A/N: This chapter is separated into two parts. Chapter 16 is part one.

Chapter 16 

"Father...!" I barged into my Father's office without knocking, interrupting his precious and quiet tea time.

Though who drinks a cup of tea at exactly 2 am...?

"Oh for God's sake-! Why are you even awake at this time Cecil?"

"I could ask you the same thing." His forehead puckered as I sat down on a stool in front of him. "I want to ask a question..."

"You woke up at 2 am just so you could ask me a question? Why not ask me the next day?"

I rubbed my forehead with my fingers. "This question is so urgent that it won't let me sleep."

"Go on. What is it that you want to ask?"

"Do you know where Ribiscuss Rebound is?"

Father nod as an answer. "It was once a tea shop in the East but is now an abandoned compartment if I recall. Why?"

As expected, father is like a map. The emperor did give him a silly title called 'The Map of The Empire' for he knows a lot of locations, whether it be an infamous location or just a place located at a plain old dessert. I was right to ask him about this place.

"Oh, nothing. A friend from the East just sent me a letter asking me to meet up with her at this place." I lied.

"At an abandoned compartment? Are you sure that this friend of yours is a friend? Or a syndicate?"

I scratched my hand around my nape as I looked at him nervously, giving a tight-lipped smile. "No, no! She's a friend! And the proof is that I've met her already."

He raised an eyebrow, unsure of my answer. "Really? And when is that?"

"W-well, you know. At balls, and t-tea parties too..."

"Hmm. Then what house does your friend belong to?"

Oh sh*t. "She's a commoner."

"You met a commoner at a ball and tea parties? What kind of commoner is she?"

Oh great, Cecil. You've gotten worse at lying! "She's a commoner indeed-! S-she's a maid!"

"A maid, huh?"

I nodded. "Y-yes!"

He rested his chin on his palm as he looked at me with intense eyes. I just sat there completely frozen from my seat as I avoided eye contact.

Will he buy my lie? Well, he should...! Please buy my lie. Please buy my lie...!

"Then- I won't ask furthermore questions."

I sighed in relief as my anxiousness soon left my body.

"Then, would you let me meet her?"

"When is that?"

"Tomorrow."

"NO"

My soul then immediately left my body. "W-what?" I closed my mouth that was wide open and slumped my shoulders.

The lie that I made up— was that all for nothing?!

"Do you expect me to let you go to the east just because I believed you? Of course, as a responsible father, I would say know."

I clenched my hands above my head. "But father! Please let me meet her! I-it's an important meeting!"

Father casually sipped his tea. "If it's that important then why don't you invite her to our estate instead?"

"She has social anxiety when going to other places!"

"And she became a maid at a gathering?"

"W-well that's different! S-she had to that as her job..." Now please let me go there!

"What's with that friend of yours that you badly want to visit her in the east yourself?"

I slightly sweat as I ran out of options to say. What can I lie about to make my father let me go to the east?

My eyes brightened as an idea came up to me. I sure hope that this idea would work.

"W-well, to tell you the truth, there is a secret between us that no one must ever find out."

Father seemed intrigued so he listened to me closely. "Is it all right if you tell me?"

I nodded in response. "Well, my friend here, she has a lover."

"And? Everyone can have a lover if they want to." He raised a brow as he rubbed his chin, listening attentively to my lies.

"Her lover is a woman."

His eyes enlarged. He looked very shocked about my confession but I don't think it's just 'shock'My guts tell me that my father wants to hear more about this story.

"W-wait is the lover y-you?!"

"N-NO NO-NO! I-IT'S NOT ME I SWEAR!" Oh father, where do you come up with such ideas? I smacked my hand against my forehead.

"Plus! I'm engaged to you know who..."

"Right..." He took a sip of his never-ending tea. "And then...?"

"My friend wanted to surprise her lover with sometimes really special. Her surprise comes with a 'love' code in which her lover needs to solve, however, her lover is a dense woman and could not guess the code. So my friend asked me to come to visit and try and help her make another surprise for her dense lover."

"So why not send her a letter of the instructions for the surprise instead?"

"Hehe. We already made plans."

My father sighed as he put down his cup of tea on the table. "If I prevent you from going to the east, would you give up?"

I shook my head. "I'll persuade and annoy you more if ever that happens."

"Then fine. You can go. But I'll have to assign some people to go with you."

I smiled as a result of my victory. "Very well. Thank you, father."

"I'm just agreeing because my head hurts and I need to sleep. So you go to your room as well."

"Yes, yes. I will." I stood up as I walked towards the door. "Goodnight"

"Goodnight, Cecil. Sweet dreams." I was about to exit the door when father stopped me. "Oh- by the way."

I turned to look back. "Hmm?"

"I just want to say that I'm shocked to know that you have another friend other than Lady Montarael."

Ouch. He just stabbed me where it hurts.