TRETTHD 96

#96. I Thought the Same Thing

Locus had been at the place this morning when the urgent message arrived, coincidentally because he had some matters to attend to.

At that moment, he noticed someone reorganizing a letter meant for the Second Prince, and looking back on today’s events, his suspicion that the letter had been deliberately delayed for the Second Prince turned into certainty.

“He claimed he had simply misdistributed the letter and returned it to its original state…”

“That’s impossible.”

Belia’s tone was firm.

Moreover, judging by the Queen’s actions today, it was clear she was confident that Belia had not yet received news of the disappearance.

“…It’s Raoul.”

“Huh?”

“The Second Prince is up to something.”

Belia’s intuition insisted strongly on this, though it was hard to put into words.

She recalled the calm demeanor and meaningful words of Raoul when they briefly crossed paths.

‘The Queen probably doesn’t know the full situation either.’

That explained why he had provoked matters so arrogantly.

If Raoul learned of the situation, he would undoubtedly lash out at his mother. Most likely, he had overheard some information somewhere, summoned Belia, and set the stage to humiliate her. The problem was how clumsy his execution had been.

“It would be difficult to definitively say that the First Prince did it. The Queen may have intercepted the letter herself…”

“No. It’s definitely him.”

If it weren’t him, Khalid’s letter would never have been returned. If anything, it would have been hidden away. Clearly, someone had played some trick.

“Sir Locus, aren’t you joining the search party?”

“I volunteered, but I was refused. I requested strongly because of my father’s situation, but they said no.”

“…I see.”

Belia fell into deep thought.

If she had discovered Khalid’s letter late, what advantage could they have gained?

Tap. Tap.

Belia’s fingers lightly tapped on the desk.

‘…The schedule. The timing.’

They had hidden the schedule for Khalid and the negotiation party’s movements.

Then, what benefit would they gain from Belia learning that schedule late?

‘…Countermeasures.’

No.

Belia shook her head. Even if she discovered that the negotiation party had departed slightly earlier, there was no way to predict a landslide. A landslide happening so suddenly… could it really be a natural disaster?

“Where exactly did they say it occurred?”

At Belia’s question, Locus pointed to a spot on the unfolded map: the Shupel region—past Ronica in the Yakum Kingdom, near the imperial border.

“Are we sure there was enough rain to trigger a landslide?”

“Yes. The damage reports came in as part of the urgent message.”

Locus nodded gravely.

Belia paused her tapping, struck by a sudden thought.

“Wait.”

Locus looked at her, surprised by the sudden command.

“Flood… a flood in the Shupel region…”

Muttering to herself, Belia slammed her hand down on the table with a thud and stood up.

Why had she forgotten?

No, it was impossible to recall all memories from her past life completely. So it wasn’t truly her fault.

‘I couldn’t remember at all…’

That around this time, the western regions had suffered heavy rain and damage, including floods and landslides.

“Your Highness?”

Locus called out worriedly, but Belia, biting her lip in anxiety, seemed not to hear him.

‘…Are we really to believe Raoul did nothing?’

Then all of this—was it really just coincidence?

The mere thought that Raoul hadn’t orchestrated anything to harm Khalid made her hands and feet tremble.

If Khalid had truly suffered an accident…

An endless fear began to creep from her toes upward.

Originally, Khalid wouldn’t have been part of the negotiation party. Nor would his knights or the Marquis of Caprie have accompanied him.

“…It’s my fault.”

Because Belia had chosen Khalid.

That drew Raoul’s attention to him and caught the Emperor’s eye. Until then, he had been nothing more than a reckless prince.

“I… pushed him into this.”

Her once-bright violet eyes lost their sparkle and dimmed.

Then—

“I told you not to bite your lip.”

“…Huh?”

Belia looked around at the voice brushing past her ear—it was unmistakably his.

Her throat tightened instantly. Something hot surged within her, and she felt she might scream and wail right then and there.

Was it an auditory hallucination?

No… even if it was just a hallucination, it was enough.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

“…I’m fine.”

Yes. There was nothing to be done until the proper report arrived. She couldn’t give up. Not until she saw his body with her own eyes.

