“Poison. My brother and my father’s confidant are trying to kill me.”
Kiabel’s gaze, staring into the air, was cold.
“Why tell me this? Are you seeking a reward?”
Her dignified tone carried a heavy sense of suspicion.
“I hope that the princess lives.”
“Why?”
Why indeed.
Does one need a grand reason for wishing for someone to live?
Leni couldn’t answer immediately.
Kiabel rose from her chair and walked to the window.
Beneath the warm sunlight, a large tree stood in the window.
She approached Leni and extended her hand.
Leni looked at the leaf held between Kiawel’s slender fingers.
The oval-shaped, flat leaf looked ordinary, but she couldn’t identify its species.
“Blow on it.”
“What?”
“Send your breath to the leaf.”
Why would she want me to do that?
Without understanding, Leni lowered her head.
She puckered her lips and blew a long breath over the leaf, and in an instant, the fresh leaf dried up and withered, turning into black powder.
“Ah!”
“This leaf was taken from the tree of lies. When the breath of truth touches it, it dies. I brought it into the room because I couldn’t tell the difference between truth and lies. You are speaking the truth.”
Kiabel turned her body and walked back toward the window.
She swished her elegant dress as she walked, then turned back to Leni and gestured for her to come closer.
Leni followed Kiabel to the window.
In the distance, a gentle hill could be seen.
At the base of the hill, a white tower made of stone mixed with lime stood out.
Although it was called a tower, it was large enough to be considered a small fortress.
The structure, complete with conical spires on either side, was a fortress with watchtowers and arrow slits.
“It’s the Tower of Time.”
Kiabel explained.
“Yes.”
“The Emperor built it to commemorate his conquest of Kiyabeck.”
That’s why. The Tower of Time seemed like an ice stake driven into the heart of Kiyabeck.
“I took a branch from that tree.”
At Kiabel’s words, Leni shifted her gaze downward. In the front yard of the Tower of Time, there stood a massive tree, its branches spreading wide in all directions.
Red, white, green, and yellow.
The leaves seemed to contain every color of the world, so brilliantly vibrant that they appeared more like a painting than a living thing.
“It’s the Tree of Lies. The more pretense and deceit fill the palace, the more beautiful this tree becomes. Even from afar, it is dazzling. Don’t the leaves sparkle more than gold?”
It was truly so.
“When you stand beneath that tree, the wind smells more fragrant than any perfume. It carries the sugary deceit that fills the palace.”
How sad and chilling.
Leni’s heart ached.
To call this place home—being a princess is no easy task.
“The Tree of Lies grew more enchanting during the war. Now, in this palace, truth and honesty are like the withered leaves on the ground.”
Kiabel muttered with a sigh and slightly turned her body to the side.
“Beyond the Tree of Lies, there is a large pond. On the other side of the pond, there is the Tarsewin Temple.”
Lenny stretched her neck, but she couldn’t see the pond or the temple from here.
“Solenia.”
“Yes.”
“If you find yourself in trouble because of helping me, go to the Tarsewin Temple.”
Kiabel, facing Lenny, spoke with a solemn expression.
“Yes.”
Lenny engraved the name of the temple in her mind.
“Tarsewin is home to priests and priestesses who govern the spirits. They are people whom even the Emperor cannot treat lightly.”
Is handling spirits really such a big deal?
“Even when blood rains down in the palace, the people of the temple maintain their beliefs. They will offer you sanctuary.”
“Yes.”
Lenny answered quietly, though she silently wished she would never need to seek out the temple.
Kiabel smiled with moist eyes.
Her lips trembled as if holding back tears, and the sight was sorrowful.
“Live with truth in your heart, as you do now.”
“I wish to live that way.”
Leni forced a smile, hoping to offer Kiabel even a small bit of comfort.
Kiabel took a pin from her hair and extended it to Lenny.
“I want to give you a gift.”
The steel pin had a sharp end where it was inserted into the hair, and on the opposite side was a fully bloomed rose bud decoration.
It was rather clunky for a noble princess’s accessory.
Had she kept it as a protective talisman during the war?
“The sage who gave this to me said that beauty is hidden within the steel. Keep it, and you will see what that beauty is.”
“Are you giving this to me, Princess?”
“Yes. It is a token of my gratitude.”
Lenny hesitated about whether to accept it. Kiabel took Lenny’s hand, turned it, and placed the pin into her palm.
“Keep yourself safe until we meet again, Solenia.”
“Thank you, Princess.”
As Lenny left Kiabel’s chambers, her heart was heavy.
Even if she skipped the banquet, the princess would be in danger.
The prince looked cold.
He seemed like someone who would do anything to claim the throne.
Could Princess Kiabel survive in this palace?
With a heavy heart, Leni reached the hallway and asked the guard.
“Excuse me… where can I meet Lord Rehat?”
Since I’ve conveyed confidential information to the princess, I should go find my father.
The guard’s eyes showed suspicion. Leni sighed and opened the leather pouch at her waist, pulling out the travel pass.
“You saw it earlier, didn’t you? This is a travel pass personally granted by His Majesty.”
I’m not asking for guidance.
If you just tell me the direction, I’ll find my way by asking.
The guard hesitated when the sound of footsteps approached.
An elderly woman, holding a silver tray with both hands, walked toward them.
A red apple was placed on the tray.
Leni recognized the woman’s face, and a chill ran down her spine.
The woman, with a cold and haughty expression, was the nanny who had reported Kiawel’s pregnancy to the prince.
