It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 19

I took a step back from Perlo and blinked. Perlo Shanaire was a Motus artisan. And a very skilled one at that. It was easy enough to accept that he had crafted a Motus. But why was the Motus he crafted tucked away in a research book full of illegible handwriting in the Imperial Library’s restricted archives? And not just any Motus—a fourth-tier one.

At my suspicious gaze, Perlo cleared his throat and waved a hand as he explained.

“As you know, I’m pretty famous, so thieves constantly sneak into my lab. That’s why I hide my most important research materials in the restricted archives of the Imperial Library.”

“Why the restricted archives of all places?”

“You’ll see if you go there—hardly anyone visits. And it’s the Imperial Palace, so security is tight. But the problem is, every time I want to access it, I have to go through a bunch of procedures. It’s a hassle just to check my own research. So I slipped in a Dimotus.”

In short, he had secretly embedded a precious fourth-tier Motus in the palace for his own convenience. There were many things to criticize, but I chose one.

“…Isn’t there a teleportation-blocking barrier in the palace? The one you recently helped reinforce?”

Exactly. The palace had a barrier that blocked all Motus-based teleportation. It was impossible for me to teleport into the palace using a Motus.

Perlo scrunched his nose in surprise.

“You know your stuff. The palace kept pestering me, so a few years ago I helped out. At that time, I tweaked the barrier so that certain Motus could still work inside.”

“If you get caught, won’t it be a huge problem?”

“Not if I don’t get caught.”

Hopeless.

The image of Perlo as a genius Motus artisan and my hope of returning to my original world shattered completely.

The palace’s barrier was ultimately meant to protect the emperor. Perlo’s reckless actions could easily be considered treason.

And yet he said, “Not if I don’t get caught”…

Could I really entrust all my hopes to this man?

“So what brings you to the restricted archives, interrupting my dinner? Is the palace library undergoing a deep cleaning or something?”

He looked me up and down with a frown. I must’ve looked ridiculous. I had fallen to the ground, tearing the delicate lace of my dress, and the hairpiece that the maids had fastened so tightly was now dangling loose.

Perlo tilted his head and added,

“Did the maids get into a brawl while cleaning?”

“…”

It was plausible enough that I had no retort. Since I stayed silent, Perlo drew his own conclusion.

“Well, you don’t seem like a thief, so go on back. I need to finish my bread. And! Don’t tell anyone I hid a Motus in the palace library. I’ve seen your face, so keeping quiet would be good for your health. I’ll even give you a few Motus in return.”

He tried a clumsy mix of threat and bribery, lifting his chin high.

If I nodded now, I’d be forcibly teleported back to the palace by his Motus.

This was a hard-earned opportunity!

Though I was still shaken and surprised, I had to seize it. How could I get his help? How could I learn what I needed?

I took a few deep breaths and spoke with a serious face.

“I can’t do that. How could I not report that you tampered with the palace’s barrier? I’ll tell them as soon as I return!”

“Oh come on, I only tweaked it because the entry procedures were annoying. Just let it go.”

“No.”

When I firmly refused, Perlo frowned and ruffled his red hair. Watching him struggle gave me some relief.

Threatening him with the barrier was a gamble. Of course, I had no intention of reporting him. He was my only hope—I wouldn’t be the one to throw him in prison.

It was just a bargaining chip to demand something in return for keeping his secret. The problem was that Perlo might overreact to my reckless threat. There were many ways to silence someone to protect a secret.

Worst case? Kill me.

It wasn’t impossible. This was Perlo’s lab, and my arrival here hadn’t been normal.

Plus, Perlo thought I was a palace maid. If a maid went missing, the palace wouldn’t care much.

But Perlo hadn’t even considered that possibility. After thinking for a while, he clapped his hands.

“Right! You’re just a maid, aren’t you? Who’d believe a maid? No matter how much you talk, it won’t matter. It’d take all the palace’s Motus artisans working together to figure out what I did, and they’re not going to act on a maid’s word.”

So that was his big idea—no solid evidence. His tone was rough, but the logic wasn’t cruel. Having lived among the schemers and master manipulators of the palace, I found Perlo’s naïveté rather endearing.

Thank goodness. If he were the type to casually talk about killing people, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

“I’m not a maid.”

Perlo curled one side of his lip in a sneer.

“Hah? Then you must be a lady-in-waiting or something? I heard palace attendants are chosen for their looks, but looking at you, I guess that’s not true.”

It was the first time someone had insulted my appearance. Refreshing. But since this wasn’t my real face—and Arne’s looks were nothing to scoff at—I responded confidently.

“Ha, not even a lady-in-waiting. I have one of the Motus you put up for auction at the last Martavid event. Care to guess how I got it?”

“What? That thing sold for a fortune! No way a maid got her hands on it…”

“Exactly. I’m not a maid. Not a lady-in-waiting either.”

Perlo kept muttering “no way” and returned to his earlier wary gaze. I crossed my arms and looked at him calmly.

“One went to a countess, another to a marquis, and one to a foreign merchant. Your masterpiece—the fourth-tier Motus—ended up in the emperor’s hands. Just thinking about it makes me mad!”

Perlo counted the buyers on his fingers, then clenched his fist.

“It’s useless in the palace anyway, so why did the emperor take my masterpiece? It’s not something for that damn concubine. Like pearls before swine.”

He was venting about the fourth-tier Motus that Erich had acquired. I understood his frustration. From the creator’s perspective, it was tragic that such a precious item became a useless trinket in the palace.

If I weren’t the “damn concubine” he mentioned—the pig wearing pearls—I might’ve nodded in sympathy.

“You know it well. I’m…”

I hesitated. It was the first time I’d introduced myself as Arne.

In the palace, everyone already knew me as Arne, so I never had to say it.

Saying it out loud felt… new, but strange. Like wearing a beautiful but ill-fitting dress.

“You’re what?”

Prompted by Perlo, I slowly spoke the name that wasn’t mine.

“I’m Arne von Edelheit.”

The ill-fitting dress tightened around me.

“Suddenly introducing yourself? So what?”

I’d overcome the awkwardness to reveal my name, but Perlo’s reaction was underwhelming. Did he not recognize it?

“I said I’m Arne von Edelheit.”

“Yeah, no need to repeat it. I’ve got a genius memory, you know?”

He really didn’t know the name. I’d finally introduced myself, and the key person didn’t even recognize it. Annoyed, I enunciated each word clearly.

“Third imperial concubine, Arne von Edelheit. Mistress of Arlin Palace. The ‘damn concubine’ you just mentioned.”

Perlo fell silent. I added one more line.

“The pig wearing pearls. Got it now?”

After a moment, he shouted in disbelief.

“What, you’re that emperor’s concubine? Don’t make me laugh!”

Well, it’s not surprising he didn’t believe me right away. I raised a finger and explained kindly.

“I told you I found your Motus fragment in the restricted archives, right? Not just anyone can enter there. And does this look like a cleaning outfit? Who wears a silk skirt with lace and gemstone decorations to clean?”

As he listened, Perlo’s frown deepened. Eventually, he bit his lip, and I smiled victoriously.

“I won’t tell His Majesty about your little prank with the barrier. As long as you do me a favor.”

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