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CHAPTER 25
Two days later—
Just as Dmitri had said, Bael Alex arrived earlier this morning. After a brief bow, he stated he would escort me directly to the First Surveillance Sector.
Bael spoke with a stiff expression.
“However, Your Highness, you must be accompanied by me when entering the First Surveillance Sector.”
“Why is that?”
“Per the First Prince’s orders, this is to prevent any unforeseen danger and to ensure there is no idle chatter between the Princess and the prisoner.”
So they still don’t completely trust me yet. With a soft sigh, I nodded obediently.
“Very well. Let’s go to the First Surveillance Sector.”
“Yes, please follow me.”
Bael answered curtly and began walking.
Cecil and Ilia followed behind me, and we exited the palace grounds, eventually arriving at the Tower of Arrogance—an imperial facility where criminals were imprisoned.
Bael pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the tower’s door.
“The First Surveillance Sector is at the top. Since climbing would be difficult, we’ll use teleportation magic.”
Inside the tower, traps had been placed between floors to prevent escape attempts. But honestly? That was probably just an excuse. It’s mostly because climbing stairs is a hassle.
“Let’s go.”
“This way.”
Bael led us to a gate.
There, five people could fit within a mid-level magic circle. Four pillars surrounded it, each containing high-grade artifacts that activated the circle.
Bael, Cecil, Ilia, and I stepped into the circle. Bael pulled a lever installed near the western pillar.
Rumble…
A low tremor echoed through the tower. Light surged from the ground, and with a strange floating sensation, we were transported to the top floor.
More specifically, to the senior staff’s quarters.
“Sir Bael…?”
“What brings you here? And without His Highness, the First Prince?”
The senior officers, who had been resting, hurried toward Bael, questioning him.
With a hardened expression, Bael replied,
“Mind your decorum. You’re in the presence of the First Princess.”
“The First Princess…?”
One of the senior officers, Viscount Glid, bowed his head and met my eyes. He quickly realized who I was and bowed low with a flustered expression.
“P-Princess Lirien…! I-I, Ohen Glid, offer my respects to the First Princess of the Empire. May Aerydium’s blessing be with you.”
He bowed with precision.
I was about to give a simple reply, but a few more officers rushed over and bowed deeply.
I was perplexed.
“Why are they acting like this?”
Before my regression, the Emperor, his family, and most nobles barely managed to acknowledge me. People like Viscount Glid certainly weren’t this courteous.
But today’s senior officers were different. Their eyes sparkled as they looked at me.
Viscount Glid spoke while rubbing his hands together.
“I hear rumors have been spreading about Your Highness lately—that you were the one who ended the banquet.”
“Thanks to you, we were spared. Since we’re stationed here at the Tower of Arrogance, we rarely get to go home anyway… but this time, we had to bolster security due to potential threats.”
“That’s not all. With the arrest of the traitors, chaos was inevitable.”
They looked at me again with warm expressions.
“We heard you petitioned His Majesty to end the banquet for the sake of the nobles and the Second Princess. How wise of you.”
“Truly a paragon of rulership, looking after even the lower ranks.”
“We were so proud to hear how you properly addressed the Second Princess’s misstep!”
So this is it.
The banquet changed the nobles’ perception of me, even if just slightly.
They follow strength—so instead of turning their anger toward the Emperor, they directed it at someone easier to blame: Yevgeny.
“And Yevgeny can’t host the nobles most affected by the financial damage anytime soon—he’s left without a way to defend himself.”
Suppressing a wicked smile, I responded with a gracious one.
“I only did what needed to be done. You too are the people His Majesty and I must care for. Please continue to serve the Empire well.”
“Of course, Your Highness!”
“To be acknowledged by you is an honor for our family!”
“An honor? It’s infinite glory!”
Though I appreciated their kindness, I wasn’t used to this kind of flattery.
As I subconsciously took a step back, Bael moved in front of me and addressed the officers.
“If you’re done, we’ll be on our way.”
“Ah, pardon us. But Sir Bael, what brings you and the First Princess here?”
“Yes, this isn’t a place for a young girl like the Princess.”
“Surely not a sightseeing trip.”
The more they questioned us, the more curious and suspicious their gazes became.
Just as Bael and Cecil were about to say, “You’re being rude…”
“We came to check if an innocent person has been wrongly imprisoned.”
Everyone flinched.
If interpreted the wrong way, that could imply their mistake.
Bael’s pupils trembled as he tried to respond, but I gently smiled at him and continued.
“We are well aware of the Tower’s leadership and its capabilities. You work tirelessly, interrogating prisoners in this grim place for the future of the Empire.”
Their rigid expressions softened a little.
They coughed awkwardly, and I offered an innocent smile.
“That’s why we came. Even criminals are still children of this Empire. If guilty, they should be punished. If not, they should be protected. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
Think carefully—because I might help you if you’re ever falsely accused.
(But only if you’re truly innocent.)
As expected of top officials, they exchanged subtle glances. They didn’t say much but saw us off respectfully.
Still, I caught their expressions.
As I turned my head, I could see them weighing whether the “Lirien card” might be useful.
I smirked silently.
“One by one, I’ll bring them all to heel.”
Dorlac Toxidon looked far too battered, even for someone in the First Surveillance Sector.
But it made sense—this sector was just a step before transferring prisoners to the Fourth Sector for execution or eternal imprisonment.
