With a playful tone and a face I had never seen before, there was only one person who would make such an entrance.

“Prince Irmin?”

“That’s right!”

As if he never used formal language, Irmin appeared in front of me with a mischievous smile, now disguised as a butler. As always, it was a completely new face.

“Ta-da, today I’m a butler. Cool, right?”

“Sigh…”

How could he be so shameless?

I almost had a severe fall because of the stairs, and he even tripped me, utterly shameless.

“Cool or not, why did you trip me?”

“Just for fun―”

“That ‘fun’ could have seriously hurt me, you know?”

“Of course, I would have caught you. Don’t you trust me?”

Anyway…

I squinted my eyes and glared at Irmin.

I looked around. Fortunately, there was no one else around. It was a relief that no one had seen or heard this scene and conversation.

I asked sharply, “What brings you here today?”

“What do you mean? I said I’d come every day. These last couple of days were an exception though.”

Irmin grinned.

“Died once again, did you?”

As expected, Irmin knew. Since there were ears in the temple, he must have gotten the information easily.

“Yes, thanks to someone.”

“Somebody? Is there really an assassin after you?”

He was insufferably nonchalant. It was absurd to hear such words from him when I was certain that Irmin was the assassin.

“It seems so. If it’s happening for the third time.”

I decided to play along for now.

Irmin rested his chin on his hand as if pondering.

“But surviving all that ― maybe it’s all thanks to Lady Venecia.”

“……?”

I looked at Irmin, puzzled.

“Do you also believe in Lady Venecia, Your Highness?”

“Believe? If you’re talking about faith, I don’t have any of that.”

It was an expected answer, given that he didn’t look the least bit pious.

“But it’s interesting, isn’t it? Even more favored than a saintess, receiving objects directly and being revived.”

Irmin seemed to be a person driven by curiosity rather than faith. If something interested him, he couldn’t rest until he dug deeper into it.

“Got any more interesting news? I had a hard time getting out today, so tell me one more thing. Please?”

Why his struggle to get here had anything to do with me, I had no idea. A sigh escaped me involuntarily.

Seeing my silence, Irmin spread out his index finger.

“Let’s do this then.”

“What?”

“I’ll help you break off your engagement with Kabir, and in return, you provide me with some interesting news. A trade. How about that?”

“……?”

I widened my eyes in surprise.

How did he figure out that I wanted to break off my engagement with Kabir?

My surprise was fleeting, and soon I frowned.

“…Did you hear that from your informant?”

“No. It was just a guess, but it looks like I was right―!”

Irmin laughed shamelessly and proudly laid out his deduction.

“Well, you’ve always been indifferent towards Heyward. On the other hand, Heyward seemed quite flustered around you. It was clear that the proposal came from Heyward’s side.”

Kabir flustered around me? I had never seen such a side of Kabir, nor could I imagine it.

“Heyward seemed to like you quite a bit, but… for the sake of my curiosity, I can’t help it!”

“Seems like your friendship isn’t much.”

“Haha, apparently not.”

They might have been close, but it seemed they lacked loyalty in their relationship. It made me wonder if this was what a friendship without real depth looked like. Kabir also seemed to treat Irmin casually, without much genuine affection.

“Now, with such terms, you must have some pretty good news to share.”

I sighed wearily.

Indeed, the terms were quite favorable. I had been considering breaking off the engagement with Kabir anyway.

I had rashly accepted, so it was awkward to break it off from my side. If Prince Irmin stepped in, things would certainly go much smoother.

“What kind of information do you want?”

At my question, Irmin simply answered.

“You’re not alone right now, are you?”

At the same time as he spoke, even the chat window froze.

[Poppopo: …?]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: ?]

[Gold2: Huh?]

I wasn’t the only one taken aback.

What was he talking about?

Could it be that his ‘informant’ knew about the broadcast as well?

Then how much did this person know? That single statement filled my mind with turmoil.

The chat window reacted faster than I did.

[Ian: What’s with this guy?]

[Stress: Hey, do something, Venecia;;]

[Poppopo: First time feeling intimidated by a human…]

[Woongcha: Manager!!! Bring the author!!!]

[Manager: He’s busy]

Seeing my silence, Irmin began to lay out his deductions.

“You’re always looking into space or mumbling to yourself.”

His observation was accurate, but until now, no one had noticed. Except when I acted blatantly, I had been discreet.

