𝕍𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕞𝕖 𝟙𝟙:
𝔸 𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤
"Then we'll stick to the table arrangement like this. But what if it snows on that day?"
“It won't snow or rain, don't worry. Have you made sure to secure all the fir trees?”
“Yes, the carpet samples you mentioned also arrived…”
“Miss Sasha, what should I do if the photographer can only come on one day, which happens to be only Sunday?”
“Miss Sasha, I got a response from the police department, and they said they received an encouraging gift…”
As Christmas Eve and the Duke Serpente's wedding approached day by day, the chaos escalated.
With the main ceremony and reception planned at the hotel, I was once again dealing with the stress of organizing an unprecedented event, similar to the opening ceremony.
Count Orsini's side wanted Serpente to take care of most things, and as for the groom-to-be, he practically left everything in my hands.
Alfonsina even jokingly threatened (?) that she wouldn't pick a wedding dress until the day of the ceremony if I didn't oversee everything.
News of the upcoming wedding on Christmas Eve at Wendy's Hotel had already stirred the entire empire.
The number of invited guests was staggering, and since it was both a wedding and Christmas Eve, there was an event planned to distribute gifts to the less fortunate in the Imperial capital.
Under that pretext, I had requested cooperation from the National Police Agency, so on that day, most of the imperial staff would be focused on the hotel.
"Sasha, I know you're swamped, but can you spare a moment for me?"
“Is something the matter?”
“It's not a big deal, I just have something to tell you.”
“What is it? A gift perhaps?”
"It's kind of like that. But I'm not giving it to you now."
True to her enigmatic style, Valentina led me into my office. She closed the door behind us, walked over to the desk, and placed a box wrapped in red velvet on it. My eyes widened.
“I think it's a bit early for me to be receiving Christmas presents…”
"Seems like you're hoping for an extra Christmas gift."
Her emerald eyes twinkled mischievously. I took a seat and began to unwrap the gift. As I opened the lid of the silver-thread-embroidered velvet box, I found a soft bundle of white fur inside.
"This… Is it a hat?"
Indeed, the gift in the box was a winter hat made of white fur. But why does it look like one of those long Shapka-style fur hats like Maetel** hats one would wear?
(**if you’re curious with what a Maetel hat here is, please go here, and if you’re interested what is this “Shapka-style fur hats” here, please go here)
I picked it up, enjoying the sensation of the white sable fur against my fingertips, and realized that it felt heavier than I expected.
"It was custom-made. Wearing it on the leg is too common," Valentina explained.
The concept of concealing a gun in a hat seemed quite sophisticated and allowed for a seamless hideaway.
As I marveled at the craftsmanship and the ingenious design enabling the gun to be discreetly stowed in my hat, I couldn't help but be impressed.
"Oh, my goodness... Thank you. Now, with such a fantastic hat, I'll feel secure no matter where I go."
"You don't have to thank me. I'm simply carrying out orders from my superior."
Is that so? Benya always found ways to astonish me. Valentina studied my face as she toyed with the hat, her eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Do you appear a tad downcast?"
"What do you mean, downcast?"
"Well, perhaps you're pondering that he should have given it to you directly instead of through another person. You might be regretting not having the chance to convey your gratitude properly right now."
"I-I didn't think that way, did I?"
"Ahaha, really? The dynamics between the two of you have been rather intriguing lately, so I..."
"Valen!"
Regardless of whether I blushed, Valentina persisted with a mischievous grin.
"Now that I think about it, many folks are saying the Duke’s marriage progressed so swiftly. However, had I not bestowed those dried fruits upon Sasha, we might be in the midst of preparing for a joint ceremony by now…"
"Enough already!"
Laughter resounded. Shaking my head, I removed my hat, approached the drawer, and tucked the unwrapped box away. It was too exquisite to simply discard.
"I didn't request those just for that purpose..."
"Of course, you didn’t. Life comprises a sequence of extraordinary coincidences, after all."
"Valen, please! Is teasing me to this extent truly that entertaining?"
"Oh, come on! What's the need for embarrassment among adults? It's astonishing to witness this side of Sasha."
"Well, instead of being embarrassed..."
"Did you like it?"
"Valen!"
Ugh! My face is likely turning red.
Despite my glares, the Queen of the Underworld continued to chuckle privately about whatever amusement she found. Fortunately, a knock on the door interrupted her.
"Miss Sasha? There's a visitor."
A guest at this hour? I suspected it might be Knoxus, so I swiftly concealed the hat in a drawer. Just as I did that, the door swung open, revealing an unexpected visitor. Valentina's laughter ceased abruptly.
"Your Highness?"
The unexpected guest wasn't the person I was anticipating, yet he was a "Prince" nonetheless.
His golden hair caught the afternoon sunlight, his deep purple eyes met mine, and his neatly adorned uniform signified his status. It was the Crown Prince, our benefactor.
"I hope I'm not interrupting."
"No, not at all. What tea would you prefer?"
"Anything you prefer."
Were you aware that I always take my coffee without sugar?
A short while after Valentina left, an attendant entered and served coffee and light refreshments.
A moment of silence enveloped us as we sat across from each other on the plush couch, sipping our bitter coffee.
Why did Assad come here? Observing the male lead, elegantly seated with a faint furrow in his brow as if the bitter coffee wasn't to his liking, an oddly surreal sensation welled up within me.
