“Are you going right away, Your Highness Rain?”
As Leoprick left the room and most of the sounds in the lodging faded, Betty whispered to me in a low voice.
Even riding at full speed, it takes at least 15 minutes from here to Wayne Castle.
And it’s not just the whereabouts of Isolde’s Tear that needs to be confirmed there.
Leoprick probably won’t notice if I’m gone for at least an hour.
I nodded towards Betty.
“Let’s move now. Is the Wayne branch far?”
“Not really. There’s a secret passage to the branch’s basement about 10 minutes away. If we go that way, we should be able to make the round trip in about 30 minutes.”
Betty answered efficiently while pulling out a black robe from my luggage.
She said it took less than an hour to explain the mission I requested earlier to everyone, so we should be able to return quickly.
“The branch manager also said he’d wait, so it shouldn’t take long. You don’t have anything else to do there besides retrieving the jewel, right?”
“Not for now. I’ve been receiving reports about the Wayne branch from Hayley until recently.”
“That’s good, but the people who used to serve the grown-up young lady might try to keep Your Highness there a little longer. You should be aware of that.”
Betty put on a serious face as she helped me into the robe.
She vividly recounted how burly men at the company earlier were crying out for the young lady.
Finally, she carefully secured my hat, completing the preparations for departure.
“Please be as careful as possible when you go, and I’ll quietly ask the company people to escort you on the way back. That would be better, right?”
“Yes. It would be best not to attract attention, but we’ll be carrying something quite valuable on the way back…”
I nodded, and Betty nodded back in understanding.
And then, with our robes tightly wrapped, we opened the window and jumped outside.
* * *
“Will the young lady really come?”
“Hey, you. She’s not the young lady anymore, but Your Highness Rain, I tell you.”
Janet Company’s Wayne Branch.
It wasn’t unusual for the lights to be on late into the night, as the company’s business often required urgent action.
However, today the Wayne branch, which usually encouraged punctual departures, was strangely bustling with people.
Wayne, one of the largest trading cities in the empire.
While many companies have established footholds there, few were as busy as Janet Company.
So it shouldn’t have been strange, but somehow today’s atmosphere felt unsettled, as if something was happening.
Zero, the youngest in the company, had been tilting his head repeatedly, observing his seniors who seemed different from usual.
He wondered who this “young lady” could be that had everyone so excited.
Earlier in the day, a woman came claiming to have a message from the young lady, which had everyone’s eyes popping out.
Even the branch manager and deputy branch manager, who usually insisted on timely departures unless there was something special, were staying late.
On top of that, those known for their swordsmanship had been out of sight for a while now.
As the youngest, there wasn’t much Zero could do to help if something happened at the company.
He could have gone home by now without any issues, but today Zero kept delaying his departure, watching his strangely behaving colleagues.
‘Let’s just find out who this young lady is before leaving.’
That was clearly his intention as he kept observing carefully.
But why were those people whispering among themselves and not including him?
Even as the youngest, he had never felt this excluded before.
Feeling somewhat dejected, Zero was hanging around the gathered people with his head down when:
“Oh? Zero hasn’t left yet.”
They didn’t even know he was still here!
For Zero, who hadn’t been here long but was well-liked by his seniors for being diligent and good at his job, this was truly disheartening.
Zero, who found fulfillment in his work by hearing his name called from all around every day, walked dejectedly towards his seniors with a slightly gloomy face.
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
“Huh? Oh, well. We may or may not have some work to do.”
Moss, the oldest among the seniors, answered while scratching the back of his head.
‘May or may not have work to do.’ What kind of half-hearted answer was that!
Zero felt another wave of dejection as his shoulders slumped.
It was clear that everyone had some reason for not leaving and waiting all this time, but why wouldn’t they tell him?
As the youngest in the company, and as a member of this organization, he surely had the right to know!
After running through all sorts of thoughts in his head, Zero finally clenched his fist with a determined look.
He’d been told not to keep thinking alone, but to ask if he didn’t know!
“It’s because of that ‘young lady’ who’s coming today, right? Who is she?”
