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Chapter: 32
When Bin smiled, people often reacted like that—captivated by his beauty.
However, there was no way Irlin was reacting for the same reason as them.
Because at some point seven years ago, Irlin had become cruelly indifferent toward Bin.
“Irlin.”
“Hm?”
“You said it doesn’t feel burdensome… you really mean it, right?”
“Yeah….”
As long as it wasn’t burdensome, he could take his time and slowly approach her.
“Then… do you have any plans now?”
If he wanted to do that, they would need to spend a lot of time together from now on.
Like someone carefully reaching out their hand toward a small animal, Bin cautiously took his first step toward Irlin.
But as if mocking his feelings, Irlin—
“Yeah. I have to go right now. Why? Do you still have something to say?”
She brushed his hand away and coldly turned her back.
As if Bin—who was desperately thinking about how not to frighten her—didn’t even exist.
She only looked ahead, walking her own path.
* * *
“Whew… I seriously thought my heart was going to burst.”
After quickly disappearing from in front of Bin, I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm my still-pounding heart.
‘Then that’s a relief.’
When Bin smiled after hearing me say it wasn’t burdensome, my heart had started beating wildly, as if I had fallen in love.
Of course, Bin was only my favorite character. He wasn’t someone I saw romantically, so it wasn’t like I truly fell in love.
Still…
His smile was so dazzlingly beautiful that it felt almost unreal.
The reason I hurried away from him was because I didn’t want him to notice how I felt.
Ah… and there was another reason too.
“Please state your name and the purpose of your visit.”
“Irlin Heather. I came to borrow books related to Mona White.”
The Crown Prince was now seriously trying to find Mona White’s treasure in order to kill me.
So I needed to act as quickly as possible to prevent him from finding it.
For that reason, I made a plan: I would find the book that contained clues about the treasure and borrow it indefinitely so the Crown Prince could never get his hands on it.
It was a huge relief that anyone affiliated with the Imperial Palace was allowed to enter the palace library.
“Books related to Mona White are located in Section A-2.”
“Thank you!”
When I went to the section the librarian guided me to, it wasn’t difficult to find books about Mona White.
I picked one at random and opened it.
┎ Mona White possesses a personality that is utterly self-indulgent. If I may dare to speculate, in order to find the treasure she has hidden, one must first understand her extraordinary temperament. Furthermore… despite how exceptional it sounds, perhaps the treasure is not as significant as one might expect. ┙
It was a surprisingly accurate evaluation, which annoyed me a little.
Because the person getting completely trashed by the author… was basically me!
“Ugh!”
I slammed the book shut and lifted my gaze back toward the bookshelf, searching for another one.
What was the title of the book with the clue again?
It had a title that sounded like some kind of fairy tale…
Huh?
“…Why are you here?”
It was the Crown Prince.
His expression stiffened as he alternated his gaze between the books about Mona White and me.
Maybe it was because I felt like my entire plan had just been exposed right in front of the man who wanted to kill me.
“Uh… I just suddenly felt like reading a biography… haha.”
Perhaps because he truly had no interest in me, the Crown Prince simply replied, “I see,” and let my awkward excuse slide.
Just as I let out a sigh of relief, the Crown Prince turned to leave.
For a moment, I thought maybe he was annoyed because of me and was leaving without finding a book…
But then I noticed—
There was a book in his hand.
The title was…
“In Search of Princess Mona White.”
Damn it.
That’s the one!
Inside that storybook—which looked like nothing more than an ordinary children’s fairy tale—was a crucial clue about Mona White.
The clue that the treasure Mona White hid…
Was actually Mona White herself!
* * *
┎ The Prince finally discovered the truth.
The treasure Princess Mona White had hidden… was none other than Mona White herself!
And so, the Prince went straight to Princess Mona White and knelt before her.
“I have found the treasure you hid.”
“Where is it? And what is it?”
“Right before me. Sitting so beautifully.”
At the Prince’s words, Princess Mona White was moved to tears.
And she said:
“So you have finally found it! Very well, I shall grant your wish! What is your wish?”
“To marry you.”
At those words, Princess Mona White wept once again.
And when her tears finally stopped… she gave her answer.
And so, the two were married and lived happily ever after! ┙
The Crown Prince understood the moment he read the very first sentence of that fairy tale, which looked like it had been scribbled together with crude writing.
This book was something Mona White had personally written in order to hide a clue while pretending it was just an ordinary storybook.
So he endured the boredom and continued reading.
