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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Lost Ribbon
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This, strictly speaking, was Theon’s teaching.
He had said that in business, the most important thing was to greet your partners. If you didn’t take care of such things, you were likely to incur hatred or face retaliation.
So, the ribbon was a gift in return for Callista’s one gold investment last time.
It was trivial, utterly trivial, but what could I do when all I had was a copper coin? I figured it was better than nothing.
Callista’s eyes widened when she heard me. Looking closely, the blue within them shimmered faintly.
Was she angry?
Was she dumbfounded that I’d offered a ribbon as a thank-you?
“Wh-where is it?”
She asked, her voice trembling.
I frantically rummaged around my waist.
“Here… huh?”
It wasn’t there.
“H-here?”
It wasn’t there.
The ribbon I had bought with my precious coin was gone. It seemed I had dropped it while fleeing from Gale.
“Oh… I think I lost it.”
All the strength drained out of me. To think the only thing I’d bought on the Imperial Palace streets had disappeared like this.
Suddenly, all the difficult events of today flashed through my mind.
Memories of my arduous past life resurfacing, Sion nearly getting seriously hurt by Gale’s subordinates, my water bottle and shoes getting dirty from various people throwing up while passing through the portal.
The only things that had been briefly comfortable and enjoyable were the memory of shopping and talking to a boy my age for a short while, and now one of them was gone.
My eight-year-old body couldn’t control only my appetite. Emotions were the same.
My shoulders began to tremble against my will. I tried to keep my eyes wide open to hold back tears, just as Sion had done earlier in the day, but it didn't work.
Ah, tears are useless.
“I’m sorry…”
I said in a tiny voice. I wanted to say I’d give her another gift later, but no sound came out.
“I-I’ll give you something later…”
“It’s alright.”
Callista’s voice reached my ears as I hung my head low. It sounded strangely brighter than before.
“What?”
*Thump—*
I was about to ask again, thinking I’d misheard, when something touched my head. No, rather than touching, it seemed to be placed there.
I looked up, startled, and forgot I was about to cry.
*Stroke—*
“It’s alright.”
Callista, Callista was stroking my head.
“I’m happy you thought of me, Harper.”
She leaned down and met my eyes, speaking softly.
It was a look I’d never seen before. Those slightly downturned eyes and that subtly upturned corner of her mouth… surely, that wasn’t a smile?
Impossible. The world must have turned upside down.
Callista was smiling at me.
“That’s enough.”
Callista continued to gently stroke my head.
“So, don’t cry.”
She didn’t stop her hand. A warmth emanated from her always-cold hand.
It was a strange sensation.
Even her deep blue eyes, which had once made my whole body freeze, seemed to glow with warmth.
***
Back in my room, I slumped onto the sofa and recalled the day’s events.
Passing through the portal, paving Sion’s way, meeting a unique boy, being chased by Gale…
But the strangest thing had happened just a moment ago.
‘Don’t cry.’
Callista had said that, stroking my head.
With eyes I’d never seen before, warm, and a hand that had never touched my head before, warm.
She had sent Aramis to bring us back. She seemed relieved that I was safe.
…Why?
Was she truly worried about me?
That was an absurd thought. But could that expression have been anything but genuine?
‘Don’t cry.’
I recalled Callista’s voice once more. Low, calm, a sound that brought comfort.
It felt genuine. But…
I closed my eyes and tried to recall another memory I’d heard in that same voice.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Her last words to me in my past life. The sound of a sword cleaving through the air that followed.
I opened my eyes again. A small sigh escaped my lips.
Was it possible for someone who had tried with all her might to kill me in my previous life to genuinely worry about me now?
In the darkness, I closed and opened my eyes again.
Callista, who had killed me, and Callista, who had stroked my head, appeared and vanished in turns. At one point, they blended together, their forms indistinguishable.
Amidst my muddled thoughts, the only thing that stood out clearly was the hand stroking my head and that small smile.
***
“You’ve returned, Your Highness!”
Nell sprang to her feet.
“I’m back.”
Her eyes, full of worry, swept over Killian for a long moment.
“I’m barely hurt. Someone told me how to get back without Gale noticing.”
Killian rolled up his sleeve so she could see clearly.
“How on earth…?”
Nell sighed in relief, then her gaze stopped on Killian’s right forearm.
“You’ve been cut.”
“Gale drew his sword without hesitation, you know.”
He chuckled, then sat down in a chair.
