Chapter 45

“Oh, Lilian-!”

The door swung open with a bang, golden hair whipping around. Yulia entered hurriedly, her face frozen in shock as she stared at Catherine.

“C-Catherine?! What happened to your face?!”

“Yesterday it was much worse than this.”

“…I don’t think ‘bomb’ quite covers it.”

Seeing Yulia deep in thought, I sighed silently. Just hearing about the plan sounded like a terrorist’s agenda, and now what were they plotting?

“What are you thinking?”

“Huh? Oh, I just figured a bomb didn’t quite match the state of Catherine’s face.”

“It’s not a bomb.”

“Ah, why not?!”

Is she really asking that? When I gave her a deadpan stare, Yulia awkwardly averted her gaze. Speaking of which, I’d heard that Lilian slapped her, but there seemed to be no mark left. Just then, Yulia gently peeled the gauze off my cheek.

“So, it was even worse than this…?”

Squeak. Huh, I hear something strange.

“…Yulia?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.”

Yulia smiled sweetly as she placed her hand on my cheek. A soft white light flowed from her hand. Oh right, Divine Power. How could I have forgotten about that? I closed my eyes and accepted her Divine Power. Gradually, the throbbing pain I felt in my cheek began to subside.

“Here, a mirror.”

“…I find it astonishing every time I look.”

As I stroked my now-smooth cheek, Yulia nodded with a smile.

“I feel the same way. Oh, Lilian. Here, a bomb.”

“…That’s not happening.”

Seizing the round sphere in Yulia’s hand, I exhaled heavily. I could feel something shifting inside, but… really?

“Miss, do you feel anything from this?”

“No. Nothing?”

“…Hmm?”

Picking up the bomb again, I furrowed my brow at the pulsating sensation. I wasn’t sure it was Divine Power, but it felt like something alive throbbing inside. Tick-tock, it felt like some sort of timed bomb pulsing by the second, and I had an inkling of what Yulia had done.

“Is it a timed bomb?”

“Oh, how’d you guess? That’s right. I injected Divine Power from both sides, and when one side runs out completely, it goes boom!”

“How do you know such things?”

“Well… a lot of experience?”

A lot of experience? Yulia hadn’t had her powers for that long, had she? I thought to myself as I confiscated the bomb.

“Eek-!”

“Catherine. Give it back.”

Lilian, furrowing her brow slightly, extended her hand toward me. But I shook my head, meeting her gaze.

“No way, Miss. This is clearly an act of terror. You could get kicked out of the city, and it could ruin the House of Portus’s reputation.”

“It’s fine. I bought a hotel.”

“Even if you bought a hotel, if it gets out that you detonated a bomb in the city center, you’ll be treated as a dangerous criminal.”

For nobles, social circles are just as crucial as political ones. Until now, the House of Portus had hardly participated in social activities, trapped in the Duke’s wife’s luxury and indulgences. Sure, they had some influence because of their status, but that was just about it. The house was slowly fading from social memory.

That’s why, when the young lady finally stepped into society, she faced so many challenges. With no one to serve as her guide, she had to debut on her own, and at times I had to hold her hand to enter the halls. Thankfully, she didn’t let such situations get to her; had she been a typical noble daughter, she would have been sobbing in a corner by now.

Facing the noble daughters who teased her, she gradually carved out her place in society. I won’t lie; I helped her, but I was merely her property. All my actions were in accordance with her wishes. The young lady, who was reviving a nearly forgotten house, became a pillar for those who followed her.

What if it became known that Lilian was the mastermind behind a bomb attack? Sure, it was true that Charles Garington was a rather vile person. But in noble circles, only duels were recognized for private vengeance. If word got out that she resorted to a cowardly bombing, even if the target was a despicable fellow, she would still face fierce backlash.

And God forbid that there was a one in a million chance that it got revealed that Lilian wasn’t the mastermind. Regardless, once Divine Power bombs were used, Yulia would inevitably be exposed for her scheming. No matter her powers, Yulia was still a commoner. If it got out that a commoner targeted a noble with a terror attack, imagine the fallout.