“Sir Locus. Rachel. There is something I need you to do.”

Belia spoke to them in a firm voice.

A week had passed since the news of Khalid’s disappearance.

The search party had delayed departure for several reasons but finally set out from the capital on the fourth day.

In the meantime, Belia had repeatedly advised the Emperor to find Khalid quickly, but he dismissed her concerns, saying the lord of that region had already sent his men.

She had requested assistance from Lunes separately, but her impatience was inevitable.

“…How can you tell me this only now?”

Rachel asked sourly as she entered the clinic.

Belia gave a bitter smile.

“If it weren’t for the circumstances, I would have kept it to the end.”

“Even so…!”

How could she reveal only now that the new heir of the Marquess of Selon belonged to the Second Prince’s faction? They had even discussed him before!

Rachel felt a twinge of betrayal but understood why Belia had kept silent. It was a secret too big to share with anyone. He was effectively a hidden spy for the First Prince. And he was part of the Information Guild!

‘So that’s why she requested the search through the Information Guild in advance…’

Rachel exhaled quietly, following Belia. There was a reason she had chosen to trust her.

And in that moment, a small hope sparked.

Tap. Tap. The sound of small footsteps descending the stairs echoed.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs…

“Your Highness!”

“Long time no see, Derick.”

Derick sprang up at the sight of Belia. He now looked far healthier and more polished than before, clearly well treated as the heir of the Marquess of Selon.

“I was just looking for a way to contact you.”

On the day news of Khalid’s disappearance reached her, Belia had urgently arranged to meet him.

Now that he was publicly known as the Marquess’ heir, he could not visit the palace.

So today, she visited several charitable organizations with Rachel, starting from an orphanage, and finally arrived at the clinic’s basement where he had been waiting.

“And Lady of Caprie…”

“She’s fine. I’ve already explained everything to her.”

Relieved, Derick nodded and quickly spoke.

“Your Highness. Our informants have reached the accident site and are conducting the search. We borrowed magical tools for the search from the mage at the tower you mentioned, so you should receive a report within a few days.”

“I see.”

After Derick entered the Marquess’ household, it became harder for Belia to communicate with him directly.

‘But thinking about it is useless.’

It was already done. Dwelling on the past helped nothing.

“It was a landslide caused by sudden heavy rain. There’s no evidence of the First Prince’s involvement.”

Derick confirmed that Raoul had done nothing.

Belia felt confused. Then what about Raoul’s suspicious behavior? It all seemed deliberate, but there were no clues.

“So you’re saying it was just bad luck, Derick?”

Belia asked coldly.

Derick shook his head slowly.

“There are still some details that don’t sit right.”

“What do you mean?”

“…Just my personal intuition. You may disregard it if you wish.”

He paused, then shared his guess quietly.

“The return schedule of the negotiation party is unusual.”

Belia’s expression turned serious.

“Explain exactly what that means.”

Derick chose his words carefully but continued.

“The schedule seemed slightly hurried. Sending Count Hutter, who had been captured, first was plausible. But afterward, the negotiation party’s movements felt slightly off. I almost refrained from mentioning this as it’s just a hunch… but…”

“But even so, you brought it up to me because there is some credibility to your hunch.”

“Yes. They entered the Shupel region hastily without giving their knights sufficient rest.”

Belia fell silent for a moment.

“I know it sounds improbable, but…”

“Go on, Derick. Anything that comes to mind, tell me everything.”

Derick closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. As head of the Information Guild, he rarely spoke without solid evidence—but sometimes, intuition is right.

Slowly opening his eyes, he said:

“…It feels as though someone knew a landslide would occur and deliberately lured the negotiation party there.”

…Yes.

This was it.

The strange sensation Belia had felt: as if someone had set a trap on purpose.

Yet there was no evidence Raoul had orchestrated it. Still, everything seemed suspicious to her—from the circumstances that led the negotiation party through that area at that exact time to the discomfort she sensed in Raoul’s behavior.

“So, you’re saying… someone deliberately lured them there?”

“…Exactly.”

“Interesting, Derick.”

Belia spoke with a cold smile. Derick exhaled lightly and met her gaze.

“Coincidentally, I thought the same thing.”