Chương 95: Chapter 91: Instigating 103

The next morning, Lira found herself serving tea to Prince Aric, Sir Deren, and his younger sister, Lady Luxia, as the three of them sat in the library.

"We managed to secure Blue Peak Hall for the debut ball," Deren said proudly.

"Isn't that a bit expensive?" Aric asked.

"It doesn't matter. Mother says we can't afford to cheap out. Luxia needs a good match."

"Ah," Luxia sighed dramatically.

"If only I could marry a handsome prince, then all my troubles would go away."

"Trust me, you do not want to marry Kavard," Aric said with complete seriousness.

"You would be happier as a nun."

"Yeah, Kavard is a hard no," Deren agreed.

"Working at a roadside rest stop inn would be a better life for you than marrying Kavard." Lira frowned. Are those two serious? Luxia looked toward Lira with utterly dejected eyes. Her expression practically screamed, See what I have to deal with? Lira almost laughed.

"My lords, if I may speak?" The words had barely left her mouth before panic flashed across Luxia's face. For one horrifying moment, the young noblewoman seemed convinced Lira was about to reveal her hopeless crush on Prince Aric.

"Please do," Aric said.

"I believe there is something you could do to improve Lady Luxia's chances."

"Really?" Deren asked. He seemed excited.

"I think Your Highness should pretend to show interest in her during the ball," Lira said, looking at Aric.

"Take the first and last dance, and then continue to spend time with her during her appearances afterward."

"Why would that work?" Aric blinked.

"Everyone knows she's like a sister to me."

"Do they?" Lira asked.

"Have you ever read a romance novel?" The three nobles exchanged confused glances.

"You need to create a story," Lira explained.

"The sister of your best friend is a popular trope for a reason. It will make people talk."

"Do we want people to talk?" Deren asked.

"Yes, as long as it's within the bounds of propriety. Prince Aric should appear to be courting Lady Luxia. And you, Sir Deren, should play the role of the protective older brother, angry that his close friend chose to cross the unspoken boundary between friends." Aric frowned.

"I don't get it. Wouldn't people be intimidated if I were to step up? I am a prince, after all."

"Yes, but if nothing happens at the debut, Lady Luxia will simply be one more beautiful noblewoman among dozens. But if the Second Prince appears interested in her, everyone will remember her." She poured another cup of tea before continuing.

"The rumors alone will raise her profile. Every eligible bachelor will start wondering what Prince Aric sees in her." She pointed a finger at him.

"Then, after Aric reluctantly withdraws so as not to harm his relationship with his closest friend, Lady Luxia will remain the girl who almost became a princess." Deren frowned thoughtfully.

"I suppose..."

"And because nothing can come of it," Lira added, "the story becomes memorable while improving Lady Luxia's chances." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"I'm not sure about..." Before Aric could finish, Luxia's eyes lit up.

"Yes! We should absolutely do that!" She hurried over and wrapped both arms around Aric's arm.

"Will you help me, Big Brother Aric?" Aric looked down at her pleading eyes before glancing toward Deren. The knight merely shrugged.

"While I don't like deception, as long as I don't tell outright lies, it should be fine." Lira finished serving tea, then stepped away toward the romance section, where she picked up a book with a similar story, wherein the deception became real as the prince fell in love with the lady. She placed it in Luxia's hand, gave her a wink, and whispered, "Good luck." Hopefully, this would repay the trouble Lira had sent her way. Almost as if on cue, a messenger entered the library.

He looked around for a moment before spotting Sir Deren.

"Letter for Sir Valis," the messenger announced. Deren frowned as he accepted the envelope. The moment he recognized the seal pressed into the wax, his expression darkened.

"What does Salvek want with me?" he muttered.

"I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I had cut ties with him." Lira remained silent as she arranged another tray of books. Everything was proceeding exactly as she had planned. She had deliberately addressed the letter simply to "Valis," without specifying which member of the family it was intended for. Since Deren was the only Valis permanently residing at the palace, and the messengers all knew his face, every letter addressed that way would naturally end up in his hands.

It also spared Luxia from ever seeing the filth written inside. The letter itself closely resembled the one Salvek had sent to Lady Vanira. It expressed false sympathy before suggesting that Lady Luxia's beauty could easily solve her family's financial difficulties, if only she were willing to entertain wealthy gentlemen at his establishment. It even implied that a woman of her station was unlikely to secure an advantageous marriage through conventional means.

Five similar letters were, at that very moment, probably arriving at the homes of the other young ladies scheduled to debut this season. Deren's grip tightened. The parchment crumpled audibly in his hand, and his knuckles turned white.

"I am going to kill him." His voice was calm, yet somehow that made it far more frightening.

"What is it?" Aric asked, immediately frowning. Without answering, Deren thrust the letter into his friend's hands before turning toward the door.

"Big Brother," Luxia frowned, "where are you going?" She seemed to have missed his first comment, absorbed in the book Lira had just given her.

"Luxia," said Deren, "remain here with Lira."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it." His jaw clenched.

"You don't want to know." He stepped out of the library door.

"Deren, wait." Aric continued reading the letter, his expression hardening with every line. He followed his friend out.

"This could be fake." Lira's heart skipped a beat, and she decided to follow them. Of all the possibilities she had considered, this was one of the few that could still unravel everything. She joined them outside as if she belonged. Neither man pushed her away.

"What do you mean?" asked Deren.

"Let me check," said the prince before closing his eyes.

"Pika. Cipos. Syneth. Cognar. Velar." Lira frowned. She had never encountered this spell before. Unlike the simple enhancement spells she knew, this felt... layered. Pika was the mind. Cipos enhanced the mind and senses. Syneth sharpened interpretation. Cognar reinforced memory. Velar granted clarity. It was almost as though someone had taken several cantrips and woven them together into a single, elegant spell.

Meditation, Perfect Recall, Enhanced Perception, and maybe even Eagle Eyes, all fused into something greater. She found herself mentally dissecting its structure despite the situation. Interesting... It was almost certainly more mana-efficient than casting the individual spells separately. Still, combining her own spells would probably provide better effects, or at least she thought it would. She forced herself back to the present, making sure to remain relaxed as she watched Aric examine the letter.

He studied every stroke of the handwriting. He even gave the letter a sniff before finally lowering the page and letting out a weary sigh.

"No." He looked toward Deren.

"This is genuine." Lira almost exhaled.

"The handwriting is definitely Salvek's," Aric continued.

"The letter forms, the pressure, the flourishes. I have seen his writing often enough and have enough references for my spell to catch any discrepancy. There were none."

"And..." He grimaced.

"From the smell alone, he was deep in his cups when he wrote this." Aric shook his head.

"I can't begin to imagine how you could forge a drunken version of someone else's handwriting well enough not to trip my spell."

"No." He sighed.

"If this is a forgery, then it is beyond masterwork." Why, thank you. That's high praise. To be honest, that is one of my best works. I spent hours on it. I didn't use ink magic because I needed to leave indents on the paper as the quill moved. But I did use my own perception spell.

"Good." Deren's voice had become ice.

"I've been looking for an excuse to put that bastard down." His hand drifted instinctively toward the sword hanging at his side.

"After I saw what Thadwick did to the maids, I already wanted to challenge him." His eyes burned with barely restrained fury.

"But now..." He gave a cold smile that didn't fit his usually warm demeanor.

"Now no one can stop me."

"Lira, keep quiet about what you just saw," said Aric.

"And stay with Lady Luxia, please," added Deren.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I am getting my armor," Deren said with finality.