Chapter 5: Vanillin, Come Here

I forgot about the situation for a moment, and a chill ran down my spine.

‘That smile….’

Even though he had been directly insulted about his mother, he hadn’t shaken in the slightest.

The corners of his lips were still curved into a gentle smile, and his gaze hadn’t wavered at all.

…That was even more frightening.

He was clearly a person, yet somehow he didn’t feel like one.

‘Come to think of it, he was exactly the same when the Celestial Man’s Pottery almost broke.’

Even when everyone else held their breath in fear, he alone had remained calm.

As if he had known that something like this would happen.

“…You are too ignorant of how the world works. Why on earth won’t you marry my daughter?”

“There are too many people watching. Are you trying to… clean up the mess?”

“…Answer me!”

Bang!

Marquis Desmond stomped his foot hard.

“Hic!”

Th-that scared me.

My thoughts were completely interrupted.

In the short time I had been distracted, the situation seemed to have reached its limit.

“You pretend to be the only good and kind person….”

The Marquis glared with bloodshot eyes and roughly pushed away the Third Prince’s arm.

“You disgust me, so stop wearing that smile.”

Crash!

The wine glass in the Third Prince’s hand flew away and shattered against the floor.

His drunken speech and rude pointing made it clear that he was no longer in a state where he could have a proper conversation.

The Third Prince sighed and gestured to the knights.

“Please escort the Marquis outside. It seems he has had too much to drink.”

His voice was quiet, but the knights moved the moment he finished speaking.

There was no hesitation.

No questions.

It felt as though they had been waiting for this very moment.

“I know people like you very well, Your Highness. You act gentle and kind in front of everyone, but behind their backs, you scheme and plot all sorts of things! You are nothing but a despicable man!”

Marquis Desmond struggled, but it was useless.

Everyone already knew.

They knew who held the power in this room.

“That’s enough. What kind of disgrace is this at the Founding Anniversary banquet?!”

“Let go of me! You’re all being deceived! You’re being deceived by that disgusting smile!”

“We will not tolerate any more disturbance! Let’s go!”

Clack!

The knights dragged Marquis Desmond away, somewhat forcefully.

Fortunately, they went in the exact opposite direction from the door where I was standing.

Ah, of course, Dai was no exception.

“Young Master, you should leave as well.”

“What? No, wait! I—!”

“Yes, let’s go outside and talk.”

There was nothing Dai could do, even though he waved both arms around.

Dai was dragged away right after Marquis Desmond.

“I’ll reveal everything! For the sake of the Empire!”

The Marquis continued shouting at the top of his lungs until the very end, but no one listened to him.

Then—

Boom!

The heavy door closed.

The nobles all looked toward the Third Prince, watching his reaction.

“Your Highness….”

“Are you all right?”

“Oh dear….”

The Third Prince smiled as if he were troubled.

“I’d like to say I’m fine….”

He lowered his eyes sadly.

“But today, I seem to be rather unlucky.”

As he touched his sleeve, everyone’s eyes naturally followed the movement.

Looking closely, I saw a bright red stain spreading across his pure white formal clothes.

It was from the wine glass Marquis Desmond had practically thrown at him.

“That crazy man…!”

“Your Highness, your clothes…!”

“I’ll call a servant immediately.”

What a vulgar man, right until the very end…!

The nobles’ faces were filled with obvious hostility toward the Marquis.

The Third Prince looked down at his sleeve for a moment.

Then he shook his head.

“No.”

He smiled as if he were trying his best to show that he was all right, but his long eyelashes lowered sadly.

“I’ll go inside for a moment. Please continue enjoying yourselves.”

With a polite but firm bow,

the Third Prince also left the banquet hall.

Only then did I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding.

“Hoo….”

The Imperial Family was incredible….

How should I put it?

It seemed the palace wasn’t simply beautiful.

The endless series of incidents made it impossible to look away.

My legs lost their strength, and I sank to the ground.

But wait.

I felt like I had forgotten something….

‘Ah, right! Dai!’

He had been kicked out too.

Only then did reality sink in.

Ugh… What should I do?

‘First, I should go to the meeting place, right…?’

Ugh.

I should have followed him sooner.

I sighed and quickly started walking.

‘Why is this place so difficult to navigate…!’

