Chapter 19.
Rain, Tears, and Desert (4)
“Lady Ileyna.”
A gentle voice—It was Andre.
“Mm. Come in.”
Another walk, probably. He insisted on taking her out for a walk at least once a day, even if it meant dragging her up from bed.
As usual, Andre came in with a sly smile on his face.
‘Guess it’s not a walk this time.’
Ileyna thought as she looked at the armful of clothes he was carrying.
Reading her expression, Andre explained,
“Lady Ileyna! You’ve been invited to a tea party today!”
“A tea party?”
Ileyna blinked in surprise.
She didn’t know anyone in this palace—so who?
“Yes! It’s at the Crystal Annex. Let me see… The host is… Madam Triss.”
Andre checked the invitation letter in his hand.
Getting up from bed, Ileyna asked,
“I’ve never heard of her. Do you know her?”
“Of course! She’s the wife of Elder Triss—one of the Twelve Elders.”
Andre smoothly sat her down at the vanity and began helping her get ready.
“She’s also a maternal relative of Lord Uther—the one you met the other day. I think His Majesty arranged it so you wouldn’t feel too lonely.”
‘The Dark King arranged this for me?’
Normally, she would’ve scoffed at such nonsense. But now… it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
And a relative of that bespectacled minister too.
“Has Madam Triss known His Majesty since he was very young?”
“Well, most likely, yes? Ah, since you’re leaving the annex today, I’ll put your lip tint in this clutch.”
Andre was, as always, thoughtful and meticulous.
Watching him place the lip tint into a clutch barely the size of a palm, Ileyna smiled.
At first, the idea of having tea with strangers sounded bothersome.
‘Actually, this might be a good thing.’
She’d use this tea party to dig up some stories about the Dark King’s childhood.
The Crystal Annex was far enough that they had to take a carriage.
Inside the rattling carriage, Ileyna looked out the window and clicked her tongue.
‘So all of this is royal palace grounds? As absurdly oversized as its master.’
Even the palace in the North wasn’t this massive.
The royal palace of Rihue had endless splendid annexes, lush gardens scattered between them, a massive opera theater, and even a deer hunting ground.
“Rihue is an ancient kingdom that once ruled the entire island. It’s not really fair to compare it to the North. Hoho.”
The palace’s social butterfly, Andre, spoke proudly as Ileyna stared wide-eyed.
They rode for a while longer.
Finally, they arrived at their destination.
After stepping down from the carriage, Andre led Ileyna to the Crystal Annex’s drawing room.
As if expecting her, the doors were wide open.
As they approached the room, Andre tilted his head and whispered,
“Hmm? Something feels off.”
His voice was quiet enough that only Ileyna could hear.
“What is?”
She asked, and Andre murmured with a puzzled look,
“I don’t recognize anyone among the guests.”
“Really?”
Ileyna glanced inside.
There were about a dozen or so women, all dressed in extravagant clothes and adorned with jewelry—clearly royals or nobles.
“Then I guess Madam Triss hasn’t arrived yet. And the others… well, even you can’t know everyone in the palace, right?”
Given the absurd size of this place, it wasn’t surprising that many people stayed here.
“Well, that’s true…”
Andre kept tilting his head, still unconvinced.
“Welcome, Priestess!”
“Thank you for coming!”
Before Andre could say anything more, they reached the drawing room.
The women inside greeted them.
Andre, sensing the atmosphere, quickly stepped back behind Ileyna.
“Hello, I came at the invitation of Madam Triss.”
Ileyna bowed gracefully.
But no one returned the greeting.
Instead, the women continued their chatter without acknowledging her.
“Madam Triss will be a little late!”
“Yes! So let’s begin the tea on our own!”
‘The host is late?’
Just as Andre had said, something was off.
“…Alright.”
Still, Ileyna smiled softly, keeping her doubts hidden.
They were all women, and from what she had experienced so far, no one here seemed to mean her real harm.
‘Let’s just see where this goes.’
“Oh my, you’re even more beautiful when you smile!”
“Right? And your hair color is so unique! Oh dear, look at me—please, have a seat, Priestess!”
