Chapter Twenty Eight

Rahu leapt up and put a hand on the hilt of his sword.

It was in order to unsheathe his sword if necessary.

‘Who is expressing this murderous intent in the middle of the palace?’

To make matters worse, the murderous intent was quickly being directed at him.

Just why? And who?

He thought of several situations, but he couldn’t draw a conclusion.

Based on his energy, he was definitely a formidable talent.

Rahu felt a bead of sweat drip down his spine.

And at that moment-

Bang!

An outstretched sword swung at the spot where Rahu had just moments ago been standing.

Rahu quickly reacted by unsheathing his own sword.

The two shadows repeatedly came together and split apart.

The only thing he could see within the darkness was the after-image of the sharp blade, appearing and disappearing.

A few seconds went by like that. Rahu didn’t even have the chance to ask why the mysterious figure was attacking him.

This was because whenever he tried to speak, the opponent would strike out with a bloodthirsty sword swing, keeping him preoccupied with trying to block and evade.

He was further enraged by the fact that he was unable to just murder someone in this castle.

That’s why Rahu missed it.

The Silver Lily was secretly leaving the palace while he was swinging blades with this mysterious opponent.

* * *

“Ughhhh.”

“Huff, huff… S-Save meee…!”

“What a pretty lady!”

“I’m innocent. I’m innocent. I didn’t do it. I-I’m…”

The sight of the basement prison was ghastly. There was blood smeared here and there, and I felt dazed by the pained sounds of the criminals.

“Hehehehehe. It seems a precious person has come down!”

Not to mention, there were many criminals who raked me with their haughty eyes.

I ignored all of those stares and noises and made my way to Madame Chunet’s solitary room.

“This way.”

Madame Chunet’s solitary room was the harshest room of them all.

It was a dark space with no sunlight, and there were a variety of stenches emanating from it.

My face crumpled up unconsciously.

“This is a place not just anyone can enter.”

The prison guard standing in front of the door to Madame Chunet’s solitary room held out a spear and blocked my way.

Dovea took a step forward before speaking to the guard in my place.

“We’re from Lily Palace. Miss Silver Lily has personally come to interrogate the criminal, so open the door.”

“M-Miss Silver Lily?!”

At Dovea’s words, the guard started in surprise and stared at me.

This was because it was now known to everyone in the palace that the Silver Lily had started receiving the favor of the Emperor.

Regardless of how oblivious you were to rumours, the fact that everyone in the palace was talking about me made it even stranger if you didn’t know.

I took off the hood that had been covering my face and opened my mouth.

“Open the door. I’m here to interrogate the criminal.”

“M-M-Miss Silver Lily! I apologize for not recognizing you! B-But do you have the permission of His Majesty…?”

I took out the certificate of approval I’d received from Hadel earlier and showed it to him.

After quickly scanning it, the guard bowed his head up and down while repeatedly apologizing.

“I truly apologize, Miss Silver Lily. Since I’m here all day long, I…”

The guard didn’t have to go this far, but he kept bowing, so he must have been feeling bad about something.

“It’s fine, so hurry and leave.”

The guard finally let out a sigh of relief at my words before quickly leaving the solitary room.

Madame Chunet was imprisoned by both hands and feet, hanging from the wall, inside the solitary room.

They had probably hung her up like that so she wouldn’t be able to sleep properly.

Madame Chunet was only Duke Valkirino’s pawn, so it didn’t make me feel good to see her in such appalling circumstances.

Not to mention that most embezzlement criminals did not face such severe punishment.

Hadel likely did this because he had been very angry at the time.

How furious must that nice kid have been?

“Countess Chunet.”

I slowly approached her.

Madame Chunet, who didn’t even stir, slowly opened her closed eyes.

And when I made eye contact with her endlessly plain brown eyes…

I felt a strange chill overcome my body, causing me to shiver.

“Miss Silver Lily.”

This time, Madame Chunet called me.

Even in this worst-case scenario, her voice was as dry as ever.

Did this woman truly have no emotions?

“Do you acknowledge your crime of embezzling the Lily Palace’s funds?”

She probably wouldn’t. I didn’t expect her to admit it, but I asked her for procedural formalities.

However, she gave an unexpected response.

“I… acknowledge it.”

Despite the fact that I’d already planned what I’d say and do if she refused to acknowledge it.

To think she’d admit it so easily.

I was a little taken aback, but this meant things would be easier.

