Chapter 20. Caught red-handed

— ...Lady Daehsin, I am deeply grateful to you for taking the time during such a busy period to pay a visit on an important date for our family.

The sound of voices coming from around the corner caused Remesis Rania Ashelot to freeze in place.

If her hearing did not fail her, it was definitely her father's voice.

It was followed by another voice that was as exquisite as the previous one.

— Your ladyship, this is just a part of my conjugal duty, and is not burdensome to me at all.

'Is it really Liana Daehsin and the Duke...?' — Remesis immediately guessed.

The princess of the north gradually came to her senses. She was a little surprised that she had caught the two of them talking at such a moment, but still, what did it matter? The girl should have just passed by and ignored this conversation that didn't concern her in any way. And yet...

Before Remesis could follow up on this, natural curiosity had already taken over. Without realising it, the girl continued to stay where she was in order to delve deeper into the topic of this conversation. A fragment of the following conversation came to her through the crack of the slightly ajar door.

— I hope we have not disappointed the young head with our family's hospitality.

— Your Ladyship, I am honoured to be invited into your home. Every time I visit the place where my wife grew up, I am visited by nothing but warm emotions.

At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary small talk, where the interlocutors kept the dialogue at a level of formality befitting such an occasion.

— I am glad to hear that you think of the duchy in this way, ' the head of the family said in a satisfied voice, 'Your inauguration as the new Supreme Astrologer will take place in a few months. You must be very busy right now because of that, and yet you still found time to come here.

The inauguration ceremony of a new Supreme Astrologer was a very important event, for which the successors of the Order began to prepare a year before the ceremony was to take place. It was a procedure that required the observance of many nuances. And at the moment, with no more than half a year to go before the ceremony, Liana Daehsin was indeed very busy. Therefore, Michael Carter's words regarding her busyness were definitely not an exaggeration.

In response to Duke Carter's remark, a faint smile touched the woman's lips.

— Yes, I have indeed been feeling busier than usual lately. But nevertheless, family is still an important priority for me that I cannot neglect.

— Family does matter, ' agreed the Duke, 'And I am relieved to know that my daughter is married to a worthy man. It means that the stars are indeed on her side. Fate itself has brought you two together, hasn't it?

- ...

Instead of properly responding to this statement, Liana Daehsin chose to remain silent. However, she soon slowly spoke again:

— I received a message from the Order this morning. Unfortunately, I will have to leave you prematurely, as there are urgent matters that I need to deal with personally.

Duke Carter nodded understandingly.

— Of course, your affairs are important, and I understand the necessity of this departure. I am grateful that you have come personally to inform me of it.

Liana nodded her head slightly in response.

— I thank you for your understanding, your lordship.

At that moment, Remesis heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming from behind the office door. Not wanting to be seen at such an inopportune moment, the girl hurried to get out of here. She thought that she would be able to leave before Liana Daehsin left the Duke's office. But in the end, her ridiculous attempt to hide her own presence around the nearest corner was exposed.

— Princess Rania.

At this point, the princess of the north had to freeze in place. Liana stepped closer, instilling more and more excitement in the girl.

— What are you doing here? — The young head asked, looking at her puzzled.

Remesis coughed, turning to her with a nonchalant look.

— My mother's memorial room is not far from here, ' she stated dryly, 'So...' I was just on my way back when I happened to run into you.

— But then why were you running away just now?

'.....'

Remesis's face blushed. The embarrassment was so great that the redness almost reached her ears. She wanted to object, saying that it was not so at all, but awkwardness prevented the princess from making a reasonable counter-argument.

— I did not run away! — Involuntarily, the girl's face turned the colour of an overripe radish, and that was all she could finally answer her.

Liana Daehsin laughed caustically as she watched her reaction.

— Good. Then I'll pretend I didn't see it, ' she said satisfactorily.

— You didn't see it because it didn't happen!

— All right, all right. Whatever you say, princess.

Liana continued to smile as she looked at her.

— However, since you happened to be passing by just now, you should have also heard that I have to leave soon.

- ...

Remesis didn't answer anything as she continued to frown at her.

— Before I leave, I would like to have a little talk with you, ' the woman continued.

