The Princess Imprint A Traitor - Chapter 32: The Nocturnal Salon (7)

“Ah, I see. You’re interrogating them separately because they’re close to Count Hadenfork.”

“No. They misspoke. Can you believe it? They were blathering on about how our Highness is a remarkable pervert with a taste for women!”

“…The torture chamber would be perfect. Please be sure to take me with you when you interrogate them.”

“Of course. Oh, and please put the five noblewomen in the eleventh room on the second floor in special isolation.”

“Are they also key figures?”

“No. They’re beasts who pounced on our Highness, offering a night of frolicking.”

“…I’ll put them in the room next to Luciole’s gang.”

The murderous intent emanating from Mikael was chilling. Alvin shivered, saying it was cold as if the window was broken, and went to meet the guard captain, Valencier. The inside of the banquet hall was gradually being cleared by the Punitive Knights and the 14th District Guard.

But it wasn’t over yet. Eve had an important problem left to solve herself, without entrusting it to them. The surroundings were deserted. Eve slowly turned around.

“…”

“…”

Eve and Rimona’s eyes met. Still sitting on the floor, looking up at Eve’s face, Rimona was slightly dazed. Rimona had no sense of reality right now. She was sure there was no hope of rescue, but the surroundings were instantly cleared as if swept away by a rapid current. Even by someone very familiar.

“Eve…”

It was when Rimona unconsciously spoke her name. Eve responded in a slightly choked voice.

“Yes, Rimona.”

“Ah…!”

Eve’s call awakened Rimona’s belated sense of reality. She startled and tried her best to act appropriately for the situation.

“I, I greet the Imperial Princess!”

“…”

As a commoner who saw royalty up close would usually do, Rimona bowed excessively, her head almost touching the ground. The sight stung Eve’s heart. She took a small breath and lowered herself to sit down as well. And she gently took Rimona’s hands, which were on the floor, and raised her up. The two faced each other.

“Your, Your Highness?”

“Rimona, you don’t need to show me such respect.”

“B, but…”

She seemed to know what the blurred words would be without having to hear them. Eve felt she couldn’t bear to hear words that drew a line not only with etiquette but also with stale reasons.

“Rimona.”

Eve opened her mouth to confess. Her gaze was lowered to their clasped hands, unable to face the other person.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you. I always thought I should tell you, but I liked spending time with you comfortably, so I kept putting it off and adding lies until now.”

Eve once again tried to gauge Rimona’s feelings. How would she feel? Would she feel deceived? What if she felt betrayed? It was only a few days ago that she had given her a leg pillow and sang her a lullaby. Eve was distressed at the thought that her kindness at that time might be gone forever.

As an unwanted princess, Eve had never had a playmate, so it was a feeling she was experiencing for the first time. But right now, it was more important to look after Rimona’s wounds than to indulge in her own emotions.

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to get close to you as a princess. So I hope you don’t think I deceived you as a joke. It’s okay if you get angry and say you won’t see me again, but please don’t be hurt by something that isn’t true.”

“…”

“Once again, I’m sorry.”

A heavy silence fell between the two for a while. Eve was nervous at the thought that Rimona might rudely shake off her hand and turn away. It was then that Rimona, who had been quiet all along, opened her mouth.

“Um, so… you’re saying you did that because you wanted to be friends with me?”

“Yeah.”

It would sound like a paltry excuse to Rimona. Eve, who thought so, took a deep breath.

“Well, I guess my personality is a bit charming.”

“…Huh?”

“I understand because I wouldn’t have been the type around Your Highness. Actually, I wanted to be friends with Your Highness, so I was a bit aggressive. Don’t you remember? I was a bit more proactive. Ah, of course, I didn’t do that knowing you were a princess.”

“…”

Somehow, it was a plain voice that was completely different from what Eve had worried about. It even felt a bit mischievous.

“R- Rimona?”

Eve blinked, unable to grasp the situation, and Rimona chose her words for a moment. She also had something to confess.

“Um, well, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“I knew.”

“Wh- what?”

“That you were the Imperial Princess, I knew a long time ago.”

“Huh?!”

The question ‘How?’ was replaced by the bewilderment in her amber eyes. Rimona carefully confessed.

“Do you remember the opening ceremony of the Summer Festival? I saw Sir Agnito’s face at that time…”

“Ah…!”

On that day when the busy Rimona attended the martial arts competition, an unplanned event occurred due to the host’s mischief. The problem was that Mikael’s handsome face, which you could never forget once you saw it, was identified at that time.

After realization, a question arose. So, even knowing everything, she had kindly sung her a lullaby in the carriage. Just in time, Rimona began to tell her honest feelings.

“I thought you didn’t have to reveal it if you didn’t want to. It sounds like a luxury, but there are times when I want to throw everything away and be comfortable because I hate fame too.”

“…”

“Besides, when I look at gossip magazines, it seems like you have a really hard and tiring time at the Imperial Palace every day. In my opinion, it’s almost like a battlefield… Anyway, I thought it would be enough if I could give Your Highness a break from time to time. Everyone needs a place to rest.”

“…”

Eve was speechless. Rimona’s confession was so kind to Eve that it seemed to be defending her. Listening to it made her feel choked up. Eve pretended to be sulky to hide it.

“…What. Why are you saying all that? You can get angry.”

