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Chapter 87
"Huh? Why?"
"Your complexion seems...."
"It's nothing. Just a bit of indigestion."
The moment Kibon heard my ‌response, his brow furrowed ‌ever so slightly.
Before we could even enter the Minister's Office, the Scroll Department door burst open with a bang.
"Namiaaaaaa! Tomorrow's finally here!"
It was Jayden, who had been visiting the Scroll Department Office every day lately. His round ‌‌eyes fixed on Kibon, who stood ‌‌‌‌close beside me, and they instantly sharpened.
"Hey."
Jayden looked up at Kibon and picked a quarrel with obvious displeasure.
"You're not sick anywhere, are you?"
"No."
"You're not suddenly afraid or scared of attending the banquet?"
"No."
"Geez. So you're really going to attend, huh?" ‌‌‌
"Yes."
"That someone like you is Namia's partner... ‌sigh...."
Kibon answered as briefly as possible, clearly unwilling to engage further. Then Victor chuckled good-naturedly beside him.
He lowered himself to meet Jayden's eye level and spoke.
"That's right, Young Prince. You must be quite upset, caring for our Minister as much as you do?"
True to form, Victor the charisma master was kind even to children.
As if children were his specialty, he smiled warmly and coaxed gently.
"I was disappointed too, ‌‌‌you know. I was also standing in line to be Namia's partner. But still, it's Namia's choice, so I must accept it humbly." ‌‌‌
He even had a talent for smoothing over situations gracefully. ‌‌‌But....
"Who are you anyway? How dare you speak so presumptuously? And why are you ‌‍‌standing in line?"
Jayden was no pushover of a child either.
"Is that all you do, just drool with your eyes? What? How dare you stand in line? You look like a bear... Get away from Namia right ‌‌now."
"W-Young Prince? Um...."
"Until Namia becomes our Crown Princess, I'm going to act like a brat to every man around ‌‌her. Got it? Of course, since I'm still an immature child, you can't treat me carelessly. Understand?"
Victor's lips trembled momentarily.
Jayden, who had thoroughly unsettled the composed adult, turned his gaze toward me.
"At the ‌Saint Kairo Banquet, I'm going to stick right next to Namia along with the Empress. Remember that."
Watching Jayden speak so arrogantly, I suppressed a laugh inside.
And I responded politely.
"Yes. I'm also very much looking forward to the ‌‌‌banquet."
I couldn't help but look forward to it.
'I'm definitely going to awaken Jayden's special ability at this banquet.'
Jayden ‌‌still hadn't awakened his special ability. Usually it manifests naturally when one is much younger.
According to the original story, it only ‌‌‌awakens after he becomes an adult, but I intended to make it awaken tomorrow.
'It's an ability I absolutely need to ‌‌outsmart those behind the scenes.'
This banquet was important in every ‌‌conceivable way.
Ever since I'd suddenly gained the ability to see the future not long ago, this banquet represented the first time I would reveal ‌my power before others.
I forcibly suppressed the nausea that continued ‌‌‌‌to rise within me.
But that day, at quitting time.
It was when I returned to the empty Scroll Department Office after personally verifying the scrolls in the Warehouse one last time.
If it gets severe, please visit a hospital.
Alongside Kibon's neat note, ‌various bottles of digestive medicine were ‌‌arranged on my desk.
"What... what ‌‌is this..."
I couldn't fathom when he'd obtained them, but nearly every type of digestive medicine that existed in the Empire now crowded my desk. ‌‌‌‌
* * *
That night, deep within the Imperial Palace.
Crown Prince Kiaros walked down into the ‌‌‌Underground Prison, following his Aide.
"Kiii-ing, kiii-iiii-ik..."
A newborn demon beast was thrashing about. A Raven Agent stood before ‌‌‌the iron cell to greet Crown Prince Kiaros.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I greet you."
"...Is this a freshly born test subject?"
"Yes. Interestingly, no unusual traits were detected in the mother who underwent the actual experiment, but we confirmed that special magical power manifested in the offspring."
Crown Prince Kiaros stared at the young demon beast with an expressionless face. ‌‌‌‌
"Furthermore, when we injected the mother with a special drug, the offspring showed a reaction. Even after ‌‌the individual was separated following birth, it appears the connection ‌‌to the experimental results remains intact."
"Kiii-aaa-aaa-ak! Kak-kak! Kyaa-aaa-aaa-ak!"
The newborn demon beast, ‌‌‌displaying tremendous aggression from the moment of birth, shrieked toward Crown Prince Kiaros.
"What of the other test subjects?"