It's an exceedingly uncanny feeling, akin to sitting face-to-face with a character from a novel in a dimension that is neither here nor there.
He was just within arm's reach.
"Coffee not to your liking?" I inquired.
"Was it that obvious? I actually have rather childish preferences," Assad replied.
"In that case, I can have something else prepared..."
"No need, it's alright. You seemed lost in thought," he said.
"My apologies. As Your Highness is aware, it's all due to the wedding arrangements."
"Nevertheless, there's quite a buzz about it. Why does it always seem that you're in charge of Serpente's significant tasks?"
The Crown Prince added a playful smile and locked eyes with me, his deep purple gaze penetrating. As tension tingled in my fingertips, a distinct sense of unease also surged.
While Benya possessed eyes that seemed to sharply pierce into the depths of another, Assad's eyes strangely made adversaries believe that everything would turn out fine if they confided in him.
"At the moment, I'm simply thinking that things wouldn't proceed smoothly without me."
"Isn't that true? A wedding on Christmas Eve is a Duke-like idea, but thanks to that, the people of the Imperial capital will experience their best Christmas ever. It's not common for aristocratic families to bestow gifts to the underprivileged on their wedding day."
"It's just an ordinary act of charity. Given that each day is merely another day, receiving blessings from as many individuals as possible is good."
"Did your request for so many police officers stem from a possible emergency scenario?"
How is it that none of the people here comprehend the concept of not forgetting things...
I placed my coffee cup down and straightened my posture. Assad continued to gaze at me with a cryptic smile on his lips.
"What are you attempting to convey..."
"For the moment, consider it this way."
The Crown Prince's words suddenly took a turn, and he too set his glass aside before reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket. Extracting an object, he lifted it and placed it with a clatter on the tea table.
A moment of silence lingered. The atmosphere dictated that I should be the first to break it, so I uttered as composedly as I could.
"Why is this, Your Highness..."
"Isn't that exactly what you've deduced?"
"…"
"My brother arrived with this and requested an audience. As you're aware, we rarely exchange words within a day, making it quite surprising."
Evidently, he was greatly taken aback, venturing to his older brother whom he harbored disdain for, to pose inquiries. I let out a sigh and directed my gaze to the fountain pen on the table.
An item that once belonged to the departed duke. The same pen Lethias received as a gift on his sixteenth birthday in the tower.
The very pen Benya wielded to commit his first murder on our escape day.
And the pen I returned to Count Vivora not long ago.
"I delivered this to Count Vivora a while back."
My soft-spoken words prompted a subtle twitch of his golden eyebrows.
"In other words, did Count Vivora disclose this to my brother? For what purpose?"
"He likely presented it as evidence while persuading him not to place trust in me."
"To mistrust you? About what?"
"I doubt His Highness comprehends the sort of company his older brother is associating with."
Silence descended once again. Assad lowered his gaze as if contemplating the mentioned fountain pen, but then he leaned back and unexpectedly nodded.
"Yes, that seems likely. To imply otherwise would undermine your intelligence, given that you hadn't even considered my brother's folly."
"…"
"My brother took this as evidence, presenting it to inquire about what precisely transpired with the Serpente family seven years ago. About your secrets. I answered truthfully, as he had already caught wind of something. If he wishes to avoid expulsion from the colony and spending the rest of his life in a foreign land, he will maintain absolute silence."
"…"
"What do you think? Does this align with your expectations?"
"To argue otherwise would be an insult to Your Highness' intelligence."
Knoxus would eventually uncover the truth, given his determination to make me his ally.
Even as the Fibonacci clashed with the Dallas Myers Club and the Serpente factions I was collaborating with, their attempts to undermine my credibility would sow seeds of doubt in Knoxus's mind.
No matter how entangled he might become in his infatuated illusions of me, hearing the concealed secrets of both me and the Serpentes would likely cast a shadow of suspicion.
This fountain pen was dispatched as a contingency plan, an escape route for such a scenario. However, I hadn't foreseen that Assad would come to visit me in person like this.
"Sasha... What's on your mind? What are you aiming for?"
ᴛ/ɴ: ʜᴇʟʟᴏ!! ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙʀᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴡꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɴᴇᴡꜱ ɪꜱ (1) ᴍʏ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ (2) ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴜᴘʟᴏᴀᴅᴇᴅ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪꜱ, ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴡꜱ ɪꜱ, (1) ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴍʏ ʟɪꜰᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ, ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴜᴘʟᴏᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ (ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛɪʟʟ ɪ ʀᴀɴ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ꜱᴘᴇᴇᴅʀᴜɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ), (2) ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀʟʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ɪ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴛʀᴀɴꜱʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪꜱ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ, ᴀɴᴅ (3) ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ʟʟ ᴜᴘʟᴏᴀᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅᴀʏ. ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ɢᴜʏꜱ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ʟᴏᴛꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ɴᴏᴡ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ᴀꜱᴋ ɪꜰ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘʜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏ ᴍʏ ᴍɪᴅᴛᴇʀᴍ ᴘʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ. ꜰᴏʀ ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟꜱ, ᴘʟꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏʀᴅ: ᴘꜱɪʟᴏ_ᴄɪɴ
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