Chapter 129
***
The sight of her cleaning up trash that others had discarded was anything but pleasant. She didn’t need to work so hard at something like that; she was unnecessarily diligent.
And it wasn’t just that—Felix was putting up with quite a lot.
For one thing, the crust of dry, clumpy dirt covering her cheeks was annoying. It was the same with her once-silky, wheat-colored hair—which used to wrap itself around his fingers—now not only cut short but also dyed a messy, mixed color. It wasn’t even a proper black; that ambiguous blend of chestnut and gray was a shade he’d never even seen on a palette in his life.
The same went for the old coat—he didn’t even know how many layers she had piled on. Was she so desperate that she had to infiltrate the royal palace while wearing such shabby rags?
Couldn’t that desperation be directed at him instead?
“Me.”
Felix muttered softly.
“Me…..”
If I hold what you desire most, won’t you yearn for me again?
Even if you loathe me, won’t you eventually return to my arms?
The moon, rising in the east, slowly traversed the night sky. For over an hour, Diana did not show herself.
By the time even the hour she usually spent in the front yard had passed, Felix realized something.
An element that should naturally have been visible in his view was missing. There was no sentry guarding the back door Diana used.
“……”
The withered plane trees swayed eerily in the chilly wind. An eerie silence settled over the backyard, devoid of even a single human shadow.
Felix, who had been crouched motionless by the window, slowly straightened his back.
Duke Christen had gone down to the guest quarters a couple of hours ago. Although he had never specifically ordered extra guards for the duke, given that the highest-ranking noble in Karman was visiting, it was possible the deputy commander had redeployed security personnel under his authority. He likely utilized surplus personnel from the back door or the rarely used corridors.
The moment his slow train of thought reached this conclusion, a flash of insight pierced his mind, and every sense in his body snapped to attention.
There was a breach in the royal palace’s security.
***
Diana moved breathlessly for two hours.
An opportunity like tonight’s would never come again. Diana decided to take a gamble. Even if it meant failing and falling off a cliff, she was going to pour everything she had into it.
After the additional guards assigned to protect Duke Christen had gone up to the second floor, Diana distributed the liquor she’d brought from Kairam to the knights on the first floor. She had a pretext ready.
“This is liquor His Grace Duke Christen sent to commend the command center for its hard work.”
“Oh, from His Grace the Duke? Then it must be the finest whiskey brought from the capital.”
Of course, it was a dangerous lie—one that would be exposed the moment someone was sent upstairs. Yet it wasn’t a reckless gamble. The knights, who had been suffering under a prohibition order for weeks, were easily swayed by the mention of whiskey from the capital.
After all, Duke Christen was a nobleman several ranks higher than the Commander. Above the Duke stood only the imperial family. Without a second thought, the knights gathered in the dining hall to claim their bottles.
Senz Rossi, whom Elliott had lured in, was already opening a bottle of whiskey in the dining hall. Diana, who hadn’t planned this far ahead, stammered.
“Lian? When on earth did you….”
How could a twelve-year-old have grown up so fast…? Diana couldn’t help but cast a suspicious glance at the Crown Prince, who wore a serene expression.
“You must have lied to me about your age. Isn’t that right?”
“Or perhaps my brother’s soul has taken residence within me.”
“Lian, this is no time for jokes.”
“Exactly. We must hurry.”
Elliot grabbed Diana’s arm and dragged her out of the dining hall. Perhaps the daily grind of sticking close to Senz Rossi and smiling sweetly was taking its toll, for the Crown Prince let out a deep sigh.
“Taking care of someone isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Still, I’ve done everything I can, so let’s go, Diana. The message is: whatever happens from here on out, it’ll be handled smoothly, so don’t be afraid.”
“What message? From whom?”
“Do you really think my mother would just sit idly by after sending her youngest son off to a foreign land?”
Elliot clenched his fist to encourage Diana. With obvious tension in her eyes, Diana watched as Elliot returned to his seat next to Senz Rossi. Elliot pointed at the whiskey and said something—perhaps about the drink—then broke into a broad smile.