"We were unable to ‌‌obtain any besides this one. It's as if only this subject was deliberately ‌‌abandoned. Strange, isn't it? It doesn't particularly seem like a failed specimen..."
"In any case, then there's nothing more to gain." ‌‌‌‌
Having heard the full ‌‌report, Crown Prince Kiaros slowly withdrew a dagger from ‌‌his bosom.
Without ‌‌‌‌hesitation, he threw it toward the interior of the iron cell.
The ‌‌‌thrashing young demon beast died instantly without even a sound.
"Dispose of the mother as ‌well."
Crown Prince Kiaros issued the command with cold eyes.
"They're far too dangerous to leave alive."
After that, ‌‌he turned to leave without any change in expression, then suddenly asked as if ‌‌remembering something.
"Ah, for mild indigestion, it's really true that just taking digestive medicine is sufficient, right?"
"That's generally the case, ‌‌Your Highness."
One of the Raven Agents answered—the one who had suddenly received the Crown Prince's order that afternoon and swept up one bottle each of every digestive medicine in the Imperial Palace Pharmacy.
Crown Prince Kiaros murmured with a worried expression.
"Could it be ‌‌‌‌a sign of something more serious? On average, she furrowed her brow once every two hours and ten minutes, and the corners of her mouth were lowered by about 0.2 degrees compared to usual."
"..."
"Perhaps I should have admitted her to the Imperial Palace Medical Ward immediately when she said her stomach felt heavy. No, wait. It seems I need to send the Imperial physician right now to ‌‌see her..."
"..."
"Answer me honestly. This is an important and serious matter."
"Hmm... It seems Crown Prince Kiaros should consult with the Imperial Palace physician."
The Raven Agent in black clothing answered with devoted loyalty, his expression grave and troubled.
"For excessive health anxiety concerning others."
"...."
* * ‌‌*
The next day.
It was the day the Saint Kairo Banquet was being held.
I left the event preparations to the Team Leaders and returned ‌‌‌‌‌home briefly after conducting final inspections.
"Minister! Hurry, hurry! We're running late!"
The Wardrobe Staff were waiting at my residence.
I ‌‌‌didn't have handmaidens to professionally prepare me. Since I only had one maid for household chores, I had asked the Wardrobe Staff to help me with my appearance.
"Are you perhaps conducting some experiment with digestive aids?"
One of the Wardrobe Staff asked ‌‌‌with a puzzled expression, looking at the digestive medicines that filled my vanity. ‌
"I never knew there were so many types of digestive aids in the world...."
"Actually, neither did I...."
I had brought all the enormous quantities of digestive medicines that Kibon ‌‌‌‌had left behind to my home.
There was a night long ago at ‌‌‌‌‌Baron Loapi's Residence when I ate stew after a long time and got indigestion, vomiting all ‌‌through the night.... One of those medicine bottles had been desperately needed that night.
Just by looking at these countless digestive medicines, the little child still living in my heart felt comforted.
"Anyway, the alterations are all done, so it should fit perfectly!"
Before long, the staff members gathered around and began adorning me.
Since the price of the dress and jewels was considerable, the staff were exceptionally kind.
"My goodness, buying something ‌like this with a salary.... A truly realistic role model."
"I thought dresses like this could only be obtained through inheritance or as gifts."
From their conversation, it seemed I was the only one who had purchased such a luxury dress with my salary. Apparently, it wasn't a price that ordinary workers could afford in the first place.
"That's right. I certainly wasn't someone who deserved to wear such dresses until now."
"Oh my, if I've offended ‌you, I'm terribly sorry...."
"No, not at all. I'm so happy. I feel like I'm floating. My social status has definitely risen, and I'm thrilled that I don't have to say 'thank you' to anyone."
Indeed, nothing compares to buying with your own money when it comes to not having to worry about others' opinions.
I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, my eyes sparkling.
"Please make me look like a self-made young and rich woman. The more expensive the jewels, the more prominently you ‌‌‌should display them."
"Yes!"
A moment later, one of the staff members who had been working on my hair asked in jest.
"Is there any story that could motivate us and reignite our passion? Like an ex-lover coming?"
"Ah, I ‌‌‌‌don't have an ex-lover...."
I spoke slowly, rolling my eyes.
"There is a man coming—one who pushed me far back when I truly needed him, yet now feels resentful that I'm partnering ‌‌with ‌‌another man today."
That was when it ‌‌‌happened.
The only maid employed at my residence came running and handed me a letter.
"Miss, it's ‌‌an urgent letter. It just arrived!"
"Is that so?"
Looking at the envelope, it was from Kibon. ‌‌

---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our ‌official site: valirscans.org
---------------