“How amusing. That the Duke of Burkell’s children would fight over something like that.”
Did he believe it?
If not, he wouldn’t have responded so casually. Judging by how he brushed off the object as trivial, it seemed the reason wasn’t as serious as I thought. I felt deflated.
I wonder if he would’ve believed me if I had said it myself.
Maybe he would’ve pressed me to show it then and there.
Regardless, thanks to Milan’s lie, I safely passed by the First Prince. My heart pounded as I walked alongside him.
Only after climbing into the family’s carriage that Milan had arrived in, was I able to ask,
“Why did you say it was just a jewel? Why not tell the truth?”
Did he even know what it really was when he lied?
In response, Milan pulled the black mana stone from inside his coat and showed it to me.
“This,” he said, “It has something to do with the First Prince, doesn’t it?”
“…!”
“I thought so.”
“How did you know?”
“You’re always uneasy around him. There was no reason for you to sit at our table, let alone join in the conversation.”
That was true.
“And when you wouldn’t leave even when I tried to send you away, I figured you were trying to stop something after overhearing what he was saying.”
He was spot on. Milan had me figured out perfectly.
“But what was I supposed to say when the prince asked what it was? I couldn’t tell him the truth.”
His intuition had saved me. I let out a sigh of relief.
And yet, it was surprising.
“So… you lied and said it was a jewel for my sake?”
The thought left me dazed.
Milan lying for me? After all the cold things he’d said just moments ago?
“Think what you want, but no. That wasn’t it.”
What?
“Why would I lie for you? I’ve told you before—there’s no doting older brother here to protect you.”
“Then why lie…? What other reason could you have?”
“Because telling the truth wouldn’t help.”
Milan answered dryly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“There’s clearly something still going on between you and the First Prince. If you got dragged into trouble, it would cause a scandal.”
“So you did it for the family?”
“Yes. And partially for Father, too. He still believes there’s hope for you.”
Hope. Judging by how Father’s attitude had shifted, that might actually be true.
“If I were him, I’d have already disowned a child who causes nothing but trouble. If there was suspicion, I’d let them arrest you and say the family has nothing to do with it.”
That was exactly the kind of thing someone like Milan Burkell would say—cold, rational, and always thinking realistically.
If he were truly my brother, he would never say something like that.
He tossed the mana stone toward me.
“If you’re going to hide something, then do it properly. Stop drawing attention to yourself.”
I finally got it back. Before Milan could get another look, I quickly snatched it up, making sure the color-changing effect didn’t show.
I had expected him to ask me how I was connected to the First Prince, but he didn’t ask a single question.
I think I understood why. He was telling me to handle it on my own.
If you get caught, it’s over. Is that it?
If the First Prince officially accused me, I wouldn’t just be sent to the estate—I might be kicked out of the family altogether.
Of course. Why would Milan ever lie for me?
It was foolish of me to hope otherwise. Feeling awkward, I closed my mouth.
____________.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓆰♕𓆪 ֶָ֢._________
Now that I had the mana stone back, it was time to do what I had originally planned—have it appraised.
I had to wait a few days for the stone to return to its original color.
Once ready, I contacted the informant and met him on the agreed-upon date.
“You’ve come, my lady.”
“I’d like you to take a look at this.”
I had recently learned that the stone’s color wouldn’t change if handled with gloved hands. I placed the stone on the table in front of him.
He studied it carefully. Was he fascinated by the mana embedded within?
Sensing my gaze, he slowly tucked the stone into his coat.
“I will deliver it to someone capable of a proper appraisal.”
“When can I expect the results?”
“I’ll contact you as soon as I hear back.”
“Thank you.”
From that moment on, I waited anxiously for his message. He hadn’t given me a specific date, so all I could do was wait.
When is the letter going to come?
Eventually, I received a message—not from the informant, but from the First Prince.
“I have something important to discuss with you. Come to my palace.”
Of course. The letter I’ve been waiting for doesn’t come, and he shows up instead?
It was disappointing, but I had always expected something like this from Killian.
He had said he would summon me if he ever had something to ask.
If he’s calling me, it means he has questions…
I accepted his invitation and headed to the First Prince’s palace the next day.
“You’re here.”
