The Crown Prince's Surprise Welcome
There was a sharp knock.
As the briefing was nearly finished, the sound echoed through the room.
Without hesitation, Estel vanished through the window the same way she had entered, and Hendrick rose from his seat to open the door himself.
“Well, long time no see. My dear friend.”
“…Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Charles frowned deliberately.
“You’re supposed to be in hiding. Calling me like this is problematic. Just call me Charles from now on.”
The person who had come to find Hendrick was none other than the Crown Prince of the Barboska Empire, Charles Ehrlich Barboska. He was Hendrick’s cousin, and they had grown up together since childhood, becoming some of the few true friends he had.
“You’re still investigating this matter? After three full years, you’re as tenacious as ever. Of course, you’ve always been like that—once you set your sights on something, you ignore everything else.”
“What brings you here? We can’t risk anyone seeing you.”
“I was getting stifled cooped up in the palace. Father has been completely immersed in his new government and his latest love affair. The courtiers are just watching and waiting, and the ministers are busy flattering him. When else am I supposed to slip out and breathe some fresh air?”
Without a word, Hendrick placed a teacup in front of him.
Charles slowly surveyed the room, then gestured toward the window.
“Looks like someone was here not long ago. The window’s still open.”
“…Estel.”
As expected. Then these documents must have been brought by Estel too.
A heavy silence fell.
Charles picked up the court record sitting on the desk. The playful glint in his eyes had vanished completely.
“So, did you find anything?”
Hendrick silently slid the copy he had just obtained toward him.
Charles flipped through a few pages and narrowed his eyes.
“…Arrest and sentencing were scheduled on the same day. Seizure the next morning, interrogation the day of arrest. You’ve already handed down the verdict and are just mimicking the formalities. There’s not even the appearance of actual manipulation.”
His voice had lost every trace of the earlier playfulness.
Charles closed the copy and looked at Hendrick with a low tone.
“I understand your feelings, but it’s still not the right time.”
“…I know.”
“I heard she suffered terribly in the Sanctuary.”
The moment those words left his mouth, Hendrick’s jaw tightened. His lips pressed into a straight line, but the killing intent that filled the room replaced any words.
Charles watched Hendrick for a moment, realized he had spoken too carelessly, and let out a short sigh.
“Just an unexpected variable. The overall picture hasn’t been ruined, right?”
“If she couldn’t endure it, then the whole reason I started this would disappear.”
The lowered voice was heavy with three years of regret and self-reproach.
Realizing he was only stirring up Hendrick’s emotions further, Charles quietly changed the subject.
“Speaking of which, I heard there’s a problem with the expedition team.”
“Not a problem—rotten to the core. They’re beneath contempt for knights. When ordered to watch the prisoner, they ignored the surveillance and focused only on tormenting her.”
“So what do you want?”
“I’d like the entire expedition team replaced by the Grandia Knights.”
Charles leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
“The Emperor trusts no one. Even if he knows I’m a threat to the throne, the fact that I’m still a prince won’t change. Under those circumstances, do you really think he’d easily allow the Grandia Knights to join the expedition?”
“I’ll provide the justification. All you have to do is give me a little push at the end.”
Charles stared at Hendrick for a long time, then sighed deeply.
“Hoo… fine. Just don’t push the Emperor’s temper too hard. We’re not moving yet.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Hendrick answered briefly, and Charles let out a low chuckle.
What a tiring ally.
But he also knew that, of all people, this was the one he could trust the most.
***
A week passed, and the time for the expedition to resume finally arrived.
Pruna’s skill was undeniable. Just as she had promised, Lisbel’s body had recovered enough to endure the journey.
“I really can’t accept this.”
“Aigoo, I told you it’s all included in the treatment fee. Just take it.”
As Lisbel prepared to leave, she stared in dismay at the overflowing bags of clothes, necessities, and medicine Pruna had packed.
