“Go. I’ll look into this myself.”
“There’s the woman I fell for.”
A soft smile curved Sys’s lips.
“As expected.”
He chuckled, guiding my hand to his lips. The warmth of his moist kiss brushed my skin.
Despite his smile, his eyes were dark. He was trying to act light for my sake, but I knew better than anyone what weighed on his mind.
Duke Daysha’s schemes, the First Prince’s death, El’s kidnapping, Canaan Kingdom’s provocation.
What in the world is happening?
My thoughts tangled.
Canaan Kingdom’s provocation was real. They’d feigned disbanding their forces to deceive the empire while secretly amassing mercenaries.
It required immense funds, yet neither the empire nor the finance-sensitive Pison Trading Company had noticed.
Canaan’s meticulous deception had fooled both.
Even with their forces, Canaan was no match for the empire. They knew this.
Why would they declare war?
Back then, Canaan’s war declaration, with the First Prince alive, was less a war against the empire and more a civil conflict between Sys and the First Prince.
They had little to lose then.
But now it’s different.
The First Prince was dead. This was no civil war but a clash between nations.
The empire’s military dwarfed Canaan’s. There was a reason the empire had dominated the continent for millennia. Canaan’s chances of victory were slim.
Why would they take such a reckless gamble?
I tapped the table, sorting my thoughts.
What could Canaan gain from war? I considered their situation, forces, alliances, and royal family traits. No matter how I analyzed it, war offered them nothing—only the risk of being absorbed by the empire. Their actions were tantamount to begging for destruction.
Even against a weaker foe, a war between nations demanded immense preparation.
Canaan’s declaration, coupled with their attack on an empire village near the border, put the empire on high alert. The imperial family declared war and began mobilizing troops.
Soon, the empire’s forces would march to the border. Who would lead them was undecided.
“My lady, Countess Pison and the head of Pison Trading Company are here.”
“Show them in.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Soon, Evan and Anasha entered, guided by Marie.
Anasha, worn by El’s ordeal, looked ravaged in just days. Her cheeks were sunken, her once-full figure reduced to skin and bone, as if she’d stopped eating.
“Sit, Anasha.”
I quickly offered her a seat. She nodded weakly and sat. Her once-luscious red lips were cracked and bleeding, dry as parchment.
Her haggard state pained me.
I need to find El quickly…
Swallowing a sigh, I looked at Evan. He didn’t look much better.
“Sit, Evan. What’s the matter?”
Instead of sitting, he gestured outside with a grim expression. A woman entered—brown-haired, plain-faced, dressed in commoner’s clothes. She fidgeted, eyes darting nervously.
“Who is she?”
“A maid who served the First Consort,” Anasha said, her voice sharp despite her frail appearance, laced with venom.
“Why is a palace maid here?”
“She’s the spy I placed with the First Consort,” Anasha replied.
So, this was the spy Anasha mentioned monitoring the First Consort. I frowned. Her words raised issues.
“The First Consort’s palace is sealed by imperial order. She couldn’t have left easily.”
The maid flinched, glancing at Anasha, who sighed softly.
“There was a hole in security.”
The First Consort’s sealed palace was under tight imperial guard. A mere maid couldn’t slip out unnoticed.
“Did you help her, Anasha?”
“No. Even Pison Trading Company couldn’t sneak someone out of a palace guarded by imperial knights without causing a stir.”
“Then how?”
Anasha and Evan exchanged glances. Evan’s throat bobbed, as if swallowing hard.
“She says the First Consort herself sent her out. One of the guarding knights escorted her.”
“…!”
His words stunned me speechless. I thought we’d been vigilant, but apparently not.
“Security may have slackened with the First Prince’s death and Canaan’s actions, but I never imagined we’d be blindsided like this.”
“It’s my failure. I’m sorry.”
Evan’s face darkened as he bowed. It wasn’t just his fault, but it was a grave mistake.
The emperor, obsessed with finding the First Prince’s killer, had deployed every available resource. Most capable personnel were tied up in that or Canaan’s provocation, loosening the watch on the First Consort.
“It’s not just your fault, Evan. We were all complacent.”
His head bowed lower.
“What’s done is done. Regret can wait. Why did the First Consort send her out?”
“You should hear it from her,” Evan said.
My gaze fell on the maid, who swallowed hard, clutching her hands.
“Tell me exactly what you heard.”
“I-I went to serve Her Highness as usual, but…”
She swallowed again.
“Lady Aerial was there.”
“…!”
Her unexpected words nearly made me shout. I steadied myself, straightening. Anasha and Evan, having heard her already, only tightened their lips.
“Why was El there?”
“I-I don’t know.”
She shook her head. She seemed clueless about El’s kidnapping. I asked what she might know.
“Is El safe?”
“Yes. She seemed drugged, deeply asleep, but outwardly fine.”
Relief loosened my tense muscles. Knowing her location meant we could rescue her. Her being alive was what mattered most.
“Why did the First Consort send you out?”
The maid hesitated, glancing at Anasha, who nodded.
“S-she knew I was from House Pison.”
“What? How?”
“I don’t know, my lady!”
She shook her head desperately at my outburst. I clutched my throbbing head.
“Where did it go wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Bijonne.”
Anasha’s trembling voice was thick with self-reproach. Her skeletal hands shook as much as her voice.
The thought of losing El due to her mistake seemed to torment her. I wanted to comfort her, but there were more pressing matters.
“If she knew your identity and still sent you out, she wants something. What is it?”
“She told me to leave the palace and inform everyone that Lady Aerial is in the sealed palace.”
The First Consort, stripped of allies and confined, couldn’t have kidnapped El alone. But the maid’s story didn’t seem false. Anasha and Evan bringing her to me meant they’d verified it.
That left one possibility: the First Consort had an accomplice outside.
Who could it be?
Even with lax security, kidnapping a child from House Pison’s estate unnoticed was no small feat. It required skill to evade the estate’s knights, and bribing an imperial knight guarding the sealed palace pointed to someone extraordinary.
I began listing possible suspects in my mind.
