How nice would it be if I could just laze around doing nothing until the divorce? But that wasn’t possible. I still had to resolve the issue with Isabella. The next morning, as soon as the physician finished examining me, I instructed the maid to prepare for a visit to the Imperial Palace. Ian, who had come to check on me, looked at me with concern.

“Are you sure you’re up for it? You had a tough day yesterday. I could arrange for Isabella to be invited here instead. There’s no need for you to go in person…”

“Isn’t she still on probation?”

“It should be fine now.”

“I’m fine too.”

In the past, Ian would have insisted, but now he took a step back at my reassurance. There was no one left to stop me now, not even Jane. Seeing Ian hesitate, clearly worried but unable to dissuade me further, left me with a strange feeling.

Yesterday, when Ian tried to stop me, I was irritated, thinking he was in my way, but today, I don’t feel that same irritation… Instead, seeing him look at me with those puppy-dog eyes made my heart ache. I sighed inwardly and tried to convince him.

“…Even so, His Majesty personally ordered the probation, so it would be best to follow the proper protocol to avoid any backlash.”

“I could ask Cade to lift the probation. If I tell him it’s because you want to see Isabella, he’ll do it immediately.”

…Really? But there’s a protocol to follow…

“Besides, he already questioned why I didn’t inform him about visiting Begonia Palace yesterday. If you go to the palace today, he might come out to greet you.”

“Oh no, I won’t go then.”

That’s a horrifying thought. When I said I wouldn’t go, Ian looked surprised, and then his expression brightened as if he were relieved. Worried, I added.

“Ian, you mustn’t argue with Miss Isabella.”

“I’ll just talk to Cade and stay away from her. I’m busy anyway.”

That’s a relief…

“Thank you for listening to me, Liv. Get some rest then.”

Ian hurriedly left the room, as if afraid I might change my mind. Even as he closed the door, he had a beaming smile on his face. It was an unfamiliar sight. In fact, Ian was always someone who smiled easily.

He was always kind and gentle with everyone. Even though I knew it was just an act, I still liked him for it. Not as a man, but as a character from a novel. However, the smile he just showed me was not one I was familiar with. It felt raw and unfiltered. I felt uneasy and burned some roscaris leaves in the incense burner.

“This could get addictive.”

It must be something far too expensive for me to afford.

* * *

“I want to return this.”

I looked at the envelope Isabella placed on the table, feeling a bit bewildered.

“It’s the account certificate you gave me.”

“Oh, Isabella, this is…”

“I was too greedy. So I’m giving it back.”

I’d be grateful if she returned it, but accepting it outright feels a bit awkward…

“Let’s have some tea first.”

I poured tea myself and offered it to Isabella. I had invited her because I had something to say, but I didn’t expect her to bring up returning the money right away.

“Miss Isabella, I think you might be misunderstanding. I called you today to thank you and apologize. I wanted to apologize for the hardship you went through because of me.”

“For His Majesty’s probation order? There’s no need to apologize. I requested it myself. Besides, I needed to face the consequences of my actions anyway. I broke quite a few laws.”

Oh… I see…

“In a way, I’m even grateful to the Duke of Keppel. Thanks to him chasing after me with that deadly look, I gained a lot of sympathy.”

“Hmm, I really am sorry.”

When I expressed my embarrassment, Isabella smiled.

“I had prepared myself for this from the moment I decided to sell my face and identity. Honestly, if the Duke hadn’t caught me right away, I might have had even worse intentions.”

Worse intentions? I looked at her curiously, and she frowned slightly.

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s not my fault. Every woman in the capital wants to be the Duchess.”

Huh?

“Oh, but don’t worry. I gave up on that idea right away because the Duke is too scary.”

I can’t keep up with what she’s saying… When I couldn’t respond, Isabella quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, I’ll return the money, so I’d like you to give back the identification token I handed over then.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t have it with me right now.”

“What?”

Isabella widened her eyes in surprise.

“I can’t do without it. Without that, Isabella can’t join the Imperial Wizard Corps. I need my real identity.”

“Isabella, first of all… congratulations on your acceptance. And don’t worry. I know where the token is, so I’ll go retrieve it. However, before that, there’s something important I need to confirm.”

I asked cautiously.

“By any chance… do you know anything about Red Pub?”

“Red Pub?”

Isabella looked puzzled, as if she had no idea what I was talking about. Did I get it wrong? But I have a hunch… a strong one…

“I know it’s impolite to ask since I’m not close to you and don’t know much about your family situation, but… someone recognized me while I was living as Anne. I wondered if that person could be Anne’s real father.”