— What? Why?

A pair of sapphire eyes glanced warily at the brown-haired woman across from her.

— About the attack on you... — Liana said, 'Have you been able to find out anything?

Remesis bit her lip.

— The investigation is ongoing, and it's not as simple as it may seem at first glance, ' she said reluctantly, 'So...

— What? ' the young head interrupted her half-heartedly, 'Are you going to say again that it's none of my business and that I shouldn't get involved?

- ...

It was a rather strained situation. Did the successor of the order feel offended by the not-so-friendly attitude of the princess of the north? But the woman only folded her lips into a peculiar but gentle smile.

— I did not intend to go against your will, Your Highness, ' she said, 'And that is not what I wanted to talk to you about.

— In that case. Then what was it about?

At that moment, Liana Daehsin suddenly held out something to her. It was a small box like the kind one would normally use to store jewellery. It was quite an exquisite box, clearly ordered from a good craftsman.

— What was it?

Remesis, who was quite puzzled, looked at the object in her palm.

— It's a gift, ' came the unpredictable reply.

— What? ' the girl blinked her eyelashes even more confused.

— Isn't your birthday today?

When the young head mentioned it, Remesis found herself so confused that she was not immediately able to regain the power of speech. That was because this was the first person today to remind her of her own birthday. After all, today wasn't just the anniversary of the Grand Duchess' death. On top of that, there was another event that Remesis herself had not given much thought to. Remesis was used to having 'no' birthday. And that was why it came as such a surprise now.

- ...

Liana shrugged and said:

— This is just a symbolic gift. You can open it when I leave.

'...'

Honestly, Remesis wanted to say that she didn't need any gift from her at all. And her own birthday didn't matter to her at all. But the young head beat her to it at that moment, as if reading her thoughts by the expression on her face.

— Even if you don't like it, you can just throw it away, or do anything else you want... But before that, you really should at least take a look at it.

— But...

When Remesis tried to object again, the expression on the Order's successor's face was so serious that she involuntarily decided to keep her mouth shut.

— Princess, even if you don't think so, but I really mean you no harm, ' a shadow of sadness flashed across her face for just a moment, 'I want to tell you something else.

Liana suddenly took a step closer to her. Remesis stared at her confused for a moment before the woman leaned closer and whispered in her ear:

— The enemy may be much closer than you think.

'.....'

After that, she immediately pulled away.

After uttering those mysterious words, Liana Daehsin gave her a faint smile before she politely bowed out and left the princess alone. Remesis stared tensely at her retreating figure for a while until she disappeared around the next corner.

Then, as if regaining her senses, she took a deep breath and looked at the box in her hand again. It gave her a strange feeling.

The very act of receiving a birthday present seemed strange to her. And it wasn't that Remesis had a particular dislike for the day. No, rather, she just genuinely didn't care. In her past life, Remesis had actually hated her birthday because it was the day she, the cursed child that everyone despised, came into the world. Thus she was used to ignoring that date and pretending it didn't exist.

In this same life, Remesis simply didn't pay attention to such things. The habit of ignoring her birthday had stuck with her since her past life. Over the years, Remesis had never asked for any kind of celebration for her, despite some of the inhabitants of the northern castle insisting on it. After all, Maester Leeuwen had tried to give her gifts several times, and the girl had accepted them, just so as not to offend the old man.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that in Remesis' entire life, there hadn't been many people who had ever wished her a happy birthday. And the last thing the girl expected was for that list to now include Liana Daehsin.

After hesitating for a while, she still opened the small box.

Inside lay a beautiful brooch with a large amber gemstone. It was a brooch in the shape of a sun fragment. Other people wouldn't have noticed it and just thought it was a beautiful piece of jewellery, but for the people of the Nadal Empire, this symbol had a special meaning. The sun was an element of the family crest of the imperial family.

Just looking at the brooch, it took Remesis a while for this realisation to be able to reach her. At this moment, the ambiguous words the young head had spoken earlier also flashed through her mind.

'The enemy may be much closer than you think.'

The princess of the north involuntarily squeezed the brooch in her hand.

'Is it really... Liana Daehsin meant that this is the work of the emperor?'