Chapter 61. I Thought My People Were Only in the Imperial Palace?
After returning to my room, I sat down on a chair.
A silence settled after the commotion.
But the story I’d just heard still lingered in my ears.
— Recently, it seems Sir Leonard has been meeting with some woman.
Leonard is seeing a woman?
I couldn’t imagine it.
Wasn’t Leonard someone who had never shown any interest in women?
— I heard the atmosphere wasn’t ordinary, either.
— You see, last time, Lady Erbel happened to see them… Sir Leonard was with a young woman by the lakeside……
— You haven’t heard what Lady Karin said yet, have you? Last time in the downtown area, Sir Leonard……
There must’ve been more shocking comments after that.
But I was so surprised I couldn’t focus on what they were saying.
“Sir Leonard would never do that.”
One of the maids exclaimed indignantly beside me.
“My goodness, how could Sir Leonard do such a thing?”
“Right! To be with another woman when he has Her Majesty the Empress. If it’s true, that’s clearly betrayal.”
“Sir Leonard, having an affair… sob, I’m so disappointed. So disappointed.”
I made a displeased face at the maids’ strong reactions.
Well… I mean…
It’s not really a betrayal, is it?
Leonard and I weren’t anything to begin with.
Strictly speaking, we were just an Empress and her escort knight.
That was it.
Using the word “affair” didn’t really suit the situation.
But honestly, I didn’t feel good about it either.
‘Didn’t he once ask to be taken as my lover……?’
Of course, I never intended to accept him as such.
Not even a little.
And yet……
Why am I feeling upset?
It was strange.
This is all his fault.
Talking about being a lover or whatever—he’s the one who said weird things and made me feel like this.
Just as I was deep in thought—
Knock knock.
There was a knock at the door.
“Your Majesty the Empress. It’s Marie.”
A moment later, she entered the room, panting as if she had come from far away.
“What’s wrong? Was there something urgent?”
“I went to the Knight Order.”
“The Knight Order?”
“I couldn’t just sit around after hearing the rumors about Sir Leonard. So I went to the Order myself to ask if he was there.”
In that short time?
Her initiative was nothing short of impressive.
Somehow, it felt like the maids were more agitated than I was about Leonard.
Countess Chloe asked,
“Was Sir Leonard there?”
Marie shook her head with a sorrowful expression.
“He wasn’t. I was told he has only been attending essential meetings at the Knight Order for the past few days, saying something important came up at his family estate.”
“Oh my goodness!”
“This can’t be.”
“He told Her Majesty he was busy with Knight Order duties……”
The maids sighed in despair.
No, listen. I really don’t care who he meets, okay?
“This won’t do, Your Majesty.”
Countess Chloe spoke with a firm expression.
I was startled by her resolute tone, as she was rarely one to get emotional.
“What do you mean this won’t do?”
“This is not the time for you to stay still.”
“…Excuse me?”
Not stay still?
“We need to catch him in the act—no, we need to confirm the truth behind the rumors.”
Catch him in the act?
“No, seriously, Sir Leonard and I are nothing to each other?”
But it seemed my words no longer reached them.
The maids had determined looks on their faces.
They exchanged glances quickly, as if the investigation had already been decided, and began delegating tasks.
“I’ll head outside the palace and check around the shops in the downtown district. If Sir Leonard really met someone, there will be people who know.”
“There are our people at the Hilbert Marquessate too. I’ll send a carrier pigeon to ask about his movements.”
“I’ll contact the attendants of the noble ladies who attended the tea party earlier. We should check the social circles for rumors and developments.”
Under the command of Countess Chloe, the maids began moving in perfect coordination.
Wait, this isn’t something to get so worked up about.
More importantly, I had people in the Hilbert Marquessate?
There was no end to the surprises.
“There was someone in the Knight Order who knew Sir Leonard well, wasn’t there?”
“Probably Sir Conrad. I remember he was very kind.”
“Perfect. Please gather more information from him. Lady Stephan, can I count on you?”
“Don’t worry! I’ll dig up every last detail!”
“Lady Carol. Your family runs a clothing business, right? We’ll need disguises. Something that doesn’t stand out too much.”
“Yes. Leave it to me!”
What in the world is going on?
Amidst the confusion,
The maids moved quickly into their respective roles.
There was a mysterious sense of combativeness burning in their eyes.
They looked like a search party on their way to catch someone red-handed.
No.
…But I have no intention of going out?
＊ ＊ ＊
In the end, I ended up coming out.
