Chapter 32. Sense of Discord

“You look better than I expected.”

“……”

“And you don’t seem to be in a bad mood. I thought you’d be furious after being found out by His Majesty.”

Iella silently listened to his sarcastic remarks. She anticipated such a reaction.

Regardless of the contract or anything else, Aster had helped her escape. It was only natural that he would suffer consequences once the Emperor found out. So she had already thought about meeting Aster again soon after being caught by the Emperor.

But she hadn’t expected such a sudden encounter.

An awkward silence stretched between them.

Aster didn’t seem to expect an answer, nor did he show any signs of impatience. But he also didn’t say anything more.

Iella pondered what to say to him as Ailexia. Then, a thought crossed her mind.

‘Maybe I can tell Aster my true identity this time?’

She had been able to tell Vanessa. That she was indeed the person Vanessa thought she was, and that she was born in this world as Iella Shua.

She wasn’t sure if it was because Vanessa was the creator or because Vanessa had recognized her first. But since she succeeded once, it was worth trying again with him.

“Actually, I am I…”

But her hopes crumbled like a sandcastle hit by a wave. As soon as she tried to say her real name with a hint of expectation, her words got stuck in her throat. No matter how much she tried to speak, no sound came out, and she ended up just moving her lips like a fish.

Momentarily flustered, Iella closed her mouth with a sigh. Then, a sudden thought struck her.

‘What if I don’t convey it through words?’

She hadn’t tried using gestures or writing yet. Maybe it was only impossible to convey it through voice. After looking around for a moment, Iella picked up a broken branch from the ground and squatted down.

Ignoring the piercing gaze watching her sudden actions, she focused on her task.

{ I am I…}

But nothing changed. As soon as she tried to write her name, her hand stopped moving. No matter how much strength she put into her trembling hand holding the branch, it stayed frozen in place as if tied down.

In the end, Iella dropped the branch in frustration, her serious expression turning hollow.

“What are you doing?”

Hearing Aster’s voice, she looked up and saw him staring at her as if she were a strange person.

Feeling awkward, Iella sighed and stood up again. She was considering trying to convey it through gestures when she heard his voice break the silence.

“You’re not asking.”

“……”

“I thought you’d come to question me first.”

“……”

Iella pondered what he meant for a moment. The answer came quickly.

The place where the carriage was supposed to wait, the promised time, but the Emperor was waiting there instead. It was a suspicious timing and situation no matter how you looked at it.

Aster was asking why she wasn’t suspicious of him.

“You don’t think it was a coincidence, do you? We don’t trust each other that much.”

“……”

“I thought you’d come right away to question me, saying that since it failed this time, I should keep my promise again, or you’d spread the word about my participation in the illegal auction. I thought you’d make such a petty threat.”

Iella looked up at Aster’s face. Despite his mocking tone, his expression was indifferent. But his silver eyes, hidden by the twilight, were deeply sunken.

It was curious. It wasn’t the image she had seen as Ailexia. She spoke without thinking.

“It’s not true.”

“……”

“You didn’t tell.”

At that moment, a heavy wind blew. The twilight slowly receded from his silver eyes as if it was swept away by the wind.

Seeing his slightly widened eyes, Iella realized her mistake. She quickly turned her gaze to hide her embarrassment and added.

“What do you take me for? I can make that much of a judgment. If you were going to report my outing, you would have had to reveal the illegal auction that started it all. If you were going to reveal that, you wouldn’t have accepted my deal in the first place. Right?”

“Is that all?”

“What else should there be? Should I start gossiping about our secret deal?”

But the suspicion in Aster’s eyes didn’t fade. Iella could sense it clearly.

Eventually, she turned away. It was clear that saying more would only cause trouble. If he started probing…

In this situation, escaping was the best option.

“Anyway, that’s what I think. So, I’m not going to question you or demand that you keep your promise again. If that’s what you’re worried about, you don’t need to. Got it?”

“…Just one more thing.”

