RPL 30

Chapter 30

“Why are you here?”

Kiseira glared at Yunid with obvious displeasure.

“And what is all this?”

She kicked one of the boxes on the floor with the tip of her foot.

So that was it.

The boy she liked had come to visit another girl and even brought her gifts, so she was angry.

“Do I need to report every place I visit to you and ask for your permission first?”

“That’s not what I meant! Why did you come here by yourself?!”

My mouth, which had just started to close, fell open even wider.

Why would the two of you have any reason to come here together?

“Then why are you here?”

“If you’re not telling me, why should I tell you?”

I quickly shut my mouth and turned my head away.

If the Empress found out Kiseira had come to see me, there was no way she’d let it slide.

She might lay a hand on the child again.

And there was someone in this room who would undoubtedly report everything to the Empress.

“Ah, I’ll go prepare some tea…”

Lydia, who had been watching the three of us with an unreadable expression, met my eyes and suddenly put on the act of a proper lady-in-waiting.

“…Leave.”

The bickering between Yunid and Kiseira immediately stopped, and both of them turned to look at me.

“Get out! Right now!”

I jumped to my feet and grabbed both of them by the arms.

“W-What are you doing…?”

“What’s wrong with you? Let go of me!”

I dragged them both outside, then slammed the door shut behind them.

“Huff… Huff…”

People really do gain superhuman strength in moments of crisis.

At least, that had to be the explanation for how I managed to drag two perfectly healthy children out of the room.

“Hey!”

“Reijina?”

I could hear their voices from outside, but I didn’t answer.

I was too out of breath to respond anyway.

Yunid didn’t know what the future held. Maybe he’d genuinely come because his natural compassion made him feel sorry for me.

And Kiseira might have come to check whether I was still locked up, only to find the door open and come looking for me.

But the timing couldn’t have been worse.

I took a deep breath and turned around.

“You shouldn’t treat guests so rudely.”

Lydia looked troubled as she spoke.

“I have a favor to ask.”

The last thing I wanted was to ask a woman with such dark intentions for anything.

But I didn’t have a choice.

“…A favor?”

Lydia repeated the words slowly.

“Can you keep it a secret that Princess Kiseira came here?”

I didn’t want Kiseira to get in trouble with the Empress again.

Calling it getting in trouble was putting it lightly. I knew it was much worse than that.

Lydia’s eyes widened in surprise before a strange expression crossed her face. Then she smiled softly.

“Of course. I won’t tell anyone.”

I only asked because I assumed a woman trying to manipulate me would agree to such a request.

But I couldn’t tell whether she was being sincere or lying.

“If I keep it a secret, then ask them to visit again next time. And apologize for the way you treated them today.”

“…Okay.”

As if they’ll ever come back.

There was no way people as important as they were would return after being unceremoniously thrown out.

I gave Lydia a vague answer and slowly shuffled toward my bed, hoping to calm my exhausted mind.

Then I heard her mutter to herself.

“I wonder what kind of tea I should serve them next time.”

I stopped walking and looked over at her.

She was standing in front of the shelf, examining the tea leaves one by one.

“By the way.”

“Yes?”

“Where did all that tea come from? Did you bring it from your house?”

Moa and Nea had spent only a single day serving me, yet they’d stocked this place with every imaginable necessity.

Even the smallest, most insignificant things.

But there hadn’t been any tea.

I didn’t drink tea, so I’d never asked for it.

So where had all those tea leaves and tea sets come from?

A creeping sense of unease began to rise inside me.

“…I bought them.”

Lydia answered in a strained voice, as if she’d just swallowed something unpleasant.

“Oh. I see.”

The tension immediately drained from me.

She must have bought them with her own money.

That explained why she’d stopped offering me tea after I’d repeatedly turned it down.

She probably didn’t want to waste something she’d paid for herself.

“Would you like some tea?”

I didn’t actually want any, but my stomach had started churning after overexerting myself.

Maybe drinking something would help.

“Is there a specific kind you’re looking for? I can buy it for you.”

Lydia smiled pleasantly, as though she’d already buried whatever emotions she’d been feeling.

“The amount allocated to Your Highness is rather limited, so buying a few different teas used up most of it. But I could probably still afford one more kind…”

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

I hurriedly interrupted her.

“The amount allocated to me? You bought all that tea with that money?”

“Yes.”

Lydia blinked at me calmly, as if she couldn’t understand why I was so surprised.

And just like that, my worst suspicion was confirmed.

“Why do you have that money?”

That was my money.

More specifically, it was my escape fund.

“You never appointed a head maid, Your Highness. That means I’m the only one available to manage your finances.”

I opened and closed my mouth.

That actually makes sense… but still…

It was my money.

My escape fund.

Why was she in charge of it?

I glared at her as if she were a thief.

Seeing my expression, Lydia quickly continued.

“How was I supposed to know you didn’t drink tea? I saw there wasn’t any, so I replenished the supplies. How was that wrong?”

How was it wrong?