Senz patted the Crown Prince on the head as if to say he was doing well. Good heavens, Queen Ianna. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to call you that, but I don’t know how to look at you…
As Diana fidgeted in her seat, Elliott glared at her as if to say, “Aren’t you leaving yet?”
I must never forget this favor, even in death. Diana forced a sigh down her throat and began to move. Slipping out the door like a shadow, she burst into the deserted hallway and took off running.
‘I know the way. If I follow the passage the kitchen staff uses, it leads to the first-floor hallway.’
She had only one chance. Right now, while the knights guarding the first floor were heading to the dining hall to fetch a bottle of liquor!
Diana ran with all her might, paying no heed to the sound of her pounding footsteps or her own ragged breathing. She ran with such ferocity that a metallic, heavy scent rose from the back of her throat.
Thud, thud, thud, thud. The desperate sound of her footsteps echoed loudly through the empty hallway.
The moment she flung open the wooden door leading to the first-floor hallway, a rush of elation washed over her. She’d made it! The corridor leading to the audience chamber was completely empty.
In an instant, sweat beaded on her forehead. The door to the audience chamber, which had seemed as small as a fingernail, grew closer with every stride.
Her breath came in gasps.
“Ha, ha…”
Hurry!
The spirits shouted in unison, as if screaming. The closer she got to the audience chamber, the clearer their voices became.
Hang in there!
You’re almost there.
For the spirits’ tears!
The door to the audience chamber, carved with the Fountain of Balestega, finally came into view.
Diana barely managed to stop herself in front of the door. Without even a moment to catch her breath, she pushed the heavy door with all her might.
The massive door, tall enough to touch the ceiling, moved with agonizing slowness. The moment a gap opened wide enough for her to squeeze through, Diana threw herself into the space beyond. Droplets of water scattered into the air.
“Haa, ha…”
Diana frantically looked around her. She was standing in the center of a circular hall.
A water channel had been carved along the edge of the circular space. As if spellbound, Diana moved toward the point where the two channels met.
The channels converged behind a throne. It was a space that had been invisible from the entrance.
There was a pillar reaching up to Diana’s waist, and atop it sat a large marble sculpture. Hollowed out in the center, it looked exactly like a basin for holding water.
Just as Diana was about to touch the basin, the sound of footsteps moving in a group could be heard from outside the door. The floor shook as if an earthquake had struck.
“……!”
It happened in the blink of an eye. Someone had noticed that the room was empty. The knights from headquarters were returning.
It wouldn’t be long before the soldiers stormed into the audience chamber. Clutching the water bowl with both hands, Diana cried out frantically.
“What should I do now? Tell me!”
There was no reply from the spirits. Instead, the air above her head rippled heavily.
Diana looked up. Just as on the day she first discovered the man as beautiful as a sacred flame here, moonlight was pouring down.
This space, jutting out from the castle’s outer wall like a balcony, had a unique structure: instead of stone walls, transparent glass windows surrounded three sides.
Something tapped against the window, bathed in silvery moonlight. A diagonal streak appeared on the glass. It was a raindrop.
According to an old tale from Dortes, a sudden downpour was said to be the tears shed by a spirit.
Diana’s gaze shifted from outside the window to the empty space above her head. Moisture suspended in the air gathered to form tiny droplets. Smaller than Diana’s fingernail, the droplets shimmered like crystals.
That single tear dropped slowly. Diana watched the droplet fall into the basin, not daring to even breathe.
Plop— a refreshing splash echoed from the empty vessel.
The single drop pooled at the bottom of the basin became two, then four, eight, and doubled again and again in the blink of an eye. Clear water began to slosh and rise in the basin. Diana could see the scene reflected on the shimmering surface.
Beneath a grove of willow trees swaying as gently as her mother’s skirt hem, a pristine spring pooled. Over the water’s surface, which glowed softly like starlight, flowed the sound of a child’s innocent laughter. Diana’s friends were right there, beckoning to her.
A sob welled up deep within her chest. The spring of her hometown, Balestega, was right here.
“I missed you.”
Whispering so softly it was barely more than a breath, Diana reached out her hand toward the water. Just as her trembling fingertips were about to touch the surface—
CRASH—!
The door to the audience chamber shattered with a deafening roar.
***
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