CHAPTER 119
The palace knights were deployed in the hallway for safety, but their gazes...
"It feels like I'm being watched!"
I'm not a criminal, so what's with these subtle looks?
Even the head maid's gaze was unusual, making me wonder if I had become a person of interest.
Nevertheless, it was already the third day of the week.
Just a little longer, and I'll be back at the Duke's mansion!
Thinking of meeting Lewis again made me feel much better.
As I thought of Lewis, I enthusiastically moved my brush, but then I felt a gaze.
I looked up to see Philip watching me. When our eyes met, he smiled.
Hmm... It must have been a coincidence.
I awkwardly smiled back.
Philip, who had been watching the ladies sitting in a circle, stood up and started walking around.
It was as if he wanted to see how they were drawing.
Then, he stopped next to me and observed my canvas.
Why is he looking at my drawing? It's distracting!
"Lady Elsner, your brush strokes are very forceful."
"Haha, I'm just full of energy today."
He wasn't just talking to me. He also made occasional comments on other ladies' drawings.
He's more active than I thought.
I suddenly had this thought while looking at Philip.
I thought he was obsessed with cursing Lewis and summoning demons. Did his interest change in the meantime?
Of all things, it's surprising that his new focus is a political marriage.
I wondered if the Emperor and Empress were pressuring him to choose a Crown Princess.
But Philip didn't seem to be reluctantly preparing for marriage.
It really seemed like he wanted to hold the Crown Princess selection.
It was only a short while ago that he was caught trying to fake the use of a magic circle.
And right after that incident, his next move was to host a Crown Princess selection...
After the drawing session, it was lunchtime.
Philip joined us for the meal.
"I didn't expect His Highness to join us for lunch!"
The ladies were thrilled.
"I intended to dine with the ladies. After all, you are here for the Crown Princess selection."
But I'm here because they won't let me go home!
Philip's nonchalant attitude made him even more suspicious.
Why is he acting so relaxed?
I knew the real Philip.
The Philip I saw was always plotting something. Even during the height of the engagement rumors with Lady Redmond!
It was just a ruse to make it seem like he had feelings for her.
He was trying to create an opportunity to connect with me.
So seeing Philip so actively involved in the Crown Princess selection seemed suspicious.
Surely, he wasn't genuinely interested in marriage at this time.
Is there another ulterior motive?
While eating, I felt a gaze again and looked up to see Philip watching me once more.
His smiling face gave me a bad feeling.
An unwanted stay at the palace.
Knights in the hallway with their strange stares.
The head maid still watching me closely.
The sense of unease grew stronger.
Philip's attitude, as if he genuinely wanted the Crown Princess selection, added to it.
It seemed like waiting for the schedule to end wasn't the answer; I needed to return to the Duke's mansion as soon as possible.
'But before that...'
As soon as lunch ended, I went to find the headmaid.
* * *
It had been three days since Selina went to the palace.
Not having seen her during that time, Lewis decided to visit her during lunch.
Of course, he couldn't do it openly. During the selection period, meeting a Crown Princess candidate was not allowed.
So he planned to see her quickly when she was alone.
Lewis concentrated his magic to locate her.
Since he couldn't contact her through the communication crystal and had to meet her secretly, this was the best method.
'She'll be surprised to see me.'
As he thought of her and focused his magic, something felt off.
"…?"
Lewis couldn't locate Selina at all.
Even with concentrated magic, he couldn't find her presence. It was like trying to catch a cloud.
"Why isn't this working?"
He tried different coordinates.
When he searched for Michael, he found him in the palace's magic department.
"Michael's location shows up, but why not Selina?"
Lewis furrowed his brows and muttered.
Magic worked on Michael but suddenly didn't on Selina? It was definitely strange.
She should also be in the palace, so why?
Magic could be used in the palace. Using magic on Selina was certainly possible.
But why was magic suddenly ineffective?
Unless a barrier was set up, why was this happening right when Selina went to the palace...
"…!"
Suddenly, Lewis remembered the reason Selina went to the palace.
Selina went to refuse the Crown Princess's candidacy.
The palace suddenly changed the rules and wouldn't let her leave.
And now, he couldn't locate Selina's coordinates.
"Damn it!"
