Chapter 57. Confrontation (1)
Sensing the oddly gleaming gaze directed at her, Ilena pretended not to notice and spoke casually.
“Yeah, well. I’ve just been a little busy cleaning up the mess.”
“…I-I see.”
Reina lowered her eyes with a strange expression.
Feigning interest in the documents, Ilena deliberately flipped through the papers loudly while sharply observing Reina’s demeanor.
Then their eyes met.
Reina quickly hid her expression, only to beam brightly again, like a sunflower blooming.
“…”
Ilena stared at that smile for a moment.
Should I keep watching her a little longer?
Turning her head as though indifferent, she asked calmly.
“…Sorry I couldn’t visit you often lately. I heard from the doctor you’ve made a full recovery?”
“Huh? Y-yeah. Ah, well, it’s still a little… uncomfortable, but I’m fine!”
“Good. So, what are you planning to do now?”
“W-what do you mean?”
Reina looked at Ilena with an uneasy face.
“You told the North you’d be staying here until your injuries healed.”
Ilena’s tone was calm—almost to the point of coldness.
“They said they’d bring you back even if they had to kill. What are you planning to do about that?”
“K-kill…?”
Reina’s face instantly turned pale.
“I-I just… I only came here thinking I should protect you. I didn’t think about anything else.”
Ilena studied her expression before answering slowly.
“…I see. Then, stay here and take your time to think about it.”
“O-okay! After all, we’re friends!”
As if the serious mood had never existed, Reina smiled brightly again and pointed to the papers.
“But what’s that you’re working on?”
“This? A proposal for the Founding Festival.”
“The Founding Festival?”
“Yes. To suppress the rumors about the shrine maiden spreading in the capital, I decided to serve as the ritual priestess at the festival.”
“I see… Then those rumors will disappear?”
“Probably.”
“Wow… I see…”
Reina’s gaze grew a little hazy as she looked at the proposal in Ilena’s hand.
But when their eyes met again, she once more flashed a radiant smile.
“…”
Ilena watched her for a moment, then slowly lifted her own lips into a smile in return.
“Right. Because we’re… friends.”
As always, it was an expression that made it impossible to read her true intentions.
A week later, the day of the Founding Festival finally arrived.
Ilena rose early and was busy preparing with Andre fussing about her.
Unlike usual, she wore several layers of ornate clothing, which took twice as long to put on.
“Since the layers might make you a little warm, I’ll attach a magic stone with cooling enchantment inside your gown, disguised as an ornament.”
Andre tended to every small detail with great care.
“Thank you.”
“I hear the crowds are massive. Practically the entire capital has gathered, and even people from other regions have come.”
“…Really?”
As Andre fastened her clothes, Ilena gazed out the window.
The dark clouds had lightened considerably—rather than threatening rain, it looked as though they might clear away to let the sun shine through at any moment.
“You’ll do well. I believe in you,” Andre said, giving her hair one last careful stroke.
“Yeah. Me too.”
Though I still don’t believe in myself… I can believe in the people who’ve helped me.
After finishing her preparations, Ilena began walking down the corridor toward the plaza where the festival would be held.
“Ilena!”
A hurried voice called out from down the hall.
Ilena looked calmly at Reina, who came rushing toward her, blue curls bouncing.
“Sorry, later. I have to attend the ritual now.”
“B-but! Something urgent came up. D-Donna! Donna’s stuck on a tree branch, but my hand refuses to move, so I can’t…”
“…”
Ilena simply stared at her without replying.
Even in her panic, Reina flashed her characteristic bright smile the moment their eyes met.
“Lady Ilena, the festival begins in one hour,” Andre said quietly from behind.
“It won’t take long! All we need is to get Donna down, then I’ll hurry back…”
“Let’s go.”
“Wh-what?”
Reina’s eyes widened at Ilena’s calm answer. She clearly hadn’t expected her to agree so easily.
Ilena watched her sharply and repeated,
“Let’s go see Donna. Andre, we’ll return as quickly as possible.”
