I was left alone by the column.
The celebration went on. Music. Laughter. Glasses clinking and small groups gossiping. The nobles toasted to the union of the most important houses in all of Earolden.
What they didn't know was that this union weighed on Lianza's shoulders as much as a thousand lead crowns.
She had gone toward the door. Outside. Anywhere that weight wasn't... or I wasn't.
Closing my eyes, I searched the room.
Two months it had cost me. Two months of running into her in the library 'by coincidence,' of building our own secret language, with touches of lenses and words that to others were insults, but to us were the same as saying 'I love you.'
Two months of listening to her cry behind the wall, wondering how to make her smile.
And now she told me it was a mistake.
[Crying at a party? Wow, Romeo. I thought you'd outgrown adolescence. 😢]
The notification closed. My eyes opened.
The column by the entrance. Where Layda had been. Empty.
I searched for her with my eyes. The hall. The couples. The tables. The nobles.
Nothing.
The prince wasn't there either.
Had they gone somewhere together?
It was supposed to happen after they had their first intimate conversation. Much later. In The Throne of Ashes and Thorns, the Welcome Ball only included a casual and friendly waltz in the part where couples started switching after each minute, when the musician gave a clap.
I left the hall.
The hallway was empty. The night reminded me of Lianza and her Empero. The lamps swaying in the wind cast shadows that varied in size. My footsteps echoed. Only my footsteps.
Where I was going, I didn't know. All I knew was that I couldn't stand still.
Turning the corner of the east wing, I found an ajar door. Yellow light filtering through the crack. Voices.
Pressing myself against the wall, I brought my ear closer.
"...I told you the bifurcated three-colored river was a marvelous thing."
"No matter how many times I see it, it's always as beautiful as if it were the first time."
It was Ardwyn and Layda.
Moving closer, I positioned myself next to a row of decorative suits of armor. They were on a balcony, chatting in a way I couldn't tell whether was intimate or casual.
"And so, Your Highness, will you consider what I told you?"
"It still seems like nonsense to me that Princess D'Tariel is cursed, but I will take it under consideration."
"Remember, Your Highness. She has a weak point. Something that would destroy her if revealed. Something that not even she herself knows."
The weakness of Lianza D'Tariel's Empero was revealed much later on. It was impossible for the current Layda to know about it.
There were only two options: she was telling the truth or she was lying to manipulate the prince. But to what end? The Layda from the original novel was a sweet little thing who gave her best to get ahead in a world full of corrupt nobles and a 'villainess' who soured every step she took at Mayorka.
"And why should I believe a commoner who's been at Mayorka for three days? It makes no sense that the beautiful Lianza comes from a cursed line that was produced by a pact with the Seraphim of Twelve Wings."
My nails dug into the wall. A lie. It was a lie. In The Throne of Ashes and Thorns, no such pact existed. No curse or cursed bloodline.
"Hasn't it seemed strange to you how strong her Empero is, despite her lack of training?" Layda asked.
Ardwyn fell silent.
"Yes..." he replied after pondering the words. "I've had to train the basics for years just to be considered a Class A Empero Knight, and she, without any training, has a great capacity, worthy of a Class B Empero Lady. I even think she could match me if she takes this year's Empero classes seriously."
Layda nodded while admiring the landscape from the balcony.
The night prickled the skin; it was silent and full of stars.
"Don't you think tonight is very beautiful?" Layda asked. For some reason, the tone of her voice had changed to a softer one.
Ardwyn didn't take his eyes off Layda.
"Yes, I do."
[Ooooh. Are you hearing this? Looks like our prince is finding comfort in other arms. And here you are, spying like a jealous boyfriend. 😏]
The System was right about the second part. Yes, I was spying. But I was doing it for survival.
And after a moment of contemplation, Layda stepped away from the balcony.
"Remember, Your Highness. If you want to see the evidence..."
"Tomorrow. In my study. Alone."
"As you wish, Your High..."
"Don't call me Your Highness. Just call me Ardwyn."
Layda placed a hand over her mouth, offended.
"It would be very insulting to call the future king of Jahke just by his name. And a simple commoner like me..."
"You're not a simple commoner, Layda. I don't know you well enough, but in you I see much more."
"Such comments, for someone who's engaged..."
"I'm only telling you the truth," he cut her off. "Sweet Layda. I hope the honesty of my heart isn't misinterpreted."
"Thank you. I think I... needed that compliment. Alright, Your Highness. Tomorrow in his study. Alone."
[Three gods of this world! This is better than the soap operas from your world! See how she handles him? She says 'Your Highness' to keep her distance, but he drops the 'sweet Layda' and she melts. Classic. 🍿]
The notification closed.
Footsteps. Stepping away from the wall, I slipped into the gap between two suits of armor. The cold metal against my skin made me straighten up.
The door opened. Layda came out. She walked three steps, then stopped.
She turned toward where I was.
She didn't see me. The lack of light and the armor hid me. But something made her turn. Something that, judging by the expression on her face, bothered her.
She stood still for five seconds. Evaluating. Her brown eyes swept the hallway.
Then she kept walking. Her footsteps faded away. The prince had stayed on the balcony; he seemed to be counting the stars, his elbows resting on the railing.
Taking the opportunity, I left my hiding spot.
Heading to a place with more lighting, I pulled the watch from my suit.
Opening it, I aimed it toward where Layda had gone.
No. It made no sense. She was no longer in sight.
Lowering the watch, I closed it. One use. Only one.
It had to be used well.
The options weighed on me again.
Layda? Ardwyn?... Or Lianza?
Layda was too suspicious. An anomaly. She knew things she shouldn't, and she had fed the prince an elaborate lie to destroy Lianza from within. I was sure of it.
Discovering what Layda was would mean discovering how to stop her.
On the other hand, uncovering Ardwyn's secrets would reveal how to weaken him. A way to face him.
Now, if I discovered who Lianza was...
Lianza, I already knew. Better than any stat could tell me.
My fist closed around the watch, determined to use it tomorrow.
But on whom?