Chapter 41
“I don’t know the details, but His Majesty told me you were dead, but he said you’d come back one day, and he wanted me to stay here so you wouldn’t feel strange or lonely when Lari returns…”
“Then he doesn’t resent me?”
“I haven’t talked to His Majesty about it, I don’t know that much. But I don’t think he resents you.”
Nonsense. Of course I believed the rumors and assumed Thierry resented me… So why doesn’t he just reveal that I’m Lari?
That was only a secondary reason why I hid it in the first place, but my mind was racing.
“But now that I think about it, I think I were right to hide it.”
As if she’d sensed my confusion, Maud said softly.
“You’re right, a lot has happened, and as you know, the Emperor is in danger right now, and we don’t know how he’ll react to unexpected situations, so it’s probably best not to take any chances.”
I was silent for a moment before answering. As my impulsiveness subsided, I felt myself returning to reason.
“… So, are you saying I shouldn’t tell him?”
“No, I’m saying you need to be more discreet. The Emperor has missed you, yes, but I’m not sure he feels the same way anymore.”
Maud stared off into the distance, like someone lost in reminiscence. Her eyes wandered off into space for a moment, then snapped back to focus on me.
“I fear that… has become a perverse obsession, I fear.”
Her voice was firm, and somehow the certainty in her words steadied my shaky heart, which had been shaken by the evidence of his behavior over the years.
“And I think it’s best if you stay out of this. If there’s something I need to investigate, I’ll do it.”
“What? Are you sure about that? It’s going to cost a fortune…”
“I haven’t been sitting on my ass in the kitchen either, I’ve been making plans but never executing them because I wasn’t sure.”
I stared at Maud with a confused look on my face. She stared at me, then smirked.
“But you’re here, so I can do it now.”
It was one of the most delightful laughs I’ve had in a long time, like being a kid again.
***
The day before Debutante’s was fast approaching.
Unlike most people who make all the preparations for tomorrow, my attention was solely on Chloé, and whether it was because I was like that or because Thierry knew and took advantage of my interest, he came to my room again today.
I wonder if the rumors about Thierry’s dislike of people are wrong?
He follows me like a ghost wherever I go, and if I talk to anyone, he stares at them as if he’s going to kill them…
‘You’re not mistaken because it’s me, you’re mistaken because it’s someone else and you’re mistaken because you like me?’
I smiled my habitual coy smile, assuming it was the latter, attention-seeking, of course. Now, as we sat across from each other at the terrace table, sipping tea, I marveled at my adaptability, but outwardly I remained unperturbed and reflected on Thierry’s words.
“I’m surprised that… Count Ante would expose her former handmaiden.”
When Chloé was arrested, it was her husband who was summoned.
However, Count had been unhappy with Chloé’s behavior for some time, and he was quick to expose her: after their marriage, she lived only in the imperial palace, and after she was promoted to handmaiden, she never came to the Count’s residence.
She even testified that she had sent her salary and the money from the Count’s estate to her father, Viscount Walt, every month, thus blurring the position of the victim in the murder of Sera.
“Yeah. I guess he had a lot of stuff. He’s been saving up evidence.”
Thierry said, setting down his teacup in a dainty turo.
“Count Ante was right about the money flowing to Viscount Walt, but it turns out he only received a portion of it.”
“Only a portion?”
“Yes. It’s only about a third of the money, and we need to find out where the other seven percent went. Maybe if I trace it, I can get a picture.”
“Alas, I see. And what about the former handmaiden?”
“She’s going to be hanged because she won’t give me a decent answer when I interrogate her, but I can’t carry out the sentence right now because of the ceremony, so I’ll do it in three days.”
So, it’s hanging, but just out of curiosity, it’s easier than I thought.
I questioned Thierry’s behavior, as he shared the details of the case in more detail than I expected.
‘I like you, but do you really need to tell me everything?’
I asked him about Chloe’s case because I wanted to know what I could get out of it, and he kept telling me he was going to leave me to drink tea or sleep. I said I was curious, but I didn’t really expect him to tell me, but he did it so easily.
