Chapter 10
What was going on? Had someone recognized Kaylen? Well, he was popular among the empire’s citizens.
As a child, Kaylen had been exiled to the borderlands, but he resolved disputes with the Tetra tribe and even discovered mines rich with Torphaz, returning to the capital in triumph.
His handsome appearance and gentle, albeit acted, demeanor made him beloved by men and women alike.
It would be awkward if someone who knew my face saw me with Kaylen. After all, I was still a member of his fan club.
That morning, I retrieved the items I had left at the pawnshop from Dylan. I plopped my wide-brimmed, meticulously embroidered hat onto my head and prepared to get off the train, but Kaylen, standing at the very front, stopped me.
“We are honored to see the little light of the Empire.”
Someone had greeted Kaylen. Had they come to meet him?
I tried to rise on tiptoe to see what was happening, but Caspian, ridiculously tall, blocked my view entirely.
“What’s the Imperial Guard doing here?”
The Imperial Guard?
I pricked up my ears at Kaylen’s words. The Imperial Guard was an elite unit responsible for protecting the emperor, the royal family, and the palace itself.
They had independent investigative authority granted directly by the emperor, allowing them to arrest and interrogate commoners, nobles, and even royalty.
I had heard many were tall and handsome… could I see anything from beside Caspian? I tilted my hat, squinting.
Then—
“We received information that Eliana Ludd is on this train, so we came.”
Me? Why were they looking for me?
“Eliana Ludd?”
“Yes. The prime suspect in the fire at the Imperial Palace Library.”
When Kaylen inquired, one of the guards answered immediately.
“Me? I… what? A suspect?”
I shoved Caspian aside and stepped forward. My strength nearly sent Dylan sprawling outside, but that didn’t matter at all.
Five people, presumably Imperial Guards, stood in a row.
An eagle—or maybe a hawk—was boldly embroidered on their chests, a symbol of the Imperial Guard.
As I appeared, one of the men behind produced a sheet of paper, alternating glances between it and me before whispering something to the mustached man in front.
“Is this Eliana Ludd? You are urgently arrested as the suspected arsonist of the Imperial Library.”
What nonsense was this!?
“Who told you to do this?”
“How many times do I have to say it? I didn’t do it!”
It was a dark, unpleasant place. I had no idea where I was. Dragged straight from the station, I had no sense of time.
Bang!
The person interrogating me slammed my hat down onto the table.
“Someone saw you wandering near the area on the second day of the banquet!”
I hadn’t even seen a single ant—who could have seen me?
“I told you already! I was lost looking for the restroom!”
This was the fifth time I’d said it.
A guard stood, leaning over the table, glaring down at me.
“Do you think such nonsense lies will work?”
It was like my ears were blocked.
The Imperial Guard seemed to want a predetermined answer from my mouth.
I absolutely could not mention Kaylen Liveredan.
He was the protagonist of this world, destined to avenge his mother and rise to the highest position in the country. If I became too entangled with him, I couldn’t predict how the story would shift.
I bit my lower lip and quickly turned my head.
The guard, who had been watching me silently, sighed, stood, and left the room.
The thick iron door slammed, leaving a cold, unpleasant silence.
I shivered despite spring temperatures, rubbing my chilly fingers.
My parents must be worried. I hoped my brother didn’t know.
Father was probably running around sweating, trying to find me. Mother might be praying quietly in her room, sobbing. She wasn’t religious, but whenever things went wrong, she clutched at any deity she could.
Because Eliana Ludd’s memories lingered inside me, it was natural for me to care for the people she valued.
I was Han Seo-ha from Korea, yet I was also Eliana Ludd here. If I got out safely, I had to be dutiful.
But how could I escape? Arson at the Imperial Library was a serious offense.
It could be considered rebellion against the Imperial family, and any misstep might have punished my entire family as traitors.
While pondering how to escape, the heavy iron door slammed open again. This time, a woman entered—not the one who had been interrogating me.
She, too, had the eagle—or hawk—embroidered proudly on her chest.
“Hello. I am Tenesa Tolani. You are Eliana Ludd, correct?”
Her demeanor was different from the others. Her voice was gentle, her lips curved in a smile, and she offered me a warm cup of tea.
The warmth of the tea spread to my palms.
“You must be quite flustered.”
I paused mid-sip and looked at Tenesa. Slowly sipping her tea, she placed the cup down.
The quiet interrogation room echoed with the clink of teacup and saucer.
She smiled at me, then slowly flipped through my personal records.
“It’s been less than a year since you came to the capital. They say you were too weak to even participate in debutante events…”
Tenesa trailed off, glancing at me over the papers.
“You look healthy now.”
Huh?
I hadn’t even taken a sip of the tea.
“Four months ago, you were gravely ill. Everyone thought you’d die.”
What was she trying to say? I narrowed my eyes.
“After that, people said things like, ‘She seemed like a completely different person’…”
Tenesa’s lips curled into a strange smile.
“You often attended tea times but rarely went to ordinary parties, yet suddenly… on that day… you danced with Prince Kaylen.”
Huh? Look at this…
“What does dancing with the prince have to do with the arson?”
Her eyes widened when I asked, but she quickly hid her surprise, rested her elbows on the table, and leaned her chin on her hands.
“Prince Kaylen wasn’t at the banquet hall that day, was he?”
“So?”
“What I mean is…”
She trailed off, stood, and circled the table to approach me.
Placing her hand on my shoulder, she leaned close to my ear.
“Who hired you to do this? Do you understand?”
So that was their conclusion.
They all knew. They interrogated me fully, hoping to confirm through my mouth that Kaylen was the arsonist.
But if they all knew, why hadn’t they arrested Kaylen directly? Why detain me instead?
It was probably…
“Do you have proof?”
“What?”
“Proof. Evidence that I set fire that night. Do. You. Have. Any?”
Tenesa’s red eyebrows shot up at my words.
“It’s true I wandered near there, but I didn’t enter the library. And I was in a long, flowing gown for the banquet. Even in the dark, it would have stood out. Did anyone claim they saw me enter the library?”
“Well…”
“And I want to ask this too—why did Prince Kaylen ask me to dance that day?”
I didn’t blink, staring Tenesa straight in the eyes, leaning back with my legs crossed. Perfect posture.
Her fist trembled. I snorted.
What did she take me for? Between my own life and Eliana’s memories, I had over forty years of experience.
At that moment, a younger-looking Imperial Guard entered, whispering into Tenesa’s ear.
“What? Why now?”
Tenesa’s sharp voice pierced the air. The guard shook his head awkwardly, and then a low, chilling, familiar voice rang out:
“To detain innocent citizens like this… I am thoroughly disappointed.”
It was Kaylen Liveredan.