I had no idea how many times I had already gotten lost.

“Sniff….”

I swallowed my tears.

The abandoned garden of the Imperial Palace.

They said it was inside the Fifth Detached Palace, which had been closed after everyone there died because of a terrible curse.

No one would willingly go anywhere near such a place.

So it was an excellent place for thieves to meet.

‘Dai…. He’ll come, right?’

He had to come.

I let out a deep sigh.

It had been a very long day.

I had gone through an interview to become an Imperial maid and stolen the useless Sacred Contract.

I had saved the Celestial Man’s Pottery and watched all kinds of incidents at the banquet….

‘And I met the Third Prince too.’

A truly beautiful, yet incredibly frightening man.

Shiver.

Just thinking about him gave me goosebumps.

‘But I’ll probably never see him again.’

It was like a midsummer night’s dream that would end with today.

I probably wouldn’t see the Third Prince again for the rest of my life.

I didn’t know when I would be allowed to go outside again.

Droop.

I trudged forward.

Dai was a complicated person to me.

He was the benefactor who had taken me in after my only family, my older brother, died and left me alone.

But he was also a terrible boss who beat me whenever he had the chance and constantly ordered me to go out and earn money.

In exchange for investigating my brother’s death, I had to work without being allowed to leave.

It had all started when I was very young.

When I was five years old.

Rustle.

A small noise interrupted my thoughts.

I looked around and realized I was already standing in front of the Fifth Detached Palace.

I could sense someone in the distance.

It was probably Dai.

I hurried my steps.

But as I got closer, I began to hear voices.

‘Is he with the Marquis?’

I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but they were definitely men’s voices.

Step, step.

I walked faster.

“…You should blame your quick instincts….”

“…Please, just let me live…!”

The words that I couldn’t hear clearly before gradually became more distinct.

The content sounded a little strange, but….

‘What’s going on…?’

For now, I kept walking.

And finally, when I carefully turned the corner—

“Repent for your sins through death.”

Along with that strangely familiar, sweetly gentle voice,

Slash!

My eyes met those of the Third Prince as he slashed across Marquis Desmond’s chest.

“Ah…?”

No… Wait.

The Third Prince?

I froze completely and shifted my eyes.

Marquis Desmond was bleeding heavily from a stab wound.

And farther away, Dai was lying on the ground in the exact same way.

My thoughts stopped.

‘No, really…?’

I carefully rubbed my eyes.

But the scene in front of me didn’t change.

Two fallen men….

And the Third Prince, staring directly at me.

‘The Third Prince…?!’

Yes.

It really was the Third Prince.

The man who had calmly endured insults to his face,

who had smiled and said he was fine even after wine was spilled on his clothes—

The Saint of the Empire, loved by everyone.

He curved his eyes beautifully as he smiled.

“Vanillin?”

That voice instantly brought me back to reality.

‘I’m doomed…!’

A vulgar curse slipped out of me without thinking.

I glanced at the man’s hand through my tear-filled eyes.

The blade of the sword, shining sharply under the moonlight, was covered in blood.

“It’s Vanillin.”

The voice calling my name was as soft, gentle, and warm as always.

…Then why was such a cold wind blowing all around me?

Sniff.

I swallowed my tears and spoke as harmlessly as possible.

“If I told you that I couldn’t see and couldn’t hear anything, would you believe me…?”

With tears filling my eyes and the tip of my nose red, I pleaded with him.

The Prince smiled, his eyes curving gently.

“Of course.”

“R-really…?”

“Do you think I really would?”

No….

Sniff.

I shook my head with tears in my eyes.

‘I’m doomed….’

No matter how I looked at it, this was far beyond anything I was supposed to witness.

My gaze moved back to the man lying on the ground.

“Marquis Desmond….”

And Dai…!

What kind of trouble had I gotten into because of those damn men?

As I trembled, a gentle voice settled over me.

“Well, you said you couldn’t see or hear?”

You know exactly who I am, don’t you?

The Third Prince briefly glanced at Marquis Desmond, who was bleeding from his chest, then met my eyes.

Then—

Swish.

With a calm expression, he shook the blood off his sword.

“Vanillin.”

A smile bloomed across his face like a flower in full bloom.

“Come here.”

It was the very smile of someone who had just spotted his prey.