Chapter 1 – Part 5

“Do you truly not know?”

“Excuse me?”

“Or are you simply a skilled actor?”

Mail felt a bit of the confidence she’d built up earlier waver. What was he getting at with these cryptic remarks?

Wait… Could he be asking her to leave? Was this a veiled way of telling her to get out since she’d entered the garden without permission?

Mail convinced herself of the emerging possibility. It made sense. She thought there were no restrictions on entering because the entrance was left unguarded, but that may have been a careless judgment. If she assumed that, then it was clearly her mistake.

“Uh, well, I think my ability to act when necessary is quite good, but that’s not really something to be judged on right now. In any case, if I’ve trespassed here without permission, I apologize. It may sound like an excuse, but it’s my first time here, so I wasn’t aware. I’ll leave immediately.”

“Did you really not know?”

“If the question is whether I didn’t know this place wasn’t open to everyone, then, yes, I really didn’t…”

“Whose garden do you think this is?”

“Pardon?”

Mail hesitated. The person interrogating her suddenly posed a question. She was puzzled but answered obediently.

“His Majesty the Emperor’s… right?”

Her answer didn’t involve any real deduction. It was simply a response based on the general premise that everything within the palace, even a random stone on the ground, was fundamentally owned by the emperor.

While it was possible that someone had been specially granted this garden by the emperor, there was no way for Mail to know such details.

Since it was within the palace, it must belong to the emperor.

So?

Mail became confused. Was that really such an important fact? It would be different if she had entered a bedroom or a treasure vault, but this was just a garden. An outdoor space, at that.

There weren’t even guards posted at the entrance, so it seemed excessive to be punished merely for entering without permission. If you stretched the logic, even the palace hallways that anyone could walk through belonged to the emperor.

“And yet, you claim you had no other motive?”

“…Excuse me? No, why does this conversation keep heading in that direction? Just because it’s the emperor’s garden, does entering automatically imply I have some ulterior motive? I honestly can’t even imagine that. I’d understand if it were a residence or office, but surely His Majesty doesn’t visit the garden so frequently…”

As Mail heatedly rambled, she suddenly trailed off. Huh? It seemed like there was a possible answer hidden in her own excited words. Could it be?

“So you’re saying there’s no way His Majesty would visit this garden often…”

“…”

“Does he?”

“Yes.”

What?!

Mail’s eyes widened in shock. He visits here often? The emperor himself? Her feelings grew strangely complicated.

If that were true, it meant she could have accidentally run into the emperor today. Was the emperor someone you could meet so easily?

“I can’t believe it.”

No way. Mail started to doubt the person in front of her. The situation had taken an unexpected turn. The man, perhaps surprised by her reaction, showed a hint of discomfort for the first time.

“What?”

“No, even though this is my first time in the empire, I know the basics. With such a vast land to govern, it’s obvious His Majesty must be busy with state affairs. And yet, he frequently visits a garden tucked away in a corner like this? Isn’t he someone who could have an indoor garden built right next to his office if he wanted?”

Why would he bother?

“There’s no reason for it. Unless this is a place His Majesty personally tends with great affection? Ha! That’s pure fantasy.”

Mail laughed out loud. It was her own speculation, but it seemed ridiculous even to her. Why would someone as busy as the emperor, who could hire the best gardeners with the snap of a finger, tend to a garden himself?

Especially someone who’s busy from dawn till dusk?

For that to happen, the emperor would have to be a garden enthusiast—someone so obsessed that he couldn’t leave the task to others.

The emperor of Helvern, a garden enthusiast? Ha! Mail shook her head. Where would you find such an idealized ruler?

“No matter how new I am here, I won’t fall for that.”

Mail confidently placed her hands on her hips. It was disappointing that the first person she encountered in this sacred garden turned out to be a liar, but at least she hadn’t fallen for it. After all, only gullible people get fooled.

If it had been someone else, they might’ve fallen for it immediately—like Riela, or Riela, or maybe Riela.

“Well, it’s unfortunate this time, but I wish you better luck fooling the next person. Good luck!”

“You’re serious.”

“What?”

“You really don’t believe it.”

“Of course not. The whole idea that I randomly stumbled upon a garden that His Majesty frequently visits is absurd…”

Mail shrugged. These days, even romance novels get criticized for such forced coincidences. The emperor is too high a figure to run into like an old childhood friend while out on a casual walk.

Well, maybe if you’d said he was some distant, idle relative of the emperor, I might’ve believed it. He could very well be someone of a similar status, she thought as she looked up at the masked man.

“…Fascinating. I’ve never seen anyone react like this before.”

“I’ve never seen anyone pull a stunt like this before either.”

“So, it really was just innocent sightseeing.”

“I’ve been saying that from the start. Besides, bait like ‘the emperor visits here’ would only be tempting to those with personal ambitions or a strong desire to meet him. There are people who value watering new seedlings more than meeting the emperor, you know.”

Mail ended her statement, hoping she wouldn’t be accused of insulting the royal family for speaking her mind as a true garden enthusiast.

It was a shame she didn’t get to explore much of the garden, but now that her reason was returning, she knew she couldn’t waste any more time. If she wanted to complete even half of her mission, she needed to run to the banquet hall immediately.

Mail added one last word before retracing her steps back.

