The True Mastermind
"I heard that Young Master Lishite has visited the palace."
"What…? Raiden…?"
Lucy froze slightly at those words and looked at the maid.
The maid nodded and said,
"He was summoned by His Majesty."
"Ah…"
"It seems he will be rewarded for his actions a few days ago."
Lucy's expression turned sour at the maid's explanation.
Sensing her discomfort, the maid asked,
"What's wrong, Your Highness?"
"Ah, it's nothing…"
Lucy shook her head and looked away.
The maid stared at her for a moment before resuming her duties of attending to Lucy's attire.
'Raiden is here…?'
Lucy felt her thoughts becoming tangled.
She still hadn't decided how to face Raiden.
The girl bit her lip in silence, then let out a sigh and murmured,
"Ha… I should at least thank him."
Regardless of their current relationship, the fact remained that Raiden had saved her.
The boy had fought off the attackers with his whole body covered in blood, protecting her.
It was a thank you, she should have given long ago.
She had only hesitated because it was directed at Raiden.
"It's done, Your Highness."
Lost in her thoughts, Lucy hadn't noticed that her preparations were finished.
She quietly gazed at her reflection in the mirror placed before her.
She felt strangely uncomfortable wearing a bright dress after being used to wearing her Academy uniform.
"Then let's head to the audience chamber. His Majesty is waiting."
"Yes, I understand."
Lucy stepped out of the room with heavy steps.
She walked towards the main palace where the audience chamber was located, accompanied by her maid.
An inexplicable tremor echoed faintly in her chest.
Lucy pressed down on the slight ache in her chest and silently repeated Raiden's name to herself.
"Raiden…"
I've thought about you constantly since that day, but…
I still don't understand.
What should I do now?
What should I say to you, what expression should I make when I see you?
It's confusing.
You were the one who broke off our relationship.
Unlike you, who cut me off as if it meant nothing to you, I spent hundreds of nights in tears, trying to erase you from my heart.
But…
I was gradually getting used to it.
I was finally learning how to live without you.
-Do not worry, Your Highness. Your knight is here.
Why do you keep appearing in my mind?
Why do you wear such a sad smile?
'What… what do you want…?'
Lucy bit her lip in frustration, overwhelmed by the questions flooding her mind.
Lost in thought, she hadn't noticed that she had already reached the door of the audience chamber.
"We've arrived, Your Highness."
The door of the audience chamber seemed even more massive than usual today.
Lucy took a short, deep breath and murmured as if talking to herself,
"Why am I so nervous…?"
It was just a meeting with a bad knight who had forgotten his promise.
She tried to shake off the negative thoughts and gestured to the guards to open the door.
-Creak…
The door opened with a heavy sound.
And through the widening gap, the figure of a boy came into view.
Jet black hair and a matching black suit.
A tall and sturdy physique.
An air of fatigue seemed to cling to him.
The boy turned his head and looked towards Lucy.
Raiden Lishite.
The knight who had once served her as his lord was waiting for her.
***
"…And so, that's what happened."
"Truly remarkable."
Milliam stroked his beard with interest as he listened to my account of the attack on the banquet hall.
"I can't believe it, even after hearing it so many times. Are you really the same Young Master Lishite who had absolutely no talent for the sword?"
"I am still lacking."
"Even your answers are to my liking… It feels like I'm seeing the old you again."
The Emperor chuckled, seemingly very pleased with me.
His rather unique laughter made me inwardly flustered.
Then, Milliam wiped the smile off his face and looked down at me with a somewhat serious gaze.
"Yes… I had my suspicions ever since I heard that you effortlessly overcame the 'test' I had set for you, but you exceeded my expectations."
"By test, you mean…"
"Are you pretending not to know when you already do? I'm talking about the bandits you encountered on your way here."
Ah, he's talking about that.
The surprise gift that our curious Emperor had prepared for me.
I figured it out right away, but it was quite disconcerting.
What kind of Emperor would send the eldest son of the closest family to the Imperial family into a dangerous group of bandits?
Even if it was to confirm my skills and verify the rumors, wasn't it a bit too extreme?
"Chuckle… Don't look at me like that."
As I was sending him a very disloyal glare, Milliam grinned as if he found the situation incredibly amusing.
His playful tone seemed to be subtly teasing me.
"That's why I sent the Imperial Knight-Commander as your escort, wasn't it?"
"Thanks to you, I was able to arrive safely. I am deeply grateful for your grace, Your Majesty."
I swallowed the curse that was about to escape my lips and replied.
Of course, I had already guessed that the frail-looking coachman was Sir Austin.
I didn't figure it out from the start, but once I realized that the whole situation was a test set by Milliam, it became clear.
"Do you have any basis for concluding that the coachman was Sir Austin?"
"Of course. Your Majesty has a compulsion to carry out all tasks perfectly. Therefore, I believe you would have given your best even in this small test."
A test that involves putting the eldest son of a Duke's family in danger.
This is a matter that could easily lead to a major incident.
Whether I was injured or not, the Lishite family could have filed a complaint.
It could have escalated into a conflict between the Imperial family and our house.
However, it's a different story if a Knight-Commander is involved.
The moment they are assigned as an escort, discussing the risk of an accident becomes a joke.
They are geniuses who are considered the best fighting force in the Empire.
Since you assigned 'Winter Commander' Austin, the pinnacle of the Imperial Knights, as my escort, the Lishite family wouldn't be able to say anything even if they wanted to.
Moreover, it would give other families the impression that the relationship between the Imperial family and the Lishite family is very close.
It's like declaring, 'We're so close that we even share the Imperial Knight-Commander, the most valuable asset of the Imperial family!'
If this news spreads, the authority of the Imperial family will be further solidified.
The Lishite Dukedom is undeniably one of the most prestigious families on the continent.
Well, the rest is simple.
The coachman's identity was narrowed down to a Knight-Commander.
And as far as I know, there is no other Commander with such a frail appearance besides Austin.
The other Commanders are all muscular and imposing.
"…That is all."
"Chuckle… You're still as sharp as ever."
"You flatter me."
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
To think that he would consider even the smallest details for their political impact…
He's a formidable person.
As expected of the owner of the greatest intellect, as acknowledged by the author.
If only Milliam hadn't become a recluse in the original story…
It was said that he could have prevented over 60% of the schemes of the demons and the Seekers.
I'm looking forward to seeing how things will unfold from now on.
-Creak…
As Milliam and I were having this conversation, the door to the audience chamber opened and someone entered.
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