CH 20

‘It’s a little bit of checking out what I know… No, it’s very different.’

The damage was bigger than expected.

Eristella’s fox ears drooped and her tail went down.

She stretched out her front paws and tried to take off the sparkling brooch on her head, but it didn’t work because of her blunt feet.

‘I shouldn’t have come today.’

Then, Heinricion approached.

“Why are you so depressed?”

Heinricion asked, poking the fox on the back.

But Eristella had nothing to say in response. Right now, she didn’t want to pretend to Heinricion that she did  not realize what was going on.

She had already shown her broken image countless times, but now she felt extremely shabby.

Thus, she stood still with her head bowed down to the floor, while feeling Heinrich’s gaze.

Even though the fox was silent, Heinricion knew why Eristella had become somber.

This was why he didn’t want to bring her, because he was afraid this was going to happen.

“They never favored you before.”

Heinrichion, therefore, spoke deliberately and indifferently, provoking Eristella.

Eristella, who hadn’t ever thought of turning her head, lifted her head and glared at Heinricion.

‘I know. Do you really need to dig a person’s heart out with those words?’

What Eristella said seemed to catch Heinricion’s ear.

So Heinricion smiled slightly.

“What do you care so much about?”

Heinricion snorted.

The more he spoke, the more Eristella’s angry eyebrows rose sharply.

“It doesn’t matter as long as you return to your original form. When that time comes, no one in the empire will be able to deal with you.”

The dignified appearance of Imperial Princess Eristella seemed so long ago. She wanted to see herself return to that too.

“Honestly, I’m not a match for you either.”

‘…You call that comfort?’

Contrary to Eristella’s dissatisfied voice, her droopy fox’s ears rose up slightly.

“You are such a great being that it doesn’t matter what people think. No?”

‘Right.’

That was obvious. Eristella rolled her eyes and nodded.

“The brilliant yet unpleasant Eristella. That’s you, so ignore everything else.”

(TL/N: It’s unfortunate that English couldn’t capture the real meaning of ‘재수 없는’ — it doesn’t just mean ‘unlucky’ or ‘annoying’ but ‘someone who chooses to be rude and frustrating.)

As if he had said everything he needed to say, Heinricion stood up from his seat with a glass of water in his hand.

“Drink this.”

‘What.’

‘However, due to his sincerity, I’ll take it.’

Eristella hesitated for a moment, then took a sip of water.

‘What…? This taste…’

Eristella tilted her head and drank the water again.

Chak chak.

It was clear. A transparent liquid disguised as water…

‘Is it alcohol?’

Eristella very aggressively dug into the glass of water.

Then she glanced in the direction where Heinricion was.

‘I can’t believe you’re comforting me like this.’

Well. It’s not too bad.

A faint smile appeared on Eristella’s lips as she looked at Heinricion’s back.

Suddenly, the bottom of the glass began to appear. It must have just been a feeling that the white fox’s fur seemed red.

*******

At some point, the fox was nowhere to be seen in the banquet hall.

Eristella, who went out of the banquet hall unnoticed, was in the hallway that connected the banquet hall and the imperial palace.

The back of the fox walking on the red carpet looked precarious.

There was a sense of drunkenness in its staggering appearance.

‘Who’s drunk? I’m not drunk at all.’

Eristella was walking down the hallway, confident that she was walking straight.

Heheheheh. It was clear at first glance that she was drunk just by the sound of uncontrollable laughter.

The place where Eristella was headed was the Imperial Palace.

‘How does the Imperial Palace look now? Will there be any traces of my existence?’

‘Or maybe there’ll even be a speck left.’

‘It’s the same here.’

There was no one in the palace.

The numerous maids and attendants who worked here were nowhere to be seen. What remained were the items that filled the Imperial Palace.

‘It’s a relief, though. My things are still there.’

It would have been difficult to touch recklessly. Because the things of the Princess Eristella, an archmage, could not all be ordinary.

‘Let’s go with only what I really need.’

It was when Eristella was about to leave the Imperial Palace with her belongings.

