SSCP 13

Chapter 13

At Armand’s worried question, I picked up my fountain pen and thought for a while before asking,
“Is there anyone who’s opposed to Lady Celine? Someone with influence on par with hers, perhaps?”

Armand fell silent for a moment, as if recalling someone, and only spoke when her lips began to dry.
“Well, Lady Celine belongs to Countess Mason’s faction, doesn’t she?”

Countess Mason—she was Duke Stephan’s sister and Prince Verdi’s mother. That meant Lady Celine’s family was also part of Prince Verdi’s noble faction.

“If we’re talking about someone who opposes them, then naturally, it would be Her Majesty the Empress.”
“I heard the Empress’s family influence is rather weak, isn’t it? The Cardana barony, right?”

At my question, Armand raised a finger and wagged it side to side. It was a terribly unrefined gesture, but since it was one I often used myself, she’d somehow picked it up naturally. I guess that’s what they mean when they say friends start to resemble each other.

“The Empress’s blood relatives might not hold much power, but there is a faction that supports Prince Reynold.”

Armand picked up my fountain pen from the desk and began sketching on the paper—she drew a sword, a shield, and a rose.

Oh, Armand… she’s really bad at drawing.

I blinked at her doodle and asked,
“Is that the crest of the Rodvalt ducal family?”
“Oh! Yes! I told you I could draw decently!”

Armand smiled proudly. She could’ve just said it instead of drawing, but now she was beaming like she’d accomplished something. It made me feel a little sorry for her, realizing she truly liked drawing despite her lack of talent. Poor thing.

“Anyway, the Duchess and Lady of Rodvalt are on the Empress’s side. That family’s an old founding noble house, so their influence isn’t small either.”

That might be true, but there’s a difference between having powerful relatives and having powerful acquaintances.
Even though the Rodvalt family held considerable social influence, the Empress still couldn’t wield as much power as Countess Mason because her connections weren’t as direct.

The Rodvalt family… that’s Argan’s family, right? Maybe I should use the engagement as an excuse to meet them.
Still, it might be better to approach the Empress first—and then meet the Duchess of Rodvalt.

“Is this related to overturning Lady Celine’s position?” Armand asked.

I nodded lightly.
“Yes. That’s the first step. Having a powerful backer is always advantageous, no matter where you are.”
“Then there’s a second step, isn’t there?”

Now Armand was looking at me with shining eyes, full of curiosity.

“Yes. I’m going to use the rumors surrounding me to my advantage. But explaining it won’t help—you’ll understand better when you see it yourself.”

Too bad for Lady Celine, but drawing attention—what they call ‘grabbing aggro’—is something I excel at.

Armand’s eyes sparkled.
“Ena, you’re really amazing.”
“What’s amazing about me?”
“You just never seem to get shaken by anything. And… it’s kind of strange, but I can understand now why Prince Reynold keeps chasing after you.”

At that, I forced a troubled smile.
What could I say? “That jerk’s chasing me because he and I are both from another world”? Not exactly something I could explain.

So I settled for an awkward laugh.
“I’ll help you,” Armand said firmly. “I’ll tell you everything I know about Lady Celine.”
Then she clenched her fists with fiery determination.

To win over the Empress and Duchess of Rodvalt, I first needed to meet with Chaedeorn and Argan.

I could’ve just gone to the Rubiche mansion to see Chaedeorn, but I intentionally summoned him to a restaurant in the capital. It was better to talk with both of them together rather than holding two separate meetings.

When the sun had fully set, the sky turned pitch black. The restaurant was aglow with ornate candles—extravagant, almost ostentatious.

Chaedeorn arrived first. Judging by his immaculate formal attire, he’d come straight from the palace.

“What? You don’t have any money?”
I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

While we waited for Argan, he’d already ordered, and I’d caught him glancing at me with that teasing smile of his.

“Not a single coin?”
“Not one.”

He finished ordering, then turned to me with a grin that could’ve been a joke—or not.

I mean, fine. I’d called him here, and I was planning to pay anyway, but still—why was the Crown Prince broke?

“There are… circumstances. My funds are completely frozen at the moment.”

He elegantly sipped his water and shrugged as if it was nothing.
“Don’t worry. I’ll just put it on a tab.”
“With what, ‘Claude Paul Frederick Reynold’?”

He nodded matter-of-factly.

