Celebrity Lady

“What’s wrong with you?”

“… sorry.”

“What?”

Lark muttered in an anguished voice. “I’m sorry you’re imprisoned in a place like this when you have done nothing wrong.”

“…?”

For a moment, I was dumbfounded and looked around with a puzzled expression. I almost laughed when I saw the interior as luxurious as my room.

“If anyone hears it, they’ll think I’m locked up in a dungeon. I really like it here. Fortunately, it’s the non-summoners’ tower.”

“…”

“Tell me how the meeting went today. Am I going to get heavy punishment? Will my limbs be intact?”

“What nonsense.” As Lark frowned at my concern, he sighed and sat beside me. “The situation isn’t bad. Since the existence of the shaman was known, the fact that they disappeared was more respected. They must’ve hidden because they’d been found out.”

“That’s a relief. So, what will happen to the princess?”

“As you wished.” Lark smiled with a helpless face and added, looking at me. “I think the dethronement can be avoided because the majority oppose it. However, it is clear that she delivered poison directly to the 1st Princess, so she’ll still have to stay in the Tower of Silence. I don’t know how many years it will be.”

“Sigh…”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the situation was better than being deposed.

“But, Princess.”

“…”

“Opinions are divided. In hindsight, you haven’t done anything wrong, so the duke and I have pleaded not guilty, but…”

Lark frowned.

Seeing his expression of immense guilt, I hurriedly waved my hand and said, “There’s no evidence. Anyone can suspect I worked with the shaman and introduced them to the princess.”

“So maybe until the investigation goes further and you’re deemed innocent…” Lark paused for a moment and closed his eyes with a sigh. “I don’t think you’ll be able to go back.”

“I see.”

It meant that isolation was confirmed.

‘Well, I expected I would be exiled anyway.’

The important thing was how far from the capital and how bad it would be.

“Where am I going to go?”

“I’m not sure yet. Duke Diollus continued to demand a month’s stay at home, but…”

“What?”

My face flushed for a moment.

‘There’s a limit to covering one’s eyes from a mistake, but he’s asking for a month’s stay at home after I “caused” such a big accident?’

It was clear to me what kind of mess my father would’ve had in the conference room.

“… that will not look like an isolation.”

“Right.”

“Maybe he’ll request you go to one of the estates of Duke Diollus.”

“Which one?”

“The one closest to the capital, and I hope it works well with the parliamentary nobles.”

“What if not? Will I be sent to a distant place?”

I remember one father’s estate was at the southern tip of the land along the sea.

For a moment, Lark, who looked sorry for me, smiled helplessly and put his chin and hand on my head. 

“I won’t let that happen.”

“… Please. I think it will be difficult to adapt to the life of catching fish and making fires in the southern sea, as I have never tried it.”

“What?”

Lark laughed.

He was indeed laughing, but he didn’t seem to have any strength.

“What worries me more than how far the place is…”

“…”

“… is how long the isolation will last.”

Lark, biting his lip, hesitated for a moment before adding, “If the shaman is caught quickly, we can bring you back to the capital in the middle, but…”

“…”

“Didn’t you say that we won’t be able to catch that shaman forever?”

“Yes, perhaps.”

“Okay. So, you will most likely have to stay there for the period decided by the parliament.”

Simply put, it was life in prison without parole.

Lark added to me, depressed, “Lisbeth will be sentenced to five years of imprisonment in the Tower of Silence.”

“What? Five years?” My mouth opened immediately. “That’s ridiculous. Five years is too harsh.”

“The situation is much better than being deposed. Even if Lisbeth was unintentional, it was certain that she threatened her sister’s life. The 1st Princess didn’t die, but she’s practially dead.” Lark added coldly. “We should be grateful with only five years of probation.”

“…”

“But Princess, don’t worry too much. I somehow… do whatever I can.”

Lark, who had been silent with a painful expression, muttered slowly, like confessing, “I have never felt so helpless before. I… didn’t know it would be so painful to be unable to do anything to help my people.”

“It’s not your fault…”

Succession fights had always existed. Lark’s only fault was being born as a crown prince.

“Lisbeth’s matter is a different story. But you really became involved for no reason in this dirty fight.”

“What do you mean? It was my choice.”

“I promise.”

“Mm? Promise what?”

Lark suddenly made eye contact. At that moment, I was scared by the look in his eyes.