Worse, some of the arrested conspirators had claimed:
“He dragged us into the rebellion!”
So he was tortured the most.
His breathing rasped like metal scraping against metal.
“Ggh… guhhhh….”
His nails were bloody, and scratches covered the floor from where he had clawed at it.
Ilia immediately covered my eyes with a groan.
“P-Princess, perhaps you should leave. This isn’t good for your mental health.”
Cecil agreed.
“Indeed. This man’s condition is far too ghastly for someone of your age.”
“I’m fine.”
“But Your Highness…”
“Only Sir Bael and Cecil will remain. Ilia, leave.”
Cecil sighed and escorted a sulking Ilia out.
Once she left, I stepped closer to Dorlac Toxidon, who was bound in chains, and crouched beside him.
“Ggguh… gaaaah…”
“Can you speak?”
“D-Damned… bastards… in this tower…”
“Marquis Toxidon—or rather, just Dorlac now. Can you hear me?”
He saw my face—not one of his usual torturers, but a young girl—and bit his cracked lips.
Smiling at his bloodied face, I asked:
“You seem to be holding a grudge?”
The moment I asked, it was like a trigger. Dorlac’s body trembled, and he screamed.
“YES! YES, I AM! Wouldn’t you be?! If those damned weirdos hadn’t filled my head with nonsense—! I—I…”
“Weirdos.” That’s usually what people call the magicians of the Tower.
“Could it be the Magic Tower was involved in the rebellion?”
I furrowed my brow slightly.
The Magic Tower… They’re known for pursuing magical advancement at any cost. The law of the Empire holds no sway over them.
They’re technically part of the Empire, but practically sovereign.
Powerful and armed with magical artifacts, even the royal family can’t touch them easily.
Dorlac kicked and screamed.
“Those crazy bastards…! They called it a joint venture—then snatched it all the moment I was caught! I’ll curse them! Even as a ghost, I’ll drag down that leader…!”
“Snatched it all?”
I asked, but he was beyond reason. After a few more screams, he began convulsing and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Cecil and Bael quickly blocked my view, but I was already in shock.
“Snatched… a business…? Joint venture…?”
There was only one such project between Toxidon and the Tower.
The mana stone substitute project.
A sovereign group outside the Empire’s laws. The infamous Tower. Even the royals can’t touch them…
“The Tower Master…”
They stole the mana stone substitute business from Toxidon…!
My face went pale.
“…I’m too late.”
Could this situation get any worse?
I had only focused on one rabbit—never thinking ahead to the next.
If Toxidon and the Tower shared ownership of the business, then a clause in their contract likely said:
“If one party suffers misfortune, all rights transfer to the other.”
“Why didn’t I think of that earlier…?”
I clutched my head, a sharp pain shooting through my skull.
The Tower was known for its independence and contributed little to the Empire’s prosperity.
If they learned that the mana stone substitute was actually a replacement for orichalcum, they could use it to pressure the Empire in their own way.
“Is there no way I can meet the Tower Master…?”
No clever idea came to mind.
I bit my lip and slammed my desk. Mulen and Ilia flinched.
“Damn it.”
For now, I needed to rebuild my plans.
There had to be something I could do. I stood up and retrieved my hidden diary, telling Ilia to bring me my fountain pen.
“What if I got engaged?”
Clang—!
Ilia dropped the tray, shattering the teacups and dishes.
Her hands trembled as she shouted.
“No! Wh-What do you mean engagement?! To who…?!”
To the Tower Master’s son.
If I remember correctly, the Tower Master had a beloved son. If I could win his favor, I might be able to steal back the mana stone substitute project.
That’s the plan.
The only issue is… rumors say the Tower Master’s son has no interest in women—some even whisper he might be gay.
“That’s just idle gossip from people who don’t know him.”
“Is it too soon?” I asked.
Ilia nodded frantically.
“Very, very, very, very much so! You’re only ten, Princess…!”
“It’s already late.”
I couldn’t get engaged until I was fifteen. Royal children are often betrothed at birth.
“Still, it must be quite a shock for Ilia.”
But aside from this path…
…Wait, maybe there’s another way.
A way to make the Tower willingly give up the mana stone substitute project.
Meanwhile, at the Emperor’s Palace
Renald finished reading a report and glanced at the Emperor, who was deep in thought.
“So that’s what happened between Yevgeny and Lirien.”
“Yes. It seems the incident took place after leaving Prince Dmitri’s palace. There’s already talk spreading.”
“…”
“Shall I silence the rumors, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor frowned.
Silencing rumors to protect Yevgeny would be right—but the problem was Lirien.
Strangely, he didn’t want her to be hurt.
“What kind of father am I, thinking like this now…”
He clicked his tongue.
To him, Lirien had been just another heir, meant to support a more capable successor—nothing more.
She had always trailed behind him, suppressing her anger even when nobles slighted her, constantly disappointing him.
But now, she had changed.
She no longer followed him. She no longer looked back.
Her once gloomy eyes now showed life. And though she trembled, she voiced her opinions boldly.
Why did she keep catching his attention?
“Silence the rumors. And tell Lirien…”
He hesitated, then continued:
“Have her attend tonight’s banquet.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And spread word of her invitation.”
“That the First Princess was formally invited?”
“Yes.”
Like breakfast banquets, evening ones meant royal recognition.
He figured that if both daughters were invited, neither would feel slighted.
And so, the Emperor resumed signing documents.
