DEDLB | Ch 15

Episode 15 — The Plan Moves Forward

“Your Highness, I’m sorry — the road’s rough. The carriage hit some stones. I hope you weren’t startled?”
The coachman apologized on behalf of the jostling carriage.

Yvonne raised her voice a little and answered, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
When she turned her head, Lucy had both hands over her mouth, barely holding back a laugh.

“Why are you poking the poor thing? He’s stuck in that tiny space, surely feels awful.”
Yvonne tried to scold her quietly, but Lucy wasn’t sorry at all.

“Look at how he treats Your Highness — this is nothing to him. He probably needs to be treated worse to learn a lesson,” Lucy said, grinning.

“You’re impossible,” Yvonne sighed, shaking her head.

Outside the carriage window, she could just see the pale wall of the summer palace. Compared to the grand, intimidating imperial palace, the summer residence looked cozy and small. She lowered her voice.

“I’ve said it again and again — when you get out of the carriage, you need to do it on your own. Understand?”
Yvonne’s carriage would be parked separately from the Emperor’s and the ministers’ carriages, in the backyard of the summer palace. If the guards made their usual rounds and were distracted, it would be easy enough to slip away.

“It won’t be easy…” Lucy admitted, and Yvonne met her eyes meaningfully. She ran through the plan in her head one last time. Ricardo would stay curled up on the carriage floor until night. Then, when the guards’ patrols shifted, he’d slip out and go to a little back path used by gardeners. Yvonne had hired the local thieves’ guild — notorious for doing anything for money — to fetch him from that path. Their leader would be waiting in the shadows to lead Ricardo along a secret route out of the palace grounds.

All letters and messages to the thieves had been burned, and the messenger was someone Lucy had chosen from outside — loyal and discreet. Nothing would leak out.

“Hang on a little longer. We’ll arrive soon,” Yvonne said. From under the carriage, a small thump answered — the sign he understood.

Yvonne couldn’t fully trust Ricardo yet, and the guards’ timing might not be perfect. There were risks. But this was the best option for both of them. With the Blooming Festival coming up, it was the perfect time for him to escape. If he later returned during the festival, no one would suspect a thing. First, she had to help him flee, build trust, and then slowly put rebellious ideas into his head — he was one of the few major players among those who might oppose the Emperor. If she lit the spark, everything could move quickly.

“We’ve arrived, Your Highness,” a guard’s polite knock announced.

Yvonne blinked, pulled herself out of her thoughts, and nodded. “Understood.”
She stood with Lucy’s help, gathering her dress, and stepped down. Before she left, she glanced back at the carriage one more time. She worried about him curled up on that floor, waiting for nightfall, but there was nothing more she could do now. The dice were cast. She would trust him to follow through.

Yvonne walked with Lucy toward Frederick, who was already in the palace yard. “Was the ride hard?” Frederick asked in his gentle, easy voice — the voice he used when they were alone. Yvonne smiled faintly and stepped to his side.

“Not at all. Time flew by with Lucy,” she replied.

“It’s nice to see you two so close. I’m a little jealous,” Frederick joked. Yvonne smiled back and followed him and the guards through the garden. Magnolia and cherry blossoms were in full bloom, bright enough to sting your eyes.

Memories of when she used to spend time at the summer palace with a young Frederick flickered through her mind. But she wasn’t the kind of woman to be softened by memories. Her face smoothed into a neutral expression as they walked. Frederick chatted occasionally, but his words didn’t pull her in — the Emperor no longer held importance for her. What kept tugging at her thoughts was the faint thump, thump she’d heard from the carriage floor. Ricardo kept lingering on her mind. He was supposed to be a tool — useful and practical — but she found herself worrying about him for reasons she didn’t like admitting.

She told herself it was just nervousness about getting him safely out of the palace. Yvonne clenched and unclenched her hands.

“Your Highness, you look uneasy. Is something wrong?” Frederick noticed her brief look of discomfort and asked.

She quickly shook her head and forced a smile. “Nothing. My shoes are a bit thin and uncomfortable. That’s all.”

“I can’t have the Crown Princess suffer for her shoes,” Frederick said kindly. “I’ll have the shoemaker come to look at them.”

Yvonne knew that even this small kindness was part of Frederick’s nature — he hated hearing people say he ignored his companion. Still, she didn’t point out that he was calculating behind that softness. She merely inclined her head and said in a formal voice, “I present myself, Your Majesty.” She kept her composure in front of the ministers and guards.

Watching Frederick — a man she once loved deeply — she felt something like fondness, like looking at an older brother. But that feeling had long been hollowed out by the presence of his mistress. Yvonne wouldn’t let memories sway her. She’d promised herself this life was her last chance. Repeating lives and dying over and over had grown unbearable, especially living with humiliation. Maybe revenge was the key this time.

She followed Frederick quietly, thinking. Why did she keep being reborn? Always around the same season and same events. And then Ricardo suddenly showed up — wounded, early, unexpectedly. That hadn’t been in her plan. Could he somehow know about her rewinds? If she brought the subject up now, she’d sound crazy. She’d have to be careful.

“Your Highness?” Lucy’s soft voice pulled Yvonne back from her thoughts. “The Empress’s palace is this way.”

Yvonne almost drifted and nearly followed Frederick too far. He smiled lightly. “The Crown Princess seems to want to stay with me a little longer.” She hurriedly shook her head. “I was just lost in thought.”

“Of course. You must be tired from the trip — rest in your room for a while, and we’ll meet for dinner,” Frederick said. Yvonne bowed. As the Emperor turned a corner and walked away, Lucy nudged her.

“You were spacing out again. I called you a few times!” Lucy scolded lightly. Yvonne matched her steps and opened her mouth to speak.