As if he could read my expression, Thierry said casually.
“You’ve done a lot of work on this case, so it’s only right that you share your progress, and there’s nothing Princess can’t ask me.”
At this point, I was beginning to wonder if he was trying to win my favor as an Ashtad native and extract information about the elves.
‘Is that really what this is about?’
But even if that’s what he was really hoping for, he had to know that I didn’t really know much about elves.
Cancer alone is a losing business, but seeing him go to such lengths made me wonder if maybe Thierry was opening up to me.
I nodded and fiddled with my teacup, trying to put on a so-so face to hide my thoughts. There was a moment of silence, the wind whistling past us.
“But does Princess have anything to say to me?”
Thierry rhymed into the silence.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Well… said you’ve been getting close to the Sous Chef lately.”
Thierry never took his eyes off me. His dark, sunken black eyes seemed to be scanning me for a response, or perhaps he was waiting for something.
“How did you get to know her? She’s hard to get close to.”
A look of contemplation flashed across Thierry’s face, but it was fleeting, and he asked impatiently. He looked at me with longing in his eyes, as if he was hoping for something.
My mouth tightened. My lips twitched, like someone who forgot to raise the corners of their mouth out of habit and wasn’t sure what to do.
“Why…”
“What?”
“Why, are you hesitating to tell me, is there something you shouldn’t tell me?”
“No! No, not that, it’s just that there’s nothing…”
“Or.”
He interrupted, jumping to his feet. I looked up at him from the distance and followed his movements. Quickly coming to my front, he dropped to one knee and stood close to my leg.
Hook-his heavy body scent carried on the breeze as he drew closer.
“…!”
I jerked my upper body back, unable to react to the unexpected position and distance. He stopped gesturing for me to come closer, only to cringe when I was stuck against the backrest.
Instead, our gazes locked at a distance. The stifling silence felt like a stranglehold on my throat. But it wasn’t the proximity that was the problem. So close, in fact, that even breathing became cautious.
I rolled my eyes anxiously, trying to avert my gaze, and this time his lips twitched a few times before he spat out the words in a muffled voice.
“…. Are you scared of me?”
I stare at him, speechless. I was scared, but not as scared as before. At some point, he didn’t look at me as intensely as before, and there were times when I felt comfortable talking back.
Still, I felt strangely hesitant to tell him I wasn’t scared.
Was it because I was still uncomfortable with him, still cautious of him, or because I was afraid he’d get my hopes up with the way he kept looking at me like he wanted something?
I hesitated for a long moment and then nodded very slightly. I rationalized that I had no choice because I didn’t know what that expectation was.
His red eyes flickered as he looked at me, and then he lowered his gaze, as if avoiding my gaze. As if he was facing something terrifying.
At that moment, I heard him suck in a breath and saw his broad chest heave. His breathing paused for a moment, and then he was breathing hard, like someone swallowing something so hard that I could feel it in the air.
Worried, I gingerly grabbed his arm. The muscles were tense and the heat radiated through my palm.
Then, as if that were a signal, he grabbed my hand with his other arm, like a man in need. I gripped his hand tightly to keep it from slipping from my arm, and he looked up.
“I won’t do anything you don’t like. If there’s anything you want, I’ll do whatever you want.”
Blood rose to his eyes. I stared at him in growing disbelief as he continued, his voice rising in intensity and his eyes nervously, as if he were watching me.
“So… don’t avoid me.”
This wasn’t right, I thought, confused by his confused demeanor.
No. To be honest, his demeanor was clear, but his meaning was lukewarm. He asked me if I was Lari, but I had no reason to believe he actually believed me. It was different with Maud. Unlike Mod, Thierry had changed so much from the man I knew.
So why was he acting like he was hurt by my attitude?
I furrowed my brow at the emotions rising.
“Your Majesty, I’m just a Princess, brought to the Empire because of a pact, and what do you expect from me?”
