[So you’ve come, just as I thought you would. I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon, though.]

Creon muttered with a scoff, seemingly finding the situation amusing. Rachel, having already anticipated that he might visit, didn’t feel as displeased or annoyed by Duke Bermund’s arrival as she had in the past.

In fact, she felt a sense of satisfaction seeing Duke Bermund act exactly as she had predicted.

However, she couldn’t deny that the timing was less than ideal.

“It’s been a while, Duke Bermund.”

Hiding her emotions, Rachel greeted the duke politely.

“But may I ask what brings you here?”

“I came to pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor and happened to hear that Lady Pluret has become an imperial mage. So, I decided to stop by.”

“I fail to see how my appointment as an imperial mage connects to your visit, Duke.”

“I came to congratulate you. I thought I might be wasting my time, but as luck would have it, here you are. Wouldn’t you call this fate?”

Duke Bermund maintained a nonchalant demeanor.

“If it’s not too much trouble, could I possibly have a cup of tea?”

Rachel took a step closer to the duke, who had so boldly requested tea.

“Oh dear, what should I do? I only joined the imperial staff yesterday, so my research room doesn’t even have furniture yet. I’m afraid it would be better to serve you tea after everything is properly set up.”

Duke Bermund hesitated for a moment, seemingly unable to argue with her reasoning.

Then, he nodded and smiled.

“I see. In that case, I’ll come back another time, as you suggested.”

[How unusual.]

Even Creon murmured in surprise, finding it odd that Duke Bermund backed down so easily this time.

“Just make sure you serve me tea when I visit next.”

“…Of course.”

It was only after Rachel gave him a definitive answer that the duke turned to leave.

“Oh, one more thing.”

Just as he seemed to be departing, Duke Bermund suddenly stopped and turned back toward Rachel, apparently remembering something.

“I’ve done a bit of research on the necklace Lady Pluret is wearing. If you have time, I’d like to discuss it with you. Could you spare some time in the future?”

“…My necklace?”

“Yes.”

Duke Bermund glanced briefly at Erika, who held Rachel’s hand tightly.

It seemed he deliberately referred to the necklace instead of Creon, mindful of Erika’s presence.

Rachel, too, didn’t want to discuss Creon or anything related to him while Erika was around, so she nodded for now.

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll contact you when I have some time.”

“I’ll look forward to hearing from you. I believe the information I’ve gathered will be quite valuable to you, Lady Pluret.”

‘Valuable information?’

Rachel didn’t show it outwardly, but she couldn’t help feeling puzzled by Duke Bermund’s words.

She suspected that Duke Bermund had likely deduced that she was Creon’s contractor.

In such a situation, what kind of “valuable information” could he possibly offer her about Creon?

It almost sounded as if Duke Bermund knew things that even Rachel, the contractor herself, didn’t know.

But she couldn’t dismiss it lightly.

Most importantly, Duke Bermund already possessed detailed knowledge about Creon’s whereabouts and the terms of his contract—facts that remained unknown to almost everyone else.

If the information he had was significant enough for him to describe it as “valuable,” it likely held great importance.

Perhaps it could even be information about the Tears of Licorice.

For that reason, Rachel hesitated for a moment, staring at Duke Bermund.

While she felt curious about the information he held, there was no guarantee it wasn’t a trap.

She’d only know for sure after speaking with him directly.

“Then, could we meet again at this time a week from now?”

Rachel asked, suggesting a specific date and time.

Duke Bermund smiled broadly when she mentioned meeting again.

“Very well. I’ll see you in a week, then. Until next time.”

Duke Bermund gave Rachel a slight bow before turning to leave.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the wide corridor.

Rachel stood in place, watching his retreating figure until he disappeared from view.

Though their meeting had been brief, it left her feeling uneasy.

Perhaps because she knew that Duke Bermund operated as one of the shadowy figures pulling strings in this world. Or perhaps because she remained deeply wary of him.

“Are we not going inside, sister?”

As Rachel stood lost in thought, Erika tugged at her, urging her to move.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Rachel led Erika into her research room.

“Wow! Is this your research room, sister?”

“Yes. It’s still empty, though, isn’t it?”

“Well, that can’t be helped for now. But it’s fine! You’ll fill it up soon, right? I’m excited to see how you’ll decorate it.”

Erika looked around the empty room with curiosity.

Knock, knock.

As Rachel watched Erika explore the room, she heard a knock at the door.

Turning to face the door, she heard the voice of an attendant from the other side.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

It was Ryan who had come to visit.

“Let him in.”

At Rachel’s permission, the door clicked open.

“Rachel, I came running as soon as I heard you’d joined the imperial palace. But this young lady here is…?”

Ryan greeted Rachel warmly but paused upon noticing Erika standing beside her.

“This is Erika, my younger sister. Erika, you should greet His Highness.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Erika Pluret.”

Erika greeted Ryan with the etiquette she had been taught. Ryan looked at her fondly and spoke.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Erika.”

Erika’s cheeks turned red at Ryan’s kind words.

“Th-thank you!”

Rachel chuckled softly at Erika’s flustered response.

“But Ryan, what should I do? I still don’t have anything here, so I can’t even offer you tea.”

“We both saw yesterday that the room was empty. Expecting tea today would indeed be unreasonable. I simply came to congratulate you on becoming an imperial mage and returning to the palace.”

“I’m relieved to hear you say that. I’ll serve you tea the next time you visit.”

“That sounds good.”

Ryan chuckled quietly. Then, he glanced at Rachel with something apparently on his mind.

“Is there something you’d like to discuss?”

“Yes.”

Ryan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“Feel free to speak.”

“Have you seen Lord Sanchez since yesterday?”

“Tervan?”

“Yes.”

Rachel found it odd that Ryan brought up Tervan.

Then she remembered how Tervan had followed her on her way back the previous day.

Since Tervan hadn’t revealed himself, Rachel had pretended not to notice. But it seemed Ryan had also been aware of his presence.

“No, I haven’t seen him. May I ask why you’re asking?”

Feigning ignorance, Rachel asked Ryan in return.

It seemed something had happened between the two after she had left.

Ryan, looking displeased, opened and closed his mouth several times, apparently debating whether to speak.

“I was just curious. It’s nothing important, so you don’t need to worry.”

But Ryan didn’t share what had transpired between him and Tervan.

“You mentioned before that you and he are friends, correct?”

“Yes, we’re friends.”

“I see.”

“Ryan?”

Rachel called out to him, sensing something off about his vague responses.

Only then did Ryan raise his head and meet her gaze.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

“No, it’s just that I’m curious. From what I can tell… Lord Sanchez doesn’t seem to see you as just a friend.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Rachel tilted her head, unable to understand. It was only natural for her to be confused.

Rachel had painfully come to terms with the fact that Tervan only saw her as a friend. But Ryan suggested something entirely different, which left her baffled.

Ryan studied Rachel quietly, seemingly trying to read her thoughts. After a long moment, he let out a small sigh and shook his head.

“Never mind. It’s not my place to interfere. I think it would be better for you to speak with Lord Sanchez directly.”

“…”

In the end, Rachel got no answers from Ryan.

Feeling somewhat deflated, she nodded.

“Alright.”

But she still had no idea what Ryan had meant.

It seemed she would need to meet Tervan in person and find out for herself.