The boy crossing through the crowd in a carriage drew closer. As I suspected, it was indeed him.

“It really is Anton.”

Unable to believe the reality before her, Alice gripped the cafe railing and stared intently at the boy. He didn’t seem to notice us.

While the identity of the new emperor was surprising, thinking about it now, he was clearly no ordinary boy, to the point where I wondered why I hadn’t noticed earlier.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, striking appearance, and the ability to use magic with ease.

Recalling how Ilion had been a bit concerned when he visited the mansion, it seemed obvious now.

“Wh-what should I do, Duchess?”

“About what?”

I asked casually, looking at Alice who was on the verge of tears.

“Am I… am I going to die now?”

“Why?”

Alice, with a pale face, listed her past misdeeds.

“Well, I’ve been bossing him around and said many harsh things. I might get arrested.”

I wondered just how much she had ordered him around to be this worried.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“But I even said such disrespectful things like wanting to make him my concubine!”

“Ah, that was a bit much.”

I nodded, thinking that calling the emperor a concubine was indeed going too far.

“But you told me to do it, Duchess!”

“I did?”

As I shrugged, saying I didn’t remember at all, Alice’s eyes welled up with tears and she sniffled.

“I’m finished now.”

Her appearance was so cute I wanted to pinch her cheeks, but I thought I should stop teasing her now. Before Lily scolded me.

“It’s okay. Nothing bad will happen.”

Anton, who had been taking such good care of Alice, had a gaze too tender to be just a servant serving his master.

So there was no need to worry about punishment, nor to be upset about being rejected.

But, I’m curious about what they’ll look like in 10 years, so should I keep it a secret for now? There’s nothing more fun than other people’s love lives.

Leaving the dazed Alice behind, I looked towards the temple for a moment.

“Who are you looking for so intently?”

“L-looking for? I was just observing a bit.”

At my words, Spinel raised an eyebrow. Was it that obvious when I was just looking around? I felt oddly guilty even though I hadn’t done anything wrong, and changed the subject.

“M-more importantly, shouldn’t we take Alice home? She doesn’t look well.”

Alice was still slumped over the table, unable to shake off the shock. All the dignity of a count’s daughter thrown far away.

The bookstore I visited after a long time still had that pleasant scent. The warm and cozy aroma made even my mood feel languid.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Duchess.”

Alice, now at the bookstore, still looked a bit dejected. It seemed she needed a change of mood. As I was pondering what to do, I pointed to the bookshelf corner and suggested,

“Since we’re here, why don’t you recommend some books?”

“Have you finished all the books you bought last time?”

“Yes, I enjoyed them all.”

Alice said she’d recommend similar books and started walking ahead.

As expected of a child who loves books, she seemed happiest talking about them. Alice chattered away with her small lips as if she had never been upset.

“This one is popular these days too. And this one…”

My eyes were drawn to an intriguing title next to the book Alice had just pulled out.

“The… Origin of Witches?”

“Are you interested?”

“No, just a bit.”

It was more curiosity than interest.

“I’ve been wondering for a while. Why people dislike witches…”

In a world where mages and dragons exist, why did people particularly persecute and fear witches?

Even though I’ve been adapting to this world for nearly half a year, there’s still so much I don’t know.

Now that Ilion’s matter was resolved, I continued the conversation, hoping to fill in my shallow and narrow knowledge of this world.

“Have you read this book?”

“Yes. It was boring but worth reading.”

So she’s not recommending it.

“What was the origin of witches, after all?”

I asked Alice as I pulled the book from the shelf.

“It’s said to originate from a mage who nearly brought the empire to ruin long ago.”

“Who was that?”

“A dark mage named Kasiel.”

“Dark mage?”

As I absentmindedly turned to the first page, I saw it was densely packed with text that looked boring at a glance. The wall of text seemed too high to climb out of mere curiosity.

“Yes. At that time, ‘witch’ was a term used only for that woman. That continued until now, and people who use dark magic are called witches.”

“Why specifically ‘witch’? Men can use dark magic too, can’t they?”

Alice pointed to the book in response to my question.

“There’s an afterword by the author on the last page. Why don’t you read that?”

Like she said, there was a short text on the last page, different from the previous pages.

[After Kasiel’s demise, dark magic was strictly forbidden, all related individuals were executed without exception, and all the books she left behind were burned. Nevertheless, we still hear news of witches being caught from time to time.
How ridiculous that the dark mages who nearly brought the empire to ruin are now caught and killed by mere farmers!
Do you, who have read this book, truly believe that there are still those who carry on Kasiel’s will?
Well, seeing only powerless and young women on the scaffold for being witches, don’t you already know the answer?]

“… So this means…”

“That innocent people might have been accused of being witches and killed.”

Alice answered, briefly summarizing the author’s comment.

“Isn’t that strange then?”

“What is?”

I quickly closed my mouth as I was about to answer Alice’s question. I had almost carelessly revealed Ilion’s secret.

“Ah, it’s nothing. By the way, is this author famous?”