“I found out what I was curious about, so don’t make that face.”
“But…”
She hastily began to treat his arm, then paused and looked up. It was because Killian’s face was subtly flushed.
It wasn’t the fatigue of a boy who had just finished a dangerous day.
“Nell, is the surname Luperne common?”
Killian asked. Unlike his usual cold demeanor, his voice held a bright energy.
“Pardon?”
Nell looked up. The Prince’s eyes, usually so dark, sparkled.
“Luperne is… the Ducal Family’s surname, so others cannot easily use it. There might be similar surnames, but…”
“A Ducal Family, then.”
Killian pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, then spoke again.
“Bring me the noble genealogies.”
Nell, with a puzzled expression, rose and pulled a book from the shelf.
“Here it is, but…”
Killian took the book and quickly flipped through it. His eyes stopped on a corner of a page.
A small smile appeared on his lips as he followed the letters. He stared intently at the name in the book.
“…It was the Luperne Ducal Family after all.”
Killian murmured softly. At the end of his gaze was the name and birth year of the Luperne family’s second daughter.
He softly pronounced the name of the girl with the clear sky-blue eyes he had met earlier that day.
When he put his hand in his pocket, he felt the ribbon she had dropped. Killian held it carefully.
“Harper… Harper Luperne.”
Outside the stifling Imperial Palace, there was one person who knew him. She had said she would think of him.
That alone allowed Killian to breathe.
***
“Good morning, young lady!”
Sion burst into the room, flinging the door open. It was the lively sight I hadn’t seen in days.
“Morning, Sion. You look happy, aren’t you dreaming of Iris anymore?”
“Ahem, oh, my, goodness, when are you going to stop bringing that up?”
Sion coughed awkwardly, his expression embarrassed by my greeting. I, understanding the question literally, thought for a moment and answered honestly.
“When was it… you cried in my room again the night before last.”
After returning from the Imperial Palace, Sion’s emotions had been all over the place for several days. He would usually carry out his duties normally during the day, then become emotional and sniffle at night.
The night before last, he had burst into tears while listening to Lira play a song on the harp in my room.
“That was, well, the performance was so moving. The sorrowful song just stirred my soul so deeply…”
“It was a song about a squirrel and a rabbit in the mountains becoming friends…”
“Exactly! They became friends, but then the moon came out and they had to go home! How sad is that?”
His face flushed, he ranted passionately for a long time about the true meaning hidden by the lyricist.
Jena and I had just made that up on the spot, you know.
“Anyway, confessing to Iris is in the past. One must focus on the present.”
“Ah, I see.”
I nodded. It seemed the rumor I’d heard yesterday was true.
That one of the chefs in the mansion had been making advances on Sion.
His wounded heart seemed to have completely recovered thanks to this unexpected turn of events. His face even looked much neater than usual.
Well, it worked out for me too. I had something I wanted to confirm.
“Sion, I heard something in the Imperial Palace that I want to tell you.”
As I changed the subject, Sion’s eyes brightened with interest.
“A story, you say? What is it?”
“I heard it the day I went to the Imperial Palace, but Jena said children shouldn’t talk about such things.”
As I hesitated, the curiosity in Sion’s eyes deepened.
As expected, he was someone who instinctively had a knack for sniffing out rumors. He seemed to intend to listen seriously, even to a child’s words.
“Please tell me.”
“They say Count Satil of the North is having an affair.”
I made my eyes sparkle as much as possible and relayed the rumor I had actually heard.
It was gossip that came from a fruit seller and a customer.
“He’s been on several dates with the opera singer Lucy Amalia. Right in front of everyone.”
“…You heard such a rumor?”
As expected, his gaze sharpened. I pretended not to notice and continued.
“Yeah! Everyone was talking about it. They said he appeared together with her at all sorts of gatherings…”
This was actually a rumor that had spread not just in the Imperial Palace, but all over the Empire. It was probably widespread among the knights and other employees as well.
So, my purpose wasn’t so much to relay this news as it was to observe Sion’s reaction to it.
“So, is Count Satil getting a divorce?”
I asked a genuine question with a purely curious expression, then watched Sion’s face.
He was silent for a few seconds after hearing my question, stroking his chin. Then he carefully opened his mouth.
“Hmm… that’s actually a rumor I heard too. Iris told me that day. But…”
“But?”
“It’s probably a false rumor.”
Sion stated the correct answer without much hesitation.
