TCCIO 35

Chapter 35. One Blinded by Jealousy

When Delia was captured by Aaron on Mount Tarrens, he ordered Mei to identify the prisoner.

[Verify the identity of the detained prisoner. Female in her twenties. Blonde. Blue eyes. Estimated to be high-ranking, as she appears to command armed forces.]

The moment Mei read the note delivered by carrier pigeon, she instantly recognized who the prisoner the commander had captured was.

It wasn’t common for a woman to command troops. And one such uncommon woman resided in the Iorenti royal castle.

A princess of Iorenti who hadn’t shown her face at council meetings for over a week.

Officially, she was said to be recuperating in the provinces due to poor health.

But for the responsible Princess of Iorenti to go on retreat—during wartime, no less—was difficult to believe.

The commander’s message instantly resolved Mei’s doubts.

She added her own findings and sent another note via carrier pigeon.

[Blonde, blue-eyed princess of Iorenti. Whereabouts of royal guard captain and 200 guards unknown.]

That very note Mei had written now lay tossed on a table.

Delia had memorized the unfamiliar characters drawn on the paper in an instant.

Once she had returned to Iorenti and recovered, she had managed to reconstruct the symbols from memory.

“This is what you sent to the supreme commander, isn’t it?”

The note Delia held out contained the Empire’s military code that Mei had used.

The handwriting was messy, but the message was chillingly accurate.

Mei simply looked at Delia, unable to answer.

“I saw it too when I was captured. Someone made sure I saw it.”

She pieced together what he had told her, and the scraps of the note he had shown her.

“I stared at one of the phrases and tried piecing it together. Scrambled it up in every way I could.”

Eventually, she was able to form a simple code that conveyed time and place—just enough to lure Mei in.

“But how did you know it was me?”

“Reasonable suspicion. I thought the paper might be from the Carlo family, so I ran some tests.”

Delia fluttered a sheet of paper she had written on in front of Mei.

“Paper produced by the Carlo family has a different manufacturing process. Ink smudges slightly differently.”

Holding the paper up to the sunlight, the shadow fell across her clear face.

“The paper I saw in the commander’s quarters and this one here… they smudge ink in a similar direction and spread.”

“That alone isn’t enough.”

“You talked about negotiations at the council meeting. Something about that overlapped with someone I knew.”

It was a gut feeling only someone who had watched Aaron closely could have.

The Empire’s supreme commander, using negotiations to manipulate people.

Though she didn’t know the reason, something about Mei talking about negotiations reminded Delia of him.

“And you pushed my brother into the battlefield saying he needed to earn military merit. But now you’re the one talking about negotiations? That’s not right.”

Delia pointed her gun at Mei’s chest.

“I wasn’t sure until now. But thanks for showing up and proving it.”

“If you suspected me of being a spy, you shouldn’t have come here alone.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not alone.”

She had already alerted the royal guard—if she didn’t return in time, they would come charging in.

“Why take such a risk?”

“I have a quiet question to ask.”

“Then ask.”

For a spy whose identity had just been revealed, Mei was surprisingly calm, respectful—even worried.

Though her attitude disturbed Delia, she chose to ask anyway.

“Do you think my brother knew? That his most trusted aide, Mei Carlo, was a spy for the Empire? Just answer that truthfully.”

Only then did Mei understand Delia’s real intent.

She was worried that Crown Prince Alfredo might be suspected of conspiring with a spy.

Mei was the prince’s closest confidante. Her betrayal would severely damage his reputation and might bring accusations of treason.

Delia, fearing for her brother’s safety, had come to confront the spy herself—unaware of the risk to her own life.

“Yes. I will answer honestly. But first, promise me something.”

Delia curled one side of her lips into a sneer.

“How arrogant. A soon-to-be prisoner, demanding a promise.”

But Mei remained calm, her voice steady.

“You must not go to Boswell. Promise me you won’t.”

Delia raised her eyebrows. The council meeting from earlier flashed through her mind.

A political marriage with the Duke of Boswell.

The idea of marrying him and moving to Boswell disgusted her.

Still, it wasn’t something a spy had the right to speak about.

“Why? So you can ruin Iorenti’s alliance? Bold of you to keep playing spy like this.”

Even with a gun pointed at her chest, Mei’s expression didn’t waver.

“It’s dangerous. You’ll be in danger. Please don’t go to Boswell.”

