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Chapter: 27
When I turned my head in that direction, Adrian was staring at me with an intensity that was almost overwhelming.
“Ah.”
For a moment, I wondered if I had done something wrong.
“Is he upset because I left without saying goodbye?”
But eventually, I realized that Adrian’s gaze had always been like that and dismissed it.
“I guess he just wants to spend more time with me, huh?”
Anyway, to reduce the 65% corruption rate, I’d need to see him often, so I casually turned my head and left the Velas family.
The investigation into Melisandra proceeded swiftly.
As expected, anything involving the royal family moved at an extraordinary speed.
[ADMIN: All charges against Melisandra Velas have been confirmed.]
The administrator informed me of the case’s outcome.
[In addition to the attempted murder and violence revealed at the banquet, it was discovered that she embezzled the Velas family’s assets for personal gain.]
“Wow, she didn’t stop at just one thing.”
To that, an unintended additional charge—almost killing the empress—was added. Melisandra was stripped of her noble status and sentenced to death by hanging.
The servants who aided her, who should have faced the death penalty, were instead sent into forced labor in remote areas.
Well, even the remaining servants in the Velas mansion would probably be replaced.
Even if pressured by the Duchess, they had been complicit or negligent in the abuse of the young Duke.
At that moment, I had arrived at the palace, invited by the Empress herself.
A familiar royal attendant guided me in.
When the reception room door opened, the Empress sat with even greater dignity, her bright blonde hair elegantly styled.
“Rohesia of the Utel family pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress.”
The Empress waved her hand, signaling that I could lower my bow.
“You know why I called you here, don’t you?”
“…Yes, I do.”
In fact, I had left the banquet quickly that day because of the family’s concept and schedule.
The success of my plans and quests was largely thanks to the Empress being present.
Without the fear inspired by royal authority, I wouldn’t have been able to uncover Melisandra’s crimes so smoothly.
“Rohesia Utel, the reason I summoned you is to ask one question.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Empress studied me with her deep green eyes before speaking.
“At the Velas family’s banquet…”
“…”
“Did you know that your toast contained poison?”
If I admitted that I knew, I would be guilty of requesting a toast despite knowing the risk of poisoning the Empress.
Of course, she wouldn’t use that as an excuse to scold me.
‘If she wanted to, she would have interrogated me immediately after the banquet.’
More importantly, the Empress’s green eyes held clear goodwill toward me.
“People say that you deliberately came to save the young Duke and capture the Duchess.”
She was already convinced.
That I possessed exceptional courage and ingenuity.
By confirming this, the Empress would remember me.
She might reward me immediately or think of using me later for some purpose.
‘That can’t happen!’
There’s no such thing as a free reward.
Besides, I was busy risking my life to complete quests. Once I became an adult and finished them, I’d need to escape.
If I stayed in the capital under the Empress’s watch, it would be extremely inconvenient.
‘It’s tricky to refuse the orders of royalty anyway.’
After deciding, I forced a cheerful smile.
“Oh, how could I have known? People are just exaggerating.”
“…?”
The Empress looked incredulous, as if saying, Where are you trying to wriggle out?
But what could I do?
Even if I claimed ignorance, was there any evidence to prove otherwise? No.
“…Really?”
“Yes, truly.”
However, it couldn’t seem like I was lying; otherwise, she might add a charge for insolence.
—Ding!
[SYSTEM: “Best Actress Award, you’ll give it to me, right?” effect has boosted your acting ability.]
“Ah, but the reason I offered a toast to Your Majesty…”
“Offered a toast?”
“I just wanted to join in the enjoyment, since everyone else looked happy, and Your Majesty was silent… but…”
I paused, fingertips trembling as they touched my lips.
I felt my breathing quicken and my complexion grow pale.
“I didn’t know such a dangerous poison was in it. Had I known, I wouldn’t have proposed the toast to Your Majesty.”
“…”
The Empress calmly studied me with her deep green eyes.
She seemed to be judging whether my words were sincere or a fabricated excuse.
Alright. Then I’d need to make my explanation sound even more convincing.
“Actually… I’m not entirely sure.”
“Sure about what?”
