Chapter 12

Nadia pointed her cane at the young man.

“Will you come to me, or shall I go to you?”

“I-I-I’ll come to you, Your Highness!”

The young man stumbled over to Nadia, bowing hastily.

Nadia, who seemed displeased as she stared at the young man, shifted her gaze slightly to the side.

Kanna almost flinched.

The way Nadia looked at her wasn’t the kind of gaze Kanis was used to seeing.

It was more like the look of someone who had just found a very enticing prey.

Nadia even smacked her lips.

“Have you finished your business?”

Michael stepped in front of Kanna slightly, asking the question.

“Yes. I’m busy now, so I’ll be on my way. I’m sure we’ll have another chance.”

Nadia chuckled and left the forbidden section, the young man leading the way.

…Why did it feel like every member of the Imperial Family was a little off?

“Miss Kanna, how did your search go?”

“Huh? It’s done.”

She had a rough idea of where the remaining books were.

The young man, who had walked off like livestock being led to slaughter, had been carrying a few books in his arms.

They were probably in the Princess’s Palace.

“That young man’s life isn’t in danger or anything, right?”

“Well… you might never see him again.”

“What?”

Startled, Kanna turned toward where the princess had disappeared, but Michael grabbed her shoulder with a smile.

“No, I meant he’s leaving the palace. They pay well, but… let’s just say they squeeze every last bit out of you.”

“Sounds exploitative.”

Michael nodded in agreement to her criticism of his aunt and offered her some advice.

“It’s best to avoid talking to my aunt if you can.”

“Do you think that’s up to me? She seemed to have business with me earlier.”

“To be precise, she’s interested in mages. If she could, she’d probably experiment on the Master of the Mage Tower too.”

Kanna suddenly felt a chill down her spine.

If her identity were revealed, the most dangerous person to her might just be that princess.

“I’m… not a mage.”

“Your mother is the Supreme Mage.”

Michael fell silent for a moment.

Kanna, on the other hand, was deep in thought.

She couldn’t just barge into the princess’s palace and ask for the books… The princess wasn’t interested in “Kanna”—she was interested in “Kanis.”

Kanna suddenly wondered how long her transformation magic could last with her current mana levels.

If it could hold for more than a few minutes, it might be worth a try.

She could just retrieve the books, revert to Kanna, and avoid having to move too far.

To test it, she’d have to wait until nightfall.

Kanna frowned slightly as she stared at the sun still high in the sky.

***

“Jehel.”

After finishing her dinner and returning to her bedroom, Kanna called Jehel quietly.

“Do you need something?”

“No, it’s just… Michael seems to be running late today?”

“Yes, the meeting isn’t over yet.”

“…It’ll take a while longer, won’t it?”

“Probably. It’s the end of the year, after all.”

“Hmm.”

“Why? Is spending time with me boring?”

Kanna moved to sit farther away, anticipating Jehel’s teasing.

“Do you think I’m someone who only thinks about spending time with Michael?”

“…You kind of seem like that.”

“What?”

Jehel muttered under her breath, ignoring Kanna’s glare.

“It’s true, though. You’re especially willing to let His Highness Michael stay close to you.”

“It’s not about letting him stay close—”

“Is it because His Highness keeps picking fights with you?”

“Exactly!”

Jehel crossed her arms and stared at Kanna thoughtfully.

“…You talk so easily when you start, yet you’re so shy around people.”

“Anyway, Michael’s going to be late, right? You should head home too.”

“That’s cold, really.”

“Didn’t you say you have a husband waiting for you at home?”

“That’s true, but…”

Despite her words, Jehel’s body was already inching toward the door.

“Then stay here alone for a bit! His Highness will be here soon! If you need anything, there are servants outside the door!”

“Got it. Now go home to your husband already.”

“Hehe, see you tomorrow!”

Jehel waved enthusiastically as she disappeared through the door.

…Look at how fast she left after being told to go.

Kanna chuckled softly and stretched as she got off the sofa.

Now, she just needed to find an unused guest room.

With servants outside the door, the answer was, of course… the window.

She had sworn to “use the stairs,” but she’d never promised not to use the window.

With a bold thought, Kanna lifted the window cover and pushed the window open.

The moonlight outside was unusually bright, and the cool night breeze flowed into the room.

Kanna climbed onto the railing, grunting, and stepped onto the lower roof.

She vaguely remembered hearing that unused guest rooms were clustered in the east wing.

Carefully avoiding the patrolling guards, Kanna moved quietly across the roof toward the east wing.

She found an open window connected to a hallway, checked her surroundings for any people, and slipped inside.

The lack of footsteps downstairs confirmed that this area was indeed remote.

Humming a tune, Kanna walked across the hallway, deciding which room to enter.

She tried the doorknob of the room at the very end and found it unlocked.

Pushing it open, she stepped inside.

Though dim, the moonlight streaming in made it easy to see her surroundings.

Old furniture covered in cloth was scattered around, and the air wasn’t as stale as she had expected.

Did they ventilate the room often?

It crossed her mind that perhaps someone regularly tended to this room, but she didn’t dwell on it.

Her humming stopped, and Kanna’s eyes began to glow blue.

Her jawline sharpened, her neck grew longer, her arms and legs stretched, and…

There was a full-length mirror in one corner of the room.

Pulling off the cloth that half-covered it, she took a proper look at herself.

Blue eyes, silver hair. The appearance of an adult. The cold, expressionless face that was her signature look.

It was unmistakably “Kanis.” Seeing herself like this after so long felt strangely unfamiliar.

“Ah, ah.”

Even her voice had returned to normal.

As she slowly looked around the room, checking how much mana she had left, faint footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

Kanis didn’t take it seriously at first.

It was a building meant for people, after all. As long as they didn’t enter this room, it didn’t matter.

But they did enter this room.

As the footsteps approached the room without hesitation, Kanis clicked her tongue, a bad feeling creeping over her, and looked around.

There were plenty of places to hide for the moment.

The question was, what was the intruder’s purpose in coming here?

Kanis slipped under the cloth covering an old cabinet and desk, hiding in the empty space beneath.

The dust on the cloth seemed to scatter in the air, making Kanis frown.

Before long, someone did enter the room.

It seemed like a storage space for bulky furniture, so there shouldn’t have been any reason to come here…

Peeking out from beneath the cloth, Kanis checked the intruder’s movements and almost made a sound.

The person entering the room was a man.

He was wearing the same formal attire she had seen him in that morning.

In other words, it was Michael.

Kanis clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling a sound, and quickly pulled her head back under the cloth.

Is he a ghost or something? How does he always manage to show up at the worst times?

The room was eerily quiet.

Just as Kanis was about to peek out again, a shadow appeared near the cloth.

When she looked up, she could see Michael’s outline through the cloth.

Kanis instinctively held her breath.

Michael walked past her hiding spot, and the shadow moved away.

Kanis exhaled quietly.

But her curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked out again.

Michael was pulling the cloth off a large, square object.

It was a massive frame.

From Kanis’s angle, she couldn’t see what the painting depicted, but Michael could.

He stood motionless, staring at the painting.

One hand still held the cloth he had removed.

What is he doing? 

But he didn’t do anything else.

He just stood there for a long time, as if his feet were glued to the floor in front of the frame.

What kind of painting would make someone come to see it at this hour?

And without even bringing a lamp, relying solely on moonlight?

Eventually, Michael took a difficult step forward, moving closer to the painting.

She thought he might reach out to touch it, but instead, he draped the cloth back over the frame.

After carefully ensuring the cloth was properly in place, Michael gently grasped the frame.