“I should remove her completely from the customer list.”
Anasha’s voice sounded resolute, as if she were drawing up an execution list. Her sudden shift in demeanor brought a hearty laugh out of me.
“Aren’t you curious why I pointed to her as the culprit?”
“If it’s about what happened at the hunting tournament, I already know. She’s more than capable of pulling something like this. But would a scheme this clever really come from her head?”
Anasha tilted her head in puzzlement. Indeed, the First Prince’s consort was reckless enough to start something like this, but on the flip side, she wasn’t meticulous enough to carry it out so neatly. That was why Anasha had initially suspected the First Imperial Consort.
“So the First Imperial Consort is behind it after all?”
“Who knows. But this doesn’t quite fit her style either.”
Anasha nodded at my words.
The First Imperial Consort wasn’t the type to start a fight she couldn’t win. She was the sort who bided her time, endured in silence, and struck the moment her opponent showed weakness, snapping their neck in an instant. She didn’t make a fuss or stir up noise like this. I couldn’t fathom why she’d approve of something so chaotic, but it was true that these rumors had dealt a heavy blow to our side.
My already plummeting reputation had begun to affect even my fiancé, Sys. Whispers were starting to circulate among the nobles: How could a crown prince who couldn’t even control his fiancée’s behavior be trusted to handle state affairs?
In just a few short days, the rumors had spread across the entire capital, beyond the point of containment, just as Anasha feared.
“What does His Highness the Crown Prince plan to do?”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—and a rumor for a rumor.”
“Merchants are unbeatable when it comes to rumors, that’s for sure.”
Anasha gave a sly smile. For merchants chasing ever greater profits, manipulating information was essential. Turning an ordinary item into something unique and priceless—that was the very goal they pursued.
“What do you need me to do?”
As my words continued, Anasha’s face grew increasingly grave. She suddenly shot to her feet and cried out.
“That’s absurd!”
“Don’t get worked up—sit down, Anasha.”
“How can I not? If this goes wrong, your reputation will be buried alive in noble society!”
“Then we just make sure it doesn’t go wrong.”
“Bionne!”
“Is there any lower my reputation can sink?”
Anasha fell silent at my question. I set down my teacup, which had run dry, and pushed it aside.
“My reputation is already at rock bottom. It can’t get any worse from here.”
“It’s a reputation without substance. Rumors you can ignore if you choose to. But Bionne, the method you’re talking about is dangerous. It could give the rumors real weight.”
“It’s risky, yes—but it could yield just as much in return.”
“Has His Highness the Crown Prince approved this?”
She stood there still, gazing at me. Her eyes were steady, filled with the conviction that she would never let anything harm me.
“He told me not to set foot outside the mansion.”
Sys intended to use this incident to pressure the First Prince’s faction. It was clear grounds for accusing them of attempted regicide—treason, plain and simple. But before he could act, malicious rumors about me had spread, and his injury was pinned on me. Without solid evidence, it could be me, not them, branded as the one who harmed the crown prince.
Even if I escaped that accusation, these circulating rumors were poison for me as the future crown princess. They could easily become grounds for breaking off the engagement. Even as mere gossip, they were lethal to someone who needed to be utterly beyond reproach as the crown princess.
Soon enough, someone would start questioning my suitability for the role. And it wouldn’t just be the First Prince’s faction—there were those in Sys’s own camp who didn’t care for me.
Our union had been pushed through by the emperor’s unilateral decree, after all. Within Sys’s faction, plenty of nobles eyed the position at his side. They wouldn’t miss a chance like this. Enemies weren’t just outside; even within the same faction, interests tangled and clashed endlessly.
While Sys lay unconscious, our side was fixated on him, but the First Prince’s people handled the aftermath of the hunting tournament. Every trace of that day had vanished. Completely, cleanly.
Sys had altered his plan and kept his recovery a secret. It was to buy even a little time. If he surfaced now, he’d have to catch the one who hurt him—and with the rumors as they were, I was the prime suspect.
Even if Sys denied it, without overturning my reputation, I’d have to live under that yoke forever. And regardless of our wishes, I’d be forced to step down as the crown prince’s fiancée.
Only a handful knew he was hale and hearty—myself included. He was locked in a desperate struggle with those few to turn the tide. Unfortunately, they hadn’t secured irrefutable proof yet. The longer time passed, the more it worked against us.
“Why push forward with something even His Highness opposes?”
“Because it’s the fastest, surest way to turn the tables.”
At my answer, Anasha sighed and slumped back onto the sofa.
“Bionne, think it over one more time. There must be another way that doesn’t involve this.”
“Maybe. But if this succeeds, I’ll never have to face scandals like this again.”
“That’s true, but…”
“I’m sick and tired of these rumors.”
The exhausting gossip that had dogged me then and still did now.
I could face whatever rumors came my way with equanimity these days, but I couldn’t stomach the harm they caused to those around me. Up to now, I hadn’t felt the need to touch them, letting them slide. But this time, it was necessary to end them once and for all.
