Chapter 75
“The Empress must not think it’s a problem.”
Not thinking of it as a problem was the real problem.
Even if the Empress meddled in politics, if the Emperor was Regius, that was a huge issue. Besides, it’s not as though the Empress would live forever.
“How do you think the imperial family will handle this?”
“Nothing.”
“…That’s unexpected.”
I thought they’d invent a crime and take it out on the magic shop.
“Before the imperial family could lodge a complaint against the magic shop, the Eastern Mage Tower made the first move. They claimed the shop had only made the item as ordered, yet caused chaos, so they filed the complaint first. If it’s against the Eastern Mage Tower rather than the shop, the imperial family has its hands tied. If they make a fuss, the rumors will only spread further.”
Eluana recalled seeing Kairen speaking with the mages through the crystal ball. While the two chatted quietly, the play had already ended.
She couldn’t remember the contents at all.
“It was fun.”
Eluana thought of their next destination.
“Wasn’t the next stop a tea house? We should have some cake.”
“Do you like sweets?”
“I can never get enough of them. In Arden, sweets were a rare treat.”
At the Duke’s estate, she could occasionally taste cakes or cookies, but eating them outside like this was another joy altogether.
As the two chatted and walked out of the theater, a flower-selling girl suddenly came running and collapsed flat before them.
“Noble ones, please—find my little sister.”
*
Emma was exhausted.
She had risen at dawn to climb the back hill and pick flowers, then spent the entire day wandering around trying to sell them. She had to sell at least one bundle of flowers to buy bread.
Carrying the heavy basket, Emma headed toward the theater. Whenever a grand, ornate carriage passed by, she bowed her head and begged for mercy.
“Please buy some flowers.”
Her voice was weakening—she hadn’t eaten since yesterday.
Fortunately, today there was a play, so the area was crowded. The people smelled sweeter than the flowers in her basket. They bought her flowers, not because they needed them, but out of pity.
Even cheap pity was fine. As long as she could buy bread, nothing else mattered. Emma strained every ounce of her strength to attract the well-dressed people’s attention.
“Please buy some flowers! A flower for your lovely lady!”
Just as she thought the surroundings had grown quiet, a breathtakingly handsome boy approached. Beside him stood a girl so beautiful it made her eyes widen. They looked dazzlingly noble.
Compared to them, her bouquet seemed pitiful.
The boy asked,
“Will you sell this to me?”
“Three coppers,” Emma answered politely.
A silver coin was pressed into her hand.
“Keep the change.”
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
While Emma bowed repeatedly, the boy handed the lavender bouquet to the girl.
“My lavender lady.”
He looked like a storybook prince. When the girl’s radiant smile blossomed, Emma’s heart pounded along with it.
Turning away from the beautiful scene, Emma clutched the silver coin tightly and ran to the bakery. She pushed the door open eagerly, greeted by the smiling shopkeeper.
“Emma, you’re here? I was worried yesterday when you didn’t show up.”
“I couldn’t sell a single flower.”
“You should’ve come anyway. I could’ve given you day-old bread.”
“Today I met a good person and earned some money.”
Emma handed over the silver coin.
“Two loaves of bread, please.”
Not just one—two! She planned to enjoy the luxury of eating side by side with her little sister tonight.
The shopkeeper slipped two fresh loaves into the bag, and added two older ones as well.
“These I can’t sell anymore, so don’t worry, just eat them.”
“Thank you so much.”
With change neatly tucked away, Emma ran home in excitement.
“Sally! Look! We’ve got four loaves! We can eat with both hands!”
But her sister wasn’t there.
The house was tiny, with no place to hide.
“Sally?”
The bread bag slipped from Emma’s hands. The loaves rolled onto the dirty floor, but she didn’t even notice.
The bedsheets were slightly rumpled where Sally should’ve been lying. Nothing else was out of place. With nothing worth stealing, it wasn’t a thief. Then—kidnapping?
“No… Sally.”
Emma ran outside in panic, spinning her head this way and that, not knowing where to go. She had to find her sister, but she was lost and helpless. They were the only family each other had.
In despair, Emma remembered the boy and girl who had bought her flowers. Nobles would never listen to someone like her. More likely, they would scold and chase her away.
