Chapter 24: Schemes in the Shadows
Inside the royal palace of the Elven Kingdom, where the signs of spring were beginning to drift through the air.
Within a windowless sealed chamber that almost no one was permitted to enter.
Veronica sat upon a chair fashioned to resemble a throne, her expression grim.
Beside her stood Gilbard, his face shadowed and uneasy, while before them knelt an elf clad in black, head bowed low.
Veronica fixed the black-clad elf with a sharp stare.
“So you searched every corner of the kingdom, and still couldn’t find Lydia?”
“Yes.
We investigated all locations where Lady Lydia might plausibly go, but she was nowhere to be found.”
“No witnesses?”
“Unfortunately… none.”
Veronica glared daggers at the elf.
“So this is the famed ‘Shadow Division,’ is it?
You’ve had all this time, and you’ve come up empty-handed!”
“My deepest apologies.”
“So then, what do you intend to do?”
Gilbard spoke up hesitantly.
“We’ve confirmed she isn’t in the kingdom, so I issued top-secret requests to the Adventurers’ Guilds in the neighboring Dean Empire and the Selenia Republic.
I asked them to look for any silver-haired, blue-eyed female elf who appeared within the last year.”
“And you’re certain that will lead to her?”
The black-clad elf lifted his head.
“Of course.
We will also travel to the neighboring countries ourselves and search directly.
There is a possibility she is in disguise.”
Veronica clicked her tongue irritably.
She wanted to shout for them to bring Lydia back immediately, but she knew such words would be meaningless.
After the black-clad elf departed without a sound, Veronica turned a cold gaze on Gilbard.
“So, what about Lydia’s medicines in the ‘Silent Great Tree’?”
In hopes of finding clues to Lydia’s whereabouts, they had searched the tree and discovered a large quantity of medicine she had made.
These had been secretly transported to the palace and analyzed by court apothecaries.
“There were soil-improving medicines, remedies for poor harvests, and also medicines for His Majesty the King.”
“And the quantity?”
“I was told there was enough for about four or five months.”
Veronica bit her nails in irritation.
“That little?
She had ten whole years, and that’s all she made?
She’s lazier than I thought!”
“….”
Gilbard fell silent.
Veronica gnawed at her nails, deep in thought.
Then, as if struck by inspiration, she lifted her face and smiled slyly.
“If Lydia isn’t found within three months, we’ll spread a rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes.”
Veronica nodded.
“A rumor that Father is gravely ill.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“It’s not a lie.
Father truly is unwell.
—Though, you know how rumors grow tails and exaggerate themselves.”
And besides.
Veronica smiled thinly.
“Our kind-hearted dear sister might hear it and come running back.”
“….”
As Gilbard fell silent with a frightened expression, Veronica rose from her chair.
Pleased with what she thought was a brilliant idea, she smirked to herself.
Then she said, “Let’s go,” to Gilbard, and swept gracefully out of the room.