Chapter 16
‘Estelle will purify it anyway.’
But I couldn’t let it show, so I covered my mouth and exclaimed in an agitated voice.
“What? No way!”
“It’s true. It’s still minor for now, but according to reports, it’s spreading faster and wider.”
“Then… the Imperial Capital too…?”
“It’ll take decades before it reaches the Capital. But until then, the Imperial citizens living nearby will continue to suffer.”
Damian frowned bitterly. I didn’t expect him to care so much about the lives of the empire’s people.
“Before the damage gets any worse, we have to use the relic to find out why the Empire ended up like this — and whether there’s a way to stop it.”
As I listened to him, a thought came to me — one I hadn’t considered before.
Could it be that Damian already knew everything, and sent Estelle and Theo into the Land of Death not to kill them, but for the sake of the Empire…?
Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that killing them in the end had only caused needless tragedy.
“Is this His Majesty’s plan?”
When I nervously asked, he shook his head.
“No, it’s entirely my own idea.”
Damian hesitated slightly, as if something weighed on his mind.
“Rose.”
“Yes, Damian.”
What was he about to say? Curious, I called his name softly.
Damian lowered his gaze.
“What I just told you… can you keep it a secret from His Majesty?”
“…Why? It’s not hard to do, but if His Majesty knew you were thinking so earnestly, I’m sure he’d be proud of you.”
It was an honest question, but Damian’s face hardened coldly.
“Do you really think so?”
“Well, I…”
I stopped before finishing.
To be honest, it didn’t seem like the Emperor cared about such things.
A man who didn’t even care for his own child — would he really care about the future of the Empire?
“Haha…”
As I faltered, he let out a dry laugh.
“Rose, please… just keep it secret from His Majesty.”
I nodded. An awkward silence followed.
Maybe the Empire only seemed stable right now. I didn’t know much about politics, but I’d never once heard of the Emperor actually doing anything.
His reaction wasn’t out of embarrassment or lack of confidence.
‘Don’t tell me… the reason for the poisoning was…’
If it wasn’t love… what then?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a satisfying answer.
When I returned to my room and opened the drawer, there lay a journal that looked exactly like the book I’d seen earlier.
It felt soft yet slightly rough to the touch.
If only there were someone I could talk to about all this — someone I could confide in and ask for advice.
For now, I decided to think about something else. Dwelling on unsolvable problems would only waste time.
I opened the diary again. As before, the contents were cut off abruptly in the middle.
My throat felt dry. The only thing I could do right now was check Estelle’s scar.
If it really existed, it might help me uncover more about the diary.
But how did time rewind, and how did I end up here — with Rosalyn’s diary appearing like magic, perfectly timed?
‘Magic, huh…’
Could Rosalyn have known about the Magic Empire? From her writings, it didn’t seem so.
I picked up my pen to write the letter I’d postponed because of my “date” with Damian.
‘Even if she comes over, figuring out how to check her back is another problem.’
The dress I wanted to gift her was already prepared. The problem was that Estelle would probably refuse to even try it on before leaving.
Maybe I should just have her stay the night at my place.
I could easily make an excuse — like saying the streets would be too crowded after the ball, and it’d be safer for her to stay over.
Then naturally, I could ask, “Since we’ve got time, do you want to try on the dress?”
There wasn’t much time left now. I gathered my thoughts, then wrote them neatly on the stationery.
I folded the letter carefully, sealed it with a decoy crest, and handed it to the youngest maid.
“Make sure no one sees you. If anyone asks, say it’s a personal errand.”
That evening, the letter was delivered to Estelle.
Neigh—!
On the day of the charity ball, the streets were filled with the sound of horses neighing and hooves clattering.
I slipped away from the procession of carriages heading to the ball and went in search of the bakery Estelle had mentioned.
Finding her wasn’t hard. Estelle always kept her hair tightly wrapped under a scarf.
I crept up and tapped her shoulder. She jumped, startled.
“Estelle, it’s me.”
She turned her head.
“Rose?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
I lifted the hood of my robe so she could see my face. Estelle sighed in relief.
“You scared me…”
“There are too many people on the streets. It’s a pain if someone recognizes me.”
It was fine to ride a carriage bearing the Duke’s crest through the alleys — everyone knew Duke Moore was attending the charity ball, so they’d assume it was his carriage.
But if anyone saw me stepping out, they’d definitely come over to talk.
Rumors would spread that the reclusive young lady of the Duke’s family was attending the ball, and when only Father appeared there… things would get complicated.
‘Ugh.’
Good thing I found Estelle quickly. I took her hand and led her toward where I’d left the carriage.
Then—
“…Baroness?”
At first, I thought the voice wasn’t directed at me.
But the next words sent chills down my spine.
“Baroness Wijess, is that you?”
I’d heard that voice before, but I was so preoccupied that I didn’t recognize it right away. My body froze.
“What’s wrong?”
Sensing something off, Estelle asked. I brought my hands to my cheeks.
“It’s just…”
What do I do? Should I pretend not to know and walk away?
But what if Mikhail grew suspicious and followed me — or worse, ran into Estelle?
My head was spinning like boiling soup. Finally, I whispered to Estelle,
“Don’t say anything, no matter what.”
“What?”
She asked, confused, but I didn’t have time to explain.
I turned toward the voice. Mikhail was standing at the entrance of the bakery.
Curly brown hair down to his eyebrows, large round glasses.
“Hello, Mikhail.”
Wait — I was wearing a robe. How did he recognize me?
Even Estelle, who knew me well, hadn’t recognized me until I lifted my hood.
Mikhail’s face brightened with a smile that reminded me of spring sunlight.
“So it really is you, Baroness Wijess!”
“…Baroness?”
Estelle muttered under her breath. I quickly spoke up.
“Yes, Mikhail. As expected of a talented appraiser — your observation skills are impressive.”
No point dragging the conversation out. My mouth felt dry. Mikhail walked toward us with an easy smile.
“I didn’t expect to see you here! Do you visit this place often too, Baroness?”
His bright, cheerful tone continued.
“If you don’t mind, maybe I could recommend some pastries for you next time?”
At that, my cheek prickled. I quickly tugged Estelle’s sleeve and shook my head.
“Ah, no thank you. I appreciate the offer, but as you can see, I’m with someone right now.”
I lifted our joined hands slightly. His gaze shifted to Estelle.
“Ah…”
He started to speak, but then stopped. For a long moment, the two just looked at each other.
Finally, Estelle broke the silence.
“I’m with the Baroness today. We have something to discuss.”
“I see. My apologies — I was just happy to run into you.”
Though he said it was fine, Mikhail’s eyes showed clear disappointment. Still, I couldn’t stand there chatting while Estelle was with me.
My priorities were clear.
“Thank you for understanding, Mikhail. Let’s meet again if fate allows.”
Mikhail nodded politely.
“Of course. Please drop by anytime — I’ll always be there.”
I smiled and turned away, hearing Estelle’s footsteps following close behind.
The back of my neck tingled. Judging by that stare, I was definitely going to be questioned the moment we got into the carriage…
‘Of all places to run into him…’
I couldn’t go straight to the carriage yet, just in case. I led Estelle down a narrow alley and hid behind a wall, peeking out to see if Mikhail followed.
Thankfully, he didn’t.
Maybe I overreacted a bit. I let out a breath and tightened my hood again.
Estelle stepped past me, adjusting my robe gently.
“Who was that man?” she asked.
