Chapter 63 : – An Unexpected Visitor (Part 2)
A clock chimed somewhere in the distance.
The faint rustle of fabric.
A small metallic sound.
And then a quiet sigh.
“Brother, it’s almost time…”
“…You’re right. As much as I hate to leave, we should stop here for today.”
Mikaelis slowly released me from his embrace.
Perhaps my hair had become messy.
He gently combed through it with his fingers.
My hair was long and slightly wavy, making it more prone to tangling than straight hair.
It was also rather fine and soft.
When I looked at Jibril, she appeared extremely bitter.
Oh dear.
Mikaelis was her brother.
I shouldn’t monopolize him too much.
“Grrr… Though it pains me greatly to interrupt such a rare opportunity free from that obsessive sister-complex maniac and that black-hearted bespectacled schemer, they do say that he who chases two rabbits catches neither.”
“We shall stop here for today.”
“…Jibril. Why do you seem even more disappointed than I am?”
“You wouldn’t understand after thoroughly enjoying Sister Albert all to yourself!”
“I graciously yielded today to you!”
“But I wanted to enjoy Sister Albert too!”
Apparently she wasn’t jealous of me.
She was jealous of Mikaelis.
Was it really alright for her to like me this much?
I loved Jibril dearly, but I didn’t want her and Mikaelis fighting because of me.
More importantly…
Did Mikaelis and Jibril genuinely enjoy spending time with someone as hopeless as me?
Was there really demand for a defective noble lady?
Faced with Jibril’s expression of utter suffering, Mikaelis finally failed to suppress his laughter.
A low chuckle escaped him.
“Then I owe you an apology.”
“You do!”
“I’ll remember that.”
Pouting Jibril was adorable too.
Mikaelis raised both hands in surrender.
Watching the handsome siblings bicker so affectionately naturally softened my expression.
Truly a feast for the eyes.
When Mikaelis turned back toward me, his gaze became gentle.
“I’ll come again.”
“Please don’t forget what I said earlier.”
Walking through the carpetless corridor, Mikaelis and Jibril appeared far brighter than they had on the way in.
Even so, they remained alert.
If they wished to return again, they couldn’t allow anyone to discover they had sneaked in.
They carefully chose routes hidden from view.
“Lady Albert was just as expected.”
“She looked a little thinner, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared.”
“That’s true.”
“Even after being embraced by you and stared at so passionately, her heart remained completely unmoved.”
“That’s true as well.”
“A formidable opponent.”
“Though for entirely different reasons than Duke Latitche.”
“Absolutely.”
“Being trusted enough that she would surrender herself so readily makes me happy.”
“But as a man, it leaves me feeling conflicted.”
Even as he said so, Mikaelis looked calm.
Gentle.
His eyes overflowed with affection.
He knew perfectly well that Albertina wasn’t someone who entrusted herself to just anyone.
Especially not to men close to her own age.
As the daughter of a great noble house—and now a target for every faction imaginable—her defenselessness worried him.
That said…
One first had to enter the inner circle of that cripplingly shy girl.
Without her father, many would undoubtedly believe such an ignorant young lady could be manipulated however they pleased.
They would likely send handsome young nobles of excellent lineage to approach her and attempt to charm her with sweet words.
Unfortunately for them, Albertina possessed impossibly high standards.
She avoided both romance and marriage.
Any man who tried to force his way into her life would earn only rejection and disgust.
Yet there would still be many who ignored such risks.
Albertina’s value had already risen to equal—or even surpass—that of a royal crown.
His Majesty Lauzes continued trying to suppress matters.
The Council of Elders, however, stubbornly demanded that Albertina be incorporated into the royal family.
The king insisted proper procedures should be followed.
The Council openly opposed him.
One reason was simple:
There were currently far too few royals possessing the Eyes of the Royal Family.
Mikaelis cared little about kingship or succession.
But he wanted to spare Albertina pain.
She was kind.
Gentle.
The sort of woman who wanted nothing to do with political schemes.
The sort who would rather flee from power struggles entirely.
Kishtaria and the rest of House Latitche were under tremendous pressure.
Enemies attacked them from every direction, searching for any weakness they could exploit to corner Duke Latitche.
Yet when Mikaelis had seen Kishtaria recently, the young man had shown none of that strain.
Perhaps to someone raised beneath the infamous Demon Duke, such difficulties seemed trivial.
