The place we arrived at by teleport was outside the Imperial Palace. Looking at the large castle gate and the guards in front of it, I asked Michael.

“Can’t we teleport inside the palace?”

“No. Teleportation is prohibited inside the Imperial Palace. They’ve placed magic around the area to prevent its use entirely.”

“Then can other magic be used?”

“It’s not possible unless you’re a registered mage like us.”

As I listened to Michael’s explanation, I looked up at the high walls rising above us. The thick and solid walls seemed to make both intrusion and escape difficult.

“What about artifacts?”

“Artifacts need prior approval to be brought in. Otherwise, they’re detected by equipment installed at the entrance.”

Michael pointed to blue stones installed around the entrance as he spoke.

Though different in shape, it seemed to be a similar device to the one that had searched my body at the casino.

Another possibility I had hoped for vanished.

Well, it’s the palace where the Emperor lives, so security wouldn’t be that lax.

“By the way, if teleportation doesn’t work, don’t tell me that every time I called you……”

“Yes. I had to run out of the palace.”

Michael answered calmly.

Sir Michael, you’ve gone through a lot in many ways.

While expressing my heartfelt gratitude for his efforts, I prayed that he would be able to work in the Imperial Palace for a long time.

The soldier guarding the castle gate let me pass without much suspicion, as I was accompanied by Michael.

Calling Michael was indeed a good decision.

However, unlike my satisfaction, Michael seemed uneasy about this situation and asked while watching my expression.

“Um, Miss. Could you tell me why you came to the Imperial Palace? Your disguise as a maid, the magic to change your appearance, it doesn’t seem like you just came here casually.”

Seeing him fidget a bit, I beckoned him to come closer.

“Actually……”

Then I whispered to him in a low voice.

“I wanted to tour the Imperial Palace.”

“……Pardon?”

Michael, who had been tense expecting me to drop another bombshell, asked with a deflated expression.

“You could tour anytime, couldn’t you? There’s no need for this disguise.”

“But thanks to this, no one recognizes me, right?”

“There’s no need to go this far……”

“It was my dream. To wander around the Imperial Palace without anyone knowing.”

He looked at me with a dispirited expression and then nodded.

“I see. That’s right. I should have known you were that kind of person……”

I patted his shoulders, which looked unusually small today, a couple of times.

Michael, don’t blame yourself too much. You didn’t come here not knowing what to expect, right?

Of course, I didn’t really come in this disguise just to tour the Imperial Palace.

Considering the flow of the original story, Artia would soon decide to escape the palace. But the problem was that the situation was different from the original. The strengthened security due to Klaus’s whim, that is.

In this situation, it would be difficult for Artia to escape the palace alone. She would need someone to help her.

So, if I had to say, this was more like a preliminary survey?

Michael’s guidance was detailed, and as someone who had worked in the Imperial Palace for a long time, he knew various shortcuts.

Being new to everything, I tried my best to remember as much as possible. Not just the shortcuts, but also the locations of major buildings and areas where guards were stationed.

As we were touring every corner of the Imperial Palace, I happened to notice an old door located in a corner.

“Where is this?”

“Ah, this is the Magic Department’s storage room.”

The storage room door was half-open, suggesting that there weren’t any important items inside.

“Can I open it?”

“Ah, well……”

Of course, before his permission could come, my hand was already opening the door. At the same time, the items inside came tumbling out. So that’s why the door wasn’t properly closed.

Michael rubbed his forehead with a pained expression.

“Haha. I’m sorry. I’ll tidy it up right away.”

Among the spilled items were not only magical tools but also flags that might be used for events, fireworks, and flower petals scattered about.

“What are all these?”

Michael, helping me tidy up, said,

“These are items we were going to use for the recent academic festival. Due to the accident that day, all subsequent events were canceled, so……”

“Ah……”

I didn’t know these items had such a sad story.

“It’s a shame to throw them away, so we just put everything in storage for now. We’ll use them again next year. But someone should have organized them properly instead of just piling them up like this.”

Behind Michael’s muttering about finding out who tidied up and giving them a piece of his mind, one of the items scattered on the floor caught my attention.

“Sir Michael, is this storage room always open?”

“Ah, yes. As you can see, it’s full of odds and ends, so we don’t bother locking it.”

“I see.”

That’s quite helpful information.

I smiled and neatly organized the item that caught my eye in one corner of the box.

After finishing tidying up the storage room, we headed to where Artia was.

“That’s the Saintess’s room?”

“Yes.”

Two guards with spears were guarding in front of the room, and a maid was just coming out with a tray.

“But why are we hiding like this?”

Michael asked as we were hiding to avoid drawing unnecessary attention from the guards. It seems he found our behavior strange.

