Chapter 63

Chapter 63

From behind, the Young Marquis came running. He seemed to confirm the faces of the Three Musketeers, then smiled faintly and nodded. The Three Musketeers hurriedly returned his greeting with nods of their own.

Beside them, Hereis’s eyes were wide with shock, like a startled rabbit. Her expression reeked of confusion. But I had no time to properly explain to her. So I just gave her a quick eye-greeting to say I was off.

Sorry. See you another time……

And so we quickly left the Imperial Castle. Then we climbed straight into the ducal carriage. But just as the coachman was about to close the door, the Young Marquis appeared out of nowhere and blocked us.

“Take me along. I have something to say.”

He hopped into the carriage and sat down beside me as if it were nothing.

“You plan to follow me all the way to Cuvershaiden?”

The Duke narrowed his brow in irritation.

“Why so fussy now? I’m staying over, aren’t I?”

“…….”

As always, the Young Marquis answered with a touch of audacity. The Duke seemed at a loss for words, staring at him in silence for a long moment. From the look in his eyes, it felt like an unspoken pressure: ‘Get out already.’

“His Excellency the Duke says we should get moving!”

But the Young Marquis didn’t flinch. He signaled the coachman to start the carriage. That brazen ease of his was almost admirable. I had to wonder how two people with such opposite personalities ever became friends.

“Oh, Laura. I checked the imperial family’s portrait records with Prince Jeyshion.”

The Young Marquis turned to me this time, speaking quickly as if to steer the conversation away before the Duke could scold him further. I felt a bit bad for thinking it, but I had to add that he was quite cunning.

“And?”

Either way, it was something that needed to be said, so I took up the conversation. Then I shifted my gaze to the Duke. The key to answering that question lay with him—he knew Shion’s face.

“The one who looked most like that child was an imperial princess named Roshion. The second daughter of the 10th Emperor.”

The Duke answered. It seemed he had narrowed down Shion’s five candidates, whittling them until only Roshion remained.

“But I can’t be certain. The princess in the portrait was already an adult.”

He continued speaking. The words that came out of his mouth were rather unexpected. Ghosts usually keep the appearance they had at the time of death. There were exceptions, of course, but generally, it was true. So I had been certain that Shion, who looked like a young child, must have died young.

“That seems a bit strange. I think we need to look into that princess a little more.”

Still, it wasn’t unheard of, so I couldn’t completely rule her out as a candidate. What I needed was more conclusive evidence. Despite that, in my heart, I was already hoping she was Shion. That way, I could at least begin to unravel the mystery of Shion’s abilities and gain information that might help her ascend.

“We’ll find out by digging through the imperial records. I’ll visit the library again tomorrow.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

I nodded in agreement with the Duke’s words. Then it suddenly hit me—we had left out something important from our conversation.

“Your Excellency. Please tell me about what the ghost in the imperial palace said—that the founding myth of Luision might be a lie.”

It went back to the founding myth. The truth was, only if that legend was real could everything else click into place. My hypothesis that Shion’s abilities stemmed from dragon’s blood would fall apart if the myth itself was a lie from the start.

“…She was wearing clothes from an old era. So I think it’s true she’s been alive since Luision’s founding.”

The duke seemed to sift through his memories slowly, then opened his mouth at a measured pace.

“I see. Luision’s history goes back a long way, after all.”

“Right… And she claimed to be the founding king’s wife.”

“What? The queen?”

No. What was this now? The queen?

“I don’t think it’s real. She was wearing clothes too old for that.”

“Ah…”

“It looked closer to delusion. Besides, her words and actions were all strange. Like a madwoman.”

“So it’s safe to assume that ghost’s words were false?”

“Well. I can’t say for sure, but even so, I can’t completely ignore her words. Regardless, it seems true she’s lived since the founding, and she’s a being that remains with the imperial family even in death.”

“This is difficult…”

I narrowed my brow in unease. It seemed uncovering the truth wouldn’t be easy. I even wondered if I’d have to dig into Luision’s founding myth from its very origins. The thought of investigating such an ancient past, with scant detailed records left, made me dizzy—how long it would take, how arduous the path would be. It was a vertiginous feeling.

“Let’s focus on investigating the imperial princess named Roshion first,” the young marquis cut in abruptly. “While we do that, we might find clues about that mad soul you met, Illiaje.”

