Chapter 63 - . Shh

63. Shh

How can you be so lovely!

You dont even need to have eyes. Its perfect, Your Majesty.

When Lalima and Xavier complimented me, I felt embarrassed for nothing. I rubbed my cheek and looked at myself in the mirror. It was the first time I was invited to a tea party, so I had to pay attention to my clothes. So, of course, I thought that I would wear clothes that werent as flashy as the Foundation Banquets or the Birthday Banquet, but I was wrong.

Dont I look too childish?

It was the most frilled and flashy thing I had ever worn in front of people.

I fiddled with the hems awkwardly.

This isto babyish.

Your Majesty is a baby.

Thats right.

Thats true, but.

For some reason, it was strange that Lalima and Xavier shared the same opinion. I was worried that I would be looked down on wearing clothes with ribbons and frills like this, but that didnt seem to be the case.

Well, its okay, right? Thats not the goal after all.

When I went out, Gustav, who had a broad smile, greeted me. I found out later that a portion of the auction proceeds would be donated and the rest would fill the national treasury.

He stayed up for nights recently, voicing that the budget was insufficient due to a lot of national projects, and it seemed that the solution was the auction of my cherished items. It was all Gustavs scheme. Gustav smiled brightly and spoke,

Have a good time and be careful, Your Majesty.

Gustav, I hate you.

!!

After pouting, I passed by a shocked Gustav. Of course, I knew that it was for the sake of the Empire, but in the end, it was only Daddys pocket money that was obtained.

If it had been discussed in advance, I would have banned Daddy from the beginning and stole from the other nobles.

Such a waste!

When I went outside the palace, Aiden was waiting for me. And for some reason, Oscar was also there. Oscar looked at Aiden with dissatisfaction, but Aiden didnt seemed to care. The atmosphere wasnt serious, however.

Just what was this situation?

Oscar?

As soon as Oscars face, which was obviously cold, turned to me, a bright smile on his face formed. It was a dramatic change in his expression.

Are you two fwighting?

No, Mabel.

Oscar smiled slightly, stroking my hair carefully as not to mess it up. His friendly behavior was the same as the usual Oscar.

Oscars kind after all.

I smiled and rested my cheek against Oscars hand. Oscar spoke to me in a worried tone,

Mabel. Are you really okay? If I dont go with you

Ith okay. Aiden will be with me. Lissandros also going.

Aiden

Ung. Ill be back. Ill say hi to Enrique too.

Yeah

Leaving Oscar, who seemed rather weak, I got onto the carriage with Aiden. It seemed that he really wanted to see Enrique.

Ill have to release the boy ban quickly.

Meanwhile, the carriage left the Imperial Palace and ran along the highway. I opened the window slightly and watched the scenery passing by quickly.

Ooh.

Looking out the window, I could see Lisandro wearing light armor following us on a horse. He looked like a real knight after a long time, so I was surprised. It was said that all the personnel of the 1st Knight corps were put next to me for my schedule today. They were escorting me to and from the Javiers mansion.

You never know, its better to be safe.

I still remember the incident when Duke Javier secretly attacked me from behind very clearly. As long as I walked to the enemy with my own feet, it was good to have a sure way of protecting myself. The carriage soon arrived in front of the Javiers mansion in the capital.

Your Majesty, weve reached the destination.

I took a small breath as I hard Lisandros voice from outside. And looking at Aiden, I smiled softly.

Should we begin our robbing?

As I opened the carriage door, Lisandro opened his arms as if he were waiting.

Your Majesty, please hug me!

I dont want to

But isnt it difficult to get off a carriage this high yourself?

Sadly, he was correct. As I was contemplating whether I should be hugged by Lissandro, Aiden got off first and brought me down to the ground easily.

Aiden!

Lissandro grit his teeth in fury, but Aiden didnt mind and looked back at me.

Lets go, Your Majesty.

Ung!

Hehehe. The thought of finally shooting Lissandro made me laugh involuntarily.

