“Oh, and the Imperial Family has a sacred relic as well.”
While Rosetta was still deep in thought, Blanca brought up another thing.
Though looking at nothing in particular, the golden gaze was heavy, and it soon turned to Blanca.
It was the first time she’s hearing that the imperial family also had a sacred relic.
It wasn’t included in the original novel, nor was it in any of Rosetta’s memories.
As she was still pondering, the next explanation had already started.
“Did you know that there is a prison in the Imperial Palace that’s dedicated only to the three duchies?”
“A prison for the duchies?”
“Yes, a prison where only members of the ducal households will be locked up. In that prison, no power would be able to work. At all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. They’ll be completely ineffective.”
At the firm answer, Rosetta nodded.
‘Certainly, there’s a need for a prison like that.’
The descendants of the three ducal households were born with abilities far superior to others.
Divine power, mana, and aura.
As they were at the pinnacle of humanity with those powers, it would be impossible to keep them locked up in any normal prison.
Powerful criminals would not just sit obediently inside prison.
‘If I lock up Urien there, will that d.a.m.n power of his be rendered useless?’
With a fleeting thought like that, Rosetta smiled grimly as she sipped her tea.
After which, she asked.
“Then, is the prison the sacred relic of the Imperial Family?”
Blanca started out by mentioning the imperial family’s sacred power, then subsequently mentioned the ‘dedicated prison of the ducal households’, so there must be a good reason.
Either the prison and the sacred relic were closely related, or the prison itself was the sacred relic.
At the astute question, Blanca smiled lightly.
“Close, but no. Rather, its power is something to the effect of moving the prison when taking criminals from the three ducal households into custody.”
So it seemed that the prison itself was not a sacred relic.
According to what Blanca said just now, it would be right to a.s.sume that the ‘sacred relic’ had the power to create a neutral subs.p.a.ce.
A sacred relic that could create a neutral subs.p.a.ce, huh.
It’s even greater than what Rosetta was expecting.
There would be no better way to deal with the three ducal households than this.
The notion that the three ducal households were ‘the three pillars that support the imperial family’ was not maintained by merely old history and tradition alone, even if that’s what’s been handed down since the founding myth.
“You don’t know exactly what kind of sacred relic it is, do you?”
“That’s right, I don’t,” Blanca admitted. “It’s privy only to the Imperial Family. No, rather, to the Emperor. I don’t have enough audacity to dare dig up the secrets of His Majesty himself.”
Blanca shrugged.
But unlike her exaggerated att.i.tude, the smile on her lips did not slip.
Hah.
Instead, it was Rosetta who laughed.
“If you consider yourself to be lacking in that regard, then everyone else must have not a lick of audacity to their name.”
She said this with a smirk affixed on her lips.
* * *
As they ended their conversation about the sacred relics, the time that they left their seats was soon here.
“Then, please take care of the letter and the investment.”
Rosetta handed a bundle of doc.u.ments to Blanca.
As her fingertip grazed the edge of a near-empty teacup, a small ripple appeared at the bottom of the cup, then soon disappeared.
The bundle of doc.u.ments included a letter to House Riddle, and the entire doc.u.mentation of her investment.
Regardless of how tumultuous things had gotten after the hunting festival, and regardless of how Rosetta was now at the center of it all…
She had to do what she had to do.
In the letter, she acknowledged that she was being suspected of being behind the ‘monster’ incident, but she wrote with an innocent tone, and she promised that the contract shall proceed without a hitch.
Besides that, the investment doc.u.ment was in accordance with the letter. She had written summaries of the specific investments she’d like to pursue.
‘But if it’s House Riddle, they wouldn’t be so easily affected by such rumors.’
More than anyone else, the Riddles were disgusted by how quick public opinion swayed, as easily as a coin being flipped.
While Blanca took the doc.u.ments, Rosetta mentioned one more thing.
“Please be sure to take care of the auction I told you about before.”
As Blanca’s eyes were fixed on the doc.u.ments, that silver gaze quickly looked up and matched exactly with Rosetta’s gold.
“All I have to do in that auction is buy the mine that you mentioned, yes?”
“Yes. No matter how much it’ll be, you must win the bid.”
Going by the original novel, Leo was going to be the owner of that mine.
The new mineral that’s to be discovered in that mine would be the main ingredient to treat Ria’s rare disease.
So, she needed to get the mine. By any means possible.
Seeing Rosetta’s serious expression, Blanca nodded.
“Don’t worry. I’m quite good at bids.”
And she replied with such confidence.
The first impression one might have of Blanca was that she’s a mischievous woman. But at the same time, she was a rare, trustworthy person.
But somehow, Rosetta didn’t want to admit it.
Blanca deftly checked the doc.u.ments, then straightened them out again on the table. Tak, tak.
Then, she put the doc.u.ments into her bag and stood up from her seat.
It’s a bit absurd to see that an esteemed daughter of a duke and a bookstore employee were together like this all day, but now was the right time for them to part ways.
Rosetta stared at Blanca, who remained seated and didn’t seem to have any plans to see Rosetta off.
Blanca merely pulled down her hat, and her lips could be seen tugging up into a smile.
