TWFLLYM Ch 106

The Baroness' Identity (1)

She clutched the jar and approached the Head Chef, who remained locked in a heated argument.

[Roserikta] "Wait a moment. Answer this first. Did you use the pepper from this jar when preparing yesterday's banquet?"

[H. Chef] "It isn't as if I have nine lives like a cat......!Ah, what? The...... Ah, Marchioness! What did you say?"

The Head Chef, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs, spotted Roserikta and bowed politely.

[Roserikta] "This pepper. The substance inside this jar was pepper, correct?"

[H. Chef] "That is right. I heard a batch of high-quality pepper recently arrived, so I used it in the dishes served at yesterday's banquet."

[Roserikta] "So yesterday was the first time you used it?"

[H. Chef] "It was."

[Roserikta] "Did the Baroness bring this to you?"

[H. Chef] "Pardon? I'm not entirely sure. You should ask the Chamberlain. I receive and use whatever enters the kitchen."

He added another detail.

[H. Chef] "Though I was told it was pepper, it behaved more like a different spice."

[Roserikta] "What? Did it taste different?"

[H. Chef] "It was similar, but not identical. The scent was weaker than normal pepper, and the flavor lacked kick, so I had to sprinkle a massive amount."

[Roserikta] "Oh dear."

The faces of those who knew the truth paled.

[Elona] "So this...... is definitely that substance, right?"

[Roserikta] "I must check. Everyone, stand back just in case."

Elona grabbed the confused Head Chef and pulled him a safe distance away from Roserikta.

Carefully, Roserikta opened the jar's lid.

[Roserikta] "......"

Her expression darkened. The jar was empty.

[Roserikta] "Are you sure you used all of this yesterday?"

When she showed him the empty container, the Head Chef shook his head vigorously.

[H. Chef] "No. How could I use that much pepper? I used about a handful in total. I left the rest inside."

[Roserikta] "But now it's gone."

A grim premonition took root.

[Elona] "Do you think someone anticipated we would find it and stole it away?"

Unfortunately, she was right.

---

[Roserikta] "It failed. The Axaca powder isn't reacting."

One disappointment followed another. They had found the problematic ingredient, only for it to vanish.

[Roserikta] "It didn't just disappear; someone hid it. And they used a method that resists magic."

That implied only one thing.

[Clobell] "It means they hid it with black magic."

[Roserikta] "Probably."

[Elona] "Does that mean we have no way to find it? This is terrible. That means they might keep using that cursed pepper."

[Mouse] "Squeak, squeak! No, no!"

Dark shadows loomed over everyone's faces.

[Roserikta] "There is only one way."

[Clobell] "What is it?"

[Roserikta] "Searching the Baroness' room directly. There is no other answer."

Elona shook her head, her face full of worry.

[Elona] "Isn't that dangerous? I doubt the Emperor would permit it."

[Roserikta] "He likely won't."

While Belto I placed absolute faith in the fairy cat's words, accusing the Baroness of being the wicked entity was a different matter entirely.

[Roserikta] "It's too early to say those things. We have zero evidence. I must search her room secretly while she is away."

[Elona] "Is that even possible? Even if the Baroness leaves, her maids will remain. Her room is also right next to the Emperor's."

Clobellina slapped the floor with the tip of her tail.

[Clobell] "I know what you're thinking. We're going to use the invisibility cloak, right?"

Roserikta looked at Clobellina and Elona and nodded slowly.

[Roserikta] "Exactly. It's the only way to search without being caught."

[Clobell] "Then the Baroness needs to be out of the room, and someone needs to keep watch."

[Roserikta] "Yes. I can't do this alone. I need everyone to help a little. I should inform the Prince as well."

[Clobell] "I agree. He definitely needs to know. That way, if something goes wrong, he can clean up the mess."

[Roserikta] "True."

For now, she told the kitchen staff to never use any ingredients unless they were the ones used previously. The black powder disguised as pepper wouldn't find its way into the food again.

