MFAWW 16

Chapter 16

A fresh smile bloomed on the Crown Prince’s face. When feeling down, cleansing one’s eyes with something beautiful was indeed the best remedy.

Watching his eyes curve into a fine, gentle shape, a different kind of thirst arose within me than before.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave for today… Huh?”

Just as I was about to bid him farewell, a butterfly suddenly fluttered over and lightly alighted on my shoulder.

“A butterfly, of all things…”

Shoo, shoo.

I waved my hand to chase it away, but the butterfly rose again and this time landed on my head. Oh, really?

“Come here.”

Seeing me wrestling with the butterfly, the Crown Prince reached out his hand. His slender, long, fair fingers brushed past my bangs and then fell away.

“Good girl.”

The Crown Prince spoke softly to the butterfly perched on his finger, then flicked his hand to send it flying off.

“Iris, it seems it likes your scent.”

“…Did the butterfly tell you that?”

“Yes.”

So spirit talkers could communicate with butterflies too. I learned something new. At that moment, a light breeze brushed past my ear.

“The spirits like your body scent too.”

The Crown Prince spoke in a cheerful voice as he watched my hair flutter softly in the wind.

What on earth did I smell like? Curiosity suddenly arose, but I didn’t ask. Just because spirits and butterflies liked it didn’t guarantee it was a pleasant fragrance.

III. Let’s Have a Conversation

“You foolish child!”

“M-Mother…”

Pavel stammered, his face turning pale at the Empress’s angry voice. He had expected to be scolded for telling her what happened outside, but her fury was greater than he had anticipated, and he was struck with fear.

“Instead of studying quietly in the Prince’s palace, you just had to go out and cause trouble before coming back?”

The Empress could not contain her anger. She already had a headache from nothing going right lately, and now her son had gone and caused unnecessary trouble—it was maddening.

“I’m sorry.”

Pavel quickly bowed his head. The Empress was usually the most benevolent and affectionate mother, but when angered, she was terrifying. In times like this, prostrating oneself was the best course of action.

“Just where are your eyes?! You couldn’t even recognize your own former fiancée’s face!”

“But she really did look exactly alike…”

Pavel protested with a sullen expression. He was certain that if the Empress saw Lady Subrina Viscount herself, she wouldn’t be able to tell her apart from Lady Bright Marquess either. To that extent, the two were identical from head to toe.

“It wasn’t just me—Eris couldn’t tell either!”

“Don’t you make excuses!”

The enraged Empress shouted sharply. At the fierce outburst, Pavel fell silent.

“Of all things.”

The Empress pressed her temples firmly with a tired expression. She had already heard two reports about Lady Subrina Viscount. She had also heard about the several commotions over the past few days caused by her striking resemblance to Lady Bright Marquess.

However, until just a moment ago, she had not thought Lady Subrina Viscount’s existence would pose a threat to her. In truth, the Empress had paid her no mind at all.

That was only natural. Although Lady Subrina Viscount was of Bright lineage, legally she was a stranger. She had never associated with the Bright family, so there would be no familial affection, and with Lady Bright Marquess missing, the Duke and Marquess would have their hands full—she had thought the matter would just blow over after a brief stir.

But her foolish son had changed the situation. She had warned him time and again to mind his conduct, yet he had gone gallivanting about like a reckless fool and run into Lady Subrina Viscount. And not only that—he’d been caught in an act of adultery!

“Iris Subrina, was it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the Empress’s gesture, the head maid respectfully held out the report she had been carrying. The contents of the report were merely a recitation of what she had already heard days earlier.

“Is this all there is?”

“I apologize. She kept no connections in the capital and resided only on her estate, so…”

At the Empress’s reproach, the head maid bowed her head in embarrassment. The Empress clicked her tongue and tossed the report onto the table.

“Has anyone caught wind of it?”

“Rumors are starting to circulate a little, but… since many people criticized the newspapers for their excessive coverage of Lady Bright Marquess’s disappearance, they seem to be treading carefully for now.”

“Hmm.”

Her rose-red eyes turned to the newspaper lying on the table. Thanks to having instructed the Guard Captain to keep things quiet, the papers had not yet given extensive coverage to Lady Subrina Viscount.

However, a few newspapers had run articles about the Bright lady’s return to the capital or about a commotion at the Imperial Knights recruitment office. The reporters had probably mistaken Lady Subrina Viscount for Lady Bright Marquess as well.

In any case, perhaps because of the articles, the Bright family had been the talk of high society these past few days. The Empress was displeased with the situation.

“What a mess I’ve made.”

The Empress muttered irritably. For now, it was quiet, but when Pavel and Lady Bright Marquess had broken off their engagement, all sorts of gossip had circulated.

And no wonder—it was a imperial family engagement breaking off, after all. Gossipmongers who loved to chatter had busied themselves guessing the reason for the breakup.

