Chapter 7. The Managed Cage

“Is it finally time to change shifts?”

“Yeah. Good job.”

Iella perked up her ears and cautiously approached the voices. There were four voices in total, all male.

“Ugh, I was so bored I thought I would die. My body’s going to stiffen up at this rate.”

“Want to go for a sparring session?”

“Uh… But we’re going to be like this again tomorrow. How about we just grab a drink?”

“Anyone would think you’re always training hard. You’re always out drinking.”

Chuckling and chatting sounds came from right nearby. Iella held her breath, fearing she might be discovered.

“Well, what can I do? I’d rather be swinging a sword or something. There’s nothing to do after work.”

“Who was the one who liked this cushy spot at first?”

“Ah! I thought it was going to be like that at first! They said all we had to do was keep an eye on Ailexia!”

“…!”

At the unexpected mention of the name, Iella’s eyes widened. The man continued talking, oblivious to her eavesdropping.

“Now it’s practically a demotion. My body’s itching for action!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go get a drink before we really get demoted.”

“Take me there quickly. This noise is killing me.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

After exchanging farewells, the sounds of two people moving away began. Iella hurriedly pressed her ear to the wall. The words of the two men who hadn’t completely left yet drifted on the wind, responding to her desperate gesture for more information.

“Still, how can you call her that? Do you want to be sent to the frontier?”

“So what? Has anyone been punished for that? Didn’t someone get caught by the Captain in front of the main palace before and nothing happened? He just got a glare.”

“Still.”

“Hey, don’t you remember when the Captain scolded her in front of everyone? Even then, he kept addressing her with respect, defending her against the knights who complained. The Captain is that principled. And now he overlooks it? What do you think that means? Someone must be…”

That was as far as it went. The incomplete voice scattered into the air. But fortunately, it was enough information for Iella to make an educated guess.

First, the measured footsteps. Iella recognized these footsteps.

Two years ago, she had become close friends with someone from a ducal family during a festival. The knights she occasionally encountered with him had the same kind of steps. There was no mistake.

Moreover, the talk of sparring and swords. The four men were likely knights. Imperial palace knights, to be precise.

Therefore, the Captain they referred to was probably the Captain of the Imperial Palace Knights. Even if he wasn’t the overall commander, it didn’t matter. Iella didn’t know the exact organizational structure of the Imperial Palace Knights, but it didn’t affect her judgment.

Whether it was the First Knight Captain, the Second Knight Captain, or the overall commander, there was only one person who could order them. Especially someone who could allow them to speak carelessly about a member of the imperial family.

A chill ran up her spine before she could stop it.

The sturdy-looking wall, the well-maintained garden, everything she had found peculiar began to look different.

This place was no different from an expensive dollhouse. Or a well-managed cage. The knights taking turns to monitor Ailexia confirmed that conclusion.

‘I knew something was strange.’

If she had to think of the person most affected by Ailexia’s behavior, only one person came to mind. The highest authority with absolute power. The one who ruled at the top of the hierarchical system. The Emperor of the Behart Empire.

Why didn’t he blame or stop Ailexia’s behavior?

‘He didn’t need to.’

After all, she was a well-managed caged bird, someone he could crush at any moment.

‘If all attention towards the imperial family is diverted to Ailexia, he could take advantage of that without anyone noticing.’

It wasn’t unreasonable since the public was already more interested in Ailexia’s rumors.

“…This is bad.”

It seemed that Iella’s choices were not between the lesser of two evils but between the worst and the worst.

* * *

But Iella didn’t change her decision.

In hindsight, it wasn’t that surprising. The Emperor had a reason to monitor Ailexia. It would have been stranger if he hadn’t, given her constant troublemaking. She realized she had been overthinking.

With that in mind, it didn’t seem like a big deal anymore. While it was a major obstacle, whether she got caught by the Emperor while escaping or by Allen while staying in the secondary palace, the end result was the same—death.

‘Who knows? Maybe the plan will succeed, and I’ll escape safely?’

