Oooooh! I see, that’s precisely it! So it hadn’t been one of those icy-gazed maids—someone who was on Princess Mira’s side had done it for her. I see... So that’s it. That was also why she hadn’t pushed for Lord Hilbert to go home; she’d determined that his arrival worked in her favor. It definitely seemed like a plan that the next heir to a throne would cook up. She was skilled in trickery, even if her plan didn’t involve politics. I couldn’t help but fangirl knowing that the fairy princess was actually a fierce woman. So cool!
“If she’s willing to go this far, then it can’t solely be because she hates Lord Hilbert. There has to be another reason— Wah!” A strikingly strong wind blew, throwing my hair back and making my skirt flap. I struggled to press them down.
“Let’s go back inside.” Lord Simeon stood in front of me as a wind shield and stroked my messy hair.
“The wind is so strong now.” I shivered.
“Yes, it seems like it’s going to storm later.”
We looked up at the sky simultaneously. The clouds were moving swiftly, gray seeping into the usual white of summer.
“Will we still be able to go sightseeing tomorrow?”
“Our only option is to hope that it doesn’t rain.”
“So we can’t go if it does?”
“We can’t walk when it’s raining. We’d be drenched while crossing the bridge.”
“Aw...” I’d been looking forward to it quite a bit, so I bit my lip at the thought of the trip being canceled.
Lord Simeon laughed and pushed on my back. “You said you wanted a castle with a view of the sea, yes? Did you mean a place like this? Why don’t I buy out an island and build one for you?”
“You can’t just say that so smoothly. I was merely gathering materials when I mentioned that. If you’re going to fulfill one of my requests, then I’d like to go shopping when you’re done with your guarding duties.”
“We’ll be staying here another night, so I should be able to find time. I’ll get permission from His Highness and go with you.”
“Yay!” I flung myself at my husband and faced the building again.
Unexpectedly, a person was standing nearby—a tall man. He wasn’t concerned about his dark brown hair being mussed in the wind and was only staring intently at the sky. This was Mr. Mace—he was actually looking at the upper floors of the castle. I guessed at what the object of his vision was and looked over at the balcony myself, but the princess wasn’t there anymore. Mr. Mace dropped his gaze, turned to us, and bowed. He didn’t come over to talk to us but simply walked off. I stared at his retreating back.
“What’s the matter?” asked Lord Simeon.
“Nothing...” It really was nothing. I was just a bit curious about the expression on Mr. Mace’s face as he’d stared at that balcony. He’d seemed normal on the surface, but I had seen a trace of sadness in him. I hoped I was merely thinking too deep into it. “This may seem sudden, but I have a question. Our carriages were inspected before we departed, right?”
Mr. Mace, in the distance, was headed in the direction of the carriage parking building. Was he going to inspect them again?
“Of course.” Lord Simeon followed my stare. “Everything from the bodies of the carriages to the horses’ shoes were inspected so that no accidents would occur.” He gestured for me to follow him.
“Right.” I began to walk. The knights greeted us at the castle doors—Lord Simeon returned the greeting—and we entered the building.
“Are you worried that Sir Kessel will do something to the carriages?”
“No, not exactly.” I panicked when my husband said this out of the blue and hurried to deny it. “We don’t have to suspect Mr. Mace anymore, remember? That shadow Lord Nigel saw was the culprit.”
“Nothing has been confirmed, though.”
I was shocked to hear this, since I’d assumed everything had been resolved. “Do you suspect Mr. Mace, Lord Simeon?”
“He’s a possible suspect is all I can say. At present, there’s no one more suspicious than him.”
Whaaat? No way! I almost argued back, but I closed my mouth when I saw someone nearby. It wasn’t a patroller or any of the hotel staff. Coming toward us was Mr. Meyer. Another awkward person to be around... Did he hear us? Lord Simeon also quieted down and quickly changed his expression. This little slipup was surprising for him. Mr. Meyer’s footsteps were almost inaudible, so perhaps my husband hadn’t noticed him. We bowed our heads to him as we passed, but all he did was glance at us and keep walking without a word. Thank goodness. I thought he was going to harp on us again.
Once we were far enough away, I whispered. “If Mr. Mace was targeting me, then he wouldn’t have let Her Highness ride in my carriage. And if he were targeting her, then the bazaar incident wouldn’t have happened. I don’t think it’s him.”
“There’s no guarantee that the two incidents had the same culprit. And even if they did, Sir Kessel may have only executed the bazaar incident to mislead us into thinking you’re the one being targeted. He could have been trying to take the suspicion off himself.”
I didn’t know how to respond. Was that true? Lord Simeon’s assertions made the theory sound more real, which made me anxious. “But what motive would Mr. Mace have? He said he was old friends with the princess.”
“We can’t tell what their relationship really is from an outside perspective. As people who’ve only just met them, there may be a reason we can’t even fathom.”
That was true. I didn’t know anything about Princess Mira or Mr. Mace. I had no right to speak as if I knew them.
Had there been a reason behind his sad face? Could it be that it was actually hatred? Or was it pain at having to harm the princess against his wishes? I really didn’t want to suspect him. After the carriage incident, he’d been so relieved to see her safe that he’d almost cried. I didn’t want to believe that it had only been an act.
Lord Simeon delivered me to my room, but he didn’t come inside in favor of returning to his guard duties. I pulled a chair over to the window and sat so I could gaze at the sea as I contemplated.
I wouldn’t know the motive unless I asked, but if Mr. Mace really were the culprit, it would’ve been entirely possible for him to have pulled off the incidents. He’d been the one to suggest my carriage when the defect had been found with the princess’s, and could he have predicted ahead of time that both of the embassy’s carriages would be in use? The councilors had been using them for work, so the plans to do so had probably been made at an earlier date. That could’ve spurred the idea for his plot...
“Hmm...”
Between “possible” and “not possible,” this was on the “possible” side. Yet I couldn’t help but feel I was trying to force a square piece into a circular hole; if the councilors’ plans hadn’t worked out, Mr. Mace’s scheme would’ve been ruined in an instant. Instead of using such a risky tactic, he could’ve gone for something more surefire...
I gasped loudly, having realized something important. If Mr. Mace had really been planning to assassinate Princess Mira, there’d been so many other opportunities! He was her secretary, was allowed to approach her, and he knew her schedule better than anyone else. He could have come up with a more concrete plan to kill her than anyone else could have. Right? Right?!
I’d overlooked something so simple. There was no need for me to overthink so much and confuse myself. I let out the breath I’d been holding and shook away the notion that Mr. Mace could be the culprit. He isn’t after all! This line of thought makes no sense! Lord Simeon surely knew this as well, so why had he suggested otherwise? Had he been attempting to steer me away from the root of the problem? That seemed like something he’d do. He would lie like it was nothing if he needed to. He’d likely noticed more facts already, but he wouldn’t tell me about them until he was more sure of their validity. That was how it always was.
My husband had allowed me to return to my room by myself despite how noisy he’d been with his lecture earlier, so there was probably no imminent danger. I trusted the guards all throughout the hotel grounds.
I readjusted my feelings and called for a staff member. Since I couldn’t attend dinner in my traveling outfit, I had them help me dress. After a short bath and a change of clothes, dinnertime had just about arrived.
It was dim outside the window. Because of the worsening weather, night was sure to come early.