IQBSA 27

Chapter 27

When I returned, Roakin was not in his seat.

“……Where did he go?”

I scanned the banquet hall thoroughly, but not even his shadow was visible.

With his unparalleled appearance, there was no way I would have missed him if he’d been there.

I concluded that Roakin must have gone somewhere else for a moment.

『He’ll probably be back soon.』

While waiting for Roakin, I decided to look for the female lead.

Since the Founding Festival would be her first official appearance, I couldn’t be certain, but you never know.

She might have snuck into the palace by now.

I racked my memory for Ramona’s description.

『Silver hair like moonlight and lake-blue eyes, I think.』

And she was said to have breathtaking beauty. She should stand out, but when she was on the run like this, that changed.

『There’s no way she’d leave herself easily recognizable.』

I tried hard to search, but as expected, there was no sign of Ramona.

『Instead of staying here, I should go outside the banquet hall.』

If I were Ramona, I’d probably take advantage of everyone’s attention being on the eve-of-the-festival to go find the Crown Prince.

Just as I was planning to check around the Crown Prince’s bedchamber when Roakin returned, I heard someone plop down into the seat beside me.

“Tower Master……—no, Charis……?”

I’d naturally expected it to be Roakin, but Charis had taken his place instead.

“We’re seeing a lot of each other today, aren’t we?”

“What brings you here, Charis?”

“I came at the Tower Master’s request. He said he had somewhere to go for a bit and asked me to stay by Serpine’s side.”

“Roakin said that? Didn’t he mention where he was going?”

Charis shook her head firmly.

“He left in such a hurry I didn’t even have time to ask. I was going to check with you, but I guess you don’t know either. Any idea where he might have gone?”

“……No.”

That was my answer, but one thing did come to mind.

『Could he have gone to meet Ramona?』

They say fate brings people together when it’s meant to happen—the timing was much later than in the original story, but it was still possible.

But he had promised to protect me, and then just ran off to meet the female lead?

Tower Master, that’s not keeping your promise!

If that really was the case, I might not be able to guarantee my life.

A sub-male lead distracted by the female lead wouldn’t care what happened to an extra like me……

“If he left without a word, it’s probably nothing too urgent. Let’s just chat and wait together.”

“I suppose that’s for the best.”

Since Charis was watching me, I couldn’t exactly wander around suspiciously. I sat still and kept Charis company in conversation.

“I just heard the funniest story from one of my subordinates—want to hear it too, Serpine?”

I had a strong feeling I’d be better off not hearing it, but Charis seemed so eager to share that I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

“……Uh, sure. I’m curious.”

When I reluctantly answered, Charis got all excited and launched into a lame dad joke.

『This is why I didn’t want to hear it.』

It was no easy task to muster up my nonexistent soul and react properly. Besides, my attention was elsewhere.

I had to keep an eye out for any sign of Ramona and watch for any suspicious moves from the Empress.

I kept my eyes darting around for a while. Eventually, people began to trickle out of the banquet hall.

“Excuse me…… it’s time to start cleaning up now.”

A servant who had come to clean looked at me and Charis—the only ones still lingering at the banquet table—with a troubled expression.

“Serpine, what should we do? I think we need to get up now.”

“……Is it that late?”

“I mean, where is the Tower Master and what’s he doing that he’s still not back? Does he think he’s the only busy one……”

In the end, Roakin never returned even by the time the eve-of-the-festival ended.

Charis looked at the empty banquet hall, deep in thought, then spoke.

“Since it’s so late, going back to the Magic Tower might be difficult. I can arrange accommodations for you, so would you rest there for now? I also have things to do, so I’m afraid I can’t stay by your side the whole time.”

Would I be okay alone in the palace with the Empress? And I couldn’t very well head back to the Magic Tower alone in the middle of the night.

『If it was going to take this long, shouldn’t he have taken me with him?』

For now, it seemed the only option was to take shelter in the place Charis had arranged for me.

With a somewhat bitter feeling, I said:

“……I’d appreciate that.”

*Knock, knock.*

“Serpine, it’s me. Charis.”

I hurried to the door and opened it to find Charis holding a silk nightgown.

“I asked the head maid for this—I’m not sure if the size will fit.”

“It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t fit perfectly. Thank you.”

Charis started to close the door, then stopped and swung it wide open, pointing to two sturdy men standing behind her.

“I still felt uneasy, so…… I posted some guards out front. So don’t worry and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Thank you so much for your concern, Charis.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll come back in the morning.”

After Charis left coolly, I checked that the door was properly locked and added an extra latch.

“……Well, there’s no helping it now.”

Since there were guards, I had no choice but to trust them.

The room Charis had prepared seemed to be a guest suite for VIPs, furnished with the finest furniture and exuding a highly refined taste.