[Roserikta] "I'll go see the Prince first. I'll tell him what we found and discuss the next move."

[Elona] "Yes. He should be in his office now. I'll run ahead and ask Sir Arad."

Elona hurried away. Arad still sported a large bruise on his eye; Elona claimed that seeing it made her heart ache, which made her want to see him even more.

[Roserikta] "Clobell."

[Clobell] "What is it?"

[Roserikta] "I should tell Grandmother too, right?"

[Clobell] "Of course. What if she doesn't know? A potential black witch has appeared."

[Roserikta] "Right. Let's send a letter to her."

While she hastily scribbled a short note, Clobellina brought the bottle of Axaca powder to her mouth.

[Roserikta] "La Nuit Brûlante Si La Ye. News of a witch to a witch. Deliver this to Grandmother."

Ssssh.

The sparkling powder danced, and her letter scattered within it like sand.

Right on cue, Elona returned.

[Elona] "Lady Roserikta! If you want to see the Prince, you must go quickly."

Something had happened.

---

[Roserikta] "Your Highness. Is that true?"

She couldn't hide her bewilderment.

Kalart was currently donning his armor with Arad's assistance. Usually, Eaton performed this task, but his right arm still lacked full mobility.

[Kalart] "You look far too worried."

He reached out to flick the tip of her nose, but realizing he wore a steel gauntlet, he lightly bumped his forehead against hers instead.

[Kalart] "It's a formality. The Emperor needs to save face in front of others."

He explained that they had agreed to a duel to determine the wedding date. The Emperor, having regained his senses thanks to the fairy cat, reached an agreement with Kalart.

While the Emperor intended to cherish the unborn child as the fairy cat commanded, the Baroness remained concerned. He claimed he couldn't concede the wedding date without some conditions. The result was this duel.

Arad, who only needed to place the helmet on Kalart, held the piece with both hands and nodded.

[Arad] "Yes, it is purely for show. No one in the Royal Guard would actually aim a blade at His Highness."

The Emperor would appoint a proxy, as a direct clash between the Crown Prince and the Emperor was impossible. Once preparations were finished, the Emperor would select a suitable person from the Guard.

Dueling to settle matters had been a tradition since the founding of the Empire, so no one took issue with it.

The witch, however, felt differently.

[Roserikta] "The timing bothers me. Do you think the Baroness influenced this?"

[Kalart] "This decision sounds exactly like something the Emperor would choose."

He smiled gently to reassure her.

[Kalart] "If it truly bothers you, I will make Eaton my opponent. The Emperor doesn't know Eaton's arm is broken, so as long as everyone stays quiet, it will be fine."

[Roserikta] "Well, that makes me feel a bit better."

No matter how skilled a swordsman Eaton was, he couldn't harm Kalart with a broken right arm.

[Roserikta] "Must I be present at the duel?"

[Kalart] "I might look a bit pathetic if you aren't there. Is something wrong?"

[Roserikta] "I'm going to look for the pepper the Baroness hid. Well, it isn't exactly pepper, but you know."

She briefly explained finding the empty jar in the kitchen.

[Roserikta] "Since I can't even find it with Axaca powder, she must have used black magic to hide it. I plan to search while the Baroness is away. If she attends the duel, that works perfectly. Please make some excuse for my absence."

[Kalart] "That sounds dangerous."

His expression shifted.

[Kalart] "Must you do it yourself?"

[Roserikta] "If it's dangerous for me, it's dangerous for everyone else. And if the item is hidden with black magic, I'm the only one who can find it."

[Kalart] "Even so."

He started to cup her cheek as he always did, but remembering his armor, he leaned his own cheek against hers instead.

[Kalart] "I won't be by your side."

[Roserikta] "......"

Strangely, she couldn't find the words to respond. The phrases she intended to say—that she planned to go alone anyway, that others should stay as far from the black witch as possible, and that he was no exception—simply melted away.

