CHAPTER 63…………..
The atmosphere sank even deeper at Kyle’s words.
“I don’t want anyone to know. The things I’ve recorded, the letters I’ve exchanged—all of it. That’s why I said I wanted to learn runes.”
Kyle looked down at Everett with gentle eyes.
“Thankfully, Everett understood me, so it became possible.”
The ever-curious Harpa pointed at the paper and asked,
“Are you saying Lady Everett used this?”
“That’s right.”
“But the notes I saw looked more like scribbles than letters.”
It wasn’t that Kyle would ever lie, but it was still hard to believe.
They had heard from Marcia that Everett wasn’t an ordinary young lady, but a language no one else knew?
“Runes are one of the ancient scripts. They’ve disappeared now.”
Seeing Harpa’s puzzled face, Everett quietly added,
“Ancient script? How does Lady Everett know about that?”
She couldn’t say it was through divination.
“Everett reads a lot. She told me she taught herself while looking through old documents.”
Kyle answered on her behalf.
Alfred, who had been silently listening with arms crossed, finally spoke.
“Very well. Then all we need is for Lady Everett to teach us these… runes, correct?”
Having known Kyle for long, Alfred could tell—he had already resolved to stand with Everett.
He didn’t know how much Everett had been told, nor what was being hidden, but resisting would be useless.
Since childhood, Kyle had always wandered the borderlands, following Alfred and his knights.
No noble supported a cast-off imperial child.
That meant he had no way of accessing the power brokers’ information.
Sharp-witted Kyle realized this early and focused on building an information network.
He used the years of wandering under the emperor’s watch to his advantage.
Wherever he stayed, he planted informants. Lady Charlotte also entered high society for his sake.
It hadn’t begun with a grand goal.
It was simply the minimum way for a discarded prince to survive—so his head wouldn’t suddenly fall under the emperor’s blade one day.
That was why Everett was now the person Kyle needed most.
At Alfred’s question, Kyle smiled with satisfaction.
“Yes, all that’s needed is to learn runes from Everett. And since Alfred, the elder, has agreed, that settles it, doesn’t it?”
The smile vanished from his face in an instant.
“And I’ve learned news from the imperial palace.”
Alfred’s eyes widened in shock.
Kyle had told him to give up, but until that morning, Alfred had still been searching for a way to send someone into the palace.
“Lord Kyle, did Lord Naz tell you this?”
Lady Charlotte asked in an excited tone, and he gave a slight nod.
“I knew Lord Naz would know. That day, I worried because you were too reckless, but it seems things went well after all.”
“What’s the emperor’s situation?”
Alfred quickly cut in, not wanting Charlotte to go on.
Kyle repeated exactly what Everett had told him:
The emperor had stopped purchasing tea, now only drank tea given by some unknown person, and had been poisoned by something of mysterious origin.
“Astonishing. I thought it was just the emperor’s jealousy of you, Lord Kyle, making him act capriciously. Poisoned tea—I never would have imagined.”
Harpa, who had been quietly listening, tilted his head.
“Wouldn’t the emperor’s poisoning be a huge matter? Even if they tried to hush it up, wouldn’t rumors spread? Why hasn’t anyone heard?”
“It means whoever poisoned him also has the power to suppress rumors.”
Kyle replied.
“Then it must be a noble close to the emperor.”
“The one who poisoned him thinks the time isn’t right yet, so they’re concealing it.”
“Not the right time?”
“When it becomes known the emperor’s mind is no longer sound, who do you think people will suspect first?”
A silence fell.
No one needed to say it. It was obvious whose name the blame would fall on.
Kyle spoke coldly.
“They’ll think it’s me.”
Everyone exhaled a faint sigh.
“Then… when will the truth be revealed?”
“Likely when the culprit feels powerful enough. Right now, if they announce it, no one would believe a powerless man like me could have done it.”
It was both a prediction and a bitter reality.
Heavy silence settled in the parlor.
Trying to change the mood, Lady Charlotte spoke in a brighter voice.
