Episode 134
“Your Highness, did you call for me?”
“Come in, Vivi, have a seat.”
Elonia had summoned Vivian to her private quarters.
Vivian, though slightly puzzled by the private summons, sat down obediently.
Elonia got straight to the point.
“Vivi, do you know how Lisa is doing?”
Elonia had four maids besides Sarah.
Vivian Fiona of House Fiona, Alisa Hellington of House Hellington, Canaria Herres of House Herres, and Cecilia Carl of House Carl.
And Lisa was Alisa Hellington.
She had left the Imperial Palace four years ago due to a family emergency.
Vivian’s eyes widened, and she shook her head.
“No, I haven’t heard from her since she left.”
It was strange that even Vivian, who had been closest to Alisa, hadn’t heard from her.
Elonia changed her question.
“Have you seen this potion before?”
She showed Vivian the vial. Vivian shook her head again.
“No, I’ve never seen it before…”
Vivian sensed something was wrong.
“Is this why Mother was confined to the conference room for a week?”
Her hands, resting on the table, clenched nervously. Elonia, putting the vial away, nodded.
“And it’s also why I’m looking for Lisa.”
Vivian’s face paled.
“Alisa…”
Alisa had returned to the Hellington estate to persuade a vassal to stay. Viscount Hugo, a loyal vassal of House Hellington for many years, had submitted his resignation, wanting to serve a more appreciative lord.
Alisa and Marquis Hellington had tried to dissuade him, but they had failed. He had become a vassal of Count Mason.
It seemed unrelated to House Fiona, but Count Mason was a vassal of Duchess Fiona.
“So that’s why she stopped contacting me…”
Elonia had thought Alisa was angry at her for losing a vassal. But that wasn’t it.
It was possible for Count Mason to steal a vassal from Marquis Hellington. But there was a more likely scenario.
‘Perhaps Marquis Hellington pretended to lose a vassal and planted a spy in Count Mason’s household, a spy who was also a vassal of Duchess Fiona.’
Either way, the conclusion was the same.
“Mother was framed.”
Vivian knew her mother well. Duchess Fiona was cunning, but she also tended to underestimate those she deemed beneath her. She would become careless if she thought someone wasn’t a threat.
She had mocked Duke Benedict for his foolishness, and now, the truth had been revealed. Duchess Fiona had been furious, and Elonia had barely managed to prevent a brawl between her and Duke Benedict.
Elonia took Vivian’s hand.
“I know Lisa wouldn’t do something like this. But we need proof. Help me, Vivi.”
Vivian and Alisa were friends. Elonia knew it was a cruel request, asking her to summon someone who might be punished, or worse.
But if Alisa cooperated, and if she was truly innocent, she might be spared, even if Marquis Hellington wasn’t.
‘I don’t want Lisa to die.’
Elonia had known Alisa since she was a baby.
Her childhood memories were intertwined with Sarah and her maids.
Sarah had been her primary caregiver, but the other maids had also played an important role in her life.
Vivian, who had also known Elonia for years, understood.
The maids, though not as close as Sarah, still cared for Elonia. Vivian nodded, her voice firm.
“Alisa would never do something like this. Don’t worry, Your Highness.”
Elonia, reassured by her words, nodded, and they began planning their next move.
Alisa sat huddled in a dark room at the Hellington estate.
The door opened without a knock, and she flinched.
“Alisa, a letter arrived.”
“…Brother.”
“From Duchess Fiona again.”
“…”
Alisa’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t take the letter. Marquis Hellington hadn’t even offered it to her.
“Please discard it.”
“Why not read it?”
“…?”
Alisa couldn’t believe her ears.
She had asked him to discard it because she knew he wouldn’t give it to her.
So what had changed his mind?
Marquis Hellington, a strange smile on his face, waved the letter.
“She sent a few letters at first, then stopped. And now this. I’m curious about her purpose.”
He approached her, and Alisa, seeing her own fear reflected in his eyes, quickly turned away.
Marquis Hellington chuckled.
“Perhaps it’s about a potential suitor. You’re at a marriageable age, Alisa.”
Alisa was in her late thirties. He had never mentioned marriage before, so why now? Then she realized,
‘He’s planning to get rid of me.’
She knew too much.
She lowered her head, and Marquis Hellington, satisfied, stepped away.
“Then get ready.”
“…Yes.”
The door closed.
Alisa thought about her past choices.
She had never been interested in managing the estate. She had no ambition, no desire for power. So she had given up her title, along with the other titles House Hellington possessed.
