Looking back, even in her past life, the nobles were very interested in Lilyca. It was only now that Lydia thought that the modest Lilyca must have been fascinating to them.
âBut when I think about it, thatâs not entirely accurate. They are quick to notice.â
Lydia smiled after releasing Lilyca who was beginning to stifle.
âItâs a request from Lilyca, so of course, I have to listen.â
The sight of her daughter savouring her words was also lovely.
Graceful tenderness and firm gentleness were treasures that only a trained eye could recognise.
âMommy will soon be rich. Then Lily can buy anything she wants.â
âRich?â
Lilycaâs voice was mixed with a bit of unease. Lydia nodded her head.
âYes, Mommy found a great investment.â
âWhat kind of investment is it?â
âItâs a man named Ubara, and he was looking for someone to invest in his expedition. He left a little while ago. Lily would have been happy to hear his story too.â
âAn exploring expedition?â
âYes.â
Lilyca became anxious as Lydia nodded. It was an expedition.
Lydia said frankly.
âIâve been told here and there that heâs a fraud, but the truth is that heâs an honest man.â
âWhat?â
âItâs because his clothes are a little off, but you donât have to worry.â
Anxiety rushed in like a dark cloud, and Lilyca asked softly.
âSo how much did you invest?â
âAll the down payment.â
â!!â
Lydia reassured her daughter, who had a surprised rabbit-like face, several times.
âDonât worry. Trust your mother.â
Lilyca couldnât bring herself to say, âThatâs the most unreliable thing!â
She mumbled and jumped up from her seat.
âIâll go talk to him myself.â
âYou? okay. He may not have left the palace yet, so if you let me call him nowââ
âNo, I will go and meet him this instant.â
She was not going to give the scammer time to prepare. Lydia nodded when she saw her daughter who rushed to her while saying she was going to battle.
âThen go for it.â
âYes.â
Lilyca stormed out intending to get her motherâs investment back from Ubara. Bryn bowed lightly and followed her.
Lydia laughed softly, âOh, dear.â It was nice to see her daughter being so brave.
Ubara may be confused, butâŚ
âIâm sure heâll persuade her well.â
His slick storytelling skills must have contributed to him being called a swindler.
However, the man who was called a fraud would soon become a legend of the expedition team.
The empire was very large, but the land he will discover was much wider.
On one side he will find an endless desert inhabited by criminals and fugitives, and on the other, he will find that place.
An unknown land where human-eating monsters roamed, where no compass, no constellations, and even the rising sun were useful.
It was a sea of trees.
Endlessly flooded.
But this natural floodgate was a treasure trove of new things. Rare spices and plants were brought from the sea, and they were sold at very high prices.
So, many people set up an expedition to venture into those waters, and many did not return.
Therefore, it was expensive to set up an expedition, and the patronage of the nobility was essential.
Ubara also wandered around seeking the patronage of the nobles, but everyone thought he was a fraud.
After being rejected by the nobles, he received the first joint investment from the commoners and returned with tremendous achievements.
After that, joint expeditions had become popular, but Lydia was not part of it.
Thus, she planned to invest her entire fortune in Ubara.
Obviously, Lilyca didnât believe in her, and that was largely Lydiaâs fault.
She was thinking of showing some great success to instil trust in her daughter.
As she stood up and approached the window, she saw Lilyca running. Lydia laughed involuntarily.
She had compiled some of the big events ahead.
Now, sheâs been busy establishing herself in high society.
The evenings she graced with her presence became more and more recognised.
Bustle against crinoline.
The Crinolians were aristocratic, and it seemed that they will not be influenced by the empress, who didnât acknowledge where she came from.
âThatâs their loss.â
Anyway, the next time the grand theatre catches on fire, the women in crinoline will not be able to escape and will burn.
Then, the bustle dress would completely settle, and the Empress would have artificially advanced the fashion.
âWell, I canât let it burn though.â
She shook her head as she came up with a plan. She took out a new paper to write a letter.
* * *
There was only one way out, so, as she ran across the garden, Bryn said from behind, âThe imperials walk, they donât run.â But Lilyca didnât think it was necessary to be part of the imperial family right now. She quickly caught up with him.
âWait for a moment! Stop!â
The man who was walking along the corridor, following the servant, stopped in surprise. Lilyca took a deep breath.
The servant next to him bowed his head and said hello.
âGreetings to the Princess.â
Startled, the man took off his colourful feathered hat and bowed his head.
âGreetings to the Princess.â
âAre you Ubara?â
Lilyca crossed her arms and raised her voice as sharply as possible.
âThatâs right.â
âLetâs talk for a moment.â
âWith pleasure.â
Ubara answered politely. Lilyca was amazed by his gorgeous outfit. They were clothes she had never seen while living in the palace.
The man had a smooth face, and he was holding in his hand a triangular hat with colourful feathers. The clothes he was wearing were also very colourful. His hair was braided in a few strands and decorated with beads. What should she say?
âAn actor?â
She had never seen a play, but it was like seeing a theatre actor coming out from a painting.
âHe really looks like a scammer.â
Feeling the trust she had in her mother, a trust she had never known, falling through the ground, Lilyca narrowed her eyes.
Bryn gestured to the watchful servant to back away. The servant bowed quickly and trotted out of the corridor.
Lilyca said straightforwardly.
âI just heard that my mother promised you an investment.â
âYes, thatâs correct.â
Ubara didnât know how to look at the princess, the hot topic of the empire, so he had no choice but to only glance at her, even though he knew that eye contact was not allowed.
However, the story that came out of the princessâs mouth was like a thunderbolt in the dry sky.
âThere are many rumours that you are a swindler, so you must have deceived my weak-hearted mother.â
Lilyca stamped her feet like an angry lamb.
âGo and tell my mother the truth right now.â
With his eyes wide open, Ubara said hurriedly.
âWait a minute, Princess. What do you mean by a scammer? I feel wronged. If the princess listens to my story, she will know that it is true.â
Ubara appealed seriously. He finally got a patron; he couldnât lose it like this.
At his desperate words, Lilyca pondered for a moment.
It was too much for Lilyca to leave right away without even listening to his story.
She spoke in a rather solemn voice.
âAll right, then. Letâs hear the story first.â
âThank you, Princess.â
Ubara swallowed his saliva and lowered his head again.
Bryn recommended.
âPrincess, you shouldnât be doing this here, letâs go inside and listen to his story.â
âNo, Iâll listen while walking outside. Is it okay if we go for walk?â
âOf course.â
Lilyca didnât want to invite him into her room. She thought it would be even more heartbreaking to kick him out. If they talked while walking in the garden, and she had the thought, âIt was a scammer after all,â she could just run away from him and tell everything to her mother. Wasnât it a better option?
Lilyca and Ubara started walking side by side. Ubara coughed and began to talk.
âI have already been in and out of the flood three times. The first time, I lost all my companions.â
The story of his adventure, which began like that, captured Lilycaâs heart at once.
Ubaraâs eloquence was so good that by the time he finished his story, Lilyca was tearing up.
âI see. I didnât even know that, and I thought Ubara was a scammer.â
Ubara smiled. He knelt on the dirty ground of the garden.
âThank you for crying for me like this. Please, Princess, do not do what you mentioned earlier. I will definitely be back.â
Lilyca snorted.
âOkay, I get it.â
She sighed and took a silver coin from her pocket.
It was an old, stained, silver coin that contained all her dreams.
She held it out to Ubara and said.
âI will also invest in Ubara. Itâs not much, though.â
Lilyca explained what had happened in the slums and smiled. Ubara felt the weight of the silver coin falling into his palm with a heavy heart.
âYou really believe in me.â
Words came out of his mouth without realising it. Ubara looked at the silver coin.
âYouâre telling the truth, arenât you?â
At Lilycaâs words, he suddenly raised his head and looked at the young princess.
âThey look alike.â
It may be natural that she resembled her mother, but she really did.
Ubara went to the noble families here and there to find an investor.
Later on, he was bullied because they believed he was a scammer. They said they would listen to his story, so he made it even more compelling. But they all burst into laughter.
