#50. That Was Close.
Maybe I should have run away. No, I would have been caught. Wait, why am I being caught? There’s a reason they said not to call my name, right? No, there isn’t. Couldn’t they just not call it? Why call it then? Are they teasing me? Could Cryer really be teasing me? Is that even possible? Well, maybe it is…
A whirlwind of thoughts left Olivia’s mind in complete chaos. Cryer, who hadn’t taken his eyes off her for a single moment, tilted his head, unable to hide a faint smile.
“What’s going through your mind that makes your expression change so fast?”
“I don’t know.”
That answer served both as a reply to his question and to her own earlier thought that he had only called her name. Right after she muttered the curt answer, Olivia suddenly realized something. Her heart was racing because she didn’t know—because she couldn’t know the answer, she couldn’t respond.
Once that thought settled, another feeling came to mind: fear. Wasn’t the fear of the unknown one of the strongest fears a person could feel? And when someone feels fear, the heart pounds like a drum. Good heavens—excitement mingled with fear.
“What a mess…”
Olivia muttered, her expression indescribable, before her brows drooped slightly.
“A mess?”
Though her muttering was almost inaudible, Cryer caught it perfectly.
“Yeah. A mess.”
Olivia nodded vigorously and grabbed his hands, which were cupping her cheeks. From her perspective, she squeezed with all her might, but to Cryer, it felt like a soft puff of cotton pressing against his hands. Olivia tried to pull her hands back but kept them firm and spoke clearly.
“You’re the problem. Always have been.”
In her first life, her second, her third, and even her fourth—the life immediately prior—Cryer had always been the unsolvable puzzle, the question with no answer.
“So I’m the reason it’s a mess?”
“Then who else would it be?”
Olivia returned the answer so quickly he had no time to react, narrowing her eyes.
“What now?”
“What?”
“What’s with that expression?”
As Olivia tried to pull her hands away, she instead loosened her grip and leaned closer to him.
“Expression?”
“You’re not the kind of person who would make someone say it’s a mess, are you?”
“Is there a special expression for that?”
“Whatever your expression was just now, it definitely wasn’t that.”
The two of them, bantering about trivial things, inched closer. Their breaths mingled—too close. The realization hit them simultaneously, as if by unspoken agreement. Olivia and Cryer froze. Crimson eyes and blue eyes almost collided, yet in that moment, each could see only the other. Their breaths intertwined as if melting into each other. Olivia jerked her head back, nearly hitting the back of her head on the edge of a bookshelf.
“That was close.”
If Cryer hadn’t pulled her close… trying to step back, Olivia found herself unable to breathe properly in the space they now occupied. Leaning slightly over her head, Cryer lowered his lips and whispered something softly, but Olivia couldn’t hear it.
A little earlier, before Olivia had summoned Ambre to the imperial palace. Ambre herself was walking through the palace of Norden.
“…So the deal is proceeding smoothly…”
The Minister of Finance of Norden spoke tirelessly by her side, but Ambre only half-listened. As the future Marquess of Tarlen, she didn’t need to heed the words of someone who wasn’t even a minister of the empire. In fact, Tarlen’s initial dealings with the royal family of Norden were never for profit or prestige. When Ambre had told the Marquess she wanted to trade with Norden, he had questioned her.
“Norden? They’re close to the empire, but they don’t have any special products. Is there new intelligence we should know about?”
“No.”
Shaking her head, Ambre answered with a bright smile.
“I want to help Her Highness, the princess.”
Though her smile was pure, the words required serious interpretation. Yet the Marquess gave permission without asking further questions. After all, the princess had saved the life of his daughter—the only daughter he had—so she was a benefactor. The Marquess also considered that this could strengthen ties between his daughter and the future emperor. But contrary to her father’s hopes, Ambre had no intention of using this opportunity to become close to Olivia. She merely wanted to observe the internal affairs of the Norden royal palace and assist the princess and her knight if needed.
But the news reaching her from the empire was extremely limited. All she knew was that the amount of supplies delivered to the palace had noticeably increased, and that massive amounts of stones and construction materials of unknown purpose were being shipped. That was why Ambre headed directly to Norden. Upon arrival, she received treatment befitting the heir of Tarlen. Even with her sudden visit, she had an audience with the crown prince and met the Minister of Finance without prior appointment. Ambre offered better trade terms and said:
“I want to ensure that the goods delivered under the Tarlen name are properly handled.”
The Minister of Finance, delighted, nodded eagerly. Ambre personally inspected both the expensive luxury goods and the mundane items scattered throughout the palace.
“This is the last one. Indeed, Tarlen. Even after the trade, nothing is forgotten…”
“Excuse me for interrupting,” he said.
“Oh, it’s fine. Please speak.”
Ambre pointed to a rare decorative item in the minister’s office that Tarlen had surely provided.
“One of the stones supplied by our house is missing.”
The Minister shook his head, as if to say that was impossible.
“I’ve checked everything.”
“No. A stone is missing. A huge quantity of high-quality stones.”
“Ah… it must be in the gardens. One stone shouldn’t matter.”
“We should finish properly.”
With an innocent smile, Ambre insisted on seeing it herself. The Minister looked troubled.
“Even as the Lady of Tarlen, this is too much.”
Ambre tilted her head.
“Too much? As I said, I just want to ensure the goods are in their proper place and being used correctly.”
Though she spoke reasonably, the Minister remained obstinate. After all, the place where the stones were used was a secret even within the palace. Ambre smiled and said:
“Very well. Then our trade with Norden ends here.”
The Minister blinked in surprise. Finally, understanding her meaning, he shouted in frustration:
“What?! A trade is not a child’s game to end at your whim!”
But his protests were completely ignored in the face of Tarlen’s name. He finally, with a wrinkled expression, led Ambre to the secret construction site.
Now, Isaac waved his hand to stop someone leaving. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, that woman was definitely the Lady of Tarlen. She had come to the empire under a ridiculous order to capture the princess, so of course the empire’s key figures should know of her. Naturally, she was one of those key figures.
How could someone so important—and recently saved from death—suddenly appear in Norden? Isaac couldn’t hide his surprise but didn’t make any rash moves. He vaguely remembered the princess’ words:
“Tarlen is gathering information through trades, but only in general terms.”
Could it be… that she came for detailed intelligence? Surely not. A future Marquess of Tarlen wouldn’t enter the heart of enemy territory just for that. Yet she was already here. Isaac abandoned any further thoughts and his plan to go underground. Returning naturally to his post, he inadvertently caused a worker carrying stones behind him to stop.
“Huh? Why did you stop suddenly?”
The worker, blocked by the stones, had to crane his neck to see beyond them. Starting with Isaac, everyone on site slowly stopped and stared, stunned. A sudden guest entirely out of place: pink hair flowing in the wind, a flawless pale face, and a dazzling, innocent smile—someone who should never be seen in a dusty, sweaty construction site. Ambre’s arrival confused even Isaac, yet she insisted on leaving immediately.
“I’m done here. Now that you’ve confirmed everything, you may return.”
The Minister of Finance glanced nervously around. Though brought under threat, he worried what would happen if the crown prince found out. Then he had to open his eyes wide in disbelief.
“Why are you here?”
