The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path

Radis knew that he must be agitated.

However, Olivier’s mask remained intact.

The corners of his lips were slightly tugged up, showing a semblance of a smile, then he took Radis’ hand and returned it to her lap.

After a moment of silence, the carriage stopped once it arrived at the townhouse.

Looking at Olivier, Radis said,

“Your Highness, please come in. Have a cup of tea.”

“…Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

Radis took Olivier to a small drawing room with a fireplace.

After stoking the fire and adding more firewood, she brought a large mug of warm, herbal tea and gave it to Olivier.

It might be that she was treating the imperial prince as though he was a small child, but she couldn’t help it.

Olivier had returned to his usual glacier-like mask. But she knew, underneath that façade, his real face would not have the same restrained expression.

After a while, a knight approached Olivier.

“Your Highness, we have captured the assassin.”

“Is he dead?”

“…I apologize. We couldn’t stop him from taking his own life.”

Olivier closed his eyes.

“Yes, it would have been difficult to do so. It’s fine. They’ve seen blood once, so it’ll be peaceful for a while.”

After the knight stepped away, Olivier looked at the flames in the fireplace, exhaustion evident in his eyes.

His side profile was like a porcelain mask.

Radis asked.

“Is this the end? That person tried to assassinate a member of the Imperial Family, but it all ends with the assassin taking his own life?”

“…Yes.”

“How could that be? We must find the person who commissioned that assassin in the first place!”

Olivier turned his head slowly.

Still as ever, his face remained to be a mask.

“I already know who it is.”

“What?”

“I know who wants to kill me. That’s why that person can’t be sought out.”

“……!”

He already knows, but he couldn’t condemn them?

Why?

But at the back of her mind, Radis already knew the answer.

‘Someone from the Imperial Family… But, his own family? One of his family members is trying to kill him?’

Radis kept her lips shut.

It was something that she could dare talk about openly.

For a while, they both said nothing.

In that drawing room, only the crackling sound of the fireplace could be heard.

‘Master…’

Radis suddenly recalled Armano.

There were days when she’d suffer by Margaret’s hand, and there were days when it was absolutely painful to be alone.

At that time, Radis would wash her face with cold water and go to Armano.

Armano resided in the attic of the Tilrod mansion’s servants’ quarters, and unlike the usual swordsman, his room was filled with paper, books and ink.

He had a hobby of writing, and whenever he had some time alone, he could be found writing.

But whenever Radis would go to his room, Armano would put down his quill and greet his young disciple with open arms.

‘Goodness, my loveliest and cutest student is here.’

He would usually have some hot tea in a large, wooden cup ready for her, and he’d give her the warmest seat in the room. Then, he’d tell her in a soft voice,

‘What story should I tell my cute student? Right. Should I tell you about the secret underground space lying beneath the Imperial Palace?’

Back then, Radis thought that most of what Armano said was nothing but some moderately made-up stories, but those stories were the best at pulling the young Radis out of the deep swamp of despair that she was feeling.

Now determined, Radis opened her lips to speak.

“Your Highness.”

Hearing her call him, Olivier looked up.

“You know, the Empire’s…”

But when Radis started with that, she realized her mistake.

How foolish would it be to tell a ghost story about the imperial palace to someone who lives there, and better yet, was the third prince of the empire to boot.

Radis quickly backtracked.

“…Do you know that this very townhouse has a strange thing inside it?”

“Huh?”

The first day Radis arrived at the townhouse, Yves showed her around and told her the same story.

“In the basement underneath us, there’s… a mummy!”

Radis stared expectantly at Olivier’s face.

Hoping that there would be a big reaction.

But contrary to her expectations, Olivier looked confused instead. He didn’t seem to understand what she just said.

With a slight frown, he asked.

“A mummy…?”

“Yes! The Marquis tried several times to throw it away, but Madam Mariel kept stopping him. It seems to be their ancestor’s mummified body.”

At that, Olivier’s expression became more perplexed.

“An ancestor of House Russell… Are you saying that it’s being kept in this townhouse’s basement without getting buried?”

“I guess so. I wanted to go see it at least once, but the Marquis said he absolutely doesn’t ever want to go. But Lord Olivier, do you want to go with me?”

Contemplating it for a moment, Olivier eventually nodded.

“If you want me to go with you, then I will.”