Levan entered in yet
another disguise, this time appearing as a plump middle-aged man. This was his third
visit, and each time, his appearance had been completely different—only his
gender remained consistent. His face, body, and even his age had changed with
each visit.
He had passed the secret
code that he and Sienna had agreed upon to the maid, who led him in. The maid
likely had no idea that the man she had seen three times was the same person.
"The item you sent
last time was nothing more than an ordinary hairpin," Levan said, handing
over a report. It concluded that there was "nothing suspicious."
Since sending Violet a tea
that was supposed to ease her morning sickness, Patricia had followed up with
various gifts: tea leaves, fruits, a waist belt, and hairpins. On the surface,
Patricia appeared to be a caring matriarch, looking after a family member who
was with child. But Sienna didn’t trust her mother’s intentions.
Violet had sent all the
items to Sienna, and Sienna had, in turn, passed them to Levan. So far, nothing
suspicious had been found in any of the gifts Patricia had sent.
"What do you think? Do
you see any significance in these items?" Sienna asked.
"I have two
theories," Levan replied.
"Two? Let's hear
them."
"First, it could be to
lower their guard. There was a famous case in a royal family on the continent.
The queen, after winning the king’s favor, began sending daily bouquets to the
favored concubine. At first, the concubine refused to accept them, but later,
she grew accustomed to receiving them and placed them in her reception room.
Eventually, she even decorated her bedroom with them. The concubine died,
slowly poisoned by the flowers. To this day, gifting flowers is taboo in that
kingdom."
Levan’s eyes remained
steady as he continued. "The second possibility is a distraction. Sending
seemingly innocent gifts may cause the recipient to spend time analyzing them
while the sender carries out another plan unnoticed. It’s a common
tactic."
Levan knew the items he was
investigating came from the Red King and were sent to Violet. Sienna had shared
her suspicions about Patricia’s intentions, thinking it would help his
investigation. But even after hearing the details, Levan remained unfazed,
calmly discussing past instances of “flower poisoning,” demonstrating that he
was no ordinary man.
Sienna appreciated Levan’s
directness. She had no one else in her circle who spoke as openly as he did.
Sienna crossed her arms and
fell into thought. There wasn’t anything urgent that needed addressing just
yet. Patricia hadn’t made any overt moves so far.
'Should I warn Violet?' she
pondered. But if she warned her and nothing happened, Violet’s vigilance might
wane. With Violet’s temperament, she wouldn’t be able to tolerate living in constant
suspicion of everything around her.
"This, however,
yielded some results," Levan said, handing over another report. This one
was an analysis of the mysterious herb Sienna had been given when she had a
high fever.
"I struggled to find
anyone who recognized the plant with the properties you described. But I took a
different approach and found a lead."
Sienna scanned the report.
"It doesn’t exist in
the wild?"
"Correct. It appears
to be a hybrid species, artificially bred. It likely requires a controlled
environment to grow, and there’s doubt that it can produce seeds that retain
its full traits. Large-scale cultivation would be impossible."
"Doesn't the Rad
Trading Company also run greenhouses? Haven’t your people tried something
similar?" Sienna asked.
"Of course. Everyone
in our line of work attempts hybridization to improve crop yields. However, we
avoid focusing on plants with toxic properties."
"Why?"
"You need test
subjects to understand the effects of toxins, and it’s difficult to acquire
them," Levan replied.
Sienna’s expression
hardened as she tightened her grip on the report. She wondered how many people
had been sacrificed to create the poisonous plants that thrived in Patricia’s
greenhouse.
"The most important
factor is cost," Levan added.
"Cost?"
"Yes. The resources
and time required outweigh the potential gains."
"Even for an
organization like the Rad Trading Company, you'd still worry about money?"
Sienna was surprised.
"No matter how
wealthy, no one has unlimited funds. Even the richest sea of gold will
eventually run dry."
"It costs that
much?" Sienna remarked. "But the fact remains that this plant exists.