“Oh, you heard about that too? She’s the daughter of our company’s founder. Of course, she’s the owner of the company now.”
“We’ve known her since she was little, so we just call her young lady.”
Contrary to all his worrying, the answer came surprisingly easily.
Zero, who had asked with great tension, momentarily staggered at the answer that came as naturally as if he’d asked about the weather.
What? So it wasn’t even a secret?
“Then, are all the people who stayed behind today here to see that young lady?”
“That’s right. You newcomers probably don’t know, but we’ve been here since the time of the first company president, so we have a special affection for the young lady.”
Moss said, puffing out his chest proudly.
The other seniors nodded along, seemingly showing their boundless affection for this young lady.
But that raised another question in itself.
When Zero first joined this company, he went through an extremely strict and complex screening process before being hired.
And through the final stage interview with the branch manager, he learned that the owner of this company resided in the capital, and that they should always be ready to open the doors if she wished to visit.
And as far as he remembered, since he joined here, no, since the Wayne branch was established, the company owner had come down to inspect the branch only once.
He heard that was a very long time ago.
If such a company owner suddenly visits here, doesn’t that mean there’s something big happening?
“But is it okay for everyone to be this calm?”
Zero suddenly started to worry about these incredibly carefree seniors.
Perhaps they hadn’t visited here because nothing had happened until now.
Suddenly visiting today, and at this hour when everyone should be leaving work, surely means something is happening.
Then shouldn’t it be more chaotic, everyone running around, and everyone more tense…
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No, I’m saying shouldn’t everyone be more tense?”
“Ah, of course we’re tense. It’s the first time we’re seeing the young lady since she was tiny as a bean.”
But despite Zero’s worried words, they just nodded lightly and started chatting again without much change.
“When Betty came earlier, I really almost cried.”
“I almost asked Betty if there was a new portrait of the young lady.”
“Why didn’t you ask? I already did.”
“You did? What did she say?”
“She said there wasn’t one. Apparently, the young lady said what’s the need for a portrait when she sees her every day.”
“Wow… At times like this, I really wish I were a woman. I could be a good maid too.”
“Don’t say such creepy things.”
The cute youngest Zero no longer existed in their world.
There was only immense affection and sentimentality towards the young lady.
Is that young lady really okay?
Suddenly, Zero started to worry about this person called ‘young lady’ whom he had never seen.
* * *
The underground passage wasn’t far.
Betty, who had been here once before, skillfully found the way.
Moving forward without getting lost even in the dark place, just like…
“Anyone who sees you would think you live here, Betty.”
“Well, I don’t usually lose my way once I’ve been somewhere. Are you okay walking?”
The path seems uneven, so it might be difficult for you.
Betty looked back as she walked ahead, but I waved my hand, saying it was fine.
“I’m fine, so don’t worry and keep going. We need to return on time, right?”
“That’s true, but we can rest for a moment if needed. Please tell me if you’re tired.”
“Okay. I will.”
Despite my assurance, Betty seemed worried and kept looking back as she walked ahead.
Each time, I waved my hand saying I was fine.
Betty seemed to think I was pretending to be okay, but I really was fine.
In fact, when working for Lloyd, I had to pretend to be fine walking on even worse paths than this.
Back then, there were many more grueling and difficult tasks, and many times when we had to move more intensely and urgently than this.
It takes more effort and labor to give much to those who have nothing than to solidify what those who already have much possess.
The me back then, who thought even that was okay, naturally thought that the trouble of walking such a path should be endured.
That a moment of pain was nothing for what I truly wanted.
But my feet that were full of blisters, festering and bursting…
Of course, no one remembered them.
Not even me.
“We’re almost there, Your Highness Rain. We just need to open this door now.”
But, yes.
This time is different.
It has to be different.
I’ve learned painfully in my past life that others easily treat you the way you treat yourself, unable to embrace yourself.
Feeling the soft leather wrapping around my feet, I strode towards where Betty was leading.
Towards the new journey waiting for me behind this door.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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