Kiz’s health slowly improved under Elia’s meticulous care.
By the third day, she was already able to get out of bed and take short walks.
When the maids entered the room to deliver tea, they would occasionally see the Princess leaning her head on the Saint’s shoulder while the Saint quietly read a book.
Although neither of them spoke, a strange atmosphere permeated the air… It was an atmosphere that was impossible to describe, but in short, it made anyone else feel too embarrassed to stay for even one second.
Consequently, the maids would quickly retreat from the room as soon as they set down the tea.
Meanwhile, Elia and Kiz had not given up on tracking down the mastermind.
Every day, secret reports were delivered to Kiz’s hands.
She would read through them one by one and analyze them together with Elia.
“There has indeed been unusual movement from the Heavenly Saint Race recently…” Kiz said, pointing to a secret report. “Their Paladin Order is massing near the border. Although they claim it is just an exercise, the scale is clearly abnormal.”
“Are they looking for an excuse to deal with us?” Elia asked.
“It’s possible… but it’s also possible they are just posturing, trying to force us to make the first move… That way, they would have a justification for starting a war.”
“Pah! A bunch of old foxes.”
Later, Kiz picked up another report. After a single glance, her brow furrowed. “Regarding the Demons, someone has been buying blood samples from Blood Clan nobles in the Dark Market lately… Although they claim it is for research, noble blood is exactly what is needed to calibrate the toxicity of that specific poison.”
“So, have you found out who bought them?”
“No, the other party is very cautious and used intermediaries… However, we can now prove it… The Demons are definitely suspects.”
Elia remained silent for a moment before asking, “What about the Human Empire?”
Kiz glanced at her and said, “There are people investigating you as well. The Empire has sent several waves of spies to infiltrate Blood Clan territory, and they are all coming for you.”
“And the Church?”
“The Church? Ha… Those guys have even publicly declared that you are being controlled by the Blood Clan’s evil magic. They are calling for believers to pray for you and claiming that if the Blood Clan does not release you, they will organize a Holy War,” Kiz said with a cold sneer.
Elia: “…”
“In short, all three of these powers are suspects… The Heavenly Saint Race has the capability, the Demons have the motive, and the Human Empire… well… they have both the capability and the motive.”
“What about the Dwarf Clan and the Elves? Are they really completely above suspicion?”
Kiz thought about it and said, “The Elves and the Blood Clan have maintained a friendly relationship for hundreds of years. Breaking that bond would bring them no benefit.”
“And the Dwarves?”
“The Dwarves… those guys are quite neutral and generally don’t get involved in the continent’s conflicts. But if someone offers a high enough price, they will sell weapons as well as intelligence.”
“In other words, it’s possible the Dwarves took someone else’s money to help the mastermind create the poison?”
“It’s possible… but the Dwarves only recognize money, not people. They wouldn’t actively harm the Blood Clan on their own; at most, they were exploited.”
Elia nodded thoughtfully. “So, the most likely culprits are still those three—the Heavenly Saint Race, the Demons, and the Humans.”
“Mhm.”
“Then let’s investigate them all. Eventually, one of them will slip up.”
However, while she was talking, Elia didn’t notice what she had picked up. She even took a sip of it…
“Pah! Blegh! What is this!” Elia frantically spat out the red liquid she had just swallowed… Wasn’t that freaking blood?
Had she accidentally snatched Kiz’s drink because she wasn’t paying attention?
“You… you’re even trying to steal my blood now…”
Seeing that the little Princess was about to cry again, Elia hastily said, “I’m sorry! I didn’t notice just now!” She even lowered her head in apology.
A moment later, she heard Kiz’s laughter. “Hee hee, you fell for it, Elia! Do you really think I’d care about that? Heh, seeing you apologize to me like that really feels good~”
“Kiz…” Elia slowly raised her head.
“Huh? Hey, it’s not that serious! I was just joking! Aaaaaaaaah! Help me!”
—
Five days later, Kiz was finally cleared by the doctor for free movement.
The first thing she did was drag Elia to the Garden, saying huffily, “I want to see the Black Roses! Right now!”
Elia felt a bit helpless as she was pulled along.
