Chapter 73
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 73
"Hmm...."
As I absently fingered through Nicola's belongings, a small pendant caught my eye. Inside it was a portrait. From their striking resemblance, they appeared to be Nicola's parents. 'Baron Portnum and his wife met with an accident years ago, didn't they? Nicola's uncle must be the current Baron Portnum.' I studied Nicola Portnum carefully. She was obedient, possessed a reasonable amount of fear, and knew something about House of Hexagon. But my conclusion that she couldn't live in The Empire because our family viewed her unfavorably was incorrect. Once Duke Hexagon finished with her usefulness, he would never simply leave her be. Even if she were a tiny cog, or rather, precisely because she was such a small cog, she would be easy to dispose of. I decided Nicola's future.
"Fine. I'll forgive you."
"...! You truly mean it?"
Nicola's eyes sparkled with hope.
"But there's a condition. Hand over all of these memory crystals to me. Everything."
"Of course! Take them! Is that truly all it takes?"
"Don't demand any payment in return."
"Naturally!"
"And one more thing."
I added one final condition.
"Enter the Imperial Palace as a lady's maid."
"...Pardon?"
"Go there and report to me everything you learn about The Emperor. Absolutely everything."
I explained to the bewildered Nicola exactly what she would need to do.
* * *
"So this is Memory Herb."
A medicine that must be steeped and consumed in small doses. Even when I added heaps of sugar, it tasted bitter and foul—like salt dissolved in water wrung from a filthy rag. I stared at the teacup emanating that strange odor, pinched my nose shut, and downed it in one gulp. 'Come back to me, memories!' True to its reputation as a miraculous herb, the moment I swallowed it, my memories should have—wait, what?! Nothing. Silence. Why couldn't I remember anything?
"...Is this right?"
I rifled through the herbal medicine compendium. The effects and properties were clearly written here.
"...Have I lost my mind?"
It was written there.
【However, you must visit the location associated with the memory.】
A precaution I had never anticipated.
【※Warning!※】 【If not visited within 48 hours, the medicine's efficacy expires!】
* * *
"This is suspicious, Enya Lockhart. You wouldn't come when I tried to bring you here before, so I wonder what's changed your mind." "I was just a child then. Haha..." Father kept his suspicious gaze fixed on me as he walked ahead. His intuition was far too sharp. My keen instincts must have been inherited from his side of the family.
"Forty-eight hours?!"
The Imperial Palace was an unexpected place, yet it held some of my earliest memories. I had often visited there following Father during that period, but thinking back, those memories were so faint they barely surfaced at all. I assumed it was because I'd been so young, but there was reason to suspect something significant had occurred here.
"Wow...."
The moment I passed through the checkpoint and entered the Imperial Palace, a magnificent vista unfolded before me. When I'd returned to the Duke's Mansion not long ago, I still hadn't adjusted to its impressive vastness, yet the Imperial Palace seemed to be roughly ten times the size of the Duke's Mansion. Or perhaps even larger than that. The original work had described the Imperial Palace as spacious, ornate, and luxurious, but seeing it in person, it was practically its own separate village. I doubted I could explore even half of it in a full day of wandering. I mentally considered which places I needed to visit within this sprawling complex. 'Anywhere but the Emperor's Quarters. Anywhere but the Emperor's Quarters.' Everywhere except where I might encounter The Emperor was worth exploring. I had come to the Imperial Palace following Father to work, hoping to recover my memories. Considering the locations within the Imperial Palace, if I aligned them with Father's profession, there were several places I might have visited with him. Father had been the Commander of the Knights Order. Now he was Prime Minister. His time as Commander of the Knights Order was during the Previous Emperor's reign, and his current position as Prime Minister is under the current Emperor. My confused memories lay somewhere between those two eras. 'So I need to explore both periods.' Twelve hours had already passed since I consumed the memory herb. Only about thirty-six hours remained.
"Then Father, please go ahead. Emma and I will explore the Imperial Palace."
