Chapter 26
“Marie, come on!”
Marie’s lips curled into a pout at Sera’s fierce urging, but then she ducked her head and squeezed her trembling voice.
“… I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
“What, what? What do you mean you don’t know? How dare you betray me, do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“Are you threatening me?”
“What? I’m not blackmailing you, Sir Oscar, I’m just, it’s just, it’s a painkiller!”
“Then you’ll just have to cooperate with the investigation, and if it’s nothing like you say, you’ll be acquitted.”
“Jail for nothing?! Huhu, how could you do this? That’s so scary, such a lame accusation! So, this is all you’re doing, is it? Sir Oscar, don’t be fooled by her, she’s a vicious, scary woman!”
I started to speak, but Sera’s eyes widened as she came to her senses. She even tried to lunge at me with a snarl, but apparently she hadn’t woken up, she had just turned away.
Her glazed eyes were so bright that I could almost see her as if she were consumed by madness.
“Sera…”
I said in a shaky voice, hunching my shoulders as I turned to face her.
“How could you say that… But I understand! If this is a genuine misunderstanding, then I’m sorry, but if not, then… what?”
“…?”
“Mmm… I guess you’ll be tortured to death, your family will be ruined, and you have to live the rest of your life begging without Bevil Hill? Oh, maybe you will be executed, but hey, justice prevails, and if you’re proud, you’ll be fine!”
“…!”
Sera’s jaw dropped as I gave her a timid fighting stance with both fists clenched at the end.
‘Whatever it is, your life is over.’
To anyone else, this would have been a sunny, Princess-like affirmation, but to Sera, it was a bit of a slap in the face.
Her anger was short-lived, however, and her face soon grew white and pale with fear, as if my words had not been pretentious enough.
Then her whole body trembled, and she staggered to her knees like a broken doll, and she heaved herself up as if to reach me.
“Not only did you suspiciously retrieve the bottle from its hiding place, but you’re also a lowlife, and I’m going to do you the honor of hauling you off as a felon.”
But Oscar’s swift grab of her head reduced her attempt to the squirming of an earthworm.
“I, get away from me…! Who are you laying hands on now! Princess! It’s a misunderstanding! Please listen to me! What? Evil…! Let go of me!”
The knights, who had heard the commotion and rushed over, grabbed her by both arms and pulled her to her feet. She tried to struggle, as if she wouldn’t go.
But of course, her struggles were easily thwarted, and she was eventually dragged away in an ugly, dangling fashion.
I grabbed her pockets from the floor in the meantime and looked back at her sobbing and screaming with amusement.
‘Thank God it’s simple.’
***
I returned to my room with a heavy heart. Oh, the joy of realizing that something you’d only suspected was true!
The only problem was Marie, who had been saying thank you and worried all the way home.
‘You said she was the handmaiden’s niece. I’m sure it’s come to your ears by now, but what can I do?’
Marie acted as if she were possessed by a spy, insisting that she would do everything in her power to keep an eye on the situation to see if there was any threat to me.
I just smirked and sent her on her way.
I must admit, it was a bit overwhelming to see her so enamored of me, like a knight swearing allegiance to his lord.
“Hmm… I guess we’ll have to wait and see how trustworthy she is, huh?”
I muttered with a sigh, but there was a sudden knock on the door.
“Huh? Who… at this hour?”
I’d barely had time to catch my breath before I realized that whoever it was that knocked on my door was an unwelcome visitor.
“Come in.”
I narrowed my eyes at the open door, and my hunch that it was an unwelcome visitor was correct.
“Are you hurt?”
It was none other than Thierry who knocked.
As I stare at him in disbelief, he barges in, grabs both my arms, and spins me around slowly to examine me.
“I don’t have…”
I blinked and stared at Thierry in disbelief. His chest was open wider than usual, as if he’d rushed in as soon as he’d gotten the report, and his silky black hair was disheveled.
“Ah, the Sun of the Empire…”
“Never mind. You can skip the greeting in the future. Why risk it and go directly to me. You could have just told me and I would have taken care of it.”
“My ankle doesn’t run, but it doesn’t need to…”
“No matter what, you’d rather rest and not move for a while, and I don’t want you to ask them to come in when you haven’t even told me who you are!”
He was talking a lot, even though he hadn’t introduced himself.
I tilted my head slightly, trying to keep a straight face.
“It’s just that… didn’t say anything, so I figured it was okay to let her in.”
“You’re too defenseless. Be careful.”
Thierry gave me a sympathetic look, as if he knew I was okay but still wasn’t reassured.
‘Stay calm. Don’t get fooled.’
I curled my lips inward and took a small, deep breath.
‘I’m just bait to find Lari.’
Thierry’s shift in demeanor was enough to make me suspect a double personality. For such an arrogant man to look so genuinely concerned was a frighteningly difficult trick.
It gave me goosebumps to see such an incredible performance that my own acting skills were like a beacon in the wind.
‘That’s a lot of tenacity and drive,’ I thought, ‘no wonder he’s on top of the world and sweeping through the neighboring countries.’
I swallowed dryly, clicking my tongue inwardly.
“I was just worried about Marie, but things got out of hand… Oh, and what’s going on with Sera?”
I took a step back, trying to change the subject. Fortunately, I hadn’t meant to hold on to him, and it was easy to slip out of his grasp.
His eyes lingered on my hand in midair for a moment, but he soon lowered his arm and locked eyes with me.
“If it’s contraband, it’s destruction, and the liquid is probably connected to a lot of places.”
“A lot of places?”
“Yes. If that’s the case, you’ve done a hell of a job.”
“Gosh. Don’t you think you’re packing too much into this?”
“Do I look like someone who’s trying to pack something in?”
The self-objectification was breathtaking. I looked speechless and rolled my eyes to the side.
What will they say if I admit this, what will they say if I deny it, is there a right answer?
Thierry’s piercing gaze fell on my face as I slowly looked away. I was wondering if I should continue to avoid eye contact or not, when his voice mingled with a small sigh.
“I’m going to reward you for this… or not, so think about what you want.”
His voice sounded exhausted. There was something about the way he seemed to have a melancholy aura about him, like a man wearing ill-fitting clothes, that made me feel weird.
No, actually, it made me feel a little bad.
Whatever his intentions, I didn’t like his attitude of dismissing my memories as nothing more than something he could easily use for his own purposes.
‘I was the only one who meant it…’
I felt a moment of fear and condescension. I pouted my lips slightly and flicked my eyes to the side.
“… I’m sorry, but I’m a little tired.”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”
There was a moment of silence before I replied. I stared at him, wondering why he didn’t leave.
He was staring back at me with a puzzled look on his face, which was ridiculous, but I felt like he was reading me. I don’t really understand my sudden change in demeanor, but I wonder if it’s because I can’t bring myself to ask.
How could he be so mean to me, how could he be so deceitful? No matter how hard he had to grow up, how could he play with people’s minds like this? The more I thought about it, the more my stomach twisted.
“… What about dinner?”
“I’d like to grab a bite to eat in my room, is that okay?”
It’s been a while since I’ve asked a question like that, and it’s not like me to be uncharacteristically cheeky.
“Oh… Sure. Do that.”
“Yes.”
“You must be tired, get some rest.”
“Yeah.”
He looked genuinely puzzled. He looked at me like a big dog, almost whimpering with confusion, but soon gave in and backed away.
“…”
Soon the door slammed shut. The sound of my own breathing filled the room. I struggled to stand, but soon collapsed. My legs were weak. Even my shoulders shook.
“… I must be crazy.”
I realized in hindsight. Flashes of my earlier self, acting like a man whose liver had been thrown overboard, flashed through my mind.
My eyelashes fluttered as if I were having a spasm. I squeezed my eyes shut like I wanted to forget everything and fell to the floor.
“Ughhhhh!”
I was dead.
Please don’t let morning come…
***
“So you’re not having dinner with her tonight?”
Bakken asked, a puzzled look on his face as he realized that the man who normally would have already thrown away his papers and gone to eat was still sitting at his desk in his office.
“No… I don’t eat.”
“Oh?”
After a moment’s pause, Thierry nodded. Bakken’s face lit up as he organized his papers, bored with the world.