“Forget it. I’ll pay. I guess being Crown Prince doesn’t guarantee wealth. Seems you’re rather poor.”

He choked mid-sip, coughing violently. After wiping his lips with a napkin, he glared at me—cheeks red.
Cute.

“It’s strange,” I said. “Hearing the name Claude really makes it hit me that you’re from my world. Names really do have power, don’t they? When I started using the name ‘Ena,’ that’s when I finally felt like I belonged here.”

Chaedeorn tapped the table with his index finger, watching me closely.
“Did Marquis Rubiche give you that name?”
I shook my head.
“The person who saved my life.”

His expression froze, disbelief crossing his face.
“Wait… what? Saved your life?”
“Oh, he’s a mage. But that’s not really important.”
“What happened to you?”

He asked, but I just smiled.
“My story’s a bit expensive, you know. I don’t give it away for free.”

At that, he shut his mouth, displeased.
Just as he was about to say something more, Argan arrived.

Spotting me, Argan smiled warmly—but when he saw Chaedeorn sitting across from me, he froze, visibly uncomfortable. Still, with polite grace, he greeted us both and sat down beside Chaedeorn.

“Why did you invite him?”

Chaedeorn’s expression was openly displeased. Argan looked no happier about seeing the Crown Prince either, his lips pressed into a thin line as he shot me a questioning look.

“I’d like information on the Empress and Duchess of Rodvalt,” I said.
“For what reason?”
“I want to get closer to them.”

Both men’s eyes lit up—then immediately darted toward each other in silent rivalry. It was almost comedic.

“You mean you’ve decided to marry me—”
“Or that you’ve finally accepted our engagement—”

They spoke at the same time, then glared daggers at each other.

“Still clinging to your delusions, I see. Give up, Lord Rodvalt.”
“I might say the same, Your Highness. Show some decency, for the lady’s sake.”

I blinked in shock—Argan had just openly insulted a royal.

“Wait, wait, both of you, calm down—”

Thankfully, the arrival of the appetizer—fresh oysters—cut through the tension.

Ugh. I hated oysters. I should’ve checked the course menu more carefully.

Seeing my grimace, Chaedeorn chuckled softly.
“Yours will be different. You’ll get escargot instead, right?”
I nodded meekly.

Sure enough, two plates of oysters were placed before Chaedeorn and Argan, and mine was swapped for escargot.

“You still remember that I don’t like oysters?”
That startled me a little. How could he possibly remember that?

He shrugged casually.
“And you still remember how I asked you for a band-aid when I cut my finger on an A4 sheet?”
“That was only five years ago. But you, Chaedeorn—or rather, Cha Dohyuk—that was twenty-six years ago.”

At that, he let out a small “Ah.”
“Well… I just remembered.”

Argan, who’d been eating his oysters quietly, looked puzzled.
“I don’t quite understand what you two are talking about. Five years? Twenty-six years? Neither of you were even born then. And what’s an A4 sheet? What’s a band-aid?”

I fell silent. How was I supposed to explain that?

I glanced at Chaedeorn, but he was clearly not planning to help—just calmly eating his oysters.

“Mm… it’s a code. Sorry for confusing you. Anyway, you understand what I meant earlier, right? I’ll need both of your cooperation. Your words carry more weight than anything I could gather myself.”

Argan nodded.

As the waiter cleared the plates, I took a sip of water and continued,
“I’ll visit the Rodvalt estate soon. Could you arrange a meeting?”

Chaedeorn immediately bristled.
“Do you really need to go there in person?”
“I’m also visiting the palace to meet the Empress,” I replied.

That shut him up.

I couldn’t afford to antagonize Chaedeorn—but I also had to make my stance clear.
To do that, I needed the support of the leading noblewomen in Prince Reynold’s faction—namely, the Empress and Duchess of Rodvalt.

“Fair, isn’t it? You always liked fairness, didn’t you, Chaedeorn?”

I suddenly remembered how obsessed he’d been with fairness, equality, and responsibility back in our old world.

“…Are you getting revenge right now?”
“Oh, come on. What revenge? It’s not like I ever got to smack you with a lanyard ball—”

I muttered the last part under my breath, but somehow he heard me, bursting into loud laughter that drew every eye in the restaurant.

Argan looked between us, completely lost, and I felt my face heat with embarrassment.

Chaedeorn just kept laughing, bright and carefree.
Why does he always look so happy when I’m insulting him?