He was already waiting in the drawing room.
“Did you get the jewel back?”
“…Pardon?”
“The one your brother supposedly took.”
Was that a greeting?
“Yes, I got it back right away.”
I was puzzled by how he avoided getting to the point.
“I see.”
Killian nodded slightly.
“There was something I meant to ask you for a while—but now, I don’t think I need to.”
“What… did you want to ask?”
“Back when we met in the district of the spellcasters, I was curious what exactly you heard there.”
“There wasn’t anything useful.”
It was a perfectly reasonable question for him to ask.
But why would he suddenly say he doesn’t need to ask anymore?
Just as I was trying to guess his thoughts, he abruptly asked:
“The jewel you argued with Count Tetzel over—is it really just a jewel?”
“…What?”
“Just making sure you weren’t talking about something else.”
What was he trying to imply?
My heart dropped. I had thought Milan’s lie had worked. But Killian looked at me with those eyes—eyes that already knew the truth.
“I figured you had gotten it back from the Count.”
“…?”
“You gave it to an informant, didn’t you?”
He placed something on the table.
My mouth fell open when I saw it.
The mana stone?
It was the exact one I had handed over to the informant days ago.
____________.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓆰♕𓆪 ֶָ֢._________
“This is what you tried to get back from the Count, right?” Killian asked.
“I don’t think you’d chase after him just for some random jewel.”
Whatever the rumors said, the woman Killian had seen with his own eyes wasn’t like that.
She must’ve hidden it to protect her family from disgrace.
While he was thinking that, Vanessa stammered out a question.
“Y-Your Highness? Why is this here…?”
“You probably didn’t know, but I’m the real owner of Riche, my lady.”
Riche—one of the largest intelligence networks in the Empire—was his. Very few knew the truth. Vanessa had clearly believed she was dealing with the merchant himself.
“The informant was yours?”
She was visibly shaken. She must’ve thought the head of the network was the real owner.
“So you knew everything from the start? Even back when I saw you in the spellcasters’ district?”
Killian gave a dry smile at her dismayed expression.
“There was a reason I let you go back then.”
He had expected his subordinate—the merchant—to report to him anyway. At the time, he had been convinced she was involved with the mages.
“But I didn’t tell him to bring this to me. How could I have known you’d give it to Riche for appraisal?”
“My lord, I believe you should know about this,” the merchant had said, presenting the mana stone with a grave expression.
Killian hadn’t even known Vanessa had the stone.
“Of all the people, you gave it to my informant? That’s some rotten luck, my lady.”
Seriously, how does this keep happening?
Vanessa couldn’t help but agree. Nothing ever went her way.
“I made him sign a confidentiality agreement when I handed it over,” she protested.
Now, she couldn’t help but question what that agreement was even worth.
“But if you’ve got the stone, doesn’t that breach the contract?”
“No, it’s still valid. It hasn’t been broken.”
As she looked at him in disbelief, Killian pulled out a document and placed it in front of her.
Vanessa’s eyes widened in recognition.
Killian tapped a section of the paper smugly.
“See here? It says: ‘The existence of this mana stone is to remain confidential between the client and the owner of Riche.’”
“And since you and the merchant both knew—”
“Exactly. Both the nominal and real owner were aware, so there’s no breach.”
This is a scam, Vanessa thought.
Killian clearly found it just as amusing, but the humor didn’t last long—he quickly got to the point.
“Let’s get to it. The stone didn’t react when I held it, but did it change color afterward?”
Vanessa clamped her mouth shut.
Killian pressed on.
“So… we’ve had the incense, and now the stone reacts too. What am I supposed to think? If you were me, what would you believe?”
“…That I’m involved with the spellcasters.”
Her quiet voice trembled.
“But you know I’m not, don’t you? You helped me at the lake. You wouldn’t go and kill me now, would you?”
She had only just begun to warm up to him after that day—just barely.
Is this some kind of carrot-and-stick game?
Or maybe… her final meal before execution. One last act of mercy before the end.
Killian’s brow furrowed sharply. She must have struck a nerve.
“Yes, I did something kind that day. But since then, you’ve been lying to me, haven’t you? What should I think of that?”
She had no response. Because he was right.
