It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 21

I swallowed hard and darted my eyes around.

Gripping the filthy robe tightly in my nervousness, sweat seeped into my palms.

I had been discovered by palace guards beneath the high walls of the imperial palace.

Naturally, Perlo had already teleported back to his lab. Just before leaving, perhaps pitying me for wandering alone under the cold, shadowy wall, he handed me his robe.

Moments later, I faced the guards with an awkward smile, raising one hand.

The guards, terrified, prostrated themselves before me, and it took a while before I was escorted inside.

Following the guards, I realized Perlo hadn’t exaggerated when he said the entire palace was in a state of emergency.

Instead of maids, the palace was filled with armored soldiers. Though it was the same space, it felt completely foreign.

The thought that all this chaos was because of me made my head spin.

What excuse should I give?

I racked my brain seriously, trying to come up with the best possible explanation.

Excluding Perlo’s motus, I had to come up with a reason for my sudden disappearance from the library’s dense archives.

So…

I snuck out alone for a thrill?

A strange man kidnapped me, then gently dropped me back at the palace and fled?

I fell asleep reading and wandered off in a sleepwalking episode?

I was summoned by a divine light and briefly visited a sacred realm?

I suddenly wanted to play hide-and-seek and told everyone to come find me?

“This is insane.”

A maid attending me flinched at my muttering.

Even though I had only murmured to myself, the maid from Berna Palace trembled and nearly knelt.

It reminded me of the maids from Arlin Palace months ago.

I waved my hands and repeatedly told her it was nothing, only then did she retreat.

Their identical fearful behavior made me sigh.

That frightened gaze still followed me whenever I left Arlin Palace.

Yes.

I was now waiting for Erich in Berna Palace, escorted politely by the guards.

Erich, having found no clues near the library, had gone to the outskirts of the palace to personally direct the search.

The guards had informed him of my discovery, so he should be arriving soon…

Clatter, clatter

Finally, the sound of urgent hoofbeats grew louder—Erich had arrived at Berna Palace.

I moistened my dry lips and rehearsed my excuse. I just needed to get through tonight.

The emperor was only pretending to search for me earnestly. Now that I’d returned safely, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Erich still needed Arne, so he wouldn’t escalate the situation.

“Arne!”

Footsteps echoed down the corridor, followed by a loud call of my name.

The doors to the drawing room I was in swung open wide.

Erich, dressed in light armor and a red cloak, locked eyes with me.

As I awkwardly stood to greet him, he rushed over and embraced me tightly.

“Ah, Arne…”

“Your Majesty?”

Overwhelmed by his heat, I squirmed to escape his arms, but he held me even tighter, as if refusing to let go.

If this were a performance of a beloved consort returning after being missing, it was a masterful one.

His golden hair was damp with sweat, clinging to his forehead, and the ends of his long cloak were caked with mud.

Anyone could see the emperor had personally led the search for Arne.

After holding me for a while, Erich slowly loosened his grip.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

He asked while scanning my body with his eyes. Seeing my disheveled state under the robe, he stammered.

“W-what happened…?”

I quickly pulled the robe tighter.

“I-I’m fine. I just tripped a little…”

“What are you saying? Your dress is torn. I must summon the palace physician immediately. What in the world happened?”

It was time to lie.

Thankfully, Erich was still playing the concerned husband. If I could come up with a decent excuse, I wouldn’t be punished severely.

“Uh, well…”

I quickly recalled the layout of the dense archives. It was underground, but sunlight came through semi-transparent windows.

A semi-basement with windows. Aside from the door, the only exit was the window.

My brain worked at lightning speed, surprising even me.

Excuses popped up, got discarded, and popped up again.

Then, reacting to the trembling in Erich’s eyes, I blurted out:

“So! So I saw a strange shadow on the semi-transparent window of the archives. When I opened it, there was a cat. I wanted to catch it, so I climbed out through the window. Then I kept chasing the cat and, haha… time just flew by.”

Apparently, the poison cookie incident had left a strong impression, because I was now babbling about a cat in a ridiculous excuse.

“Cats are so fast and agile, you know? If you take your eyes off them for a second, they’re gone… Anyway, I chased it all over the palace and lost it under the wall. Then I met the guards and came back.”

“You didn’t meet anyone while chasing the cat?”

“Uh, well, the cat kept going to secluded places. Places people don’t usually go. So I guess I didn’t see anyone. Haha. It’s totally possible.”

Totally impossible.

From what I’d heard, I’d been missing for two hours.

Considering the time spent arguing with Perlo and his trip to the palace, it matched up.

During that time, Louis wouldn’t have left me alone.

He probably came down, noticed I was missing, and raised the alarm. Then Erich ordered a full-scale search of the palace, mobilizing all guards.

Even if I’d been in a secluded area chasing a cat, it was impossible not to run into any guards.

It was a flimsy excuse, but it was all I had.

“The guards must not have searched properly.”

“What? No, it’s more like…”

I tried to defend the guards, but Erich spoke first.

“We must catch that runaway cat. How dare it cause Arne such distress. Didn’t a maid’s cat upset you once before? Maybe it’s time to round up all the cats in the capital.”

Apparently, the poison cookie incident had left a mark on Erich too.

“Starting today, I’ll order all cats in the capital removed. From pets to strays—none shall appear before you again.”

His armor clinked as his sword bumped against it.

He kept saying “remove,” but surely he didn’t mean to kill all the cats in the capital… right?

I grabbed Erich’s arm as he turned to summon a servant.

“Please don’t! The cats did nothing wrong… Just leave them be.”

“What do you mean? They’re harmful creatures that caused you trouble. Of course they must be eliminated.”

Gasp. He didn’t just mean banishment—he meant extermination. Even banishment was unacceptable.

I clung to his arm desperately.

“No! I chased that cat because it was so beautiful. I just wanted to see it more.”

Erich looked at my face for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.

“But didn’t you dislike animals like cats and dogs?”

I didn’t avoid his gaze and moved my lips. Thanks to Arne’s diary, I could respond immediately.

“Yes. I used to think they were selfish creatures that didn’t understand humans. But not anymore. Their freedom is their charm. If that beautiful cat disappeared, I’d be sad.”

According to the diary, Arne had raised a cat as a child. She cared for it at first, but when it kept trying to escape her arms, she got angry and kicked it out of the house.

Fortunately, Erich didn’t question my flimsy excuse.

“Very well. If you say so. Then I’ll order the cat brought to you. Since you like it, it should be yours.”

“No! There’s no need. Really. It might’ve already left the palace.”

I hurriedly stopped him.

If he ordered the guards to search for a nonexistent cat again, I’d be too ashamed to face them.

“Then I’ll issue a search order outside the palace too. You just rest.”

While I lay comfortably, the guards would spend the night chasing a cat that didn’t exist?

Suddenly, exhaustion hit me.

My body swayed, and Erich immediately caught me.

“Arne?”

“Sorry. I’m just so tired…”

“Ah, I’ve been inconsiderate. Let’s get you back to the palace to rest. I’ll visit tomorrow morning. I’ve taken measures to ensure nothing like today ever happens again, so rest easy.”

Erich gently supported me as he spoke.

He looked every bit the devoted consort who cherished Arne deeply.

Let me know if you’d like a summary or character analysis too—this chapter is packed with tension and clever improvisation.

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