Chapter 24
Continental Year 761, February 22 (Monday).
At the spy chief’s office located in the farthest corner of the royal palace.
Corbin sat in the dimly lit room, reading Florina’s report early in the morning.
The extraordinary night vision of the Grimkin was a great asset in his role as a spy chief.
As for Florina, who was only one-quarter Grimkin, her night vision was just slightly better than average.
The report was meticulously encrypted, but for Corbin, who had decoded thousands of such reports over decades, it was no different from reading plain language.
As his expressionless eyes scanned the report, they suddenly gleamed with interest.
“Hmm… ‘Wendy,’ huh?”
Wasn’t that the name of the wind spirit that Aiorin used to summon?
Well, it’s probably just a coincidence.
“Wait, ‘35 years’? Now this is strange.”
There was no reason for an eight-year-old princess like Muriela to mention “35 years.”
Let’s celebrate a reunion after 35 years.
This product’s expiration date is 35 years!
What kind of life will I live in 35 years?
Our restaurant has been open for 35 years already!
No matter how you contextualized it, it sounded odd for an eight-year-old to say.
Even if the context matched, none of these examples sounded like something a princess muttering to herself would say.
Why 35 years? The specificity of the number made it all the more suspicious.
If only this were a recording instead of a written report, I could listen and judge for myself.
Unfortunately, after Sylvius Peregrine passed away, producing functional recorders became impossible.
Without him, the static was so bad that the devices were practically useless.
This is intriguing, but it had to be Florina, of all people, who filed the report.
I should have assigned someone more competent.
Now that I think about it, there are other parts of the report that seem noteworthy upon closer inspection.
“Flying kicks?”
In a world where martial arts primarily revolved around weaponry, using such an inefficient technique was practically unheard of.
Solinor used to wield a sword and throw flying kicks.
Why on earth would someone holding a fine holy sword attack with their feet?
Brother, please, stop doing that.
No matter how often I said it, it had become a habit for him to kick.
If it weren’t for Solinor’s superhuman physique, his extended leg would have shattered against the blade.
But for the princess to do it 30 times in one night?
This couldn’t be mere coincidence.
Bloodlines don’t lie. Though I’ve never heard of Princess Muriela training in martial arts.
And digging up soil in the garden, destroying flower beds, climbing trees?
Maybe if she were a mischievous young prince, but the frail and delicate princess suddenly behaving like this?
Could it be that she’s lost her mind after enduring Eldric’s neglect?
No, this isn’t that simple.
“There’s definitely something here.”
My gut tells me so.
***
Continental Year 761, February 28 (Sunday).
It had already been a week since Solinor began pondering what to say to Aiorin.
Under normal circumstances, Solinor would have blurted out anything without a second thought, but he was always incredibly cautious when it came to his beloved wife.
Though kind and endearing, she was prone to sulking because of her youthful nature.
Not as a figure of speech, but literally rolling on the floor crying.
The problem was that Solinor was terrible at understanding a woman’s feelings.
Of course, Aiorin’s love for Solinor was as deep as the ocean, and her sulking never affected that.
It was simply her personality.
To say it was due to her youth was misleading.
Other young elves weren’t quite like her.
Then again, Solinor, who only knew Aiorin, assumed this was typical behavior.
“Hm… what should I say to make sure she doesn’t sulk?”
‘Are you still agonizing over this? For the love of spirits, stop it! I’m going to die of boredom at this rate!’
Wendy contorted her non-existent facial muscles into an expression that seemed like she was screaming in frustration.
Of course, spirits can’t die.
“Just wait a moment. This is an important matter. There was that one time I said the wrong thing at her birthday party, and she didn’t speak to me for a week.”
‘When exactly did you meet Aiorin? She’s been in the Fey Forest for decades.’
“It’s a long story. Let me just explain. Do you know Solinor?”
‘Of course. He’s the one who traveled with Aiorin and wielded the holy sword.’
“That’s me!”
Without any reason, Princess Muriela folded her arms to flex her muscles.
Of course, it was just her skin folding.
‘You’re really a crazy princess.’
“Wendy, as a spirit, don’t you have the ability to see souls? Come on, if you look at my soul, doesn’t it feel exactly the same as before?”