And in the end, he was finally able to grasp the true identity of the treasure.
Even though it was late at night, the Crown Prince immediately summoned his close aides.
“Your Highness, what is the matter?”
Sith arrived first.
He had said he joined the war because he wanted to find and kill his younger brother.
Their shared hatred toward the same target gave the Crown Prince a sense of trust in him.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
The Crown Prince wasn’t the type of person to accept someone at his side based purely on emotion.
Exceptional ability—strong enough to overcome one’s flaws.
That alone was the standard by which the Crown Prince judged whether someone was worthy of becoming his.
By that standard, Sith was extremely suitable.
Even with a body that looked like it might blow away like a wildflower, he had sharp observational skills—quickly noticing the enemy’s movements and even Bin’s situation.
And he had the judgment to respond accordingly.
…Though sometimes he had oddly clumsy moments.
But even including those flaws, Sith’s abilities were remarkable enough to be worth tolerating.
“You look pale. Did something happen?”
Even if he valued only ability, once he made someone his, their emotions also belonged to him.
A rare emotion—something like concern—carefully examined Sith.
“It’s nothing. I’m simply tired.”
But for someone who claimed to be tired, Sith’s blue eyes looked only slightly sunken. They didn’t seem lifeless.
It was obviously a lie, but the Crown Prince wasn’t interested enough to press him further.
He asked dryly.
“I summoned both of you. Why did only you come?”
“I’m sorry I’m late!”
Right then, the late one arrived.
The Crown Prince’s other aide—
Raphael Isdon.
She rushed in with her wine-colored hair flowing behind her, then dropped to her knees before him.
“Your Highness. I apologize for being late. I was finishing my mission.”
“If you mean transporting Serom’s prisoners, that was already completed this morning.”
“Well… you see. Someone left a bottle of the finest Serom wine on my desk. Since it was a gift, I thought it would be rude to ignore it, so I only meant to take one sip… but then I ended up late.”
“You call that an excuse?! Who in the world would place wine on the desk of a knight commander who lives for alcohol?!”
“Your Highness’s cutie.”
“…Then it makes sense you were late.”
Whenever Bin was involved in anything, it became an undeniable truth of the world, so the Crown Prince nodded.
“Anyway. The reason I summoned you—”
Even though Sith’s eyes clearly said ‘What a bunch of fools,’ the Crown Prince ignored it and suddenly put on a solemn expression.
He looked seriously between Raphael and Sith, then spoke in a heavy voice.
“The order to find Mona White’s treasure—”
“Your Highness, I’m sorry to interrupt, but since I ran here, my throat is extremely dry. Could you bring me some wine—no, tea at least? Honestly, even if we’re your subordinates, we’re still guests. Aren’t you being a little too harsh?”
The Crown Prince looked like his insides were boiling, but she wasn’t wrong, so he summoned an attendant and ordered tea.
Soon, the tea was brought, and only then did Raphael finally quiet down.
In front of her, the Crown Prince regained control of the atmosphere.
“The reason I summoned you is to give the order to find Mona White’s treasure. Whoever finds it—either of you—I will stake all my status and honor to grant whatever you desire.”
“Does that include giving up your position as Crown Prince?”
“…Everything except that.”
“I’m joking. But still… what do you plan to use the treasure for?”
“I have a use for it.”
If he said he intended to use it to kill a romantic rival, Raphael would definitely make a fuss, so the Crown Prince kept his mouth shut.
For some reason, Raphael looked at him with amusement and took another sip of tea.
Taking advantage of that moment, the Crown Prince quickly spoke.
“Mona White’s treasure is Mona White herself, hidden somewhere in the Imperial Palace. Sith Heather. Raphael Isdon. This is an order. Risk everything you have and find that old fox.”
“PFFT—!!”
Raphael spit out her tea.
“A-an old fox….”
Her face turned bright red as she muttered blankly.
Even Sith—who normally stayed calm—had his face red as he struggled to hold back laughter.
There was clearly something only the two of them understood.
But the Crown Prince, who didn’t know what it was, remained the only one with a perfectly normal expression.
* * *
“……”
The hand holding my notebook trembled violently.
When I returned to my room, Sith was gone somewhere.
Taking advantage of his absence, I read through the notebook from the beginning.
And the truth I finally reached…
Was a weight I had never even dared to imagine.
The one who offered Sith a deal…
Was Mona White.
And the truth was—
Sith was…
my older sister, Baek Mina.