His cold eyes were filled with feelings that had never been there before. It didn’t fit him, who’d always been friendly and playful…

“I will take down whoever made me burden you.”

It felt like anger, triumph, and some strong will.

“And from now on, never again.”

“…”

“Until the day you close your eyes.”

Lark held my hand tightly.

“I won’t let any small thing threatens you. You won’t be in danger or on trouble for helping me. Never.”

“…”

“This is an oath I swear with my life.”

With my hand in his hand, Lark kept our foreheads together as he promised.

He probably thought he owed me dearly.

‘But you don’t have to do this…’

But, given Lark’s personality, even if I said for a hundred days that it was my choice, it wouldn’t lessen the feeling of debt.

So I just said casually, “Thank you. But I have to be locked up for two weeks, so if I need anything, will you bring me something?”

“Just tell me, what do you need?”

I smiled and said to Lark, whose eyes were shining, “Then I…”

Two weeks of confinement.

Since I couldn’t jog, I should do some home training.

“Bring me one mat, please.”

***

The period of confinement in the Tower of Silence was not boring.

The biggest reason was because of my first brother, Viego.

I was allowed visit once a day, so he came to me every day with the investigation team…

“Just half an apple and oatmeal porridge? Does this look like a meal? It’s not enough to imprison the daughter of Duke Diollus, who hasn’t been convicted, but to treat her like a beggar, too…!”

“Y-Young Duke Diollus, that’s not…”

“Excuse me, Brother? That’s what I asked for. It’s my weight loss diet.”

Viego was very extreme. 

After accusing the anxious foreman wrongly…

“Why are your eyes so swollen? I told you not to cry. Nothing will happen…”

“… ? They’re just swollen because I slept too much.”

He wouldn’t believe me even if I said I was okay.

Viego thought I spent each day trapped in the Tower of Silence in tears.

“Is he finally gone?”

“Oh, how crazy. Seriously.”

Thinking of Viego, who had gone back after chatting for about an hour today, I shook my head.

The same was true of Wishit, who looked bored.

“But you seem to have gotten quite close to Viego.”

“What do you mean by close? I can’t be rude to him, so I just deal with it.”

“Well… After all, since you’re a family, aren’t you going to forgive everyone and embrace them? The Rubette that I knew would want that. Didn’t you say you’re weak against Rubette?” Wishit looked down at me with arms crossed and smiled. “At this point, why don’t you relax and become a cute little daughter and younger sister?”

“What? No way. Neither Dad nor Viego has received a tenth of the punishment for neglecting poor Rubette. Ten years is a long way from seeing my cutesy side.”

“Hahaha…!”

When I was arguing with Wishshit for a while.

“Princess!”

“Ah, that surprised me!”

I was terribly surprised by the urgent voice. When I turned around, Lark was standing in front of the door. I hadn’t noticed when he’d come.

“I mean… Even though I’m now a prisoner, the manner to knock…”

“Ah, I’m sorry.” He added, sweeping his hair, “I knocked and called for five minutes, but there was no answer, so I thought something had happened.”

“Ugh. Really? Sorry. I was chatting with Vista.”

“Ah, Vista.”

Lark nodded his head, and his eyes lit up. “Vista is not a spirit that appears often, so there is not much information about it. Can it see a new near future again? Like the outcome of the upcoming trial…”

“Ah.”

I was taken aback for a moment but responded calmly, “It is difficult. We can only see the future again after a somewhat changed future is in place.”

“I see. That’s a little unfortunate.”

It sounded absurd, but fortunately, Lark believed me without any doubt.

‘I’m slowly getting stabbed in my conscience when I tell a lie.’

There was nothing I could do… but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable for lying. This incident made him trust me completely, and Lark rushed to treat me more considerably, perhaps because of the debt.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be alright. Trust me.”

Lark put his chin and hand over my head as if trying to assure me.

“Ah, of course. I’m not worried.”

He seemed to think I was worried about the trial.

“And even if I’m going to be isolated in a place like a rural estate at the tip of the earth, I won’t resent you. In any case, it’s my decision.”

Lark burst out laughing as I tried to assure him.

“There won’t be such a verdict unless they’re all crazy, but if it happens…” Lark added with a smile, “I promise. I will gladly draw a sword for you in court.”

“W-What?”