“Because if it weren’t for my actions that day, I don’t know what would have happened to Adrian. He’s a friend, and I didn’t want to lose him.”
“Hm.”
The Empress snorted and asked,
“Do you mean the safety of the Empire’s ruler is less important than a duke’s heir?”
“No, not at all. I’m just grateful that Your Majesty’s dignity protected my friend’s life.”
I knelt fully, bowing my head.
“This is too difficult a question for someone as lowly as me, Your Majesty. Please show your mercy.”
I meant, Please don’t ask further—it’s hard to answer.
A moment of silence passed.
Then,
“Pfft.”
Startled, I looked up to see the Empress laughing heartily.
“Well done.”
Huh?
No, I wasn’t supposed to be well done…
“You speak rightly, Miss Utel. A friend’s life is precious. Raise your head.”
The Empress smiled warmly.
“Chief attendant, bring out what you’ve prepared.”
At her command, the attendant handed me a heavy velvet pouch.
“Velas and Stuart are the two pillars of the nation. If I were to add a third, it would be Utel.”
I took the pouch obediently.
“If the three families had been torn apart by this incident, it would have been serious enough to shake the Empire.”
“…”
“Whether intentional or not, you deserve this reward.”
Ah, I thought.
So this situation couldn’t be avoided after all.
In the Utel carriage, leaving the palace, I pondered the Empress’s words.
Velas, Stuart, Utel.
The three pillars of the nation.
If their relations fractured, the Empire would tremble…
‘In The Sacrifice of Thorned Flowers, the Empire must have been trembling and barely clinging to survival.’
Now that I think about it, even from the beginning of the novel, the three male leads were always subtly at odds.
‘Even without Rexia, they were rival families, so it makes sense their relations were strained.’
If, in the original story, Melisandra had succeeded in killing her husband, Duke Velas,
and then framed Utel or Stuart for it,
it explains why Adrian’s father doesn’t appear and why the three families’ relations were unusually bad.
[Only you can save this world.]
I could understand the system’s goal of “saving the world” from this perspective.
When people say the world is in danger, they usually think of a nation collapsing and the populace suffering.
If the three families’ relations faltered, the Empire would shake, and chaos would naturally spread everywhere.
Perhaps that’s why the administrator calls it “the world is in danger.”
“Maybe it’s not about characters dying and the novel world being destroyed…”
The series of emotional conflicts around Rexia could trigger a butterfly-effect level of disaster.
And only Rohesia, connected to the male leads, holds the key to preventing that catastrophe.
Then, who exactly is the system administrator?
A being capable of saving the world in such a painstaking way…
“Eh, whatever.”
Honestly, this was all guesswork. Until the administrator revealed themselves, I could only follow the instructions that guaranteed my safety.
I glanced at the velvet pouch from the Empress.
Opening it, I found gold bars stamped with the royal seal inside.
[ITEM: Blanc Royal Gold Bar]
[A gold bar certified by the royal family, 99.99% pure. Worth 500 imperial gold coins.]
“Ah!”
Five hundred gold coins? My eyes widened.
According to The Sacrifice of Thorned Flowers, when Rexia first came to the capital, Adrian had gifted her a suburban mansion worth 50,000 gold coins.
“Thank you, heh!”
Since I’d need to leave the capital and become independent once the story starts, this would be a precious fund for that time.
“Hehe, independence, independence. Hehe.”
Whatever the administrator’s purpose, whatever happened to the Empire, my immediate concern was how to save money and plan my post-independence life.
I spread the imperial map that had been tucked in the carriage and considered my options.
For a peaceful life, a scenic seaside area would be nice. Not a famous resort, but a quiet region.
Not too far or too close to the capital, but near enough to a city for convenience.
A two-story house or smaller would suffice for just me, with a small garden.
“Let’s see… Greenheld Province, Ocean Spray, or Lake Lagoon Village… hmm.”
The carriage rocked rhythmically, the map letters were small, and the dreams inspired by the royal gold bars were too sweet.
So, I fell into a sleep as sweet as the dream itself.
“Eh?”
But when I opened my eyes,
the very place I had been dreaming of lay right before me.
