Chapter 6

Returning to the Ashbury Kingdom, there is one thing that has been bothering me.

At night, I can no longer casually go to the Black Thrush alone. I can't help but want to savor the excitement of successfully decoding at my usual corner seat there.

I am happy, my family is peaceful, and my relationships with old acquaintances are going well. I have no complaints.

But at times, when the day turns to dusk, I find myself thinking, "I want to go to the Black Thrush."

When I'm at the Black Thrush, I am neither a mother nor a wife, just Victoria. When I drink the usual distilled liquor poured into my glass, I feel as if the wings on my back, usually folded, slowly spread out from the moment I take the first sip.

(But that's just being too greedy, isn't it?)

I stood by the window in my room, watching the sky turn from deep gray to navy, and then to black.

I tried to imagine myself from an outsider's perspective: "A viscountess leaving her family late at night to go to a bar and drink strong liquor."

(Impossible. What a delinquent viscountess.)

I shook my head and decided to forget about the Black Thrush.

But Bernard's words still lingered in the back of my mind.

"It's a shame I can't go anymore. It was a dream I had since childhood."

If I keep thinking, "I'll go someday, I'll do it someday," life will slip away. How much sand is left in my hourglass?

"Mom?"

"Yes? Oh, Nonna, how long have you been there?"

"Just now. I was worried because you were looking at the sky without even turning on the lamp. Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me."

"Hmm. That's good, then."

Nonna approached the table, picked up the book, and peeked at the decoded cipher I had written.

"Wow! You decoded the cipher? So the misspelling was a cipher? You really are a former agent!"

"Keep your voice down!"

"Are you going to tell Lord Bernard right away?"

"That's the plan. Lord Bernard has long wanted to solve the mystery of this book."

"I'm coming too! Can I? Please, Mom! I'm begging you!"

"Umm, sure. But listen, Nonna. Ciphers are used for things you don't want others to know, so it might be better not to—"

"Yay! I'm excited. I've been bored since we left Shen."

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, Lord Bernard was overjoyed when he heard my report.

"Victoria, in just a few days? Did you really decode the cipher?"

"It was a lucky guess. And I've only decoded the opening message. I plan to read the book carefully to find out where the author found the crown."

"Can I join in the decoding process?"

Lord Bernard's eyes were shining.

"Of course. Let's decode it together. But, Lord Bernard, don't you think it's strange that no one could decode such a simple cipher for a hundred years?"

"No, I can explain that."

According to Lord Bernard, books at the time were expensive and hand-copied by professionals. "The Lost Crown" was only printed and sold in large quantities thirty years after it was written, about seventy years ago. By then, the original manuscript on parchment was already highly valued. It was carefully stored by wealthy collectors. Lord Bernard himself had kept it in secret for twenty years after purchasing it.

"I see. So there were only a few owners, and no one suspected or tried to decode the cipher."

"Exactly. Books are meant to be read, so it must have been frustrating for this book."

From there, Lord Bernard and I began to decode the hidden message. Nonna was the recorder. We decided to take our time and enjoy the process, working on it a little each day. The rest of the time, I worked as his assistant.

Lord Bernard was so excited about the decoding that he looked forward to our visits. The time we spent decoding the cipher together with Nonna was quite enjoyable.

After a long process, it turned out that the setting of the novel was indeed the Sibyl Forest in the west of the Ashbury Kingdom, as Lord Bernard had suspected. The cipher only provided the starting point for the path to the crown, and the rest could only be discovered by going to the location.

"Well, this is the main part. Victoria, what do you think the lost crown is?"

"It must be a metaphor for something very valuable, but I can't imagine what."

"Huh? Isn't the crown just a crown, Lord Bernard?"

"Nonna, think about it. There's no point in stealing a crown and hiding it in a forest. Normally, you'd sell it to a collector or melt it down for the gold after removing the jewels."

"Hmm."

"Lord Bernard, I'm curious about the princess who took care of the author."

Lord Bernard stopped moving and muttered something under his breath.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait. A hundred years ago. A princess. Could it be?"