He had a point. Everything we’d discussed was tied to the Luision imperial house. So digging into one set of information might unravel the other like a chain.

If so, investigating the imperial princess Roshion first, and if we got nothing, then finding another method—that didn’t seem like a bad plan.

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

So I quickly gave my agreement.

Meanwhile, the carriage had kept rolling and soon brought us back to Cuvershaiden. I exchanged goodnights with the duke and the young marquis, then turned my steps toward my room. But as I walked down the corridor, I saw someone standing alone in the distance. It was Shion. She must have been waiting for me all this time.

“Sister. Sister!”

As soon as she spotted me, she bounded over with little leaps.

“Shion, did you behave today?”

“Uh-huh. But I was so bored.”

“Were you? Hmm… But what should I do? I think I have to go out again tomorrow…”

“What? Why!”

“I’m sorry. The Imperial Banquet—I have to attend. But once it’s over, I’ll set aside a day and play with you from morning till night.”

“……Promise?”

The child pouted, her lower lip pushing out with a skepticism that said she didn’t quite trust me. I’d been too busy helping the Duke lately to join her games, and it seemed to have soured her mood. But to me, that look on her face was nothing short of adorable.

“Yeah. I promise.”

I looked down at her and gave my answer with certainty. Shion blinked twice, letting out a hum. Her eyes shimmered, scattering light like ripples on water. And in that moment, as if following an inevitable chain of thought, the Imperial Princess Roshion surfaced in my mind. She too had been golden-haired and golden-eyed—perhaps even the very same person standing before me now. Maybe.

“Shion…… do you know who Roshion is?”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Not a what—a person. She was an Imperial Princess.”

“Oh! I don’t know her, though?”

“……Yeah? Hmm…… alright……”

I’d expected as much, but still—she didn’t know. Whether it was simply because she couldn’t remember, or because the Imperial Princess Roshion wasn’t her at all, I couldn’t tell. But if I had to choose between the two, I could only hope it was the former.

“Forget about Imperial Princesses. More importantly, Unnie—did you go to the banquet with big bro? I didn’t see him today either.”

The child pressed herself against my side, clinging close as she asked.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“So… did you go on a date?”

“……Huh?”

“A date!”

Children’s trains of thought can sometimes be impossible to predict. This was exactly one of those times.

Where did ‘date’ even come from? More to the point—did this little rascal even know what a date meant? Was she actually saying it knowingly?

My mind churned in private chaos, and I couldn’t pick out the right reply on the spot.

“D-don’t say weird stuff, Shion……”

“Why? Why? Isn’t it a date?!”

When she saw my flustered reaction, Shion suddenly cried out as if she’d struck gold. Then she scurried after me, little feet pattering all the way to my bedroom door. I all but fled inside, then turned to look down at her peeking through the crack.

“You get some sleep, Unnie. See you tomorrow.”

I blurted out a quick goodnight and slammed the door shut—a clear signal that this body was going to sleep and wanted no interruptions.

Luckily, Shion didn’t seem intent on tormenting me any further. From outside the door, she shouted, ‘Good night. See you tomorrow,’ and then I heard the soft padding of her footsteps fading away. She must’ve gone off on her own way.

Honestly. A date…… I did go as his partner, but we moved separately—nothing about it felt like a date at all……

I let out a short breath and crossed to the bed, collapsing onto it with a thump. The ceiling’s bland pattern slid into my field of view. I studied it for a long moment, then slowly let my eyes close. Against the black screen behind my eyelids, the three musketeers who’d picked the fight with me suddenly surfaced again.

[Are you perhaps planning to become some sort of mistress?]

That voice lingered in my ears. I didn’t want to let it get to me, but I couldn’t help it. When I thought about it, their words had a certain logic. High-ranking nobles usually marry to unite houses. That’s the norm. Hadn’t the ducal house itself once had a prenatal engagement with the marquis’s house? Both turned out to be sons, so it fell through, but still.

‘Will Hereis’s sister be able to marry the Crown Prince?’

Those two seemed happy together. The way they looked at each other held no pretense. I could feel how much they truly treasured one another. But despite that, Hereis still worried about her sister.

Because the other party was the Crown Prince. His position as Crown Prince left her no choice but to worry.

‘……Then what about me? Is it okay for me to keep carrying this feeling like this?’