PRKE 26

CHAPTER 26……………………………………………..

The second day of the banquet.

I danced with several young men, including Hubert.

After finally stepping on the foot of the count’s second son—the last partner I had matched my breathing with—I hurriedly slipped out of the ballroom.

I wondered if my body had become accustomed to dancing because it went so smoothly with Giovanni, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Nearby, close-knit nobles were gathered in groups, chatting among themselves.

Since this was my first time attending such a grand banquet, I awkwardly glanced around.

I’m thirsty.

Just then, a maid carrying a tray of drinks brushed past me.

I was about to call out to her.

That was when my nose twitched without my realizing it.

A fragrant smell…

A scent that refreshed my nostrils and made something deep in my chest tingle.

Where had I smelled it before?

I turned my head, following the person who had passed by trailing that fragrance.

A woman with a petite build was hurrying across the hall, her head slightly bowed.

Mixed in among the crowd, she glanced briefly in my direction.

I frowned.

A veil?

Her face was covered with a veil.

It wasn’t unheard of for maids to wear veils, but for some reason my eyes were drawn to her.

Isn’t that a bit suspicious?

Because of the veil, it was hard to see her face.

As I watched her closely, it seemed like she tilted her head a little more in my direction.

Was she looking at me?

“Do you drink?”

I flinched at the sudden voice.

Giovanni had approached me without a sound and gestured with his chin toward where the king was.

“Your king looks like he wants us together.”

“Uh, well…”

Hesitating, I looked again to where the maid had been.

There were now only people preparing to dance.

Where did she go?

“Why are your eyes darting around like that?”

In that moment, my curiosity about the maid vanished.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I don’t know much about the Empire, but I can tell your manners are different from those of the kingdom.”

Giovanni blinked.

“Are you saying I’m being rude right now?”

How could I say something like that to the golden lifeline we had just formed an alliance with?

I smoothly changed the subject.

“You suggested drinking, right? Sounds good. Shall we go somewhere quiet?”

What on earth is His Highness thinking?

Kichep watched Giovanni and Ygraine talking in one corner, his eyes full of discontent.

No matter how I think about it, she’s a crazy woman. If she were in her right mind, would she cram herself into that tiny gift box?

If she was bold enough to do something like that, there was no telling what else she might do. That was what worried Kichep.

He understood Giovanni’s claim that he needed an assistant, but he couldn’t understand why it had to be that untrustworthy woman.

She doesn’t look particularly helpful either.

The look in his eyes as he watched Ygraine was pure distrust.

The purpose of this trip to the kingdom was singular.

Water.

Unlike the water-rich kingdom, the Empire relied on groundwater.

The imperial court even had a department specializing in locating underground water sources, but lately their results had been abysmal.

Even the oasis in the capital was shrinking year by year. If they failed to find new underground resources, the people’s lives would grow harsher. There was even the possibility of riots.

Liorrsa was said to be the foremost on the continent when it came to water resources, and surely had specialists in groundwater exploration.

But no matter how he looked at it, Kichep couldn’t imagine Ygraine Lorenst capable of such work.

At this point, he began to wonder what Giovanni was really thinking.

And to make matters worse, she’s a woman the king attached with ulterior motives.

Seeing King Hermanon watching the two of them with a satisfied expression, Kichep let out a stifled sigh.

What a mess. The real princess won’t even show her face, claiming she’s unwell, the fake princess sticks close and fawns, and the scheming king just grins away.

The edge in Kichep’s gaze sharpened as he looked at Ygraine.

The affected politeness of the kingdom’s people, the excessively glittering splendor of the royal palace, the wasteful use of resources unimaginable in the Empire, the detestable king—every negative image was projected onto her.

Just try pulling another stunt.

As Kichep stood there with his arms crossed, grumbling, an odd movement caught his eye.

Maids and attendants were moving about in a flurry.

They seemed to be trying not to be noticed, but once he spotted them, it looked extremely suspicious.

What’s that about now?

His body tensed automatically.

This was foreign soil—the interior of the royal palace of Liorrsa, a kingdom on poor terms with the Empire.

As a warrior charged with guarding the prince, Kichep’s narrow eyes grew even sharper.

Just as his heightened senses reached their peak—

A burning smell?

A sharp, acrid scent stabbed into his nose.

I feel like I’m forgetting something.

I gazed at the calm banquet hall, seemingly without issue, and fell briefly into thought.

“Fire!”

It was only when the piercing scream rang out that I lowered the hand that had been stroking my chin.

Right. There was a big fire!

The fire at the banquet welcoming the imperial delegation.

An incident that ended safely without a single death—and at the same time, an event that showcased the greatness of the royal clergy.

I instinctively looked around.

