# 63
This was Deyaren's first time entering the Imperial Palace.
Basically, the palace was a place that only a very limited number of people could enter.
However, for those who could enter it, it was also a home for them.
Robin, dressed in a comfortable shirt and pants as if he were visiting the neighbours, knocked on Dearren's door.
“Do the clothes fit you well?”
“Ah, yes. Fortunately.”
Deyarin had changed her clothes thanks to the clothes Robin had brought.
As for embarrassing morning clothes, she desperately wanted to put them out of her mind.
Embarrassing incidents that leave a mark on our lives are best simply erased.
"Good. Now we can talk face to face."
“….”
As long as no one brings up those memories again.
Deyarin suppressed her desire to hit him hard in the name of the ruler.
He was the one who saved her at that critical moment. Even though he had only performed a simple task.
...I will forgive him once.
“Come in.”
Dearren invites Robin into her new room, which she still feels weird calling her own.
“Then, sorry for the inconvenience.”
Robin bowed gently in respect and entered the room that Dearyn had opened for him.
It was Robin who chose this room. Although he had checked everything while selecting her, he carefully reviewed the place again to make sure there were no shortages.
After passing through the small hall that appears when the door is opened, Robin opens the opposite door leading to the sitting and reception room.
The two sat on the sofa in the reception room, and both took a deep breath.
What happened last night had not yet been fully resolved.
“First, thanks for staying alive.”
Dearyn has just realized the fact that she has survived.
She was already close to death.
The arrows flying above her head on the battlefield were never that terrifying.
Deyarin forced herself to hold back the tears that were rising inside her.
“Thank you... is not something that is limited to just words...”
Financial compensation must alleviate her feelings of injustice a little.
Did they think that just a word of thanks would be enough to overcome an incident that almost claimed her life? How naive they are!
“Hmm, of course!”
Robin cleared his throat in confusion, trying to avoid Dearyn's murderous gaze.
The incident was too big to be forgotten without compensation.
And for Sirius and Dearyn, they had already become priceless existences.
“The more valuable things are, the more they must be treated appropriately.”
“If this matter is resolved peacefully...”
“No.”
Dearyn smiled brightly with a still stern look.
“One cannot just live in anticipation of the day of death. We have to dress, eat, and sleep. In the end, the process is what matters most, right?”
“Of course, the operation will receive the required support, and even more.”
“I'm just grateful to be alive.”
“We will express our thanks for preserving your precious life with certainty.”
“Feelings are only conveyed if they are expressed. Thank you for understanding.”
Only then did Deyarin stop questioning him.
Deyarin did a really great job and she certainly deserves all the thanks and rewards.
This reward was already being prepared step by step.
...But why do I feel like I'm being blackmailed?
“But if you're thanking me for surviving, what happened to the other band members?”
“We are still investigating... but many of them have died.”
“Oh…”
“There were some who were seriously injured and lost consciousness, and some became so agitated that they ended up completely disabled.”
The condition was worse than I expected.
Fortunately, Dearren and Sirius who were far from home were the least affected.
Her damaged shoulder was hurting.
“What about the others who were working here?”
Perhaps someone had returned home while the two were out watching the festivities.
Although they weren't very close, they were the people who woke up and slept under the same roof every day. It is horrifying to discover the extent of the damage they have suffered without knowing it.
“You don't have to worry about them.”
"What?"
“You don't need to worry about them.”
Robin's gaze froze, and Dayaren's gaze, which was staring unfocused, gradually faded.
“...Do you mean...”
“I cannot fully confirm.”
“Don't you have definitive proof of their whereabouts?”
"exactly."
"…Yes."
The house is now empty after the two leave, with the sounds of fireworks from the celebrations echoing in the background.
It may be a coincidence, but it is an unusual coincidence.
“Are there problems in other homes as well?”
“It's the same thing. All the workers are gone, and the house was bombed.”
“What about the victims?”
“Except for the members of Unit Eight and the priests, there are no major casualties.”
Deyarin's eyes danced. This means…
“Does this mean that everyone who was working in the house received orders to attack?”
“Not everyone must have received orders. It is very likely that they excluded anyone other than members of Unit Eight and the priests to avoid complicating matters.”
“…How could this happen, when we all lived in the same house?”
Deyarin felt a suffocating feeling of betrayal.
If I had been suspicious from the beginning, I wouldn't have felt so betrayed.
Dearyn had been completely reassured, and although this might be considered an unjustified relaxation, her feeling of betrayal was real.
