Case 129: Upon the little detective’s investigation.

*****

Valerie de La Fayette was a lovable little princess.

Born to the third empress, Caroline, who was timid and powerless, yet ultimately the emperor's adored consort, she posed little threat to any of the contenders for the throne. The fact that she was much behind in terms of age only reassured this observation.

Precisely because of this harmless image, she was spared from the brutality of the fight. Even if some paranoid imperial members saw her as such, they wouldn't have the time and effort to deal with her—the other opponents were a higher priority. Besides, the emperor wouldn't tolerate a meaningless assassination.

Valerie herself was sharp, unlike her mother, and she had realized this, albeit somewhat, even if no one had told her explicitly. So, she never displayed a thought for the heavy crown, merely combing through tasks necessary for an imperial family member.

It worked well for her, anyway. She was curious by nature, always wanting to work out the way things operated. A master of puzzles, an avid follower of mysteries, and a meticulous thinker.

Within her small mind palace, there never seemed to be enough time. She never spent a dull day since her thoughts accompanied her every step.

''Hah...''

Yet, even such a strong-headed and energetic girl was feeling unusually restless today. Setting down her tea cup elegantly, Valerie glanced at her surroundings: A beautiful garden, blooming flowers, gentle winds, and a dozen or so budding little ladies eagerly chatting with one another.

It was a tea party.

She was technically the star of the show, holding the highest status, yet she found herself unable to close the distance with any of her peers. Ordinary teenage girls chatted about love and fashion, but Valerie knew none of those. When they flipped through magazines, she was tracing the words of an unsolved true crime case.

Still, she didn't pay much attention to it. She was fine, being alone. There was no need to force relationships...

Yes, as long as she had her big sister's love.

'Big sister...'

Lately, coupled with the continent's tensing up, her big sister, Rachael, had also become unsettled. So much so that the time Rachael regularly spent with Valerie almost disappeared entirely. Every time, it was state affairs; if not, then some important subjugations would need her presence.

The only good thing was that Valerie hadn't seen that vixen for a while. Hopefully, her sister would finally wake up and discard that woman.

Merely thinking about that blue-haired seductress made Valerie frown uncontrollably. Where did such an obviously shady person come from? And some of the most powerful women in the empire fell for her? Seriously?

Was her beauty so terrifyingly effective?

''...''

Maybe it was. Even the fourth imperial princess, who had seen countless high-class beauties, had to admit she had never seen a woman prettier than Cecilia. Her face? Mellow, enchanting, as if an exquisitely sculpted work. Her body? Perfect, straight out of a drawing.

But her intuitions, ones that never lied to her, were constantly warning her about Cecilia. She always felt a nagging sense that the woman was dangerous, that she held an unimaginably dark secret.

And indeed, Valerie easily found Cecilia engaging in shady dealings underground. The woman was so careless that the princess half-expected it to be a ruse. Whether that was the case or not, whether Cecilia was hiding something even more distasteful, the fact that she participated in such events told Valerie everything she needed to know.

''...the underground auction?''

''Hm?''

Just then, one of the girls, who was scrolling on her phone with several friends, muttered. Valerie caught that clearly and immediately went to confront her.

''What do you mean by 'underground auction'?'' Valerie pressed. ''You know it's illegal, right?''

''P-Please calm down, Your Highness. It was just a post I happened to see on Q-io...'' The girl obediently showed her phone, fully aware of how rabid this princess could be.

Indeed, sandwiched between two ordinary posts of the girl's feed was a rather ominous advertisement under an anonymous user account.

'...Come to the twenty-first XXXX underground auction! This round's highlight: A Soul Flute!'

Valerie recognized that name—it was one of the auctions Cecilia used to attend.

The attached image was that of an old bamboo flute, one plastered with a horde of silvery wisps the shape of skulls. Cartoonish, almost, yet undeniably real. Valerie knew how that thing looked.

It was a cursed instrument capable of lulling souls into a trance. Of course, there were limitations; nonetheless, the flute was a dangerous tool if it fell into the wrong hands.

How did this happen? This kind of advertisement, even if a prank, shouldn't be allowed on the platform in the first place. Narrowing her crystal-blue eyes, Valerie turned around, addressing the girls, ''All of you, pull out your phone. See if you can find this same post.''

The princess's order was absolute in this space. Everyone, including Valerie, turned on their Q-io app. One by one, nervous reports came in. The girls all got this ad, and so did the fourth princess herself.

''...Tell your parents about this for the time being. I'll excuse myself here.'' Valerie instructed before promptly leaving.

Strangely enough, upon further investigation, it seemed only the people present at that tea party saw the message. Was it a deliberate trap targeting the group? But they didn't just belong to one or two factions. It didn't make much sense.

''What is going on...?''

Valerie paced around her room. Her family, even her other connections, were busy dealing with the demons, so she couldn't ask them to help.

There were only two days until the auction started.

Gritting her teeth, Valerie called her attendants and began her infiltration plan. The Soul Flute was a rare item, even by the auctions' standards, so many with ill intent would do anything to get it.

This could be a potential risk to national security.

Exactly two days later, Valerie and several bodyguards arrived at the underground auction. They were professionally disguised, arousing no suspicion. Getting a ticket or two wasn't hard for an imperial princess like her, either.

''...Tch.''

Once again, back at the stuffy underground hall, where only murmurs and a sour atmosphere lingered, Valerie frowned. She didn't want to enter such a place at all. If not for the powerful nobles who had a hand in these occasions, she would have vowed to destroy them all.

The princess was all for justice, but her thoughts always leaned realistically. She couldn't just uproot those powerful figures because they had shady dealings. Broadly speaking, they did more good than bad.

In the end, everyone was a shade of gray, none pure white, none pitch black.

The little figure flopped into a seat, patiently waiting for the show to start. As expected, since the Flute was going to be auctioned, it soon became rowdy. If she remembered correctly, the last time it appeared was three years ago—not exactly recent, but not far either.

It meant that the bidder of that time had died, unable to wield that power to protect themselves. So, it inevitably ended up here again.

Yet, there had never been a lack of fools who pursued cursed powers.

''...!!''

Just as Valerie was about to sigh, a figure calmly sat down near her. Her figure was unmistakably that of a woman, masked, but what made the princess so agitated was a single strand of sky-blue hair peeking out of her hood.

'Cecilia de Orleans...!'