“The Countess has told me everything. This is the item you requested.”
The man handed me a leather pouch about the size of an adult’s fist. The squishy texture inside was palpable through my palm.
“As you instructed, the third floor has been completely cleared.”
“Make sure to leak that fact to the Angriver girl as well.”
“Pardon?”
He looked puzzled, as if he couldn’t understand.
“I plan to make the Angriver girl a witness.”
“But weren’t you planning to use the spies as witnesses?”
As he said, my original plan was to use the spies planted within the Pison Guild as witnesses. The guild’s size meant it had as many allies as enemies. Especially after the rumors about me spread, the First Prince’s faction had gathered their eyes and ears around Evan.
“Of course, I intend to use them too. But a noble young lady’s voice carries more weight. She’s worth using.”
“Understood. But will the young lady follow as you expect?”
“She will.”
It didn’t matter if she didn’t. A witness was enough. But I was certain she would come. She’d instinctively know that to save herself, she’d need to drag me down.
“And there’s one more thing I need you to do.”
“Name it.”
“There should be the Marchioness of Engrail and the Baroness of Bizdel inside. Keep them occupied until I come out. If you show them the items from the Gaya Kingdom recently acquired by the guild, they’ll likely show interest.”
The Gaya Kingdom was a small nation, but its arts were highly developed. While it produced many art-related goods, its geographical distance from the empire meant trade was rare. If you offered to show items from the Gaya Kingdom, the Marchioness of Engrail might be skeptical, but the Baroness of Bizdel, who was deeply versed in music, would surely take an interest.
“The items on the second floor?”
The first floor was a shop, but the second floor and above were used for storing high-value items or for the guild’s personal use. The Gaya Kingdom’s goods—paintings, sculptures, sheet music, instruments—were all expensive.
“Exactly. Keep them on the second floor as long as possible until I come out.”
They, too, must have heard the rampant rumors. Yet, just like at the hunting tournament, they showed me the same friendly demeanor when our eyes met earlier.
“If you say it’s my way of repaying their kindness, they’ll follow without suspicion.”
“Understood.”
The man turned and reentered the shop.
I headed toward the stairs leading up. As he’d promised, the third floor was eerily silent, devoid of any presence.
I’d never been here before, but I knew where Evan’s room was. The far end of the third floor. My footsteps echoed alone in the corridor.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Evan’s deep voice came through the wooden door. With his permission, I carefully opened it and stepped inside.
For the guild master’s room, it was modest and small. A single table and a one-person bed were all it contained. Evan was half-reclining on the bed, a book resting on his chest, suggesting he’d been reading until just now.
“My lady…” Groan.
Evan tried to sit up when he saw me but let out a pained groan. I quickly moved to his side.
“Stay lying down.”
“I’m sorry.”
I barely stopped myself from clicking my tongue at his apology. He fidgeted as if he’d committed some grave sin.
“Even if the emperor himself came, a patient should stay in bed.”
I gently pressed his shoulder. Evan, who had been stirring, finally settled back onto the bed. I pulled a chair from beside the table and sat down. Evan, who had been staring at me, furrowed his brow and spoke.
“What brings you here?”
“You sound like I’ve come somewhere I shouldn’t.”
“Go back quickly. If anyone saw you here, it’d be a disaster.”
“Everyone who matters already knows.”
“Wha—” Groan.
He tried to sit up again in haste, letting out another groan. I sighed and helped him up.
Propping a pillow against the headboard, Evan leaned back. As the blanket slid down, a bandage stained with red blood was revealed, wrapped around his firm abs.
“Are you alright?”
“My condition isn’t the issue. What are you thinking?”
“You’re harsh to someone who came out of worry.”
“Sigh, it’s not harshness. Do you even realize the position you’re in?”
“I know better than anyone, Evan.”
At my reply, tinged with a smile, Evan’s lips pressed into a tight line. Faced with his stubborn expression, I raised the white flag.
“I need your help, Evan.”
