The Empress's Thorn
Sylvien explained it calmly, his voice gentle as if teaching basic arithmetic to a child. And the more she listened, the more she realized he was right.
After all, Sylvien was the one who brought me here. To a place where a prince had already assaulted noblewomen multiple times.
The moment she recognized that Sylvien had a duty to protect her, another voice whispered in her mind.
If we were an ordinary couple, I would have thought it natural for my husband to protect me.
If it had been Juhwa, she would have waited breathlessly for Sylvien to come to her rescue. But Canna had never expected or hoped for anything from Sylvien in the first place. She simply accepted his explanation because it sounded reasonable.
Canna let out a long sigh. She had no interest in self-reproach, and even less in assigning blame.
I'm tired.
Fatigue washed over her, along with a hollow sense of emptiness and the persistent ache in her body. She closed her eyes, wanting to distance herself from everything. Still, she supposed she ought to say it.
“Thank you.”
She murmured with her eyes still shut.
“I never thought anyone would help me.”
Suddenly realizing it might be rude to thank someone with her eyes closed, she opened them and met his gaze.
“……”
Was it her imagination? His eyes seemed oddly crooked…
Must be my imagination.
Canna closed her eyes again.
She spent the next full day bedridden. When she finally rose, the situation had already been resolved.
Prince Cassil had left Venecia in haste after a deep conversation with Sylvien. What exactly had they discussed?
“There will be no further talk of what happened that day.”
In other words, the matter was buried.
She had no idea whether Sylvien had threatened him or done something else, but it seemed Cassil and Sylvien had agreed to keep the incident quiet and never speak of it to anyone.
Of course. It would be disadvantageous for both of them if it came out.
Publicizing it would only drag them both down together. After all, Cassil had attempted to harm a noble while in exile, and Sylvien had shot an arrow at a member of the imperial family.
Best to let it lie.
Sylvien, who had been quietly watching her, asked,
“Does it displease you?”
“Pardon?”
“Are you disappointed that I did not make this matter public?”
“……”
What was his intention with that question?
Of course, from my perspective, I am.
She had wanted the truth to come out so Cassil would receive proper punishment—exile, or perhaps permanent confinement.
That prince will attack me again someday.
It was obvious. They had escaped this time, but would that mad prince simply forget? No. He would surely seek revenge. He might not dare touch Sylvien, but he would not leave her alone.
And when that time came, Sylvien would not help her again. He was a man who fundamentally did not care whether she lived or died. This time had been an exception only because it was his responsibility.
So she could not demand that he publicize the incident. Doing so would also expose the fact that Sylvien had shot an arrow at the prince, and he would undoubtedly be summoned to court. He would not want to go through that trouble.
In short, Sylvien had simply made the best choice for himself. She could not beg such a man to protect her. So she spoke calmly.
“You made the best decision, my lord. It is not my place to question it. I am fine, so please assign me a few more guards.”
“I will do so.”
“However, I do not need constant close protection. Allow me to summon them only when I wish and dismiss them when I do not.”
“As you wish, Lady Canna.”
Lord Balix and the physician Isaac had reportedly prostrated themselves before Sylvien in apology.
“I—I came to stop this! I am sorry I could not prevent it beforehand, my lord!”
That was what they had said.
Lies.
Even though they had not attacked her in the forest, Canna knew the truth.
You were both planning to hunt me down alongside the prince.
Whether willingly or not, they had intended to hunt her cruelly. The realization felt like ice water poured over her from head to toe. She had nearly died. She had nearly been murdered.
Of course, she had faced life-and-death crises before, but this was different. Death had never come so close, so threateningly.
Overwhelmed by a sudden sense of urgency, she clenched her fists.
The Third Prince will not leave me alone.
Sooner or later, he would retaliate. It could be a year from now, a month, or even tomorrow.
I need to do something.
Canna spent her entire time in bed turning the problem over in her mind. She had to act against the prince. She could not simply wait for his next attack. But she lacked the power to pressure him herself. In that case…
I just need to use someone who does have that power.
In that moment, one figure flashed through her thoughts.
The Empress.
What if the Empress learned of this?
Cassil is Lady Teresa’s son. Moreover, he is the prince who monopolizes the Emperor’s favor. To the Empress, he must be a thorn in her side.
And the Empress was the kind of woman who would even try to kill her own daughter if it served her interests.
How would the Empress react if she learned the truth?
A smile curved Canna’s lips. She thought she now knew exactly how to handle this matter.
The next morning, she dismissed her guards and left the infirmary. Her first stop was a general store, where she purchased a brown wig and put it on immediately. She then pulled up her hood to conceal her appearance.
After that, she headed to a pawnshop.
“I would like to sell these.”
Canna held out all the jeweled ornaments she had removed from her dress.
“How much will you give me?”
“Two hundred gold.”
The pawnbroker answered carelessly, picking at his ear.
Canna frowned. She had expected this, but it was still outrageous. These jewels had come from a dress personally purchased by Sylvien. Since she had not brought any clothes of her own, he had provided it.
And that man only deals in the highest quality.
Yet he was offering only two hundred gold? Canna sighed and stood up abruptly.
“I am not selling. I will go elsewhere.”
“W-wait, hold on.”
The pawnbroker quickly grabbed her sleeve and grinned obsequiously.
“All right, all right. I will give you a thousand gold.”
“Do you really think you can find jewels of this quality in Venecia? If I took them inland, I could get at least two thousand.”
Only then did the pawnbroker realize that Canna knew the true value of the jewels.
“Fine. Seventeen hundred gold. That is my final offer.”
“……”
Canna sat back down with a displeased expression. After all, money was not her real objective—though she did need it.
What I truly need is the location of an information broker.
To leak information to the Empress, she would need the guild’s help.
“How about this? I have something I am curious about. If you tell me, I will only take a thousand gold.”
“What is it? Speak.”
“I want to know where I can buy information.”
At those words, the pawnbroker’s hand froze.
Please let him know.
Buying and selling goods was inseparable from buying and selling information. That was why she had come here. But…
Does he not know?
The pawnbroker remained silent. Canna let out a deep sigh.
“If you do not know, then so be it. Give me the seventeen hundred gold.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then—
“……I will draw you a map.”
Success!
Canna took the map he had drawn. Her heart pounded. Everything was going smoothly.