Ah… I ended up being dragged out by the maids.
Wearing a wig on my head and a thick robe wrapped around me.
At my side were Countess Chloe and Marie.
Following their lead, we arrived at a busy shopping district lined with stores selling expensive clothes and jewelry.
“So, you’re saying Sir Leonard will come here?”
“We received word from the Hilbert Marquessate, so it must be true.”
The maids’ intelligence network surpassed my imagination.
In such a short time, they had tracked Leonard’s movements with precision.
Though I had been pushed into coming by the maids, the reality of it hadn’t sunk in.
That Leonard wasn’t at the Knight Order.
That he hadn’t told me the truth.
It felt like something he could’ve done.
Right?
It’s not like he’s obligated to always tell me the truth.
“Oh! There! There he is!”
Marie exclaimed in an excited voice.
Looking where she pointed, I saw a familiar head of black hair.
Even from a distance, the man’s striking appearance stood out.
It was Leonard.
And he wasn’t alone.
There was a woman beside him.
Even from afar, she was stunningly beautiful.
Leonard was escorting her.
What could be so amusing?
A gentle smile rested on Leonard’s face as he looked at her.
Countess Chloe looked at me cautiously and asked,
“Your Majesty, what shall we do?”
“Let’s go.”
The moment I saw him, my feet moved before reason could catch up.
And so we began tailing Leonard.
＊ ＊ ＊
“My goodness, this is that restaurant you have to book two months in advance to get into!”
Standing in front of the massive building, Marie was speechless in amazement.
The restaurant, named “Max’s Kitchen,” looked luxurious at a glance.
According to Marie, it was run by a famous chef.
They brought in fresh ingredients from the morning, and served rare dishes no one had ever heard of.
Supposedly, just one bite would leave a lasting impression……
Anyway, it was one of the most renowned restaurants in the capital.
The problem was that Leonard and the beautiful woman had entered this very place.
“Sir Leonard… surely not……”
“This is highly suspicious.”
Marie and Countess Chloe’s expressions grew serious.
There was no hesitation in their steps as they headed toward the entrance.
But they were soon stopped by a guard at the door.
“Apologies. Only guests with prior reservations may enter.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected rejection, Countess Chloe furrowed her brows and scolded the guard with a stern voice.
“Ahem. Do you know who we are?”
Marie also stepped forward confidently.
“We’ve brought an important guest. Don’t be rude—step aside at once.”
“An important guest?”
“Of course. Our Empr—”
“Ahem, ahem.”
“Our… gracious Lady Rena.”
At my dry cough, Marie quickly corrected herself from saying “Empress” to “Lady Rena.”
Rena was the alias used to refer to me.
We couldn’t very well call me “Empress” in front of others, so we had settled on a temporary name.
Naturally, the guard didn’t know who “Rena” was.
“I’m sorry. It’s the restaurant’s policy. We ask for your understanding.”
“You’re making a grave mistake right now!”
Marie raised her voice again, but the guard remained firm.
“If you continue causing a scene, we’ll have no choice but to call for backup.”
Of course.
From the guard’s point of view, we were just a group of strangers causing a commotion.
Granting our request would have been even stranger.
“Let’s just go back.”
I didn’t want to make any more of a scene.
It was true that the rumors about Leonard had piqued my interest, but I didn’t want to go so far as to chase after him like this.
Just as I was calming the agitated Marie and preparing to leave—
“Ah! There you are.”
A man in a chef’s uniform emerged from the restaurant.
He looked familiar.
‘That man… last time…’
Yes. I remembered.
Wasn’t he the chef who had brought food to my room last time?
The one who had subtly passed me a strange vial, saying it was hard to obtain.
“What are you doing here?”
“Haha, you didn’t know? This restaurant is run by my son.”
It turned out the famous chef who ran the place was none other than his son.
And the restaurant was even named after him.
“I tried to come out quickly, but I was late in greeting you.”
“Do you know them?”
The guard looked startled.
“They’re my guests. Surely you haven’t been rude to them?”
“N-No, of course not.”
Chef Max dismissed the guard and bowed respectfully.
“It is an honor to have you here. I will guide you to a private room.”
“……”
I looked at Countess Chloe with puzzled eyes.
Countess Chloe gave me a soft smile.
“He is also one of Your Ma— I mean, Lady Rena’s people. I remembered he was here and called for him.”
Wait a minute. That means……
My people aren’t just in the Empress’ Palace?
—
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