"I apologize. I should have checked better. When I checked before hiring, there were no suspicions about them...so they were probably bribed later."
Even Deyarin herself was generous with promotions and money, accepting assignments without hesitation.
If even priests, who were brainwashed to get rid of greed, could be subjected to such, then what about ordinary people.
However, the bitterness of being betrayed by people you saw every day cannot be denied.
“In the Imperial Palace too, it seems that no one should be trusted.”
“Since it concerns the Imperial Palace, you should be more careful.”
“Yes...”
“Now, the only person who can be recognized from the elite squad is only Sirius. It will be very stressful for you, Priestess, but… the only person who can protect Sirius beside him now is you.”
Under the heavy weight of reality, Dayaren couldn't even breathe normally. But still, she had to say what she needed to say.
“...So what about the cost of protection...”
“…three times…”
“Five times as much.”
“...Four times...No, yes. Five times...Oh, okay. Let's go, five times.”
“The ruler’s blessing will be with you.”
Money is no longer the issue anymore. If Sirius did not have the support of the Third Prince, it would be necessary to use Robin's own funds to secure protection.
“Please handle it. I don’t know why there was such a mess when we entered the palace, but...”
“Right...”
Robin looked into Sirius' room while Dearyn directed her gaze there as well.
“Will it work?”
Sirius fell to the ground as soon as he entered the palace. There were injury and fitness issues, but he was also burying his face in Dearren's lap and constantly growling incomprehensible words.
There was clearly a psychological effect as well.
Now that we've managed to make Ceres look like a human, it may be necessary to start over.
“Ah…”
They both sighed deeply and looked at each other with tired looks.
“Are there any problems adjusting to life in the palace?”
Robin asked, trying to change the mood.
“No,…yet.”
Diaren had just finished showering and changing her clothes. She didn't know yet whether something was bothering her or not.
“Other than being surprised by the sudden move to the palace...”
It was not a suitable situation to receive detailed instructions while moving to the palace. It is not possible for the surprise of moving to the palace to be unimpressive. Dayaren was in a state of disbelief when she crossed the main gate of the palace, especially because she was dressed inappropriately.
If Sirius had not fallen first, she might have been the one to have fainted first.
“Lady Charlotte was the one who personally ordered us here.”
M.M.: Charlotte is the mother of the third prince
“It's something I'm grateful for.”
“It's all thanks to your great efforts, ma'am.”
The words that could not help but make her laugh and say “I will do my best” echoed. Deyarin's life is also at stake. Since she had moved into the palace, there was no place to retreat.
Shalott was the only hope and protection.
'As long as Shalott wants to see the members of Team Eight make their social appearance.'
If there is no need for this, there is no guarantee that it will remain safe after that.
“Are we still going to live in the palace from now on?”
“Yes, this place is the residence of the nobles connected to the Third Prince’s Palace. As long as you don’t leave your room, you won’t meet anyone else, so you can relax.”
The inhabitants of the Imperial Palace in Lacleon were not limited to members of the imperial family only. There were also nobles with close ties to the imperial family, called “chosen nobles,” living in the palace.
Residence in the imperial palace as nobles was considered a great honor and a path to recognition among ancient families. If “Miss Dayaren of the Baron Family” had earned the right to live in the Imperial Palace, she would have been astonished and burst into tears of emotion.
What was meant by the Imperial Palace, since she had not even dreamed of staying in a noble palace. Dearyn looked around the living and reception room where she was sitting. As would be expected from an imperial palace, the rooms reserved for the nobility were solemn and luxurious.
If she had not been in this situation, she would have bowed down in front of the door in gratitude, so much so that she would have made the door a place of appreciation.
However, right now, all she could think about was that the place was a little cramped, full of problems, and too many people.
“There are usually costs for staying in the Imperial Palace that need to be paid to the owner, but this is not something you need to worry about.”
“…were there costs?”
Deyarin was surprised by the palace system that she did not know. It was good that things were free, but could it be that the imperial family, who had everything, was so stingy that they took wages too?
However, Robin seemed unsurprised by Dearyn's question, as if it were a no-brainer.
“Of course, it is the imperial palace. If you take into account the room rent, the food costs, the servants’ salaries, and the costs of the owner’s daily gifts, it becomes very expensive.”
“Gifts…even this?”
The world that opened up to Dearyn was completely different from her previous world.
She felt like she had been suddenly kidnapped.
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