I glanced around and saw Lissandro stumbling behind me. My visit, which brought all the First Knight Corps, was splendid. It didnt pale even in front of the gates of the Javier family mansion, which boasted great magnificence.

I greet the noble sun of the Empire, Her Majesty the Emperor.

The guard in front of the gate hurriedly bowed his head. The other rushed in quickly. Before long, a white-haired old man, who appeared to be a butler, greeted me.

I greet Her Majesty the Emperor. My name is Rodeli, the Javier familys butler. Could you please allow me to guide you to the tea party?

Yeah.

According to the law, the butler asked for permission politely to walk ahead of me. I followed the butler into the mansion. The rest of the knights waited outside the mansion, so it was only Lissandro and Aiden who went in with me.

Looking around, the sculptures that adorned the garden were more splendid than the ones in the Imperial Palace.

Wow. Didnt the Duke buy those all from crimes and tax evasion?

For the past three years, I had been running a guild and conducting a sabotage operation to receive information related to Duke Javier, but there were still many irregularities that hadnt been discovered. I felt sick in the stomach. The fact that there was no conclusive evidence on Duke Javier. As I walked around the splendid garden, Lissandro lowered his body.

Your Majesty, are you okay?

Why?

You dont like flowers.

Me? Flowers? I like flowers.

What nonsense are you spitting all of a sudden?

T-That cant be

I left the Lissandro, who was shocked for some reason, and followed the butler. As we went deep into the garden that was like works of art, the pinnacle of splendor, a cutely decorated outdoor party hall was revealed.

At my appearance, the eyes of the young girls who were talking turned to me all at once.

Ah!

Surprised, the young girls greeted me by holding onto the hems of their skirts.

W-We greet her Majesty the Emperor!

The nervous children were very cute. I smiled happily and nodded my head.

Raise your heads.

The young girls straightened their backs. Among them were faces I knew from the Foundation day. I was happy, but it didnt seemed like the kids were. Everyone covered their faces and hesitated to speak.

Is it, bullying?

When the loneliness suddenly struck me, a familiar figure appeared among the girls. It was Emily Javier, the organizer of this tea party.

I greet Her Majesty the Emperor. I was looking forward to your participation, but I didnt know you would really accept my invitation. Its an honor for my family.

Thank you for inviting me, Emily.

Emily looked really happy that I came. And today as well, I was shocked that Emily was Duke Javiers daughter.

After receiving the reply that You Majesty was coming, I worked hard to decorate.

Its very pretty.

Several tables were placed under trees with cute decorations. And on top of that, there were cute and delicious looking bite-sized finger foods.

Now that Her Majesty has arrived, the tea party must begin in earnest!

Emily was very excited and guided me to the top seat. I sat down and realized something was missing.

Emily. Is Enrique not coming?

Ah, Brother couldnt attend because he has training. He said he would come when hes done, should I call him?

No, its okay. He should be training.

It was a pity that I couldnt meet Enrique, but it didnt really matter as we exchanged letters anyway. And sooner or later, I would tell Daddy to lift the ban, so when that time comes, we would be able to see each other often.

The tea party started with lovely smiles on the cute girls. The children drank tea with bright faces and chatted. I was only asked formal questions, but still, being with young children seemed to rejuvenate me and it was fun in its own way.

Ah, young energy.

It was when I was looking at them with excitement as if I was a parent who came to a Kindergarten.

How is the tea party? Emily spoke to me.

Its fun. Everyone is bright

I was actually envious of the girls. All the children of aristocracy would have grown up rich and happy.

Is that so?

As I nodded, I met eyes with Aiden, who was watching me with Lissandro from a distance. It was time to carry out the purpose of coming here now. I picked up the cold teacup and spilled the tea water on my hand. Emily was startled and covered her mouth with both hands.

Y-Your Majesty! Are you okay?

Ung. Its cold, so its okay.

Thats a relief.

