Four days had passed since the winner of the first draw was announced. It was already Thursday, and my anxiety only grew stronger.
Because it was the first draw, Caesar had planned to personally meet the winner, hand over the prize money, and offer his congratulations. It was supposed to be a way to promote the lottery.
But that plan had backfired. The fact that no winner had come forward even after four days had spread across the entire empire.
The public was in an uproar. Rumors circulated that the empire had scammed its citizens. People claimed that the promise of prize money was a complete lie and that the lottery tickets were nothing more than overpriced scraps of paper.
There were some neutral opinions, like, “There’s still plenty of time left in the claim period. No one would run such an obvious scam.” But these voices were few and far between.
Naturally, lottery ticket sales began to plummet.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
I adjusted Caesar’s attire as I asked him.
He was maintaining his usual schedule—taking care of state affairs and keeping up with his swordsmanship training. But while others might not have noticed, I could tell. Beneath his calm, expressionless exterior, his mind was weighed down with worry.
“I’m fine. Someone will come forward soon,” Caesar replied, immediately understanding what I was concerned about.
“They might not even realize they’ve won. Or maybe they’ve suddenly fallen ill or had an emergency to deal with.”
Even though I knew no emergency could be more important than claiming thousands of gold, I nodded to reassure him.
“But if no one shows up today, we’ll need to take action.”
The second draw was coming up this Sunday. At this rate, the second winner might claim their prize before the first, which would only create more problems.
“If no one shows up today, I’ll issue another announcement tomorrow. We’ll remind everyone that if the prize isn’t claimed within a month, it won’t go to the imperial family but will roll over to the next winner.”
“Yes…”
It was the best course of action, but I wasn’t sure it would calm the uproar.
The rollover rule had been explained when the lottery was first launched. Reiterating it now wasn’t likely to restore the trust that had already been lost.
Plenty of people already doubted the lottery itself, saying things like, “How could they afford to give thousands of gold for a ticket that costs just one silver?” And with no winner appearing for the very first draw, those doubts only grew louder.
No matter what we said, those who didn’t want to believe wouldn’t. The imperial family’s credibility was crumbling, and the noble faction still loyal to the dukes would seize this opportunity to attack Caesar.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by Alvin’s voice.
“Your Majesty, it’s time for swordsmanship training.”
It seemed he had come to escort Caesar, who was running a little later than usual. Caesar called back through the door, then, out of habit, took my hand as he bid farewell.
“I’ll be back.”
“Be careful.”
As he left the room, he muttered to himself,
“Of all times, why did this have to happen with the first draw…?”
Left alone in Caesar’s chambers, I fell deep into thought. Why had this happened during the very first draw?
Was it really just a coincidence?
As the situation grew worse, I couldn’t help but think of the noble faction. They had fiercely opposed Caesar’s rise to the throne, yet they had been unusually quiet lately.
It was suspicious. This lottery was Caesar’s first major project as emperor. It would be the perfect opportunity for them to cause trouble.
If problems arise with his first project, Caesar’s capabilities as emperor might be called into question…
But was it even possible for them to interfere in this?
Manipulating the lottery tickets to prevent a winner from appearing was impossible. No mage in the empire was skilled enough to nullify Katana’s magic.
That left the possibility that a winner did exist, but the noble faction had somehow prevented them from claiming their prize.
They wouldn’t have bribed them, I thought.
The first draw’s prize was 3,000 gold. Offering more than that to buy someone off wasn’t realistic. Could they have kidnapped the winner and locked them away somewhere?
It was hard to imagine, but if the noble faction were behind this, it wasn’t entirely out of the question. After all, they had even tried to assassinate the princess. What wouldn’t they do?
The bigger mystery was how they could have known who the winner was.
Out of all the people in this vast empire, how could they have identified the winner? Even Katana, who had enchanted the tickets, didn’t know. How could they have figured it out in advance?
As I sat there lost in thought, my eyes fell on a bouquet of blue flowers. It was the humble gift I had given Caesar for his birthday. Still in its display case, it sat by the window, exactly where he had placed it. Even when moving to the emperor’s chambers, Caesar had made sure to bring it with him.
Looking at that bouquet, I remembered Caesar’s happy expression when he received it. Then I thought of his dejected look just moments ago.
