Before hurrying out of the mansion, I looked for Amber.

Knowing that she would be worried while I was away, I had to speak to her and get the necessary gold coins. Besides, since I didn’t usually carry money, Amber, who was always with me, carried it instead. I couldn’t just go in there to the maze forest with no clue of how long it would be.

“Amber!”

“Miss?”

After asking the passing handmaids, I saw Amber. As I raised my voice in delight, she called me in a louder tone and came running.

“Where have you been? Do you know how worried I was because the Duke didn’t even tell me when I asked?”

“I’m fine, how have you been?”

“By the way, Miss, why are you dressed like this? Don’t tell me you’re trying to leave, are you?”

As expected, she was quick-witted. Of course. Since she had been with me so far, she’d definitely noticed it.

“Oh, I came here because I have something to ask of you.”

Amber jumped up at my words.

“Miss, you didn’t see it. The Prince has searched all over the mansion with his eyes completely red.”

“What?”

“I heard that Miss’ family committed treason, and they came to arrest you in the Duchy! The Duke did not hide you for no reason!”

“…I see.”

That was why he hid me. He didn’t say that, but he just told me to wait…

Well, if I had known, I would have listened to him.

Amber’s eyes narrowed as she looked at me didn’t contain any surprise. Yes, well. While I didn’t know that he was leading treason, I had guessed that my uncle was up to something.

“Amber, I need gold coins. Of course, it would be nice if you could give me not only the gold coins but also silver coins and copper coins.”

“Where are you going right now?”

“I won’t take long. I will be back soon with Oscar and Damian.”

“Then, I will go with you.”

When Amber put down the pottery she was holding and tried to untie the apron she had been wearing, I hurriedly stopped her.

“No.”

“Why? Wherever you go, I should always be with you.”

“…You have to be mobile.”

The place could be dangerous to Amber. It would have been the same before though there would be no problem now. I was able to use abilities that I had only used in my dreams in real life. Somehow, I even had a vague idea that if I went there, I might be able to learn about abilities I didn’t know.

Therefore, I stopped Amber with another excuse.

If it wasn’t for this excuse, I thought she’d come along anyway…

Just as expected. Amber’s eyes, holding the apron with her hand, shook slightly. Soon after, she let out a deep sigh and said quietly.

“…Hold on.”

Speaking in a melancholy tone, she quickly went somewhere and held out two small pouches to me.

“Why are there two?”

“This red pouch is a pouch with coins, while the black pouch is a subspace pouch and I put simple food in it. I roughly swept everything in the kitchen, but if you need anything else, stop by the market on the way.”

As expected, Amber was a competent handmaid. How did she give me everything I needed even though I hadn’t said anything? She must have recognized what I wanted to say just by looking at my expression, and she answered on her own.

“How many years do you think I have been by your side? Don’t you know that your heart is subtly revealed through your expression? There is plenty of water, so if need be, you can just reach into the pocket.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, there is one thing to note.”

“What?”

I asked as I put both of the pouches into my pockets inside my robe. As Amber tightened my robe, she replied nonchalantly.

“There are other things in that black pouch. You can’t use it, since it’s an accessory exclusive to the Duchess.”

“What?”

“How can I have a subspace pouch? It’s being lent to the Miss anyway, so she won’t say much, right?”

“Then, not this one…”

“That won’t do because everything has already been put in. Instead, keep it well and Miss deliver it to the Madam herself.”

I could understand why Amber was doing this. Even though she believed in me, she wanted to hang a safety device on me, just in case.

Our Amber was wise.

How big was the subspace pocket that it contained accessories exclusively for the Duchess? I meant it wouldn’t just be one or two.

“Ha, okay.”

After answering, I hurriedly moved on and didn’t say goodbye to Amber. I really wanted to finish the matter and come back quickly.

Despite the fact that I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Lucian, who couldn’t even open his eyes, he’d definitely stop me or say he’d come with me when he woke up. Did it make sense that the Duke would be absent from the Duchy in such a chaotic time?

Moreover, if it was Lucian who hid me, the daughter of a traitor family, I had no idea what he would do. Wouldn’t it be an outrageous idea already to have the entire mansion cleaned?