『Above all, the bed…… I love it!』

A fluffy bed that made me want to fall asleep right away was welcoming me with open arms.

『And the nightgown is so soft too!』

Having only ever worn cotton nightgowns, slipping into silk was a whole new world.

I immediately ran to the bed and sank into the soft bedding.

“Ah, this is nice.”

It felt like all the fatigue from my recent tumultuous journey was finally melting away.

Strictly speaking, the situation wasn’t all that great, but I decided to take a positive outlook.

“But I think…… it’s better to leave the light on.”

The bright light hurt my eyes, but it was a hundred times better than facing an assassin in the dark.

I pulled the blanket up over my head and closed my eyes. As I fiddled with my protective earring to calm my mind, a question suddenly occurred to me.

Come to think of it, even though the Empress had been right next to me at the banquet hall earlier, the earring hadn’t reacted at all.

『……Why? Does it only detect direct intent to kill, and not lesser hostility?』

What exactly was the standard for “strong murderous intent”?

Why wasn’t it reacting to the Empress!

The thought that even this earring couldn’t be fully trusted filled me with dread.

I sat up abruptly, checked the door lock once more, and even flung open the curtains to make sure no one was hiding on the balcony.

“Ah!”

But the dark figure moving outside nearly made me fall backward.

I pressed myself against the wall and carefully peered through the gap in the curtains.

Someone was sitting on the railing.

“……Oh, you startled me.”

Who else could it be?

It was Roakin Arjen.

I steadied my racing heart, threw open the balcony door, and approached him.

White moonlight drifted like a swimmer across Roakin’s face as he sat with his eyes quietly closed, and his pitch-black hair—blurring against the night sky—fluttered freely in the wind.

It was undeniably a mysterious, dreamlike sight that left me speechless, but the thought that came to me was……

『What are you doing in such a dangerous place!』

Couldn’t he appear in a more normal way?

Roakin was perched precariously on the railing, enough to make any onlooker’s blood run cold.

I quickly reached the railing and felt dizzy when I carelessly glanced down.

“What are you doing there?”

Even sitting in such a perilous spot, Roakin looked at me with an unruffled, leisurely expression.

“I said I’d come back, didn’t I? I told the Knight Commander—didn’t she pass it on properly?”

『You didn’t say it would be at such a strange time.』

Along with relief, resentment washed over me as I glared at him and asked.

“And where did you go that you’re only coming back now?”

“I made a quick trip to the Magic Tower.”

“Why the Magic Tower?”

“I realized…… I’d forgotten to bathe Lucifer.”

“Excuse me?”

I was so deflated that I lost my words for a moment.

“You disappeared for such a ridiculous reason? It’s not like bathing a cat was that urgent—you could have done it later.”

“Not at all. If you knew what a foul stench that creature leaves in my room, you wouldn’t say that.”

If he hadn’t been sitting on the railing, I’d have grabbed him by the collar and shaken him, but I held back.

Right, who could possibly understand the Tower Master’s unique mindset?

In a resigned tone, I asked:

“……Is that really all you went to do—bathe a cat?”

I’d heard that cats don’t smell much even without baths, so it was quite suspicious.

“I handled some urgent work while I was there too.”

“And what about the promise you made to me?”

Sensing the serious atmosphere, Roakin cautiously watched my mood and replied.

“I left Charis Ril in my place, didn’t I? She may have a quirky personality, but her skills are reliable.”

“Tower Master…… if you keep this up, I’ll call off the deal. The contract renewal too.”

“That’s not fair.”

“You’re the one who broke the promise first.”

“Fine. I was wrong. If I just promise not to disappear on my own again, that’s fine, right? As long as I keep that promise, we have no problem?”

“Well, you could say that.”

Since Roakin was being cooperative, I softened my expression.

“It’s chilly out here—let’s go inside.”

Landed lightly on the floor, Roakin naturally walked past me and tried to enter the room.

“Wait a moment. Why are you going in there?”

“Then where am I supposed to go?”

“Aren’t you going back to the Magic Tower?”

“Since I’ll have to come back to the palace tomorrow anyway, it’s better to just sleep here. I’d be fine, but you’re not used to teleportation yet—going back and forth too much could strain your body.”

Tomorrow was an important day—the Founding Festival.

I needed to help Ramona deal with the Empress, and it would be a disaster if I collapsed at a critical moment.

To conserve my energy, it seemed best to follow Roakin’s advice.

“Putting me aside—are you going to stay here too?”

“You just said it yourself. That I should stay by your side.”

“I did say that, but……”

“If you’re really uncomfortable, I can head back to the Magic Tower now and come again in the morning.”

There’s no telling what might happen overnight—having the Tower Master nearby couldn’t be more reassuring.

After a moment’s hesitation, I spoke.

“……The bed is mine.”