Chapter 51

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"Quarutse, Berutse, Lutse, Kazave... No, I can't think of anything."

Olivia stood in front of the map of Filarus, arms crossed, tilting her head from side to side. While preparing tea for Olivia, Taylor peered at the map spread out on the table.

"Is this the place marked with a pin on the map found in the hidden room?"

"Yes, it is. I feel like there's something, but I can't figure it out. I want to consult with Prince Silas, but I can't... Eugenia and the others don't seem interested in the map, either."

They had almost finished searching all the hidden rooms from the first to the third floor, except for the rooms used by the guests. The maps were not found in all the hidden rooms, but so far, they had found four. Olivia believed there must be some meaning to having four old maps, but she couldn't come up with anything specific, and her frustration only grew.

"I think if we investigate what happened in this place in the past, we might understand more, since these are old maps."

Because they had finished searching all the hidden rooms, there was nothing left to do, and she had no plans for the day. Enoch and Eugenia had given up on the hidden rooms and were now investigating another lead. They planned to search the garden today. Olivia offered to help, but they said it was fine since they were just walking around the garden.

Silas had work with Edward's team. With nothing to do, Olivia applied to enter the library and brought the biography of the first king, Batisse I. She didn't expect the location of the Selection Sword to be written in the biography, but she thought there might be some clue.

"Even though you're an outsider, you don't have to be this dedicated, do you?"

Taylor placed a strong cup of tea on the table with a wry smile. Taylor knew that Olivia preferred sweet milk tea when she was thinking hard and added milk and sugar to the teacup without being asked.

"I can't help it. I can't lose to Prince Silas."

"To Prince Silas?"

"Oh... no, it's nothing."

She couldn't let it be known that she had a bet with Silas.

(I got dragged into it by the book... If I lose, I have to kiss him and say I love him. That's so embarrassing... I can't lose.)

Even a brief kiss would make her want to die, but Silas had set the time to a minimum of five seconds. Five seconds. Too long. Her heart would probably stop during those five seconds.

If Taylor found out about the bet, she would likely side with Silas, as she always tells Olivia to be more proactive. If Taylor became an enemy, Olivia's actions would be transparent to Silas. She couldn't let that happen.

"But if Princess Eugenia wins, won't that cause problems? After all, this is a contest to decide the next king, right?"

"That's... true, but..."

However, according to Wilson, Eugenia didn't want the throne. So, even if she won, she wouldn't become queen.

(...Hmm? That's right. If Princess Eugenia wins and declines, then there's no need for this ceremony at all, is there?)

Olivia tilted her head.

(This is definitely the 'Selection Ceremony,' but... that's strange, isn't it? What is King Wilson thinking...?)

What was Wilson's goal? The 'Selection Ceremony' is supposed to choose the next king, but if it doesn't have its original meaning, there must be another purpose.

Olivia believed that the line about 'forgetting' was zero. If Wilson had forgotten it in the castle, it would be strange for him to assert that it was definitely in the castle. Even if it was forgotten in the castle, there was a possibility that a third party could find and take it. However, Wilson dismissed this possibility outright. This means that Wilson knew the sword was in a place where a third party couldn't easily enter. If he knew the location, it wasn't 'forgotten' but placed intentionally. Therefore, this is definitely the 'Selection Ceremony.'

However, it didn't seem like Wilson's goal was to decide the next king.

(Come to think of it... didn't the king say to cooperate and search at first?)

This suggests that he wasn't focused on determining the superiority of Edward and Eugenia from the beginning.

(The more I think about it, the more confused I get. ...Let's think about this later.)

Most importantly, she needed to find the Selection Sword. Wilson's true intentions would become clear once the sword was discovered. Olivia sank into the sofa and opened the biography of Batisse I.

(...It's interesting to read the history of another country.)

As she focused on the book, the surrounding sounds faded away.

Olivia had some knowledge about the first king of Filarus, but it was limited to the fact that he was not from a high noble family but a knight, and that he originally served the emperor's brother, who rebelled against the empire.