“…Yes.”
As always, Andre bowed politely without argument.
“Y-yeah! This way!”
Reina grinned widely and held out her small hand toward Ilena.
Reina led her deeper into the royal palace.
“Donna got caught in a tree branch, you said?”
Following silently, Ilena suddenly asked.
But even when spoken to, Reina didn’t look at her.
Instead, she stared blankly into space with anxious eyes, mumbling,
“Y-yeah. She’s really hurt, so we need to hurry and get her out…”
Her lips curved upward as though trying not to lose her smile, but it looked terribly unstable.
Ilena, towering over her, asked again.
“You said she was caught in a tree.”
“Huh? I-I told you she was. Why do you keep asking?”
Her voice rose slightly, tinged with irritation.
“Because you’re leading me inside the palace instead of toward the gardens.”
“O-oh. That’s because this way’s faster, right? Don’t you think so too?”
It was as though Reina didn’t even know what she was saying anymore.
Ilena didn’t answer, only continued to follow silently.
“H-here we are.”
The palace was vast—always absurdly so.
Even within its grounds, Reina led her to a particularly secluded little garden shed.
“I-I think I heard Donna’s voice in there. Should we… should we take a look? Please?”
As though terrified Ilena might flee, Reina darted to the shed and grabbed the door handle.
Ilena quietly watched her trembling hands as she pulled the door open.
Ilena paused.
Didn’t she say Donna was caught in a tree?
Reina’s anxious eyes pleaded with her, though her lips still stretched into a brittle smile.
“I-Ilena? What are you doing? You’ll come in, right?”
“…”
Ilena stood motionless with a blank face.
“W-why are you hesitating? You trust me, don’t you? I-I’m your sister…”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Ilena answered in a lonely tone and slowly stepped into the dark shed.
She squinted, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light.
It seemed to be a gardener’s storage.
Ladders, shears, and bags of fertilizer were scattered about.
“How did you even know about this pla—”
Clack.
The sound of a lock turning behind her made Ilena turn her head.
Reina, blocking the door, trembled violently without meeting her eyes.
“Y-you can’t go to the festival. Just stay here for a while. With me…”
So this is how it turns out, huh.
Ilena let out a bitter smile.
It wasn’t guilt or pity alone that made her follow Reina here, despite the suspicious behavior.
There was something strange, but I couldn’t figure out why… Still, it doesn’t suit me to just sit and wait. If it’s a trap, I’ll gladly walk into it.
It’s my fault again, for trusting someone.
Her face emptied of all expression, leaving her cold as a northern wind.
She asked abruptly,
“Were you the one who put up the posters?”
Reina’s face immediately twisted in shock.
“T-that…! Ilena, listen—”
She fidgeted anxiously, wringing her hands.
“Please trust me. The truth is, I’m supposed to kill you. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it… because I’m your sister. And I’m supposed to be a good girl too, so…”
Her words tumbled out in incoherent fragments.
“What on earth are you babbling…”
Ilena frowned at her unstable state, but just then—
“How touching.”
A cold, mocking voice cut through the air.
Reina flinched violently, her face going pale as she stared at the floor.
Ilena snapped her head toward the sound.
From the dark corner of the shed, a man emerged slowly.
Blond hair gleaming faintly in the dim sunlight filtering through the tiny window, and red eyes shining—
It was Prince Friedhen of the North.
“How very touching. Meeting your childhood friend again must be quite the joyous occasion.”
He approached at an unhurried pace, mocking smile on his lips.
Ilena glared at his ever-smug face, one she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Unbothered, the prince looked at Reina’s pale expression and said softly,
“Well done, Reina. Here’s the praise you wanted—I’ll give it to you. You really are a good girl.”
“I-I…”
“When we return North, I’ll reward you immediately.”
Unbelievable. They really pull every trick in the book.
Ilena swept her hair back with an irritated motion and looked at Reina.
“So it was you who ‘invited’ me. That bastard.”
Reina’s face turned deathly pale.
