TRETTHD 05

#5. Three-Way Confrontation

Khalid quickly lost interest in the pile of letters before him.
But Asid quietly handed him one letter and spoke.

“There’s one without a sender listed. Should I check this one too?”

Khalid simply shifted his gaze toward the letter without moving his head.

Hmm.

Normally, he would’ve ignored something like this altogether. But just imagining Raoul returning to the Empire empty-handed for once left him oddly pleased.
It was pure whim. He reached out and picked up the letter that bore no markings.

Most of the correspondence sent to him consisted of invitations from insignificant noble houses—those who lacked the means to approach the First Prince Raoul and instead reached out to Khalid. Showing even feigned interest in Khalid was enough for Raoul’s camp to try and win them over.

…Pathetic fools.

This letter was surely more of the same.

Leaving off the sender’s name was likely just a cheap trick to attract attention.
Still, feeling unusually generous today, Khalid tore open a corner of the envelope.

“Hmm?”

His eyes scanned through the contents casually—then his expression stiffened slightly.

“Is something wrong?”

Asid asked curiously as Khalid handed him the letter.

If Khalid was showing it to him, it probably wasn’t anything too serious.
Asid silently took the letter and read it.

“…Your Highness. Could this have come from the First Prince’s faction?”

“Who knows.”

The letter stated there were no gold mines in this region—and even asked if he wanted to know the true location.
The timing was almost too perfect.

…Heh.

They had only just confirmed today that there was indeed no gold mine in this area.
And yet, the sender already knew that fact.
If the First Prince’s side had known, they wouldn’t still be conducting investigations.

Khalid grinned in amusement.

“Find out who sent this.”

The letter had been addressed to the Second Prince’s palace, and considering the time it took to be delivered here, it must have been written at least a week ago.
Meaning, the sender figured out the mine’s status long before they had.

“Rescind the withdrawal order.”

It looked like they’d be staying in the Kingdom of Ronica until they identified the sender.
There were no urgent matters at the moment, so it wouldn’t be an issue.
Since they were staying, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to pay a visit to the capital and see that slippery older brother’s face.

Khalid had never liked Raoul, who wore a mask of benevolence and warmth.
It was laughable how Raoul spread foul rumors behind his back while pretending to be the kind, supportive older brother.
Even more ridiculous was the way he tried to hide his inferiority complex.

Come to think of it, I heard he’s been following the princess around lately…

That man had everything and yet was chasing someone?
Khalid was curious—what was he scheming this time?
And how would he act when they ran into each other in front of the princess?

His lips curled in amusement.

“Look into it as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Asid bowed and hurried off to relay the order to the knights.

Khalid swept back his loose hair and turned his gaze once more to the investigation team.

Knows the true location of the gold mine…

He chuckled.

*** * ***

It had already been two weeks since she sent the letter.
It was starting to feel like it never reached the Second Prince at all.

Belia slammed her hand on the desk and stood up.

I can’t wait any longer. I need to try something else.

Raoul still tried to win her over, relentlessly.
Promising honor and wealth if she chose him.

It was laughable—how desperately he clung to her with illusions she had already lived through and discarded. But she couldn’t just leave him be.

After all, he was the First Prince of the Empire, beloved by the Emperor.
As time passed, everything would go his way.

…First, I have to reject his proposal.

But how?

No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t come up with a solid plan.

If only my brother would speak up to Father about this…

Harold still seemed hesitant, likely thinking about the diplomatic ties with the Empire.

As Belia paced around the room in small steps, she suddenly stopped.

She realized there was one more person in the kingdom who could help her.

Derrick, of the information guild Runes.

He was someone she absolutely needed to ally with if she wanted to oppose Raoul.
And in her past life, he had been one of the few who stood by her to the very end.

What was the fake identity he used back then…?

Belia’s expression brightened as she recalled faint memories of a conversation they had at the palace long ago.

There were several possibilities—but it was a manageable number.
If she could borrow Derrick’s strength, she might find a clever way to reject Raoul’s proposal.

She quickly changed into clothes that wouldn’t attract attention and called her knight escort.

“Sir Ben.”

“Yes, Princess?”

“We’re going out.”

Though the sudden outing was unexpected, Ben quietly followed behind her.
To him, Belia had seemed like a completely different person these days.

She used to spend her days quietly reading in the library or garden.
But lately, she’d been doing things that made no sense on the surface.

Still, knowing the princess he had served for so long, Ben believed she would handle everything wisely.

He erased his worries and sharpened his senses to fulfill his duty as a knight.

The carriage left the castle and headed into the city.

At the central square, Belia stepped down and pulled her hood over her head. It was stifling, but she couldn’t risk someone recognizing her.

“We’ll go to the restaurant first, then the café.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Then to the bookstore.”

If none of those were the right place, then it had to be the tavern.
They needed to check quickly and move.

“Let’s go.”

Belia walked briskly to the nearest restaurant and stepped inside.
The bell above the door chimed, and a server promptly approached.

“I’m here to look for diamonds on the third floor.”

“Ah, I’m sorry, but… this is a restaurant. The jeweler is across the street, miss.”

“Oh dear. My mistake.”

Belia covered her mouth in surprise and laughed awkwardly before leaving with Ben.

So, not the restaurant.
She knew this wasn’t a great plan—but it was the fastest and most reliable.

All she could do now was check every shop Derrick had once mentioned.

After confirming the café wasn’t the place either, she headed to the bookstore.
But that, too, wasn’t the secret base of the information guild Runes.

With a sigh, she thanked the shop owner and turned to leave—

Thud.

She collided hard with someone entering the bookstore, and her hood slipped off.

Her silver hair, like threads of gleaming metal, cascaded down her shoulders.

She quickly pulled her hood back on, but the man had already seen her distinctive hair color.

“Ah…?”

Belia lowered her head quickly.
Ben stepped in front of her protectively.

The man was clearly a noble from his appearance.

Though she hadn’t seen him before, he could be one of the Empire’s nobles here to meet Raoul.
Ben politely apologized just in case.

“My lady seems to have made a mistake. Apologies.”

“…Lady?”

Despite Ben’s politeness, the man smiled with clear amusement and didn’t move aside.

“We’re finished here. Would you mind letting us pass?”

“I do mind.”

The man swept back his dark hair and grinned.

His brilliant blue eyes gleamed with interest—still fixed on Belia.

“If you’re calling her ‘lady,’ then she must be from some noble family, huh?”

From the playful tone in his voice, Belia knew immediately.

He had figured out who she was.

With no other option, Belia signaled Ben to step aside and spoke up.

“We’re blocking the entrance. Perhaps we could continue this outside.”

The man seemed to agree, stepping aside at last.

Once outside, she got a good look at him.
Tall and broad-shouldered, with intense black hair and piercing eyes that made the air around him feel cold and dangerous.

He didn’t look like a knight, nor like a common thug.
Though his shirt was casually open, a subtle chill in his demeanor made him difficult to approach.

“Well then, now that we’re outside, shall we have a proper talk?”

“If you’re here to cause trouble, then stop.”

Belia sighed.

“Trouble? Now that’s a bit harsh. I think you owe me an explanation.”

The man stroked his chin and muttered cryptically.

Belia looked up at him, puzzled—then—

“What are you doing here?”

Someone suddenly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him.
He inserted himself between Belia and the man, as if it were only natural.