Volume III

Chapter 2. A Warning for Whom?

“Since you’re busy, sister, I’ll be going now.”

Adelia was not a person with much free time. Having just returned from a trip today, it was natural for her to be tired from the journey, and with her duties as the Crown Princess and managing the merchant guild, even splitting her day into tiny pieces wasn’t enough.

Lawrence, well aware of this fact, had no intention of keeping her for long.

“Why don’t you stay a bit longer?”

“How could I? I know you’re busy. You just arrived today, so you should rest. I heard about it. Because of that damned Holy Kingdom, you’ll be even busier.”

The prince pouted and complained. True to the self-centered nature of royalty, he believed in himself rather than in gods. With no faith, the Holy Kingdom seemed just like any other country to him.

Adelia smiled gently and put her finger to her lips.

“You should be careful with your words, Your Highness.”

“What does it matter? It’s just you and me here. I’m only saying this because we’re alone.”

“Still, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

“Yes… I understand. Anyway, get some rest. If there’s anything you need me to do, make sure to call me.”

“Alright. Take care. Come visit again next time.”

Although she found Lawrence’s consideration touching, Adelia didn’t keep him any longer as she too had no time to extend the tea time.

As Lawrence was getting up, he suddenly seemed to remember something and rummaged through his inner pocket. Soon, a thick envelope of documents popped out.

“This is the list and information of the palace servants assigned to the palace. As you said, I’ve assigned Ginw as your personal maid.”

“Thank you.”

“Hehe. I’m really leaving now.”

The prince handed over the envelope and left the room. As the door closed with a ‘thud’, Adelia smiled and opened the envelope.

“Like brother, like brother, their actions are exactly the same.”

Inside were neatly organized personal information and assignments of the palace servants. Somehow, the information felt familiar. Whether they had learned from the same teacher or not, the method of organizing data and the order resembled Lucian’s.

Adelia finished skimming through all the documents and put them down on the table with a thud.

“There’s a lot to do. I thought I could take it easy after getting married.”

She clicked her tongue and grumbled quietly.

Her reason for bringing work to the honeymoon destination was to prevent being buried in piled-up work after the trip. But thanks to the saintess, the time she carefully created for rest had completely evaporated.

The Holy Kingdom’s delegation alone was no easy guest to handle, but to have a delegation with the saintess accompanying them? The preparations didn’t end within the imperial palace and required spending money and manpower externally as well.

“The Holy Kingdom doesn’t even use this convenient magic which is making people tired. How nice it would be if they came safely and quickly through a teleportation magic circle.”

The Holy Kingdom didn’t use anything related to magic at all. It wasn’t that they disregarded magic, but it was a practice that continued due to their perception that holy power was a more noble force.

As a result, the means of transportation for the clergy were limited to horses or carriages. This caused problems when the clergy faced mishaps in foreign countries.

“It would be troublesome for us if an accident happens in the Empire. I hope they arrive without any incidents.”

There were several large and small countries between the Holy Kingdom and the Empire. The Holy Kingdom’s delegation had to pass through these places, and each country was responsible for the lodging, food, and safety needed on the way. It wasn’t an obligation, but if news spread that a clergyman was harmed in their country, it could create a perception of being an impious nation.

Moreover, this delegation included the saintess. If the saintess were to get hurt, it was obvious that public sentiment would plummet and the people would be engulfed in anxiety.

“They’ll enter the Empire in two weeks, so it’ll be tight to prepare. I hope there’s nothing wrong with the guild.”

Adelia let out a rough sigh. She was already busy enough with imperial palace work, and if there were problems with the guild as well, she might have to give up even her tea time with the princess.

With an uneasy heart, she pulled the bell cord next to her. Soon after, maids rushed in. Among them, she saw some familiar faces.

Adelia opened her mouth with a gentle smile.

“Send someone to His Majesty to inform him that I won’t be attending tonight’s banquet. And I’d like to go to bed early today, so please make the preparations.”

There was too much work waiting for Adelia to attend the banquet.

* * *

“Master!”

