NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
“What are you talking about? This has always been my hideout.”
“And now you’ve got a hideout in the palace, practically ready to become a crown princess.”
Selleana rolled her eyes at Agnesia’s teasing.
“After you meet with the crown prince, you come here and say, ‘The king’s ears are donkey ears,’ and leave, right?”
“
Haha
, what is that?” Agnesia chuckled.
“So, you’re going to make this your hideout as well?”
“Yes, that’s right, why?”
“But, have you ever talked about this place with the tower master?”
“What are you talking about?” Selleana raised an eyebrow at Michi’s insinuating tone.
“Whenever we came here before, it felt like someone was here. You said it seemed like you saw someone too, but it didn’t matter who it was.”
“…
Ah
, right, that.”
Back then, she really thought it didn’t matter whether it was a servant or the fifth prince and let it slide.
Could it really have been the tower master?
Whether it was or wasn’t, what does it matter? They’re getting along fine now.
.. Wait, getting along?
Selleana swallowed a wry smile and buried her lips in her wine glass.
Well, he’s just a good business partner.
But we haven’t made any deals yet, though.
Somehow, her throat was parched. Selleana quickly quench her thirst with the lukewarm wine. It was midsummer, but the night air felt somewhat cool. Being outside, away from the scrutiny of society, felt liberating. If it weren’t for the dress, she would have lain down too. Selleana, sitting on a bench, looked down at her friends with a hint of longing.
“Lea, you must have had a tough time.”
“Suddenly feeling sentimental?”
Agnesia’s voice was so soft that Selleana and Michi felt goosebumps.
“It was your first time seeing Pavellian up close, right?”
Inside the banquet hall, they shortened his name as if it were an initial, but here, without anyone watching, they spoke freely.
“He’s really a snob, right? The way he treated his partner was also very overbearing. Even the nobles his age who seemed like friends were bowing to him as if they were about to break in half.”
Agnesia, now sitting up, reached out to Michi with a sneer. Michi quickly filled a glass and handed it to Agnesia.
“This is your first glass, right? Perfect. This variety is famous for its moderate body and rich fruity aroma….”
Inside the banquet hall, Michi, who usually kept quiet to avoid drawing attention, started a lively conversation, signaling the beginning of a real drinking session.
“Do you understand this older sister’s hardships now? He frowns even if I drink just two glasses of wine at a banquet.”
“Milady, you should drink slowly.”
“What’s the matter? We’re going home soon anyway.”
Selleana chuckled and extended her empty glass towards Michi. It was already her fourth glass.
To Michi, it seemed that Selleana needed the alcohol today. Usually, those who couldn’t wait to pretend to be close to her, now that Selleana’s non-participation in the selection for the crown princess was confirmed, were all too eager to gossip.
“Did my coming today help, even just a little?”
“Not just a little, completely.”
“Then that’s enough. Honestly, this kind of banquet sucks, but if it helps you, it’s all good.”
“I love you, Priestess Nesia.” Selleana made a small heart with her hands and winked.
“Well, thanks to you, I also managed to show the High Priest that I was working.”
“People come to the temple wanting to join our scripture study group, and when was it you were supposed to get an early promotion to priestess?”
“It’s always the way, isn’t it? Getting used to something and losing what’s precious.”
“What’s precious?”
“That a single Doloret Benichi’s offering is worth more than hundreds of laypeople’s?”
Maybe because they thought no one was listening, the friends laughed and chatted without minding manners.
“But, Nesia.”
As if prompting her to speak, Agnesia tilted her head with her lips to the glass.
“What did the Empress mean by what she said to me earlier?”
“Destiny will find its way.”
Taken at face value, the statement could be interpreted as a blessing. But given that Selleana had expressed a desire to form a connection with another person, it felt somewhat odd.
“Could she have been angry…? She got a bit of a scary vibe when she said that.”
Selleana recalled the empress’s tone, which felt strangely unfamiliar. A shiver ran down her spine.
She said she understood that I didn’t want to be the crown princess and just to bring a justification.
She was doing as told, but where had the empress’s gentle demeanor gone?
