CHAPTER 18
“The Second Prince?”
I stared at the man in front of me, dumbfounded.
“Why is the Second Prince showing up here?”
Siegfriedren Valkyde, or Prince Siegren for short.
The royal family’s ancestor, known as The Mother of All Dragons, had passed down the bloodline of every dragon species to her descendants. Among them, Siegren, easily identified by his fiery red hair, had inherited the blood of the Red Dragon.
He was the polar opposite of his older brother, Aldensis.
While Aldensis always buttoned his formal wear to the top of his neck, Siegren wore clothes that looked like they were short on fabric because he was “too hot.”
He was hot-blooded and quick to act with his fists rather than his head.
The only thing the brothers had in common? An overwhelming presence.
With the ever-controversial Second Prince suddenly appearing, the hall erupted into chaos.
“Your Highness! What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be at the Imperial Ball right now? What in the world is going on?”
“It’s all because of this old woman,” came a voice from the side.
Everyone turned toward it.
A tiny old woman who had been quietly seated in the corner, entirely unnoticed until now.
She stood up and removed her wide-brimmed hat.
“Lady Peruvia!”
Everyone in the hall scrambled to bow respectfully.
Lady Peruvia. I remembered reading her name in the papers.
A seventy-year-old royal relative attending the assembly as an honored guest—she was the Emperor’s grandaunt and close to both the Crown Prince and Second Prince.
She was known for having a singular passion: overseeing the Imperial workshop to craft music boxes.
Apparently, the merchant lord who’d been selling her music boxes for the past 30 years had retired, and she was now seeking a new one.
“From that alone, she seems entirely unrelated to the murder from that night…”
I studied Lady Peruvia closely.
Nicknamed simply “Grand-Aunt” by the press, she looked cheerful and unassuming.
Her blue eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“Yes, I’m here. No need to fuss—just carry on with what you were doing.”
“Still…”
The event organizers looked flustered by this unexpected development.
“You could’ve told us. Why were you hiding in the temporary seating?”
“I wanted to get a feel for the atmosphere beforehand.”
Siegren chimed in.
“Her ladyship’s music box business might seem trivial to outsiders, but to her, it’s a treasured hobby and source of income. She needs the right person to take over. And also…”
He paused.
“There’s one more reason for this assembly. It was supposed to be a secret…”
He then strode to one side of the room and yanked down a curtain.
Bold letters were revealed:
The crowd buzzed with renewed uproar.
“Imperial confidential project?!”
“That’s right. My brother and I are planning a joint venture. I can’t say what it is yet, but today’s assembly will decide who gets the contract.”
“Then why hold such an important meeting on the same day as the Imperial Ball? Was that intentional?”
“It was. That was my idea,” Lady Peruvia said with a serene smile.
“My music box business is important. So I wanted people who care more about business than dancing. Those who preferred the ball could go dance their hearts out. I only wanted to talk to those with their eyes on real profit. When I said so, both princes agreed.”
Ah.
The merchant lords exchanged knowing glances.
So the rumors were false. People thought this old lady was so out of touch she didn’t even know the date of the ball—but it had all been planned.
By holding the event on the same day, the Crown Prince would mingle with the nobility at the ball, while the Second Prince would evaluate merchants and pick a contractor here.
“This was a test! And we passed it by accident!”
“Exactly,” Siegren replied.
“There are still too many candidates even among the C-ranks. So we had to filter out the flies first. But…”
He turned, clearly displeased—and his eyes locked on me.
“I didn’t expect the biggest fly of all to slip through.”
Our eyes clashed in midair.
Siegren’s gaze was so intense, I could almost hear thunder crash in the background.
“They say enemies always meet at the narrow bridge.”
That about summed up the relationship between Aristina and Siegren—not just dog-and-cat, but full-on dog-vs-dog. Whenever they met, it always exploded into a brawl.
