Chapter 7 – Part 12 

“There haven’t been any separate letters for you, as I was informed.”

Petiz said she had gone to the mailroom on an errand for Arlen.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Arlen’s face darkened for a moment, then returned to its normal color.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“If you need anything, just call me.”

Petiz, who had been worried about what Arlen might say to her this time, felt relieved as she left the room.

Left alone, Arlen wiped the smile off her face.

Shannua’s mention of Eli this morning had bothered her.

Then she remembered that since she had entered the palace, she had been so preoccupied with Shannua and the Empress that she hadn’t checked on the progress of the work she had entrusted to them.

“If they had been successful, they would have asked for payment…….”

The hired assassins knew the high nobility well, who were like vultures, living off murder. Killing a high-ranking noble like Eli Grit brought with it a significant risk, hence the exorbitant fees.

[If it’s Lord and Lady Grit, it won’t be easy for anyone else. We should demand double the reward we initially asked for.]

Knowing Eli Grit was the target, the hired assassins demanded a much higher fee than for ordinary nobles.

To keep this matter discreet, she had to raise the money herself, without any help. To meet the sudden demand, the only option was to use the few remaining jewels she had.

One by one, she eliminated her favorite jewellery—jewellery that was rare or impressive enough for people to recognize, jewellery that belonged to her parents, and so on—until there were only a few left.

She lined up those few jewels. Including the one Marie Grit had given to Arlen when she asked her to hire an assassin just before she was kicked out of the family.

It was Marie Grit’s favor that had gotten her into this business in the first place.

So, it made sense to use all the jewels she received from Marie Grit for the task. Even if she got caught, she could return the jewels to Marie Grit, claiming ignorance about their source.

Marie Grit only requested that Ruby Grit be taken care of, but Arlen had different ideas.

Ruby Grit was untouchable unless Eli Grit was dealt with. Eli would protect Ruby Grit at all costs, even if it meant doing the opposite.

Of course, her decision was tinged with personal resentment for the way she had been treated and disrespected.

Ruby Grit: Once Eli was dealt with, the woman who couldn’t defend herself would die on her own.

Arlen had commissioned the murder of Eli Grit from several sources, both to dispose of the elusive jewels and to dispose of Eli more definitively.

“And all of those places haven’t contacted me?”

At that thought, her anxiety flared again.

“Petiz.”

Arlen called back to Petiz, who had just left.

* * *

“Excuse me.”

Later that evening, a guard halted the carriage as it was leaving the palace.

“An errand for the Royal Concubine”

The guard checked the contents of the pass that was handed out, then handed it back carefully, wishing her a safe journey.

After a brief pause, the carriage resumed running, and it didn’t stop until it reached its destination.

Petiz stepped out of the carriage and headed straight for a shop without looking around.

“Are you going to send it?”

“Yes, sir. The fastest one.”

Once inside the small shop, Petiz handed the letter to the shopkeeper.

“You requested the fastest delivery.”

“Yes.”

“The address is……”

The shopkeeper was about to confirm the address to send the letter.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the knights burst in. A dozen or so knights stood guard outside the shop, and only two entered.

“This letter will go with us.”

One knight took the letter from the shopkeeper’s hand.

“W-what’s going on?”

“It is an order from the Emperor.”

The knight, Vaughn, looked at Petiz with cold eyes.

“You are coming with us.”

Her face, frozen as it was, turned a deep blue. As if her answer wasn’t necessary, Vaughn and the other knight who had entered the shop grabbed her and pulled her into the carriage.

“You’ll have to answer everything you know.”

Vaughn said in a frightening voice as they rode away.

“Why are you doing this…….”

“There’s nowhere to escape. So if you want to rely on mercy even a little bit, cooperating would be more beneficial to you.”

With those words, the carriage fell silent.

The knight’s expression was intimidating, but in his own way, it was advice with some consideration for her, which Petiz realized only after getting off the carriage.

* * *

Shannua took the letter from Vaughn, who handed it to him politely.

“She was going to send this letter? “

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Shannua opened it. The handwriting was familiar, but the words were still unfamiliar. No one could tell what he was thinking by the look on his face when he finished reading it.

“Tell me everything you know.”

He asked Petiz belatedly. She was trembling, not realizing that the command was directed at her until the knight beside her touched her.

“You will speak without a single falsehood.”

Petiz met Arlen’s gaze as she raised her head, and she wore a terrifying expression she had never shown before.

* * *

Late at night, there was a knock on Arlen’s door at the Imperial Palace.

Arlen, who was looking in the mirror, said this without turning to the door.

“Come in.”

It was Petiz, whom Arlen had sent on an errand. She had ordered her to come see her whenever she returned, so she was expecting her.

“You’re late. About the task I asked you to…”

Arlen stopped talking as she watched in the mirror, thinking that Petiz was walking into the room looking exhausted.

She stopped when she saw Shannua enter the room after her.

“Shan……, Your Majesty, what brings you here without any prior notice?”

Startled, she was about to call him by name when she realized Petiz was there and quickly changed her address.

Certainly, she hadn’t heard any news from the chamberlain.

“I thought you had sent for me to come and see you.”

Shannua said, referring to Arlen’s visit to him earlier in the day.

“…Still, without any prior announcement… I wasn’t prepared…”

“It’s fine. Are we not on such terms?”

Shannua sat back in her chair, seemingly unconcerned.

“Oh, I met this maid earlier; she was running an errand.”

Shannua looked at Petiz, who had entered the room before him.

“I see, Petiz, could you please bring some warm tea?”

Now that he’d entered, he couldn’t question Petiz about the details here. Arlen dismissed her quickly, indicating that they could talk later.

“No. I’m sure it’s important, and I don’t want to interrupt. Don’t mind me, it’s just an errand anyway.”

“……But……”

“Or…… is it something you can’t talk about in front of me?”

Shannua looked at Arlen with a smile.

“Of course not, for no trivial errand could be more important than His Majesty. You’ll hear about it later.”

Arlen was taken aback, but she managed to keep her expression neutral.

“If that’s the reason, then it’s even better.”

He was going to hear the details of her errand. She bit and released her lip slightly, invisibly, to show her frustration.

“You delivered the message, didn’t you?”

Arlen asked Petiz, eager to get on with it. It was a vague enough question that he would never know the exact details.

“Yes …….”

“Good work, you must be tired.”

“Did you miss your home already and send a letter?”

Shannua, who had been listening to their brief conversation, suddenly asked.

“Oh……. yes. Since I am often alone, I think about home… … .”

“You make it sound like it’s my fault.”

Arlen seized on the opportunity to take advantage of Shannua’s words. It was a plausible excuse, now that she thought about it, and a good topic for her to call him out for neglecting her in the palace so far.

Her expression changed slightly.

“Of course not, I was merely expressing my feelings. Petiz, you may leave.”

Arlen hurried to get her out of the room. Petiz refused to leave at Arlen’s command, starred at Shannua, and left the room only after the Emperor nodded that she was free to go.

Normally, she would have found that behavior strange, but Shannua’s position and her earlier panic had blinded her to such details.

“You made it sound like you weren’t coming, but you’re here sooner than I thought.”

Arlen sneered in a respectful tone. She wanted to get the upper hand in the conversation and change the subject quickly.

“I thought you might be lonely.”

Luckily, Shannua seemed to have forgotten what had happened earlier.

Arlen, realizing his words in hindsight, made a face. It was almost as if he meant to imply that she had made a good faith effort to come to see him.

“So now I’m in a position where I have to beg you to meet Your Majesty.”

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories