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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: An Opportunity
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“How could you follow people like that, not knowing what they might do to you?”
“Don’t you know how terrifying those men are?”
I was getting an earful from the maids for thoughtlessly following Calius’s men just because I saw one of them drop a bracelet and wanted to return it.
*And they say this to me, who will have to leave with those very men soon.*
Judging by their words, they clearly weren't worried about my well-being.
They were probably just scared at the thought of having to face Calius’s men up close because of me.
I let their nagging go in one ear and out the other, my mind on the bracelet I’d returned to its owner.
*It looked so much like the one Kal has.*
The color and design were remarkably similar to the bracelet Kal always wore on his wrist.
Kal had told me that bracelet was incredibly meaningful and precious to him.
That’s why I had chased after Calius’s subordinate without a second thought the moment I saw him drop it.
Thinking about how grateful the red-haired man had been filled me with a sense of pride.
*He was actually kind of cute once we talked.*
From a distance, he had looked as solid as a rock and as fearsome as a lion, but up close, he seemed somewhat dazed and simple.
*He looked young. Eighteen? Maybe nineteen?*
It was amusing how he’d gotten so flustered, scrambling down from his horse and accepting the bracelet with both hands held together respectfully.
His hands were so large compared to the bracelet that he had to press all ten fingers tightly together to hold it. I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the sight.
Even the young pages at the imperial palace didn’t wear their emotions so openly on their faces.
*Anyway, that bracelet… was it an accessory from Ronheim?*
If so, how did Kal come to possess one?
*His saying, ‘Even blizzards must pass,’ also seems strange now that I think about it.*
In Arental, where it rarely snowed, a blizzard was an unfamiliar phenomenon.
And yet, Kal spoke of blizzards as if it were a common saying.
Only after hearing Calius, a northerner, talk about a blizzard did it belatedly occur to me how odd it was for Kal, a southerner, to say such things.
*Kal is from Arental, so why does he talk about blizzards so often…?*
I paused, finding it strange.
*But is Kal really from Arental?*
Come to think of it, I had never once asked about his origins.
I had just naturally assumed he was an ordinary boy from Arental, living somewhere in the capital.
*Wait, could Kal be from the north?*
The moment I considered the possibility, everything clicked into place—his resemblance to the northerner Calius, his catchphrase, and the unusual accessory not seen in the south.
*Is that why he said he’d go to the north with me?*
If he had ties to the north, making such a decision would be relatively easier.
*How thoughtless of me.*
To think that while I constantly received his emotional support, I had never tried to learn more about him.
*I’ll have to ask Kal directly later.*
However, Kal didn’t visit me for quite some time after that day, so I never got the chance to ask him for the details.
His visits had always been erratic. We weren’t in a position to meet by appointment.
I trusted that Kal would find a chance to visit again this time and waited for him.
In the meantime, the day of opportunity to secure my revenge fund finally arrived.
* * *
After the engagement ceremony, Calius had pressed to leave for Ronheim as soon as possible, so the wedding preparations were proceeding in a rush.
Of course, only the people around me were busy. Deprived of even a sliver of control over my own wedding preparations, I was as idle as ever.
I felt no disappointment about a wedding in which my opinion was completely disregarded.
*The ceremony will be canceled anyway, and it will be a marriage without a wedding.*
That was because of the unfortunate accident that would soon occur in the imperial palace.
*It should be about time.*
I left my bedchamber and loitered near the maids, ignoring their annoyed glances.
To me, the maids were my only link to the outside world. The news I was waiting for would surely be delivered through them.
With a secret purpose in mind, I discreetly observed the maids’ moods.
Just then, a maid who had gone out on an errand returned to our quarters, her face pale with shock, and hurriedly whispered to her colleagues.
“Did you all hear the news?”
“What news?”
“His Majesty the Emperor fell from his horse at the hunting grounds!”
“What?”
The maids shifted in their seats, murmuring amongst themselves.
They were too far for me to hear their conversation clearly, but the faintly audible words “His Majesty” and “fell from his horse” were more than enough.
*Today’s the day!*
The Emperor’s riding accident, which happened around this time.
This was exactly what I had been waiting for.
*Today, Cavalla will leave the palace.*
The Emperor’s injury was quite serious, and Cavalla would stay by his side all night.
Because of this, another incident would occur in the now-empty empress’s palace.
With the entire palace in disarray over the Emperor’s grave injury and security temporarily lax, a thief would coincidentally break into the empress’s palace.
I remembered vividly how the palace had been turned upside down by the events of that day.
*Because of that incident, security at the empress’s palace will be tightened several times over starting tomorrow.*
If I didn’t raid the empress’s palace tonight, when the other thief made their move, my chance to steal Cavalla’s treasures would be gone forever.
For the record, I didn’t need to worry about the thief stealing all the treasures.
Unfortunately for them, that thief would barely escape empty-handed, having stolen nothing.
That was because Cavalla’s treasures were safely stored in a vault locked with a special magic key.
*Thanks to that thief, I know that security at the empress’s palace is lax today, and I know which vault holds the valuables.*
The security at the empress’s palace was so poor that the thief was never caught.
I had overheard the maids whispering about how strange it was that she hadn’t been caught, even though wanted posters with her face were plastered all over the palace and the capital.
*It was strange that she wasn’t caught, despite having such a striking appearance.*
I, too, had seen that wanted poster.
The audacious thief was a woman with memorable, curly red hair.
I didn’t know if that was her actual appearance or an exaggeration, but the curly hair drawn on the wanted poster was incredibly red and voluminous.
*Well, she’s of no concern to me.*
Tonight, that unfortunate yet lucky thief would miss her chance and flee with nothing, but I would be different.
*Once I get my hands on the magic key that opens the vault, the rest will be easy.*
I smiled with grim satisfaction.
I had a good idea of where that key was.
I had seen the magic key once before. Unlike a conventional key, it was a large, heavy object shaped like a hexagonal die.
*Anyone who didn’t know would never think it was a key. Besides, it wasn’t of a size one could carry around on their person.*
Simply realizing that it was a key was akin to undoing the first, invisible lock.
The reason I knew this was because the key had originally belonged to my mother.
Which meant that most of the gold and jewels in that vault were not Cavalla’s, but the property of my mother, the former empress.
After my mother passed away, Cavalla had shamelessly taken all of her jewelry for herself.
*This isn’t theft. I’m just taking back what I should have inherited.*
The keys to the treasure vaults attached to each palace cannot be handled carelessly, not even by the palace’s chief steward. The keys are always managed directly by the owner of the vault.
In that case, the key, which couldn’t even be carried on one’s person, must be kept in the empress’s most personal and private space—her bedchamber.
*Other places are relatively easy for court officials to enter and exit, but not even the closest handmaidens can enter the bedchamber without permission.*
Besides, Cavalla was a mage.
I had heard that mages valued their privacy and personal space immensely.
I was certain that the key was kept safe in Cavalla’s bedchamber.
*If I can just find that key…!*
After I raid the vault, even when Cavalla discovers the treasures are missing, she will first suspect that the other thief skillfully stole them, which will perfectly conceal my crime.
*I feel bad for framing her, but she won’t be caught anyway, so it should be fine.*
In many ways, this was an excellent opportunity for me.
As long as there were no surprises, a perfect plan for success was laid out in my mind.