Delia stared, trying to read Mei’s intention.

“Whether I marry into Boswell or face danger—that’s not something a spy like you should meddle in.”

“You already know Boswell isn’t trustworthy.”

“More trustworthy than the Empire that plants spies like you.”

“You don’t need to trust me. But don’t ignore your instincts.”

“You dare lecture me.”

Delia’s voice grew sharp, but Mei took a step closer, her eyes glittering.

The gun barrel pressed deeper into her chest.

Though Delia was threatening her, something in Mei’s presence made her nervously swallow.

“I may be overstepping as a spy, but as a subject, it’s my duty.”

“A subject?”

“My master commanded me to protect you, Your Highness. Please take care of yourself.”

Delia’s grip tightened on the gun, chilled by something unexplainable.

If the spy’s master was who she thought—Aaron—then this was his doing.

His influence had reached the royal palace. He was threatening her again.

Delia felt like she was being dragged back into the abyss she had barely escaped.

“Time’s running out. I’ll answer your question now.”

Mei was growing anxious.

She was sure Delia hadn’t come alone.

There would be guards storming in soon.

She slowly leaned forward and whispered in Delia’s ear:

“Crown Prince Alfredo does not know I am a spy.”

She firmly grabbed the barrel of the gun pointed at her and locked eyes with Delia.

This was someone important to her master.

Even if she were in danger, there was something she had to say.

Something that might save her.

“And be careful of Prince Alfredo. No one knows what someone blinded by jealousy might do.”

“Jealousy? My brother? Why?”

“Do you know why the timid prince forced himself to enter the battlefield?”

“To fulfill his royal duty. To earn merit—”

“To keep you in check, Your Highness.”

Delia gasped, a chill creeping into her breath.

“It was easy to provoke him. Just one phrase: ‘Stay quiet like this, and your claim to the throne will be in danger.’”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s another heir to the throne.”

…Another heir?

Me? Delia’s eyes widened.

“You’ve been turning us siblings against each other.”

“He entered the war out of jealousy toward his more capable younger sister.”

Delia had always assumed her brother would become king.

She only saw herself as a helper, never a threat.

“Thanks to that, Iorenti has a useless crown prince acting as supreme commander.”

Delia let out a bitter breath.

A mere spy had turned her homeland into a swamp of chaos.

“That is Prince Alfredo. Blinded by jealousy, unaware of his own limits.”

“Don’t speak that way about my brother.”

Alfredo might be quiet and reserved—but not petty.

“Be wary of him. No one knows what he’ll do when cornered.”

“You—” Delia’s voice trembled with fury.

“You shook my brother, and now you’re trying to shake me too? You think I’ll fall for that?”

She couldn’t hold back any longer—Delia pulled the trigger.

But Mei deflected the barrel just in time, and the bullet hit a nearby tree.

Splinters flew, but Mei didn’t flinch.

Footsteps approached—drawn by the sound of gunfire.

Time was running out. Mei shouted her final words:

“You must endure. Stay safe until they arrive!”

Delia drew her sword to strike.

“No need. I’ll imprison you first.”

She swung the blade with force, but Mei caught her hand and knocked the sword away.

“There’s a bird I tend to in the crown prince’s office. I hope it doesn’t come to this—but if you ever need my help, send the bird.”

Delia stared at the hand holding her.

Her body had moved on instinct, but her mind was in turmoil.

Bang. Bang. Gunshots rang out just as Mei’s words ended.

Captain Zer and the royal guard rushed in.

“Halt!”

Mei glanced at them, then slipped past the wall of fate.

She disappeared in a flash.

What just happened?

As Delia blinked in confusion, Zer’s voice reached her ears.

“Hurry after her!”

The guards mobilized to pursue Mei.

Zer approached Delia cautiously.

Her hand trembled.

“Are you alright?”

Delia finally came to her senses.

“I’m fine.”

Zer looked at his shaken princess.

Though clearly stunned, she didn’t forget her duty.

“Catch her. There’s still more we need to learn from her.”

“Understood.”

Zer hesitated, then obeyed.

Delia stared at the gun and sword on the ground.

Weapons meant for enemies.

But she had hesitated—and now they lay useless.

Doubt your allies? Guard against your brother?

It was absurd. Just the lies of a spy.

And yet…

Why do I feel so uneasy?