Chapter 46

After the banquet, the Imperial Palace returned to its usual routine. Despite the event being chaotic in many ways, the palace itself was surprisingly quiet.

The outside, however, was probably noisy.

Since every noble present had witnessed Kahil’s shocking true nature, society would be abuzz with stories about him for some time. Yet Kahil himself, oblivious to it all, was probably cheerfully eating cake somewhere.

Diana, looking tired, put down the documents she had been holding.

“Neil, there’s nothing else left to check, right?”

“Oh, yes. Once you’re done with that, you’re finished for today.”

“That’s good. Then I’ll be able to go home a bit early.”

Free from paperwork, Diana stood up and began to prepare to leave. Neil’s eyes widened as he watched her.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing else to review. You can go home too, Neil, if nothing comes up. I think it’s fine to leave early today.”

“Oh, but… Could you stay just a bit longer?”

“Are you worried His Highness will come while I’m gone?”

“Yes.”

After the banquet, almost no one approached Kahil anymore. That made him seek out Diana even more, turning her office into a place Kahil frequented.

“It’s fine. I saw a giant cake moving down the corridor just now. I doubt he’ll come looking for me today. Or maybe you should try getting closer to him? If you say you’re a fan, he’ll love it.”

“No, no, no. I’m fine.”

Neil firmly refused, and Diana, amused by his reaction, grabbed her coat. Neil asked,

“Are you heading straight home?”

“No, I’m having dinner at the Marquis’ mansion. I’m meeting Sophia.”

“Oh, I see. Come to think of it, you’ve been meeting Lady Christine quite often lately.”

“Yeah, well. There’s a lot to talk about these days.”

There’s a lot to do, too. Diana swallowed the rest of her words as she made her excuse.

*   *   *

“You’re done early today?”

Sophia greeted Diana naturally as she entered the room, and Diana just as naturally flopped down in the seat across from her.

“Yeah. Nothing urgent came up. I thought it’d be good to meet the kids early, too.”

“I thought so, so I made preparations.”

Sophia placed a bag on the table. Diana took it, opened it, and found a cloak, gloves, shoes, and a mask—all the things she used for disguises.

“I noticed the cloak was a bit torn, so I mended it.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. Thanks.”

In fact, this was one reason Diana visited the Marquis’ mansion so often. Sophia was the only person in the capital who knew Diana’s secret, and her room had a passage that allowed Diana to leave unnoticed by servants or knights.

“How’s it going lately? You said you were learning mask-making techniques.”

“I wanted to ask, actually. The place teaching those skills—is it really as tough as they say? Nine out of ten supposedly run out crying.”

“Yeah. It’s the most notorious place.”

“So it is?”

“But if you stick with it, your skills improve dramatically.”

“That’s the problem.”

As she changed clothes, Diana grumbled.

“They just won’t quit, won’t give up! Why do they have such determination for rebellion?”

Seeing those eager eyes wanting praise for hard work was burning Diana out. At this rate, she’d have to start making and selling masks herself.

“No, no. If I end up running the whole business, I’ll never get a break.”

With her aide duties, leader duties, and now business duties—she didn’t have enough bodies to go around. Sophia agreed.

“You’re right. It’s too much for one person. That’s why I have a suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“How about hiring someone?”

Diana’s eyes widened at the unexpected suggestion.

“Hire someone?”

“Even if it’s all thrown together, you need some structure. Subordinate or leader—the setup is way too simple.”

“…….”

“You need someone besides yourself who can manage the group. But honestly, none of your subordinates seem up to it.”

“So you mean… I should have an executive?”

“Yes. It’ll make things easier for you.”

As Sophia said, it was impossible to manage so many people alone, especially since Diana couldn’t always be there.

“If you want, why not pick someone from our staff? I can recommend someone. They’re all good workers, and discreet.”

“That would be nice, but since this isn’t exactly a noble cause, I hesitate to drag someone else into it.”

Bringing in an executive felt like the rebellion was becoming official.

“I’ll try to handle it myself for now, and if I really can’t manage alone… I’ll ask you again then.”

“Sounds good. Or how about me as an executive?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Or Dian?”

“My brother? He….”

Thinking of Dian, Diana shook her head.

“He’s better off quietly at home. That’s help enough, and anyway, he’s not suitable.”

He’d be more likely to join in the trouble than help manage it. Just imagining it was terrible.

“Let’s talk about it later. For now, I’m heading out. Was it here I needed to press?”

Fully changed, Diana walked over to the bookshelf. Scanning the many books, she pointed here and there until she stopped.

“This is it, right?”

“That’s right.”

Diana pressed her finger to one book, and the bookshelf slowly split in half, revealing a passageway beyond.

“No matter how many times I see it, this passage always amazes me.”

The passage from Sophia’s room to the outside was extremely useful for Diana, letting her avoid prying eyes as she came and went.

“There are other devices besides this passage, right?”

“Yes. There are book mechanisms and all sorts of things. Every member of the Christine family has to know them.”

“Well, it’s practically a fortress. Memorizing it all must be tough.”

The Marquis Christine mansion was probably the safest place in the Empire. Diana admired it as she walked.

“Anyway, I’ll be back.”

“Take care.”

With her mask adjusted, Diana headed into the passage, and Sophia saw her off.

*   *   *

“Boss, you’re here!”

The hideout was as noisy as ever. Diana, greeted by her subordinates, sighed quietly inside her mask as she entered.

“…Yeah. How’s everyone? No one ran off or anything because it was too tough?”

“Not at all! We’re tired, but it’s rewarding!”

She’d hoped a few might have run away, but instead she saw proud faces, and Diana bit her lip.

“Great. That’s… really great. Not a single one ran off.”

“Right? Oh! Would you take a look at these? We made these masks today.”

They’d reached the point of making impressive masks. Diana’s hand trembled as she picked one up.

“Wow. You really did well. Soon you could sell these.”

“Right? The teachers praised us so much. They said in decades of mask-making, they’d never had such diligent students!”

“They begged us to work with them after training, but we refused! Because we have a greater goal!”

Why did they have such determination for rebellion?

Whether they understood Diana’s burning frustration or not, her subordinates chattered, showing off the masks they’d made. As she watched the scene in disbelief, she noticed a faint sound outside.

“Wait, everyone quiet for a moment.”

Ever since the knights’ raid, even small noises couldn’t be ignored. At Diana’s command, the subordinates fell silent, and the building grew quiet. Now the sounds outside were clearer: hoofbeats and footsteps. It was definitely people. Realizing this, Diana quickly turned toward the door, and at that moment, the door burst open.