‘Don’t say nonsense. That man’s soul had no ability to communicate with spirits. If you’re really him, how can you even talk to me?’
“Eh, you can’t see souls, can you? Spirits are nothing special, huh?”
‘What did you say? Of course, I can see them, you crazy princess!’
“Hehe, are you mad? Bleh!”
‘Ugh, why am I even talking to a child? Forget it.’
_
Princess Muriela was delusional.
Florina, who was observing from outside the door, was finally certain of it today.
And this wasn’t the only clue.
The decisive hint came during the history lesson, where she barely managed to eavesdrop.
Whenever Mr. Anton mentioned King Solinor, Princess Muriela became completely absorbed.
Sometimes, she would even spit while enthusiastically recounting “her” experiences as if she were reliving his era.
The princess’s fragile mind must have retreated into old stories, unable to endure her father’s neglect.
Tsk, tsk. How pitiful.
Spending a week with her, Florina knew that Princess Muriela was a kind-hearted, lovable child.
What had driven the princess to this state was entirely King Eldric’s fault.
Though she felt sympathy, pity alone wouldn’t solve anything.
She needed to report this to Sir Corbin immediately so that he could take action as soon as possible.
Although there were no psychiatrists in this world, managing children who exhibited strange behavior through isolation and periodic counseling was possible.
Of course, it would be sad for the princess to be confined suddenly, but in the long term, it would be for the best.
_
Unaware of Florina’s malicious plot to have her isolated, Solinor was still tormenting Wendy.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
‘Whatever it is, please just decide quickly…’
“Achoo!”
Is someone talking about me? Solinor looked around curiously.
No, it’s not just someone. There’s a spy near you. A spy.
“Alright. I’ve made my decision.”
‘Really? After a week of deliberation, I’m curious about your grand conclusion.’
“Go to Aiorin and say, ‘Solinor, descends.’”
‘…You’re insane.’
“What? It’s cool!”
Wouldn’t it have been better if he hadn’t deliberated at all?
Grumbling, Wendy flew off to deliver the message.
“Oh, by the way, how long will it take?”
‘I’ll be back in no time. I’m a spirit, remember?’
_
Aiorin was still rolling on the grassy fields, lamenting her situation.
“I want to see my darling… How long will I be stuck here?”
Roll, roll.
“Why isn’t he coming to find me? It’s been about a month since I felt his soul return…”
A sinister thought crossed Aiorin’s mind.
That man… has he found someone else?
Oh my, is he seeing another woman while leaving me here?
I won’t let this slide.
Fine, let’s see how beautiful she is to have made him abandon his wife for a month.
Fwoosh, fwoosh.
Suddenly, Aiorin became like a steaming elf kettle, exhaling furious snorts.
Those despicable adulterers, just wait…!
As she contemplated how to punish those who had forsaken their moral obligations, a familiar voice reached her ears.
‘Aiorin, I have a message for you.’
“Huh? Wendy? It’s been a while.”
‘You never called me. I got bored and wandered the world.’
“Sorry, I didn’t have a reason to summon you. But now, I need your help. I’ve got to escape this place, no matter what.”
‘Huh? Why’s that?’
“Because my husband is cheating on me!”
Though she had no evidence.
‘You mean Solinor? That guy is dead, isn’t he?’
“There’s more to it than that. Anyway, what’s the message?”
‘Solinor, descends.’
“What?”
‘What?’
“Who asked you to deliver that?”
‘You know that big building you used to live in?’
“The Royal Palace of Silbrenoa?”
‘Yeah, I think that’s what it was called. A princess living there asked me to tell you.’
“A princess?”
That wretched woman dared to use her status to seduce my husband.
Grrrr. Aiorin ground her teeth in rage.
Wait a second.
That’s not right.
If it’s a princess of Silbrenoa, isn’t she my granddaughter?
And also Solinor’s granddaughter?
Could my darling have… with our granddaughter…?
How old is she even?
Eldric is about 35 years old, so at most, she’d be 20?
At that moment, Aiorin’s worldview collapsed.
Even the most unruly and reckless elf in the village, Aiorin, was dumbfounded by this absurd idea of an illicit relationship.
For a moment, her mind went blank.
‘Hey? Aiorin! Aiorin! Snap out of it!’
—
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