She knew it wouldn’t be easy and that the odds were low. But Iella decided to aim for that slim chance. If she was going to die either way, it would be less frustrating to try something and fail than to do nothing.

‘Alright. Let’s do this.’

Resolute, Iella pulled the bell rope. Vanessa soon came inside. Iella asked for paper and a pen and then sat on the sofa in the corner of the bedroom.

‘I need to change the plan first.’

Her original rough plan before inspecting the wall was to leave the secondary palace, switch carriages in the city, and head straight home. If you ask her why home, it was because there was nowhere else to go.

‘If the Emperor sends a search party or if I get caught by the Imperial Palace Knights during the escape, changing carriages multiple times won’t help much.’

It would only increase her fatigue and risk getting caught while switching carriages.

In the worst-case scenario, her destination could be revealed, putting her family in danger.

That had to be avoided. Given the Emperor’s hobby of turning places into dollhouses, who knew what he might do to her family…

‘I need to set a completely different destination. Even if I get caught, they must never find out where I was heading.’

However, the problem was…

‘Is there such a place?’

Hmm.

Iella’s head tilted slightly in thought. No suitable place came to mind.

Her world had always been limited to the northern territory where her family resided. It was only natural. The territory was so small that even the few servants and residents were like family. Her world was that modest in size.

‘It’s fortunate I remember my past life.’

Facing the small size of her world, Iella couldn’t help but feel grateful for her memories of her past life. Without them, she would never have known who the owner of the body she inhabited was, or what kind of person they were. Even if she had found out, it would have been much later.

“Miss Ailexia, I have prepared the items you requested.”

Just then, there was a knock on the door. When she permitted entry, a maid carrying a tray with paper and a pen entered. It was someone entirely different from who she had expected.

“Where is Vanessa?”

Iella blinked as she asked the maid, who was placing the items neatly on the desk.

Since the bath service, Vanessa had personally attended to all her needs, big or small. Even when giving orders, Vanessa would always supervise. Naturally, Iella found it odd that someone else was handling a task she had specifically assigned to Vanessa. The ensuing situation only fueled her curiosity.

“She hurriedly entrusted it to me, saying she was going to organize the study and asked me to inform you, Miss Ailexia.”

The maid hesitated briefly before speaking cautiously, clearly watching Iella’s reaction. Her behavior was suspicious to anyone observing.

Moreover, why the sudden urgency about the study? And why pass on a task she was specifically asked to handle?

Unable to understand, Iella tilted her head in confusion. The maid, noticing her furrowed brow, began to fidget nervously.

“She said she would be quick. It’s not the first time this has happened, so you needn’t worry too much…”

The maid’s voice was small and strained, trying to calm Iella down. Unbeknownst to her, this only heightened Iella’s suspicions.

Iella pondered for a moment, staring at the maid who was trying to appease her.

From what she had gathered, it seemed Vanessa often went to organize the study suddenly. Each time, Ailexia was informed of this.

The fact that Ailexia hadn’t taken any action suggested she found the reasons acceptable.

‘But I don’t have her memories, so I don’t know those reasons.’

Hmm…

After a moment of contemplation, Iella stood up.

The maid, who had been sweating nervously, turned pale as if expecting Iella to vent her anger. Given Ailexia’s reputation, it was an understandable misunderstanding.

“Let’s go to the study.”

“I’m sorry, wh-what?”

The maid, who was about to bow and apologize, froze mid-motion. Thinking she hadn’t heard, Iella kindly repeated herself.

“I said, let’s go to the study.”

While she was curious about Vanessa and the maid’s behavior, there was a bigger reason for her decision.

The study.

She had always liked such places, but realizing the smallness of her world and feeling the limits of her information made it even more appealing. Given the high quality of life in the secondary palace, the study was likely to be impressive.

Even if it didn’t meet her expectations, she hoped to find something useful.

‘It would be good to find a new destination to escape to.’

Iella pushed the still-nervous maid out of the room. The maid, though reluctant, eventually led the way. Thanks to this, Iella could find the study’s location without arousing any suspicion.