The following morning, Clarice entered my office carrying a formal letter of thanks from the royal palace.
Her expression was terrifying. Her eyes were as piercing as ever, but today they were clouded with a volatile mixture of fury and exhaustion. Mylene stood behind her, looking deathly pale for some reason. Raisa leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, watching me intently. Only Serena remained unruffled, standing by the door with a water pitcher and a stoic face.
What was this? Was I being staged an intervention? I hadn't even finished clearing the reports regarding the Black Needle Society yet...
Yesterday, I had handed over the society’s ledger and daggers, along with the three men we’d stashed in the basement, to the guards accompanying that brat. They said they would investigate the matter further at the palace, and I assumed that was the end of it.
"Vain! We are going to have a serious talk about yesterday’s guest right now."
"Oh, you mean that saucy brat who arrived in the royal carriage? She just came to pry into the Black Needle Society business, drank my tea, and left, didn't she? Like I said yesterday, she was a real piece of work."
Clarice squeezed her eyes shut. Her face was the mask of someone desperately swallowing the urge to scream. Mylene clutched the thank-you letter to her chest, looking between Clarice and me with profound unease. Raisa looked up at the ceiling and exhaled a long sigh, as if she’d finally given up on hope itself.
"First, let me confirm something... Who exactly did you think that person was yesterday?"
"Who? Either a messenger from the palace or the daughter of some high-ranking noble, I assume. Her clothes looked expensive and she had a security detail... but she never introduced herself. I didn't grow up in the royal capital, and I haven't exactly been a regular at the palace, so it’s not like I’d recognize her on sight."
"She didn't 'fail' to introduce herself. You treated her like a brat from the moment she arrived, giving her no chance to name herself!"
"But she was a brat, wasn't she?"
Clarice’s temple twitched. Mylene let out a small, faint "Oh..." while Raisa covered her mouth.
What? I was only stating facts. She pestered me in the palace gardens, showed up at my mansion, and then left while promising to come back. What else was I supposed to call her if not a saucy brat?
Clarice slammed the thank-you letter onto my desk.
"This is a formal letter of thanks from the royal palace regarding yesterday’s visit! Read it. Read it properly!"
"If it’s a thank-you letter, we can just send a polite acknowledgment in return, can’t we? I hate palace documents; they're always so bloated and long-winded."
"Just read it! Especially the sender's name!"
Reluctantly, I looked down at the parchment. The royal crest... gratitude for yesterday's hospitality... appreciation for the cooperation regarding the Black Needle Society... that was all standard. The problem lay in the title written at the very bottom.
—Her Royal Highness, the Second Princess.
My fingers froze.
That saucy brat from yesterday. The girl who had pestered me in the palace gardens. The girl who drank tea at my mansion, discussed the Black Needle Society, and said she’d return. The girl I had called a brat, told to go home, and informed that my house wasn't an inn.
Huh?...She was a p-princess? Are you kidding me?!
A cold chill raced down my spine.
"...Clarice."
"...What?"
"W-was that really Her Royal Highness the Princess yesterday...?"
"That is exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you!"
"Why didn't you say so sooner?!"
"I did! I told you a royal carriage had arrived, that it wasn't a civil official's, and that it belonged to someone of much higher status! You were the one who brushed it off and said, 'If it's a palace messenger, let them in'!"
"Be more specific next time! Don't beat around the bush with talk of 'royal carriages' or 'higher-ups.' Say: 'That is the Princess. Bow your head, shut your mouth, and stay silent if you don't want to die'!"
"The fact that I have to be that blunt for you to understand is the problem!"
Clarice almost slammed the desk again but pulled her hand back at the last second—likely to avoid damaging the letter. Even in a rage, she protected the paperwork. She truly was the daughter of a former prestigious house. I turned my gaze toward Mylene.
"Mylene... did you know as well?"
Mylene cast her eyes down apologetically.
"Yes... I had seen her likeness in palace portraits before... but you were speaking so naturally with her, Master, that I wondered if perhaps you had some sort of grand plan in mind..."
"As if I’d have a plan for something like that!"
"That’s why it was so terrifying!" Clarice snapped instantly.
I sank back into my chair and exhaled a heavy breath. No matter how much of a villain I intended to be, I had no desire to pick a fight with royalty... I wanted to be the one doing the exploiting, not the one standing on the gallows.
Clarice glared at me, her patience finally reaching its breaking point.
"Honestly, how could you not know her face?! It’s only natural to at least memorize the appearances of the royal family, not just their names!"
"Knowing the names is plenty! Until very recently, I was staring at my domain's ledgers, not palace socialites! I thought there wasn't a chance in a lifetime I'd ever actually meet one!"
"And to that person you thought you'd never meet, you called her a 'brat'! You even criticized her clothes, both in the palace gardens and yesterday! Didn't you say something like, 'At least you're wearing decent clothes today'?!"
I tried to come up with a retort, but the words failed me.
This... this might be the end.
"I’ll write an apology! Right now. Clarice! Draft a letter where a foolish young head who committed a grave discourtesy against royalty is as humble as humanly possible without taking too much responsibility."
"That is a very specific request... but it's better than nothing. Next time you see her, don't you dare open your mouth. Just hand over the paper and stay silent."
"I know! I doubt there will be a next time, but it’s for my own peace of mind..."
Before I could finish the sentence, a commotion erupted near the mansion gate.
The color drained from Mylene's face. Clarice rushed to the window, looked outside, and froze in place. Raisa let out a low chuckle. This was not a laughing matter. I peeked out the window as well, and the moment I saw the carriage bearing the royal crest, my stomach turned to ice.
"...She's back already."