In this moment, she felt a deep tenderness for him. It felt as if this brief period where they had to perform separate tasks was a long-term parting.

[Roserikta] "You shouldn't say such things...... so casually."

[Kalart] "Why?"

Because it makes me hate being away from you. It makes me just want to stay together.

[Roserikta] "It makes me feel like we should do everything together."

She meant it as a roundabout answer, but Kalart caught her true meaning.

[Kalart] "That is my intention whenever possible."

He hugged her very carefully, ensuring the hard metal didn't scratch her skin.

[Kalart] "Once these cursed events end."

So stay safe.

Roserikta, understanding his unspoken thoughts just as he had hers, tapped on his armor.

[Roserikta] "I sent a letter to Grandmother. She will come to help at the right time."

[Kalart] "That is both good and worrying news. I wonder what she will say this time."

He added the remark playfully.

[Roserikta] "Haha...... Well, she'll probably act the same as always."

[Kalart] "I'll have to accept it."

The two shared a brief kiss.

[Roserikta] "You mustn't get hurt either, Your Highness."

[Kalart] "Of course. I need to be in one piece to be of any help to you."

After their tender exchange, Roserikta placed the helmet on his head to finish their farewell.

[Roserikta] "Watch the Baroness closely. There is no telling what she might do during the duel. Oh, and."

She placed the locket she had been wearing around her neck into his palm. It was a locket containing Life Water.

[Roserikta] "Keep this, just in case. It holds Life Water. It will be useful in the worst-case scenario."

[Kalart] "As you wish."

Kalart gripped the locket and smirked. His eyes, narrowing slightly behind the helmet, looked so attractive that Roserikta jumped back.

If I stay any longer, I'll end up taking that helmet off him.

[Roserikta] "See you later. Stay safe."

Now, it was time to reveal the Baroness' true identity.

---

[Elona] "The outside world is in an absolute frenzy. A duel between the Emperor and the Prince, with their wedding dates on the line. Everyone is dying to see it."

According to Elona, there hadn't been such a spectacle in recent memory. Even the annual grand banquet wouldn't compare.

[Roserikta] "Do you want to watch it with Sir Arad?"

[Elona] "Pardon? Oh, don't be silly. This is much more thrilling. Raiding the room of a Baroness who might be a servant of a wicked black witch."

Elona had covered her nose and mouth with a large handkerchief to hide her identity. She looked like the granddaughter of a legendary heroic thief who stole from wicked nobles to give to the poor.

Roserikta swallowed a burst of laughter.

The two hid across the hallway under the invisibility cloak, waiting for the Baroness to emerge. Clobellina, squeezed between them, grumbled.

[Clobell] "What is taking that woman so long? The Crown Prince finished arming and left ages ago."

[Roserikta] "Exactly. Everyone must be waiting."

[Elona] "It feels suspicious. Maybe she's plotting something."

Just as their legs began to grow numb.

Click. The door finally opened.

The Baroness occupied the room next to the Emperor's bedroom, known as the largest and most luxurious room in the palace. Traditionally, it served as the Empress' bedroom.

[Elona] "That's strange."

Elona whispered in a voice even lower than before.

[Roserikta] "What is?"

[Elona] "She's alone. Usually, an imperial mistress brings a hoard of her own maids when she enters the palace to build her own influence."

[Roserikta] "I see."

Now that she heard it, it sounded like a very political move.

[Elona] "No one comes entirely alone like that. It means she has zero interest in palace politics, or......"

[Roserikta] "She has something to hide."

Elona swallowed hard and nodded.

[Elona] "Exactly."

Clack, clack, clack.

The Baroness walked away, her heels making a peculiar sound. Roserikta waited with patience until the Baroness' back disappeared before slowly standing up.

[Roserikta] "Let's go in."

[Elona] "Yes, Lady Roserikta."

The two moved to the bedroom door under the cloak. After confirming once more that no one was watching, Roserikta entered the bedroom with the country mouse.

Elona and Clobellina remained outside under the cloak to keep watch.