“As you wish.”

Rashid gave a slight nod and led the way back the way they had come.

She had not noticed while running, but the return journey was quite long.

“The blade isn’t particularly sharp, but be careful all the same.”

When they reached the entrance to the banquet hall, Rashid handed her the dagger wrapped in a handkerchief. It was the one the grey mask had dropped.

“Thank you so much. I’ll repay this kindness someday, I promise.”

Blair accepted the dagger carefully and expressed her gratitude once more.

“Oh, and about what you overheard earlier……”

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything to put you in a difficult position. And consider the debt already repaid. Thanks to you, I was at least able to say what I wanted to say.”

Blair was at a loss for words, and Rashid gave her a faint smile and said his farewell.

“Until we meet again.”

Watching his retreating figure, Blair felt a pang of guilt and let out a small sigh.

She was about to put her mask back on when a familiar voice came from behind her.

“Goodness! Your Highness!”

Tilda came running with a pale face. Ernst was beside her.

“Are you all right? Where have you been? And His Grace Remarque?”

She poured out questions in a rush, her face full of worry.

“I’ll tell you the details later. Haven’t you found His Highness yet?”

“Oh, that’s not quite……”

Tilda trailed off with an awkward expression. Ernst stepped in and spoke quickly.

“His Highness is safe. He went inside a little while ago while looking for Your Highness.”

He was scratching the back of his head as he said it, which suggested something had happened.

“Did something happen?”

“We’re not quite sure ourselves…… he just said Her Highness was safe and left. So we thought perhaps the two of you had met, but it seems that wasn’t the case.”

At that, an uneasy feeling flashed through Blair.

“Do you happen to know which direction His Highness went when he was looking for me?”

“Pardon? Oh, he went the opposite way from us, so it was probably toward the palace wall.”

“The palace wall……?”

Could he have heard the whole conversation with Rashid.

Blair pushed down her unease and spoke.

“I’ll go in first. Oh, and Sir Werner, this. It belonged to the suspicious person.”

Blair handed the dagger to Ernst.

“They used it to cut through the vines and slipped out of the palace through a gap in the wall. I don’t know what the purpose was.”

“Pardon?”

“And the grey mask was a woman in disguise.”

Ernst and Tilda’s eyes went wide at the unexpected information, but Blair gave them a brief glance and went inside.

Fortunately, finding Kalintz was easier this time. He was standing in a quiet corner with his arms folded.

Was it the reddish-brown wig, or the mask covering his face. Something about him looked unfamiliar, and Blair swallowed and walked toward him.

“What are you doing here.”

Even at Blair’s question, Kalintz said nothing and simply looked at her. With his face half-hidden by the mask, it was difficult to read anything from his expression.

“What happened with the one you were chasing.”

His tone was flat, without a trace of feeling.

“……I lost them. They slipped out through a gap in the wall, and I didn’t follow. It seemed too dangerous.”

“Good. You did well.”

At the short reply, Blair studied him quietly. But nothing more followed.

“That’s all?”

“What else is there to say.”

The cool tone and the low, guarded gaze. That alone was enough to know.

He heard everything.

Blair let out a long, inward sigh.

The truth was, after opening up to Rashid earlier, she had made up her mind. She would just be honest with Kalintz.

She would tell him that yes, her heart was leaning toward him, and yes, she was afraid, but right now she wanted to stay by his side. That she would stop forcing herself to pretend and run away, and she would be honest about her feelings, so he should follow his too.

But knowing he had already heard her conversation with Rashid made it hard to know where to begin. And Rashid had confessed to her on top of it all.

The fact that his mood was this low made it clear he had heard that part too.

Haah. I wish he would just bring it up himself.

Blair felt a creeping embarrassment and cleared her throat before speaking.

“I heard you went toward the palace wall looking for me.”

He was still watching her with an unreadable expression.