“Who ordered you to do it? To embezzle Lily Palace’s funds, that is.”

“No one did. I just did it because I wanted it for myself.”

As expected. This time, she responded just as I’d expected.

But something about Madame Chuent’s condition appeared strange.

I asked again.

“Countess. Did you really do this by yourself? Then how did you do it?”

“No one did. I just did it because I wanted it for myself.”

“I’m asking why you did it.”

“No one did. I just did it because I wanted it for myself.”

I didn’t question her any further.

Madame Chunet’s condition was truly strange. She just kept repeating the same words. 

I decided to ask something completely different this time.

“Madame Chunet.”

“…Miss Silver Lily.”

“Do you acknowledge the crime of trying to kill me?”

“I… ac… know… ugh!”

Ah, that surprised me.

Madame Chunet’s eyes flipped inside out, followed by shrieking and screaming.

“Countess! Madame Chunet!”

I called her in a panic, but she couldn’t speak further.

She finally made a sobbing noise while I was still perplexedly trying to understand what was happening.

“Save m… ughh!”

Then, as if a marionette had had its strings cut, her body began to shake and slump, hanging on both sides.

Dovea and I, at a loss for words, could only look at each other’s faces.

Just what was going on?

“Dovea.”

“Yes, Miss Silver Lily.”

“Doesn’t this seem dangerous?”

“…Yes.”

“Hoo. Let’s leave for now. We need to let His Majesty know. And shut the mouth of the guard.”

“Do not worry. I brought a bundle of money just in case.”

Dovea took out a bundle of money that she’d prepared beforehand.

The guard must have been pleased when she gave it to him and asked him to keep what happened during our visit a secret because he grinned and swore his loyalty.

“Let’s hurry and return. It’d be best to come back with His Majesty.”

I’d wanted to finish the interrogation first so that Hadel wouldn’t give her a harsh punishment.

However, it would be best to cooperate now that things had reached this point.

Hadel had to see her in this state.

If he saw this, he might know something.

What mattered was that Madame Chunet had embezzled against her will.

And more importantly…

She appeared to have no emotions not because she was like ‘that,’ but because all emotions had been removed from her.

In that case, that was probably not her own will either.

After hastily returning to the Lily Palace, I encountered an unexpected and perplexing situation, and was unable to enter the palace, stopping at the entrance.

Bang!

Bang bang bang!

Clang-!

This was because of the two escort guards who were still fighting to their deaths on the roof.

“I didn’t want… them to risk their lives like this.”

A lot of time must have passed, so why were they still like this?

Guards were a group of people who were difficult to understand.

But because things had reached this point because of me… I probably had to tell them to stop, right?

“Okay, have a drink. This is Crabell Tea, and it will help you regain your stamina.” 

I poured the hot tea into the tea cups and smiled brightly.

I poured a cup for each person and then one for myself.

The refreshing yet dignified and earthy scent filled the air of the palace.

However, the two men seated in front of me had contorted faces and did not appear to be planning to straighten them out anytime soon.

Annoyance was slowly bubbling up, but I calmed myself down.

Because the only reason these two men were fighting on the roof of Lily Palace was because of me.

Of course, that was a secret that had to remain between me and Hadel at all costs.

I cleared my throat once more before smiling brightly.

“Knights. Enough with that, and please drink this tea. I made it myself, and if it cools down…”

Acting pitiful, I frowned.

I turned my gaze downward to appear gloomy, and to my surprise, the man with the dark skin, Rahu, was the first to respond.

“I-I’ll drink it well.”

He took the hot tea in one hand and drank it all in one go.

Drinking it like that had to leave a burn in his mouth.

“Cough!”

Just as I’d suspected, Rahu’s face reddened, and the tea dribbled down the edges of his lips.

The navy blue-haired man next to him looked disgusted at this sight.

Ha. Were these people enemies or something?

“Be careful. It’s hot. Anyway, it’s my first time seeing you over there, Sir…”

I tilted my head slightly and shifted my gaze to the knight with the navy blue hair.

I knew he was the escort guard that Hadel had sent, but I blinked my eyes as if I knew nothing.

“…I’m Taimon. His Majesty ordered me to protect you, Miss Silver Lily.”

---

tl & pr: youj

Youj: ooh turns out teacher’s college has hands because i have not had time for translating! it’s finals season, and i’m done everything but one paper… which i’m procrastinating on by proofreading this ❤ hope you’re all well, hopefully more updates this month but no promises xx

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