But those two had shone like heroes from a storybook. Maybe they could make her wretched life a little brighter.
Clutching at the frailest of hopes, Emma ran back to the theater. Amidst the fragrant crowd leaving the show, she spotted the boy and girl. They were coming out the upper exit, while she rushed from the lower.
She threw herself at their feet.
“Noble ones, please—find my little sister.”
“Your sister?”
The girl, Eluana, reacted first.
“When I came home, she was gone.”
If the flower girl’s sister, then she must be a very small child. Perhaps about Louis’ age.
“If she vanished at home, maybe she’s just out playing?”
“My sister cannot walk. She can’t go anywhere on her own.”
Eluana looked silently at the tearful Emma, then turned away. Kazar did the same. Their steps carried them toward the exit.
Emma shut her eyes tightly. The last fragile straw of hope snapped, leaving her utterly lost. She had no way to find her sister alone.
Then—
“What are you doing? Lead the way.”
Eluana had turned back. Her golden hair glimmered in the sunlight like something divine. If there were a god, surely they would look like this, Emma thought.
Thirty minutes later, cold sweat trickled down Emma’s back.
Was the path to my house always this filthy?
The ground was sticky with grime and reeked of stench. What if they grew angry, dragged here into such a place? But she had no choice. She had to find Sally.
As she nervously guided them, someone approached Kazar, whispered something, then disappeared. Emma swallowed hard and kept walking.
At last, she stopped before a shabby shack deep in the slums. The house looked ready to collapse if touched. Emma faltered at the doorway.
“My house is a bit…”
“Will you open it?” Eluana asked gently.
Emma reluctantly turned the knob. Her voice shrank on its own.
“I’m sorry to bring you into such a shabby place.”
“It’s your precious home. Don’t say that.”
Without hesitation, Eluana stepped inside, taking in the humble interior. Having grown up in Arden, she was used to houses like this—poverty existed there too.
She spotted the bread bag on the floor, picked it up, and placed it on the table. To Emma, it was a precious meal.
Kazar, however, was visibly unsettled.
He had spent nights in abandoned houses while traveling, but this was different. This was a lived-in home—if it could be called that. A roof full of holes, walls crumbling at a touch… yet people lived here.
Born and raised as a prince, he had only ever read about life in such places. The smell alone—a mix of moldy furniture and spoiled food—was overwhelming.
While he struggled with discomfort, Eluana inspected the bed.
“Does your sister usually leave the house?”
“No. She can barely walk as far as the washroom. She doesn’t even have shoes for going outside.” Emma answered politely.
“There are no signs of struggle.”
“She’s very weak. She wouldn’t have been able to resist.”
As Emma’s voice broke, Eluana scanned the small room again. There was nothing to steal. It didn’t seem likely such young children had made enemies.
“When will your parents return?”
“They passed away.”
Of course. If her parents were alive, she wouldn’t have been left so desperate. Did Emma even know how desperate her face had looked earlier?
“Why didn’t you go to an orphanage?”
Compared to this, the orphanage she’d seen in the Duke of Spes’ territory had been clean and safe. She’d heard there were many in the capital, too. Surely that would’ve been better.
Emma hesitated before replying.
“I could go, but they won’t take Sally.”
“Won’t take her?” Eluana frowned.
“She can’t go out and beg.”
“Beg? Isn’t the whole point of an orphanage to prevent that?”
Eluana was utterly confused. Kazar explained.
“You’ve seen the orphanage in the Spes Duchy, right? That one is special because Priest Lotus uses all his earnings from healing to fund it. But in the capital, the orphanages only give a place to sleep and basic safety. The children still have to beg for food.”
“Don’t the nobles sponsor them?”
“Most don’t care. The Spes Duchy is considered a good place to live for a reason. Half the orphanage’s funds come from Priest Lotus, and the other half from the Spes family. That’s why it’s so well off.”
“I see… I really don’t know much about the world.”
The more she learned, the more she realized how peaceful Arden had been.
“You’ll learn bit by bit. You already know things others don’t.”
“Like what?”
“That people are precious. Most rulers don’t understand that.”
As he said this, Kazar’s eyes swept the room once more before leaning close to Eluana. He whispered into her ear—
“The mana density in this house is unusually high.”