Just as she was about to leave after delivering her conclusion, Aster’s voice stopped her. She paused and discreetly wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt out of nervousness.

“Just one more question.”

“…What is it?”

“Where were you between the time you disappeared from the auction and when we met again?”

The unexpected question caught Iella off guard. She was glad he couldn’t see her face as she turned away. Taking a deep breath, she tried to sound calm.

“I went to fix my makeup. Do I have to explain everything? You really lack the qualifications of a gentleman.”

“…Let me rephrase. I’m asking why you were outside, with your dress scorched.”

How did he notice that? Iella was taken aback by his sharp observation even in the dark. She couldn’t come up with an immediate excuse. Meanwhile, she heard his footsteps approaching from behind.

In that brief moment, a deep conflict raged in Iella’s mind.

Finally, she decided to reveal a part of the truth.

“I saw a child looking for their mother in the fire. The noise was too loud.”

She felt that making up a lie would only get her caught, and denying it would lead to more probing. Mixing a bit of truth seemed the best option.

His footsteps stopped behind her.

‘Now’s the time.’

Taking advantage of the moment, Iella quickly walked away before he could say anything. Fortunately, he didn’t stop her this time.

“…She saved a child.”

Aster muttered, watching her platinum blonde hair recede into the distance. It was an unbelievable story. The selfish woman he knew, saving a child?

Her excuse about the noise was plausible, but it wasn’t enough of a reason to find a child in a fire. Moreover…

“Sigh.”

Aster ran a hand through his hair roughly, frowning. The conversation he had with the Emperor earlier complicated his thoughts.

***

Until he received the Emperor’s summons that early afternoon and arrived at the palace, Aster hadn’t thought much of it. That didn’t change even when he stood in front of the office. He had already expected the summons after hearing that his outing the previous night had been discovered.

The same went for the illegal auction. Remembering Ailexia’s muttering at the auction, he expected that the Emperor already knew about the illegal auction.

Most importantly, he had considered this a situation he would have to resolve sooner or later from the moment he decided to accept Ailexia’s deal. Most nobles knew that the Emperor received reports on everything that happened in the secondary palace.

He planned to resolve it while the Emperor was away on a hunting trip.

“Your Majesty, Duke Calver has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

So when the attendant guarding the door informed the Emperor of his arrival, and he entered to face the Emperor after a long time, he maintained his composure.

“It’s been a while, Duke Calver.”

“I greet the supreme sun of the Empire. It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

“How many years has it been? You hardly ever left the duchy. And now, you’ve left the cold north for something as frivolous as this.”

Helios started with a meaningless greeting and immediately mentioned the illegal auction. Aster responded as he had prepared.

“I had something urgent to verify, so I had no choice…”

“A woman?”

He had been momentarily caught off guard by the unexpected question. Helios took advantage of that pause, speaking in a bored tone.

“I’ve heard you’ve been searching high and low for a woman recently.”

“……”

“Using the excuse of having something to report to me, you even sent your predecessor to the north.”

But only for a moment. Aster quickly regained his composure. He didn’t expect to escape the Emperor’s notice from the beginning.

Besides, his excuse of having something to report wasn’t a lie. It was more about obtaining something from the Emperor.

“It wasn’t an excuse. However, what I have to report was a way to move my father. To be precise, I have a request for Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“…I earnestly request your permission for my knights to search the capital.”

Aster bowed deeply. It was his most desperate plea.

He had found no trace of Iella in Viscount of Shua’s house, the north, or its surroundings. After failing to find even the smallest clue at the illegal auction, his last hope was the capital.

However, for the Duke’s knights to search the capital, he needed the Emperor’s permission. Moving knights in the capital without permission was considered close to treason.

“If you grant permission, we will move discreetly. We won’t do anything noticeable. As you mentioned, there is someone I am desperately searching for.”

He didn’t know what expression the Emperor had while saying this. He kept his head bowed until he heard the words of permission.

When he finally raised his head, he saw a fleeting look of deep longing and desperation in the Emperor’s red eyes.

It was a very brief moment.