The perfectly ripe apple looked both tempting and ominous.
Has the poison been prepared already?
There must be many eyes at the banquet, so perhaps they plan to harm the princess secretly in her room.
“Keep yourself safe until we meet again.”
Kiabel’s farewell words lingered in Leni’s mind.
I must protect the princess.
That’s the only way everyone will survive.
Leni quickly turned and headed back to the princess’s chamber.
The maids were nowhere to be seen, and Kiabel was packing her things alone.
It seemed she was indeed saying her farewell.
Leni tucked the rose pin behind her ear and approached Kiawel.
“Princess, I believe you will need assistance.”
***
The Great Hall was buzzing as the banquet progressed.
The oak tables on three sides were laden with food, and nobles, intoxicated, boisterously bragged about their feats on the battlefield.
At the center table, Prince Kalian stood and raised a goblet filled with wine.
“It is unfortunate that His Majesty is unable to attend due to his condition. Let us all raise our glasses and pray for the glory of the kingdom.”
“Victory to Ekilium!”
“Glory to His Majesty!”
Following the prince’s lead, the nobles cheered and drank their wine. After setting his goblet down, Kalian noticed an empty seat.
“I don’t see Kiabel.”
A servant, standing in the corner, approached and informed him.
“Her Highness is not feeling well and has retired to rest. She sends her apologies for not attending the banquet.”
“I see. There is a matter of great importance for the kingdom, and I had wanted to hear the princess’s opinion. What shall we do?”
Kalian pretended to deliberate and then glanced at the chief administrator seated beside him.
“Athenak, bring someone from the princess’s side to listen.”
Athenak’s gaze turned toward the guard, who left the hall and soon returned with a shabby, elderly woman dressed in a gray gown.
“State your name and status.”
At Kalian’s command, the woman clasped her hands before her and spoke.
“My name is Melina Oharaes. I am Princess Kiabel’s nanny.”
“You claim to know something that could affect the future of this kingdom?”
“Yes.”
“Then speak.”
“It seems that Princess Kiabel is pregnant.”
The banquet hall erupted in murmurs.
Kalian raised a hand to calm the commotion, casting a warning glance at the nanny.
“Kiabel has just returned from enemy territory. Are you claiming, a mere nanny, that my sister, the princess of Ekilium, is carrying the seed of the enemy? If this is slander, your head will roll.”
“How could I lie? The princess has been showing signs of pregnancy since last month. Why not send a physician to examine her?”
“Do you know whose seed it is?”
“I do not know the father’s identity. However… the princess was very close to Prince Joseph while she was in Verden.”
When the name of the Crown Prince of Verden was mentioned, the room fell into a hushed murmur.
Nobles seated around the table exchanged whispers, some exchanging knowing glances.
Those were likely the influential figures connected to Verden.
Clever bastards.
Their minds are working faster than light.
There will be no reward for you.
Kalian sneered inwardly and turned to his servants.
“Bring the princess here.”
The servant who had left the Great Hall returned moments later, hesitating before speaking.
“Her Highness is not in her chamber.”
“She’s not in her chamber? Then where is she resting?”
“I’m not sure, but her chamber was empty, and the maids were nowhere to be found.”
Kalian turned his cold gaze to the nanny.
“Do you know where the princess is?”
The nanny remained silent and lowered her head. Kalian’s icy voice echoed through the hall.
“Is there anyone who knows the princess’s whereabouts?”
An unbearable silence hung in the air.
The servants kept their eyes fixed on the floor, and the nobles fell silent, calculating the gains and losses of the situation.
“The princess has disappeared, and no one knows where she went? How amusing.”
Kalian mocked, his gaze cold as he walked around the table.
“This kind of mishap is unacceptable. Lord Rehat! Where is Lord Rehat?”
Blayden emerged from behind a pillar by the door.
He had been quietly observing the banquet from the corner, not seated at the table.
“Bring Kiabel here.”
Kalian ordered as he walked toward Blayden.
“It seems she has left the palace. The embers of war are still smoldering everywhere, and things are chaotic.”
Blayden gave a slight nod with an indifferent expression.
His gesture could be considered impudent, and the nobles murmured among themselves.
Kalian, undeterred, placed a hand on Blayden’s shoulder.
“I leave my sister’s safety in your hands. If you find her, escort her back with due respect.”
“I will do my best.”
“I trust you.”
Kalian spoke with a smile and lowered his head.
A secret order, audible only to Blayden, fell into his ear.
“Kill her if necessary. Just bring me proof.”
***
“The princess and one of the maids left on horseback. They said they were going to the Rueet Convent,”
The stable master testified.
Blayden assigned ten soldiers to Lentz and gave secret instructions.
“Go to the Forié Forest.”
“But the princess said she was going to the convent…”
“It’s a decoy.”
“A decoy?”
“The princess will be at the hunter’s hut in Forié Forest. Wait there in front of it. Do not move until I arrive. Surround the area so no one can escape. Do not act beyond that.”
Lenz looked confused, but Blayden mounted his horse and took the reins.
“Where are you going?”
“To catch a squirrel.”
“A squirrel? What on earth are you talking about…?”
Before Lenz could finish, Blayden kicked the horse’s side.
The horse, like the wind, rushed out of the palace and galloped east.
This was the opposite direction of Forié Forest, which lay to the west of the palace—the direction toward the convent the stable master had mentioned, on the border near Verden.
The little brat.
Is this the best plan he could come up with?