02. Fairy’s Playground (2)

“Is someone talking about me?”

Jane suddenly felt an itch in her ear and scratched it with her pinky finger.

A rather unladylike gesture for a noblewoman.

But she didn’t particularly care.

Who would dare criticize the manners of Jane Batory, the kingdom’s greatest magical prodigy and youngest royal court mage?

However, the place Jane had arrived at was one where etiquette mattered even more.

The Royal Palace.

The residence of the king at the nation’s pinnacle, where all state institutions gathered.

Yet Jane paid it no mind.

-Click clack

Jane strode briskly through the central garden before the main palace.

She enjoyed several privileges granted by His Majesty the King, one being the right to cut across this garden.

Normally, Jane would stroll leisurely, admiring the fresh flowers.

But today, she didn’t spare a single glance for the verdant grass.

What could be the reason?

“I miss Lily.”

Her mind was preoccupied with something else.

Jane missed Lily, whom she’d had to leave behind.

Though less than an hour had passed since they parted, she already longed to see her.

How had it come to this?

Bringing Lily home had been an impulsive decision.

Moreover, they’d only lived together for barely a week.

Yet that lovely Lily of the Valley had already taken root in Jane Batory’s heart.

“Lily, Lily, Lily.”

With each step, she whispered Lily’s name.

The refreshing scent seemed to spread through her mouth, lifting Jane’s mood ever so slightly.

Actually, Jane had planned to visit the palace the afternoon she brought Lily home.

By law, all half-bloods in the kingdom must be registered as slaves from birth.

And slave registration is handled by the Ministry of Finance located in the palace.

So why had she come to the palace today instead of that same day?

The reason, again, lay with Lily.

***

After leaving the bathroom, Jane had seen Lily lying in bed, lightly snoring.

Then, while preparing to go out, she heard faint whimpering.

Whether from nightmares or not, Lily was crying buckets of tears.

‘Mommy… Daddy…’

Lily’s pitiful sobs still echoed vividly in her mind.

When Jane carefully woke her, she noticed something odd.

Lily’s body was burning hot.

Soon after, Lily emptied her stomach and lost consciousness.

The sudden situation left Jane utterly bewildered.

Nursing had never been part of her life’s vocabulary.

For the first time, she sought divine help.

Flustered, Jane examined Lily’s condition.

Her first suspicion was poison.

But upon checking, it was simply exhaustion from prolonged tension.

Just in case, she even had an abducted doctor confirm the diagnosis.

The little girl remained ill for five full days.

Far from finding it bothersome, Jane never left Lily’s side.

Why couldn’t she take the pain instead?

For the first time in her life, Jane felt something akin to pity.

The girl with jewel eyes had unwittingly claimed many of Jane’s firsts.

***

Fortunately, Lily recovered enough to get up yesterday.

Yet unease still filled Jane’s chest.

“Will she be alright?”

She’d left the shop in Lily’s care.

An important letter arriving today prevented her from closing the store.

Moreover, Lily’s registration couldn’t be postponed any longer.

The silver lining was that the letter would simply be delivered by a maid.

Her shop rarely saw customers, and she’d taken extra precautions just in case.

Still, Jane remained anxious.

‘I’ll just finish my business quickly and return.’

Unfortunately, that resolution wouldn’t come to pass.

Stopping mid-step, Jane spoke first to the approaching attendant.

“No.”

“…I haven’t even said anything yet, Lord Batory.”

The attendant broke into a cold sweat at her preemptive refusal.

But Jane showed no sympathy, shaking her head firmly.

“I didn’t come to see His Majesty today.”

“His Majesty has already prepared refreshments…”

“No.”

***

“Long time no see, Jane. Why is seeing your face so difficult these days? Haha.”

A man lounging comfortably on a sofa greeted Jane warmly.

But Jane only regarded him coolly.

“Alright, alright. Lord Batory. Fine then? Haha. But isn’t it about time you let me call you by name?”

Jane pretended not to hear the latter part and sat across from him.

Edward Albion.

At thirty years old, the young king bore the royal family’s trademark bright blond hair and blue eyes with perfect fidelity.

Yet he possessed one distinctive feature that set him apart from other royals.

His healthy, sun-kissed complexion.

“Blue blood” referred to the pale skin and visible blue veins of nobles who shunned sunlight as beneath them.

A manifestation of aristocratic disdain for physical labor.

Yet here was the king-the pinnacle of nobility-not pale at all, having deliberately tanned his skin.

This eccentricity earned him a reputation for being peculiar and frivolous.

“Our second child took two whole steps yesterday. Isn’t that marvelous? Haha!”

