“You sure make a lot of noise when you fight with your brother, Lady.”
The vice-captain laughed loudly on purpose while looking at Kyra.
The mention of “brother” softened Sig’s gaze slightly, but he still glared disapprovingly at Rutherford.
Kyra wasn’t the Crown Princess yet, but if she wished, Sig could have dealt with him right then and there. He looked at Kyra, silently asking what she wanted to do.
Startled, Kyra took a step back. Seeing her say nothing, Sig tilted his head in confusion, which only made Kyra more frightened of him.
“Are you okay?”
Britia approached Kyra and asked. Startled by Sig’s menacing presence, Kyra looked at Britia and let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m fine. More importantly…”
Both of their eyes turned to Brian at the same time.
“My lord, you should get some medical treatment.”
The vice-captain, checking Brian’s condition, mentioned that his nose might be broken. Brian nodded and looked around for Harty.
“Slandford, are you hurt?”
“No, but you… You shielded me and got hurt!”
Who was he to ask about others when his nose was bleeding? Harty, unable to find words for the man who bled while protecting him, was at a loss.
Seeing Harty so flustered, Brian gave a faint smile, his tail wagging happily.
“I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”
Despite his wistful smile, his tail wagged so cheerfully that Britia frowned. Strangely, Brian seemed to be enjoying the situation.
Why was he happy after getting punched and bleeding? Was it because Harty wasn’t hurt? Or was he one of those people who got a thrill from being hit?
“Lady Kyra!”
At that moment, a page and a maid rushed over, breathless.
“His Highness is looking for you.”
Kyra snapped out of her daze at the page’s words. The Crown Prince had said he would announce their engagement at tonight’s party. He must be looking for her because of that.
“Harty, I have something important to tell you before we go.”
She wanted to be the one to inform him, even if only in a blunt way, rather than letting him hear about it from someone else.
“Right now?”
“If not now, it’ll be too late.”
Harty looked back and forth between Kyra and Brian, who was giving her a somewhat sad smile.
“Go see the doctor.”
After a moment of hesitation, Harty finally chose Kyra. Leaving a brief word, Harty walked away, and Brian clenched his fist as he watched her leave. Jealousy burned in his eyes.
The maid who had accompanied the page looked at Sig, as if she had something to say. But she was too frightened to approach him and stood hesitantly at a distance. Britia thought the maid’s tail looked oddly familiar.
“What’s your business?”
Unable to stand it any longer, the vice-captain asked the maid.
“His Majesty is asking for Duke Turas,” she said in a trembling voice. Britia realized that she recognized the maid’s tail because she was one of the Emperor’s servants. However, she was shocked to realize that she had recognized her by her tail rather than her face.
Even though she knew it was a bad habit, she couldn’t help it. Britia scolded herself.
“His Majesty keeps holding onto the lady, and just when he finally lets her go, now he’s summoning the Duke,” the vice-captain muttered, causing Britia’s lips to curl downward. She wanted to get married as soon as possible and be free from the Emperor’s whims.
“Don’t leave Britia’s side.”
Sig, seemingly concerned about Britia, spoke to the vice-captain. The captain looked at Sig in disbelief.
“Of course, I’ll take care of her properly. Honestly, he’s such a fool when it comes to her.”
Once Sig had left, Rutherford glanced at the vice-captain before quickly dashing inside the building. The deputy let Rutherford go and turned his attention to Brian.
“I’ll escort you to the physician, or perhaps to a priest. Would you like some help?”
“It’s not my leg that’s injured, so I’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry about me.”
“Someone should take care of you, especially since you’ve just been abandoned by Slandford.”
Although the deputy didn’t finish his sentence, Brian seemed to hear it loud and clear.
“Come on, let’s go see the priest.”
“I can’t trouble the priest with something like this.”
Brian continued to refuse. After all, if he received healing through divine power, the wound would heal quickly without leaving a scar.
That would be a problem, as he needed Harty to see the injury, feel sorry for him, and worry about him every time she looked at his face.
“In that case, you should at least see a doctor. It’s already swelling up quite a bit.”
Brian had planned to let it worsen for a day, but the vice-captain wasn’t easily convinced. Realizing that continued refusal might arouse suspicion, Brian reluctantly agreed to the treatment.
He was moved to a quiet room to rest, and soon the doctor, summoned by the vice-captain, arrived. Throughout the treatment, Britia frowned, staring intently at Brian as if deep in thought.
“What business does His Highness have with Kyra?”
Brian attempted to engage in some light conversation to gather information.
“Do you have any idea why he called her?”
“I have my suspicions, but I’d rather not tell you. After all, you’re hiding something from me too.”
Britia’s voice trembled slightly. Brian noticed that although she was suspicious of him, she wasn’t entirely sure.
“I have no excuse for not yet finding the person who targeted your life. It’s my incompetence.”
