Reyna let out another long sigh.
No matter how much bad luck she had, she didn’t expect it to be this far.
The tripartite encounter, which should be ambiguous in the future before she returned now, ended up very simply with Jane’s words.
‘Someone is dead!’
‘Please calm down. This is a temple. Also, there will always people die everyd—”
The priest’s efforts to calm Jane down were cut short by her following words.
‘It’s a murder!’
The whole Great Hall became as silent as a mouse instantly.
Shortly after, the great hall fell into chaos, and Jane was moved to another place as an eyewitness. And the high-ranking officials who visited the temple that day moved due to an upcoming inspection there, which means Reyna, Smith, and Einar were included in them.
They were now moved into a spacious room on one side of the building. Einar buried his back deep on the sofa, resting his elbows on the armrests, and touched his own temple. However, neither Reyna nor Smith chose to sit down. She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, and Smith stood a step away from her.
The grave-like silence that fell between the three of them was broken by Reyna’s dry voice.
“Stop looking. My cheeks are going to get pierced.”
She smoothed the part where Smith’s gaze was stuck, but he didn’t look at him at all.
“Now is not the right time, but when this is over—”
“We don’t have anything to talk about. I told you already, we broke up.”
“Reyna!”
As the word ‘broke up’ came out of Reyna’s mouth, Smith hurriedly looked at Einar.
The Bolshik maiden, who will not be his again, is a prey worth a great deal of use for anyone to covet and drool. For that reason, he had to stop the breakup from happening.
No, even if they were going to separate, it had to be done after he arranged a new plan*
Nevertheless, contrary to Smith’s presumptions, Einar had no interest in their breakup.
If truth be told, Einar was also interested in Reyna. Despite that, his interest was far from using her for gaining power because of her family.
“Your Majesty, our breakup is a fact. So what’s the problem if His Majesty the Second Prince knew about it a day earlier?”
“I won’t let the breakup to happ—”
“You can’t do that, you know it, right?” said Reyna resolutely.
“This engagement happened because I wanted it. And It will also be broken if I want to. You know that I’m a Bolshik. I get anything I want.”
Smith couldn’t find an answer.
It felt like lightning struck him in the middle of the night. And before he even fully awake, things were going on contrary to his will.
However, as Reyna said, there was nothing he could do.
Among the words Reyna had said today, was there one thing he could disprove?
Watching Smith, who drowned in humiliation and helplessness, Reyna wrapped it up.
“There is a procedure required to receive a formal letter of separation. So I will tell the Emperor first.”
When she finished speaking, a priest appeared just in time to guide them.
“The investigators have arrived. They will check the body first and take it to the examination room.”
As the young priest bowed his head with a tense expression on his face, Smith was the first person to take a step.
Making up a plan regarding his breakup with Reyna is indeed his top priority. However, he couldn’t neglect this kind of thing too.
“Hurry and let’s go.”
Despite Smith’s instigation, the young priest seemed to be hesitant and didn’t move.
Smith’s face darkened as he turned his head to the other two people. Unlike him, Reyna and Einar didn’t seem to have any intention to do the same thing because neither of them moved from their spot.
“What are you doing?”
However, Smith completely ignored Einar and only glanced at Reyna. In his opinion, it was natural for Einar to remain immobile. However, Reyna?
He was about to open his mouth again, but Reyna was faster.
“Do we really need to see the body too? The investigators will take care of it.”
“Even though they are capable, rather than hang on the investigators alone, shouldn’t we work together to solve this heinous situation as quickly as possible?”
His inducement was as soft as silk, but Reyna shook her head with a bored expression.
“His Majesty, the Third Prince, may want to earn fame by solving this rare and strange case of murder in the temple, but I do not need such reputation.”
Had it been before her return, she would have been as enthused as Smith or maybe even more aggressively on the case. At that time, Reyna undertook anything to be adequately recognized as the next successor of Duke Bolshik. Regardless, as expected, the result of her struggles did not satiate what she wanted. Well, it doesn’t matter now. Fame and reputation are meaningless to the current Reyna.
