AWWEWNR Chapter 27

As she rode in the carriage to the dressing salon, Hanaella looked out the window and let out a short sigh. 

 

She didn’t know what Lloyd had managed to do to her father, but the man who hadn’t allowed her anywhere near the palace since she was a child suddenly decided to surprise her. 

 

He asked her to have tea with the Crown Prince once every three days.

 

She hadn’t expected her father to allow her to meet with him in the first place, even though it was her own fault for telling him she was in a relationship with Lloyd in the first place. 

 

She had expected to be kept from the palace every three days. 

 

Hanaella wondered if Hayden’s Darkness was the one that kept him neutral.

 

‘What if word gets out…’ 

 

Well, it’s funny that I’m worried about this after I told him we’re in a relationship, but… 

 

I don’t know what the hell he was thinking when he went so far as to suggest that I should have my dress altered to fit the Imperial dignity. 

 

‘Haha… I guess the Crown Prince’s lumps got stuck in the lie I started to tell in order to break free from Tharrott.’

 

“Ah— I don’t know anymore. I have a job to do to keep His Highness in line anyway.”

 

Hanaella muttered, and Belle, who was sitting across from her, looked at her with a puzzled expression. 

 

She’d been more excited than Gemma when she’d told her she was going to buy a new dress and new jewelry to match the Imperial dignity.

 

Hanaella stared back at her. 

 

She thought it would be a good idea to give Belle and Gemma each an outfit as a gift this time. 

 

She remembered that Belle had been more interested in the jewelry than the dresses, and the corner of her mouth quirked up.

 

‘What the heck is the big deal about the Crown Prince, anyway.’

 

All of a sudden, I remembered Lloyd thanking me.

 

— ‘Thank you, for saving my life.’

 

— ‘Call me Ren.’ 

 

Lloyd was as grateful as a Crown Prince. Well, I guess it’s only natural since I saved his life.

 

“Whew, so many things have changed.”

 

It was so different from the past that I wondered if it was all a dream. 

 

Not sure if that was a good thing or a not-so-good thing, but at least she wasn’t going to be burned at the stake for using forbidden magic with those bastards, the Thearine family. 

 

As she thought about it, Hanaella remembered the man who had put her at that stake, Lionel.

 

‘The man riding away on horseback was surely Lionel.’ 

 

So, the Crown Prince’s life was still in danger from the Empress and him, and shouldn’t the Knights help him? 

 

Questions began to arise.

 

Saving the life of the Crown Prince, who was neutral but would be the next Emperor, became a matter of protecting the imperial family itself, not taking sides. 

 

The fact that he was the Crown Prince now meant that he had what it took to become the next Emperor.

 

“…I’ll tell my father…”

 

Hanaella muttered to herself as she looked out the window.

 

💫

 

Lionel was relieved to learn that Lloyd had returned unharmed. 

 

But he soon realized that the Imperial Guard was in charge of finding the criminals.

 

‘Why would the Imperial Guard be in charge when my mother was there?’ 

 

When he made his mistake and returned to the camp, he was relieved to see the Empress’s face. 

 

If anything were to happen, the person in the highest position would have final command, so he considered it a stroke of luck that the Emperor was not present at the hunt. 

 

He’d told the Empress about the accidental arrow to Lloyd, so he knew she’d take care of it.

 

‘But she didn’t, but the Imperial Guard did, and I don’t know why she gave the Captain of the Imperial Guard the authority to investigate if she knew I was the culprit.’ 

 

The Captain of the Imperial Guard was not the Empress’s man; he was the Emperor’s to the bone, and with such a man in charge of the investigation, it would not be easy for even the Empress. 

 

Lionel paced the room uneasily, biting his nails with his teeth.

 

💫

 

“The horse has been identified as belonging to Baron Steau.”

 

Tran, the escort, came in and reported to Lloyd, who was watching the house.

