TVWD 57

Chapter 57.

It was a simple map that showed only the borders of empires, kingdoms, and duchies on the continent.

Several dots were marked upon it, but what caught Lexian’s eye were the three around the Empire’s capital—one on the capital itself and two nearby.

“This location is…”

At a glance, they resembled the spots where the illegal gambling dens were located—the one he stood in now and the one in the capital.

Most of the red dots were within the Empire, but there was also one each on what seemed to be the capitals of the Kazas Empire, the Litton Kingdom, and the Holy Kingdom.

Tucking the map safely into his coat, Lexian returned to the Imperial Palace and summoned his newly appointed aide, Vens Pamié.

“What is it you need, Your Grace?”

“Compare the marked locations on this map with the official one and make a list. And… make sure no one else sees it.”

“Yes, understood.”

If that map marked the secret bases of the organization…
Then raiding those places might reveal their true identity.

And perhaps it would also tell me what Rosia intends to do.

Maybe she’s trying to leave that secret group behind. He couldn’t rule out the possibility.

Why do I hate the thought of Rosia getting hurt so much?

Perhaps it was because he felt a kind of kinship with the way she tried so hard to hide her vulnerabilities.
And of course, the incident at the hunting grounds had left a deep mark on him.

He could still vividly see her skin, blackened from the flames after that mysterious man threatened her life.

“Yes, I have no solid evidence yet, and if I were to expose what happened then…”

I wouldn’t be innocent either.

Lexian brushed his left arm—the one Rosia had clutched with a tearful face.

The burn he had suffered from the flames before he could conjure a magical shield had fully healed.

He had used the medicine from the illegal gambling den, and since that implicated him as well, he told himself that mentioning Rosia’s involvement wouldn’t make him guiltless either.

He used that thought to justify himself.

That night, Lexian returned home late and saw the pile of invitations on his desk.

Even though Charles had already turned down several, it was the social season, and there were quite a few.

He was sorting through them, politely writing refusals, when he saw one from Merina.

Rosia must have received one, too.

What would she do?

Since she cared about her reputation in society, she would likely attend—but Merina was sincere in her malice toward Rosia.

If Rosia decided to go, Lexian planned to accompany her, to make sure she wouldn’t be hurt.
But if she were to show up holding another man’s hand, as she had before…

Just imagining it made his chest ache. Still, protecting her was more important than jealousy.

Since asking Rosia directly would only earn a “Why do you even care?” in response, he decided to take a more indirect approach.

The red diamond jewelry for the family had finally been completed.

For his father and Calvin, there were cufflinks; for his mother, a full set—earrings, necklace, and bracelet.

Mine had the same components as my mother’s, but in a simpler design.

“Lys, there’s one for you too.”

I fastened a necklace around Lys’s neck.

Though called a necklace, it was closer to a collar.
Ted had suggested that since we’d soon be letting her outside, it would be wise to attach one.

Perhaps because I’d occasionally tied ribbons of lace around her neck before, Lys accepted the collar without protest.

It was made of three strands of twisted golden thread with an oval red diamond in the center.

On the band, I had engraved: “Lys, property of Rosia Levian.”

“Oh my, it’s so beautiful! The red diamond matches her eyes perfectly,”
gushed Cassie, who was in charge of brushing Lys’s fur.
Lys, as if understanding the praise, strutted around with pride.

What pleased me most, though, was that through Lord Stein, I had finally obtained the rare item I wanted from the East—luminous stone.

The luminous stone, which could emit light by itself, was used only by the Imperial Family of the Eastern Empire and was notoriously hard to acquire.
We had received it as payment for delivering the blue diamond pieces.

To use the Mirror of Truth and reveal the map leading to Delphi, one condition was essential:
on the night of the new moon, the mirror must reflect the light from a burning gemstone.

There were a few other necessary preparations, but creating the right environment was the most fundamental step.

Through the picture that Silla had shown me, I had already learned one possible route to Delphi, but it was always better to verify things twice.

I had already ordered Ted to investigate “the tree that bears golden apples, the narrow swaying bridge, the river of fire, and the forest where breath freezes.”

He had made a strange face upon hearing my request—understandably so, since it was all so abstract.

“Lys, want to go outside?”

“My lady, please don’t stay out too late. Your dresses and jewelry have arrived,”
said Cassie eagerly.

“All right,” I replied, ignoring the excessive sparkle in her eyes and beckoned to Lys.

Before I returned in time, I hadn’t ordered many dresses.

But after coming back, I’d been attending numerous salons and parties, which meant I needed quite a few.
So I’d placed small orders at several boutiques.

If you order too many at one place, they take longer to complete.

Although the social season was nearing its end, many nobles remained in the capital due to the Crown Princess selection, so it wasn’t strange to order new dresses even now.

“Of course, I used the Levian name to push my orders ahead a bit. Why, Lys—do you want clothes too?”

For a moment, I imagined her in a frilly dress—it would be adorable—but since it would make running difficult, I settled for the necklace.

Lys walked through the garden confidently, as if remembering the path despite having been here only once.

She stopped at the table in the rear garden—where Lexian and I had once sat facing each other.

And of all places, she hopped up on his chair and looked at me.

“Why, Lys? Do you know your name comes from Lixiansius?”

“Kyuu.”

“If something happens to me, I’ll send you to him, so don’t worry.”

When I added, “He has strong magic, so you might not like him much,” Lys began to thump the chair with her fluffy tail.

“You dislike him that much? Don’t worry, Lexian’s a kind man.”

“Kyuuu!”

With a cry of protest, Lys suddenly bolted toward the mansion.
I had no choice but to end the short walk and follow her inside.

“My lady, would you like to try on your dresses now?”

Cassie and Maria were waiting with bright eyes.

“Oh my, two dresses with the exact same design!”

“Yes—one’s mine, and the other’s for my friends. Remember that ball I mentioned? We’ll wear them then, so keep them safe.”

“You’re going to wear this plain, loose dress to a ball?”

“Yes. That way, no one will realize it’s me.”

I was certain Merina hadn’t invited me out of goodwill.

If my role was to shout, “Merina—that woman? Unforgivable!” and grab her hair,
then Merina’s role was to stammer, “Rosia—she’s done it again… sob…”

Judging from the letter she sent Calvin, she hadn’t changed a bit.
So I expected things to play out similarly this time too.

Even if Silla came with me, who knew what kind of trouble might occur?

I’d worked hard to make Merina the villain in everyone’s eyes—I couldn’t let that effort go to waste.

So I asked my friends for help.

On the day of the party, Stella and Pony came to the Levian estate.
Wearing identical dresses, we all got into the same carriage.

“Wow, this is going to be hilarious.”

“I almost wish I could see Merina Ickel’s face in person!”

Stella and Pony, both with their hair dyed black, giggled excitedly.

Everyone agreed—Merina hadn’t invited me with good intentions.
So we decided to make her uncomfortable instead.

When I casually mentioned the plan to Violet, she was delighted and promised to join in teasing Merina as well.

She and one of her friends would also dye their hair black and wear matching dresses.

Our plan was simple:
several women would pretend to be Rosia Levian.

“Wanna make a bet?” Pony suggested. “Merina Ickel will recognize the real Rosia right away—or she won’t. Which side are you on?”

“I bet she won’t recognize her,” Stella replied immediately.

“I’ll bet on that too. The prize will be… my favorite topaz earrings. What about you, Roa?”

“Well, since both of you bet she won’t, I guess I’ll take the other side—
that she will recognize me.”

Still, since she’s the heroine, let’s give her a chance.
Let’s see what Merina can do.