So it’s not impossible."
"You can produce a few
of them, but unless the costs are carefully balanced with returns, it’s little
more than an expensive hobby."
An expensive hobby.
‘That’s exactly it,’ Sienna
thought. There was no better way to describe Patricia’s greenhouse filled with
poisonous plants. But if that was the case, where was Patricia getting the
funds for her greenhouse? The budget allocated to the Red King had its limits.
'It must be the Rimone
family,' Sienna realized. She understood more clearly than ever that she needed
to sever the connection between her mother and the Rimone family.
"What you’re saying is
that these plants aren’t productive, but if it’s a colorless, odorless poison,
it could still be useful," Sienna speculated.
"Your Highness, it’s
not a lack of deadly poisons that’s the problem. It’s getting someone to ingest
them that’s the challenge," Levan responded with a smirk.
Sienna chuckled lightly and
nodded.
"And now for some news
from the desert."
Sienna, who had been
reading the herb analysis report again, immediately looked up.
"The troops sent from
the empire to the United Nations will soon return."
"Return? Why?"
"The United Nations
has split into two nearly equal factions," Levan explained.
On one side were the former
Queen Lecca and her adopted son, Yota, supported by the Tuisa tribe. On the
other were the young prince Ahim, the rightful heir as per the late king’s
will, backed by the Rama tribe.
Lecca’s faction controlled
the palace, while Ahim’s side held the moral high ground of the king’s will.
By tradition, Ahim
shouldn’t have been able to inherit, as he wasn’t born of the recognized queen.
However, his supporters argued that the customs of the desert didn’t apply to
the United Nations, where the king’s word was law, and his will was absolute.
Things initially favored
Lecca’s faction. However, the Houtu tribe, which had been neutral, stole a
sacred branch from the royal treasury and joined forces with Ahim. The sacred
branch symbolized recognition from the emperor, and whoever possessed it was
considered the legitimate ruler.
By the time imperial forces
arrived, the sacred branch was already in Ahim’s hands. Lecca’s faction
demanded that the branch be retrieved, while Ahim’s side claimed rightful
ownership. The empire’s soldiers found themselves unable to intervene, as they
had no authority to determine who the true owner of the sacred branch was.
"So, both the troops
and the leaders of each faction will return to the empire?"
"Yes. They’ll likely
seek the emperor’s decision on who the rightful ruler is."
"Does that mean Kuhn
might return as well...?" Sienna asked, a note of hope in her voice.
Levan shook his head.
"No. If Kuhn leaves,
the balance will tip. Ahim’s faction currently has the upper hand militarily,
especially with the Rama and Houtu tribes allied."
Sienna’s heart fluttered
with excitement at the thought of Kuhn returning, but she quickly masked her
disappointment when she realized he wouldn’t be coming back just yet.
"So, the leaders are
coming to ask the emperor to decide which side to support?"
"Yes. Neither side can
afford to give up the sacred branch."
"Of course," Sienna
agreed.
Although the Empire did not
formally interfere with the internal affairs of its vassal states, a
relationship of equality between nations was impossible once a kingdom declared
itself a vassal. In the Empire, the nobility of a vassal kingdom was inevitably
ranked lower. For instance, a duke in a kingdom would be considered only an
earl within the Empire. This disparity applied not just to nobility but also to
the citizens of vassal states, who faced discrimination in the Empire.
A vassal state could always
reclaim its independence by returning the sacred branch. But no nation that had
experienced the branch's power was ever willing to relinquish its status as a
vassal.
The sacred branch kept the
desert spirits at bay. The palace and its surrounding area, where the branch
was stored, were safe from the attacks of monsters. Consequently, the capital,
where the palace stood, flourished, attracting people and creating a privileged
class of residents.
Who would willingly give up
such power? Any king attempting to return the sacred branch would face fierce
resistance, possibly even rebellion.
