Chapter 89 – Princess Guinev (1)
Translator: Lunarise
Editor: Larkspur
She chose a day when Lustian wasn’t with her. She could guess where Guinev might be trapped, so she just needed to figure out a way to get there somehow.
“But there are no secret passages here, so how are you going to get out? You can’t even hide with makeup anymore.”
“I have to think of a way.”
At the empress’s orders, she no longer applied makeup. She let the dye wash out of her hair as well, so her hair color was gradually becoming more of a light brown. Because she didn’t have to wear the thick makeup anymore, she felt less stuffy. She was also more comfortable now that she no longer had to wear clothes that didn’t fit.
“You can’t dress up as a maid, either… and if you leave without permission, Paul will be punished again.”
Rosha had also been extremely shocked to see Paul being punished before her very eyes.
“I have someone that can help me,” said Viola.
“Wh-who?”
“Grand Duke Ivan.”
“Whaaat!? Gr… Grand Duke Ivan?”
Viola had had her eyes on Ivan for some time now. He had been helping her in secret. He had even given her a heads up before the empress had pounced upon her that one time. She was certain Ivan had his reasons for helping her. She had caught a whiff of this from the strange atmosphere between him and the empress. The empress’s expression when she looked at Ivan, the way she spoke sharply, and the way that the grand duke treated her – rather than the affection that one would expect between a mother and her son, there was a stronger vibe of a military officer-subordinate relationship.
But why?
She needed to know why he was helping her.
As a gamble, Viola asked Ivan over to her. As she waited for him, she had been contemplating about how she should deal with him. She needed to walk into the enemy camp on her own in order to figure out the enemy’s thoughts. To do this, she needed to momentarily swallow her feelings of hatred towards the imperial family.
Okay… let’s see what you’ve got for me.
Viola touched her lips with her fingers.
♛
A few moments later, Ivan arrived at the parlor.
“What a surprise! I didn’t think the day would come when you would send for me like this,” Ivan said.
“You knew that I would call for you, didn’t you?” Viola said.
His eyes were full of curiosity. At the same time, a playful smile was hung on his lips. She could detect that there was some sort of different meaning behind that playfulness…
Just from the fact that he had tricked the empress and leaked information to Viola in advance, she could tell that he wasn’t on good terms with the empress.
“Are you asking me to help you find Guinev? But what can I do? I’m so confused right now. Whether I should help you or not.”
“I’ll be straightforward. Why are you helping me? I need to know the reason why you made a move before the empress to help me overcome that moment of danger.”
“Yeah. Why did I do that? I’ve also been wondering about it.” Ivan put his chin on the sofa’s armrest and stared at Viola.
She had expected that her face without makeup would attract the attention of men. As if he was no different, Ivan explicitly stared at Viola’s lips. She hated the feeling of other people’s eyes upon her. It was unpleasant.
“That expression is making me uncomfortable. I am your brother’s wife.”
“You are his wife who will also divorce him soon.”
“Ha… and how did you find that out?”
“My brother doesn’t even realize it because he’s so obsessed with you, but when I’m by his side, I’m able to naturally figure such things out.”
“Then this conversation will be a bit easier. I have no intention of living my entire life in this empire.”
“Isn’t there more than 3 months left? If you’re already thinking about leaving, my brother will suffer.”
“When I disappear from his sight, I’ll also eventually disappear from his mind. Everyone knows that.”
“Oh, but if you’ve never loved anyone before, how do you know?” Ivan countered.
“I don’t have to try it to know it. In the first place, the concept of love is more like a dream, and no matter how much you love someone it will wear off quickly.”
Just as her mother, who had been so loved by the King of Koronis, was abandoned in a day, she knew that love was like a passing wind. Having realized this at an early age, Viola didn’t believe in love.
Ivan snorted with laughter. Then he smiled as if he was having fun. “So did you find your answer? The place where Guinev might be hidden. If you tell me where I’ll guide you to it.”
“The abandoned castle. It’s there.”
Ivan’s expression changed drastically. His smiling face quickly distorted into a somber one.
As she had expected, she was correct. Viola raised her head loftily and looked at Ivan. “Now, take me out of this place. And guide me there.”
♛
With Ivan’s help, Viola was able to get out of the Concubines’ Palace. On horseback, they arrived near the Forest of the Gods.
Watching Ivan tie the reins of his horse to a tree, Rosha whispered to Viola, “How did you persuade him?”
“He’s also involved in this game. Even if it was unintentional, the truth is that he has been helping me without making it known to the empress and the crown prince.”
Because it was true that he had helped Viola, he seemed reluctant for his actions to reach the ears of the empress or the crown prince. She could tell from the way that he was helping her like this again. Because only those who were permitted by the Gods could enter the Forest of the Gods.
She told Rosha to stay behind with the horses, and only the two of them headed for the forest. Even in broad daylight, the forest was dark. Where the sunlight managed to break through, the flowers bloomed happily, but the shaded areas looked very dark. The cold air spread throughout her body. She had worried they might get lost, but to her surprise, this path felt very familiar to her for some reason.
Before long, they saw the tip of the old castle in front of them. Shrouded by the forest, she couldn’t see what was in there, but Ivan didn’t go forward anymore.
“This is as far as I can go,” he declared.
“What do you…?”
“Because only authorized people can enter. Since you’ve entered through the magic wall, you might be allowed—”
“You knew that?” Viola was surprised.
“Yes. That wall was built with the breath of the Gods. You were the first one to pass it after Guinev.”