As Aisha had guessed, Lisellon was indeed suspicious of her.
No matter how he thought about it, the Aisha he had met that day had been slightly different from usual. The thought even crossed his mind that his sorcery might have failed.
So he sent a letter to check her movements, but there was no reply.
If it had been the real Aisha, she would have rushed to him the moment he asked to meet. She was a woman who lived solely for love.
But there was no response at all?
That was strange.
Thus, with lingering doubt, he went to where Aisha’s body was kept.
“What is this…?”
There was blood splattered across the floor, yet the body alone was gone.
“…Ha.”
Had Edith come in advance and taken only the body?
Since he had never imagined the sorcery would fail, Lisellon hadn’t bothered to dispose of the body. Had he known this would happen, he would have taken precautions earlier.
More than that, Edith had clearly abandoned her duties as the Saint and behaved outrageously.
It must have been an act to deceive him.
“So she knows how to pull such cute tricks…”
Swallowing a hollow, irritated laugh, Lisellon bit down on his lip.
Everything had gone wrong.
“Aisha…”
What had become of Aisha’s actual soul?
If it had been pushed aside by the Saint’s soul, was it now lying dormant within?
Countless possibilities churned through his mind.
The worst of them all was the thought that the once obedient Aisha had betrayed him.
“That can’t be.”
Even as he thought it, Lisellon let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it.
She was a woman madly in love. There was no way she would do anything that might harm the man she adored so much.
She was surely in a situation where she couldn’t move freely. The most likely possibility was that her soul had been taken hostage by Edith.
“Hmm.”
Unfortunate, but she would be difficult to make use of for the time being.
That was as far as Lisellon’s regret went. If the opportunity arose, he could help her, perhaps, but who knew.
He had intended to dispose of her anyway, so it would be better to let her struggle for a while and deal with her later.
He truly thought so.
***
Edith was invited to the gathering without much difficulty.
When an invitation arrived from the Imperial Palace, she was quite surprised. Aisha had mentioned connections to the Imperial Family, but she had never imagined that person would be the Empress herself.
“Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Welcome. I have heard much about you.”
The Empress greeted Edith with a benevolent smile.
Beside her stood Duchess Illunet, as though attending upon her. It seemed that the highest-ranking figures in this gathering were the Empress and the Duchess.
“It is an honor.”
“Oh my, I was rather surprised to hear that you had an interest in the medicine.”
“I was equally surprised to receive an invitation from Your Majesty.”
“Were you? Please, have a seat.”
Among the noblewomen present, five were those Aisha had identified, and there were three others Edith didn’t recognize.
Including Duchess Illunet and the Empress, there were about ten in total, and this gathering was quite a renowned one.
That was hardly surprising. They were all wives of high-ranking officials, and with the Empress herself leading the circle, everyone wished to be included.
Of course, since not just anyone was accepted, it was regarded as all the more exclusive and mysterious.
Who would have thought it was, in fact, a gathering for purchasing illegal medicine?
“Since we have a new member today, let us begin with introductions.”
As the Empress spoke softly, the existing members seated in a circle applauded.
Standing at the center, Edith inclined her head slightly first.
“It is a pleasure to meet you all. As you know, I am Edith Capanteni.”
“Hoho, you already know Duchess Illunet, so we shall move on? Now, Madam Marta?”
“Yes.”
Beginning with Madam Marta, who had been called, each woman introduced herself in turn to the right. Among them were even noblewomen reputed to be of particularly good character, which surprised Edith.
More than anything, they claimed to be taking a rejuvenation medicine, and whether it truly worked or not, they all boasted skin far firmer than their ages would suggest.
It was certainly something that would tempt any woman, and with its effects so evident, it was understandable why they didn’t expand their membership carelessly.
If it were something like this, anyone would want to keep it exclusively for themselves.
After the introductions ended, the Empress spoke again.
“We gather because of the medicine, but even aside from that, we often meet casually. It will not be a bad thing for you, young lady. If you have any difficulties, you may request help at any time.”