With oddly fussy energy, the women guided her to a table, introducing themselves as Madam Triss’s maids.
“I see… You’re the Madam’s maids,” Ileyna said, her eyes cool and hard to read.
Sensing the subtle tension in her tone, they hurried to add,
“Yes, of course. We serve the Madam.”
They poured tea into her empty cup.
‘Hmm. But their handling of the teaware…?’
According to Andre, Madam Triss was a high-ranking noble.
Her maids should’ve had impeccable training in etiquette—yet these women handled the elegant tea set clumsily.
The Western-style manners here weren’t much different from those she had learned in her previous life, so Ileyna noticed the discrepancy immediately.
“Hm…”
She calmly observed them.
‘But look at their hands… not a single callus. These are hands that have never done hard labor. How odd.’
Definitely not the hands of farmworkers or servants.
Such hands were rare unless one was nobility.
As she sipped her tea thoughtfully, a woman seated across from her suddenly addressed Andre, who was standing to the side.
“Hey, you. What’s your name?”
Her tone was incredibly rude.
Andre blinked in confusion.
“Oh, I’m Andre. I serve Lady Ileyna personally.”
“I see. You know, I left my handkerchief in the carriage.”
“…Sorry?”
Andre looked baffled.
Ordering someone else’s personal servant was highly disrespectful.
Yet the woman brazenly insisted,
“Could you fetch it for me? It’s pink.”
Her tone was shameless.
“Uh… well…”
Andre glanced at Ileyna, clearly unsure. He looked mildly upset and worried about leaving her alone.
‘Hmm… let’s see where this goes. What’s the worst that could happen?’
Besides, she still had her secret weapon: “KABOOM—Lightning Bolt.”
“I’m sorry, Andre, could you bring the Madam her handkerchief?”
Once she gave permission, Andre gave a small bow and stepped out of the room.
“Hoho, thank you, Priestess. My, it’s so hot in here—I keep sweating.”
The woman awkwardly wiped her perfectly smooth face as if acting out a scene.
‘It’s not hot at all in here, though.’
Ileyna’s suspicions deepened.
Knock knock—
Someone knocked at the door.
The “maids” answered instantly without even asking who it was.
“Yes, come in!”
The door burst open.
Two armed guards entered.
And behind them stood the bespectacled Lord Uther.
“Oh my, Lord Uther! We’re in the middle of a tea party. What brings you here?”
One of the women asked sweetly.
He pushed up his monocle and answered stiffly,
“There’s been a search order.”
“A search?”
The women responded in theatrical surprise.
The guards scanned the room with stern expressions.
“One of the royal family’s treasured sapphire necklaces has gone missing. We’re conducting an investigation.”
“Please cooperate.”
“Oh my goodness! A thief?”
“How frightening! What in the world is going on!”
The women erupted in dramatic panic.
One even grabbed Ileyna’s arm and shook it.
“Kyaa! A thief! Isn’t that scary?”
Ileyna, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke.
“…This makes no sense.”
Suddenly, the room fell silent as if splashed with cold water.
“Pardon, Priestess? What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?”
A guard asked hesitantly.
Ileyna smiled and replied,
“How exactly is the missing necklace related to this annex?”
“Uh, well…”
She caught the quick glance the guard shot at Uther.
She understood immediately.
‘So this is their new scheme to rattle me, huh?’
With a calm tone, she continued,
“I asked why this annex, of all places in this vast palace, is being searched—with armed guards, no less.”
“Uh… Th-there was testimony.”
“Testimony? From whom?”
“We can’t say. We promised to protect the witness’s identity.”
“Fair enough.”
As she nodded, the guard visibly relaxed.
“Then we’ll begin the search—”
“But wait.”
“Yes?”
“How did you know I was a priestess?”
“…Ah.”
Uther, behind the guard, bit his lip.
“No one said I was a priestess. Yet the moment you walked in, you addressed me as such. How did you know?”
Her eyes sharpened as she pressed further.
“As if someone had told you in advance—‘look for the girl with sky-blue hair.’”