She could feel a presence outside the door.

She hurriedly hid her body. It was suspicious for anyone to come here at this time.

‘Is the person just passing by? ‘

‘Or, don’t tell me, you’re coming in.’

Eristella watched with keen eyes, and the door opened.

‘Who are you?’

The Count and Countess of Azurdi infiltrated the Imperial Palace. Naturally, like a guest.

But there was only one kind of person who would enter an empty space without its owner.

‘That naturally makes one a thief.’

‘You’ve come to my room; so things are different.’ Eristella watched the count couple with sharp eyes as they entered her room.

“It’s a bit chilly.”

“Come on, let’s go get it and leave.”

“Okay.”

Whispering in a low voice, Countess Azurdi, who exuded a lot of suspicion, began to search for something.

‘It’s like an empty house robber.’

Starting from under the bed and carefully tapping the wall and floor, she seemed to be checking if there was a secret space.

‘I guess they’re looking for something that I might have hidden covertly.’

Eristella recalled the locations where she kept certain belongings back when she was the princess.

There were several secret spaces.

‘But there…’

Eristella’s eyes narrowed as she quietly watched the Count Azurdi couple.

‘Just what are they looking for?’

She was curious as to why they thought of entering the Imperial Palace so boldly, but then she heard the two of them having a conversation while looking for something.

“If we don’t settle it today, it will be hard to create an opportunity to come here again. We must find it.”

“Okay. I’m sure it’ll be here.”

The count and countess did not hesitate to lie on the floor. They were actively searching for an item.

“Here! There’s an empty space!”

“Is there anything inside?”

Count Azurdi ran over to see for himself.

“Wait a minute. There is something, but I need you to check…”

The two pairs of eyes, which were filled with heat, quickly turned cold.

The two looked with great anticipation, but what was in the empty space were the toys that Eristella had played with as a child. There was no magic in them.

It was a waste.

“Why the hell is she keeping this here?”

Countess Azurdi grumbled angrily.

“Let’s look elsewhere. I’m sure it’s somewhere.”

“Hu… I got it.”

Afterwards, Count and Countess Azurdi had discovered two more secret spaces.

But again, it was all in vain. Many times they were expectantly excited and then disappointed.

“Did they already clean it up or what? There’s nothing here.”

“No. It must be here.”

Sweat was running down the faces of the count couple.

Even so, they did not give up and persistently searched, not paying attention to their appearances.

Eristella’s face hardened the more they did, and the corners of her eyes rose wildly.

By now, she could guess what the two of them were aiming for.

She heard the trembling voice of Countess Azurdi, who was annoyed because she couldn’t find it.

“Hey, I think this is it?”

Countess Azurdi found something.

“Are you sure? It’s strange this time too…”

“No. It’s not.”

“Look.”

Count Azurdi came over with his eyes lit and checked.

“Where did you find it?”

“It’s here, in the first compartment of the drawer.”

“…….”

The countess was pointing to the drawer right next to the window.

“I didn’t think she would keep it in a place like this, but I tried to see if I could open it…”

There, it really was.

That was what Countess Azurdi was saying.

“What the hell was the Princess thinking?”

Count Azurdi muttered in bewilderment.

The most important thing was contained in the weakest place, available for anyone to take.

It was so lax that they even suspected that it was a trap.

‘What’s in there?’

Eristella looked at the drawer and looked back on her memories.

She didn’t think she put any particularly memorable items in there.

“I heard that the Princess’s hair was no good. I guess that’s true. I’m sure. That’s right.”

“I thought it was difficult for no reason, and we almost ended up doing it in vain.”

“Anyway, that’s fine. Let’s hurry up and go back before people see us.”

It was when Count Azurdi and his wife turned around after packing their things.

Eristella, who kept an eye on their movements, saw it clearly.

What the two of them were going to take.

At first glance, it was an ordinary-looking earring for Eristella, considering that she possessed a lot of expensive treasures.

However, their intentions were immediately recognized.

Eristella’s face froze like thin ice.

‘They’re trying to use my magic.’