Reunion (1)
"Your Highness Emilia, it's dangerous to run that fast."
Emilia had been bursting with energy lately.
She had always been a lively child, but these days her boundless enthusiasm was becoming a real problem.
Perhaps it was because she spent so much time with old Sage; it seemed the old man's wild-colt temperament had rubbed off on her.
"Don't worry! Lia knows the way now!"
I wondered when she had picked up that tree branch.
Emilia marched ahead, brandishing the slender twig like a conductor's baton.
"Even without Nate, Lia can go to where Brother is training with the knights! Don't underestimate Lia!"
If she kept dashing around like this and took a fall, that tiny body of hers might not fare well.
Unlike Edwin, who was timid by nature, Emilia was far too fearless for her age.
That impudent little chick. She never listens to a word I say.
I finally gave up trying to restrain her and quickened my own steps.
"Please wait for me, Your Highness!"
"Kyaaaah! Lia's running away! Nate, come catch Lia!"
I hadn't meant to turn this into a game of tag.
But the moment I hurried after her, Emilia only ran faster.
"Kyahahaha! Nate, hurry up! Brother is waiting!"
We were on our way to collect Edwin after his knight training.
Normally I would have gone alone, but today I had no choice but to bring Emilia along.
Catherine seemed distracted by something beyond her head-maid duties, and Sage was completely absorbed in studying the mana stones harvested from the mutant monsters.
Entrusting the princess to the other maids was impossible; they were already stretched so thin that even ten bodies apiece wouldn't be enough.
The Third Prince's Palace was nearly as vast as the Imperial Palace itself, yet only ten maids had to clean and maintain it every single day. It was no small task.
Catherine had been pondering staff reinforcements for quite some time now.
Why she only pondered and never actually hired anyone was a mystery.
Could that be why her expression has been so clouded lately?
I decided I should ask her about it soon.
That was what I was thinking when I followed Emilia around the next bend.
"Ouch!"
At the fork in the path, where the man-high bushes formed a living maze, Emilia let out a small cry and landed hard on her bottom.
"Your Highness!"
I rushed forward, helping her up and checking her for injuries.
"Are you alright?"
"Mm, Lia's fine. It doesn't hurt."
Emilia blinked rapidly, still dazed from the sudden tumble.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she sprang to her feet and brushed the dirt from her own backside.
"Oh dear."
A shadow fell across us.
Right before my eyes appeared a pair of expensive leather shoes adorned with emerald jewels.
"I'm sorry. I should have been watching my surroundings more carefully."
I had known since birth that life would never be kind to me.
But did it truly need to be this vicious only toward me?
"Are you alright?"
The slightly husky voice was impossibly gentle.
I lifted my head slowly.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
There he stood, backlit by the pouring sunlight.
The man who had driven a blade into my back.
The man who had stolen everything I possessed.
The man who had once been my lover.
Ian Angel.
"You're later than I expected."
Second Consort Helena set down her teacup as the man entered the receiving room.
"I heard you arrived at the Imperial Palace quite some time ago."
"Ah, my apologies, Your Highness the Second Consort."
The man offered a bright smile and bowed his head.
"There was a small issue on the way."
"An issue? What sort of issue?"
Helena's gaze sharpened at once.
"Nothing of importance."
Ian Miller brushed it aside with a light laugh, as though her sharp tone meant nothing to him.
"It was merely a minor collision. Nothing that should concern Your Highness. Please don't worry."
His tone remained impeccably polite, yet it clearly warned her not to press further.
Helena narrowed her eyes slightly and took a sip of tea.
Slippery bastard.
The man seated before her was Ian Miller.
Officially, he was a young noble who had earned Marquis Radcliffe's trust and received a viscount title only a year earlier.
How on earth did he manage to charm Father?
Helena gripped the handle of her teacup tightly.
If only I hadn't been caught with a weakness...
She knew his former name.
Or rather, she knew his former surname.
Father would never have joined hands with a butcher like him if he had known.
Ian Miller. Or rather, Ian Angel.
The former vice-leader of the continent's most infamous assassin guild.
Though overshadowed by the leader known as the Silver Thread Death God, he had been the most sought-after assassin among clients.
