Chapter 30

"Thank you for the favorite registration and the rating!"

"The incense that was burning in Princess Florenzia's room was indeed Armwarl."

The next morning.

While having breakfast in Silas's room, which he had ordered from room service, Alan told him the results of the appraisal of the contents of the incense burner left in Princess Florenzia's room.

The army of the Count of Zachfill had also been deployed to search for Princess Florenzia since last night, but they still had no leads.

(Armwarl, the pressed flowers of La Porte, the missing accessories, and the room that showed no signs of being ransacked...)

Something was bothering her.

According to Alan's investigation, there was only one store in town that handled Armwarl, and it was a suspicious shop in a back alley. Naturally, as a prince, Alan or Silas, and Olivia, the duke's daughter and Silas's fiancée, could not go there themselves, so they had sent someone to confirm the identity of anyone who had recently purchased Armwarl.

"Your Highness Silas, are you familiar with the varieties of roses?"

"Roses? Well, I know a fair bit... Why do you ask all of a sudden?"

"Well, there's something that's been bothering me... About La Porte, I only know that it was improved by the Countess of Lightbell Port in Levanor, but if you know anything else, I would like to hear it."

"La Porte? Yes... The only thing I know is that its alternative name is 'The Flower of Love.' Its meaning is steadfast love, eternal devotion to this person alone, and unwavering commitment—these are all related to love. The Countess of Port was a very passionate person, and it's said that she had a great love affair with the Count, transcending their social status. That's where the name comes from..."

"The Flower of Love..."

Princess Florenzia, who cherished the pressed flowers of this Flower of Love. She had mentioned at the tea party that she liked La Porte, and if she had been looking at the rose garden in the courtyard, La Porte was blooming there.

(The Flower of Love... steadfast love, eternal devotion to this person alone, unwavering commitment... a love that transcends social status?)

Olivia's eyes widened slightly.

Could it be that Princess Florenzia was in love with someone? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. And then—

"Your Highness Silas, Your Highness Alan, is it alright if I ask you to investigate something else?"

"Investigate something else?"

"Yes. This is just a hypothesis, but... perhaps the princess disappeared of her own will."

"The ledger of the town and surrounding inns, real estate transactions, the passenger list of the train, the characteristics of customers who came to stores selling clothes, and the characteristics of people who sold jewels to jewelers?"

When they heard that Princess Florenzia might have disappeared of her own accord, Alan and Silas were surprised, but when they heard what Olivia wanted to investigate, they tilted their heads in confusion.

"Yes. Based on my hypothesis, I think Princess Florenzia and her guard Legion are acting together. There's a fifty-fifty chance that the person the princess loves is Legion himself, or that Legion knows about the princess's love and is helping her."

"Huh?"

"Wait, wait, Olivia... Can you explain in order? What do you mean by the princess's love interest?"

Alan and Silas were both puzzled.

Olivia nodded and explained that Princess Florenzia cherished the bookmark of La Porte, that there were no signs of a struggle in her room, yet her accessories were missing, but the Levanor gold coins and other valuables were still there. She also mentioned that when the Armwarl was burned, the princess and Legion were on the balcony.

"The first thing that seemed odd to me was how clean the room was. Not only was there no sign of a struggle, but the bed Princess Florenzia had been using was also very clean, despite her being ill and bedridden. According to Taylor, the princess's maids were told to go out for a change of scenery yesterday afternoon and went shopping with them. Since all the guards are male, they cannot enter the room if the princess is resting. If there were no signs of her having slept, what was the princess doing in the room, claiming to be ill? She wouldn't have been lying on the sofa, would she? The more I think about it, the more it seems strange, doesn't it?"

"Well, now that you mention it, that might be true, but is it really that concerning? Maybe she just got tired of sleeping and woke up."

"If that were the case, wouldn't she have kept a maid in the room for company? At the very least, I would ask Taylor to stay by my side."

"Is that how it works?"

Alan tilted his head, not quite understanding, but think about it. When someone is feeling well, that's one thing, but when they're ill, they might want to change clothes if they sweat from a fever, or they might want a drink if their throat is dry. It's hard to take care of oneself when feeling unwell, especially for a princess who has never had to take care of herself.

"Another thing that seemed odd to me was that the princess was on the balcony with Legion when the Armwarl was burned. The princess asked her maid to burn the incense and then went to the balcony. It would have been fine to return to the room after the incense was lit, and it doesn't make sense to go to the balcony just to enjoy the scent. It seems more natural to think that the princess knew the contents and effects of the incense."

"So, you're saying that the maid and the guards losing consciousness was planned by the princess?"

"Yes. But then, why would Princess Florenzia take such action? That's what I couldn't understand. But after hearing about La Porte, it made sense. Princess Florenzia was originally not enthusiastic about marrying Your Highness Alan. Perhaps she had someone else in mind? That's why..."

"She abandoned everything and ran away. Isn't that too reckless? How could an inexperienced princess survive on her own? Besides, if the princess disappears, the search will begin."

"That's true. But what if she wasn't alone? What if Legion helped her escape to a place where no one would pursue her?"

"…To the Kingdom of Calzor."

"Yes. That's why the princess chose this place for the inspection, isn't it? From here, near the border with the Kingdom of Calzor, she could slip away unnoticed."

Silas was taken aback.

"So, you're saying it was planned from the beginning?"

"The possibility is high. The princess brought a large amount of jewelry, according to her maid, because she needed to dress up in front of Your Highness Alan. But think about it. Has Princess Florenzia ever worn flashy jewelry before?"

"…No."

"Exactly. So, wouldn't it make sense that she brought a lot of expensive jewelry to sell for cash to fund her escape?"

Alan nodded.

"I see what you mean. Your reasoning is quite sound. But why investigate real estate transactions? If she was planning to escape to the Kingdom of Calzor, wouldn't it be enough to immediately seal the border?"

Olivia smiled slightly.

"That's... what I would do if I were in her shoes."

Alan and Silas looked at each other, puzzled.

"Huh?"