Chapter 26
“I must go inside immediately! Your Majesty, I hope you understand if I leave first.”
“The Grand Duke can go ahead. I need to speak with my daughter.”
I was transferred from Sir Arita’s arms to Cedric’s. Only then did I slowly open my eyes and gaze at him.
“…Shh.”
I whispered quietly enough for Cedric to hear.
“The leopard is hurt. It’s because of me, so please bring it to the inner part of the garden. If not, it’ll die.”
“…Honestly.”
“I’m sorry. It was going to be a troublesome situation, so I just collapsed.”
Hehe.
I smiled brightly and shrugged my shoulders slightly.
Only then did Cedric’s face show a hint of relief. I pretended to still be unconscious, letting my hand dangle limply, while glancing towards Isabel.
Even from the back of my father, who was standing with his back to us, I could tell how angry he was.
“But why did he come earlier than expected?”
“I called him. I thought it was best to get rid of an unpleasant guest quickly.”
“…Huh?”
Cedric and I were working together better than I thought.
Maybe we’d be able to safely get rid of Isabel and my father from the Grand Duke’s estate.
I quickly made my way to the garden, keeping an eye on things around me.
Huff, huff.
After catching my breath, I placed my hands on my hips and looked up at the sky.
“Hah, I’m not as strong as I used to be.”
Lately, I have been feeling so tired. Although there were reasons to be tired, it felt like my body was weighed down. For now, checking on the leopard’s condition was my top priority.
Cedric stayed behind to wait for Father and Isabel, just in case. It would have seemed suspicious if both of us were absent.
“Where are you, kitty?”
The big black leopard, the cute friend who once pretended to graze on grass, was injured because of me, and it weighed on my mind.
As I walked deeper into the garden, I saw the leopard panting heavily.
To avoid suspicion, I couldn’t heal it all at once. Anyone watching would find that strange.
So, I infused it with some energy for healing, then pretended to use medical tools and wrapped it in bandages for show.
“Are you okay?”
“Grrr.” (It hurts, it really hurts.)
“What did Isabel do to you?”
“Grrr, grrr.” (She hit me in the blink of an eye.)
“What?!”
She didn’t just use power, she hit it too?
Despite its large size, it was a young leopard. Its golden eyes were teary, clearly hurt emotionally. I gently patted its back, comforting it.
“I had a bad feeling about her from the beginning.”
“…Zeno?”
Suddenly, Zeno appeared. I had sensed his presence in the forest earlier, but I hadn’t expected him to come to the garden. His face showed how angry he was.
Zeno, with his long black hair, clicked his tongue as he looked at the injured leopard.
“I told you not to get involved.”
“What do you mean? Involved how?”
“That woman was wandering all over the forest, scaring the animals. I thought if I stepped in, it would cause trouble for you, so I just kept an eye on her…”
Zeno sat down beside me and rested his chin on his hand, looking at the leopard with a conflicted expression.
“This guy got involved and became a target.”
“I see… Are the others okay?”
“They’re inside the protective barrier, so they’re safe for now. Did I do a good job, Master?”
He leaned his face on my shoulder, rubbing against me. I patted his head and said,
“That’s all good, but wouldn’t it be better if you weren’t in human form right now?”
“Hmm, I don’t really like that.”
“Why?”
“Well, you like human men, don’t you?”
Zeno really seemed to be devoted to me. Even though we hadn’t made an official contract, he clung to me like this. Would it really be okay?
What if I later said I didn’t want to form a contract? What would happen then…?
Zeno suddenly turned his head and stared at me. It felt strange seeing his face after a long time, but his handsome face always lifted my mood.
His bright yellow eyes glowed intensely.
Then, all of a sudden, he placed his head on my lap and blinked up at me, making a sad face.
“You won’t be able to avoid a contract, you know? I’m this cute, this handsome. Are you going to abandon me?”
“…”
“You’re really going to send me to that strange woman?”
Zeno stood up, his expression gloomy. I wasn’t saying I would abandon him, just that I wasn’t sure about the contract yet.
“…Wait, are you reading my thoughts?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Master.”
“…Wow.”
He’s reading them. He’s reading all my thoughts right now.
I gaped at him and took a step back. This guy might be more dangerous than I thought.
“Don’t avoid me.”
“Stop saying strange things, and I’ll think about it.”
“Alright. If you don’t like it, I won’t do it.”
His eyes sparkled, and he sat quietly.
“Grand Duchess! Where are you? You need to come quickly!”
Hearing the urgent voice of a maid calling for me, I stood up. Zeno easily lifted the leopard onto his back and gave me a light smile.
“You’ve treated it enough. I’ll take it from here, Master.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“If you don’t mind getting caught, you can take it yourself.”
Zeno grumbled, turning his body away. Then, glancing back at me, he said,
“If you don’t get rid of that woman soon, something bad will happen. More than anything, the risk of getting caught is too high. She seems to be very sharp.”
I nodded in agreement.
“If they don’t find the divine beast, I don’t think they’ll leave… Zeno, how far can you travel in a day? Is it possible for you to make your presence detectable?”
“I can do it.”
“Then I’ll make a plan and let you know soon. Please take care of our animal friends.”
Zeno briefly acknowledged and disappeared into the forest. I gathered my medical tools and walked toward the entrance of the garden, where Lien was waiting.
“Did you call for me?”
“Yes, you need to come right away.”
I furrowed my brow. Lien seemed anxious, and I let out a sigh. I headed straight to the reception room where they were waiting.
Father looked displeased, and Cedric sat silently, sipping tea with an indifferent expression.
What bothered me was Isabelle’s smile.
‘Why is she smiling?’
A strange chill crept up my neck, filling me with unease. I forced myself to greet them calmly.
“Greetings to the sun of the Empire. I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon.”
I glanced at Isabelle and saw her smirking at my words. She probably thought I had called Father here.
If things had gone according to her plan with the panther, Father’s visit wouldn’t have mattered.
But the plan had already fallen apart. So why was she still smiling? Cedric’s irritated expression also weighed on my mind.
“Claire Anne Rose. No, I should call you Claire Anne Monterose now.”
“Technically, it’s the Grand Duchess of Monterose.”
Cedric immediately corrected Father. I watched as Father, already angry, spoke harshly.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Now that you’ve become a Grand Duchess, you’ve lost your fear. You dared to insult Isabelle? She may be a princess, but she’s not just any princess!”
Bang.
Father slammed the table, and Cedric’s brow furrowed even more. He clenched his fists as if he was about to stand up.
I sat next to Cedric and lightly held his hand.
Getting angry here would only fuel Father’s rage. That wouldn’t be good for the North.
“I couldn’t just stand by while I was deceived into believing it was the Divine Beast when it wasn’t. How could I stay silent and watch them deceive both you and me?”
I put on a sorrowful expression and lowered my head. Everything I had done was for Father. I had to make that clear to him.
“Hah. You’ve become quite bold since leaving the palace.”
Father’s voice softened slightly, less harsh than before.
“…I’m sorry. But I couldn’t just watch them deceive you. Did Isabelle not see the Divine Beast’s form?”
This was what I was curious about.
If Isabelle knew Zeno, she would have caught a wolf, not a panther, to trick me. That would have made more sense based on the situation.
It seemed Isabelle only knew that the escaped Divine Beast was black. She probably didn’t know what kind of animal it was, which was why she tried to trick me with a panther.
Father’s expression subtly changed. It seemed I had hit the mark.