About that, can I wash my hands?

At my question, Emily stood up as if it were natural.

Of course. I will guide you.

No. Ill go with my escorts. Just tell me where it is.

I was worried about what would happen if Emily followed me, but fortunately, that didnt happen. I took Lissandro and Aiden and headed to where Emily pointed out. The escape was successful.

The next step is to defeat Lissandro.

Looking up at Lisandro, he smiled and tilted his head.

Whats wrong?

Nothing.

I followed Lissandro and smiled back.

Lissandro is dumb, so itll be easy to deceive him.

Not knowing I was looking down on him, Lissandro smiled.

I took off the ring from my finger and put it in my pocket out of Lissandros eyes and shouted loudly.

Wat do I do!

Lissandros and Aidens eyes turned to me.

Whats wrong?

The ring is gone!

Ring?

Ung. Lalima told me not to lose it

Sob sob. As I cried, Lissandro waved his hands in the air and began to panic.

D-dont cry. Ill find it-.

ButI dont know where it is

No. I can find it! Wait a minute, Ill find it soon!

Lissandro beat his chest and ranted. I sighed sadly and nodded.

Okay. Find my ring please.

Then, shall we go back the way we came?

Ung

Out of the blue, we scouted Javiers mansion, looking for a ring that didnt exist. Aiden and I, who knew the truth, pretended to be looking for it, and only Lissandro searched diligently.

My conscience hurts a little.

But in order to find out Duke Javiers weakness, it was an inevitable sacrifice. As I was rummaging through the bush next to Lissandro, I got up with a grunt.

Lissandro. Im going to look over thewe.

I will go with-.

As Lissandro tried to stand up with me, I hurriedly signaled to Aiden. Aiden, who recognized my sign, intervened between Lissandro and me.

Sir Donovan. Theres something shining over there.

What? Where?

Lissandro was blinded by Aidens false report and rushed to it.

Aiden, watch Lissandro from here.

You cant go alone-.

Its okay. If theres any danger, itll be Duke Javiers responsibility, so he cant be reckless.

okay.

I hurriedly ran in the opposite direction, taking advantage of losing Lissandros watch. There were butterflies and bees in the garden, but I couldnt communicate with the insects.

Lets find a stable.

If its horses, they could tell me this and that.

I had to guess where the stables might be from my memory of the Imperial Palaces structure.

Have I been running for about ten minutes?

Hek, I found it!

I found the stable miraculously. After making sure there was no one around, I entered the stable sneakily. There were more than ten horses.

[Neiiigh, who are you?]

One horse spoke to me.

Im Mabel. I have something to ask you.

[What is it?]

Your owner is Duke Javier, right?

[Neigh, thats right.]

Has Duke Javier been looking for something recently?

[Neigh.]

Instead of answering, the horse neighed and stood still. It meant that it wasnt going to answer.

Does he go to the mines often?

[Neigh.]

Horses.

This time, it turned away from me. It was the first time animals acted so uncooperatively, so I was a bit flustered. At that moment, as I looked around, sweating, a box of sugar cubes caught my eye. The moment I picked up the box-.

All eyes were on me.

This is it.

I chuckled and shook the box.

Talk first.

[Neigh, me!]

[Ill tell you first!]

It was only natural that all sorts of reports poured in immediately after that.

***

I didnt find any definitive weakness as the horses werent always with him, but I did find one useful piece of information.

He did buy the mine for those stones.

Duke Javiers purpose was to find a stone resembling the relic found by the moles. I walked out of the stable. The horses had no more information to gain from. It was when I took a step outside the stable.

!

I felt someones presence. It was right in front of the stables. Judging from the voice, it was a middle-aged man. I hurriedly went inside and hid myself.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

Is the destination the stables?

Unfortunately, the destination was the stable.

I was thinking about excuses to make if I got caught. Thats when someone grabbed my hand. I screamed in surprise.

Shh.

I met golden eyes.