I asked, looking at the author’s name, Rodi, written on the cover. I wondered how much his writing could be trusted.

“Hmm, he’s written many books on various topics, but he’s not that famous. Actually, when you read his works, there are many far-fetched stories. He’s a bit like a conspiracy theorist.”

That was quite a scathing review.

I wasn’t sure how much to trust the writings of such a conspiracy theorist, but I felt somewhat uneasy about just passing it by.

“Alice, I’ll buy this book.”

Alice tried to dissuade me, saying it would be boring, but I had plenty of time to spare anyway. So I wanted to use that time to see how nonsensical his delusions were.

Hopefully, I could be reassured that my ominous premonition was just needless worry.

***

After the coronation, the streets transformed into a festive atmosphere. People gathered in restaurants and bars, busy talking about the coronation, dancing and drinking to celebrate the new emperor’s ascension.

“Miss, haven’t you received any contact from home?”

“Why do you ask that suddenly?”

As we were passing through the square after leaving the bookstore, Lily cautiously asked.

“Well, I overheard earlier while you were choosing books. It seems the master is looking for you…”

They were truly shameless people. People who didn’t even visit me once when I was in prison were now concerned about my whereabouts. Well, I suppose they might be anxious since the wedding had been postponed.

“Let them search. They probably don’t even know where I’m living.”

I answered nonchalantly and stopped in my tracks, drawn by a delicious aroma.

“Since we’re out, shall we have dinner too?”

“Really?”

Lily’s eyes sparkled with excitement. It seems she had forgotten all about the Countess.

“Business is really booming. Should we open a shop in the capital too?”

I muttered, looking at the crowded shop interior with barely any room to stand.

“What kind of shop?”

“Hmm, how about a cafe? I happen to have a cake recipe I learned from Marchioness Lancel.”

“You don’t seem to have the talent for making cakes.”

Spinel pointed out, chewing on some jerky, as I rambled on slightly tipsy.

“How would you know that, Spinel?”

Of course, it’s true that I don’t have the talent.

“That cake you made last time, it tasted terrible.”

“Ah, that one from before.”

Lily muttered as if she just remembered.

“The one you told us to throw away, Miss.”

I recalled a past memory. Surely she’s not talking about the one I made for the party?

“You didn’t throw it away then?”

“It seemed wasteful, so I put it out in the banquet hall. It wasn’t very popular though.”

Her awkward smile showed that she couldn’t even lie and say the cake I made was delicious.

“I didn’t want to know that. Why did you put it out when I told you to throw it away?”

“Ah, but His Grace enjoyed it. In fact, he ate almost all of it.”

“His Grace…?”

“No, I mean…”

Realizing my suddenly stiff expression, Lily hurriedly changed the subject.

“Well, o-others liked it too. Right, Spinel?”

“What others? It’s just that Ilion has a peculiar taste.”

“Spinel!”

Lily put her finger to her lips and shook her head at Spinel, but Spinel, not understanding what that meant, looked at Lily in confusion.

We’re not even ex-lovers, so why do I keep getting upset because of Ilion?

And why am I curious about whether he liked the cake?

Annoyed by these useless thoughts, I gulped down the drink in front of me.

***

Lily sighed, looking at the drunk Ravenne. She should have stopped her when she was excitedly ordering more drinks, it was her mistake.

“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange.”

“What is?”

“There are three such charming women here, yet why isn’t a single man approaching us?”

The words ‘Please lower your voice, it’s embarrassing’ rose to the tip of Lily’s tongue. However, contrary to Lily’s modest wish, Ravenne’s voice only grew louder.

“It’s all because of Ilion. The whole neighborhood knows I’m the duchess, so who would dare approach? Huh? Who would?”

‘I wish someone would just shut her mouth. Really.’

Lily couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud and tried to calm Ravenne down. She felt like dying of embarrassment from the sidelong glances of those around them.

“Miss, there are many eyes watching, so perhaps it would be better to refrain from speaking now…”

“And to think he plans to settle it with alimony! It’s unfair!”

Of course, if she were the type to listen, Lily wouldn’t be suffering like this now.

After grumbling for a while, Ravenne suddenly lowered her head and glared at the table.

Since leaving the mansion, Ravenne’s condition hadn’t been good. Although she tried to hide it, she couldn’t completely conceal her somewhat depressed mood.

Worried about Ravenne’s state, who had suddenly fallen silent after shouting for a while, Lily looked at her face and asked,

“Miss, are you crying?”

“Why would I be crying!”

“But you are crying.”

As Lily said, her eyes were brimming with tears.

However, whether out of embarrassment or unwillingness to admit it, Ravenne stood up abruptly, insisting she wasn’t.

“Where are you going?”

“The bathroom.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Leave me alone.”

Spinel stopped Lily as she hurriedly tried to follow Ravenne.

“What?”

“Just let her be alone.”

“But…”

“With three people watching, what could possibly happen? Anyway, you were so worried you didn’t know what to do, yet you managed to suggest breaking off the engagement.”

Lily looked at Spinel with a puzzled expression as she muttered to herself.