“I can’t be so shameless as to get angry after you just saved me.”

“That’s separate.”

“It’s not separate. You willingly stepped forward even though you knew you would be in a situation where you had to ask me for a favor.”

Rimona smiled brightly as she clasped her hands together.

“Thank you. I was so scared earlier, but thanks to you, I’m alive.”

“If you’re thankful…”

It seemed a bit opportunistic, but Eve cautiously replied.

“Keep being my friend.”

“Of course. If it’s okay with you, I’ll be Your Highness’s resting place.”

“…”

She was happy, but she was choked up. Eve couldn’t say anything, so she hugged Rimona tightly. After a while, Eve could feel the hands hugging her back. The warm and soft touch stroked Eve’s back for a long time, as if comforting a crying child.

❇

Since a large number of nobles were arrested, what had happened in the secret mansion of Hadenfork couldn’t be kept under wraps. The incident set the imperial capital ablaze with excitement.

Newspapers and gossip columns eagerly reported on the nobles’ sordid parties, which had apparently been held regularly for some time. A few journalists, driven by a sense of duty, independently investigated the secret society and even uncovered a human trafficking cartel. Of course, their success owed not only to their competence but also a bit of luck — Eve and the First Prince Rubio had deliberately leaked information to them.

Many articles praised Eve’s heroics. Being appointed head of the Special Operations Department and leading the raid on the crime scene made for a thrilling, almost legendary story that naturally captivated the press.

Of course, the tabloids couldn’t resist adding scandalous gossip. Magic Today suggested that Eve might have even “squeezed” five noble heirs during her mission, running the story alongside an advertisement for a male potency supplement.

Meanwhile, Sage Times, an up-and-coming tabloid, raked in a fortune by publishing a juicy story (alongside ads for men’s health treatments) claiming that those noble heirs were now suffering from unexplained erectile dysfunction.

Some papers also covered the dramatic bond between Eve and Remona, stirring a huge reaction. Citizens were moved by their friendship that crossed class boundaries, while theater companies, already weary of the tired old trope of royal romances with knights, rushed to write plays about friendship instead.

A few troupes, who had been preparing to ride the wave of “forbidden sisterhood” stories, wept bitterly as they hastily rewrote their scripts. Still, some stubbornly stuck to their original plans, determined to see it through. Amid all this excitement sweeping the capital, there was one person who wasn’t celebrating — she sat there with a crumpled Daily Hadelamid newspaper in her hand, looking miserable.

“First it was the Lady of the Night Rose, and now even Remona Lund… Your Highness, this is too much! Hurry and have a scandal with me too!”

It was Yulia, the cherished daughter of the Marquess of Amelos. Eve gently tidied Yulia’s red hair and comforted her.

“Well, shall we aim for the next masquerade ball? I wouldn’t mind if the scandal of the Lady of the Night Rose turned into the scandal of the Lady of the Red Rose.”

“Really?”

“Yes, truly.”

“But who exactly is this Lady of the Night Rose? Even Lady Arpel won’t tell me. I’m so curious!”

“…She’s just… someone.”

“Okay. I won’t ask about the past. Just make sure to wrap things up properly, alright?”

While Eve and Yulia were enjoying afternoon tea in the emerald-green parlor, a familiar, always-welcome face arrived — Alvin. Eve left Yulia in Sedella’s care and met with Alvin privately.

“Welcome. You weren’t at work today. Where are you coming from?”

“I dropped by the Potion Guild headquarters.”

Seeing Alvin’s sly grin, Eve anticipated good news. On the day Eve had raided Count Hadenfork’s secret mansion, Prince Rubio had also raided the Potion Guild and a back-alley guild headquarters.

Alvin had found a deeply hidden vault and retrieved various documents. He now proudly laid his spoils before Eve.

“We’ve secured all the evidence we wanted.”

“Ah.”

Eve smiled and savored the aroma of her tea. Memories of past days briefly flashed through her mind — it had already been two weeks since the terrified Count Hadenfork confessed everything. His testimony had revealed the secret society and the human trafficking cartel to the world.

An enraged Emperor Desmond II had ordered a full-scale investigation into everyone involved, even establishing dedicated investigation and judicial bodies.

As a result, many central nobles faced expulsion — most of them supporters of Marquess Chansley and Brigitte.

‘It’s not a bad thing for Father either. The more we overturn the aristocratic social circles, the more the public’s attention drifts from the fire incident. Plus, it strengthens imperial authority by setting an example among the nobles.’

Still, there was a clear effort to protect Brigitte. Although Chansley ranked high among the culprits of both the magical stone hoarding scandal and now the human trafficking affair, his investigation was being indefinitely delayed under the excuse of “special management.”

Of course, Emperor Desmond II wasn’t sparing Chansley out of kindness — he likely feared that digging into Chansley would expose Brigitte’s involvement, and so chose to leave it alone.

‘Father will probably get rid of Chansley along with the others, like cutting off a poisonous branch.’

Eve wasn’t particularly disappointed — she hadn’t expected much from Desmond II. Instead, she used the situation to pressure Counts Navarre and Gigolo. She met them separately while they were imprisoned and casually hinted:

“To soothe public anger, we need a strong scapegoat. It’s always better to punish a ringleader than an entire group. And, as you know, Father seems determined not to touch Chansley…”

“Is it because Chansley is close to the Third Princess?!”