Chapter 3 - Volume 01; Act 02 – Part 01 (2/2)

“But I actually saw it. His Highness and Miss Irene had a secret date.”

“Ah. The maids are talking about that as well. This just means that His Highness is also a man.”

“Also, there have been weird rumours going around amongst the maids. I heard that the Fairy Princess is jealous of Miss Irene and harasses her a lot.”

“No way. That’s just a rumour.”

“Right~.” The conversation continued, and I quietly walked away.

They had mentioned some unclear things, but everyone in the royal palace is showing great interest in the relationship between His Highness and Miss Irene… and also me.

These rumours about Miss Irene have also reached the disinterested me despite there being only a limited number of people in the royal palace, so those in the know might already have known about His Highness’s relationship for a long time now.

It might have just been me who didn’t know about it since I only read books without care.

I pondered depressingly.

I was only thinking about running away from this situation, but at this rate, even Prince Christopher’s reputation which he went to great lengths to build up, will be dragged through the mud. This will be an unfavourable situation for the future of Southlynd.

To overcome this situation, I would have to publicly announce my engagement annulment with His Highness as soon as possible, but a Marquis House cannot be the one to break off the engagement, unless in extreme circumstances.

I pondered and concluded that I should consult someone about this, then the door in front of me opened in a hurry.

“――― did you find the evidence?”

“The warehouse was already surrounded by the third patrol force. But we received a report stating that several boats headed towards Ulthar before dawn.”

The young man’s cunning eyes which looked strict, but still courteous, became frosty.

“Is the capital’s patrol force full of stupid people? You’ve been watching over the warehouse at Neville River, but you didn’t keep an eye out for boats?”

“N-no! We have gone ahead to the estuary and have already deployed soldiers there. Commander Glenn said that we will round them up!”

“It seems that your witless brains will start gaining some intelligence after going without sleep for three days.”

The Ice Lord smiled like a servant of the devil. His glance stopped on the sacrifice (sheep) who had failed to escape.

“Oh, Miss Elianna. You look like you’re free. Thanks to you, every place in the royal palace has been occupied. Could you bring these with you since you’re going to the palace archives? On your way, please tell the royal household department to look over this personnel record for the last five years and also tell them to reorganise it by this afternoon. Tell them, ‘such a foolish plan won’t add anything to the fuel’.”

Lord Alexei looked ghastlier than usual. On a closer look, his ice-blue eyes are slightly bloodshot, and his white skin also looked pale from tiredness.

Is it a serious case?

Lord Alexei ordered me to do odd jobs for him as his eyes sparkled. His subordinates looked as if they felt sorry for me, but none of them were willing to sacrifice themselves in my place.

I only came here to return a dictionary and clean up the private room. What an odd development…

… No, is this normal?

I was finally climbing up the familiar grand staircase in the centre of the royal palace with a great deal of effort.

It was then.

“Kyyyaaaaaaaa…!” A loud scream came from behind me, and I heard something rolling down.

I looked back in surprise and saw a woman tumbling down the stairs. Her soft, chestnut hair was spread out as if it was covering her body, and her arms and feet had been thrown into the air. The figure of her falling looked painful, and I worried about her safety.

Before I rushed down the stairs, “Irene…!” another roaring scream could be heard, and a man approached her.

“Irene! Irene, get a hold of yourself…!” Shouting in a heart-breaking voice was a slender young man with honey-brown hair and a sweet face. He could even be mistaken for a boy.

“Irene! How did this happen…?!”

Well, you should call a doctor before you grieve.

I looked around for someone to call, but people had already started to gather around because of his alarmingly loud voice. People rushed over to check how she was, and I heard people telling others to call for a doctor.

Meanwhile, Miss Irene slowly regained consciousness. The honey-coloured hair man helped her up, and she clung to his arm while shaking.

“Miss Elianna… Miss Elianna did… this to me!”

… Excuse me?

Everyone’s gazes from downstairs except for Miss Irene’s looked at me with criticism.

I was standing with my eyes wide open.