“Oh no…… did I leave it there? Please, not that.”

On her last outing, Blair had run into that strange man and her route had been thrown off entirely. She had rushed back to the palace later than she should have, and now she remembered it clearly.

She must have left without the brooch in her hurry.

“What am I going to do…… how could I leave that behind, I must be out of my mind.”

With the security tightened because of Anais, she wouldn’t be able to use that gap in the wall for a while.

Blair paced in distress, tugging at her hair. No solution came to her, and she was still sighing helplessly when her maid knocked and announced a visitor.

“Miss, Miss Lorentz has come to call.”

Olivia Lorentz. The unexpected visit put Blair on guard, but she kept it from her face.

“Oh. Please send her in.”

The maid opened the door, and Olivia Lorentz stepped inside, her face noticeably drawn.

“Olivia. It’s been a while.”

“Oh…… am I interrupting something, Blair?”

Olivia glanced at Blair’s thoroughly cluttered desk and asked carefully.

“No, not at all. I was just looking for something. But what brings you here at this hour?”

Blair glanced briefly out the window. Dusk had long since passed, and darkness was already beginning to settle.

“It’s just…… I was too anxious to be alone.”

“What do you mean by that, Olivia?”

She was visibly unsettled, her voice trembling. The Olivia who always carried herself with cool, composed elegance was nowhere to be seen.

“I came back from a walk in the garden just a little while ago, and my bird……”

She couldn’t finish the sentence. Her voice broke, and tears spilled freely down her cheeks. Olivia cried for a long moment, then wiped her reddened nose and spoke.

“I’m sorry, Blair. I’m frightened, and I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. I couldn’t stand to stay in that room another moment, so I just came without thinking.”

“Tell me slowly. What happened?”

“I came back to my room and Blanche was quiet. My canary. So I looked, and…… she was dead inside the cage. She’d been given robetaine.”

Olivia pressed a trembling hand to her lips and shuddered as if the memory itself was unbearable.

“…… Robetaine?”

Blair asked.

“Yes, the same poison that was used on Miss Anais. I’m so frightened. Who could be targeting us like this?”

Blair studied Olivia’s face. Her blue eyes, filled with fear, shifted and wavered without settling anywhere.

“So what you’re saying is, someone is trying to harm all of us?”

“Not all of us, I’d think. This is almost certainly someone acting to secure the position of princess consort.”

That was as good as saying she was the frons most likely to be chosen after Anais. Objectively speaking, it was true — but to say it herself, so calmly.

She’s something else.

A different sort from Selina, who said whatever she thought without a filter.

“In any case, I’m terrified. The Duke of Brienne pressures the royal family day after day without fail.”

“He lost his only daughter. It’s understandable.”

“That’s not the only reason, I’m sure. This is the Duke of Brienne we’re talking about.”

Olivia continued in a tone that edged toward contempt.

“His plan was to put his daughter in as princess consort and gain complete control over the kingdom. Prince Kalintz is the sole heir to the throne, so barring any misfortune, he will become king. That would have made Anais queen.”

And if the two of them had a child, that child would become the next king in turn. House Brienne would have held power so absolute it would have touched the sky, Olivia said.

“But now he’s lost the most important foothold he had. No one knows what the Duke of Brienne will do next.”

“Do you think it was the Duke of Brienne who did that to your bird?”

Blair asked directly, without softening the question. Olivia seemed briefly caught off guard, but quickly composed herself and answered steadily.

“It’s possible. He would need to keep our family in check, after all. A warning that next time, it won’t be the bird — it’ll be me.”

Blair gave a quiet nod.

She hadn’t been entirely unprepared for things to unfold this way, but either way, it had nothing to do with her. She was not someone the Duke of Brienne needed to watch, and she was the frons furthest from any chance of becoming princess consort.

That was precisely why Olivia had come to her. Not to Selina or Tilda — to her, the one who posed no threat.

If she were truly frightened and running on instinct, she would have gone to Tilda’s room, which was closest.

Whatever the reason Olivia had come to her specifically — to discuss the mood in the palace, the Duke of Brienne’s movements — Blair didn’t ask.

Getting tangled up in any of it would do her no good. She needed to stay out of sight as much as possible right now.

Stay quiet until a new princess consort was chosen, then declare she wished to remain in the western annex. That was the only goal she needed to focus on.

“Still, I feel a little calmer thanks to you, Blair. Thank you.”

It’s not as though I did anything, really.

If anything, it had been closer to a one-sided conversation, but Blair kept that to herself and lifted the corner of her mouth slightly.

“Don’t mention it. Do be careful, Olivia.”

Olivia dipped her head with quiet grace, offered a refined smile, and left the room.

The room fell silent again once she was gone. The sudden stillness felt strange, and Blair sat motionless for a moment.

Then her eyes landed on the mess of things scattered across her desk, and she snapped back to herself.

“Oh right, the brooch. I need to go back and get it……”

When would she be able to sneak out of the palace again…

Blair frowned and turned the problem over in her mind, but soon gave up on thinking about it.

If she were caught sneaking out in the current climate, she would not only be expelled from the palace — she could easily be dragged into suspicion over the poisoning.

Besides, the lakeside in that forest was a place only she and Allen knew about. She could go back for it a little later.

Blair tidied the cluttered desk, then made her way to the window.

She opened it, and a soft breeze tickled the tip of her nose. The gentle spring night air carried the scent of grass, and moonlight fell quietly over the garden in full bloom, breaking apart in soft, silver pieces.

Gazing at that still, peaceful scene, Blair found herself drifting into a vague, nameless reverie. She shook her head a couple of times and turned toward the bed.

❀❀❀

The next day, Blair received unexpected news from her personal maid, Lucia.

“His Majesty the King?”

“Yes. It’s likely because of recent events in the palace, I’m told.”

“Still, he’s never joined us for luncheon before.”

Until now, the frons had shared luncheon almost exclusively with Queen Rhea. The queen handled a great deal of state affairs personally and was often busy, but she made a point of inviting the frons to the queen’s palace for lunch two or three times a week.

The king joining them had happened only once before.

Then again, first Anais, and now Olivia’s bird. When you think of it that way, perhaps this is overdue.

“Which dress would you like to wear for the luncheon?”

Lucia asked, watching Blair press her lips together in thought.

“…… Something as plain as possible without being improper. And please keep the accessories to a minimum.”

Lucia’s expression turned puzzled at her answer. She clearly wanted to ask whether Blair shouldn’t be trying to stand out at such a rare occasion with the king, but she thought better of it and left the room with a quiet acknowledgment.

Stand out? Absolutely not.

She would have preferred to be as invisible as air, but unfortunately no such method existed.

Blair drew a faint breath and resolved to arrive early and claim the most out-of-the-way seat at the table.

The luncheon was held in the main palace rather than the queen’s palace, as was customary.

To secure the least conspicuous seat, Blair left her room well ahead of the appointed time. Not that she needed to come early just for a corner seat — everyone else would be competing for the most prominent spots — but still.

Better safe than sorry.

As it happened, she had asked for minimal preparation, so she was ready with time to spare.

The dining room in the main palace had a very different feel from the queen’s palace. It was more stately and old-fashioned, with larger chairs spaced further apart.

The kitchen was clearly in the middle of preparations, and the delicious smells drifting out were enough to make her mouth water.

Blair scanned the table and pulled out the chair at the far end, settling into it.

Good. This is the farthest seat from the head of the table.