Reyna, who exposed Smith’s inner desires very sharply, once again calmly struck on his ambitions.
“It’s not like I want to be a crown prince.”
“Reyna!”
“Could you stop calling my name? Dogs are even less talkative than that. Didn’t I tell you, now I want you to address me as Lady Bolshik?”
“No, I’ll call you Reyna.”
“You are rude.”
“It’s not like that—… ”
Smith was about to say something more, but Einar cut him off.
“Great. Let’s go.”
It seemed that The Second Prince had made a sudden decision.
Smith created a cynical remark as he saw Einar rise from his seat.
“What wind is blowing in you? Aren’t you usually not interested in this kind of thing? No, was there even something that had to make you interested in it?
“Oh, don’t worry. Even if I solve the case, I’ll pass the credit to you.”
Einar shrugged and lightly passed Smith’s words. He returned what Reyna had said to him a little earlier.
“Einar!”
Smith’s fists trembled in ire since he couldn’t make a counterattack to what Einar said, but Einar just swiftly switched his gaze to Reyna.
“The Lady is going to go too, right?”
“I already said it before.”
“It’s not about reputation. There is something I want to check.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Right. And there must be something that the Lady wants to check from me.”
Reyna was silent at Einar’s words.
Indeed… there is.
It wasn’t one or two questions that crossed her mind whenever she thought of the foregoing incident.
“So? Will you also go?”
Reyna knew it was an openly thrown bait to be bitten, but she nodded her head without any delay. She was veritably suspicious of why he asked her about luck in the previous incident. Howbeit, on the other hand, she didn’t know how much longer she would have to deal with the annoying Smith if she joined the team.
“I’m in.”
Smith alternately looked at Reyna and Einar, then frowned.
“You two, perhaps…”
With those brief words, she could get a rough idea of what was going on in his little head. Regardless, Reyna didn’t bother to deny or explain anything.
Smith’s entire thought right now must be about she abandoned him, a third prince, to get Einar, who was a second Prince.
Besides, no matter how much Reyna will say it wasn’t what he thought, when did Smith get her right?
He only listens to what he wants to hear. Therefore, no matter what Reyna says this time, it won’t work.
“As I said before, Smith. Don’t forget that this is a temple. God will be angry if you raise your voice again or say such nonsense as you do now,” Einar walked past him after interjecting those words.
Following that, Reyna also set out from her spot without even paying attention to him.
***
“The body… it’s inside. I marked it in red so you’ll know right away…”
The young priest’s voice was shaking terribly when he pointed to the basement door.
All of them could feel the basement’s cold atmosphere along with its damp air. Although the lights were everywhere, it was not as bright as on the upper ground.
The young priest, who was constantly swallowing his dry saliva, closed his eyes tightly then reached out his hand toward the doorknob. Einar grabbed the young priest’s shoulders and gently turned them to the opposite direction of the basement.
Confused, the young priest rapidly blinked his eyes. Einar then spoke again.
“Do you see that pillar?”
Seeing the pillar a few steps away, the young priest was still feeling nervous but ended up nodding his head.
“Wait over there.”
“However—….”
“It’s an order.”
Seeing Einar gently push the young priest’s back, Smith also quickly added a word.
“Yeah. There’s no point in having you. If you’re scared, wait there.”
Had been quiet all the time, Reyna was the first to open the basement door and set her foot in that room.
A dreary wind brushed her cheeks, but Reyna was indifferent about it and instead looked around. After that, she came closer to the corpse covered in red-marked white cloth.
Before she knew it, Smith was already next to her. He whispered, “What do you want to check?”
Reyna didn’t answer him and only pulled off the white cloth.
Seeing the corpse revealed, Smith murmured.
“So this is why she called it a murder.”