“It’s more fun this way, isn’t it?”

And hearing my answer, Michael nodded silently once again.

After confirming Artia’s location, I immediately surveyed the surroundings.

There was only one entrance to enter and exit the palace, and the surroundings were blocked by solid walls.

Even Artia in the original story thought it was impossible to escape by climbing over the palace walls, so she found another way.

She decided to hide in the cart of a grocer who came to the Imperial Palace every dawn.

It happened to be a day when only minimal forces were deployed in the Imperial Palace due to preparations for the harvest festival, and security was lax. Thanks to this, Artia was able to safely leave the Imperial Palace.

However, she didn’t know that all of this was Klaus’s scheme.

Before she could feel relief that her escape had succeeded, the grocer’s cart was attacked by bandits.

The bandits kidnapped her to sell her as a slave, and she eventually ended up being sold to a nobleman at an auction.

By this point, you might guess, but that nobleman was Klaus.

It was Klaus who gave her the motivation to decide to escape, who let her escape, and who took away her last hope.

I don’t want to praise him, but he was truly a genius at playing with people’s hearts.

“Sir Michael, let’s go somewhere else now.”

Having finished surveying the surroundings, I called Michael.

“Where would you like to tour next?”

“Hmm……”

Looking out the window at the buildings, I pointed my finger at the building farthest from where we were.

“Over there.”

Michael looked at his pocket watch with an uneasy expression and then nodded.

“Alright. We still have some time.”

After circling the Imperial Palace once, Michael sat down heavily on a bench, groaning.

“Miss, I need to go to work now.”

“Oh my, but there are still many places to see?”

“Do you really want me to get fired? If Dimitri finds out I’ve been absent from my post, there’ll be an uproar.”

His voice sounded very tired.

We had been wandering around the Imperial Palace for nearly 3 hours, so it’s understandable that he’s tired.

Well, I’ve familiarized myself with the geography of the Imperial Palace, so it seems I should return him to Dimitri soon.

“Then, take me to one last place.”

“Where?”

“The kitchen.”

Michael tilted his head, finding my answer unexpected.

“Why there? Are you hungry?”

Well, I am hungry, but that’s not it.

“I’m going to meet a friend.”

“Then why don’t you ask that friend to guide you?”

Michael grumbled slightly, saying he didn’t know I had a friend in the Imperial Palace.

If only I could, I’d like to do that too. But that friend is a bit scary, you see.

The imperial kitchen was busy preparing for the upcoming dinner.

As Michael entered the kitchen, a maid with a familiar face approached us.

“What brings you here, Sir Michael?”

“Ah, Laura. Actually, we’re looking for someone……”

Michael looked at me, trailing off awkwardly, not knowing how to explain.

“Hello, Miss Laura. I’m Canaria. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Laura looked at me with wide eyes.

“Canaria? You?”

It wasn’t unreasonable for her to be surprised. I was disguised differently from the academic festival to avoid Klaus’s eyes.

Needing someone to explain, I nudged Michael’s side, and he nodded quickly, catching on.

“Yes, this is Lady Canaria.”

“Lady… Canaria?”

“Ah, no. Just Canaria.”

Michael hurriedly corrected himself at Laura’s question.

“I see. What brings you here?”

She was still sharp and quick to grasp the situation, immediately asking about the purpose of our visit.

“I wanted to talk with you.”

“With me?”

“Yes. Oh, Sir Michael, you can go now.”

At my words, Michael hesitated, then pulled me aside and whispered quietly.

“Miss, although it’s unlikely, what exactly are you planning?”

“Planning? I’m just meeting a friend to have a chat, that’s all.”

When I asked back with an innocent face, Michael frowned, conflicted. He seemed to be wondering if he could trust my words.

“Besides, don’t you have a lot of work to do? If you want to leave on time, you should go now.”

When I mentioned leaving work on time, Michael, who had been frowning so hard his brow furrowed, reluctantly nodded.

“Alright. Then I’ll escort you back when you’re done talking. Don’t go anywhere and come find me.”

“Okay, I will.”

“You must, you must. You can’t be locked up anywhere, and you can’t be captured either. Understood?”

His instructions were quite detailed and specific. Just what kind of person am I in your mind? Well, I have been locked up and captured every time we’ve met…

Given what I’ve done so far, I nodded and said I understood without saying much, but Michael, still not trusting even that answer, repeatedly implored me before finally leaving.

Worrying too much is really a disease, I tell you.

After Michael left, Laura and I moved to a different location.

“To be able to change your appearance with magic, you’re not an ordinary person, are you?”

As we stopped in an empty corridor, Laura spoke, wary of my identity.

“Of course not. As you can see, I’m just an ordinary person.”