“My real father?”

“Or could it have been just my imagination? Do you have any memories of your father?”

Isabella stared at me with a blank expression before suddenly bursting into laughter.

“My mother was a pr*stitute. There’s no way I would have a father.”

I felt awkward and embarrassed, realizing that I might have unintentionally touched on a sensitive topic. But Isabella spoke nonchalantly.

“There were a few men who claimed to be my father. My mother was very beautiful, so she had a lot of admirers.”

Hmm, this isn’t what I was expecting. Still, I’m glad I asked Isabella first instead of mentioning anything to Bill. Even though I was almost certain, I thought it was important to respect Isabella’s feelings, which is why I hadn’t said anything until now. And thank goodness I kept quiet.

“So, who bothered you? Someone claiming to be your father?”

“No, that’s not it. I just thought he might be. There was someone who helped me and said I looked like his daughter, who went missing during the war. He mentioned meeting her at Red Pub if she were alive, so I wanted to check.”

When I finished speaking, Isabella suddenly fell silent. She seemed deep in thought, so I quietly sipped my tea, trying not to disturb her. By the time my teacup was empty, Isabella finally spoke.

“Where is that person?”

Isabella didn’t say that Bill was likely her father, but she did seem eager to meet him. So, I brought her to Red Pub. We even disguised ourselves to avoid any rumors about the Duchess of Keppel hanging around with her husband’s former scandal partner, the actress.

“Hey, Bill!”

I anxiously knocked on the back door of the pub. After a while, it was Greta, not Bill, who opened the door. Greta yawned widely with half-closed eyes as she opened the door.

“Who the heck… Anne?”

When she saw me, Greta suddenly became alert, looking around before pulling me by the wrist. She also ushered Isabella inside and hurriedly closed and locked the door.

“How did you get here?”

“Did you drink?”

“Is drinking the issue right now?”

Greta looked serious. She pounded on the banister of the stairs as she shouted.

“Hey, mister! Anne’s here!”

I awkwardly sat Isabella at a random table and poured myself a beer from behind the bar. Greta pointed at Isabella with her chin and asked.

“Who’s she?”

“My friend.”

“Well, that’s not surprising. The famous singer with the red lips turns out to be a duchess, and her friend is the top actress in the mpire.”

“Isabella, this is my friend Greta from the Red Pub Mercenary Guild.”

Although I introduced them, Isabella remained silent, and Greta didn’t say anything either. I was pondering how to break the awkward atmosphere when I heard the creaking sound of the stairs. Bill was coming down.

“Bill!”

“…Why are you here?”

Bill looked like he was suffering from a hangover. I wondered if I should get him some water, but Bill naturally opened a beer barrel and started chugging it like water. Greta sighed and said.

“We thought we’d never see you again after yesterday. If we knew we’d see you the next day, we would’ve taken it easy.”

“You two can hold your liquor. How much did you drink?”

Bill finished his beer and let out a belch, lamenting.

“This is the last of it.”

Oh my goodness. He drank it all. I stood there, dumbfounded, feeling embarrassed as I saw Isabella’s disgusted face. I had been expecting an emotional reunion between father and daughter, but seeing Isabella’s expression made me feel ashamed.

“Greta, you should’ve stopped him.”

“Greta was the one who suggested drinking.”

Feeling my reproachful gaze, Greta quickly changed the subject.

“So? Did you sneak out again? Is she the one helping you?”

“I didn’t run away. Well, I did sneak out, though.”

“What are you talking about? My head hurts, so make it simple. Ugh.”

Before I could even respond, Greta rushed to the kitchen, looking sick. The situation was a total mess. Seeing Isabella’s deeply displeased expression, I awkwardly tried to laugh it off and explained.

“They’re not usually like this, but they’ve been through a lot lately, so…”

“Is this where you’ve been staying?”

Isabella cut me off with a sharp tone, and I hesitated, feeling uncomfortable.

“If I had known you were staying in a place like this, I wouldn’t have helped you. The Duke of Keppel will try to kill me if he finds out.”

“…That won’t happen.”

Isabella looked around the shabby pub with a disgusted expression as she spoke.

“When you said you helped the Duchess, I thought you were someone impressive…”

I was too flustered to respond. Maybe bringing her here was a mistake. What should I do? My habit of meddling always causes problems.

“There’s no need to stay any longer. You should return home.”

“Isabella.”

“Let’s go.”

Isabella stood up and urged me, who was still sitting, to leave.

TL NOTE: Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories