Chapter 86: Has Soone Ever Admired Your Backside Too?
The golden scale hung suspended in the air, its 2 sides tilting up and down in a continuous sway—as though sizing up the mysterious person who had drawn near.
Auréliane looked at the golden scale before her and thought slowly:
In the legends, there had once been a Goddess with an extraordinarily strong sense of justice. She descended to the mortal world and used her scale to weigh the rights and wrongs of humanity.
But the strife of the world eventually wore upon her. Endless wars left the Gods without a single shred of hope for humanity—the Goddess of Justice alone still wished to believe in them.
Yet the conflicts never ceased. Humanity showed not the slightest reflection, continuing to slaughter one another senselessly. In the end, the Goddess of Justice also abandoned her hope, and vanished with her scale to parts unknown.
Yet in the mythological tales, there had never been any ntion of the Goddess of Justice's scale ultimately coming to rest in Endymion.
It seed, then—Endymion was under the protection of the legendary Goddess of Justice.
Auréliane's mind cleared considerably at once.
It seed the Mage Council's faith was in the Goddess of Justice.
Auréliane studied the golden scale carefully for a mont.
But beyond a trace of lingering Magic Power, she felt no other presence from it whatsoever.
Auréliane shook her head. Perhaps this object before her simply held no particular pull for her.
A creation of a God like this—unless recognized by it, no one could take it away.
She took 1 final glance at the scale, then turned around and slowly made her way out of the dark tunnel.
As Auréliane departed, the golden scale gradually ca to rest in equilibrium.
The light upon it dimd by degrees.
Ti passed quickly. Auréliane, who had grown thoroughly weary from just standing there, paid no mind to whether her dress would get dirty.
She gathered the skirt of her gown and sat down on a floating slab of rock, watching the fantastical clouds in the distance shift and change shape endlessly.
Auréliane found herself strangely captivated.
Before long, the color of the sky gradually deepened into darkness, and a swirling nebula crept up across the curtain of night at so unknown point. Only then did Auréliane realize—she had already spent a full day here.
"……Hmm?"
So she had left the Imperial Palace with her teacher an entire day ago?
Before this, spending the night away from the Imperial Palace wasn't sothing she had ever thought about.
Auréliane let out a yawn and lay back on the floating slab of rock, her gaze turned toward the dreamlike sky above, her eyes shimring faintly as though starlight moved through them.
"The feeling of freedom."
"It's not bad at all."
***
Clavena Manor.
The great gate outside the Courtyard—the Imperial guards clad in iron armor were still waiting for the Princess's return.
They had been standing here for a full day and night already.
For as long as the Princess had not returned, they would not leave for even a mont.
At this ti, Leah sat at her writing desk, one hand propped against her cheek, worrying with a head full of confused, tangled thoughts.
Where on earth had Viktor gone?
Disappearing on his own was one thing—but how had he taken the Princess along with him?
How were they supposed to explain this to the Imperial family?
She truly couldn't make sense of what Viktor was thinking.
Gwen, sitting beside her, patted her on the shoulder and let out a sigh, trying to reassure her:
"Leah, relax."
"Last ti Viktor did sothing similar, the Princess ca back perfectly fine."
"He is her teacher, after all. I trust he knows where to draw the line."
Hearing Gwen's words of comfort, Leah gave her a puzzled sidelong glance and shot back:
"Didn't you used to hate Viktor most of all?"
The question caught Gwen slightly off guard. She turned her head away involuntarily and replied in a voice that was barely audible:
"Mm……at least he seems normal enough now."
So you're saying you thought he was pretty abnormal before, are you.
Leah let out a quiet sigh.
Last night, when Heni had learned that Viktor had disappeared with the Princess, she had been visibly distressed.
Even this morning, when she'd gone to help out at the item shop, she'd seed sowhat absent-minded.
Seeing Heni's expression like that, Leah understood a great deal.
There really were quite a few girls who had developed feelings for that scoundrel Viktor.
"Gwen."
With that thought, Leah turned to look at Gwen again.
Strictly speaking, she had always felt, ever since they were young, that Gwen and Viktor were completely unsuited for each other.
After all, the 2 of them had looked down on each other without exception from childhood onward.
Gwen despised Viktor's hypocrisy, and Viktor despised Gwen's sense of justice.
But looking at things now, the relationship between the 2 seed to have shifted sowhat.
And yet……
"You're not even the least bit anxious, are you."
Leah shook her head helplessly.
"Anxious? What would I be anxious about?"
Gwen looked a little puzzled—she couldn't quite grasp what Leah was getting at.
Leah didn't say another word. She could only grumble inwardly:
Viktor had been away with the Princess for a full day and night, and the 2 of them had spent the whole evening alone together.
Who could say what might or might not have happened between those 2?
Viktor really did have so nerve—actually taking the Princess out of the Royal Capital and not coming back for an entire day.
If he weren't so deeply trusted by Emperor Aubrey, arrest orders would probably already be at the front door by now.
In a worse scenario, Leah herself might have already been hauled off first to sit behind iron bars.