"Let me ask you one thing, Enya."
Father turned around and regarded me with the suspicion of someone eyeing a suspicious thief.
"I don't understand why you need to enter the palace with me so early in the morning."
"That is...."
Right. It was actually eight in the morning. Before the memory herb's effects wore off, I had no time to waste—I needed to visit as many locations as possible. And there was another reason. 'The Emperor will be too busy in the morning to notice.' The Imperial Palace was not a tiger's den—it was The Emperor's residence. For me, venturing there was an act of self-destruction, a reckless gambit. The Emperor would be busiest in the morning. Waking, exercising, bathing, preparing, attending morning meetings, receiving visitors or deciding matters of national importance, hosting banquets, and so forth! All the important matters were concentrated in the morning hours. So this was the time. 'At least until one in the afternoon, he won't care whether his betrothed arrives or not. Even if he notices, he won't be able to escape his obligations.' Besides, would he really come out to meet me? A man of The Emperor's station wouldn't leave his duties to meet a woman who didn't want to marry him. This perfect plan had to be executed quickly, within a narrow window of time.
"Enya?"
"Oh? Yes? Why did I come so early? Well, it's been a while since I returned to the Duke's Mansion. I wanted to see you working and bid you farewell."
"...."
Was my lie that obvious?
"...You've grown up."
Father narrowed his eyes slightly and offered a faint smile before departing, leaving me behind. I wasn't sure why, but he seemed reassured. Surprisingly, my excuse had worked well.
My reason for coming to the Imperial Palace today was singular. My plea that the Imperial Palace felt unfamiliar and frightening for someone about to become Empress. Father wasn't the type to be swayed by emotional appeals, yet this time, for reasons unknown, he readily agreed. 'It must be because of The Emperor.' Once I became comfortable with the Imperial Palace, I could view my marriage to The Emperor more positively. Father's favorite Emperor, and apparently my marriage—his second favorite outcome. It was the perfect combination for him. A fantasy pairing, in his eyes. 'All my running around until now has finally paid off.' Thanks to that, Father seemed to view my curiosity in a positive light. I climbed to a high place and looked down upon the Imperial Palace. Ascending to what resembled a Watchtower, I gazed below and took in nearly half of the vast Imperial Palace at a glance. I stared at the Imperial Palace and focused my thoughts. Something feels like it's coming. The sensation is rising. It's coming, it's coming.
"Ah! A memory...!"
Nothing. Not a single thing.
"Have I never been here before? The Imperial Palace wasn't rebuilt recently, was it???"
My mind felt hollow, devoid of any recollection. That must mean this wasn't the place. Where should I go next?
"Somewhere a younger version of me would have visited."
As I surveyed the Imperial Palace, one building caught my eye. * * *
The location I chose was a building that appeared lonely, dark, and neglected—a place where silence seemed to seep from every corner. Not the Imperial Palace, but a structure that looked like a haunted house, shrouded in darkness.
"Is this a prison...?"
I tilted my head and approached cautiously. Didn't I visit this place when I was younger? Children are drawn to mysterious and eerie locations, after all. I must have come here during my childhood. Creak!
"Aaahhh!"
My heart nearly stopped. I had merely pushed the door slightly, yet the rusted iron gate crashed down with a deafening clang. I steadied myself against the wall and walked with deliberate caution.
"It seems like no one comes here...."
Apart from its dilapidated exterior, the interior resembled an ordinary residence. There was a living room and stairs, and if not for the tower-like structure, it would have been completely ordinary. Yet its ordinariness felt strange. This is the Imperial Palace, after all—even a remote building shouldn't be this deteriorated.... It resembled a fortress that had been completely abandoned and left unmaintained.
"The interior looks like an old house too."
A portrait hanging on the wall caught my attention. Judging by the traces of time upon it, it appeared to be an ancient portrait. One depicted the Previous Emperor, while the other showed someone dressed in imperial robes.... That person was extraordinarily handsome. 'Could this be the Emperor Before Previous?'
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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