No one could realistically imprison and torture a ducal heir.
Moreover, Kishtaria occupied a complicated position.
He was one of the few people close to Albertina.
Close to Duke Latitche.
Close to Albertina herself.
As long as she remained a daughter of House Latitche, that reality could not be avoided.
Yet despite everything, the royal family and the Council still allowed Kishtaria access to Vayu Palace.
That alone proved how desperate they were.
Albertina’s magical power was simply too strong.
Even gathering the royal court magicians had failed to neutralize the barrier.
Without meeting her.
Without speaking to her.
Without securing her cooperation.
Manipulating her status meant nothing.
They desperately wanted control of her.
For now, her peace existed only on the edge of a knife.
Feeling the stillness before a storm, Mikaelis glared toward the palace.
After Mikaelis and Jibril departed, I resumed my Barrier Challenge.
With so few cards in my hand, maintaining this siege was my greatest weapon.
Once Father returned, I would win.
That was why everyone around me was so desperate.
They wanted to secure me before Father discovered anything.
Mikaelis had told me to rely on him.
But I couldn’t rely entirely on others.
I needed to find some solution of my own.
The moment the barrier collapsed, this stalemate would end.
Chappy seemed to have noticed the visitors while napping.
He wandered around the sofa where Mikaelis and Jibril had been sitting.
“What exactly are you, I wonder?”
“Are you my ally?”
“Or perhaps the familiar of some evil noble?”
“Gii?”
“I don’t really understand fairies or spirits.”
“But I’d be happy if we could be friends.”
“Pii!”
Delighted, Chappy flailed his tiny limbs.
I hugged him tightly.
Chappy hugged me back with his little arms and legs.
…
Come to think of it, Chappy seemed quite young.
Where were his parents?
What if they were searching for him?
And what if they were as overprotective as my father?
Wouldn’t that be incredibly dangerous?
“Chappy, where is your family?”
“Pigi?”
“You don’t know?”
“Gigi?”
Hmm.
Maybe Chappy truly didn’t understand.
The sight of him tilting his round head was adorable.
Or perhaps fairies and spirits simply didn’t have a concept of family.
I should have asked Kishtaria or Julius while they were here.
Those two were strangely harsh toward Chappy.
Despite having only recently met him, they constantly stepped on him, squished him, and otherwise manhandled him.
Though admittedly Chappy did spend most of his time running around under people’s feet.
Still…
Even so…
Yet Chappy never seemed bothered.
He apparently didn’t feel much pain.
…
How durable was this mysterious little monster?
I squished his cheeks experimentally.
The texture reminded me of a memory foam pillow.
Not light like cotton stuffing.
Rather, uniquely soft and dense.
There was no point dwelling on unanswered questions.
Chappy had never shown any hostility.
The barrier didn’t react to him.
If anything, he seemed fond of me.
Incidentally, my Barrier Challenge failed again that day.
The flood of information was simply too overwhelming.
Once again I collapsed onto the sofa in a dizzy heap.
The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Chappy smacking my forehead with his tiny paws while Anna casually threw him out the window.
Every day I attempted to analyze the barrier.
And every day I made no visible progress.
Information definitely flowed through it.
But I couldn’t process it.
It rushed past me too quickly and shattered apart.
Anna repeatedly begged me not to overdo things.
But I couldn’t afford to relax in a place like this.
This accidental barrier was my lifeline.
I had to master it.
No matter what.
As I frowned through another pounding headache, Anna leaned over me worriedly.
“Lady Albert, would you like to rest in bed?”
“…Yes, please, Anna.”
Supporting me with one shoulder, Anna guided me to the bed.
She always kept everything immaculate.
The sheets were clean and perfectly smooth.
Through repeated attempts, I had gradually begun understanding Vayu Palace.
At the very least, I now had a rough grasp of its layout and location within the royal palace.
If an emergency occurred and I had to flee on foot…
I would collapse from exhaustion before even reaching the exit.
The place was that enormous.
And as expected of a royal palace, there were hidden passages.
Presumably they existed for escaping if the castle were ever captured.
Knowing they existed was one thing.
Understanding how to access them was another.
Some appeared to connect both to the royal palace and outside.
Perfect for secret meetings.
If used properly, perhaps Kishtaria and the others could enter and leave more easily…
Yes.
I absolutely wanted to make use of them.