Actually, it wasn’t just ‘a bit’ helpless—she was extremely helpless. ‘Why does this little princess love the garden so much?’ However, since there didn’t seem to be any other good places to relax near the castle, it was probably normal for her to like the garden.
“Walk slower, Kiz. You haven’t fully recovered yet…” At this point, Elia could only fuss behind her like an old nanny.
“It’s fine!” Kiz turned back and smiled at her. “The doctor said I’ve recovered very well. Doing some normal activities is no problem at all!”
She was smiling very happily at that moment. The glow of the setting sun fell on her face, plating her long white hair in a layer of warm gold.
Once again, Elia found herself staring blankly.
“What’s wrong?” Kiz asked, stopping her pace.
“I just think you look quite pretty when you smile,” Elia said.
Kiz’s face instantly turned red. “What… what are you saying all of a sudden!”
“The truth~ Don’t you like hearing me tell the truth?”
“I didn’t say I disliked it…”
“Then that means you like it.”
“But I didn’t say I liked it either!”
“Then do you like it or not?”
Kiz was becoming dizzy from the wordplay, so she simply stopped answering. She turned around and continued walking… but the tips of her ears were so red they looked like they might drip blood.
Kiz walked all the way to a cluster of the most flourishing Black Roses.
She thought for a moment, then reached out to gently touch one of the blossoms.
“By the way… do you like Black Roses?” Elia asked.
“Mhm.”
Although it was just a simple “Mhm,” Elia reached out and plucked the Black Rose that Kiz had just touched. She then directly tucked the flower behind Kiz’s ear.
“A gift for you,” she said.
In truth, Elia felt that if she had waited any longer to pluck the flower, Kiz would have picked it herself… and if that had happened, Elia would have perfectly missed an opportunity to significantly increase the little Princess’s affection.
Kiz touched the flower by her ear and opened her mouth as if she didn’t know what to say… In the end, she managed a soft, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to give it to you.”
“I told you a long time ago not to be so polite… Given our current relationship, why are you acting so formal? If you want something, just tell me anytime.”
Hearing this, Kiz lowered her head to look at the patterns on her skirt.
Her heart was racing… it was beating so fast it felt like it might jump out of her chest.
She wanted to say something to break the strange atmosphere, but she couldn’t get the words out because she had no idea what to say.
Should she say she liked the flower? Or should she say she wanted to give Elia a flower too?
Or should she say that she actually… actually…
“Kiz, is there something you want to tell me?” While Kiz was struggling with her thoughts, Elia suddenly asked.
‘Do you have mind-reading powers, my dear Saint?!’
Kiz stared at her with wide, blood-red eyes, her throat bobbing.
“I… I just…”
Elia ruffled Kiz’s hair and said softly, “Forget it. Tell me whenever you’re ready… Let’s head back for now.”
“…Mhm.”
—
After returning to the Sleeping Palace, Kiz immediately placed the Black Rose in a vase on her desk.
It was the only vase in her room, and it was usually empty.
Elia raised an eyebrow. “You cherish it that much?”
“Is that a problem? You gave this to me, so of course I have to take good care of it.”
“Oh. Then I’ll give you more in the future.”
“No… no need! One is enough!”
“Why?”
“Because… because there won’t be enough room if there are too many! Yes! Exactly!”
Elia looked at Kiz’s flushing face and laughed. “Alright, alright.”
Only then did Kiz breathe a sigh of relief.
She then sat at the desk and pretended to organize documents.
Elia didn’t expose the little Princess… she simply sat down across from her and picked up a book to flip through.
After some time, Elia went to bed early… This time, she surprisingly didn’t forcibly drag Kiz into bed with her.
Kiz sat quietly at the desk alone, her chin resting in her hand as she lost herself in thought… Suddenly, she spoke in a soft voice.
“Hey, did you know?”
She was facing Elia, who had her back turned.
“In the Blood Clan, the Black Rose means eternal love… Black represents eternity, and the rose represents love… Eternal love…”
As Kiz spoke, her fingernails accidentally left four marks on the desk.
Her voice was very quiet—an ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to hear her at all.
However, the little Princess had no idea that Elia wasn’t asleep yet. Every word she said had reached Elia’s ears perfectly.