She regretted all her decisions, starting with that one, leading up to this moment.
‘I shouldn’t have come back.’
She shouldn’t have listened to Marquis Hellington and avoided Vivian’s letters. By the time she realized it was all part of his plan, it was too late. She was trapped, like a bird in a cage.
She buried her face in her knees.
‘He’ll kill me, pretending to marry me off.’
She knew too much.
She missed the people at the Imperial Palace. Sardia, Vivian, Canaria, Cecilia. And Her Highness.
‘…Her Highness must have made her social debut by now.’
How much had she grown?
She missed the peaceful days at the Imperial Palace. Her Highness chatting with the Asta young masters, Ricardo’s playful banter, Ethan’s stoic disapproval…
‘…I’ll see Philemon again.’
At least she wouldn’t be alone in the afterlife. Alisa chuckled dryly. Just then,
Tap, tap.
Someone was tapping on the window.
Tap, tap! She tried to ignore it, but the tapping grew louder.
She finally walked over and opened the curtains.
“A bird?”
It was a bird. Or rather, a bird made of paper.
It tapped on the windowpane with its beak, as if asking to be let in. But she couldn’t open the window. It was locked from the outside.
“I’m sorry, I can’t open it.”
She looked at the bird sadly.
The bird, as if annoyed by her inaction, started pecking at the windowpane.
What was it doing? Then, a popping sound echoed through the room, and a small hole appeared in the glass.
“Gasp!”
Alisa’s eyes widened in surprise. The bird, taking advantage of the opening, flew inside.
A paper bird breaking through a windowpane? That was impossible…
‘Wait, it’s magic.’
A paper bird flying was also impossible!
She had been too slow to realize the obvious because of Elonia.
Elonia, whenever she returned to the Imperial Palace during breaks, would practice her magic control constantly, even for simple tasks like lifting a pen or a teacup.
So Alisa, and everyone else at the Imperial Palace, had become accustomed to objects floating and moving on their own.
“It’s Her Highness’s magic.”
Had she discovered Marquis Hellington’s scheme?
Alisa quickly unfolded the bird.
There was no sender, just a cryptic message.
[Is the moon yellow tonight? If so, send me the scent of perfume.]
“…!”
Alisa gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
It was Vivian.
It was a code they had used when they were younger, when Alisa had just made her social debut.
It meant,
Are you in trouble? If so, fan yourself while looking at me. I’ll help you.
“Vivian.”
Alisa’s legs gave way, and she slumped to the floor, tears welling up in her eyes.
She had deliberately ignored Vivian’s letters, even the one she had received earlier.
‘And yet, Vivian is still trying to help me…’
She wanted to see her, to talk to her.
‘But they won’t be able to see me fanning myself from here.’
And Marquis Hellington had confiscated all her writing materials.
She thought of a way to reply.
“Perfume.”
She would take the message literally.
She would imbue the paper bird with the scent of perfume.
‘A strong scent, a scent that will linger even after the bird flies through the air.’
It was a desperate message.
Alisa rushed to her dressing table and grabbed the strongest perfume she had. She sprayed it liberally on the paper, until the scent was almost overwhelming, until she felt dizzy. Then, she carefully folded the paper back into a bird.
She placed the bird in front of the hole in the windowpane.
“Please reach Vivian, Her Highness.”
The paper bird, its wings fluttering, as if acknowledging her plea, flew towards the pale moonlight.
Alisa, her lips pressed into a thin line, watched it disappear into the night sky.
The paper bird returned to the Imperial Palace, its scent still strong despite the long journey.
Vivian recognized it instantly.
“Alisa is in danger.”
Elonia’s face turned grim. They had to go to the Hellington estate immediately.
‘But the coordinates…’
Teleportation magic required coordinates, which only mages knew.
‘Using a warp gate is too conspicuous.’
Ravanta had warp gates, but they were heavily guarded and required complex procedures, making them unsuitable for a covert operation.
Just as she was racking her brain, trying to find a solution, she remembered.
She was blessed with good allies.
“Rica!”
She called out to Ricardo, who was waiting outside. He entered the room immediately.
“You called, Your Highness?”
Elonia, her voice urgent, asked,
“You know the coordinates of the Hellington estate, right? You said you traveled all over Ravanta.”
“I do, but… are you serious?”
“Yes!” Elonia grinned triumphantly.
She buckled her sword, grabbed Vivian’s hand, and then, turning to Ricardo, whose face was pale with concern, said,
“We’re going to the Hellington estate. Now.”