# 7
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Anyway, I didn't intend to make them look for such things.
Even if they found her, they would obviously pretend not to see her.
What they should be looking for is something else.
"Yes! Treasure hunt! I'll look for a beautiful stone."
“Stone...beautiful?”
“Yes! A stone that shines with the colors of the Northern Lights! And we will play the punishment game again! The one who finds the least number of stones will hit….”
“This is a barbaric punishment.”
"barbaric?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Can't we use another punishment? Like singing a song or reciting a poem."
Rosalina said this with a gentle smile, her eyes full of contempt turning softly towards me. She seemed to be saying, “I don’t know if you can do this.”
Even the maids shook their heads in agreement, as if they did not want to be subjected to further punishment.
“How about trying something like this? I can teach you.”
"I don't want."
Rosalina looked confused.
"What?"
The rules here are set by me. Punishment should be as humiliating as possible, so that everyone will do their best, especially people like Rosalina.
“This is boring. Hmm, you're getting boring.”
“Her Highness?”
"Serena, Rosé. Make her leave. I don't want to play with someone boring. We're not friends anymore, as of now!"
“Your Highness! I will search for as many stones as possible for you!”
Rosalina said excitedly, then set off into the garden, abandoning her previous aristocratic behavior. She seemed determined to stay by my side at all costs.
There must be something to gain from it.
“We'll look too!”
“I'll find as many as I can, ma'am!”
Serena and Rosie rushed to the park as well.
I sat on the ground, watching them earnestly search for stones as if they were gathering herbs, and smiled mischievously.
Whatever their intentions, I am above them all.
They seem busy now, so I'll quietly look for something else.
There are probably secret codes used by killers as well.
Where could killers leave such marks?
Let's think about it, in a place that is not affected by rain, snow or wind. Maybe inside a gap in a large rock, for example.
“Found it.”
I reached into a gap and pulled out a paper-like object. It was a small piece of paper with numbers and dots written on it.
How simple. This shows that they are underestimating me.
Other codes probably won't be so easy.
I don't know what this paper means, but keeping it might be a good idea. Who knows when or where I'll be able to use it?
Or maybe I'll figure out a way to decode it later.
I decided to put it in my jewelry box in my room. It's a box containing a large heart-shaped stone that looks sort of like girls' magic tools.
No one was touching that box because I hate the look of it, so it stayed safe.
While the others were busy looking for shiny stones, I managed to find another piece of paper.
I quietly put it in my pocket before the three of them returned to me, running towards the place.
Their eyes were filled with a feeling of joy.
But behind that, she is full of determination, anger, and a spirit of defiance.
Their dirt-covered hands extended towards me, each proudly presenting the stones they had found.
“I found the largest number, didn't I?”
Rosalina said with a confident smile, seeming to have completely forgotten her original purpose. In return, Serena and Rosé lowered their heads with pale faces.
To the winner: Praise.
"Well done, Rosalina! I'm counting on you too tomorrow! If you collect 100 stones, I'll make you a necklace!"
“A contract? I...”
“Don't you like it? It's a gift from a friend.”
I puffed out my cheeks with determination.
“No, I'm just very happy.”
Rosalina answered in a nervous tone, but she didn't look happy on her face.
As for the loser: punishment.
“Rosalina, hit Serena and Rosé on the foreheads! This is the rule of treasure hunting!”
While Rosalina was venting her anger on the two losers, I was grabbing the shiny stones they had painstakingly collected.
Treasure Hunt: Successful.
Three days later, at the Duke of Spindel's palace.
“Strange… I haven’t heard from Serena and Rosie yet. They were supposed to know when the Crown Prince’s guards would be replaced.”
Duke Spindle muttered in a low voice. Something was definitely wrong. Even if they couldn't find out anything, they should have at least sent a message. But days passed without any contact.
The Duke glanced at his son sitting in front of him, who was reading a book while sipping tea.
Unlike his daughter who had turned into a fool due to a fever, his son was intelligent and an ideal heir, although there were some points that were disappointing.
But Duke Spindel had never seen anyone better for the role than Evelyn Spindel.
Evelyn, who absorbed knowledge like a leaf absorbs water, suited the Spindle family better than anyone else.
If it wasn't for that tragic accident, she would be sitting in this seat right now.
Every time he looked at Augustin, he felt remorse.
Evelyn was not only smart and patient, she was also calm and knew how to wait for the right time, unlike Augustin, who tended to be aggressive.
But now, Evelin was just a child and had fallen to the level of a tool used in times of need.
‘Sending Augustin would be better than me going personally.’
He knew that there were many eyes watching his movements, so Augustin was the perfect card for this task.
“Looks like you'll need to go yourf, Augustin.”
"I?"
Augustin looked up from the book, clearly showing his discomfort.
Duke Spindel hated such impudence and inability to hide feelings, it did not suit someone of the Spindel family.
The Duke skillfully concealed his true feelings and spoke calmly.
"Who else? You also have to make sure your sister is okay."
Augustin frowned at those words and spoke coldly
"No, Dad. That's not my sister. She's just a uess vermin."
The Duke faced this apparent hatred with complete composure and responded with equal coldness.
“However, it is thanks to her that we were able to openly plant our people inside the royal palace. Even insects can be useful, Augustin.”
“…Hoo.”
“In addition, the Crown Prince had to miss the opportunity to associate with Count Karma. With this, your sister has fully fulfilled her role.”
Augustin's eyes narrowed noticeably, but he could not refuse the orders of his father, who was a gentle master but a dictator at the same time. Augustin had not yet inherited any of the ducal property, so he had no choice but to submit.
He slowly closed the book he was reading.
“I'll go. Tomorrow I'll be there.”
Duke Spindel nodded, showing no intention of informing the palace or communicating with Evelin before the visit.
It seemed as if Spindle's will transcended all convention.
Even Evelin wasn't expecting this unwanted visitor coming soon.
Meanwhile, at the palace.
Rosie and Serena were always eager to leave my room as soon as their work time was over, regardless of whether I was asleep or awake. Once it's time to leave, they disappear like ghosts.
But that wasn't a concern for me. With the end of working hours, the guards would double their patrols, limiting movement in the palace.
For me, that was helpful. Now I can focus on my real work without having to pretend to be a little girl.
I spread the papers I had collected over the past three days in front of me and looked at them with intense concentration.
"That they could sneak in with that much oversight? It's unbelievable."
The papers had a series of numbers on them, and each of the five cards I collected had a different number on them. But what do these numbers mean?
Oh, how wonderful it would have been if the novel had said something about it!
I buried my face into the pillow and gasped at the air. My mind was stuck. Should I confront Rosie and Serena and question them? Maybe with a light tap on their heads they'll start talking.
I sighed deeply.
This is what a person feels when he cannot acknowledge his father even in front of him.
I took the papers one by one as I rolled around on the bed, thinking. And suddenly…
“Ah!”
I lost my balance and almost fell off the bed. At that moment, I heard sounds I wasn't expecting coming from outside.
“But Her Highness, the Crown Princess must have fallen asleep by now...”
“In that case, I will go out without any disturbance...”
The door opened, and Sertine's eyes met mine. There was a boom and a moment of silence.
What perfect timing.
Even the numbness in my body disappeared because of my deep feeling of embarrassment. Sirtain's eyes were looking at me carefully.
I swallowed hard and slowly lowered my legs that were hanging over the bed.