"The emperor will have
to make a decision," Sienna remarked.
"The outcome is
already clear," Levan responded without hesitation. Sienna gave him a
curious look, and he simply shrugged.
"The Tuisa tribe will
get what they want and return home. After all, Kuhn is there. Their
representative will undoubtedly present an offer the emperor can't
refuse."
Levan’s confidence was
unwavering. Sienna's eyes widened, and then she let out a soft laugh.
"Will the United
Nations stabilize after that?"
"Assuming the Ahim
faction surrenders the sacred branch peacefully, yes."
"That’s... a difficult
assumption."
"Indeed. They may
decide to destroy the branch rather than hand it over. But Kuhn will take care of
that."
Sienna found Levan’s trust
in Kuhn fascinating. Levan was typically pragmatic and analytical, someone who
meticulously examined every detail. Yet here he was, speaking about Kuhn with
the faith of a priest in a deity. If even Levan could speak of Kuhn in this
way, it made Sienna wonder what kind of impact Kuhn had on others.
It filled her with pride to
know that Kuhn was a figure of such respect, but at the same time, she felt a
pang of sympathy. How difficult it must be for him, always walking ahead,
bearing the weight of people who looked up to him with such faith. She wished
for his safe and swift return to the Empire, hoping to embrace him after all
the hardship he had endured.
"Lastly, I have news
from the Rimone duchy," Levan said.
"I don’t Rekall asking
you for information on that," Sienna replied coldly, her gaze sharp. Levan
stiffened at the shift in her tone.
"Yes, but before he
left, Kuhn instructed me to inform you if anything significant happened in the
duchy. If you prefer, I won’t look into it any further."
Sienna’s expression
softened.
"No, go ahead. Tell
me."
Levan thought to himself
that if Sienna married Kuhn and became his superior, Kuhn’s life might become
quite tough. Kuhn was lenient with his subordinates’ oversteps, but Sienna seemed
to leave no room for even a needle.
"The Duke of Rimone is
on his way to the capital. When I heard the news, he had already left, so he
should arrive soon."
"Is that so? The duke
is coming..." Sienna murmured to herself, lost in thought.
‘For him to leave the
duchy, things must have settled down there,’ she reasoned.
Levan, sensing the shift in
Sienna’s mood, spoke cautiously.
"Your Highness, I will
take my leave now."
Sienna looked up.
"Yes, go. You’ve done
well. If any of my requests ever trouble you, don’t hesitate to let me know.
Are you sure you don’t need any compensation?"
"Oh, no, Your
Highness. It's just a bit of legwork. The investigations and the information I
gather are things I would have done anyway."
Levan stopped and turned
back to take one last glance at the Silver Palace as it grew smaller in the
distance.
Before Kuhn left for the
desert, he had called Levan to his side and given him an important directive:
"If the Silver King
asks for your assistance, do everything you can to help her."
"How far should I go
with that, sir?"
"As long as it doesn’t
endanger the clan irreparably, do whatever is necessary."
Levan hadn’t missed the
significance of Kuhn’s words. He knew Kuhn didn’t use meaningless phrases. Kuhn
had essentially said to help Sienna even if it caused harm to the clan, as long
as it wasn’t catastrophic.
The more Levan thought
about it, the more he realized how monumental this was. For Kuhn, the clan had
always been everything. It had been the only value that truly mattered to him.
But now, someone as important—perhaps even more important—had appeared in
Kuhn’s life.
It was an incredible shift,
one that felt as if the world itself had turned upside down. Levan mused to himself,
‘The elders would be shocked if they knew.’
Levan was part of the
younger generation often scorned by the elders for being "too
individualistic." He believed in balancing personal value with the
collective good and didn’t find Kuhn’s change of heart alarming.
‘Love, huh?
Levan couldn’t help
but ponder how fickle the human heart could be. He wondered just how far those
two would be able to go together. Could they overcome the many real-world
obstacles that stood between them?
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