Episode 137
That night, at the Archer estate,
Simon had felt at peace since becoming an international student, or rather, since arriving at the Archer estate. He no longer had to worry about encountering Heilan citizens or pretending to be loyal to Felix.
The Archer family, despite their seemingly cold demeanor, were surprisingly warm and welcoming. Marquis Aaron Archer, though busy with his duties as the Emperor’s advisor, had ensured Simon’s comfort, perhaps due to Elonia’s request.
Simon, having finished his daily routine, lay down in bed.
‘I should make a new bouquet for Sister tomorrow. Red roses again, perhaps.’
He had recently become fascinated with flower arranging. He hadn’t been allowed to learn in Heilan, but he had discovered a hidden talent and passion for it.
He enjoyed the process of carefully selecting and arranging flowers, each bouquet a message of affection for his loved ones.
He paused, a sudden thought crossing his mind.
‘Come to think of it, she mentioned liking tulips during graduation.’
Olivia was fickle. What if her preferences had changed?
He pondered the question for a moment, then decided to try something new.
‘Tulips are in season now.’
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep,
“Grab him.”
“Mmmpphh…!”
Men, their faces hidden by masks, appeared out of nowhere and gagged him.
Simon, having never learned any martial arts, was no match for them.
“Cover his head.”
“Wait…!”
Before he could protest, a sack was thrown over his head, and he was dragged away, his heart pounding with fear.
‘Could it be Brother…?’
Was Felix finally getting rid of him? No, that was impossible. Felix believed everyone had their uses. Even Dolce, the troublesome and incompetent prince, hadn’t been eliminated until he caused a major incident.
Simon, thrown into a cart, was driven through the night.
The cart stopped abruptly, and he was carried somewhere, the sack still over his head.
His vision finally cleared when he was brought inside. His arms were tied behind his back, and he was forced to kneel on the floor.
“Ugh…!”
“Remove the sack.”
“Yes, sir.”
The sack was removed, and his neatly combed hair fell around his face, disheveled.
His knees, surprisingly, weren’t hurting. The floor was covered with a soft carpet.
‘This must be a noble’s house.’
There were many nobles who disliked Heilan, but why had they brought him here? What was going to happen to him? Simon, his heart pounding with anxiety, kept his eyes closed.
“Simon?”
A familiar voice made him open his eyes.
“S-sister…?”
It was Olivia, also kneeling on the floor, her arms bound, her hair, usually styled in elaborate braids, a tangled mess. She must have struggled more than Simon.
“Simon! What are you doing here?!”
“I-I don’t know! I was sleeping, and then…”
Olivia gritted her teeth and shouted at her captors,
“What is the meaning of this?! Untie us! Do you still think we’re hostages?!”
“We can’t release you until He arrives—”
“He? Who is ‘He’?! Explain yourselves! You kidnapped us while we were sleeping! What do you want?!”
Olivia struggled against her restraints, and her captors, surprised by her ferocity, tightened their grip.
Olivia, despite groaning in pain, continued to struggle.
Simon, watching her anxiously, suddenly realized something.
‘They’re not using force.’
Kidnapping them while they were sleeping was a form of violence, of course, but he was talking about physical violence.
His captors, and Olivia’s, despite their rough handling, were strangely polite.
‘And this room…’
It wasn’t a room an ordinary noble would use.
Could it be…?
Just as he was considering the impossible,
“That’s enough.”
A familiar voice made both Olivia and Simon turn their heads. Olivia, her eyes widening in disbelief, murmured,
“…Elonia?”
It was Elonia. Olivia, who had been too busy struggling, finally realized where they were.
They were in the Imperial Princess’s Palace.
Their captors were Imperial Knights.
“Elonia! What is the meaning of this?!”
Olivia’s voice was filled with anger and betrayal. Elonia, her expression calm, apologized,
“I’m sorry for the rough handling.”
“Explain yourself! Why did you kidnap us?!”
“…Then I’ll be honest.”
“Just tell us!”
Olivia’s eyes were filled with tears.
Elonia, her gaze unwavering, said, her voice flat and emotionless,
“Princess Olivia of Heilan, Prince Simon of Heilan. We have testimony that one of you is the High Priest of the Church of the Resurrection God.”
It was a bombshell. Olivia was especially horrified.
“Elonia! You heard me complaining about Felix all the time at the academy!”
“We have testimony. One of you is the High Priest.”
Elonia cut her off, her voice firm.
She had interrogated the three nobles, and they had finally confessed. Viscount Hugo had said,
“It was a man with blond hair.”
Count Mason had said,
“It was a woman with blond hair.”
And Marquis Hellington had said,
“Judging by their accent, they were Heilan.”
Both Viscount Hugo and Count Mason, who had been arguing about the High Priest’s gender, had agreed with Marquis Hellington’s statement.
