Chapter 25
I spotted a figure lying next to Isabel, and my heart dropped.
‘…Zeno?’
Could it be that she found Zeno? But I hadn’t heard anything from the birds.
If something had happened to Zeno, they would have come to me right away.
As I got closer, the figure buried in the snow became clearer.
One step, and then another.
My grip on the reins tightened.
When I finally reached Isabel, she gracefully dismounted her horse. With a smug look, she nudged the fallen animal with her foot.
“Sister, look what I found. What do you think this is?”
“…Isabel.”
“Why don’t you get off your horse and check it out? I don’t think it’s a big deal, but it seems pretty important to you.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
I dismounted and composed my expression. Sir Arita followed behind me, gripping his sword tightly.
“I found a divine beast. The one Father’s been looking for so desperately.”
As I approached Isabel, I frowned.
‘It’s not Zeno.’
The animal lying there, struggling to breathe, was a black leopard. Isabel, with no change in expression, continued to lie to me.
“I felt a strange energy in the forest… and I found it.”
It was clear she had used unnecessary force.
“Are you sure it’s a divine beast?”
“Do you think I’d lie to you? Though, even if it is a divine beast, you wouldn’t know. You don’t have any powers.”
Isabel nodded as if it all made sense. She was obviously looking down on me. I couldn’t act like I knew something if she was lying.
I clenched my fist. If I lost my composure here, I’d fall into Isabel’s trap. That’s exactly what she wanted.
“Isabel Gwen Talia.”
Hearing her full name, Isabel tilted her head slightly. She looked a bit taken aback by the sudden use of her full name.
Isabel may have been my younger sister, but officially, she was a princess. I, too, was a princess before my marriage, and now I was the grand duchess, so in terms of status, we were equals. Even if I was the emperor’s illegitimate child, it didn’t mean I ranked below her.
More importantly, this was my and Cedric’s territory.
I moved closer so Sir Arita couldn’t hear and stood right in front of her.
“You once told me you didn’t care about the divine beast. Also, you didn’t come to my territory through any official process, did you? Unless His Majesty ordered it, neither Cedric nor I received any word of it.”
“…So?”
“Harming animals that live in the forest violates the laws of this territory.”
No matter how smart she was, Isabel wouldn’t know the laws of each territory. This was the northern region of Codran.
It was a harsh land where crops barely grew and livestock struggled to survive, so the laws around livestock and agriculture were strict. Cedric used magic stones to help the people, which is why the land was able to thrive.
Even the meat I’d eaten here wasn’t from real animals. It was artificially created and designed to resemble meat. Though it retained the protein, I was told it was made using gluten and other substitutes.
It was similar to soy meat.
I crossed my arms and stared at her with cold eyes.
She had been causing trouble tirelessly since last night. There seemed to be no end to the ways she could exhaust me.
Taking a step closer, I couldn’t help but frown at the sight of the leopard struggling to breathe. My heart ached, and anger surged.
‘He’s nearby.’
Even Zeno seemed to be watching everything from nearby. He wasn’t stepping in because he knew Isabel could sense his presence.
I brushed the snow off Isabel’s shoulder and said,
“The Grand Duke’s estate has treated you with the utmost respect despite your sudden visit, don’t you think?”
“I don’t understand your motive in saying that. Father will praise me anyway. He’s been troubled by the escape of the divine beast.”
Isabel still looked smug, confident that Father was on her side.
“That’s only if this animal turns out to be the divine beast.”
Isabel’s eyes flashed with determination, like a predator locked on its prey. She was ready to attack the moment she saw an opening.
“You talk as if you know it’s not a divine beast.”
“Of course. This leopard has been here since I arrived.”
“…What?”
“This forest is often invaded by monsters. To ensure the safety of both people and animals, the Grand Duke regularly leads monster hunts.”
“…What does that have to do with this leopard?”
Isabel still looked confused.
“Who do you think takes care of the animals hurt by the monsters? We do, the ones managing the territory.”
Given that I had mentioned the strict laws around animals, she could probably guess. Though I wasn’t entirely sure myself, I added a little lie. Isabel wouldn’t have a way to verify it anyway.
“Don’t you think I would’ve noticed this leopard? What are the chances of a new animal appearing in this cold place? Isabel, you’re smart—think it through.”
You’ve made a huge mistake.
“When Father arrives, you planned to tell him that I knew about the divine beast and kept it hidden. You wanted to inform him, but I stopped you. Isn’t that right?”
Isabel bit her lip, realizing I had hit the mark.
“…Why would I say such a thing? I only wanted to find the divine beast.”
It seemed she planned to keep lying until the end.
I let out a low chuckle and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. Leaning down, I whispered in her ear.
“You never cared about the divine beast, so why are you suddenly looking for it early in the morning? You don’t actually think I’d believe that, do you? Even the dumbest person could come up with a better excuse.”
Isabel blinked in confusion.
“W-What are you saying…? Are you out of your mind?”
“You’re the one who’s lost it. It’s not enough that you tried to seduce my husband; now you’re putting me and everyone in the Grand Duke’s estate in danger.”
The moment she claimed I was hiding the divine beast, the Grand Duke’s estate would be under the emperor’s control. We were already suffering enough, and I didn’t want to make things worse.
So I planned to handle it myself before Cedric found out. I didn’t want to burden him any further.
Drip, drip.
Suddenly, Isabel began to cry, shedding clear, transparent tears.
“Sniff… I just thought it was the divine beast. I heard it had black fur. Is it wrong for me to try to earn Father’s favor? I don’t understand why you’re talking to me like this.”
She suddenly bowed her head, and her large tears fell like drops of rain. I watched for a moment, then let out a sigh.
“Isabel, if you’re going to act like this, there’s nothing I can do.”
I didn’t need to see her closely to understand why her attitude had changed. After years of reading romance stories, I could easily recognize this kind of situation.
Suddenly, I collapsed onto the snow.
“Your Grace, the Grand Duchess!”
Sir Arita’s voice rang in my ears as he quickly lifted me up. I glanced slightly to the side and saw Isabel staring at me in disbelief.
“Get up! Why are you collapsing like that?”
“…”
Go ahead and shout all you want. I’m not opening my eyes.
“Your Highness, Princess. Don’t come any closer. I will take this as a threat against the Grand Duchess.”
Sir Arita’s sharp words made Isabel flinch. I slowly opened my eyes and gave Isabel a sly smile.
Her eyes filled with rage, trembling with anger. It looked like she wanted to tear my hair out. Just as she raised her hand to strike—
“…What do you think you’re doing?”
Cedric’s quiet voice cut through the air. And it became clear why Isabel had been putting on this performance.
“Isabel Gwen Talia. Your father is very curious as to why you’re here.”
My father had arrived. I didn’t know why he’d come earlier than expected, but back-to-back visits from unwelcome guests weren’t exactly a good sign.
Isabel had put on an act, thinking Cedric was the only one here. She hadn’t expected my father to show up too.
“…F-Father.”
She flinched.
Her body trembled as she lowered her head, tightly gripping the hem of her dress with both hands. To finish things off, I let my arms fall limp.