I shuddered at the dreadful thought. I probably wouldn’t die a simple death.

“…Please, leave it to me.”

“To Catherine?”

“Yes. Besides, only the princess and you know that I’m here.”

“…The princess knows?”

“…”

Both of them momentarily wore blank stares that slowly returned to focus. What was that? I just got a super creepy chill.

“Um, can I ask one thing? Where did you sleep last night?”

“Well, the princess took me back to my accommodation, so I slept there.”

As I answered to the best of my memory, Lilian let out a small huff.

“…Hmm.”

“Lilian.”

Yulia, curious about what was going through Lilian’s mind, called her name. Lilian nodded, mumbled quietly.

“Right. Yulia, I don’t think this is the time to be worrying about Charles.”

“Miss?”

“Alright, Catherine. I’ll leave revenge against Charles Garington to you.”

“Yes.”

Charles Garington was probably completely unaware that I was here. To resolve this situation, it might be best to break a limb or two. I glanced at the sword strapped to my waist. I didn’t know if I’d need it, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring it along.

“Ah, Catherine. Are you leaving right away?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Okay. Be careful.”

Lilian waved her hand with an unusual smile as I nodded and stepped out of the room.

#

“…That feels ominous.”

“What does?”

Lilian, biting her nails, snapped her head up at the voice nearby. Yulia wore a similar expression to hers. After all, Yulia would want to protect Lilian, and she’d dislike the idea of being outwitted by a clueless princess.

“Hey, Yulia. By the way, did you meet anyone on the way here?”

“No. I kept as low a profile as possible… I didn’t meet anyone.”

“That’s a relief.”

If someone had spotted them, it could have ruined their plan. As Lilian glanced at Yulia’s cheek, she sighed internally. The palm print and scratch marks from Yulia’s cheek had vanished, leaving her with a perfectly clear complexion now.

“Princess….”

Catherine had been by her side all her life. Now someone was trying to take Catherine away? Surely, they must be thinking about recruiting Catherine, knowing she’s a capable maid. Watching Lilian bite her lip, Yulia sighed softly.

From some point, she’d caught on. Her own gaze at Catherine mirrored Lilian’s gaze toward her. And she realized that even from afar, the princess was looking at Catherine with similar eyes.

Lilian probably hadn’t noticed. After all, they had grown up together. The gradual shift in feelings often blinds people to the reality. Like a frog gradually warming in hot water, she hadn’t realized that her feelings were ripening into love.

Yulia considered Lilian to be her best friend, but she had no intention of speaking about this. She believed that first love should be something you come to realize on your own.

Even so, it was Yulia’s first love, too.

With a small smile, Yulia shook her head dismissively and collapsed onto her bed. Lilian, exhaling a heavy sigh, lay down beside Yulia.

“Yulia.”

“Yeah?”

“How do I keep Catherine from being taken away?”

“Hmm. You might need to treat her better?”

“I think I’m already treating her well enough.”

I provide a generous salary, after all. Catherine is my personal maid, she would add. Lilian sighed once more. The fact that the House of Portus paled in comparison to the royal family in terms of impact wasn’t lost on her.

“But there’s still a bond. There’s no way she’d suddenly switch sides, right?”

“Maybe she would.”

“…You’re being serious, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am.”

Yulia’s quiet smile made Lilian slightly frown. Then she grabbed Yulia’s cheeks and started pinching them mercilessly.

“Eek! Ahh!”

“Wow, your cheeks are so squishy! What on earth have you been eating to make them like this?”

“Stop it-!”

“Nope.”

We were at it for a while before Yulia finally struck back. She let go of the hands that had been gripping Lilian’s hands and launched into a full-on tickle attack.

“Hey-!”

“What are you doing?”

The two of them were on the brink of exhaustion from their playful struggle just as Catherine returned to the room.