Chapter 92: 91: The Princess’s Talent?

Night time came and someone was knocking on the door. At the moment, Mera was with me inside my room leaving only Vernon outside. There could only be one reason why he knocked.

“Princess, Sir Rogan has arrived.”

I stood up and told Mera that we’re going. She opened the door for me and when I stepped outside, there was Rogan in his armor bowing to me.

“Good evening princess.”

“Good evening, sir Rogan. It’s good that you came to accompany us.”

“I am honored. But, I still fail to realize my significance in your goal tonight.”

I smiled. “Well, it’s not about significance. I am grateful for what you have done, and the way I see it, we could be seen as collaborators now, especially when my family had their strict eyes on you.”

“He-he. I suppose.”

“But, maybe also because I am quite fond of you. Knights of your type are hard to come by, after all.”

“You flatter me, your highness… Hm, can’t wait to tell Alan about this.”

“What’s this about Sir Alan?”

“Oh? You still remember him?”

I raised a puzzled eyebrow.

“Why would I forget him?”

“I see. I just think that it would be amusing if I told Alan that you like me.”

Hm, like, how one takes that word would depend. It could mean you just like the person as a person, and the other like is that there was some romance involved. It was apparent that Rogan knew which I meant when I said I was fond of him.

However, he seemed to be intending to make Alan think otherwise, perhaps to tease him. Well, let’s play along.

“Amusing? I don’t see how and why that would be amusing. And, why would Sir Alan care about that?”

Rogan smiled wryly.

“Have you not realized, your highness?”

I shook my head.

“I see. Well, let’s just say he’s an interesting fellow.”

I think me and Rogan could get along well.

“Is that so… In any case, time is essential, let’s go.”

They followed me as I began walking down the corridor towards the stairs. Oryn’s room was on the second floor and on the opposite side of the palace where my room was. As we strode, Rogan asked a question.

“Your highness, why did you decide to check the traitor’s lodging at night?”

“Why? Hm, isn’t that obvious?” I asked blankly as though the answer was naturally obvious. “Strange events, suspicious activities mostly happen at night. Such acts are safer to do at night.”

“Hm, indeed.”

“Furthermore, if Oryn was to do something suspicious in his room, he wouldn’t be able to do it during the day since he would be working.”

“Couldn’t you just leave it to the knights? Or at least bring a group?”

“... I cannot rest if I don’t see things personally. Also, bringing a group of knights would surely be too crowded and rowdy for me… I don’t like being surrounded by too many unfamiliar people…” I said timidly.

“I understand.”

Well, the primary reason for this is because I don’t have much trust in strangers' abilities or competency. Besides, my scope of actions may expand when I discover something. I wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully if I realized that I may have missed something crucial. Furthermore, bringing more people than this would be difficult to manage and control, these guys were enough.

A while later, we arrived at Oryn’s room, on the way, we encountered a knight on patrol passing by the room. He was surprised to see us four together.

“Greetings, your highness.”

The knight said as he bowed deeply. I greeted him good evening, then Rogan proceeded to greet the knight.

“Yo, nice night.”

“Rogan… You’re with the princess, may I ask what brought you here?”

I turned to look at Rogan and nodded my head. Being given permission, he began to briefly explain.

“We’re just going to search the traitor’s room for anything of value.”

“I see…”

“Alright, then, keep up the good work, we’ll be going inside.”

Vernon opened the door as the knight went on with his job while wearing a curious expression. We stepped inside after closing the door, it was a large room, as what rooms were in the palace. Furthermore, his room didn’t have much personality, no large decorations or anything.

What was only within were papers on the table, piles of books, mostly work related. It would seem he was somewhat a minimalist?

“Alright, search every nook and cranny. Move the shelfs, shift the carpets, scour the bed, and scan his every paperwork.”

Everyone — Vernon, Mera, and Rogan — immediately went on the move. As for me, it wouldn’t have been necessary for me to do anything, but I feel it wouldn’t leave a good impression if I did nothing. Therefore, I approached the desk and took a look at the paper.

As moments passed, I was convinced that the papers were nothing of help. I also checked below the table. I even tried to move it, but to no avail. As for the drawers, well, nothing of much use except some trivial items and papers.

I shifted my sight and saw Rogan lifting the sheets of the bed, then Mera searching the shelves, Vernon checking every corner and every object that was left unchecked.

“Hm, open and flip the pages of the books, there might be something,” I said to them.

We began flipping the pages of the books, however, we found nothing. These were all pre-made, and none was made by Oryn.

“Milady, perhaps Oryn decided not to leave any physical evidence since it would be too risky.”

Perhaps. But…

“If that is so… he must have some way to communicate with his allies.”

Was this a bust? Shit, I had hoped I would find something. I walked towards the window and opened them completely, letting the cold wind of the night blow inside.

I looked down, then up, there must be something. I checked every tiny detail, the dark clouds covering the moonlight which caused a lack of illumination to the surroundings. But, much to my disappointment, there was nothing.

I stepped back with furrowed brows.

I once again scanned the room. But there was nothing that seemed out of place.

Was this truly a failure? Then Oryn really thought this through. He might have thought that he may remain here for more than a decade or something, and thus, to be more careful, leave not any physical evidence.

But I wonder, if he had allies, how would they communicate? Communication was always an essential part of these types of operations. The purpose of spying is to send crucial information, then also report your progress.

“Is there any spell that allows you to indirectly communicate with someone over vast distances instantly? Like, you can speak and the other side would hear, all with your mind alone or something else?”

“......To my knowledge, no.”

“Nope, I don’t know anything that convenient.”

“I also don’t know any of that kind, milady.”

I nodded my head as I pondered.

“Hm, could they have perhaps used a spell that is not known to us? I even came here at night in the chance that something would happen.”

Magic was an incredible thing, and I didn’t know the full scale of it yet.

I walked towards the bed and nonchalantly sat down.

“Princess?” Rogan was puzzled.

“Let’s wait for a while.”

This should have been the time when all servants had just about finished with their dinner. Servants could either eat before or after the royal family. It all depended on the free time they had, or if they had no work left to do.

As for Oryn, it would be the same. However, as it was either before or after, communicating would have to be done after since it would be certain that Oryn would be free from any work and was supposed to rest and sleep. This way, there will be no interruptions in their time of communicating.

I sat down in silence. Meanwhile my companions quietly looked around. Mera was pretty attention grabbing though, she had been staring or glancing at me whenever she had a chance, and it had been constantly happening for a while now.

Aaah, never change Mera.

What an amusing girl.

Then Rogan began to whistle as though he was bored. Though, it wasn’t exactly a good idea to whistle at night in the silent palace.

“Sir Rogan, don’t whistle, you might disturb someone and invite any negative attention,” Vernon chided Rogan, he must have had the same thought as I am.

“Right, my apologies.”

We were like this for a few minutes. Perhaps we really wouldn’t be able to find anything here. Could the opposition have realized that Oryn was already dead? Then, what means could they have used?

I slowly stood up and then there was a small sound like flapping from the window. I turned my head and there was a completely black feathered bird that landed on the window sill. It was a small bird, with a straight beak like any other common bird. Though it’s tail was spread out like a fan.

Hm, birds are essentially the same in this world.

I haven’t yet seen birds this close personally, so it was a tiny bit intriguing.

I took a step, intending to leave since there was nothing to be found here anymore. But I instantly stopped, then shifted my eyes to look at the bird.

“Everyone, don’t move a muscle and stay quiet.”

Everyone immediately froze stiffly after I quietly said those words.

Now then, there was an issue with the bird. First, it’s night time, even birds sleep, of course there might be some nocturnal birds. However, the bird stayed in the window frame. And most of all, it was not that fidgety. I have always seen birds move a lot.

This bird here was not moving its feet. It was moving its head though, however, they were slower than what I had imagined birds normally would be. I wanted to judge more from its eyes, however it was hard to tell any movement since it was all black.

Ultimately, it didn’t seem alarmed that there were a group of people here.

“Stay there.”

I said to them in a whisper.

With gentle and quiet steps, I slowly approached the bird on the frame. I calmed my breathing to be on a safer side, I didn't want to scare it. However, strangely, when I got closer, it didn’t seem to react. Normally, birds should have flown away already.

When it looked like it was within my arm’s reach, I slowly raised my arm. Snatching this thing in an instant would be essential to avoid its escape.

Then, when I was ready, I swiftly grasped the bird and held it firmly to prevent it from escaping. However, I didn’t hear a chirp. Now that I was holding it, it was somewhat soft, but the feather was a bit rough to the touch.

I quickly closed the opened window just to be safe.

“Everyone, this bird, is strange.” I turned towards the three.

They all looked at it with interest.

“And, somehow, it is a bit hard and colder than I expected.”

“Could it be?” Vernon muttered.

“Yeah, I think I’m starting to have an idea…” Rogan added.

“You know about this?”

“A Puppet Courier maybe. Made in an image of a bird, but it is mostly made of wood and covered with materials akin to feathers. It’s like a doll.”

Vernon was the one to explain.

“But to have one of these? It’s almost unbelievable, they must really be a bunch of big times,” Rogan said.

Woah, I thought they knew nothing of a convenient method of communication! Was this a state secret or something?

Hm, maybe because I asked something that uses the mind and instantly sends messages?

“What do you mean?”

“A Puppet Courier is a rare thing and incredibly hard to make. It’s not commonly known since Royals mostly use these, or others in the highest of positions. The existence of this is not shared in public since this brings more advantage when most people don't know about it. In other words, a confidential object and method of communication,” Vernon said.

I see. If the opposition knew of such a contraption, they would likely resort to killing every bird in sight.

“The magic to create these is also at a high level and I don’t even know who can make one.”

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Rogan was in awe as he observed the puppet in my hand.

“Your highness, this is what your father used to communicate with your eldest brother that is currently at the Myra Kingdom.”

Enlightenment dawned on my face when Vernon said that to me. Estelia had no prior knowledge of this since she had no involvement in any politics or inner workings in the kingdom. The magic guide book has not even mentioned this.

“Will it escape if I set it down on the desk?”

“Seeing that it didn’t move from the window frame, then it means it has reached its destination, so it’s alright.”

After Vernon said so, I walked towards the desk and carefully set it down. And indeed, it didn’t move.

“So, how do we use it? There must be a message, yes?”

“Tap its head two times.”

I tapped the bird’s head two times, then it opened its mouth followed by a voice I have never heard before.

“Don’t be stubborn, you don’t have to do it now, it’s too risky… But, it would seem I can’t stop you from here. Just be careful. If you do carry it out, please succeed and make sure to kill the princess. Although I prefer that you don’t do it yet. Answer back if you change your mind. We’ll be waiting.”

It sounded like a voice from a male.

Now that’s interesting, a voicemail. Quite a loud message, however, Oryn must have some way to ensure others wouldn’t hear it. He controls the wind, so that could mean he must be using his abilities to block the sound from coming out of the room — just in case someone’s eavesdropping. Also, there was the spell that I encountered outside that blocked out other sounds.

They could have used paper, but perhaps that leaves physical evidence? And so they didn’t. They could have just made a cipher, but it would seem they liked this method more. Plus, you could easily recognize the voice if they knew the person, and lower the chance of information manipulation.

But I think a paper message is better if you have a cipher to use. But if that’s cracked, then, well...

It could easily be used to send false information if you knew the cipher.

“W-What? What is this?” Mera frantically asked with a trembling voice after hearing the voice message.

“Hey, isn’t this very, very serious? They’re seriously going for you princess!”

No shit it’s been very serious from the start.

“This seemed to be larger than I imagined.”

Everyone was nervous. Indeed, this was pretty troublesome. However, I was already pondering on what to do from here.

This device can be used to communicate. And there were two options, leave this be, or respond. The most merits will be the latter.

It’s better to try than nothing. I need to at least set a trap.

I took a deep breath.

“What do I do to respond back?”

The three of them repeatedly blinked at my question.

“Your highness, you have no need to respond.”

“Indeed, it would likely make them more aggressive.”

“It’s dangerous, milady.”

Rogan, Vernon, and Mera responded with no hesitation as they all realized what I was trying to do.

“You have no need to worry. I will not be the one to respond.”

“Then, one of us will?” Rogan asked.

I shook my head.

“None of you will respond,” there was only one person that should respond. “It’s Oryn, he will be the one to respond.”

They were all stunned by the absurd words that came out of my mouth.

“But he’s dead,” Rogan muttered.

“Princess, what are you intending to do? It’s impossible.”

I have been training my body, trying to at least return most of my capabilities from my old life. But, I have also been practicing some old tricks that didn’t require much physical exertion. Though I have been doing it slowly since it was bothersome if I hurt a part of my body.

Now what was I trying to re-learn? Well, my throat was hurt a few times. Good thing I was familiar with how to do it, only needed for this body to adjust.

I cleared my throat then recalled Oryn’s voice.

Now then, a little warm up. Let’s see if I still really got it.

“Greetings….”

Hm, not good. I cleared my throat again and pressed a few fingers on my throat gently.

“Hm, let me see. Yes, I just needed a bit of adjustment…” It was hard for this throat, but I think I’m going there. “How are you three? You think I’m dead after you killed me?”

I grinned as I faced the three of them while speaking in a completely different voice. Mera in particular froze in shock and covered her mouth.

“W-What nightmare…? Is it his ghost?”

Mera was muttering some nonsense.

“P-Princess, how are you doing that? This is nigh absurd.”

Vernon also looked shaken.

“Woah, that’s impressive! Yeah, I think that’s his voice?”

Rogan was a bit unsure, perhaps he never interacted much with Oryn or heard him.

Yes, I was speaking in Oryn’s voice.

My two servants were completely shaken. Perhaps because it was Oryn’s voice, or maybe also because of this hidden talent, though it was creepy to hear the voice of a dead man.

“So, what do you think? Do I sound like Oryn?”

“Princess, since when can you do such a thing?! This is… unbelievable…your Father definitely needs to know about this.”

“No Vernon, please don’t tell him. No, don’t you dare tell anyone about this. This is an embarrassing thing to do! This is an order!” I returned to my true voice.

“......... U-Understood.”

The rest also responded in affirmative.

“Good… Now, was it close at least? It hurts my throat.”

“It’s off a little, but it certainly is there. Perhaps only twenty percent off?”

“Yes, I also think that’s about it.”

I think it’s fine. From the audio, it’s not the perfect voice of the person. It was like listening from a phone, not that clear of an audio along with all that little echoe. This may be like using a not so expensive or high quality microphone.

Even so, I should enhance my performance a little.

“Testing testing, how about this now? Is it alright? Does it sound like he’s certainly here?”

“Woooah, daaamn, Prince Estevan would surely freak out if he sees this.”

Yeah, I think so too.

“Yes, it’s closely accurate,” Vernon said.

“Then I suppose we’re good to proceed. So Mister Vernon, how do I use this?”

Vernon’s eyebrow twitched.

Mera looked pretty freaked out though.

“Tap its head three times and pour just a tiny bit of mana into it.”

After hearing that, I returned to my real voice.

“That’s going to be hard for me. To avoid failure, I’ll let you do it Vernon. It only needs to hear sounds, right?”

I’m not used to this kind of thing yet, so to be safe, let the experienced handle it.

“Yes, it should be fine.”

He moved forward and raised his index finger above the bird’s head.

“What are you planning, princess?”

When he asked, I used Oryn’s voice to answer.

“You’ll know.”

“Alright. Ready?”

“Wait, where do you think is a good place for a rendevouz when escaping, and a place for a good trap setup?”

“Hmm. Something the Oryn should also know… Ah, he and the prince visited a place once. Southwest of the palace, there are two ponds close together where a small residence is established.”

“Alright if you say so.”

“.... So, shall I go do it now?”

“Yes, go.”

He tapped the head three times and poured a bit of mana into the bird.

I then spoke with Oryn’s voice, from his manner of speaking, tone and pitch. All based on the current situation I was planning to convey and from the way we interacted.

“I’m, I’m in trouble, I think. It seems like they are on to me, I feel eyes watching me all the time. They’re suspicious of me. They are perhaps finding the time to strike or expose me. The prince is acting strange when speaking with me, further supporting the possibility that I have been discovered somehow. Furthermore, the princess’s guard has increased drastically, killing her would be nigh impossible. If I try, it would only be futile and risk my capture…

“I will be trying to escape from here, I cannot risk them capturing me and forcing information out of me somehow. Six days from now, I should find an opportunity to slip out of the palace unnoticed, given if they don’t strike me down first. Meet me at the two ponds southwest of the palace by a small residential area, around midnight approaching the seventh day. If past that, then abandon me, if I delay, it could only mean I am already eliminated, or captured. Don’t try to contact me for the time being, we will meet each other there.”

I nodded my head at Vernon to indicate that I am finished. He then tapped the head once and it finally closed its mouth. He picked up the bird.

“Is that all, your highness?”

“Yes, send it out.”

He went to the window and after opening it, he threw the bird in the air and let it fly away, blending in the dark night, it seemed to fly towards the city as it ascended.

Vernon closed the window and turned towards me.

“Princess…”

He still seemed to be in disbelief of what I did. What? Should I not do something? If this could potentially erase my enemies, then I’ll take this chance! Of course, this came at the expense of an exposure of my talent, and a tiny damage to my pure princess image. But, I need to make the investment. This could, after all, catch the ones trying to kill me.

I turned to look at everyone, they seemed to be waiting for something. Or was still processing what just happened. So I spoke first.

“There are two outcomes to it. One is that they don’t appear, and the other is that they do. In either case, it is better to try than not. If they cared for Oryn, then they will go to the meeting spot, even if the thought of a trap crosses their mind. If Oryn was expendable, then, they wouldn’t bother. Even so, no loss for us if this fails.”

“Woah princess, I’m surprised you just formulated a plan, just like that. This is quite a big deal...” Rogan said.

“Vernon, tell my Father to set up a trap in the schedule I made in the message. Tell the contents of the message if you will. I imagine you will know what to do after all I did that. But please, don’t tell him how exactly I did that, specifically the changing voice part…”

“U-Understood.”

I heaved a deep sigh as I adorably puffed my cheeks.

“This is a bit tiresome. Alright, let us go and sleep.”

Now that I have compromised to this degree, the trap I set up better work. If it didn’t, then what I have exposed would have been for nothing. This was not something a plain princess could do. That being said, this was way better than being discovered having daggers strapped to my thigh.

In this situation, it could be described as a mere talent, and nothing more. However, I would still prefer to minimize the potential damages and thus ordered everyone here not to tell anyone about it.

I could have done something weird like move them out of the room, but they could still potentially eavesdrop through the walls or door. Furthermore, I also needed their feedback for my performance so I can have more accuracy to the voice so that the trap would have a higher chance of success, plus I need a guide for the bird.

As for the enemies, they should try to extract their agent — I hope.

…. Let’s just see how things will unfold.

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