Lord Bernard brought a thick cardboard box from the shelf. The side of the box was labeled "Fifth Princess Carolina." He took out a thick bundle of paper from the box.

"This princess might be the Fifth Princess Carolina. There was a Fifth Princess Carolina in the Ashbury royal family's lineage a little over a hundred years ago. There are records up to her fifteenth year, but she disappears from the lineage chart the following year. However, there is no record of her death anywhere."

The renowned historian really knows a lot.

"Victoria, I'm very satisfied with what we've discovered. The possibility that 'The Lost Crown' is connected to Princess Carolina is quite intriguing. Oh, it's very interesting."

Lord Bernard looked dreamy. He seemed very pleased that the cipher had been decoded.

By evening, we were feeling pleasantly tired and returned home. When we arrived, Jeffrey greeted us.

"Welcome back. You went to Uncle's, right?"

"Yes. Remember the old book Lord Bernard gave us as a wedding gift? It turned out to have a hidden cipher."

"Hidden? Did you manage to decode it?"

"Yes, well, it was a simple cipher."

"Simple?"

Jeffrey was smiling wryly, but his expression seemed a bit worried.

"Dad, it was amazing. Mom and Lord Bernard kept decoding the cipher, and I was so excited, I kept recording everything!"

"So? Did they pinpoint the location of the crown and ask you to find it?"

"They didn't ask me to do that. I have my duties as a viscountess, so I have no intention of going. Don't worry."

I thought that was the end of the conversation.

But that night, just as we were about to go to sleep, Jeffrey brought it up again. In the dark bedroom, he spoke quietly.

"Anna, do you really not want to go to the place where the novel is set? And find the crown?"

"No, I don't. I finally managed to leave Hagel's organization, and I was away from this country for five years. Before that, I kept moving and never settled down, making Nonna suffer and feel lonely. I have no intention of doing agent work again."

"Really? You didn't become the organization's ace reluctantly?"

I couldn't answer.

I didn't hate being an agent, and I don't hate it now. I left the organization because I no longer had a reason to dedicate my entire life to it. Then I met Nonna and Jeffrey.

The choices I made at each moment led to where I am now.

As I was thinking about how to respond, Jeffrey said something surprising.

"Shall we go together? To the place in the novel?"

"Why? You have your duties as the head of the viscount's household."

"Not for a while. The ship won't arrive for a year. We have plenty of Shen-produced medicine for the next year, so we have the time for a family trip."

"But it's deep in the Sibyl Forest. It's a place with painful memories for you."

I could tell Jeffrey turned to face me. His voice came from near my face.

"Anna, what do you think makes a good couple?"

"A good couple is a couple that gets along well, right?"

"You left home at eight. I was born to a couple with no love. We never saw what a good couple looks like while growing up. So I thought a lot about what kind of couple I wanted to be with you when we got married."

I could tell Jeffrey was looking up again.

"I... didn't think about it much. I just wanted to raise Nonna properly. After we met again, I was just happy to live with you and not have to run anymore. That was enough for me to be happy."

"I just want to see you smile. That's all."

"Just that?"

"You've always lived independently, like a bird that can fly on its own. I don't want to break your wings. I want to see you fly freely and smile."

"Jeff, but—"

"Don't shrink back because you're a viscountess or a wife. I fell in love with a strong, smart, kind, and above all, free person. Let's go, to the place you want to go."

I was moved to tears by Jeff's words. I wrapped my arms around his thick neck and pressed my forehead to his cheek.

"I'm so proud to be living with you."

My voice trembled.

I've thought so many times how glad I am to have met this person. That's why I decided to be cautious.

"But, I need some time to think about going to find the lost crown. I need to think about whether I really want to go."

"Of course. We'll go when you want to. Just remember, you have the freedom to live as you choose."

"Thank you. Actually, there's a place I want to go nearby."

"Is it the bar you used to visit before we came to Shen?"

"Oh!"

Jeffrey saw right through me.