I Supported The Tyrant's Love

“There’s no way. I just came because I happened to see it on my way out.”

From the entrance… you saw this place?

“No, that’s not it! More importantly, you’re leaving? I thought we agreed to wait a bit longer!”

“Listen, Brien. Do you honestly think Lady Bastien will show up when dinner is nearly over? Everyone who’s coming is already here. There’s no reason to stay.”

“W-Wait a moment! Please, hear me out. I completely understand how you feel, Your Highness.”

“Understand? You understand me?”

“You must be upset because you’ve been waiting, hoping to see Lady Bastien, but she’s still a no-show.”

“……”

“But the dinner party is far from over. From what I heard…”

The argument between the two, which had started in the party hall, continued in full force. Pierre, unable to find an opening to intervene between the two, quickly lost interest and let his beetles loose on one side.

Even after tapping the floor with his foot a few times for no reason, the two were too busy voicing their arguments.

Deciding to ignore the two fools, Pierre perched himself on the edge of the pond. He began idly tossing pebbles into the water.

Splash.

“……?”

Splash!

Pierre’s previously gloomy expression brightened. Between the dense aquatic plants at the edge of the pond, something moved.

The young lord jumped to his feet and called out to the two still in the middle of their squabble.

“Believe me, Your Highness! Lady Bastien will surely arrive, even if she’s late!”

But Pierre’s soft voice wasn’t enough to grab Anais and Max’s attention.

“Can you take responsibility for those words? Should we bet on whether Roxane will show up or not?”

Why does he like betting so much?

“That’s not the point! Leaving things awkward with the Dowager Duchess and leaving now won’t look good, will it?”

“So you’re just avoiding the situation?”

Anais was breaking out in a cold sweat under Max’s sharp gaze when it happened.

Splash!

Both turned their heads toward the pond at the same time.

“……!”

Pierre was… gone!

“Young Lord!”

As Anais shouted, Pierre surfaced above the pond’s waterline.

“Puha! H-help… save me…!”

The small body flailed as it alternated between sinking and bobbing back up to the surface.

Faced with this sudden, unexpected situation, Anais clapped her hands over her mouth. Her mind went completely blank at the sight of Pierre floundering helplessly in the water.

No. If I leave him like this…

If I leave him like this, he’ll die!

There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. Before she even realized it, Anais had leaped into the water. The icy chill consumed her in an instant.

But as soon as she reached Pierre, panic set in.

I can’t reach!

Her feet couldn’t touch the bottom. She had guessed the pond was deep, but she hadn’t expected it to be deeper than her height. Just as she managed to kick off a rock barely brushing her toes to reach the young lord, the bottom dropped away completely, and she plunged deeper.

“Ugh!”

Even as water rushed into her nose and mouth, Anais struggled to push Pierre onto her shoulder to keep him above the surface.

I need to get us back… I need to…

But her lack of swimming technique and frantic flailing drained her strength quickly.

No, this can’t happen… It can’t…

The time she spent submerged started outweighing the time she managed to stay above water. Her consciousness began to fade rapidly.

I… I can’t…

Next time, don’t make the pond so deep…

****

Anais admired the daffodil embroidery she had carefully sewn, her heart swelling with pride. At just that moment, her nanny’s voice called out, announcing it was time for a meal. Anais smiled brightly and stood up.

I’m going to show it off!

Excited at the thought of showing her handiwork to her parents, she hurried into the dining room. Her parents were already seated at the table.

“Look at this! It’s embroidery I did!”

“You’ve improved a lot since last time.”

“It’s beautiful. Really beautiful.”

Delighted by their praise, Anais sat down at her seat, neatly folded her handkerchief, and turned her attention to the table.

“Is there only one dish today?”

Anais tilted her head, puzzled by the lone domed plate placed conspicuously on the vast dining table.

What could it be? Lamb marinated in sauce? Crispy roasted turkey? With an eager gleam in her eye, she lifted the lid. Underneath was a pristine white plate.

And on it, standing upright on two legs, were…

A stag beetle and a rhinoceros beetle. Large and commanding in presence.

Huh? Standing? On two legs?

Anais rubbed her eyes furiously, but no matter how she looked at it, they were still a stag beetle and a rhinoceros beetle. The rhinoceros beetle, looking thoroughly unimpressed, crossed one leg over the other while resting its front legs on its hips.

Then it spoke.

“Get a grip.”

The beetle could talk!

She really did need to get a grip. A talking insect? Had she embroidered for so long that her brain had gone haywire?

“…Anais. Anais!”

Meanwhile, the rhinoceros beetle kept calling her name. How does it even know my name? A sudden chill of fear swept over her, and she reached to close the lid of the plate.

“Waaahhh!”

The previously silent stag beetle suddenly began wailing at the top of its lungs. Its cries were so heart-wrenching that Anais almost felt like crying herself. Fine, fine. I won’t close it. Don’t cry.

As Anais sniffled along with the beetle, the rhinoceros beetle buzzed into the air and stopped right in front of her face. With an exaggerated boop, it poked her cheek with its tiny foreleg and bellowed.

“Anais Brien—!”

Gasp!

Anais woke with a start, her eyes flying open. She coughed violently, water flooding back out of her lungs.

“Brien! Are you okay now?”

“Waaahhh!”

Max and Pierre were both peering down at her face.

“Hah… Hah…”

Right. I fell into the pond.

Her head felt foggy.

She’d grabbed Pierre, but then what happened? She’d slipped into the deeper part of the pond, and after that…

Anais turned her gaze to Pierre, who was still sobbing uncontrollably. His face was swollen from all the crying, tears and snot streaming down freely.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she muttered softly.

Pierre’s face crumpled again at her words, and fresh tears spilled down in fat drops.

“You foolish idiot! We almost died! You’re so, so stupid!”

“…Quiet down, Young Lord. No one died, so stop crying already.”

Max, who had finally had enough, calmed Pierre down before helping Anais sit up.

“Lady Brien. What were you thinking? You can’t even swim—why would you jump in?”

“…”

“You were so confident when you dove in that I thought you’d easily haul the little brat out. Watching you sink like a rock was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“…Did Your Highness save me?”

“Who else would it be?”

She didn’t really need to ask. His clothes were dripping wet, water running down in rivulets.

“….”

“I get that you’re fearless, but when you’re with me, try to be a little more careful. If anything happens to you, I’ll be the one who has to explain it to my grandmother.”

“Th-thank you… Thank you, ah!”

As her muddled thoughts cleared, the realization of how close she had come to dying hit her like a tidal wave. The fear swept over her, and her soaked body began trembling from the cold. Before she could stop it, tears spilled down her cheeks again.

Plop.

Max’s coat dropped casually over Anais’s head.