Chapter 120
“Izana, why did you take his burning hand without even hesitating?”
The red sun had set, and the banquet was still going strong.
The Emperor had signaled the orchestra to play again — a silent way of giving permission for the engagement.
Feeling a bit mischievous, the Emperor began to tease Winter and the Northern Empire envoys. Thanks to that, I even got to watch one red-faced Northern envoy stumble through a cancan dance.
As the night went on and the air grew heavy with alcohol, I, still a child, left early with Shuran and returned to the side palace.
There, dressed in banquet clothes, Joseph was waiting for me.
The moment he saw me, he asked,
“Why did you take that burning hand without hesitating? It didn’t look like you knew it would be safe.”
“…I just trusted him.”
“You mean because you like [Igrio] a lot?”
Joseph tilted his head in confusion. We started walking together through the messy, dug-up garden.
“No, not like that. I trust the Duke. I believe he would never hurt me.”
Joseph narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded.
“Well… I guess even [Igrio] wouldn’t kill someone in front of so many people.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Hm?”
“I mean I believe the Duke wouldn’t hurt me in any situation.”
It was ironic — the only person who had ever killed me, not once but several times, was now the person I trusted the most.
Then Joseph thought for a moment and asked,
“So, if I held out my hand the same way, you’d take it too?”
“…Mm, probably…”
I mumbled and then escaped back to my room.
That night, I fell asleep, but Noe Rustine did not appear in my dreams.
***
The next morning, I stretched and sighed. Lucid dreams never felt restful, no matter how long I slept.
[How can you sleep, you thieves!]
Raglia, my bracelet’s spirit, started screaming as soon as I woke up.
“Izana, you’re awake?”
“Ah, yes.”
Then Winter walked into my room as naturally as if it were his own.
The last time I’d seen him last night, he had been discreetly pouring the Emperor’s drink into Palemon’s glass. Now he was back in the comfortable clothes of “Baron Illin.”
Something about his gaze seemed a little more tense than usual.
We stared at each other silently for a moment.
[Are you ignoring me, master?!]
The room was quiet, and I didn’t find the silence uncomfortable. In fact, I felt happy to share it with him.
[You thieves! I knew white-scaled ones were bad luck!]
I could almost feel the warm flame from yesterday in my hand again. It had been so nice — it made me feel safe, like nothing in the world could hurt me.
After a short pause, I lifted my hand, palm up, and smiled.
“Congratulations on your engagement.”
At that, Winter’s expression softened. He came closer, gently touched my palm with his, and said,
“Congratulations to you as well, Izana.”
[Unforgivable! You stole from Lord Raglia and ignored me! You’ll regret this!]
I slipped the bracelet off, shoved it under my blanket, and sat on it.
“Anyway, I have a lot to say, but first… can I ask about that mirror?”
I pointed at the mirror he had given me, sitting on the bedside table. It was the clearest, most perfect mirror I’d ever seen — almost like it could pull you in.
“In Raglia’s secret lair, there are many treasures, including magical ones,” Winter explained, picking it up. “This mirror shows what the person looking into it most wants to hide. I thought it might be useful if we meet Hozen Rustine.”
What? A mirror that shows what you want to hide?
I immediately covered my face with both hands.
“That’s cheating, Duke! Seriously?!”
“It doesn’t show anything just by looking,” he reassured me.
“…Really?”
“It only works if one person is reflected in it, and they must not speak while looking at it.”
Trusting him, I slowly lifted the mirror and looked into it.
And then—
Oh no…
The reflection looked just like me now, except I was holding a thick stack of papers — a book titled The Chronicles of Livia: Wings of the White Dragon.
The moment I saw the title, I hugged the mirror to my chest like I was hiding a dangerous secret.
It really worked?!
“As you said, if something happened during Noe Rustine’s year of sleep that’s connected to the missing relic, Hozen Rustine might know. But since he didn’t react much when Noe ran away, that means if he does know something, he’s hiding it.”
Winter smiled faintly at my undoubtedly pale face.
I scowled at him.
“That’s not the look I expect from a fiancée. I even have another gift for you.”
He pulled a letter from his pocket and waved it.
“A reply from the Duchess of Tradi. She says you’re welcome to stay for as long as you want.”
With that, we were ready to go search for Noe Rustine’s relic.
I held the letter tightly and hugged the mirror closer.
***
“I still don’t see why you have to stay at the Tradi estate,” the Emperor said, sounding like a mid-boss blocking my quest.
“Their townhouse is in the capital, barely an hour away by carriage. Why sleep there?”
“I want the Duchess to properly teach me etiquette. It’s better to immerse myself for a few days to learn it well.”
“You don’t really need etiquette lessons.”
I nodded slowly.
“True, my charm is my bold, carefree style — wrapped in the kind of face and age that no one can scold.”
“In the Northern Empire, you’d be better off ignoring etiquette and doing whatever you want.”
He laughed.
“And if you get kicked out, I’ll take you back in.”
But he added with a sigh,
“Still, if it fixes your eating habits, it might be worth it.”
He pointed to my plate, where only vegetables were left.
“I might send you to the north eventually, but not until you’re healthier. Eat like this, and you’ll never see it — even in ten years.”
Grimacing, I stuffed the vegetables into my mouth.
Then a servant entered, whispered in his ear, and he nodded.
“You may go out, but you must take Duke Winter Orsches with you and use the palace’s back gate for now. Don’t go near the front walls.”
His eyes flashed coldly.
I felt a chill on my neck.
“…Has something happened?”
He hesitated, then said,
“Since the [Materia] prophecy was given, we’ve been relocating the villagers from the coastal town. During the confusion, some filthy rats slipped in.”
“Rats” — I knew he meant kidnappers.
“They target children. So never leave Winter’s side when outside the palace.”
I knew exactly which “child” they were after.
“We’ve caught some of them. They’ll be executed today and their bodies hung on the wall. That’s why you’ll be using the back gate for now.”
Those rats were surely after [Ampelos].