyes shone sharply.

“Vice Commander Arcadia called the Grand Duke’s daughter ‘Shanglian’. The Grand Duke told the knights that he won’t just take it anymore, things like that… information that is infuriating but useless.”

The Grand Duke and Arcadia stared at me with dumbfounded expressions. Then…

“Hahaha!”

The Grand Duke burst into laughter. Following that, Arcadia also snorted and said,

“Hey, onion. You really want to see me get assassinated by the South, don’t you?”

“No. If something like that happens again, I’ll risk my life to protect you, Vice Commander. I’m now a prospective Northern knight and still the Grand Duke’s attendant, while simultaneously being your adjutant for the time being.”

Arcadia stared at me with wide eyes. I smiled brightly at him to reassure him. Then he abruptly turned his head away, his cheeks reddening.

‘Is he angry because he thinks I’m teasing him? I should be careful.’

I gave a fake cough and shifted my gaze to gauge the Grand Duke’s reaction. But the Grand Duke’s expression wasn’t very good either.

“Esther, I told you not to talk about risking your life so lightly.”

His voice suddenly turned cold.

“…I’m sorry.”

As I bowed my head, he opened his mouth.

“It’s not something to apologize for, but… right. Anyway, I fully understand the need for a recording crystal.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. But… I wonder how much a recording crystal costs? I hope it’s not too expensive. Does this residence not have one?”

“We don’t. We’ll have to find a place to obtain one.”

It was then.

Hans stood gracefully in front of the door, as if he had stepped out of an etiquette manual for butlers.

“Perhaps there is something I can assist with, Your Highness.”

“Hm. You’ve come at just the right time. But did you happen to eavesdrop on what we were saying?”

“Ahem, that’s not it. The door was open as I was passing by…”

The Grand Duke grinned.

“I see. Do you know where we can obtain a recording crystal?”

“Of course.”

Hans’ eyes shone.

The Grand Duke spoke,

“We can’t go through official channels. It would be troublesome if word spreads that we’re obtaining a recording crystal.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I know a way to unofficially obtain the highest quality recording crystal.”

“Really, Hans?”

Arcadia asked, sounding surprised.

“Of course, Vice Commander. A butler is someone who hears and sees all the information of every noble family up close, but must pretend not to hear or see even when they do. As the president of the Delpast Imperial Butlers Association, that level of information is…”

“Hoh… But Hans, when did you rise to such a high position?”

“A butler’s rank is proportional to the status of their master, Your Highness.”

Hans gave a warm smile.

“Young nobles who secretly want to investigate their lovers, noble ladies and lords who suspect their spouse of infidelity, those in power who want to eavesdrop on their rivals’ secret meetings from their office. There has always been a covert demand for recording crystals. Thanks to that, it’s possible to obtain the highest quality recording crystals without going through official channels. Although the price is a bit steep.”

“Ah… How much is it?”

Hans laughed at my worried question.

“To the Northern Grand Duke’s family, money is like the dust floating in the air, young lady.”

“A good analogy, Hans.”

The Grand Duke smiled.

I see.

The North has a lot of money. I felt embarrassed for worrying about a single recording crystal. It was also a relief.

“Then I will go with this fellow to the place where we can obtain that recording crystal.”

As Arcadia was grabbing his sword, the Grand Duke spoke,

“You can’t reveal your identity when going to a discreet place, Arcadia. You have platinum blonde hair close to silver, elegant green eyes, and a appearance that can’t be hidden even if you try. I think it would be better for me to go.”

“What? Your Highness. But it is not the duty of an adjutant to let you go.”

“It’s alright, Arcadia.”

“Then I will go with you.”

“I refuse. We can’t leave the residence vacant.”

Arcadia tried hard to hide his dumbfounded expression.

“Your Highness, but…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll disguise myself. I need to see such a place with my own eyes too.”

“…”

“Don’t be concerned, Arcadia. I’ll be sure to buy some delicious snacks on the way back.”

“Your Highness!”

Listening blankly to their conversation in the middle, I didn’t know what to do.

“I can go alone. If the housekeeper just tells me the way.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“On what basis should we trust you?”

The two men shouted simultaneously.

“…Yes. Do as you wish.”

An indifferent reply came out on its own.

‘I’m the most powerful one here, you know…’

[This is the timeline separator]

The place Hans told us about was a run-down fortune-teller street on the outskirts of the capital.

The Grand Duke and I caught a passing carriage far from the residence. We wore plain clothes with cloaks to conceal our identities.

The inside of the hired carriage was incomparably cramped compared to the Grand Duke’s family carriage. The Grand Duke had me get in first and then entered the carriage. With his large frame inside, the space became even more cramped.

I turned my body sideways to make it more comfortable for the Grand Duke to sit. Then, as the Grand Duke was about to sit down, his knee and my knee that I was trying to move out of the way brushed against each other.

‘!’

I quickly pulled my knee away.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“It’s alright.”

He looked out the window with an indifferent face, sitting a little away from me.

The Grand Duke’s ear seemed to have turned a bit red.

“Your Highness, are you very uncomfortable? Shall we get out and call for a larger private carriage?”

“No.”

He looked at me.

For some reason, the moment I saw his blue eyes, a tingling sensation swept through my body.

‘Did I bump my knee hard?’

No, that’s not it.

The coachman shouted as he drove the carriage that it would take about an hour to reach the fortune-teller street.