After all the effort Caesar put into this lottery… someone dares to ruin it?
Before I realized it, my fists had clenched tightly.
If someone really was sabotaging Caesar’s project, I vowed to uncover the truth. I would erase the worries etched into Caesar’s face, no matter what it took.
*****
The next morning, I woke up with a troubled expression. It was already Friday, yet the winner of the first lottery draw still hadn’t appeared. There were only two days left until the second draw.
If someone really was orchestrating a scheme, the quickest solution would be to find the winner and bring them forward. Showing everyone the real winner and handing over the prize money would instantly dispel any doubts.
The problem was, I still had no idea how to identify the winner in advance.
How could they have figured it out? If someone else managed to uncover the winner’s identity, there was no reason I couldn’t do the same.
Was it possible this was all just my imagination? Maybe there really wasn’t any conspiracy. Could it be that something had genuinely happened to the winner, preventing them from claiming their prize?
Lost in thought, I was on my way to the imperial palace when I happened to run into Alvin.
“Sir Alvin.”
“Lady Evelyn.”
We greeted each other warmly. Alvin, Caesar’s closest aide, had grown quite familiar with me over time. Noticing that he wasn’t by Caesar’s side, I asked,
“You’re alone. Is it shift change time?”
“That’s correct.”
“Are you heading to the training grounds?”
“No, not this time. Actually…”
Alvin glanced around, then chuckled awkwardly.
“I’m heading to the back gate at a friend’s request.”
“The back gate?”
“He suddenly came down with a stomachache and asked me to cover for him for about an hour. He’s the gatekeeper there.”
“I see. A stomachache, huh….”
“He loves drinking, so it’s probably from overindulging last night.”
Alvin gave a small smile and bowed slightly.
“Well, I’ll be on my way. Take care.”
“You too, Sir Alvin.”
As we exchanged farewells, something tugged at my mind.
A gatekeeper?
Perhaps because my thoughts were consumed with the missing lottery winner, an idea suddenly struck me: Could the gatekeepers hold the key to identifying the winner? After all, anyone claiming the prize money would have to pass through them.
“Wait, Sir Alvin!”
I grabbed Alvin’s arm as he walked past me.
“Lady Evelyn?”
“May I come with you to the back gate?”
“To the back gate? I don’t mind, but… why?”
“There’s something I’d like to confirm. I also have a few questions.”
“Very well,” Alvin replied, looking puzzled but agreeing without hesitation.
As we walked toward the back gate together, I began asking questions.
“There are only two entrances to the imperial palace, right? The front gate and the back gate?”
“Yes, to my knowledge, there are only those two.”
“How many guards are stationed at each gate?”
“All official visitors use the front gate, so it’s heavily guarded. The back gate, which is mostly used by palace staff, has fewer guards—about ten, I’d say.”
“Ten? That’s more than I thought.”
“Well, only two guards stand directly by the gate to check identities. The rest stay on standby in case of emergencies.”
The fact that only two guards were responsible for checking identities made me uneasy. It meant that if someone bribed just those two, they could monitor who was coming and going from the palace.
“Even for visitors who don’t work at the palace, their identities are checked by the two guards, correct?”
“Yes, unless there’s something suspicious, it’s usually just those two.”
“What if the visitor is… a lottery winner?”
At that, Alvin seemed to realize what I was getting at.
“You think the gatekeepers are involved?”
“Isn’t it a possibility?”
“As you know, every visitor is closely monitored. If the winner had entered the palace, the emperor would have been informed immediately.”
As Alvin said this, we arrived at the back gate. As usual, two guards were stationed there, keeping a watchful eye on those coming and going.
When Alvin approached them, they quickly straightened up and saluted. Alvin exchanged a few words with them, then returned with a small object in hand, which he showed to me.
“This is what every visitor is given,” he said.
I recognized it immediately. Back when I first visited the palace before becoming an official member of staff, I had been given one too.
“It’s enchanted with a tracking spell, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It also can’t be removed voluntarily until the visitor leaves the palace.”
Alvin’s explanation seemed to imply that there was no room for suspicion. But instead of putting my mind at ease, it made me even more uneasy.
“So, it’s practically impossible for anything to happen inside the palace without being noticed?”
“Exactly.”
“Then… what about outside the palace?”
Alvin’s expression stiffened slightly at my question.
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