IWBCAS 04

Episode 4

Vrrrm. Vrrrm! Vrrrrrm!!

“Stop it already!! Seriously!!”

Reina covered her ears and glared at the golden glowing object that wouldn’t stop buzzing.

But the noise pierced right through her hands and into her ears.

“What do I do now…?”

She rubbed her face in frustration.

Her skin, which was smooth the night before, now felt rough under her hands.

She didn’t even need a mirror to know her face looked terrible.

“What is this? A clingy male lead or something?”

Because the Holy Grail had been buzzing nonstop all night, Reina hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep after stealing it and sneaking back before dawn.

It wasn’t like she didn’t try to stop it.

“I’ll return you to the palace after everything is over, okay?”

She tried persuading it.

“Please stop… If someone finds out you’re here, I’ll really die.”

She even begged.

But the Holy Grail kept buzzing like it was protesting being kidnapped.

“Arghhhh!!”

Driven crazy, Reina wrapped it tightly in her blanket, but the whole bed frame shook from the vibration. In the end, she had to unwrap it.

“You stubborn…!”

No, you evil little Grail brat…!

Now she had no choice but to place it gently on the bed and just stare at it.

“Out of the frying pan into the fire…”

She had barely dealt with Karlhail, and now this Grail was causing problems.

Still, at least one problem was solved, right?

Holding her pounding head, Reina sighed deeply.

Last night, after she hit Karlhail with the Holy Grail, the guards had come and taken him away.

There was no way she could kiss him again just to “heal” him. Next time he woke up, he definitely wouldn’t let her off easily.

‘What do I do about that man…?’

While she was thinking, she heard guards changing shifts.

It was risky, but she couldn’t miss the chance.

So Reina shouted loudly toward them:

“The Archduke is unconscious over here!!”

Then she quickly hid behind a tree.

And… everything went smoothly after that.

The guards found Karlhail, carried him away, and Reina returned home through a secret gate in the castle wall.

It was a clean escape.

‘Karlhail must’ve gotten treated by now, right?’

He’s royalty, after all. He should’ve at least gotten a doctor.

Honestly, her bigger worry was that he’d recover too well.

“If only he hit his head so hard he forgot everything that happened last night…”

But that wasn’t likely.

Thankfully, besides that kiss and quick eye contact, he had no clues to her identity.

Pink hair was rare, but green eyes? Pretty common.

She rubbed her tired eyes again.

As the Holy Grail kept buzzing, Reina muttered under her breath.

“If you keep doing this, I’m throwing you in the lake…”

There was a big lake near the estate. If she threw the Holy Grail into it, even a magical artifact like that might shut up.

Maybe the Grail heard her threat.

Suddenly—

Buzzing stopped.

Reina let out a stunned laugh.

“So threats work on you, huh?”

She should’ve done this earlier.

With relief, she carefully placed the Grail in a box.

Knock knock.

Before she could close the lid, someone called out from behind the door.

“Reina, are you in there?”

It was a graceful and elegant voice—her mother, Grace Phillon.

“Yes, come in!!”

Reina quickly kicked the box under her bed and opened the door.

“Mother! What brings you here?”

Calling her “mother” still felt awkward, so she stuttered a bit.

Grace gently touched Reina’s face.

The unfamiliar touch made Reina freeze up stiffly and move only her eyes.

After a moment, Grace spoke gently.

“Reina, you don’t look well. Did something happen last night?”

“Something…?”

Yeah, something big happened.

But she couldn’t say she snuck into the imperial palace, stole the Holy Grail, and hit the Archduke twice on the head…

So Reina just shook her head and smiled.

“Oh no, it’s nothing. I just didn’t sleep well.”

Even so, Grace smiled softly and held her hand tightly.

“Reina, the big tree in the garden has started blooming. Would you like to go for a walk?”

“A walk…?”

“Yes. Let’s go see the flowers. Your father made time to join too. He’s been worried since you’ve stayed locked up in your room lately.”

Worried… about me?

The idea that someone was worried about her made Reina’s chest feel warm and tight.

“You don’t want to go…?”

Grace looked nervous, clearly trying hard to connect with Reina.

“I…”

Reina hesitated. After sneaking into the palace last night, she just wanted to stay in bed.

But she could feel their genuine concern.

“No, I’d love to go. Let’s go, Mother.”

Reina nodded and smiled back.

It was a beautiful spring day.

Green sprouts had popped up from the earth, and flower buds had bloomed brightly.

Under a cherry blossom tree, Reina sat with her parents, enjoying the scene.

“Honey, it’s so lovely.”

“Just like you, my dear.”

Her mother and father were so sweet to each other. The table was full of delicious desserts, and the scenery was perfect.

Everything would’ve been wonderful—if not for the huge problem Reina was hiding.

A problem that could explode at any moment.

Is the Holy Grail still quiet…?

Reina glanced toward her room’s window.

Then Grace asked, “Isn’t it nice to go out as a family?”

“Yes! It’s really nice, Mother.”

“Try this. It’s a turkey sandwich I asked the chef to make. Your favorite.”

Reina gave a small bow of thanks and took a bite.

She had no appetite. The sandwich felt like chewing sand.

Grace watched her chew slowly and frowned.

“I knew it… It doesn’t taste the same, does it?”

“Huh…?”

Reina had been nodding automatically but froze.

“I told them! That precious pepper…”

Pepper…?

When Grace mentioned the ingredient Reina had used last night, she started choking.

Grace patted her back and handed her a glass of water.

After drinking, Reina asked carefully, “What do you mean?”

Grace sighed and explained.

“Last night, someone stole all the pepper. The chef had finely ground it into powder, and they took only that. How did they know it was so expensive… The kitchen was in chaos this morning!”

Reina had no idea this happened.

She was too busy fighting with the buzzing Holy Grail to notice.

“We probably won’t have pepper in the kitchen for a while now.”

Reina stared in shock.

Wait, pepper was that expensive?!

‘I threw that at Karlhail’s face without even knowing…?!’

Seeing Reina’s stunned face, Grace misunderstood.

“Oh, you’re worried too. We shouldn’t have guests over for now. I don’t want people saying the Phillon family is behind on trends.”

“N-no! That’s not it!!”

“Don’t worry, Reina. Your father will talk to a trader. When the next trade ship arrives, we’ll get some.”

“How could the kitchen be so careless…!”

Reina’s father, Count Phillon, slammed his fist down and stood up, furious.

He looked like he was about to storm the kitchen, so Reina grabbed his sleeve.

“Father! It’s fine! I’m totally okay!! I don’t need pepper at all! Ever!”

Please don’t punish the poor chef!!

She kept her real words inside and tried to smile while chewing the sandwich with puffed cheeks.

Seeing her like that, the count calmed down and sat back down.

“You’re right. It’s not the chef’s fault. The thief is to blame.”

Yes, that’s right. The thief is me. Sorry…

Feeling guilty, Reina lowered her head and kept eating.

Just then—

“Hm? Dear, were we expecting guests?”

“No… not that I know of.”

Reina lifted her head.

Guests?

She looked around and saw a group of people approaching.

A tall man stood out in front, while others tried to stop him. The butler in front looked very flustered.

“What’s going on?”

Grace sounded confused. The count also didn’t seem to know.

All three of them looked toward the approaching man.

Reina turned her head as well.

As he came closer, Reina saw his face clearly and gasped.

The sharp eyes, cold expression, and black hair that shimmered blue under the sun—

Wearing a black uniform and walking through the garden with a commanding presence…

There was only one person in the empire who looked like that.

Karlhail Rautzen.

He had arrived at the Phillon estate.