The only cleric I could see was Aris. She had widened her eyes at the sudden situation and was leaning against Hubert.

Was the cleric Aris?

“I smell smoke.”

Giovanni said it casually. Indeed, the acrid smell was growing stronger.

There wouldn’t be any serious problem. If someone had been injured, it wouldn’t have ended as mere rumors of a fire.

Even so, I felt a little uneasy.

The atmosphere was becoming increasingly chaotic.

At the news of the fire, murmurs spread among the nobles, their discontent rising.

“What in the world is going on?”

At the king’s sharp questioning, the chief attendant wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

“Everyone was busy preparing the food, so it seems no one noticed an ember catching in the pile of firewood. And with the weather being so dry… It’s some distance away, so it shouldn’t reach here, but just in case, I think it would be best to move outside.”

Seeing him so flustered, it didn’t seem like a minor incident.

The king’s face twisted in fury.

“How could you manage things so poorly that you disgrace us in front of our guests!”

Whether he raged or not, my attention was elsewhere.

The smell…

The smoke grew thick enough to sting my nose.

Anxious tension spread through the hall.

Kichep hurried over.

“Your Highness, please evacuate outside at once. The fire is stronger than expected. It looks like it may spread here.”

Giovanni turned to leave. I followed behind him, but someone blocked my path.

It was Kichep.

“Are you coming with us?”

“Or should I just stay here?”

I asked incredulously, and he openly frowned.

Even if he doesn’t like me, this is a bit much.

To act like this even in a situation like this—

How petty.

“Do not try anything with His Highness.”

I was about to say that it wasn’t a ploy, but a cooperative relationship where we helped each other.

Then I caught sight of the razor-sharp look in Kichep’s eyes. It was so full of spite that a question arose.

I’d cleared up the misunderstanding with Giovanni—so why did he still hate me this much?

Suddenly, the prince’s secret sexual preferences came to mind.

“Why did you stop talking?”

At his displeased frown, I swallowed hard.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“…?”

“I get what you’re worried about. I’ll be careful.”

When I answered meekly, doubt flickered in Kichep’s eyes.

“I have no intention of harming His Highness. On the contrary, I’m trying to cooperate. So you don’t need to be that wary of me.”

I spoke as gently as I could to his suspicious stare.

“And I’m not romantically interested in His Highness.”

“What? Well—no, that’s a relief, at least.”

A relief, he said.

Letting out a quiet sigh, I felt reassured that my guess had been right.

“Good. Then you understand, right? You don’t need to be jealous of me.”

“…Jealous?”

For a moment, a gaze sharp enough to pierce me poured down.

“I don’t know what kind of nonsense you’re spouting, but I don’t trust you. Just remember that. I’m watching you.”

After he left, I shook my head.

Is that really the look of a man consumed by jealousy?

Scary.

The outdoor garden, now emptied of people, was bustling noisily.

Everyone was staring at the Darrius Palace, where the fire was spreading.

Since Darrius Palace was where food for royal banquets was prepared, it was close to the main palace, making it easy to see how far the flames had spread.

“What is that?!”

“Oh my, it’s a much bigger fire than I thought!”

The murmurs swelled instantly.

“It’ll reach here soon.”

I was tiptoeing along when Giovanni’s voice made me flinch. He frowned at my awkward posture.

“What are you doing?”

Avoiding your jealousy-crazed subordinate.

But it was no use. Kichep had already spotted me and was glaring.

I cleared my throat and straightened up.

You don’t need to be wary of me. I know exactly what you’re feeling.

With that sentiment, I looked steadily at Kichep.

He whispered something to Giovanni.

“I told you she was a crazy woman.”

If I could hear it this clearly, why bother whispering…?

I awkwardly raised one corner of my mouth.

Still, Kichep continued to bristle at me. Giovanni left the two of us alone and observed the situation.

“You’re far too calm.”

I tore my gaze from Kichep and looked where he was looking.

“Calm?”

“Look over there. The flames are intense. If this keeps up, it’ll spread here.”

He was right.

The flames, flickering like a serpent’s tongue, were already swallowing the roof of Darrius Palace.

“And yet they’re just making a fuss without taking any real countermeasures.”

“Well, that’s because…”

I opened my mouth without thinking, then hesitated at a strange feeling. The word because I’d just uttered felt oddly heavy.

“Because?”

“There’s a cleric.”

“……”

“A fire that big can’t be handled by ordinary people carrying a few buckets of water.”

“……”

“But a cleric can do it. They can call down rain.”

My voice grew smaller and smaller.

Why did this feel so strange? A cleric stepping in here was the most natural thing in the world.

“And yet they just sit back like that? What if there were no cleric?”

At those words, I jerked my head up.

That was the sense of unease I’d been feeling.