The frivolous assessment seemed accurate.

After considerable small talk, the king produced a document from his coat.

He handed it to Jane.

“This contains compiled information about the slave you took in.”

Jane, who’d been half-listening, finally gave the king her full attention.

“Now you look at me.”

The king complained about how much effort went into preparing those documents.

But the heartless Jane ignored him again, examining the papers.

Investigation Report: Codename “The Mage’s Flower”

Presumed to be the child of an adventurer who went missing in the frozen wastes.

Mother deceased, child found suffering from mutism.

Presumably smuggled by the Doom Merchant Group after identifying her Jewel Eye.

“That Doom Merchant Group mentioned there is the one you exterminated last week. Nasty bunch, they were.”

“Ah.”

Maybe she should have made their deaths more painful?

Jane felt the slightest twinge of regret.

“Wasting administrative resources tracking down some half-blood’s past…”

The king grumbled about the long-established law.

“If we’re just going to enslave and monitor them, why not kill them at birth?”

The king’s extreme remark slipped out unconsciously, making him glance nervously at Jane.

Her expression remained unchanged.

But the faint crimson flickering in her eyes betrayed her profound displeasure.

“Joking, joking. Don’t look at me like you want to devour me. Bad for my heart.”

The king hastily backtracked.

Jane returned to the document.

Age confirmed by comparing mother’s diary with Doom Merchant Group’s records.

Estimated minimum age: 20 years.

“Ah…”

The unexpected revelation startled Jane.

“Oh my… Jane, I didn’t know you could smile.”

Sneaking in her name again, the king shivered at Jane’s expression.

“Please don’t smile like that in front of others. You look like you’re about to eat someone-it’s rather frightening.”

At his words, Jane touched her lips and erased the smile.

Learning Lily was an adult inexplicably pleased Jane.

She didn’t know why.

Unbidden, the memory of that interrupted bath night resurfaced.

“Hmm…”

Her usually steady heartbeat quickened slightly.

Her stomach felt oddly tight.

When Jane finished reviewing the documents, the king spoke.

“Only three people know you took in that half-blood.”

Jane Batory herself, the king, and the knight who participated in the raid.

The king said he’d ordered the knight to keep silent.

“This is my gift to you.”

The next document the king presented made Jane look up.

For the first time since entering the office, she met his gaze.

The document’s contents were utterly unexpected.

Legal proof of purchase showing Jane had bought Lily.

Included was confirmation that payment had been completed.

“I paid from my personal funds. You can cover the taxes.”

“Yes.”

When Jane readily agreed, the king smiled wryly.

“That pleased?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ll continue as royal court mage?”

“Then you shouldn’t have given me work.”

At her blunt refusal, the king slumped dramatically.

“Certain pigs keep nitpicking about you slacking off. Just handle a few simple tasks. Hmm? Hmm?”

Watching a grown man-a married one at that-act so childish made Jane turn away.

But she remembered her palace business was concluded.

“I’ll consider it.”

“Woo-hoo!”

Jane closed her eyes at the middle-aged man’s ridiculous celebratory dance.

***

After the audience, Jane walked briskly away.

But a voice stopped her in the main palace corridor.

“In such a hurry to go somewhere?”

A man whose voice she hated hearing, whose face she hated seeing.

Frankly, she’d love to read his obituary.

Count Flanders.

Jane sighed internally and nodded slightly.

Unfortunately, the count outranked her.

“Good day, Your Excellency.”

“Lord Batory, good day to you too.”

The count stood shorter than Jane, requiring her to look down slightly.

But Jane deliberately kept her gaze level.

“How have you been? Still playing with that bizarre shop of yours?”

“I’ve been well, thank you. As for the shop… well.”

Dismissing the count’s jab, Jane plotted her escape.

Of course, Jane could turn the count into an actual pig with a wave of her hand.

She refrained only because the ensuing fallout would be tedious.

Today seems full of annoying people, Jane thought.

Then the count said:

“Ah, yes. I heard you’ve taken in a new member. What wind blew you to hire help when you couldn’t be bothered with maids?”

“Just bought a slave, that’s all.”

Seeing no need to provoke unnecessary irritation, Jane brushed it off.

The count smirked.

“Yellow Diamonds are truly beautiful, aren’t they?”

Jane didn’t respond.

As uncomfortable silence stretched, she nodded again.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Ah, let’s dine together sometime.”

Leaving Count Flanders behind, Jane hurried down the corridor.

By the time she crossed the central garden and exited the palace, she was biting her lip.

Only three people knew Jane had taken Lily during the raid.

And Lily had never left the shop.

So how did the count know the color of Lily’s eyes?