Conrad came running out as soon as Adelia arrived at the guild. With long, dark circles under his eyes, he immediately fell to his knees with a thud. Conrad’s condition, letting out a groan, was terrible.

He smelled musty as if he hadn’t washed for days, and his clothes were full of ink stains as if he hadn’t changed them. With his unshaven beard covering his face, he looked no different from a beggar.

“What’s this, why are you acting so anxiously? I did work in advance before I left, and I worked while I was there too. There shouldn’t be so much to be this busy about?”

Adelia narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose. Seeing Conrad more haggard than expected, an inexplicable uneasiness swept through her body. Having spent a long time with Conrad, she could roughly guess his thoughts by looking at his face.

The emotions she felt from his face were anxiety, relief, and fear.

She passed by Conrad, who was crying with his hands clasped, and approached the desk where she always worked.

The documents on the desk were, if anything, less than usual, not more.

After briefly skimming through the documents, Adelia asked in a puzzled voice.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any particular problem. Why are you making such a fuss?”

“No problem? Do you know how anxiously I’ve been living since you left, Master? I couldn’t contact you, and there was still a long time before your return date, and I couldn’t resolve things on my own!”

Conrad got up from the floor, angrily beating his chest and pouring out lamentations. His tone grew increasingly harsh as if spewing out anxiety and dissatisfaction. His face alternated between turning red and pale, expressing the escalation of intense emotions.

Adelia, who had been listening to his lamentations, stood with her arms crossed and a dispassionate face.

“Who was it that said it’s against etiquette to communicate with another man during a honeymoon and told me not to bring the communication stone?”

It was Conrad who had taken away the communication stone when she said she would work at the travel destination and contact him, and who had nagged about how she could think of contacting another man during her honeymoon.

Realizing that the cause of his dissatisfaction lay with himself, Conrad hung his head dejectedly.

“Well, I did say that… but, no, how could I have known this would happen? If I had, I would have firmly placed the communication stone in both your hands!”

“So what happened? You need to tell me for me to know, right?”

“Seems like you left your concentration behind when you came back from your trip.”

Their conversation was somehow walking in parallel lines. Conrad was anxiously looking around, expressing his unease, while Adelia was frustrated, not knowing the reason.

As Adelia furrowed her brows, showing her frustration, Conrad clenched his fists and shouted.

“Please take a look at the defensive magic circle cast on the guild!”

Adelia’s eyebrows twitched at those words. A cold atmosphere swirled in the office as if someone had touched a sacred domain that should never be touched.

There were many magic circles that Adelia had personally engraved in the guild. She had meticulously placed defensive magic on each office room, door, and even windows.

Thanks to this, not even a single document could leave carelessly, and not a single person could enter without permission. Especially the top floor where Adelia’s office was located. It boasted powerful defenses.

No one except Adelia and Conrad could enter, and even if someone else did, they couldn’t leave alive. From back-alley assassin mages to the imperial palace’s grand mages, everyone had tried to break the defensive magic to uncover the guild master’s identity, but no one could even make a scratch.

The defensive magic circle made with white magic was Adelia’s pride and something very important.

“Are you saying something happened to the defensive magic circle?”

Adelia asked with a half-doubting face. There’s no way there could be a problem with the magic circle that had never had an issue before.

But contrary to her wishes, Conrad nodded.

“Stop joking around. If you keep this up, I’ll cut your salary.”

Adelia said jokingly, trying to force a smile. But she couldn’t hide the anxiety that was showing on her face.

The raised corners of her mouth trembled and came down. The kind smile and gentle gaze disappeared, leaving only coldness on her face.

Conrad silently hung his head.

“Ha, I said that defense made with white magic can never be broken.”

Adelia frowned and covered her forehead with one hand. Her heart, where anxiety had grown, pounded without knowing its place.

She walked to the center of the office. In the office with dark wooden floors, there was a large circular rug. The rug, with a blue base and two circles of gold thread around the edge, was spotlessly clean despite its light color.

“Haha, surely that can’t be possible.”

Adelia muttered to herself anxiously. Anxiety swirled in her blue eyes that had already become half cloudy.