I wanted to see everyone more often.
Just not Duke Fortuna.
Or the other nobles.
The person I wanted to see most was Father.
Unfortunately, all I could perceive through the barrier was information related to Vayu Palace itself.
The rest of the royal castle remained beyond my reach.
For now, I began sketching maps into a notebook little by little.
If I found someone trustworthy, I could hand them over later.
The problem was that my freehand maps were terrible.
Simple diagrams were one thing.
But detailed layouts including hidden passages quickly became disasters.
I needed more practice.
When Julius had visited recently, he’d secretly brought supplies.
Food.
Tea leaves.
Perfumed oils.
And other luxuries.
With a completely straight face, he’d hidden a magic bag inside a serving cart and slipped it past security.
The cart even had a false bottom.
Wasn’t that amazing?
He said anything larger or more powerful would be discovered.
Still, I was astonished.
A cosmetic pouch the size of a flat makeup bag had somehow contained a sack large enough to fit a pony.
Fantasy truly ignored both physics and conservation of mass.
Next time he visited, I wanted him to bring hand cream.
Anna’s hands had become rough.
Unfortunately, he didn’t understand what I meant.
Apparently hand cream didn’t exist in this world.
Beauty serums existed.
Moisturizing creams had only recently begun appearing under the Rose Brand.
But for rough hands, people generally applied diluted potions or healing ointments.
Meanwhile, I had lived such a pampered noble life that I’d never experienced rough skin.
I routinely applied skincare products to my face, hands, arms, legs—everywhere.
As a result, my skin remained soft and smooth.
Once I explained hand cream properly, Julius immediately understood.
As expected of an elite butler.
Far too capable.
Still, Anna drew water from the well.
Lit fires.
Handled countless chores alone.
Yet she never complained.
I wanted her hands cared for before cracks and sores appeared.
Healing magic could cure injuries.
But prevention was always better.
Pain hurt everyone.
I had offered to help.
Anna refused with remarkable determination.
Was I really that unreliable?
Certainly I would make mistakes at first.
But if one tried, one eventually succeeded.
And if the palace suddenly decided I was a mistake and threw me out…
Wouldn’t preparation be important?
Naturally, I wanted to return to House Latitche as soon as possible.
But if necessary, escaping through a hidden passage wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
That could mean hiding in a city.
Which meant learning practical skills would never be a waste.
My plans for becoming a commoner or joining a convent had been delayed repeatedly.
But I hadn’t abandoned them.
Preparation was important.
Simple living held no fear for me.
When I proudly declared this determination to Anna…
She confiscated even more work from me.
The only responsibility she finally allowed me to keep was:
Chappy Duty.
My job was making sure Chappy didn’t trip, roll away, fall somewhere, or get trapped.
In other words, I spent my time following Chappy around, petting him, and admiring him.
…
Wait.
Wasn’t that basically just playing with a pet?
Well, Chappy wasn’t actually a pet.
He was some sort of mysterious creature.
A fairy.
A spirit.
Something.
But still…
The feeling was suspiciously similar.
Vayu Palace was so quiet.
Aside from birdsong, there was almost no sign of human life.
While Anna worked tirelessly, was it really acceptable for me to spend my days doing nothing?
Anna had limited Barrier Challenge attempts to once per day.
What else could I do?
With permission to explore during daylight hours, I wandered through Vayu Palace.
Eventually, I discovered a small study.
Inside were books.
Magnificent books.
Their covers were decorated with gold dust and gemstones.
Honestly, they seemed more like works of art than books.
Opening one revealed myths and children’s stories.
I had never seen these before.
Naturally, I began reading.
There was just one problem.
They were heavy.
Extremely heavy.
Many were oversized.
Their decorations bordered on excessive.
Some spines were made of gold or silver filigree.
Others had enormous gemstones embedded in the covers.
Not all of them were like that.
But some looked more like jewelry than literature.
And naturally, those were the ones containing histories of the Kingdom of Sandis.
Even better—
Some of these books didn’t exist in House Latitche’s library.
They had to be priceless treasures.
Perhaps available only within the royal palace.
If any of them contained clues regarding barrier magic…
My curiosity flared.
Unfortunately, after carrying three of those luxurious tomes, my arms were already exhausted.
The room itself was dusty.
Remaining there too long seemed unwise.
So I would have to transport them little by little back to my room.