After the emperor's brother fell ill and died during the war, the first king inherited his will and later founded Filarus.

The biography begins with the emperor's brother, whose wife was taken by his brother, the emperor, and who, in anger, attacked the emperor.

The emperor survived but was severely injured, and the emperor's brother was captured and imprisoned in a tower. On the eve of his execution, the first king sneaked into the tower to save him, and they fled. After gathering comrades for about two years, they declared war on the empire.

With the help of the first king of Brioire, Tosten, who had already rebelled against the empire and started a war, he gradually conquered the western territories of the empire. When he conquered the land of Vomosa, the emperor's brother fell ill and died after a six-month struggle.

Inheriting the will of the emperor's brother, the first king gained momentum and conquered almost all of the current territory of Filarus in just eight months.

(Kazave... Is this a coincidence?)

One of the names marked on the old map found in the hidden room matched a name in the biography, and Olivia suddenly stopped turning the pages. Since the map was from an old era, it wasn't surprising that the same name appeared in the biography. However, considering that the ceremony was started by Batisse I's queen, if the map was related to the ceremony, it wouldn't be strange to assume a connection to Batisse I.

"Taylor, can you bring me some paper and a pen?"

"Sure."

Taylor brought a blank sheet of paper, a pen, and ink from the writing desk. Olivia closed the biography and wrote down the four names marked on the hidden room map: Quarutse, Berutse, Lutse, and Kazave.

"What are you going to do?"

"I feel like there's a hint in the names. Since I'm reading the biography, let's try arranging them in the order Batisse I conquered them."

Olivia wrote Kazave first on the blank page. She opened the biography and found the next name, Lutse, then Berutse, and finally Quarutse.

"Kazave, Lutse, Berutse, Quarutse... Taylor, do you think of anything?"

"No, not really... They don't seem to have any significant meaning."

"Right... Even if I combine the first letters... it doesn't make sense. If I remove common letters... no, it doesn't work."

"Maybe there are more words needed?"

"That might be true, but we've almost finished searching all the hidden rooms. The only place left is the guest rooms, which we can't search until everyone leaves."

"That's true. We've searched from the first to the third floor. The basement is just storage and cells..."

Taylor put her hand on her chin and made a difficult face. Olivia suddenly looked up.

"Taylor, that's it! We haven't searched the underground."

"But... it's the basement?"

"Old castles often have more hidden rooms underground."

"Is that so?"

"...In stories, at least."

Olivia had never explored an old castle, so she wasn't sure, but considering the number of hidden rooms on the upper floors, it seemed unlikely that there were none underground.

"Since I have nothing to do today, I'll go check it out."

"But... it's the dungeon?"

"I won't go to the dungeon. I might get in trouble if I enter without permission. But the storage room should be fine, right?"

As a collaborator in the 'Selection Ceremony,' Olivia had the right to move around the castle to some extent. She would probably be refused for the dungeon, but checking the storage room should be fine.

Taylor didn't seem enthusiastic but reluctantly said, "At least change your clothes."

"The basement storage will be dusty. If your lovely dress gets dirty, it would be a shame. Your dresses are all beautiful, so please wear my clothes."

"But won't your clothes get dirty?"

"My clothes are for work, so it's fine."

Pressed by Taylor's insistence on not dirtying the dresses, Olivia decided to change into the navy blue dress Taylor offered. The knee-length dress, shorter than her usual dresses, felt a bit fresh, and Olivia pulled at the hem and laughed.

"It's easy to move in, this one."

"Well, it would be hard to work if it wasn't... Still, you look good in anything, Olivia."

Wearing a simple dress with a white apron, Taylor helped tie the apron strings and chuckled.

"Olivia, if you call Prince Silas 'Master' in this outfit, he might be pleased."

"Why?"

Taylor gave a mischievous smile at the puzzled Olivia.

"Men are surprisingly simple creatures."

Olivia didn't quite understand, but if it would make Silas happy, she didn't mind. Nodding at Taylor's suggestion, Olivia agreed, and Taylor's smile deepened as she let out a delighted "hmm."