Chapter 58
It was as if the sound of gears whirring at high speed could be heard inside Renia’s head. Her eyes gleamed like a predator spotting its prey. Ariel was reminded of her friend’s past antics—whenever Renia wore that expression, her actions had always exceeded expectations.
“…You know you’re not supposed to do anything reckless, right?”
Ariel tried hastily to stop her, but Renia was already pushing open the café door.
“I need to head home for now! Ariel, I’ll be in touch soon!”
“Renia!”
Ariel could only stare blankly at the open door, then let out a long sigh as she sat back down. Renia’s goal was obvious: the silver-haired magician everyone was desperate to know about.
The one rumored to have melted the frozen heart of Prince Licht. Renia wanted to dig into that mystery. But this time, even for her, it wouldn’t be easy.
“No wonder the rumors keep flying. They’ve locked things down so tightly that no one can get close to her.”
Yes, that was fine. Nothing would happen. Renia’s passion might be wasted, but she would achieve nothing—and there would be no offense to Prince Licht’s temper. Thinking optimistically, Ariel nodded to herself. At least seeing Renia run off so energetically meant her health was fully recovered.
That was good enough. Ariel sipped the rest of her tea with a satisfied smile. Since their meeting had ended earlier than expected, she thought she might stop by the Zenski Trading Company on her way home to ask about the schedule for the second round of orders.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but… what exactly are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“…”
Lucas couldn’t hide the look on his face, as though he were witnessing something bizarre. He opened his mouth to speak again, but quickly realized his words would have no effect, and gave up.
He had been in Prince Licht’s office for an hour now. Normally, from the moment he stepped inside, Licht would be buried in reports from across the empire, processing them without rest while also handling palace affairs. That had been his daily life—until he collapsed under a curse. The emperor had used Licht’s training as successor as an excuse to delegate much of his own workload to him.
But today, Licht was acting strangely.
“Beautiful.”
“…Excuse me?”
“A rarely beautiful piece of craftsmanship.”
“…”
Good heavens. Lord above, why do you test me so? Lucas silently appealed to the gods. Licht had just spoken those words about the artifact before him. How was one supposed to respond?
Lucas knew exactly what the small artifact was—the one adorned with the figure of a little girl. His younger sister, Lelia, had occasionally chattered about it with unusual excitement.
“Lady Marine is really amazing. She has such a refined sense of aesthetics. The concept is a ‘Fairy in the Pocket,’ and she said she’s going to put a fairy statue modeled after Lady Edel on the artifact.”
Lucas had thought it sounded like a clever idea. His sister Lelia had never cared much for trends in high society, but the Countess of Enderke—his mother—certainly did. And she enjoyed dragging along her dutiful son, so Lucas had picked up more than a little about noblewomen’s tastes.
“Right. I figured the ladies would love it.”
But never—not in his wildest imagination—had Lucas thought Prince Licht would be among those admirers. Wasn’t this man the very embodiment of unshakable reason, as solid as stone?
And yet, here he was: a tall, statuesque figure like something out of myth, gazing intently at the tiny fairy figure atop the artifact. He picked it up and set it down again, as though admiring a fine painting. His piercing blue eyes seemed to bore right into it. No wonder the knight posted outside the office had worn such a troubled expression.
If this wasn’t recorded by a visual artifact, no one in the Ludenza Empire would ever believe such a sight.
He’s fallen hard, hasn’t he…
There was no helping it. A man in love was incapable of acting rationally. Lucas had already suspected it, ever since the moment Licht had carried Edel out of the banquet hall. His superior had discovered an emotion he had never known before.
Lucas glanced down at the stack of documents in his hands. He wasn’t sure this was the right time to present them, but he still had his duty. Carefully, he approached Licht’s desk.
“Your Highness.”
“Mhm.”
“Regarding this artifact you’ve been admiring for the past hour—no, rather, regarding Lady Edel—there is a report I must share.”
At the mention of “E—”, Licht’s eyes snapped back into focus, heat flaring within them. Lucas faltered at the sudden shift in expression, but pressed on.
“The Alberc barony, which owns the Ludenza Daily, is moving. We’ve confirmed they’ve already gathered information on Lady Edel and plan to publish an article.”
Licht’s brows knit.
“I told you to check the palace staff again.”
“They didn’t have a direct source inside the Prince’s Palace, but it seems some servants from other wings of the palace had encountered Lady Edel occasionally.”
Since Edel’s arrival, Licht had enforced strict control to prevent word about her from leaking outside. Screening servants was the bare minimum. But the press always found cracks somehow. Licht’s displeasure was clear in his voice.
“What’s in it?”
“The artifact differs from existing communication devices, which is why interest in Lady Edel, who came up with the idea, has grown. Moreover, it’s an open secret that the fairy figure is modeled after her.”
“Read it.”
Lucas reluctantly unfolded the newspaper he held. It was the first edition, scheduled to circulate through the capital—and then all of Ludenza—by tomorrow.
“Ahem… ‘If there is anyone unaware of the artifact currently shaking Ludenza’s high society, they may need to reflect upon their lives thus far. Surely they must be surrounded by nothing but the ignorant.’”
“…”
“‘The “Fairy in the Pocket” artifact sold out its first production run the moment preorders opened. The second run followed suit. Even with wait times predicted up to six months, society’s elite are scrambling to secure a place in line.’”
“That’s a long preamble.”
“Ah, yes. Here… ‘And the origin of this entire idea lies with a figure no one could have predicted. Naturally so—for until recently, she was absent from society. The silver-haired magician who appeared like a comet at Prince Licht Glacies Ludenza’s welcoming banquet. The very one who risked her life against a servant of the cult, then was carried out in the Prince’s arms… Shall I go on?’”
Lucas peeked over the newspaper at Licht. His face showed little change, but with long experience, Lucas noticed the prince’s brow had furrowed just slightly more.
“Continue.”
“…‘That person is Lady Edel. According to reliable sources, she is the prized disciple of Duke Melize Evgenin, having studied for many years in the Magic Tower. But this artifact’s success has made it impossible to view her as merely a magician. Is she a mage—or a businesswoman?’”
The recitation went on. And the longer it did, the more unsettled Lucas became—for Licht’s expression was softening. Especially when he heard, “The silver-haired fairy of extraordinary talent has not been seen associating with anyone outside Prince Licht and his close aides. She seems yet untouched by the capital’s society,” Licht’s face even showed satisfaction.
In summary, the article said this: the artifact had become a massive success; its inspiration and muse, Edel, had captured everyone’s curiosity; and above all, people wanted to know what her relationship with Prince Licht truly was.
Lucas, reading aloud without pause, finally exhaled in relief. Licht, meanwhile, stared down at the draft of the newspaper as if memorizing each word. After a long silence, Lucas cautiously asked:
“Shall we block it?”
Licht had previously ordered that no one speak a word about Edel. Lucas had fully expected to impose a publication ban on Ludenza Daily after reporting this. But Licht sat in thought, stroking his chin. At last, he drawled lazily:
“No. Let it be.”
“…Pardon? Ah, yes, understood.”
Lucas, bewildered, accepted the papers and stepped back. He wanted to ask what Licht was thinking, but some instinct told him it was better not to.
“Bring me a copy when the paper comes out tomorrow.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Shaking his head inwardly, Lucas left the office. Truly, there was no helping it. A man in love could not be reasoned with.
