The culprit was caught faster than expected.

He was a knight under the Duke of Valois who had been dispatched to assist Lloyd.

He gave an absurd excuse, claiming that he had feelings for Arianna.

“He said he did such a thing because he had feelings for the young lady?”

“Yes! That’s what he said. No, then isn’t the young lady’s reputation in high society as good as ruined?”

Betty was furious, saying that even if he truly had such feelings, if he really loved her, he should have kept his mouth shut.

The knight claimed that he merely kept her for a few days and brought her back out of a guilty conscience.

But would the people in high society readily believe those words?

Rumors would surely start circulating, suggesting that there must be some flaw in Lady Valois.

Then Arianna Valois would be unable to set foot anywhere in high society and be buried just like that.

That was the point Betty made.

Even if he claimed he did it for money, the suspicion wouldn’t completely disappear, but he thoughtlessly blurted out words that would put her in a difficult position, saying he had the audacity to have feelings for her.

I sighed at the shamelessness of that knight whose name I couldn’t even properly remember.

“How is the young lady doing?”

“They say she’s resting somewhere in the imperial palace right now. His Highness the Crown Prince took her in strict secrecy, so even the palace staff don’t know the details. They only told the outside that the young lady is recuperating.”

Fortunately, it seemed Leoprick had listened to my words.

I sighed in relief and nodded.

Neither high society nor the Valois estate was particularly safe for her.

It would be better for her to be protected in the imperial palace instead.

The moment she showed herself, the Valois duke, who had been silent until now, and the starving high society figures like hyenas searching for prey would mercilessly try to tear her apart.

“Find out where she is. No, I’ll ask His Highness.”

“That would be faster. He hid her so thoroughly that even I can’t guess, to be honest.”

Betty nodded slightly.

It meant it would be better to go through Leoprick.

If even Betty couldn’t find her, he must have deliberately hidden her.

“Then, Betty, could you look into that knight? Find out exactly how he’s connected to the young lady, Lloyd, and the Duke of Valois.”

“Yes. I’ll thoroughly investigate whether he might be a fabricated culprit.”

“Okay. I’m counting on you.”

When I asked Betty to investigate, she replied that she would dig into even the unspoken, as if she had the same thought as me.

There are definitely some strange points.

It’s odd that the culprit suddenly appeared after not being able to find a trace for two days.

And if he was going to bring her back and turn himself in so obediently like this, why did he put on this show?

I entrusted the task to Betty and immediately went to find Leoprick.

As always, Leoprick was in his office today.

It seemed he had a lot of work lately due to the support projects and matters in the east overlapping.

I carefully knocked on the door so as not to disturb him.

“Your Highness, do you have a moment?”

“Of course, Amelia.”

After knocking and opening the door, Leoprick, who had been writing documents with a quill pen, put down everything in his hands upon seeing me.

Although I felt like I was disturbing him as he got up from his seat with a bright smile as if it were natural…

Seeing him approaching me with a joyful expression, I felt my heart flutter for a moment.

Not wanting to show that feeling, I deliberately pulled down the corners of my mouth that were trying to rise high.

It resulted in a somewhat awkward smile, but Leoprick didn’t seem to mind.

“Shall we have a cup of tea? There happen to be refreshments that came up from the kitchen.”

“No, Your Highness. I didn’t intend to disrupt your work for long.”

“How can it be a disruption when you’re here? It’s a break for me.”

Leoprick sat down next to me with a grin.

He truly seemed pleased by my visit.

My cheeks reddened involuntarily at his pure delight.

Although I wanted to have a more leisurely conversation with him, I didn’t want to disrupt his work, and I also had a lot of work myself.

I turned my body towards him, met his gaze, and opened my mouth.

“It was nothing much. I just wanted to meet Lady Valois…”

“Ah. I was about to send someone to you even if you hadn’t come. I thought you’d want to meet her.”

I came thinking I might be rejected, but Leoprick unexpectedly nodded readily.

He said he had prepared everything for her.

“I was planning to go when there are fewer people around since the location shouldn’t be revealed. I thought the more people who know, the more dangerous it would be for the young lady.”

Currently, only my servant and Arnold are coming and going.

I nodded at Leoprick’s words.