But for Irmin, whom I had just met briefly, to notice…

‘Is it because he’s the crown prince, after all?’

I had let my guard down because of the light-hearted atmosphere Irmin emanated.

He was the crown prince, the future ruler of the empire.

I should not have taken him lightly. I had been complacent.

“So, I thought about it and came to a conclusion.”

Irmin placed a hand on my shoulder, his expression serious.

“You can see ghosts or something?”

His words were a relief.

Fortunately, he was barking up the wrong tree. Neither the informant nor Irmin was omnipotent.

I turned my gaze away and responded.

“…Somewhat.”

“Hey, don’t be so vague! Or do you not want me to help you break off your engagement with Kabir?”

That would be troublesome.

Receiving help from Irmin would indeed be beneficial. If I could provide a satisfying answer and get his assistance, it wouldn’t be a bad deal for me.

However, I couldn’t give Irmin any useful information. He was, after all, my enemy. I didn’t know how he might use my words to harm me.

After a moment of consideration, I decided to respond.

“There are many people watching me. That much I can certainly tell you.”

I kept my answer deliberately vague, but Irmin didn’t express any dissatisfaction. Instead, his eyes sparkled with curiosity as he asked me.

“How many exactly?”

I took a quick peek at the viewer count.

Today’s number was around the usual average.

“Over a few hundred.”

“……”

At that, Irmin wore a bitter smile.

“…That must be quite a burden for you.”

He didn’t dismiss my words as trivial; he genuinely seemed to sympathize. The playful attitude he had shown me all this time was nowhere to be seen.

‘You too,’ as if Irmin also felt the weight of responsibility. It would be odd for a crown prince not to feel it.

“……”

It was a strange feeling, almost comforting, to feel understood, especially by someone who had tried to kill me. I shook my head to regain my senses.

Meanwhile, Irmin clapped his hands once to draw attention.

“Alright, I’m satisfied for today. Interpreting your words is another task for me.”

“……”

“I’ll take care of breaking off your engagement with Heyward, so don’t worry too much! See you next time―”

Irmin waved and walked down the opposite corridor. His steps appeared light as if he was in high spirits.

I stared blankly at the retreating figure of Irmin, dressed as a butler.

‘How can I not worry…’

How could such an unreliable person exist?

It was clear I had an exceptionally odd enemy on my hands.

* * *

It was a peaceful day. As usual, I turned on the broadcast and read a book.

Even during idle times, there were quite a few viewers when the broadcast was on. The chat and donations were quiet during these times, but I found the tranquility somewhat comforting.

The sound of me turning the pages must have served as some sort of white noise for the viewers. Maybe that’s why they tuned in.

Until recently, I felt burdened and tormented by the broadcast. Was it just a brief slump? I quickly felt comfortable with the broadcast again.

‘Maybe I’m really cut out for broadcasting.’

Just as I was entertaining that thought, a guest visited my room.

“Sister.”

The visitor was Finley, wearing an uneasy expression.

In his hand was an envelope, presumably a letter.

My letters were first screened by the staff, then handed over to Finley.

The reason was that I found it tiresome to check each one myself. When I passed this duty to Finley, he accepted it, albeit with astonishment. After all, Finley didn’t have much else to do while staying here.

He should be heading back to the duke’s mansion by now. It seemed he planned to stay here until Selena decided to leave. Although Selena herself showed no intention of returning to the mansion as long as I was here.

“What’s the matter?”

I closed my book and asked Finley.

Finley started speaking with a gloomy expression.

“…We’ve been invited to the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet.”

“Really?”

It was soon to be Irmin’s birthday.

It was unexpected news, but not surprising.

While no one knew, I had developed a somewhat personal acquaintance with Irmin. Moreover, I was a duke’s daughter. It was only natural for my brother and me to be invited to the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet.

I looked at Finley as if waiting for more.

Finley ran a hand over his face before speaking again.

“The problem is…”

“Yeah?”

Finley spoke with a voice mixed with various emotions, conveying his unease.

“…The Crown Prince wants to escort you personally.”

“……?”

Escort. The meaning was clear.

I blinked in disbelief and then was struck with shock.

‘This… madman.’

Irmin was now planning to have a woman, who was engaged to someone else, attend the ball as his partner.

And that woman was his friend’s fiancée.