I knew that leaving the Capital meant getting away from the Imperial Family.

It must have something to do with me.

Someone might say that I was not conceited, but now I could definitely see and feel it… Lucian could commit treason if I wanted to.

How do I know?

If Lucian wanted it, I could do it as well… be it treason, murder or whatever.

It wasn’t a bad feeling to come out under the sun after a long time. Oscar and Damian, who were waiting for me, hurriedly approached me.

“First, let’s take a carriage and go to the city.”

“Alright.”

“Are you going to buy melon-flavored candy, Master?”

“Yes. Instead, we have to buy it quickly. Because we have to enter the maze forest before the sun goes down.”

“Of course!”

Oscar showed a more flushed expression than usual, and Damian was a little anxious, but I was relieved because he looked okay. Soon, the three of us headed for the city in a carriage exclusively for servants without the Duchy’s pattern.

* * *

The Crown Prince entered the Prince’s palace with an expression full of displeasure.

It was because the Emperor had ordered so.

He couldn’t stand it while waiting for the Prince, who shut himself in the Palace and didn’t come out, when he called out, but there was no news.

As the Emperor recalled the last words the Prince had said, he rampaged though as the Prince said, the weak one was the Emperor. Elliott was the only one who could give them what they wanted, so the Emperor sent the Crown Prince to the Prince’s palace as a last resort.

While there were few courtiers to be seen in the palace, which was less splendid than the Crown Prince’s palace, elegant in shape. Even in the Crown Prince’s Palace, there were so many courtiers, so it felt strange.

The Crown Prince’s chief attendant informed the Prince’s attendant.

“Please tell the Prince. The Crown Prince has come.”

“…I apologize for that, but the Prince has given an order not to let anyone in.”

“Hoo, it’s the Crown Prince. Even if he is the Prince, he cannot refuse a visit from the Crown Prince.”

“But…”

Seeing that the only attendant in the Prince’s palace was at a loss what to do, the Crown Prince stepped forward. Although he was already full of displeasure and irritation in his heart, he didn’t reveal it and asked.

“If his brother came, he would, of course, let me in. The Prince must have spoken of the nobles.”

Hearing the gentle scolding, the attendant pondered and lowered his head.

“Then, please wait a moment.”

“Sure.”

The Crown Prince held his head straight, pretending to be resolute, with his hands behind his back. The moment the Prince’s attendant turned his back and was about to cross into the inner palace, the entire palace fell into darkness for a moment.

“…What was it now?”

To the question, the chief attendant also answered with a puzzled expression.

“It felt as if the sun was rapidly sinking, what was this now? This is the Imperial Palace, where the Great Emperor and the Crown Prince live. Nothing dare threaten the Imperial Palace of the Leonis Empire.”

The Crown Prince calmed his startled mind when the chief attendant said so. However, unlike the two of them, the Prince’s attendant only trembled with a surprised face.

“Hurry up and ask, what are you doing standing there!”

Unable to hold back any longer, the Crown Prince demanded with an annoyed voice.

“Hiick! It looks like the Prince is angry!”

The attendant squatted down and covered his ears.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Just as the Crown Prince and the chief attendant were about to urge him with an absurd expression, a loud sound echoed from the inner palace. In an instant, the light vanished, and darkness enveloped them.

The Crown Prince took a deep breath in the pitch-black surroundings. The darkness was so profound that he couldn’t see an inch ahead, and suddenly, someone approached him. Feeling their breath, he froze as his body was covered in goosebumps.

“Brother, you’re here. However, I’m busy with something right now, so please come back next time.”

“…Prince?”

Calling out after the voice that passed like the wind, the Crown Prince received no response. As the voice vanished, the darkness dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

Only after feeling the usual sunlight that the Crown Prince grabbed his startled chest and breathed deeply. His trembling eyes scanned the hallway, and with a sense of urgency, he rushed into the Prince’s room. It was because he wanted to see it with his own eyes, so he hurriedly entered the Prince’s room.

Despite throwing the door open, there was no sign of anyone inside.

After thoroughly searching the room, he came to a disconcerting realization… that the Prince was even more dangerous than he had initially thought.

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