Lewis left his seat without further thought.
Soon, he disappeared from the spot.
* * *
"I'm going back to the mansion."
I cut to the chase, and the head maid looked weary.
She must be thinking, "Not this again."
"Lady, I told you that you couldn't leave before the schedule ends."
"I'm not here to ask for permission; I'm here to inform you."
But this time was different from my previous requests. This was a notification!
"What?"
One of the head maid's eyebrows shot up.
"There is no rule that says I'll be punished for not participating in the selection. So, I'm leaving."
"Lady."
The head maid's voice lowered.
"You may not be punished, but you won't be able to avoid falling out of favor with Her Majesty the Empress."
Is that a threat?
But I expected this!
"I have no reason to be here in the first place. I have no intention of becoming the Crown Princess, and I like someone else."
Though you might not be curious, this was the real reason I couldn't participate in this selection.
Why should I be here when I like Lewis?
"I have no chance of being selected anyway, so there's no reason for me to stay here for a week and take the test, right?"
The head maid, who had been looking at me with annoyance, was silent for a moment before sighing.
"Lady, you are really..."
"I've made myself clear, so I'm leaving. Please explain my unavoidable circumstances to Her Majesty the Empress."
"I can't stop you."
I left the head maid shaking her head and returned to my room.
I planned to pack my things and leave.
"I should at least say goodbye to Charlotte."
Leaving in the middle of the test would definitely earn the Empress's disfavor.
So, I couldn't ask her to leave with me.
Since my luggage was minimal, packing didn't take long.
Goodbye, tedious Empress's palace! For my peace of mind, I'm returning to the Duke's mansion!
Just as I was about to leave the room after packing, the door slammed shut.
"Oh my!"
The door, which I had left ajar, closed by itself.
Why did it suddenly close?
I looked at the door in surprise.
Unless someone closed it, it shouldn't have shut like that. Why did it suddenly...
Could it be?
I quickly went to the door and grabbed the doorknob.
Click.
The sound of the lock turning echoed, but the door wouldn't open.
"Excuse me?"
I knocked on the door. There had been knights in the hallway before I entered the room.
"Excuse me! The door won't open!"
But there was no response from outside.
Not a single person opened the door to ask what was happening.
They were pretending not to hear.
I was certain because of the unease I had felt all this time.
By now, it was clear. Philip's true intention wasn't to select a Crown Princess.
'The Crown Princess position was just a ruse!'
* * *
The head maid stood in front of Selina's firmly closed door.
"I told her to stay put."
Clicking her tongue, she was joined by a knight, the same one who had stopped Selina's walk before.
The head maid instructed him.
"Guard this door until she returns. Make sure no one else enters."
"Yes, ma'am."
Leaving the knight, the head maid moved on.
She entered the Empress's reception room, where Philip was having tea with the Empress.
"Your Majesty, as you instructed, I have confined Lady Elsner to her room."
"Has she been persistently trying to leave?"
Philip asked, and the head maid looked exasperated.
"Yes, Your Highness. She wouldn't listen no matter how much we told her to wait."
"She must have found the palace very stifling."
Philip chuckled lowly.
Even after the Crown Princess selection ended, he had no intention of letting Selina go.
The whole point of this event was to bring her into the palace.
The Crown Princess selection was an excuse to separate Selina and Lewis.
He told the Emperor he wanted to find a Crown Princess, but he had partially explained the situation to the Empress.
He asked her to detain Selina, as he had issues with Lewis.
The Empress had agreed to cooperate with Philip.
It was expected since his mother was entirely on his side.
"Sprinkle this on her."
Philip handed a small vial to the head maid.
"This potion will put her into a deep sleep. Use it on her."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The head maid left the reception room with the potion.
Philip planned to keep Selina asleep for two more days even after the week's test ended.
'Then I'll move her outside the palace. I'll cast a spell to make her believe she was never confined.'
Whether Lewis found Selina outside the palace or not, it didn't matter.
"I prepared this just in case, but I didn't think she would try to leave during the test."
Philip muttered in disbelief.
Originally, he planned to cast the spell when she tried to leave after the test ended.
But since she kept being uncooperative, there was no other choice.
From today, he would keep her asleep.
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