Among the rumors was one that the Prince had been having an affair with a lady from a certain noble house. In fact, several reporters had even investigated it. The quietly spreading scandal had also reached the Emperor’s ears.

—

“Is the rumor circulating in the capital true?”

—

The Emperor was a man who abhorred gossip. He was not a father but a monarch, and he would not tolerate even his own children tarnishing his honor.

—

“Absolutely not, Your Majesty.”

“True or not, take responsibility and handle it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

—

The Empress had joined hands with Count Ollet to manage the situation. It was somewhat fortunate that Lady Bright Marquess had already been branded a villainess by the public.

The Empress attended banquets and subtly let slip that the broken engagement was Lady Bright Marquess’s fault, while Count Ollet used money to bribe reporters.

By publishing sensational articles exploiting Lady Bright Marquess’s suicide attempt atop the central tower, public attention naturally shifted in that direction.

Immediately after the broken engagement, the Duke of Bright, who had been raging, also quieted down following the lady’s suicide attempt. A few months ago, when Lady Bright Marquess ran away and disappeared, it became noisy again, but that too soon subsided.

Now that people were gradually forgetting, it was not good for talk of the Prince’s broken engagement to resurface.

“Tsk.”

The Empress clicked her tongue softly. Newspapers were useful for obscuring the essence of a matter or manipulating public opinion, but if mishandled, they could become poison instead.

“What to do about this.”

She had not thought she could keep the reason for the broken engagement hidden forever, but she had never imagined things would unravel this way because of her stupid son.

If Lady Subrina Viscount told the Duke and Marquess of Bright what she had learned, it would not only worsen their already poor relationship but also cause the matter to spiral out of control.

“Given the Duke of Bright’s temperament, he won’t just let this slide.”

At the Empress’s muttering, Pavel’s shoulders flinched. He clenched and unclenched his fists with a terrified look. Just thinking about the time the Duke of Bright had grabbed him by the collar still made him break out in a cold sweat.

“The timing is bad.”

Recently, as the Emperor’s health declined, he had been gradually ceding state affairs to the Crown Prince. If her own son became Crown Prince, that would be one thing, but the reason for the broken engagement must not come to light now. If it did, even if the Crown Prince were brought down, the Prince would have no opportunity.

That wasn’t the only problem. The Empress was troubled by the Crown Prince, who had reportedly escorted Lady Subrina Viscount. Setting aside the sudden appearance of Lady Subrina Viscount, the Crown Prince was not someone to be ignored.

“What is the relationship between the Crown Prince and Lady Subrina Viscount?”

“Since His Highness the Crown Prince is the supervisor for the Imperial Knights selection exam… it seems they met when Lady Subrina Viscount came to register for the exam.”

At the head maid’s words, the Empress’s red eyes narrowed.

“…Has the Crown Prince decided to bring the Bright family under his wing?”

“That is likely the case.”

The head maid answered carefully. Though the Bright family’s reputation had suffered due to the Lady Bright Marquess affair, their power had not vanished. The Duke of Bright remained formidable, and the Marquess of Bright was the Chancellor leading state affairs.

And the Empress and the Bright family had already crossed a river from which there was no return. For the Crown Prince, who lacked a support base, the power of a family that could stand against the Empress would be an alluring prey.

“That man is always the problem.”

The Empress gritted her teeth at the thought of the Crown Prince. At first, she had thought he would be easy to remove, but the Crown Prince was a more difficult opponent than expected.

“Stay out of trouble for a while. You are forbidden from leaving the palace for personal matters.”

“Then what about Eris…?”

“How dare you bring that up now?! Except for attending banquets, meeting with Lady Ollet Viscount alone is also forbidden!”

At her immature son’s words, the Empress’s temper flared and she raised her voice. She turned her head away as if she wished to speak no further.

“You’re disgusting to look at—get out!”

“…I shall take my leave.”

Pavel, who had been about to speak, bowed his head at the fierce dismissal.

“Damn it!”

Pavel walked out into the corridor, his steps irritable. He had only left the palace to get some fresh air because it felt stifling—he never dreamed things would get so tangled up like this.

“What do I do…”

Pavel gnawed at his lower lip anxiously. The Empress would surely handle things as she saw fit, but doing nothing and waiting made him uneasy. Yet no good solution came to mind.

“Pavel.”

“…! Brother.”

Pavel, who had been leaving the Empress’s palace, stopped at the gentle voice calling his name. Basil was approaching, looking just as he had when they met earlier that day. Judging by his attire, it seemed he had just returned to the palace.

“You’re back now.”

Pavel couldn’t hide his discomfort. But it couldn’t be helped. He had long found his half-brother unpleasant.

“You were on your way to see Her Majesty the Empress, I take it.”

The voice, as soft and sweet as honey, pierced his ears, jolting him back to his senses. Though the tone was as affectionate as always, for some reason, a chill ran down his spine that made him shudder.