“Why? I specifically came here to avoid these terrifying brothers. How did I still step on a landmine while trying to run away?”
It was absurd. Knowing Siegren’s personality, there was no way he’d want to stay in the same space as me. Either he would leave—or I would.
But today, he couldn’t just walk out.
He had to finalize a critical, confidential contract.
Which meant—
“…I’m the one who has to leave.”
Indeed, Siegren’s golden eyes burned as his pupils narrowed vertically.
“Lady Aristina, you are technically a merchant lord, and you did meet the entry criteria…”
“But you’re planning to use your authority to kick me out anyway?” I cut him off quickly.
Siegren flushed with irritation.
“I—we—aren’t being unreasonable! You’re a party-wrecker! Every single event you’ve attended has ended in disaster—brawls, accidents, scandals! And—!”
He slammed his hand on the desk.
“Who’s always the one dragging your thrashing self out of those messes? Me! Just seeing you gives me trauma!”
“For someone suffering from trauma, you seem awfully energetic today.”
“Facilitator!”
Ignoring me, Siegren called out.
“If I recall correctly, if an issue arises before the assembly begins, there’s a clause allowing for resolution through a vote among attendees. Am I right?”
“That is correct.”
“Good. Then let’s put it to a vote. Should Lady Aristina be kicked out or not?”
“Wait, what?!”
I turned to the facilitator, alarmed.
“Facilitator! Have I done anything wrong today? Broken any rules? Caused any chaos?”
“N-No, not at all,” he stammered.
“In fact, you’ve followed the rules more strictly than anyone else here.”
“You hear that? And yet I’m being subjected to a vote? Isn’t this just mob rule? Using numbers to oppress one person? Is that acceptable for royalty?”
“Hmph!”
Siegren smirked.
“So, by that logic, you’re admitting that the vote would absolutely go against you?”
“…”
“You know everyone here would vote to kick you out! That alone shows how much damage you’ve done! This vote is the price of your past sins! Accept your punishment, Lady Aristina!”
Since when did Siegren get so good at speeches?
For a guy who usually let his fists talk, he was doing surprisingly well.
He must’ve prepared a lot. This contract clearly meant something serious to the royal brothers.
“But what the heck is it?”
Not that it mattered now. My future in this world hung in the balance.
“…!”
Our eyes locked again, blazing with tension.
The facilitator hesitantly stepped between us, arms full of paper.
“Um… As I am obliged to follow His Highness’s commands…”
“Exactly! Distribute the ballots!”
“If you hand those out, I’ll report you!”
“Why haven’t you handed them out yet?!”
Faced with conflicting orders, the facilitator clenched his eyes shut and prepared to distribute the ballots…
When suddenly—
“Wait!”
Someone ran up and whispered something to him while showing a document.
“Huh?”
His expression changed.
The ballots he’d been about to hand out were quickly withdrawn.
Siegren frowned. “What is it?”
“Your Highness… I regret to inform you that the vote is no longer possible.”
“What? Why not? It’s part of the rules!”
“It is… but…” The facilitator held up the paper. “Lady Aristina’s Black Rose Merchant Group has already received an investor. This is considered the start of business operations. Once that happens, the group cannot be expelled by vote.”
I was stunned.
“An investor?”
I wasn’t the only one shocked—everyone looked around in disbelief. Siegren scowled.
“Who invested?”
“I—I can’t say. The investor’s identity is protected under an anonymity agreement.”
An anonymous investor? Could it be… Duke Canel?
Maybe he intervened discreetly to keep me from being humiliated?
I briefly entertained the idea—but no. That didn’t sound right.
Duke Canel had shown zero interest in my participation in this assembly. There’s no way he was monitoring the situation in real time.
Even if he had known, he probably would’ve let me fail. He believed I needed to experience the bitter lessons of life.
So… it’s not the Duke. Then… who on earth could it be?
I tilted my head, lost in thought.
“Just who…?”