Unlike the leader, who was selective about contracts, Ian carried out every mission with ruthless dedication.
"What are you thinking about so deeply, Your Highness the Second Consort?"
Ian had already set his teacup down and was watching her with a steady gaze.
Leaning back with one leg elegantly crossed, he looked perfectly relaxed, yet there was no opening in his posture.
"It's nothing."
Helena answered with a neutral expression and smoothly changed the subject.
"So, how did things go?"
"Which matter are you referring to?"
Ian's eyes curved into long arcs.
He looked exactly like a mischievous boy up to no good.
"Are you asking about the Prophet? Or about His Highness the Second Prince?"
Helena's smiling face froze over.
"Viscount Miller, I did not sit down with you to play word games."
"Ah, my apologies."
Ian shrugged, feigning a wounded look.
"Marquis Radcliffe always enjoys my little jokes, so I assumed Your Highness would as well."
"I am not my father."
The Second Consort set her teacup down with an audible clink.
Despite the clear displeasure in her eyes, her lips kept smiling.
"And even if Father tolerates it, I expect you to observe proper boundaries, Viscount Miller."
"Oh my!"
Still seated, Ian exaggeratedly bowed at the waist.
"How remiss of me, Your Highness! I have been rude. I will remember what you just said."
His theatrical gesture resembled a clown bowing to an audience.
Helena regarded him with open contempt for a brief moment before letting out a small sigh.
A man with such an unpredictable personality was better removed from her palace as quickly as possible.
"I have no intention of detaining a busy man, so let us speak only of the main issue and be done."
She placed both hands neatly atop her knees, her eyes gleaming sharply.
"Begin with the matter of the Prophet."
"If that is what Your Highness wishes, I shall keep it brief."
Ian smiled faintly and continued.
"We have not yet pinpointed the Prophet's current location. However, we have identified the place where he stayed until recently."
Not long ago, every sick person in a certain slum village had suddenly recovered their health.
Strangely, neither the local doctor nor any priest had treated them.
"It must have been the Prophet's doing."
Helena raised one eyebrow.
"Then capturing him should only be a matter of time."
"I cannot guarantee that."
Ian wore an irritated expression.
"The Guardian who stays at his side is an exceptionally troublesome opponent."
"Isn't it your people's job to eliminate troublesome opponents by any means necessary?"
When Helena snapped at him, Ian gave a gentle smile.
"Your Highness the Second Consort."
His voice dropped lower, almost as if he were murmuring.
"I am a viscount."
His empty ash-gray eyes, like coals burned down to nothing, stared straight at her.
"How could a noble engage in such base work?"
His lips were curved upward, but there was no trace of humor in his voice.
Helena flinched despite herself and clutched her skirt.
"It is my subordinates who carry out such tasks. I merely give the orders."
Only after confirming that the Second Consort's face had turned deathly pale did Ian restore his playful expression.
"In any case, as Your Highness said, we will find the Prophet by any means. You need not worry on that account."
He laced his fingers together and rested them on his knee.
"We will secure the Prophet before the First Prince's faction does."
Securing the Prophet was the most crucial preliminary step for everything that would follow.
"Also, regarding the monster subjugation expedition you mentioned before, it seems I will be able to join."
Ian offered a meaningful smile.
"As His Highness Lloyd's attendant."
"...What are you talking about?"
Helena's brow twisted horribly.
"I have no memory of appointing you as Lloyd's attendant."
"Marquis Radcliffe ordered me to accompany him. He said he would inform Your Highness separately."
Acting on his own again.
Helena ground her teeth quietly as she thought of her father.
She was the one seated as Second Consort. She was the mother of the Second Prince. Yet every important decision always fell to Marquis Radcliffe.
"Did you truly not hear about it?"
"...Of course I did."
Helena forced a smile.
"I simply forgot for a moment."
"I see. Well, I heard you have been extremely busy with many matters lately. The Marquis has also been quite strained, cleaning up after all those affairs."
There was a subtle barb in his words.
Reacting directly to an insult was a mistake only amateurs made.
"Yes, I have been rather busy."
Helena laughed as if nothing was wrong.
"So I sometimes forget things that aren't important."
As if to say his existence held no significance to her, and whatever he did was beneath her notice.