Act 1, Scene 1

The autumn night sky was the brightest of all seasons.

It was due to the exceptionally large moon. Especially on the night of the full moon, it was said to bless those who walked beneath it. Thus, autumn night encounters were considered important connections, or fated relationships, that wouldn’t just pass by.

For many young people, autumn was truly a season full of romance.

“A promise of love.”

Elia rolled her eyes disinterestedly, resting her arms on the balcony railing.

“How utterly delightful.”

Leaning a bit further, she could see lovers entwined in the garden below. Each couple enjoyed their secret rendezvous, hiding behind large trees or statues to avoid others. She had only heard that free love was the recent trend in Shilom, but this was her first time seeing it directly. The autumn night truly seemed perfect for indulging in romance.

“I wonder if that’s really fun…”

Elia turned her gaze away from a couple closest to the balcony. She had no desire to continue watching their increasingly intimate actions.

With no other choice, she looked up again. A perfectly round moon.

“Surely they didn’t call me out here for some love game. It’s likely to be one of my mother’s loyal subjects. Then how old would they be?”

Elia muttered, rubbing her forehead.

“Oh, my situation…”

The moon was moving towards midnight, the appointed time, but there was no sign of the unknown person appearing. The more time passed, the more ominous her imagination became. Elia fiddled with a small embroidery hoop. She had brought it because embroidery was effective when she felt angry or anxious. Her embroidery teacher had said it would help cultivate dignity befitting a princess. Calm down. I must compose myself. Elia devoutly stitched a few lines, then ended up jabbing the needle in frustration.

“To dare to ask a princess to meet in such a gloomy place and then keep her waiting, it’s truly suspicious…”

Knock knock.

She quickly turned around. It seemed someone was trying to enter. A tall shadow appeared as the balcony curtain was drawn back. Elia hurriedly took out a fan to cover her face while the doorknob turned.

Her gaze behind the fan swiftly assessed the man. He paused his step, apparently not seeing her well in her dark dress.

“Excuse me.”

The man bowed his head obediently. His upright posture and manner gave the impression of a well-educated young man.

“I didn’t know you were here and entered carelessly.”

“I deliberately didn’t answer. I wanted to see your face first.”

The man looked at her directly. His attitude suggested he had no idea who she was. Well, even if he was Elia’s supporter, this would be his first time seeing her. She wondered if she should make herself known first.

“You came here looking for someone, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re late. How dare you.”

In fact, he wasn’t late. Elia had simply arrived at the meeting place too early. Still, the man didn’t offer even a word of excuse.

They approached the tea table set up in the center of the balcony. Elia closed her fan only after seeing the man who followed her take a seat. Even then, the man remained impassive. To an outsider, it might seem he had just stumbled upon the balcony while passing by. So you’re going to play innocent, are you? Then Elia decided to pretend not to know as well.

“Why did you come here?”

“I have someone I need to meet.”

“Who?”

“It seems to be you.”

“What do you mean by ‘seems to be’?”

Elia slightly furrowed her brow.

It was the answer she had hoped for, but the man’s attitude was strange.

Where in Shilom was there anyone who would address a princess as ‘you’?

Whoever her supporter was, she had known from long ago that they were extremely careful not to be discovered by her uncle and current king, Crensen I. There was someone who continuously sent high-quality tutors and strived to continue the late king’s will for a princess who would be fortunate just to take care of herself. It was behavior difficult to understand without deep loyalty.

But compared to that dedication and obsession, the man seemed to have little interest in Elia. Just in case, she looked him over again. He was incredibly tall with an impressive build. And he was quite young. Although she couldn’t gauge exactly due to the black mask covering half his face, he was definitely a young man. His clear blue eyes reflected the full moon’s light perfectly.

If he was supporting Elia, he should be one of the late king’s loyal subjects, so he shouldn’t look like this at all. Is he a knight? Did they send their knight instead? Or…

Was she wasting time with some rascal who had wandered in just looking for a night of fun?

Even his words about seemingly meeting her might have been some kind of seduction attempt.

“Are you here to seduce someone?”

“How could that be?”

The man’s plain answer was exceedingly cool. His attitude didn’t match the romantic free love night at all. His clothing was casual, without a hint of effort in his appearance, and he actually seemed uninterested in the party. Thanks to his handsome face that couldn’t be hidden even with a mask, his simple attire wasn’t too noticeable.

So we’ve met properly then.

“I said I came to meet you.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“If you need help, I will assist you. Please state what you want.”

“You don’t even seem to know who I am, so what kind of help are you offering?”

“Who you are doesn’t matter. Your status isn’t necessary for this task either.”

What on earth does he mean? What’s left if you take away status? This was an unfamiliar proposition to Elia, who had never forgotten her status for a moment since birth.

“Then you won’t tell me who you are either.”

“No.”

“But I want to know.”

“You can achieve what you want without knowing.”

“You know that’s an extremely dangerous statement, right?”

“Is it?”

“How far are you willing to help, and with what?”

“I’ll help until you have no discomfort in your life.”

That was exactly what she wanted to hear. But the man seemed far from loyal. He must have come with a different purpose. To say he’d follow unconditionally and that status doesn’t matter. This person didn’t seem to understand what he was saying at all.

“Then there must be someone else who arranged for us to meet here. You know who that is.”

It could be that the man was sent for some kind of purpose. If so, Elia needed to use the man to get what she wanted. First, who the man was. The supporter was likely someone close to the man or in a master-servant relationship. Considering his age range…

“Then who is your father?”

The man showed emotion for the first time.

“I believe there is no one under the sky of Shilom who would answer such rudeness.”

Elia finally realized how her question must have sounded.

“No, I didn’t mean it in an insulting way, really.”

“……”

“Or whose vassal are you?”

Still, that look, as if he’s dealing with a task. No matter how she looked at it, he clearly didn’t know she was a princess, or what this meeting was for. It was a strange conversation where she had no intention of insulting, but it became insulting because she was a princess.

Elia slumped back in her chair, deflated. It wasn’t him who came, nor his proxy. Someone who knows nothing but is willing to help came?

She thought quietly. The man must have come here with a purpose too. Maybe his goal was to help whoever he met on this balcony. The secret meeting was probably because the matter needed to be handled discreetly. If so, this wasn’t a one-time meeting. The supporter who sent him here probably didn’t intend to resolve everything in one go either.

“Then shall we make a bet?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who can figure out the other’s identity first.”

“……”

“You know Marquis Dint holds parties every week in autumn, right? If we’re both serious about our purposes, let’s meet here again next week on Fire Day. We’ll settle it then.”

“I told you that’s not important.”

Elia put down the embroidery hoop she was holding onto the table.

“This is what I want. For you to figure out who I am.”

She observed the man as he stared intently at the embroidery hoop. He sighed and tilted his head, rubbing his forehead.

“Didn’t you say you’d help me with what I want?”

“Really…”

“Again! Again! You were going to say the same thing. You said you’d help, right? Cooperate a little.”

In truth, even if the supporter was only interested in her education, Elia had no intention of stopping there. They might have thought their duty ended with following the late king’s will to educate her well. Today’s meeting was to find out how far the other party was thinking.

But to think such an interesting situation would unfold.

Elia glanced at him sideways.

Though confused, this man was the only clue given to her.

“What is this, really? Narland would be crying.”

It probably wasn’t a ploy to deliberately humiliate her at this point, and since they’d asked to meet, there must be some kind of plan. But there was nothing more to get from the man. It might be better to go back and gather more information.