"She said she’d return, didn't she...? It's probably because you told her not to come that she decided to show up..."
That was the worst possible reason.
◇
The Princess, who entered the drawing room, was dressed in slightly more casual attire than the day before.
Now I knew her title. Unlike yesterday, I understood the weight behind her pale jacket, the understated jewelry, and the disciplined movements of the guards stationed behind her. Looking at her through the lens of her true identity, everything made sense... but expecting someone who didn't know to pick up on those subtle cues was just unreasonable.
I stood up and bowed as deeply as my body would allow.
"My, oh my... I was terribly rude yesterday... Please, I beg your forgiveness for my numerous impolitenesses! I truly had no idea I was in the presence of Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
My own voice sounded so sickeningly polite it made my throat itch. But this was a princess... if I wanted to stay far away from the executioner’s block, I had to endure this!
The Princess took a step closer and furrowed her brow in distaste.
"...Disgusting."
My apology was decapitated on the very first move.
"...Huh?"
"That tone of voice is disgusting... Where did the man from yesterday go? To suddenly become so groveling just because you learned I’m a princess... it's beyond boring. It's offensive. Change it back."
"No, such a rude manner of speaking to Her Royal Highness would be—"
"I’m telling you to change it back. If you don't, I'll have it recorded that you threatened me in the palace gardens, summoned me to your mansion, and committed an act of gross insolence behind closed doors. If I embellish the story just a bit, I'm sure it would be enough to warrant a death sentence, don't you think?"
The air in the room turned brittle.
Mylene nearly dropped the tea set and scrambled to clutch it with both hands. Clarice gripped the back of a chair, her face white as she whispered, "Your Highness..." The amusement vanished from Raisa's eyes, and the guards behind the Princess shifted their hands closer to the hilts of their swords. Only Serena remained stoic, her eyes fixed on the guards' blades. Don't look at that. This isn't the time for combat analysis!
I slowly raised my head.
"You brat... don't go throwing your royal authority around like that!"
In that instant, Mylene's shoulders jumped. Clarice froze as if turned to stone, and Raisa muttered a low, "He actually did it..." One of the guards took a sharp half-step forward, and Serena's gaze moved silently to meet him. No one spoke. Everyone was likely waiting for the sound of my head hitting the floor.
However, the Princess beamed with genuine satisfaction.
"That's it! That's much better. You're no fun at all unless you're like that."
"Don't gamble with my life just because you’re looking for entertainment! Ever since I got back from the royal capital, I've been jerked around by the underworld and the palace non-stop!"
"But you're still alive and kicking, aren't you?"
"Just being alive isn't enough to make it okay!"
The Princess sat in a chair, looking thoroughly amused. Clarice and Mylene were still pale as ghosts. Raisa smirked, and Serena placed tea in front of the Princess as if nothing had ever happened.
And so, I found myself in the nonsensical position of being ordered by the Princess herself to keep calling her a brat.
◇
Meanwhile, at Baron Barzen’s mansion in the royal capital, the master was in a state of absolute ruin.
The servant he had dispatched to the Black Needle Society hadn't returned. The assassins who were supposed to have struck the Razgrim mansion hadn't returned either. Furthermore, rumors had reached the capital that members of the Black Needle Society had been found bound at a nearby post station, and that their ledgers had been seized. The Baron slammed a silver goblet onto the floor, screaming at his staff.
"Impossible! The Black Needle Society would never leave a ledger behind! What did that whelp do? He's just a backwater noble!"
No one had an answer.
The Baron wiped sweat from his brow and paced the room. He had been humiliated in the palace gardens. Furthermore, that upstart had caught the Princess's interest. That was why he’d tried to silence him. That was all it was supposed to be. But the Black Needle Society was gone, the evidence remained, and the palace's reaction was unnervingly swift.
Just then, the sound of heavy boots echoed from the entrance.
A servant rushed in, face white with fear.
"Baron, the Royal Palace Guards are here...!"
"Don't let them in! I am indisposed. I will not see anyone today!"
But the door was already open. A man who appeared to be the Guard Captain entered the room, flanked by two soldiers. In his hand, he held a black ledger and a small payment slip embossed with the mark of House Barzen. The Baron’s throat went dry.
"Baron Barzen. We would like to have a word regarding your recent business with the Black Needle Society."
"I don't know what you're talking about! I know nothing! This is the first I've even heard the name Black Needle Society!"
"Then I take it this is also the first you've heard of the payments recorded in this ledger, or the testimony provided by your servant?"
The Baron’s knees buckled.
The servant.
Had the man been caught? He shouldn't have talked. He wanted to believe that, but the Guard Captain’s expression was that of a man who already held every answer.
"I shall make my case directly to Her Royal Highness! Such insolence will not go unpunished!"
The Guard Captain replied flatly, "Her Highness is currently at Lord Razgrim’s mansion."
The blood drained from the Baron's face.
"Why... why would Her Highness be at that man's mansion...?"
"There is no need for you to know that. What you need to do is confess the rest at the palace."
The soldiers stepped forward. The Baron tried to bolt, but his legs tangled and he crashed into his desk. The silver goblet rolled away, and the dregs of wine pooled on the floor. The man who had manipulated the capital and bought silence with gold was now rendered motionless by a single ledger with his name in it.
Baron Barzen was seized by the arms by the Royal Palace Guards.
That day, a rumor swept through the capital. Word was that a Baron who had dared to touch House Razgrim had incurred the Princess's wrath and had been crushed along with the Black Needle Society.
Of course, I knew nothing of these rumors. If I had, I surely would have said:
"Those people in the capital sure love to exaggerate a story..."