As I explained my plan, Evan didn’t say a word. He just fixed me with a piercing gaze.
“We don’t have much time. The witness will arrive soon.”
I tried to lighten the heavy air with a casual tone, but Evan didn’t so much as blink.
“Sigh, I can’t succeed without your help. Won’t you lend a hand?”
“…Why?”
“Pardon?”
He finally spoke, but I couldn’t catch his words clearly.
“Sorry, could you repeat that?”
“Why go so far for His Highness the Crown Prince?”
His unexpected question caught me off guard, and I blinked at him.
“Do you love him so much you’d throw away everything for him?”
He didn’t raise his voice or show anger. His low, calm tone was as usual. But his eyes blazed as if they’d swallowed flames.
This wasn’t the usual Evan. For a moment, I saw something like a jealous man in him. The thought was so absurd I let out a wry laugh.
Sys’s confession must have inflated my ego. Evan was my knight. There had never been any romantic feelings between us. His demeanor and gaze toward me had always been nothing but straightforward. He was simply worried for me as a knight for his master.
“Does it look like I’m sacrificing myself for Sys—no, His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Evan didn’t answer, but his entire being seemed to say yes.
“It might end up helping him, in a way.”
A crease formed between Evan’s brows. Ignoring his expression, I continued.
“You know as well as I do, Evan, that I’ve been surrounded by rumors since childhood.”
Evan was raised for me. He couldn’t be unaware of the scarlet letter that had followed me since birth.
“It probably started with jealousy. But those rumors have snowballed, and now they’re shaking my very position.”
“That’s—”
I raised a hand to stop him.
“Yes, baseless rumors can be ignored if you choose to. The Eliant family is powerful enough to brush them off. But as you know, these rumors were spread maliciously. How many can truly ignore such things completely?”
Like the old me, no matter how hard you tried to ignore rumors, they couldn’t be fully dismissed. Malicious whispers from those around you wore down your spirit and made you trust no one.
Were they talking about me too? Or looking at me like the rumors said? Rumors bred suspicion upon suspicion. They made it impossible to stay sane.
Just as the old me had gone mad and taken my own life.
What if I hadn’t lived through that time?
The rumors about me now were the worst, even compared to then. Almost as if someone had orchestrated them deliberately.
“The mastermind is surely the First Prince’s consort. But it’s too meticulous for her alone. It’s not the First Imperial Consort’s style.”
“You don’t mean…”
“Exactly. The First Prince’s consort likely started it. And someone amplified her work. The First Imperial Consort stands to gain, not lose, so she’s probably watching from the sidelines.”
“But!”
“It’s not for the crown prince, Evan. It’s for me.”
Evan closed his eyes, as if lost in thought. His long lashes cast deep shadows around his eyes.
“Someone has been deliberately sustaining these rumors for a long time. They won’t just fade naturally.”
Rumors typically died out with time. But the ones about me had clung to me tenaciously for years. That wouldn’t happen without someone intentionally spreading them.
To end this chain of rumors, crushing them all at once was the best way. But rumors spread from mouth to mouth. Silencing everyone who knew them was near impossible.
There was, however, a method—using overwhelming power to forcibly shut people’s mouths, like the First Imperial Consort did.
But I had no intention of copying her tactics. Her method would backfire the moment her power waned, ensnaring her again.
Moreover, there was someone unknown behind these rumors about me. I intended to drag them out with this opportunity. To pull the rat from the shadows into the light, I needed to make the rumors about me a public issue.
“Why now?”
Evan, who had been silent, finally spoke. He looked up at me, his eyes wincing as if in pain. My gaze instinctively went to the bandage around his abdomen.
“Shall I call a physician?”
“I’m fine. Answer my question.”
His tone was firm. His unwavering gaze and set jaw hinted at a resolve that wouldn’t yield without a compelling reason.
I finally understood why Anasha had shaken her head, insisting Evan would be tough to sway. Sighing, I spoke honestly.
“Because I never felt the need before.”
Evan looked like he didn’t understand. I gave him a wry smile.