Placing a hand on his chest, Brian looked at her, expressing regret for his inability to resolve the false accusation against him. He seemed genuinely sorry and unaware of anything.
But then, Brian’s tail began to wag, which didn’t suit the expression of a regretful person.
“…His Highness likely called Kyra to announce their engagement.”
“His Highness marrying her? What surprising and joyous news!”
He seemed genuinely pleased, without a hint of doubt. While it was indeed newsworthy and happy, Britia found the wagging of his tail strangely unsettling.
This was valuable information that could win Harty’s favor. Why would he keep it from her?
As Britia pondered, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
“I’ve been thinking about what possible benefits you might gain by hiding information.”
Brian nodded slowly, as if unbothered.
“You want Count Slandford, don’t you? To the point where you’d do anything to have him.”
His tail twitched slightly before resuming its wagging.
“That’s true, but I wouldn’t say it’s for my benefit. I’ve already won him over, haven’t I?”
Brian smiled faintly, recalling how Harty had leaned on him. But his smile quickly faded.
“But you’re still second to Kyra in his priorities, aren’t you?”
Brian’s mouth twitched as Britia hit the mark.
Britia thought back to stalkers who claimed to love Harty. They would fly into a rage and brandish weapons at anyone who interfered with their relationship.
“Do you not feel any anger or frustration being pushed aside by the Count for her return?”
Brian admitted that he did feel jealousy. His tail wagged pleasantly, as if anticipating something.
“Still, I expect Slandford will seek me out again soon. Kyra will be busy once she becomes the Empress.”
Britia observed Brian’s attitude, which seemed genuinely unconcerned, and considered two possibilities: Either he wasn’t truly a stalker of Harty or…
“This might sound really frightening, but Your Grace…”
Britia frowned as she addressed Brian. He had been sincere and dedicated to Harty, which made it hard to believe he would never harm her.
“Are you not thinking of removing Kyra?”
A smile slowly faded from Brian’s face, and his tail stiffened.
“You’re speaking of something truly terrifying, something I hadn’t even imagined.”
Whether it was because he felt his plans had been exposed or because he was genuinely startled, Britia wasn’t sure.
“Have you never once wished for Kyra to disappear?”
“That’s a rather provoking question. Anyone would hesitate if asked something so suddenly.”
Naturally, someone who wasn’t prepared to lie would be flustered. Brian elaborated but still didn’t answer Britia’s question.
“You seem to be dodging the question.”
“What’s the point of telling the truth if you’re already suspicious of me?”
Brian responded sharply, questioning Britia’s doubts.
“I swear I can’t bear to see Slandford harmed. If anyone is to be harmed, it’s better that it be me.”
Brian changed the subject again. Britia’s question was about Kyra, but Brian answered in terms of Harty’s safety.
“Without clear evidence, you’re just guessing. I wish you’d stop making unfounded assumptions.”
Brian sighed with frustration, raising his hands as if to dismiss the conversation. He seemed more eager to end the discussion than to argue.
“Yes, it’s just an assumption.”
Britia conceded calmly.
“But I will go to the Count and tell him that you’re planning to kill Kyra.”
“Are you now openly threatening to accuse me?”
Brian’s eyes widened in surprise, and he gave a hollow laugh.
“I’ve shown trust in Slandford all this time. A deep bond has formed between us, one that you wouldn’t understand.”
“More than with Kyra?”
Brian hesitated and fell silent for a moment.
“If Kyra were to actually die, the Count would remember my words and suspect you. No, it wouldn’t stop at mere suspicion.”
Their bond was stronger than real family ties, even stronger than with Brian. The absence of Harty from his side was the greatest evidence of that.
Harty valued Kyra more than Brian.
“Is it necessary for you to frame an innocent person in such a way to feel better about yourself?”
Britia flinched at her own words. She wondered if provoking him was the right approach or if she was making a mistake.
She glanced at the vice-captain, who made no move to stop her, merely raising his eyebrows as if encouraging her to continue.
Is it alright to continue?
Gaining a bit of courage, Britia swallowed hard. She had already brought it up and couldn’t back down now.
“You need to show that you have the upper hand, even if it’s not true.”
Recalling the advice Sig had given her about maintaining the upper hand in threats, Britia took a deep breath.
“Your Grace, if you’re confident, shall we make a wager?”
“Are you so confident? That he will believe your words?”
Brian shrugged in disbelief. He appeared relaxed, but the vice-captain noticed his lips growing drier.
“I have nothing to lose by losing this bet.”
Britia looked directly at Brian, speaking clearly.
“But you would lose the Count.”
The vice-captain watched with keen interest as Britia continued.
“Given how well you’re handling this threat, I had underestimated you.”
Britia struggled to keep her composure, trying to suppress a smile that kept emerging despite her efforts.