“Throw away all the clothes I brought. I’m going to burn them as torches. Wearing anything like these… On the road there’ll be all kinds of things you’ll need, so take these too. And these medicines…”
With her stubborn persistence, Pruna kept piling everything on Lisbel until the woman was at a complete loss. Every time she tried to refuse, Pruna would wave away the money and say it was included, leaving Lisbel no choice but to accept.
“I don’t know the full story, but you went through something incredibly hard. You suffered a lot pushing yourself. Now that you’ve made it, you can see that if you keep holding on, good days will come. So just hang in there a little longer.”
Pruna had clearly figured out Lisbel’s true identity long ago. She simply pretended not to know until the very end.
When Lisbel had been branded a heretic and the empire had exploded in outrage, every tabloid and newspaper had rushed to print her story. Without the ability to depict a living person, they could only use black-and-white illustrations and written descriptions, but sharp-eyed readers had easily recognized her.
Having spent every hour together during the past week, Pruna’s sharp intellect and knowledge of the outside world made guessing Lisbel’s identity almost inevitable.
“…Thank you.”
Lisbel sincerely thanked her for never changing her attitude. Even if the kindness had been out of pity, it had been enough that she could finally spend time with someone as a person again after so many years.
“Are you all ready to go?”
Once the bags Pruna had lugged over were finally organized, Hendrick appeared as if he had been waiting, entering the clinic. He shot Lisbel a pointed look when she nodded silently, then stepped out ahead of her. She followed, carrying two enormous bags and groaning the whole way.
“Not one thing to ride on.”
Before long, however, the bags were taken from her and handed to Hendrick. Outside the clinic stood a carriage that looked sturdy and comfortable at first glance.
“Oh my, you switched to the carriage I recommended. What an excellent choice. The eastern region has the empire’s highest engineering technology. The shock-absorbing carriages made here absorb the impact of gravel roads perfectly, making them ideal for long journeys—no better exists.”
Lisbel’s dazed expression turned proud as she watched Pruna speak. It finally dawned on her why Hendrick had shown such extravagant generosity. The Pruna she had just spent a week with was exactly the kind of woman who would have made a merchant or a hawker if she hadn’t become a doctor—born for talk and persuasion.
Remember those bags she had carried? The same Lisbel who had repeatedly been swindled by people offering “free” gifts only to be cheated later now refused to be easily swayed by kindness. Yet here was someone who had insisted on delivering those very bags.
Considering Pruna’s talent and personality, it would not have been impossible for her to tame even the stubborn Hendrick. The fact that Lisbel’s illness had ended and that she was now riding in such a comfortable carriage was living proof.
“Take care of your health. Don’t miss a single dose of the nutritional supplements I gave you.”
“I will. Thank you for everything.”
“I did it for money. Now go.”
Lisbel bowed deeply to Pruna, then climbed into the new carriage. From inside, she saw Pruna and Hendrick exchanging a few words outside, but before she could hear them the carriage rolled away.
“…It’s starting again…”
The sweet respite was over. The bitter journey to clear her name had begun once more. Even with the smooth ride of the carriage—far more comfortable than the previous one—Lisbel’s heart felt as heavy and suffocated as a stone in her chest.
The rattling carriage crossed the harsh eastern terrain. Traveling overland to the Third Ruin on the southern edge would take more than a month. That was why the Emperor had granted them the right to use the ancient Gate artifact.
In the old days, sorcery, magic, and holy power had all existed. Now they were gone, and the only ones who could channel holy power were occasional priests. In that world, only a handful of artifacts infused with ancient power remained, treated as treasures.
The Gate was the most precious of those few—never to be used without the Emperor’s permission. Its usage rights were often granted as rewards or displayed as a way to assert imperial power.
“We’ve arrived at the Gate. Everyone, dismount!”
As the expedition members stepped down from their horses and the carriage, a massive archway rose before them in all its grandeur.
Inside the arch, a faint blue aura pulsed slowly, as if gently calling to those who stood before it.