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Chapter 56
Wrong Answer (1)
How Ben had managed to find the two of them—pulling a horse along to come meet them—was a mystery, but thanks to him, Berenice returned to the mansion being seen off by both Ben and Caiden. Only then was she able to face a somewhat dazed morning.
It was because Caiden’s words from the previous night kept echoing in her ears, making it impossible to sleep properly.
“Get it together.”
It was only after the morning sun rose that Berenice finally managed to shake off Caiden’s voice that had hovered like a hallucination. She lightly tapped both cheeks with her hands.
What mattered now was not what Caiden had said to her, but the identity of the apothecary that the empress’s maid had secretly visited in the middle of the night.
Judging from the dust piled up and the old medicinal herbs, it didn’t seem like the place was actually doing business. So what had the maid gone there for?
“Even if it was still operating, it’s strange. There’s no reason for the empress’s maid to visit some shabby apothecary in such a remote place.”
If the empress had any health issues, one of the imperial physicians residing in the Imperial Castle would have treated her and prescribed medicine.
Everything she could possibly need was available in the Imperial Castle’s stores of rare medicinal ingredients.
There was no reason whatsoever to use a rundown apothecary like that.
And above all—information regarding the health of a member of the imperial family was top secret.
No matter how careful one was, dealing with people meant secrets inevitably leaked somewhere.
Would the emperor really let that slide?
The maid who obtained outside ingredients—or the physician who prescribed them—would almost certainly be unable to keep their lives.
“Then there’s only one explanation…”
There must be a hidden space somewhere inside the apothecary.
They hadn’t found it last night… but there was no other possible reason.
“His Highness Caiden must think the same.”
There was a reason he had examined the inner area of the apothecary so closely last night.
The problem was that even with such careful inspection, they still hadn’t been able to find that secret space.
“I’ll have to go again.”
For a moment, her promise with Caiden came to mind, but Berenice shook her head, pushing the thought aside.
Delaying would only help the enemy.
Rumors about Bleddin would start circulating soon enough, so she needed to move quickly and uncover who the real mastermind was.
“First, I need to handle the rumors about Bleddin.”
If the other side had decided to spread lies, stopping them from spreading was nearly impossible.
But that didn’t mean she had no way to counter them.
Rising from her seat, Berenice entered her private study and began writing a letter to Bronwen.
The message was a request to begin the task she had asked for previously.
Spread a rumor that the House of Count Blaze is buying and selling slaves.
The most effective way to counter a false rumor was to bury it beneath an even more interesting one.
And besides—this one was actually true.
On top of that, if she used the mouth of the White Raven, the rumor would grow rapidly and spread across the Empire in no time.
There are still plenty of rumors about the crown prince’s death. If the timing is right, the rumor about Bleddin will end up lumped in with those.
The most popular rumor right now was that the emperor had ordered the crown prince’s death.
Anyone who knew how much the emperor had cherished his firstborn child understood immediately that such a rumor was the nonsense of people who must have been tired of living.
But at the same time, everyone knew how the emperor had taken the throne, so it was a rumor that could easily spark suspicion.
The emperor who killed his brother to seize the throne.
A single sentence that revealed the depth of his ambition.
Given the kind of man he was, rumors that he had killed his own son to keep his throne could arise naturally.
But it wasn’t the emperor.
If the emperor had truly killed the crown prince, Bleddin would never have been able to leave behind hints of this magnitude.
Even Bronwen, who had lived a life almost bordering on immortality, couldn’t act freely against the emperor—so what could a mere knight of the crown prince’s guard possibly do?
That was why suspicions that the emperor was the true mastermind could safely be put aside.
With those thoughts, Berenice sealed the letter by stamping her seal into the red wax. She opened the window, set the letter and a silver coin on the windowsill together, and closed the window, thinking again how fascinating this delivery method was.
Then she focused on the “next task.”
I need a brighter magic tool. And blackout curtains to block the light.
Berenice had already erased the promise she made with Caiden from her mind.
She had agreed to grant one of his wishes if she broke the promise… but if she didn’t get caught, then it wasn’t really breaking the promise, was it?
Somewhere in her mind, she could almost hear Bleddin saying, “That’s not how it works…” but it was he who had taught her to operate this way in the first place.
Nodding to herself, convinced that nothing she learned from her eldest brother could ever be bad, Berenice stepped into the powder room to wash up before taking a light walk before breakfast.
She hadn’t even washed her face yet, but since she would only be walking around inside the mansion, it shouldn’t be a proble—
“…It would be a problem if I ran into Lowell, wouldn’t it?”
He would definitely tease her about it for ages… She couldn’t give him ammunition like that. At the very least, she needed to wash her face first.
Thinking that, Berenice left the powder room and pulled the bell cord hanging beside her bed.
* * *
After spending a fairly peaceful day, Berenice went to bed early.
She’d used the season as an excuse, but when her mother gently suggested she let Seth conduct a check-up, it felt like Bronwen’s advice was right—she needed to cut back on her nightly excursions.
Just finish this one thing. Once this is done, nothing big will happen for a while—so it will be fine.
After everyone in the mansion fell asleep, Berenice woke, climbed out of bed, and murmured to herself.
Her mother’s growing concern was a problem, but so was her father’s gaze—he kept looking at her as though he knew something. And Lowell, who repeatedly opened his mouth as if he had something to say but swallowed the words each time, also weighed on her mind.
It felt like they had sensed something, even if they didn’t know the details of what she was doing.
Did they already notice? But since they haven’t said anything yet…
For now, she needed to pretend not to know.
Even if her father or Lowell had caught on, she must not be the one to bring it up.
If she tried to explain or clear up a misunderstanding and accidentally dropped a hint about what she was doing, things would escalate immediately.
With those thoughts, Berenice changed into her work clothes—something she was beginning to feel as familiar with as she had been before her regression. She skillfully climbed out her window and escaped her room.
This time, when she crossed the wall, she didn’t mutter to herself. After landing, she slipped immediately into a thick shadow and scanned her surroundings.
No one.
Fortunately, the area was quiet, with no signs of people.
Confirming that no eyes were watching her, Berenice dashed into the forest path that led toward the village.
Her movements were smooth and fearless.
If she could have prepared a horse beforehand, it would have been ideal, but too many eyes were watching her for that.
Ever since my hair turned white, everyone’s been overprotective.
She wasn’t even sick, yet whenever she appeared, everyone stared as though she might collapse at any moment.
She couldn’t complain—they were only worried—but as a result, she spent more and more time confined to her room.
She ran for quite a while.
Panting slightly, Berenice stopped at the edge of the village.
From here on, she had to move carefully.
Covering her face with a mask and tucking her white hair into her hood, she selected only the most deserted roads as she headed toward the apothecary she had visited the previous night.
Those who hadn’t yet gone to sleep, those who began their activities late at night, and those who could only move under the cover of darkness—
Avoiding all of them, Berenice swiftly made her way to the shabby apothecary.
Pressing herself against the shadowed wall of the building, she checked the surroundings two, three more times to confirm that no one was watching. Then she pulled out the tool she used the previous night and opened the lock.
She slipped inside quickly and closed the door without making a sound before examining the interior.
Nothing had changed since she had come with Caiden yesterday.
Confirming that, Berenice walked carefully behind the counter and retrieved something she had hidden around her waist.
A blackout curtain prepared to block light.
It wasn’t large, but it would be enough to cover the open doorway that led to the interior.
Carefully installing the curtain so no traces would remain, Berenice pulled a magic tool from her clothes.
A magic tool specially prepared for tonight—Light.