It was very wrong.

The sheer frustration made my stomach churn so violently I couldn’t even speak. Instead, I cursed her silently with my eyes.

Lydia’s expression immediately hardened.

It seemed she’d forgotten she was supposed to be pretending.

“You dismissed all the servants, so almost no palace maintenance funds are coming in. You don’t participate in any social activities either, so your allowance for maintaining appearances isn’t even enough to qualify as pocket money for most children. Did you really think I was embezzling that tiny amount?”

So the palace maintenance funds were also going through her?

My already unsettled stomach completely turned upside down.

And then—

“Bleeegh!”

“Y-Your Highness?!”

I threw up.

My escape fund… My money…

I’d already suspected I was suffering from indigestion and had been thinking about finding some medicine.

Apparently, forcing my body past its limits and then experiencing a sudden burst of stress had pushed me over the edge.

My money…

In a way, this was my own fault.

I hadn’t taken the time to understand how things worked in the imperial palace.

I’d simply assumed, The Empress must be delaying the payments. Typical.

So yes, I’d made a mistake.

But that didn’t make it any less infuriating.

I wanted to grab Lydia by the collar and demand that she return my money immediately.

But I couldn’t.

And for the first time in quite a while, I lost consciousness.

* * *

Kiseira, who had been pressing her ear against the door, immediately threw it open the moment she heard someone vomiting.

“Catch her!”

As soon as the door swung open, Yunid saw Reijina collapsing backward.

He shouted instinctively.

Startled, Lydia reached out and managed to catch Reijina just before her head hit the floor.

“What’s wrong with her?”

Pinching her nose against the smell, Kiseira hurried over.

“Did you hit her?”

She glared up at Lydia.

“N-No! Of course not!”

“Then why is she like this? Did you bully her? Did you scold her?”

“No, I—”

“Go get a doctor.”

Yunid grabbed Kiseira’s arm and spoke to Lydia.

Kiseira shot him an angry look, but Yunid quietly shook his head.

“I’ll be right back. Please stay with her.”

Taking advantage of the moment, Lydia carefully lowered Reijina onto the floor and hurried out of the room.

“You should go back.”

Yunid gently picked Reijina up and carried her to the sofa.

Her face was so pale it was painful to look at.

“Why?!”

At Kiseira’s shout, Yunid let out a quiet sigh.

“Reijina can leave on her own now. So why keep locking her up and watching her?”

“I know! I know that now!”

Kiseira threw the bundle she’d been carrying the entire time at him.

Yunid looked down.

The package had burst open when it hit the floor, and all kinds of desserts spilled out.

“You…”

“I know! But what if I was wrong? What if she couldn’t get out? What if she was trapped? What if she was starving?”

Her voice grew louder and louder until she finally pouted, her lower lip trembling.

“If I locked her up and she couldn’t get out… if she ended up starving because of me… then it would be my fault.”

“…”

“So I just came to bring her something to eat.”

As she stole a glance at the unconscious Reijina, relief was written all over her face.

Watching her, Yunid thought to himself:

Well… that makes sense.

If Kiseira hadn’t known Reijina could leave on her own, she would’ve thrown a fit the moment she saw her sitting here perfectly fine.

Whether it was guilt or pity, one thing was obvious.

She’d come because she was worried about Reijina.

And maybe she’d lashed out at him earlier because she was trying to hide those feelings.

“I understand what you’re trying to say.”

After organizing his thoughts, Yunid finally spoke.

“You’ve confirmed that Reijina isn’t trapped and isn’t starving. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Now it’s time for you to go back.”

Kiseira immediately frowned.

“Why do you keep telling me to leave? I was worried about her too—!”

She stopped abruptly and clamped her mouth shut.

Apparently, she didn’t want to admit out loud that she was worried about Reijina.

“Why do you think Reijina asked that woman to keep your visit a secret?”

Yunid brought up the conversation they’d overheard after being kicked out.

“Her Majesty the Empress doesn’t like her. You know that too, don’t you?”

“…!”

The moment her mother was mentioned, Kiseira instinctively flinched.

“If the Empress finds out you came to see her, both of you could end up in trouble.”

Yunid had seen the article about Reijina leaving the Empress’s palace in tears.

He didn’t care what other articles had been published afterward or what people had been saying.

He believed that one.

Because he’d seen with his own eyes what kind of person the Empress truly was.

It was only natural that Reijina would fear someone who had treated her so cruelly.

That’s why she’d asked Lydia to keep it secret.

She was trying to avoid anything that might involve the Empress.

“She asked because she was worried I’d get into trouble…?”

Kiseira murmured to herself.

Her face had turned almost as pale as Reijina’s.

The mere thought of her frightening mother was enough to do that.

And yet…

Surprisingly, her expression recovered much faster than expected.

“So… she doesn’t hate me?”

“What?”

“I mean, I locked her up and all that. But if she’s worried about me, that means she doesn’t hate me, right?”

Yunid stared at her in complete disbelief.