âI called because I wanted to hear the story. Hey, why donât you just go out as a theatre actor?â
They laughed at him. He was rumoured to be a good storyteller, so they paid him for the story and sent him out.
It was disappointing, but above all, miserable.
When the new empress called him, there was no expectation. He had come because he dared not refuse the call of someone so powerful.
The story he had spat out was insincere even to his ears, but the empress had said, âI believe you.â
He had been dumbfounded and had asked, âYou trust me?â
The empress just smiled and wrote the check on the spot.
Ubara quietly looked into the beautiful eyes of the princess.
âI will definitely make it happen.â
No matter what.
At all costs.
Lilyca responded cautiously at Ubaraâs words.
âStill, take care of yourself.â
Ubara smiled brightly.
âI will follow your orders.â
âYes.â
Lilyca nodded, and at the end of the story, Bryn properly called a servant.
Ubara bowed to Lilyca again before following the servant to leave the palace. Bryn asked.
âAre you okay, Princess? Giving that silver coin like that.â
Bryn also knew how precious that silver coin was to Lilyca. She couldnât believe the silver went into the hands of someone who seemed to be a fraud.
The silver coin didnât matter to her, but she was worried that Lilyca, who believed in him, would suffer later.
âBesides, the Empress seems to have promised a significant investment.â
If this rumour spread, she would certainly become a laughing stock in high society. Bryn also listened to the story, but it was so dramatic that it all sounded like a lie.
If this was true, that man was a great person. It was so daring of him to say that he lost his stake to a friend in the end, and became an unknown broke.
Maybe thatâs why nobody invested.
Lilyca nodded.
âIt didnât seem like he was lying.â
Bryn tilted her head.
âCan you tell if he was lying or not?â
âNot that. Itâs a sort of feeling.â
Bryn only nodded and said, âI see,â to the princess with a serious face.
âYes, itâs better to have all sorts of experiences.â
Bryn thought so.
* * *
âI heard you got dumped by Atil?â
When she went into the office, Alteos had said it with a grin. Lilyca pouted.
âI didnât get dumped. Itâs because His Highness is too busy.â
At Lilycaâs words, Alteos looked at her for a moment and then muttered.
âActually, he may more need of a person like you rather than me.â
âWhat?â
âThe story of Atil playing tricks.â
Alteos said so and looked down at the paperwork. Lilyca crept closer and asked, placing the tips of her hands on the desk.
âAre you worried?â
Lat raised his head at her words. Alteos also turned his gaze back to his adopted daughter.
Lilyca tilted her head and asked.
âI think you are worried about something.â
Alteos raised his chin and looked at Lilyca. He reached out to her and pressed her forehead firmly. Then, he gave it quite a bit of strength, but the little one held well.
âIâm not worried.â
At his words, Lilyca made a face asking if that was true. Alteos asked.
âMore than that why?â
âWhat?â
âWhy did you think I was worried?â
âBecause you look worried?â
What more could be said? Lilyca tilted her head in the opposite direction again. Alteos said.
âI thought it was perfect for killing time. But Iâm getting more and more interested in it, and thatâs why I feel troubled.â
[Cristalâs NB: Heâs talking about Lilyca.]
â?â
Lilyca couldnât understand but listened intently. When youâre tired, isnât it sometimes comforting to just complain?
Even if she couldnât do anything else, she was confident in her listening abilities.
Alteos chuckled.
âThatâs it. Itâs perfect.â
âWhat isâŚâ
Before she could finish her sentence, she heard a knock on the door. Lat got up and opened the door.
Atil walked inside with a report and stopped. He stared intently at Lilyca, who was standing next to the emperorâs desk. Lilyca was startled and turned to greet him.
âGreetings to the Crown Prince.â
He couldnât ignore her openly here, so he nodded his head lightly.
He turned his gaze to Alteos.
âYour Majesty, I have brought you the report you asked for.â
Lat took the report instead and handed a basket to Atil.
âWhat is this?â
âTake it, go to the lake with her and get on a boat.â