Chapter 38

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 38

Chapter Title: Who Is It?

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Who is it?

That question didn't linger for long.

"It's Liam."

I'd been planning to ask him about the Polreta leather anyway, so my face lit up as I sat up in bed.

"Oh, Liam! I actually had something to ask y—"

But the atmosphere felt off.

He hadn't fully entered the room, just stood half in the doorway, rubbing his brow like he was exhausted.

Hm, he looks like he's got a lot on his mind. Why?

'He's the type to just blurt out whatever he has to say, so what's going on?'

"Liam?"

Our eyes met, and he gave me a troubled look.

No immediate reply came, but my gut was already screaming. There was definitely something up.

"Could you clear the room for a bit? Especially the 'guard knight'—make sure he leaves."

"Ah, sure..."

It was a rare request, so I sent both Bonita and Ian out of the room.

Once the place quieted down, Liam finally got to the point.

"An invitation has arrived from the imperial palace."

"Ah, for His Grace the Duke?"

That made sense.

I nodded inwardly.

Someone like the Duke of Brail would naturally have occasions to visit the palace.

But why was he telling me about it?

I desperately tried to ignore the bad feeling creeping in and pressed him, only for his follow-up to catch me completely off guard.

"No. The invitation is for the comic participants."

"Ah... really?"

My voice wavered unsteadily at the end.

No way was I included in those 'comic participants,' right?

I kept wanting to deny reality, but Liam's silence forced me to ask again.

"No way... me too?"

When you're too flustered, you end up repeating yourself, I guess.

There was no reason for me to refuse an invitation from the palace in the first place, which was why I was acting this way.

"Yes, that's correct."

"D-Do I have to go? Me specifically?"

"Yes. His Grace can explain the details..."

Liam glanced at the clock on the wall.

"He's a bit late."

What? Had the Duke promised to come to my room?

As I tilted my head in confusion, the door burst open, and the Duke stormed in, panting heavily—as if he'd made some prior arrangement.

"I'll... huff... handle the explanation."

"Then I'll leave the rest to Your Grace and take my leave."

"Huh?"

What was this baton-pass situation?

Leaving me flustered and the Duke looking like he'd run a marathon, Liam smoothly bowed and exited the room.

"Um..."

Now alone with the Duke in this awkward atmosphere, my unnecessary tension made it feel like the sandwich I'd eaten earlier might come back up.

"S-So, what kind of explanation were you planning to give...?"

Was he in a bad mood? Or had some problem cropped up that I didn't know about?

Just a few days ago, I'd thought we'd escaped that unreasonable kidnapper-hostage dynamic... but it didn't seem like we had.

A little while later, once he'd caught his breath, the man who'd been silent finally spoke.

"Princess, you have to go too."

"D-Do I have to?"

To the imperial palace?

My first thought was this:

'I don't wanna...!?'

Living in the Brail Duchy, where they protected me, was actually a boon.

But if the stage shifted to the capital of the Kletan Empire, things changed.

Kaian Brail.

This man was the son of the emperor, now a vegetable, and though he'd inherited the ducal title and stepped back from the throne race, he still carried the 'imperial bloodline.'

Just showing up would draw eyes, and all of high society's attention would pour onto the woman at his side.

'Even if just my appearance spreads as a rumor, it'll spell trouble.'

I couldn't help but think that.

As I writhed in agony, the Duke had silently closed the distance by one more step.

Before I could react to the suddenly narrowed gap, a low voice reached me.

"You're the one actually responsible for creating this comic."

"But I..."

I just want to stay home.

I'm a total homebody...

But as if my thoughts meant nothing, the Duke's heavy expression didn't lighten.

"Insulting the imperial family is a capital crime, punishable by execution. If you don't answer properly, the innocent artists might get framed for deceiving us."

His words made my face harden too.

He was right—I knew the comic's lore better than anyone.

And I couldn't just stand by while innocent artists got dragged down for giving wrong answers.

So.

'As long as I don't get found out, it should be fine, right?'

If I couldn't resist, I'd have to accept.

I'd managed to live invisibly in the Salt Palace before, so a quick in-and-out might not be a big deal.

After agonizing over it, I turned to the Duke, who was staring intently at me.

"If I'm going as Your Grace's distant relative..."

Then, with great reluctance, I forced out the words.

"Yes, I suppose I have to."

"Then I'll take that as agreement."

With that, the Duke nodded simply and turned to leave.

But then.

Out of nowhere.

Something welled up from deep in my chest, like a surge of frustration.

Heading to the Kletan palace without even a say in it.

Sudden injustice washed over me.

And naturally, that led to the thought that this was all because I was in debt to the Duke.

'Is it finally time to execute that plan...?'

The blackout curtain business expansion had recently drained a chunk of cash, but I still had plenty of funds.

A big mansion in the duchy center might be pushing it, but a small one? Manageable.

With my thoughts reaching that point, I impulsively called out to the Duke as he headed for the door.

"U-Um, Your Grace, there's something I need to tell you..."

"What is it?"

His question made me shrink back instinctively, but I straightened up and pushed on.

"Don't you think it's about time I started thinking about independence...?"

"...Princess. Did you just say 'independence'?"

But his immediate reply was icy cold.

'What? Why does he look pissed?'

His face and tone hadn't changed... but I had a knack for picking up negative vibes.

Still, I couldn't understand. Keeping me around and feeding me had to be more hassle than letting me go.

Was he upset at the idea of losing his obedient slave?

As that question popped into my head and I tilted it, I decided to make my stance crystal clear.

Sure, circumstances had forced me to freeload so far, but I'm originally an independent homebody!

"Yes, my status is ambiguous anyway, so sticking around longer feels awkward..."

It was the truth.

I'd started as a kidnapping victim, but once they realized the mix-up, my position got weird.

For evidence disposal, offing me would've been clean. But my voluntary slave declaration scrapped that, and now...

'I'm not exactly a hostage or slave—more like a lady being treated as such.'

But knowing it shouldn't be this way made it feel off.

Like I was playing house owner in someone else's home.

Plus, I didn't want to work, yet I kept stumbling into stuff here. Staying longer meant endless annoyances.

'No way, nope.'

It'd only pull me further from my peaceful shut-in life...

"Anyway, I've imposed enough already. Staying longer would just be a burden."

"And?"

"Um, after the palace trip, I'll move out right away. It'll be within the duchy, so it won't take long."

I bowed deeply, driving the nail in.

He'd called me a 'guest' himself, so he had no grounds to stop me wherever I went.

After a brief silence, his voice came.

"I see. If the princess insists, I have nothing to say."

Nice!

His tone sounded regretful, like he'd let me go without a fight, so I beamed and looked up.

But.

"...Huh?"

In that moment, I saw it.

A bright smile spread across the Duke's handsome face.

At the same time, chills raced from my head to my toes.

'Something's wrong.'

Through repeated bitter lessons, I'd learned that his bright smiles spelled disaster for me.

Step by step.

The Duke approached leisurely, then leaned down to look at me as he spoke.

"But before you leave, Princess... shall we settle our overdue accounts?"