CH 48

“The incense lit in the princess room was Earl Wyrm, no doubt about it.”

The next morning.

While they were having breakfast in Cyrus’s room, Alan informed them of the result of the investigation into the incense burner found in the princess’s room.

Although Count Zackfil’s soldiers have arrived and are currently conducting a search for Princess Florencia since last night, they still receive no new information.

(Earl Wyrm, La Porte pressed flower, the missing jewelry, and the room that’s too clean…….”

Something is up.

According to Alan’s investigation, it seems that there was only one place in this town that sells Earl Wyrm. Moreover, it’s a shady one located in the back alley. Obviously, Alan, and Cyrus who are royalty, and Olivia who’s the only daughter of a duke can not even go anywhere near such a place so Alan has sent someone to visit it to see if there’s anyone who recently purchased an Earl Wyrm.

“Your Highness Cyrus, you are familiar with roses, yes?”

“Roses? Well, I do know some…..but why do you bring it up so suddenly?”

“It’s nothing, there’s just something I’m curious about……it’s the La Porte rose, I only know that it was bred by Countess Laibel Porte of Levanor so I’d like to know if there’s anything more to it.”

“La Porte? Right…..well, from what I know, it is called the [flower of love]. In the language of flowers, I think it means ‘you are the only one for me forever’. Countess Porte was a very passionate person and it seems that her husband, the Count, overcame their difference in status to be with her. That’s how it got its meaning I think…….”

“A flower of love……, is it?”

Princess Florencia cherished this La Porte very much. She said at the party that she loves it and there was also La Porte blooming in the garden in the courtyard where she was at.

(Flower of love……unwavering love, only one forever…….different in status, Love?)

Olivia’s eyes slowly widened.

Perhaps the princess was in love with someone? She began to think that way, then—–

“Your Highness Cyrus, Your Highness Alan, I have something I’d like Your Highness to investigate, may I trouble you?”

“Something you want to investigate?”

“Yes, it’s just a guess but……..maybe the princess may have left at her own will.”

“Booking information of the inns in this and the surrounding towns, real estate transactions, the train’s passenger list, recent customers of clothing stores, and people who recently wished to sell their jewelry?”

Hearing that Princess Florencia may have left willingly, Alan and Cyrus were surprised but when they heard the things that Olivia wants them to investigate, they tilted their heads in confusion.

“Yes. I think that Princess Florencia and Legion might be acting together. It’s 50-50 but……I think that Her Highness may be in love with Legion, or that Legion cooperated with her because he knows that the princess has someone she loves.”

“Ha?”

“W, Wait a minute, Olivia…..can you explain it to us from the start? What do you mean by in love?”

Alan and Cyrus are both confused.

Olivia nodded. There were a lot of points that supported her theory. The princess’s cherished bookmark, the clean state of the room, how the jewelry all went missing but the Levanorian gold coins were left intact, and the fact that the princess and Legion alone were at the balcony when the Earl Wyrm was lit.

“The first thing I thought was strange was how clean the room was. There were no traces of anyone rummaging through it and despite the fact that Princess Florencia said that she was sleeping there because she was sick, the bed almost didn’t have any creases at all. Yesterday afternoon, Taylor told me that she went shopping with the princess’s maids who were told that they should take the day off and enjoy themselves. With all the female attendants gone, the male attendants couldn’t enter her room since they were told that the princess was resting. If she truly was resting then the bed was too neat,…..she wouldn’t have slept on the couch when she already had a proper bed. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“…….that might be the case but is it that suspicious? Maybe she was tired of sleeping all day so she got up?”

“If that’s the case then wouldn’t it be better for her to leave a maid with her so that she has someone to talk to? At least for me, I’d ask Taylor to stay.”

“Is that so?”

Alan cocked his head and is still unconvinced but there’s more to it. When you are ill, there should be someone who stays by your side to see if your condition worsens just in case. For the princess, if she had a fever and got sweaty, she would want to change her clothes and she’d want a drink if she’s thirsty. It would be difficult to do that by yourself when you are ill. Not to mention that the person in question is a princess. Someone who should have all her needs taken care of by others since birth.

“Moreover, the princess was on the balcony with Legion when the incense was lit. Since the maids told us that the princess herself ordered them to, this means that the princess went to the balcony willingly after giving that order. If she was the one who ordered them to light the incense, wouldn’t she have wanted to enjoy its scent in the first place? On that point, I think that the princess knew what it was and was aware of the incense’s effects.”

“In other words, you are saying that the princess intentionally made her attendants faint?”

“Yes, but I denied that thought at first since I couldn’t see why Princess Florencia would do that. But with La Porte, I’m convinced. Just like Your Highness Alan, the princess was also reluctant about this marriage. It made me wonder whether Princess Florencia already has someone she’s in love with………”

“And she wanted to throw everything she has away to be with that person? Isn’t that too reckless? Can a sheltered princess like her live by herself? Besides, if she suddenly disappeared, we would of course send out a massive search party.”

“Perhaps so. However, what if she wasn’t alone? What if Legion knows what she’s thinking and is willing to assist her to escape to somewhere no one could chase after her?”

“……Karzol?”

“Yes. Perhaps this is the reason the princess wished to come here in the first place? If she can cross over to Karzol, no one would be able to look for her there.”

Cyrus’s eyes widened.

“So, she planned this from the start?”

“It’s highly likely. After all, she was the one who ordered her maids to bring a huge amount of jewelry so that she can dress up for her potential fiance, but Your Highness Alan, have you ever seen Princess Florencia dressed flashily in front of you?”

“…..Not at all.”

“Right? Isn’t it more likely that she brought it to sell them off to fund her escape?”

Alan nodded.

“I see now. That’s a good theory but why do you want to look into real estate transactions too? If she wanted to cross the border then she should have gone there immediately right.”

Hearing that, Olivia smiles a little.

“About that…….It’s what I’d do in her shoes.”

Alan and Cyrus looked at each other before cocking their heads.

“Haa?”

TLN: Her logics are all over the place lately don’t you think……maybe the second arc need more polish for the LN….