It was an understandable point.

Although someone came forward confessing to be the culprit, it hasn’t been clearly revealed whether he is the real culprit or if there is someone behind him.

Moreover, even if she’s released now, we don’t know what might happen next.

“You did well. Thank you for accepting my request.”

“It’s only natural, Amelia. Of course I have to accept your request.”

Leoprick lightly brushed the back of my hand with a grin.

“Moreover, isn’t the young lady’s position difficult right now? I thought it would be more dangerous to let her out in this situation.”

“I was worried about that too. Rumors tend to be more interesting than the truth, after all.”

“The one who confessed to being the culprit is also under interrogation. Hopefully, the truth will be revealed before the rumors spread further.”

As I looked at him comforting my hand, I suddenly felt something strange.

While his expression and tone seemed endlessly concerned, his voice that leaked out was as dry as could be.

As if he thought the one behind this would never be caught.

Did that mean he already knew who the culprit was?

Captured by an inexplicable strange feeling, I stared at Leoprick for a long time as he seemed to be enjoying this moment.

“Let’s go together later in the evening with dinner. To deliver a meal to the young lady as well.”

“Then is Your Highness’s servant delivering meals to her now?”

“Yes. I was going to send a maid, but I wasn’t sure who I could trust. Sending Betty would draw attention.”

Does that mean for the past two days, the young lady had been staying in an unfamiliar place without even a maid?

Thinking about how uncomfortable she must be after barely escaping, I suggested to Leoprick.

“I have a girl named Jen among my maids. She’s a child I can sufficiently trust, so I’ll send her.”

“If you trust her, I can trust her too. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“The young lady must be very uncomfortable right now. There’s only so much a male servant can do, after all.”

“I didn’t think of that. I thought keeping it a secret was the most important thing.”

I should have consulted you from the beginning.

Leoprick smiled apologetically.

It would have been nice if he had told me earlier, but it might have been difficult to keep it a secret.

There were always many people around me, and both Betty and I were people who utilized information, not people who unconditionally kept it.

I shook my head at his apologetic face.

“It’s alright. Your Highness’s judgment was correct.”

“Still, putting our heads together might lead to a wiser solution.”

So kind, as always.

I looked at Leoprick and smiled.

“Then later in the evening. You’ll have dinner with me, right?”

And he smiled brightly at my question.

“Of course, Amelia.”

That evening, after having dinner together, we quietly moved during a time when there were fewer people.

To meet Arianna Valois, whom Leoprick was secretly protecting.

“The route will be complicated, so if you don’t remember it when you go alone next time, let me know.”

“Your Highness seems to remember all the paths.”

“It’s all experience.”

Leoprick laughed, saying he had thoroughly explored the vast imperial palace when he was young.

So this matter wasn’t very difficult for him either.

“There’s a time when the day shift and night shift staff change. It’s not a long time, and a minimum number of personnel remain, but it’s the best time to move without getting caught.”

“Then you also remember the work schedules of all the palace staff?”

“The imperial palace has so many complicated tasks that even the shift change times vary slightly every day.”

But if you know the rules, it’s not difficult to figure out the shift change times, he said with a playful smile.

He said he loved running around more than studying when he was young.

I thought the young him must have been even more of a mischievous child than I remembered.

I smiled at him and quietly followed behind.

“To avoid being noticed by anyone, we have to take a slightly complicated route, so follow closely. Let me know if the pace is too fast.”

Wearing soft shoes to intentionally muffle our footsteps, we walked down the corridor, suppressing the sound of our steps.

Along the way, Leoprick kept asking me if the speed was too fast, and I shook my head, saying it was fine.

“It’s enough, Your Highness. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“How can I not worry? It’s you, not someone else.”

However, he didn’t readily listen to my words.

Rather, he went a step further and reached out his hand to me, saying he had a good idea.

“If we do this, you probably won’t lose me.”

And just like that, he held my hand.

With a cautious touch as if seeking permission.

His expression was brimming with ease, but his actions were so careful.

I looked at the hand that seemed like it would easily let go if I applied any force, and interlocked our fingers.

“If you hold it like that, you’ll lose me quickly.”

Without being able to look at him, I tried to hide my trembling voice.