“Well then, we’ve heard about the emperor and decided to learn runes… I suppose today’s meeting ends here?”
She turned a warm gaze toward Everett.
“This was your first time meeting us, Lady Everett. You must have come expecting just a dinner, yet you heard such serious talk. Lord Kyle was too much.”
Kyle winked slightly at Everett.
Since Charlotte didn’t know Everett was Naz, her reaction was only natural.
“Let’s end here for today.”
Kyle rose, saying he would escort Everett home.
“Oh no, Lord Kyle. I’ll take her. I must return as well.”
Lady Charlotte glanced at him, then continued,
“We women still have things to discuss—like a social debut, for instance.”
Unlike at dinner, Kyle didn’t object.
He simply smiled and offered his arm to Everett.
“Since the ladies have matters to discuss, I suppose I must yield today.”
Then he leisurely walked Everett out of the study.
Once inside Lady Charlotte’s carriage, Everett bowed her head slightly to Kyle.
“Lord Kyle, thank you for inviting me tonight.”
Meeting her gaze, Kyle’s green eyes held a soft smile.
“Thank you for coming, Everett.”
He spoke low, almost in a whisper meant only for her.
‘Oh my, our Lord Kyle speaking in such a sweet voice.’
A pleased smile spread across Lady Charlotte’s lips as she watched them.
“What if Kyle is still there?”
At the entrance to the alley leading to the Kuna tavern,
Yankeller, draped in a dark brown coat, loitered nervously.
He had left the temple again to meet Everett, but the memory of their closeness before held him back.
‘No wonder Kyle… when I’m like this…’
Yankeller shook his head violently, as if to erase the image.
His chest felt tight.
Ashamed of his own hesitation, he sighed so deeply it seemed the ground might sink.
In the end, his steps carried him not to the tavern, but to Pan’s magic shop.
“Welcome, Lord Yankeller. It’s been so long. You must have been busy?”
“Yes, this season is always the same.”
“I thought you’d be coming around this time.”
Pan brought out magical tools he had purposely saved for Yankeller.
While Pan eagerly explained them, Yankeller’s mind was consumed with thoughts of Everett.
‘If I suddenly show up and say you can speak, and that I know you’re the diviner Naz, you’ll be shocked, won’t you? Should I send a letter through Pan first?’
Normally, these magical tools would have captured his attention immediately.
But now they seemed like trivial junk.
Seeing his disinterested look, Pan asked,
“Nothing catches your eye? I can bring more.”
As Yankeller absentmindedly scanned the display—
Ding-
The shop door opened.
“Hello, Mr. Pan.”
“Welcome, Lady Everett.”
‘Everett?’
She stood with her back to him, so Everett didn’t notice Yankeller.
“You came alone today?”
“Yes, Daisy was too busy at the tavern.”
“Haha, of course—the empire’s top tavern is always bustling.”
Everett’s light laughter seemed to rest gently on Yankeller’s shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, he finally turned to look at her.
The one he had longed to meet.
The one he had lacked the courage to face, who had driven him into Pan’s shop instead.
To meet Everett here—
‘Could it be… fate?’
Sensing another presence, Everett lifted her head.
There stood Yankeller in the corner of the shop, face calm.
‘Yan! Since when has he been standing there? Don’t tell me… he heard everything I said with Pan?’
Her eyes flickered nervously.
It hadn’t been her fault that she pretended she couldn’t speak.
Strictly speaking, it had all begun with Yankeller’s misunderstanding.
Even so, facing him now made her hair stand on end.
‘What should I do? Should I greet him first?’
But before she could decide, Yankeller averted his gaze.
‘Is he… pretending not to know me?’
At that moment, Pan set something down and asked,
“Lady Everett, will this do?”
“Ah, yes. I’ll take it. Here’s the money…”
Clutching the item, Everett hurried out of the shop.
She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when she heard the bell ring again.
‘That must be Yan coming out.’
She didn’t dare turn her head to confirm.
“…Everett.”
Yankeller softly called her name.
He drew closer, stopping behind her.