“I was with His Grace Remarque earlier, and I was wondering if perhaps—”

“Did you enjoy the rest of the banquet?”

“Pardon?”

Kalintz cut her off without warning.

“I’m tired, so I’m going to head back.”

“Out of nowhere?”

“Stay and enjoy yourself if you want. I’ll let Ernst know.”

“No……”

The dry, businesslike manner left Blair speechless.

Kalintz turned away without giving her a chance to say anything. He was not angry, and he was not jealous. He was simply leaving, and that was what confused her.

“What was that just now?”

Blair stared at his retreating back and murmured blankly.

❀❀❀

Returning to the guest suite in the annex, Blair was even more bewildered to find the room empty. There was no sign of Kalintz anywhere, not in the bed, not anywhere.

She wondered if he had come and gone while she was asleep, but when she asked Ernst, he shook his head with an uncomfortable look. Kalintz had spent the night in the room with the escort knights.

“The meeting ran long.”

“No matter how long it ran, you wouldn’t stay up all night.”

It was the room right next door, not some distant place. What possible reason could there be to sleep there and inconvenience his own men. And on top of that—

“Where did you say he went now? The training grounds?”

“……Yes.”

“This early in the morning? In a foreign country?”

“Well, His Highness never neglects his training—”

“Sir, are you playing word games with me right now?”

Even under Blair’s sharp questioning, Ernst looked off into the distance and evaded.

And this was not a one-time occurrence.

Lunch, dinner, even late into the night. Blair did not catch so much as a glimpse of Kalintz the entire day.

“What is it this time?”

“You know that suspicious substance that was being sent up to His Majesty the King. The ‘Leaf of Youth.’ He went to receive a report from Ariela regarding the investigation.”

“At this hour? Where?”

“Ariela has a laboratory in the main palace. She is a royal alchemist, after all.”

It was deeply irritating. Did the report really have to be received at this hour of the night.

“Is Ariela also a member of the mercenary company?”

“Ahem.”

Ernst’s silent evasion was answer enough. Blair’s irritation rose another notch.

The mercenary company in Valia that Kalintz had formed himself. He had said only one person inside it knew his true identity, and it seemed that person was Ariela.

“When does the report end?”

“He mentioned he has more to discuss with the knights afterward……”

At that, Blair felt her patience snap cleanly in two.

“Sir Ernst Werner.”

Blair spoke in a low, measured voice.

“What exactly did His Highness tell you?”

Ernst’s evasiveness was not limited to matters concerning Kalintz. He had kept quiet about the suspicious person from the masquerade and about Duke Brienne as well.

“Why is His Highness suddenly avoiding me, and why won’t you tell me anything?”

“……Haah. Please have some mercy on me, Your Highness. There isn’t much I’m able to say.”

Ernst looked nearly on the verge of tears.

He had once said she was indispensable to the prince, and that they would drive out Willer Brienne together. For him to shut his mouth this completely, it had to be on Kalintz’s orders.

“Fine. There’s no point in pressing you anyway. Go tell His Highness that I’ll be waiting here until the meeting ends. And if he doesn’t come, I’ll show up in my nightgown.”

The half-threat worked, but only after several more hours had passed.

Blair had been turning over why Kalintz was avoiding her when the sound of the door handle turning made her look up sharply.

The door opened and he stepped inside. She had only gone without seeing him for a day, yet the moment she saw Kalintz’s face, her heart lurched.

Blair found herself exasperating, but she spoke with a composed air.

“You’ve been quite difficult to see.”

But he looked at her in silence for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“What is it.”

A thoroughly dry response.

“I should be asking you that.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“We haven’t seen each other since we parted at the banquet last night.”

“I was busy. Didn’t Ernst tell you?”

“So why were you busy? Sir Werner refused to say a word, as though someone had told him not to.”

Blair said it with a slight pout at the strangely businesslike manner. But what came back was a reply cold enough to be startling.

“I told him not to say anything because you don’t need to know.”