 

“Baron Steau? Does that mean he belongs to the Empress?”

 

“That’s unconfirmed, but he’s a family whose business is failing and is on the verge of collapse.”

 

“…He’s been bought off with money.”

 

“He has a son, and rumor has it that he is a great man who would do anything for his son.”

 

“For the sake of that son, of course, they want to keep the palace closed. The Empress would reach out to such a man.”

 

“I suppose so.”

 

Lloyd furrowed his brow and chuckled, “What a venomous mother she is.”

 

“…”

 

“And the arrow? It’s an imperial arrow, so the darned baron couldn’t claim it as his own.”

 

“…Coincidentally, today, it was confirmed that one of the arrows was missing from the warehouse where the Imperial Family’s arrows are stored. The time of the loss was in the afternoon, but it was only discovered this afternoon due to a delay in identifying it, so we don’t know if it was yesterday or today. The person responsible is now being reprimanded…”

 

Clunk— 

 

Lloyd clenched his fists.

 

He’d expected them to get away with it, of course, but he hadn’t expected them to do so blatantly. 

 

Of course, he didn’t think she’d do it without a plan. 

 

But no matter how confident she was, the Empress hadn’t expected the hunters to try to take advantage of the situation to take her life. 

 

Up until this point, she’d been careful to avoid arousing suspicion.

 

‘…You mean the fire fell on the instep.’

 

Lloyd let out a long sigh and leaned his head back in his chair, staring out the window.

 

💫

 

After arriving at the dressing salon and selecting a dress for Gemma to wear in the imperial court. 

 

Hanaella had been discussing with Belle which dress would be best for her and frowned when she saw Rosaryn enter the dressing salon. With her maid.

 

‘Ah— why is she here.’

 

“Oh, Lady Hanaella.”

 

“…Lady Rosaryn.”

 

“So this is where we meet.”

 

“This dress…”

 

Looking at the dresses worn by noblewomen, which had a heavy yet elegant feel to them, Rosaryn stared at Hanaella with an ‘Are you going to wear this?’ look on her face. 

 

Not really wanting to engage in conversation, Hanaella spoke, looking at Belle rather than Rosaryn.

 

“The first one I saw would look better on Gemma, so let’s go with that.”

 

“Yes, my lady.”

 

“Ah— I see you’re giving it to your maid, and I thought for a moment that you were looking at a dress only worn by wives, and that your senses were different from the rest of us.”

 

‘How can you be so demeaning towards your words, given that this is one of your talents?’ 

 

“Lady Hanaella, I have brought you a pair of shoes to match the dress.”

 

Just then, a tailor came with his staff and brought several pairs of shoes, which he set down in front of Hanaella.

 

“These are only the rarest and most luxurious shoes, worthy of the Imperial Palace. Please take your time to choose.”

 

“Oh, you’ve been invited to the imperial palace?”

 

Rosaryn asked, flicking her lips lightly with the fan in her hand. 

 

With a short sigh, Hanaella reluctantly answered yes, even though she didn’t really want to answer the question, but Rosaryn kept pestering her.

 

“Yes. The Crown Prince’s palace…”

 

“Oh, so the rumors of your relationship with the Crown Prince were true.”

 

“I know, I thought it was Lady Rosaryn’s ‘beloved brother’ who told you about it.”

 

Rosaryn’s expression visibly hardened at the deliberate emphasis on ‘beloved brother’ that Hanaella placed on the term.

 

“…I’m curious, by the way, how you came to be associated with the Crown Prince, given that you’ve never been to the palace before your coming-of-age ceremony.”

 

“Lady Rosaryn, you are quite interested in me.”

 

“I…! I’m not interested in Miss Hanaella, I’m just curious because it’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s matter?”

 

“Oh, is that so?”

 

“Of course, he’s the little Sun of the Empire, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s curious about who his lover is and how they met, and besides…”

 

Rosaryn interrupted her blatantly.