Blond hair was a symbol of the Heilan royal family. Olivia and Simon’s faces paled.
“But…”
Olivia thought, it couldn’t be her.
‘Could it be Simon?’
Simon had received orders from Felix when he first arrived at the academy. She had managed to dissuade him, but that had been years ago.
She didn’t know if Felix had contacted him again.
Olivia bit her lip, her mind racing.
‘I don’t care if Felix dies. But Simon…’
Chelon had asked her to take care of him. Was it right for her, as his older sister, to accuse him?
‘What would Chelon do…?’
She didn’t know. It had been almost twenty years since Chelon’s death. Everything had changed. She had to make her own decision.
But how? She didn’t have enough evidence. And they had been separated since leaving the academy, their letters and even the flowers Simon sent her monitored…
‘Flowers?’
She remembered the bouquets and letters Simon had sent her.
They had always been a reflection of his well-being.
The healthy, carefully arranged flowers, the cheerful and carefree tone of his letters…
They all pointed to his innocence.
“Elonia, Simon—”
Just as Olivia was about to speak,
“Your Highness, my sister is innocent.”
Olivia’s head snapped towards Simon, who was looking up at Elonia, his voice filled with desperation.
“She’s always wanted to escape Heilan. You know that, Your Highness. You can imprison me, but please, let my sister go.”
“Simon!”
Olivia cried out, almost a scream. He was making himself look suspicious! He was innocent!
“Elonia! It’s not Simon either! If Felix was planning to use him, he would have done it already!”
“I might have been used by Brother Felix without realizing it. But not my sister.”
“Simon!”
Olivia’s voice cracked as she called out his name.
Simon, trying to ignore her, continued, his voice low and steady,
“Brother Felix is cunning. He never uses people directly. He always uses intermediaries, and sometimes, you don’t even realize you’re being manipulated.”
‘But he wouldn’t use Olivia.’
Felix considered women useless. He had dismissed Olivia as incompetent, a pawn not worth using.
‘I’ve been too naive.’
He shouldn’t have been lulled into a false sense of security by the peaceful days.
If he had unknowingly become part of Heilan’s plot, Olivia would also be executed.
‘I don’t care if I die. But not my sister…’
He was still afraid, even as an adult. But Olivia had protected him when he was younger. Now it was his turn to repay his debt.
Just as he was about to bow his head,
“Stop.”
Elonia placed a hand on his forehead, preventing him from bowing.
“…?”
“Elonia…?”
Both Simon and Olivia looked at her, their faces filled with confusion.
Elonia, a wry smile on her face, knelt down before them.
“I’m sorry. That was just an excuse. I brought you here because I needed to confirm something.”
“…What?”
“I know you’re not the High Priest. So don’t lower your heads. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Olivia and Simon, their eyes meeting, then turned to Elonia. She already knew they were innocent.
“Release them.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The knights quickly untied them and bowed apologetically.
“We apologize for the rough handling, Your Highnesses.”
Olivia, who had been fighting back fiercely, had landed quite a few blows on the knights who had captured her.
Olivia, her face still flushed with anger, nodded curtly.
Simon, after a moment of silence, asked,
“Your Highness, what did you need to confirm?”
“…Let’s sit down first.”
Elonia offered them seats and tea.
The story she was about to tell was long and complicated, and they would get cramps if they continued squatting like this.
“Your Highness, we’ve returned.”
The sun had risen by the time she finished explaining the situation with the potion of luck, and Ricardo and Ethan returned, along with the remaining knights.
Ethan reported first.
“Report from the Bereta estate. There are signs of intrusion in Lady Garnethia’s room.”
“Report from the Archer estate. There are also signs of intrusion in Prince Simon’s room.”
Elonia, as expected, set down her teacup and turned to Olivia and Simon.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“To see what the Church of the Resurrection God was looking for in your rooms.”
Elonia, taking the confused siblings with her, teleported to the Archer estate.
In the blink of an eye, they were in Simon’s room.
Olivia and Simon, their first experience with teleportation magic, were startled. But their surprise was quickly replaced by shock as they saw the state of Simon’s room. It was a mess.
“What is this…?”
“Our knights didn’t do this. It was the Church of the Resurrection God.”
“…!”
Both Olivia and Simon’s hearts pounded. Why would they search their rooms?
Elonia turned to Simon.
“Did you have anything from Heilan in this room?”
“…No.”
Everything in his room had been purchased in Ravanta. But Olivia was different.
“El…”
Olivia, her voice trembling, clutched Elonia’s sleeve.
Elonia had never seen her so distraught. She teleported them to the Bereta estate, using the coordinates she had received earlier.
Olivia, back in her room, frantically searched her dressing table, then her bed, her desk, and finally her closet. She then murmured, her voice filled with despair,
“…It’s gone.”
Gone? Before Elonia could ask, Olivia exploded,
“My sister’s heirloom is gone!”