Looking at it now, the old Emperor had essentially given his full and silent approval to the Princess's interactions with Viktor.
A knock sounded at the door, and Cilia entered the Study.
She held an Imperial ssage in hand. Standing before Gwen, she read it aloud:
"Grand Knight Commander Gwen, Principal Rashel has submitted a report on the whereabouts of Viktor and Her Highness the Princess."
"The Princess has been taken by Viktor to the City of Mages."
As a Council mber of the Mage Council, Rashel naturally knew of the Council's invitation to Viktor.
He had also received word from Heim that Viktor had arrived at Endymion with the Princess.
Recently, however, sothing strange had been going on.
No matter how many tis he sent ssages to Heim, he received absolutely no reply.
It was as though the man was in the middle of sothing and couldn't find a mont to respond.
Gwen said to Leah beside her, with a hint of relief:
"See? You can relax now."
Leah, however, still wore that expression of worry as she thought it over.
Given Viktor's reputation, it was strange that no one had taken this opportunity to make trouble for the Clavena Family.
That didn't quite add up.
Looking at it now, Viktor's actions were indeed sothing she could trust. He had handled everything.
Even in taking the Princess away, he had deliberately left his every move in plain sight of the Imperial family.
All of it was to put the Imperial family completely at ease regarding him.
But still—there would always be soone who refused to let the matter go. That much even Viktor couldn't avoid.
Clop! Clop! Clop!
The sound of iron-shod hooves rang out in perfect unison beyond the gates of Clavena Manor.
As the horses ca to a halt with a whinny, a lavishly dressed man stepped slowly down from the carriage at the center of the mounted retinue.
Jess Rether.
Hearing the Maidservant's report of the visitor, Leah narrowed her eyes.
Sure enough. In a mont like this, how could there possibly be no one coming to make trouble.
She wasn't certain whether Jess Rether was aware that Viktor had taken the Princess to the City of Mages.
But Leah was more inclined to believe that Jess did know.
As fellow rchants, Leah had so understanding of Jess.
His information network was extensive—he had almost certainly co prepared.
Leah rose to her feet and walked out of the Manor.
After all, this was the eldest son of the Rether Family—it was only proper for her to receive him in person.
Leah stepped out, smiled, and led Jess into the eting Room.
Leah and Gwen sat on one side, while Jess Rether sat across from them alone.
"It's been a long ti, Miss Leah."
"You grow more beautiful every ti I see you."
Leah cut him off before he could finish his flattery. She sat with her legs crossed, leaning against the sofa, and got straight to the point:
"Let's speak plainly."
Jess Rether was a rchant—but Leah was a rchant too, and she knew exactly what Jess Rether's visit at a ti like this ant.
"Unless I'm mistaken, those families that were trying to acquire the blue potions the other day—that was arranged by you, wasn't it?"
"I'll skip the pleasantries. Whatever grievances our 2 families have between us, you know perfectly well yourself. So tell —what are you here to discuss?"
Jess Rether responded with a smile.
"Still the selling rights to that remarkable Magic Potion. I simply want a mutually beneficial arrangent, dear Miss Leah."
Leah gave a cold smile and answered with cutting sharpness:
"rchants move for profit—I don't believe you. You'd take on that much of a loss just to hand us money like so generous fool."
Hearing her words, Jess laughed aloud. Rather than continuing to address Leah, he shifted his gaze toward Gwen.
"This must be Mr. Viktor's Fiancée?"
Gwen didn't respond. She regarded the man before her with cold eyes.
The aura Jess gave off made Gwen feel thoroughly unpleasant.
But Jess Rether was not about to close his mouth just because of Gwen's attitude, and continued with his easy smile:
"If this were before, I would admit I ca with a certain amount of bias and arrogance toward you both."
"But now things are entirely different, Miss Leah."
Jess smiled brilliantly.
"You may be about to beco Imperial relatives."
Leah's expression cooled slightly.
So this was what Jess Rether had been waiting to say.
But she had co prepared as well, and replied with composure:
"Are you referring to the Princess? Then Mr. Jess should have known about this since."
"My elder brother, as Her Highness the Princess's teacher, has simply taken Her Highness to the City of Mages to study magic—His Majesty is fully aware of this."
"Besides—Viktor already has a Fiancée."
She smiled faintly—a smile that carried just a trace of danger.
As if cued by it, Gwen beside her turned the cold edge of her gaze on Jess Rether.
"Public opinion cannot touch Viktor, Mr. Jess. He is not swayed by it, and the Imperial family even less so."
"If you intend to use Viktor and the Princess's absence of 1 day as your grounds, then I would like to ask you sothing."
Leah's pointed words pressed into Jess's ears, causing him to furrow his brow slightly.
"Have you never had a teacher? Or did your teacher also happen to admire your backside?"
Her words were vicious enough to send anyone into a rage of humiliation.
Though Leah's words were razor-sharp, Jess simply looked at her mildly, let out a quiet laugh, and spoke in a tone that seed almost like a gentle reminder:
"Miss Leah, I never ntioned Her Highness the Princess. I rely wished to inform you."
"His Highness the First Prince, to this day, remains without a wife."
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