Chapter 87

‘Once the sun sets, I’ll leave the forest and head back to Efren. This place isn’t safe anymore. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.’

He pushed deeper into the woods, careful to avoid anyone who might be watching, but he didn’t realize someone was silently following in his tracks.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

It seemed my father wasn’t kidding when he said he would talk to Darren.

As soon as we stepped out of the boutique after the dress fitting, Marie, who had been trying to stay composed, finally burst out in excitement.

“Oh my goodness! I didn’t believe it when people said Giordin Boutique was the best in all of Erhel, but I guess they were right! Every dress they brought out was gorgeous!”

“Did it look alright?”

“Absolutely! I honestly thought you were a nymph, not a noble lady!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Marie’s playful flattery.

Seeing me smile, she began rambling about how she was being completely serious, but then something suddenly seemed to strike her, and her eyes lit up.

“Then, this dress will be delivered to the mansion the day before the ball, right?”

“Yeah, I think so. They said it still needed a few final adjustments to fit me properly.”

“Wow, it already looks amazing on you, but I’m so excited to see how much more beautiful you’ll look on the big day! I just know you’re going to be the most stunning woman at the ball!”

“Well, I’m not so sure about that…”

I half-heartedly agreed with Marie while we waited for our carriage. Then, out of nowhere, a strange carriage rolled to a stop right in front of us. It wasn’t from the marquis family, so I figured it must be another customer coming to the boutique. Marie and I instinctively stepped aside.

“Seriously? Why would they stop right in front of the store like this?”

“Marie, shh.”

Marie puffed out her cheeks, clearly annoyed at the carriage blocking the boutique’s entrance. I gave her a quiet warning before turning my attention to the stopped carriage.

‘There doesn’t seem to be any crest. Could it be a delivery carriage?’

However, something about the atmosphere surrounding it felt off for a simple delivery.

The coachman, dressed in a robe and staring straight ahead, and the well-maintained appearance of the carriage made it look nothing like an ordinary one.

And right as that uneasy thought crossed my mind, the carriage door, which had remained firmly closed until now, slowly swung open and revealed the passenger inside. A robed figure stepped out, their face hidden beneath the hood, and our eyes met for a brief moment.

From under the hood, a pair of unmistakable golden eyes locked onto mine, and in that instant, I understood why the carriage had no crest.

‘No, why is he here…?!’

“It’s been a while, Lady Aidelis.”

“…I greet the Empire’s little sun.”

The man who stepped out of the carriage was Vien.

‘If the imperial family so much as snaps their fingers, all the prominent figures of Arbonis would be lining up at the palace… so why did he come all the way out here?!’

Before I realized it, Vien had already closed the distance between us. His eyes flicked to the Giordin Boutique behind me as he spoke.

“Did you come to get a dress fitted?”

I was about to nod slightly in agreement when I caught a glimpse of his face and instinctively looked up. Despite his indifferent expression, there were dark shadows under his eyes. Of course, it was subtle enough that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.

‘Has he been having trouble sleeping lately?’

I already knew the emperor’s health wasn’t great, but even so, I also knew his condition wasn’t severe enough for Vien to step in as regent.

‘So it’s probably not just exhaustion from work either, is it?’

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Yes? Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

His sharp voice jolted me back to reality.

I realized that I had nearly drained more of my life force again, just from letting myself get distracted by something so trivial.

‘Focus. Vien’s favorability is still at zero.’

I pushed the swirling thoughts out of my head and glanced around. Just then, the marquis family’s carriage pulled up behind Vien’s. Sensing the perfect opportunity to end this precarious conversation, I quickly spoke.

“Well then, I should get going. My carriage…”

I was about to excuse myself when he suddenly staggered, pressing a hand to his forehead as if in pain.

“My head…”

“Your Highness?”

It was the first time I had seen Vien unable to even support himself properly, so without thinking, I moved closer. I leaned in to check his complexion, but his hand was covering it, making it difficult to see.

“A-Are you alright?”

Just as I asked again out of concern, a sudden ding sounded.

I flinched and looked up, only to find an unfamiliar system window floating in front of me.

It was a system window, but some of the text had been replaced with question marks, making it completely unreadable.