Chapter 31
A sharp intake of breath escaped me.
In that instant, I recognized my blunder. Schulz Schmidt had never actually uttered those words.
I scrambled to fix the slip. “It stands to reason that the Imperial Family would only accept instruction from the White Tower’s finest Pneuma, wouldn’t it?”
Wait. Was that too transparent? Had I just resorted to blatant flattery?
Schulz Schmidt didn’t look away; he kept his gaze fixed on me before letting out a dry, disbelieving chuckle. To my relief, he didn’t press the issue, choosing instead to address my original point.
“The Empress is traveling to the White Tower personally,” he informed me. “She will be accompanied by both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.”
“What?” I blurted out.
He tilted his head. “Why does that shock you?”
The problem was my internal itinerary. I was supposed to be heading to the Imperial Palace specifically to encounter the Crown Prince, yet the prince was currently elsewhere. I had asked Schulz to help me reach the palace without explaining my true motives, but the situation had changed.
“The truth is,” I confessed, “I was hoping to see the Crown Prince.”
For a rare moment, Schulz Schmidt looked caught off guard. “Miss Tulia,” he began.
His demeanor shifted instantly from surprise to something far more somber. “Am I to understand you have developed a personal fascination with His Highness?”
Was I interested in the prince? In a way, yes—extraordinarily so. My very survival was tied to him.
“I wouldn’t normally interfere,” he continued gravely, “but in your case, it would be unwise to—”
“It isn’t like that! I have my reasons!” I interrupted.
“Romantic ones?”
“Just reasons!” I insisted.
My outburst prompted a quiet laugh from him. It was a surreal sight: his usually icy, mask-like face softening, the corners of his eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. Was this really the same detached, brilliant scholar I knew from the stories?
I had assumed our bond was merely a professional one formed over the Ancient Language, yet he felt comfortable enough to drop his guard like this. Perhaps sharing the secrets of his father’s past had forged a deeper sense of trust than I realized.
But then, a realization struck me.
Schulz Schmidt had sought me out because of my perfect test scores. That much mirrored the game’s plot. However, in the original story, Coriko had achieved perfect marks on countless exams, yet Schulz had never once shown her his father’s private correspondence.
Something was off. Why was I, as Tulia, experiencing things that never happened when I played as Coriko? What had shifted the balance?
I studied Schulz with growing confusion. There was a glimmer of playfulness in his rational, cold eyes that I didn’t recognize. In the game, his relationship with the protagonist never progressed this quickly.
Had the Grand Duke been bragging about my talent for Ancient Languages? No, that seemed impossible. He wasn’t the type to gossip.
“Do you intend to join us at the White Tower then, Miss?” Schulz’s voice pulled me back to the present.
I blinked, trying to process the offer. “I’m allowed to go there?”
“You could certainly tour the facilities if you traveled with us,” he said. “The obstacle, however, would be Grand Duke Frazier.”
He was right. I turned toward Assis Grand Duke Frazier, taking several steadying breaths before approaching him.
“Grandfather,” I said.
The Grand Duke paused his discussion with Ruk Kelfosher and his other counselors to look at me. “What is it now?”
“Well, I was wondering…”
“We are nearing the capital,” he cut in. “We should arrive within half a day, so try to remain patient.”
I stared at him. Since when did the Grand Duke offer such comforting words? He had always been a predator, radiating nothing but frost and resentment toward his kin. It was bizarre, but I had more pressing concerns.
“It’s not that. I… I have a request.”
Seeing my hesitation, a shadow of curiosity touched his brow. “If you have something to say, speak plainly.”
“Grandfather, would it be possible for me to visit the White Tower under the guidance of Pneuma Schmidt?”
The Grand Duke’s expression became unreadable. “Tulia Frazier.”
“Yes?”
“Were you informed that the princes are currently at the Tower?”
“I was,” I admitted. “I heard.”
He went quiet, his eyes narrowing as he mulled it over. He clearly knew Schulz had redirected our path away from the palace, but I hadn’t been part of that plan. I started worrying that I sounded like a spoiled child, but before I could offer a defense, he spoke again.
“Tulia.”
“Yes, Grandfather?”
“Have you been spending your time in the library reading those stories about forbidden romances?”
“Romances? What do you mean?”
“The tales young women enjoy,” he said. “The ones involving lovers separated by their social standing.”
I froze. His words were an eerie echo of Schulz’s earlier suspicion. Did the Grand Duke also believe I was chasing the Crown Prince out of some infatuation?
While Tulia was high-born, she wasn’t the biological daughter of Marquis Aster, which created a gap in status—perhaps that was what he implied.
“That isn’t it at all!” I shook my head vigorously. I wasn’t Coriko, and the Crown Prince in this world was dangerous. In these stories, the male leads were usually the ones who ended the villainess. And in Tulia’s case, everyone wanted her dead.
The thought brought a sting of tears to my eyes. “Truly, Grandfather. It isn’t like that.”
“Hmph.”
As the Grand Duke cleared his throat, Ruk stepped forward with a smile that was uncharacteristically kind. “Miss Tulia, one must remember that fiction is just fiction.”
“I’m telling you, I’m not interested in romance!”
“What I mean,” Ruk continued, “is that there is no reason for you to suffer through trials for the sake of a single man.”
I stared at him, lost. “Pardon?”
“Why bother with the drama of eloping with a man of different rank?” Ruk asked.
“What?”
“In the Summer Kingdom,” Ruk explained, “certain royals maintain collections of beautiful, talented men in places called harems. It is quite an old tradition.”
Why was he bringing up the Summer Continent? It was a neighboring land, and while I knew about their customs from the game, the shift in conversation was baffling.
“Is that so?” I looked at Ruk, completely bewildered.
“Just a thought to keep in mind,” Ruk said smoothly. “Though we don’t have formal ties with them yet, their customs are quite fascinating.”
The surrounding advisors began to chuckle. I knew Ruk usually spoke for the Grand Duke, but the implication was insane. Was he suggesting I build a harem and throw the terrifying Crown Prince into it?
The Grand Duke watched my confusion for a moment before making a decision. “I will send Ruk and a contingent of guards to accompany you. You may go and see the Tower.”
“Really?” My face lit up. In a burst of genuine excitement, I reached out and squeezed the Grand Duke’s hands. “Thank you so much! Please travel safely!”
It was a completely impulsive gesture. The Grand Duke’s eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t pull away. Perhaps he really was softening toward me. I felt a strange sense of ease; only weeks ago, I had been terrified he would have me executed.
I gave a joyful bow and turned to leave, humming to myself.
“We’ll keep her safe, don’t you worry…”
“And we’ll make sure that Pneuma doesn’t get any ideas about flirting with her…”
The voices of Ruk and the advisors faded into the distance, lost to the wind before I could catch their meaning.