“It felt like she meant all efforts were in vain…”
“No, that’s not it.” Agnesia cut off Selleana’s trailing worry. “Fate finding its place is a phrase from the Book of Proverbs. It’s just slapped onto anything.”
“Anything?”
“For example… When the fifth prince left the imperial family. The High Priest officiated that oath, right?”
“The oath to renounce his claim to the throne?”
“Yeah. Even in such a setting, the same words would have been used. It could mean that what’s promised will come to fruition and also serve as a blessing for finding true wisdom.”
“
Ugh
, why is it so ambiguous? I think what Lea felt was right.”
“Hey, she’s been in and out of the palace for 12 years, right? I’ve been in the temple for 12 years.”
Listening quietly, Michi shivered slightly, and Agnesia glared at her. Meanwhile, as Selleana pondered Agnesia’s words, her brows furrowed.
“It’s actually ‘fate’ being significant to us because…”
“To us…?”
“It reminds me of the original story.”
“…So it’s crossing a line, huh?”
Agnesia growled as if the mere thought was infuriating.
“
Ah
, it can’t be, right…? We’ve been ignoring the original story for years.”
Michi was no different. She had been plotting to denounce the family she served for treason, all to avoid any entanglement with the original male leads.
“
Ugh
, why do you have to speak such ill-omened words today of all days? I’m already feeling uneasy after running into that jerk.”
“I didn’t run into anyone today.”
“I’ve also been entangled with the original male lead and his plot.”
As the friends began to share their own hardships and chat, it was then.
“
Uh
, but over there.”
Agnesia’s gaze, which had casually drifted elsewhere, froze momentarily. Selleana and Michi’s eyes followed suit. There was…
“
Gasp
.”
“Hey, what is this? Did you guys plan this?”
How long had he been there? On the opposite side of the rear garden, a silhouette was seen gazing at the West Palace building. It was Rakrensius.
* * *
It’s still shabby.
Rakrensius looked at the exterior of the West Palace and laughed bitterly. The small and humble building where his biological father had suddenly appeared to leave him at the age of thirteen.
After being abruptly brought to the palace, he stayed there for seven years until he came of age and left the imperial family. The perfect place to dump a bastard whose mother’s lineage was unclear. The reason his steps led him here was solely because of Selleana.
Being in the imperial palace just made me feel restless.
Rakrensius recalled Selleana, whom he had secretly observed at the banquet. She was laughing and talking freely with her friends, including Lady Branto, without a hint of intimidation.
…She seemed fine.
It was fortunate. Although malicious gazes occasionally followed her, she seemed to enjoy the banquet without caring about such things.
Right, who am I to worry about anyone?
He wanted to know what made her so happy, but it wasn’t possible.
The sudden visit had surprised the emperor, who then inquired about his well-being at length, keeping him occupied. This was the first time he had seen her so closely, including the curious glances from his four blond half-siblings.
The imperial family wasn’t the only problem. Many, knowing he was the fifth prince, glanced at him with meaningful looks. And among them, some gazes felt particularly sharp.
The fact that the lady’s comings and goings to the magic tower are all known by Elard, indeed…
As if to prove their influence, a black-haired middle-aged man was surrounded by many gentlemen. Two young men engaged in conversation with peers on either side of the banquet hall. Their faces bore traces of Selleana, unmistakable to him. They all cared for their daughter and sister. Exposing his connection with her would bring her no good.
I heard she openly said she’d fallen for another man and wouldn’t participate in the selection.
Truly, an infuriating angel. Aside from regretting not being able to witness her radiant confidence… he was worried.
For the imperial family, intent on executing their best plan, it would be treated as a minor incident, embarrassing though it may have happened in front of all nobility. But Selleana would somehow achieve what she wanted.
Being so beloved, finding someone to present as her true love would not be difficult. Even if it wasn’t his illusion.
Really, our relationship will soon break.
Giving up on something had always been part of his life. Yet, why did his heart feel so dry?
Rakrensius was bitterly smiling, recalling the moment Selleana and her friends disappeared, when…
“Master of Tower?”
As if someone had read his thoughts, Rakrensius was startled by the voice.