“What will you do if I don’t help?”
“I believe you will.”
I met her gaze squarely.
“You’re my person, Anasha.”
“If you’d just ordered me, I could’ve refused…”
Anasha shook her head, as if she had no choice.
“But you go and stab right at my weak spot like that—how can I not move?”
At her declaration of surrender, I offered a gentle smile.
“I trust you’ll do even better than I imagine.”
“That’s scarier than telling me to die if I fail.”
She let out a wry chuckle. I sank deeper into the sofa. The tension in my body eased at the thought that I’d finally convinced at least one person.
With Anasha on board, Evan was next. I’d already given up on persuading Sys and Father. Their stubbornness was tougher and more unyielding than I’d thought. Father had even issued a lifelong ban on my going out—something he’d never done before.
“Never mind me—what’s your plan for Evan?”
Anasha drained the last of her tea in one gulp and continued.
“Evan’s a stickler for principles. Bionne, if he senses even the slightest threat to your safety, he won’t budge, even if it kills him. Without the guild master’s consent, I can’t mobilize the entire guild, no matter what.”
The plan I had in mind required simultaneous action across the region. Involving the whole guild would raise the odds of success.
“First, I need to meet Evan. Has he returned?”
At my question, Anasha’s eyes flickered faintly. She hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.
“I wasn’t going to tell you for a while, actually…”
“Is there a problem?”
Anasha let out a quiet sigh.
“He’s been back for a few days.”
My face darkened at her answer. I had no need to track Evan’s every move, but after being away so long, he should have at least contacted me. Moreover, Anasha’s words all but confirmed they’d intended to keep his return from me.
Anasha and Evan were my people. If they’d deliberately hidden it, they must have decided there was nothing good to come from me knowing.
But even if it was for my sake, I didn’t want my people fighting battles for me in the shadows without my knowledge. I wanted to fight alongside them, not stand protected behind their backs.
“Tell me everything.”
“Well, you know he rushed off to the west because something came up?”
Starting her tale with a sigh, Anasha glanced at her teacup, as if her throat had gone dry. The cup before her was already empty.
I gestured to stop her and rang the bell. No sooner had the sound rung out than the maid waiting outside entered and bowed. I instructed her to bring fresh tea. She swiftly served it and left the reception room.
While the new tea was being prepared, Anasha seemed to organize her thoughts, then began her story over a sip.
“The western branch was attacked.”
“Attacked?”
I didn’t grasp her words right away.
The Pison Guild wasn’t just big in the empire—it was one of the largest on the entire continent, second to none. If it collapsed, the impact on the continent would be unimaginable. Even the emperor would need to deliberate long and hard before touching the Pison Guild.
‘The Pison Guild, attacked?’
Anasha wasn’t one to spout nonsense to me. But even from her, the idea that the Pison Guild had been raided was too outlandish to swallow whole.
“Who attacked the guild?”
Guild master Evan had gone himself. If it required his personal attention, it was no small matter. The guild master wouldn’t move for something like petty thieves in a branch.
Like other guilds, the Pison branches were located in bustling trade cities. A guild of that scale typically sat at the heart of the city. For the guild master to mobilize over an assault on such a branch meant it had suffered major damage—something no individual could pull off. That pointed to the attackers being at least an organized group, if not a nation.
My guess must have hit the mark, for Anasha’s expression darkened as she spoke.
“The attackers were the Inayari.”
“The Inayari?”
My voice rose without me realizing it. It was the last opponent I’d expected.
The Inayari were a plundering tribe, yes, but they targeted merchant caravans crossing the west or small villages on the outskirts of cities, at most. If the Inayari were raiding cities outright, the nations involved wouldn’t stand idly by. They were a headache for any single country to handle, but united, several nations could wipe them out easily.
The reason neighboring states tolerated the Inayari’s raids despite knowing about them was simple: Ignoring the plunder was cheaper than launching a war to exterminate them.
The Inayari had innately robust physiques, and every adult male was practically a warrior. In their desert homeland, they were even more formidable. They struck and retreated with hit-and-run tactics in areas bordering the sands.
Even the empire would suffer heavy losses wiping them out. If the empire struggled, what of the weaker kingdoms?
The only way to eradicate the Inayari with minimal national effort was for all the countries to pool their strength. But that was nearly impossible. Any organization’s ultimate goal was its own benefit. Exterminating the Inayari wouldn’t profit a nation much. At best, it ended periodic raids. Instead, it just drained resources. No country would step up for such a bothersome, unrewarding task.
Moreover, the Inayari mainly plundered remote border regions near the desert. It wasn’t worth expending national power to subjugate them over that.
But large cities with guild branches were different. Each nation stationed knights and soldiers in their cities to maintain order. Losing those garrisoned troops was tantamount to losing national strength. No country could overlook it.
“Are you sure?”
“Evan saw it with his own eyes.”
Evan, who sponsored Lai—a half-Inayari—wouldn’t mistake them for anyone else. If he’d seen them himself, it was definitely the Inayari.