“By the way, do you know where the Central Banquet Hall is?”

* * *

The hall was vast. Mail had braced herself for the man from the garden to reply coldly, “What does the Central Banquet Hall have to do with you?” but surprisingly, he guided her to her destination without any hesitation. His unexpected kindness caught her off guard.

“He disappeared without even saying goodbye.”

While Mail was having her identity checked at the entrance, the man had vanished. It all happened in the short moment she took out her identification badge. As a result, Mail had to offer her thanks to the air.

“Well, if fate allows, we might meet again.”

Whether he’d still be wearing a mask when that happens, she wasn’t sure.

With that thought, Mail scanned the room, looking for Riela. Before entering the hall, she had assumed it would be easy to spot her.

Riela had been adorned with layers of lace and decked out with numerous jeweled accessories—hardly a common look.

“Oh, there goes Riela number three.”

However, Mail quickly realized that the world was big, and there were many lace enthusiasts. The moment she stepped into the hall, it became apparent. The lavishly lit hall was filled with young ladies just as elaborately dressed, moving about in groups.

What Mail had found both stunning and overwhelming about Riela’s attire now seemed unremarkable.

There were plenty of beauties, plenty of lace, and plenty of accessories. Standing among them, Mail glanced down at her own outfit. She had chosen a modest dress, neither too extravagant nor too plain.

On a normal day, such a subtle outfit would have been perfect for blending in, but in this setting, it seemed to make her stand out. It was an odd feeling.

“At this rate, the princess will probably spot me first… huh!”

Mail suddenly froze. She had spoken too soon. Not far away, a familiar pair of golden eyes were staring right at her.

Not one of the dopplegangers, but the real Riela. The moment their eyes met, Mail felt her heart drop for a second.

“Think, think… an excuse!”

Trying not to show her panic, Mail quickly reached into her coat. Now was the time to pull out the hairpin she had brought along as a pretext. It was a small pin with a bright red ruby in the center. It should be right… here… right…

“Where is it?”

Mail’s eyes widened. It wasn’t there. The inner pocket where she had been sure she stashed the pin was empty. As she stood there, momentarily flustered and patting herself down for no reason, Riela, with Rose in tow, was rapidly closing the distance. It didn’t take long, as they weren’t far apart to begin with.

“I’m done for.”

Resigned, Mail simply smiled. Oh well, whatever happens, happens. If Riela gets angry, she would just listen or come up with an excuse on the spot. With that in mind, Mail waited in silence for Riela to interrogate her.

If she asks, “Why are you here?” Mail planned to reply, “Well, Princess, the truth is there’s an unavoidable reason…”

“I’m bored.”

“The truth is, there’s an unavoidable… excuse me?”

“I’m bored. His Majesty isn’t even here.”

All of Mail’s mental preparation was rendered useless. Instead of an interrogation, Riela came out with a completely unrelated statement. Mail blinked, her mind trying to process what she had just heard, as a question mark formed above her head. Huh?

“You’re… bored?”

“Yeah.”

“But didn’t you just get here? And wait, more importantly, you’re not mad?”

“Mad?”

“You told me not to follow you, but here I am.”

Mail pointed her finger at me. You told me earlier to stay in the room, but I didn’t. It seemed Riela had forgotten that and now remembered, clapping her hands.

“Oh, right!”

“…”

“But it doesn’t matter anymore. Back then, I thought His Majesty would be here, but he’s not, right?”

Mail processed the words Riela was throwing out.

‘So, when we were about to depart earlier, she thought the emperor would be in the banquet hall, which was why she told me not to follow.’

‘But upon arriving and finding out that the emperor wasn’t here, it didn’t matter whether I followed or not. So, the conclusion was that she didn’t want me to see the emperor?’

“…Princess? This is purely my guess, but did you think that if I saw His Majesty’s face, I might fall for him at first sight and then become a bother to you…?”

“Exactly.”

“…”

“But it doesn’t matter now. Some bald nobleman said earlier that we won’t be able to meet His Majesty until all the candidates have arrived. There are still a few days left, apparently.”

It turns out the purpose of gathering all the candidates here was solely to have them face each other.

Maybe the idea was to let them greet each other since they might be spending a lot of time together. Naturally, Riela was thoroughly disappointed. What’s the point of greeting these people?

Now knowing the full story, Mail was left speechless. She’d been treated like a guard dog for such a trivial reason? How absurd.

“Princess.”

“Yes?”

“What kind of nonsense were you imagining? If I had known this, I wouldn’t have bothered preparing that headpiece out of sheer nervousness. I even lost my pin… No, never mind. Anyway, once all the candidates are gathered, I’ll be able to see His Majesty, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you’ll leave me behind again when you go?”

“Of course.”

“Even if I swear to the heavens that I’d never fall for him, and even if I did, I wouldn’t cause you any trouble?”

“Right.”

Riela responded without hesitation, as if Mail were asking something obvious. And Mail, doing her best to maintain a calm expression, thought to herself.

The impulse to meet the emperor first, even if it was out of spite, wasn’t because she was childish, surely.

Despite the rising frustration, Mail didn’t forget to quickly scan Riela’s hand out of the corner of her eye.

After all, her initial concern had been whether Riela would grab someone by the hair. Thankfully, there was no sign of anything resembling hair in her grip. That was at least some relief.