“Yes. I look forward to your guidance.”
They said the gatherings weren’t solely for the medicine, and as the Empress had indicated, light conversation followed.
They seemed to maintain close relationships, speaking without hesitation.
Edith simply smiled and mostly listened, offering agreeable responses to their remarks.
“With a young lady among us, it feels more lively than usual.”
“I am grateful for your kind words.”
Indeed, there were no young ladies her age present.
They were all mature noblewomen, and such women would surely desire the medicine more keenly.
“Now then, shall we begin to speak about the medicine our young lady is curious about?”
When the conversation began to lull, the Empress clapped her hands lightly.
As if waiting for the signal, attendants entered carrying trays. On the trays were violet-colored bottles of medicine.
There were eleven in total, one for each person to take.
“I hear you learned of this medicine while visiting the shadow den.”
“Yes.”
“If so… hmm, then you must have encountered a sorcerer of considerable skill.”
“…Yes.”
In truth, she knew nothing at all.
Still, she merely echoed yes like a parrot, and the Empress placed one bottle before Edith.
“You must take the medicine after meals. We receive a supply once a month. Although we gather more often, the meeting held at the end of each month is for receiving the medicine. You were fortunate, young lady.”
“Ah…”
She would have had to wait an entire month otherwise.
“There is something I am curious about.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“…Since when has this gathering existed? And how did it come to be?”
She knew it had existed for quite some time, but she was certain it hadn’t been around when she was young.
Edith wanted to confirm whether the Empress knew who stood above this gathering.
“Haha, that is a question I have been asked ever since we first formed this circle. Is everyone truly that curious?”
The Empress spoke playfully, and those who had once asked similar questions laughed as well.
“I may be the one presiding over this gathering, but it was Madam Rovesti who first introduced the medicine.”
Rovesti?
It was a name Edith had never heard before.
“She is not a noble. But in certain circles, she is quietly well known.”
A non-noble had personally met the Empress and introduced the medicine.
That meant she was someone with considerable backing. After all, not just anyone could meet the Empress.
“If you are curious, you may look into her.”
With a smile, the Empress added that everyone likely had other matters to attend to and suggested they conclude the gathering.
The other noblewomen seemed eager to take the medicine, each clutching her bottle and glancing about, so Edith couldn’t ask further questions and had to rise as well.
***
After the gathering ended, Edith returned to the carriage that had been waiting.
Inside, Luzbel was waiting for her.
“Was everything alright?”
The moment she entered, he immediately examined her condition.
“It was just a gathering. I obtained the medicine as well.”
“…Ha.”
He had given her items for self-defense just in case, so hearing there had been no need for them, Luzbel let out a relieved sigh and looked at the bottle.
“This is it?”
“Yes. The noblewomen in that gathering were all known for their youthful appearances.”
“…So it truly has an effect.”
“It seems so. I intend to have it analyzed. We need to find out its components.”
The shimmering violet liquid looked faintly ominous.
“More than that, perhaps because I was tense among the noblewomen, I am tired.”
Seeing Luzbel, the tension in her heart eased at once.
Without realizing it, Edith slumped against him, resting her whole body comfortably against his.
Just being beside him seemed to wash away her fatigue.
Luzbel, wearing a tender expression, stroked her for a long while before gently guiding her to lie down more comfortably.
Naturally resting her head on his lap, Edith blinked with heavy eyelids, as though sleep might overtake her at any moment. The steady rhythm of his patting only made her drowsier.
Then Luzbel asked,
“…Will you attend the gathering again?”
“I will see. More than that, are you not curious? About what ingredients might be in that medicine?”
Since it was made by the sorcerers of the underworld, it didn’t seem likely to contain lawful materials.
Above all, having heard that human blood was often used in sorcery, the thought unsettled her. It was possible that blood was in this as well.
“More importantly, do you think word of your attendance reached Lisellon?”
“…I do not know. We can only hope it did not.”
With so many matters demanding attention, perhaps he wouldn’t concern himself with a mere noblewomen’s gathering.