“I’ll sort out the rumors surrounding you, Your Ladyship.”
Rosetta tilted her head to the side, confused because she was expecting Blanca to bid her farewell instead.
She could only wonder how Blanca would resolve all the rumors. After all, those rumors had already spread like wildfire amongst the empire’s aristocrats, whether young or old.
“How?”
“Fight fire with fire, of course. And besides, rumors are originally my specialty.”
“Before doing that, wouldn’t it be right for you to ask my permission first?”
“Then, Lady Rosetta, are you saying that you truly are the one behind the monster incident?”
As Blanca asked her nonchalantly, Rosetta nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Shall I ask for your permission then?”
“You’re not curious?”
Blanca raised the brim of her hat.
Beneath the hat, her silver gaze was revealed right then.
“Hmm, strangely enough, I’m not very curious about that.”
“……”
“And there is often a time when the truth doesn’t matter. For example, when someone from my side is cornered.”
Rosetta narrowed her eyes at Blanca, who spoke as though she was humming lightly.
Blanca just casually sat back against her seat.
“…Well, to be clear. It’s not me.”
Her voice was heavy.
Blanca stared at Rosetta, then soon shrugged her shoulders lightly.
“Oh my, that’s better, isn’t it? Anyway, don’t worry too much about the rumors. I won’t be able to completely sweep the matter under the rug, but at the very least, I’ll try my best to make sure that you can sleep longer at night before Lady Alicia’s birthday ball.”
It’s on the house.
Even as the last words were playfully whispered, the corners of Rosetta’s lips did not curl up into a smile.
Unlike the red lips that always boasted a smooth arc.
Looking at Blanca, Rosetta closed her eyes, then tilted her head back.
She stared at the high ceiling, but her gaze was slowly brought back down.
“Blanca.”
“Yes, Your Ladyship.”
“Thank you.”
At the sudden expression of grat.i.tude, those red lips paused for a moment.
Blanca’s hand then pulled down the hat a little further.
“…You’re very welcome, dear customer.”
Her whisper was, this time, a little slower than usual.
* * *
Taking off her hat and placing it beside her, Blanca leaned her head against the carriage wall, staring out the window.
Outside, the sunset and the night sky were mixed together.
As the carriage rattled, Blanca’s head shook as well.
“Blanca.”
“Thank you.”
And, constantly, Rosetta’s voice echoed in her mind.
Blanca twisted the empty pipe in her hand.
She was filled with the urge to smoke right now.
However, her cigar case was empty.
Ah, she should have checked it in advance.
Belated regrets were, quite literally, regrets only because of a belated realization or action.
Right. Only late.
A long shadow fell across her face as she leaned against the window.
“This, really. Making people feel sorry.”
This murmur was light, but at the same time, not light.
An old relationship from more than two decades ago was coming back as a thorn now.
She reached for the small crystal ball that was embedded on one of the carriage’s walls.
Then, as the crystal ball began to glow with a white light, a voice soon followed.
“Yes, Madam?”
“I need to get rid of some people.”
“Where, and how should they be dealt with?”
Where, how.
She was still staring out the window, but for a second, her gaze glinted sharply.
“Rumors about Lady Rosetta are circulating everywhere.”
The staff at Blanca’s guild were all intelligent and quick-witted.
She herself was at ease because of this, and at the same time, she was proud.
“Shall we also turn the arrow’s trajectory?”
Another question soon followed.
Whether they should merely clean up the rumors surrounding the ducal lady, or whether they should take advantage of the opportunity and redirect the arrow to another.
Blanca’s contemplation was brief.
“I’m not sure. Perhaps mention House Carter by name.”
It didn’t matter whether people believed it to be true or not.
Originally, all rumors start out as small bits of suspicion.
“Understood, Madam.”
At the concise answer, the connection through the crystal ball was cut off.
A relaxed smile once again rose over the face that was half concealed by the shadows.
The smile was brought on by the thought of the special service, which was on the house.
Though she was composed now, she was filled with the urge to smile even wider.
How unexpectedly fun.
How could the ducal lady be behind that monster incident?
‘In any case, my dear customer is driving quite a tempest.’
It’s impossible to be bored when she’s around.
She had a feeling that there might be a significant reason behind the lady’s curiosity in the sacred relics.
And, she had a feeling that a huge storm would emerge from this in the future.
As her legs were crossed, she bobbed the toes of one foot.
However, it was at that moment.
“Ah—”
A sudden headache shot down like lightning between her brows.
Clink, cliiink.
The long smoking pipe teetered precariously between her fingers before it eventually rolled down on the floor.
The pipe clattered noisily. Blanca grimaced, and she squinted to look for the source of the sound.
However, in the end, her gaze did not reach the pipe.
Her headache worsened. It was as if her mind was besieged by a heavy fog.
Perhaps the fog was impairing her senses, but her vision started spinning at this point.
Then, soon, a shadow came through a gap in the fog.
A strange feeling.
A sense of déjà vu.
Blanca blinked her eyes, trying to tear through the shadow inside her mind.
But the shadow did not become clear.
She heard only a voice.
“What do you know about the sacred relics?”