CHAPTER 52……………………………….
The large wooden sign that read “Garel Bookstore” gleamed in the sunlight.
‘Looks great.’
I lifted my head to admire the newly installed sign for a moment before stepping inside.
The interior had also been completely refurbished. Even the book dust had vanished, and the place shone so brightly that it was hard to remember how shabby it once looked.
In other words, Garel Bookstore was doing extremely well.
“Ah! Mr. Crimson, you’ve come!”
“Yes. Have you been well?”
Thanks to whom?
Thanks to me, of course.
Cedric Garel, the owner of the bookstore, looked healthier than before, with a bit more weight on him and a rosy complexion. He nodded enthusiastically.
“I’ve been doing very well thanks to you. I’ve also prepared the quarterly report.”
“Thank you, as always. Shall we go upstairs and talk?”
“Of course! This way.”
Cedric quickly led me further inside.
Every floor of Garel Bookstore except the top one had been turned into bookshelves. The top floor was now dedicated solely to printing my workbooks, using magic that included a new anti-copying feature.
Now the workbooks were even sold through advance ticket reservations, so the shop no longer had to deal with rude walk-in customers demanding them anytime.
Indeed, the interior of the bookstore was still as quiet as before—
except now the air carried the scent of comfort and money.
After all, 99% of the store’s revenue came from my workbooks.
Sitting across from Cedric in the private office on the top floor, I spoke casually.
“The new sign outside looks great.”
“Ahaha, thank you. Wooden signs are expensive, so I couldn’t afford one before. Thanks to you, Mr. Crimson, I finally replaced it.”
Cedric beamed.
Seeing such a clean, sincere smile made my chest prick with guilt.
… I should say it now.
I carefully closed the quarterly report he had clearly worked hard to prepare and opened my mouth.
“However… you might not earn as much as you do now in the future.”
That was the real reason I had come to Garel Bookstore today.
“Pardon?”
After reviewing the last page of the report, my prediction had been confirmed.
Cedric looked at me, suddenly anxious.
“W-why is that? Is the distribution contract almost expiring? But during our last meeting you said we would renew it…”
“It’s not about the renewal.”
I chose my words carefully and opened the final page of the report so he could see it.
“You see this drop in sales? It won’t be temporary.”
The graph showed a 20% drop in sales compared to last week.
Cedric asked hurriedly,
“Then what is it?”
“Well… the truth is, I’m intentionally lowering the reputation of Dicherne Academy.”
And as the academy’s reputation fell—
“…the demand for entrance-exam prep books and exam-prediction workbooks for Dicherne Academy will gradually decline.”
When I said it honestly, Cedric’s face turned slightly pale.
“Th-that…”
My workbook business mainly targeted students hoping to enter Dicherne Academy or current students there.
Naturally, the more prestigious the academy was, the better my books sold.
But at the same time, I was actively working to sabotage Dicherne Academy.
So the gradual decline in workbook profits was only natural.
It was good news for me.
But not so much for the bookstore owner.
“…It’s alright!”
“Excuse me?”
Unexpectedly, Cedric clenched his fist and nodded resolutely.
“I suspected as much. But even so, just being able to give Garel Bookstore a new start by working together on your workbook business is already a great blessing to me.”
“…You’re really okay with that?”
“Yes. I already knew that the number of students preparing for Dicherne Academy’s entrance exam was decreasing. I just didn’t realize it was intentional on your part.”
“Really?”
So the academy’s decline had already become such an open secret.
Cedric shrugged as his expression steadied.
“I think it’s largely because Grand Duke Eleanor’s heir withdrew from the academy and passed the Imperial Knights exam, and also because of Audrey Anther’s public exposure.”
“Oh…?”
“Those two are just the most famous incidents. There are countless smaller ones.”
“I see.”
I nodded as if hearing this for the first time.
But in truth—
I already knew everything.
After all, I was the one who encouraged Logan to join the Imperial Knights, and I was also the one who published Audrey’s public exposure in Sylvia’s newsletter.
Haha.
Let’s see what happens first.
Will I quit being the Crown Prince’s tutor first—
or will Dicherne Academy collapse first?
Principal.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered the noblewoman wearing a black veil.
Come to think of it, she had also been worried about me when she heard I became the Crown Prince’s tutor.
I should probably tell her I was doing quite well…
So I casually asked Cedric,
“By the way, a noble lady wearing a black veil once gave me some advice here. Do you happen to know who she is?”
Cedric nodded as if recalling her easily.
“Ah! She visits sometimes.”
But then he tilted his head.
“However, I don’t know her name. She always covers her face. She’s definitely a noble, though.”
Well, if I couldn’t recognize her, the bookstore owner probably couldn’t either.
I finished organizing the report and stood up.
“I see. Thank you for the quarterly report again. I’ll look around the bookstore a bit before leaving.”
“Of course! Take your time. Let me know if there’s any book you want!”
After Cedric’s polite farewell, I walked down to the first floor at a leisurely pace.
I glanced around just in case, but the noblewoman with the black veil wasn’t there.
I dropped into the seat she had once occupied and fell into thought.
“…Hmm.”
Opening the notebook I always carried, I tapped my pen.
Then I scribbled down three clues.
It felt like these three events were connected.
Before the empress assassination case was properly resolved, Enrique killed two imperial consorts and severely injured another.
Then after being exiled, Enrique returned to the capital with his madness much worse…
I had heard about the cruel things his swordsmanship master had done to him, but I still didn’t know why Enrique had raised his sword against the consorts.
“….”
Would the noblewoman in the black veil know?
Identifying her seemed like the most urgent matter.
But then—
Tap.
I stopped scribbling random thoughts in my notebook and loosened my grip on the pen.
“…Why am I even doing this?”
Was I meddling too much?
Curing Enrique’s madness wasn’t a tutor’s job.
I had told him I would trust him.
I had promised to stay by his side and be a teacher who would never abandon him.
But I wasn’t a psychiatrist.
I wasn’t even a counselor.
I had no way of completely removing his madness.
‘…Is there something the True Teacher skill can do?’
At the same time as my thought, a blue window popped up—
looking like it was crying.
[(ㅠ０ㅠ)//]
So it really couldn’t help.
Then all I had to do was teach Enrique as best as I could.
“….”
But why did it keep bothering me?
I thought about the recent lessons with Enrique, which had been peaceful.
Yet somehow, it all felt like the calm before a storm.
* * *
Early dawn.
I woke up to Ella’s voice.
“This is the bedroom. You cannot go any further—!”
“…Huh?”
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I sat up.
Outside the window it was already bright.
Ella was blocking the slightly open door.
And in front of her stood a huge shadow.
“…Who?”
A fully armed knight stood at the bedroom door. The imperial crest gleamed on his armor.
It was the symbol of the Umbra Knights, the Emperor’s direct knight order.
The knight easily pushed Ella aside and called my name in a low voice I had never heard before.
“Lady Lillian Crimson.”
“….”
Was I dreaming?
Why would the Imperial Knights come to the Crimson estate?
Had I unknowingly committed treason or something?
“…Why have you come for me without notice?”
I quickly threw a shawl over my nightdress, stood up, and pulled the trembling Ella behind me.
“Isn’t this rather rude to the Crown Prince’s tutor?”
I puffed out my chest to hide the trembling in my voice from just waking up.
Even though standing before the knight made the difference in our physiques look as ridiculous as a lion and a cat.
The massive knight looked down at me and spoke emotionlessly.
“It is an imperial command.”
“….”
“You must come with us to the Crown Prince’s palace immediately.”
