RVMPT Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Dante continued to watch Harold carefully as he spoke clearly.

“Your Grace, are you really going to let the culprit who dared impersonate the Duchess go unchecked?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it, so stop concerning yourself with it.”

“…”

For a brief moment, Dante’s normally gentle, puppy-like eyes narrowed sharply.

In contrast, Harold tilted his head slightly, a smirk tugging at one side of his lips.

“Why? Do you have something else to say to me?”

“…No, I do not.”

Dante denied it, but his reddish-orange eyes flickered, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Feeling that their conversation had come to an end, I decided to step in to change the atmosphere.

“Young Master Dante, I’m really glad we managed to meet.”

“Indeed! It must be divine intervention! Oh, have you tried the chicken skewers yet? I heard they’re a must-eat at the festival!”

“Yes, I did. I’d heard the same thing and tried them. They were delicious. Not just me—Harold enjoyed them too.”

“…His Grace enjoyed them?”

Dante’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes, Harold did.”

I couldn’t help but smile lightly at his reaction, feeling a sense of camaraderie.

Nobles typically avoided street food, considering it unclean, and Harold, in particular, was somewhat have a germaphobe due to his focus on health.

In fact, he hadn’t even drunk wine before marrying me.

But Harold had eaten street food like chicken skewers and enjoyed them.

Was it because he felt reassured having me, his healer, around?

I glanced up at Harold.

Noticing my gaze, Harold’s eyes met mine.

“You said food tastes better when it’s shared with someone.”

That was what I had told him when I’d encouraged him to try wine.

“Wait… did you eat the chicken skewers because of me?”

“They were delicious.”

So, it really was because of me…?

Feeling unexpectedly touched, I covered my mouth with my hand.

Harold’s eyes curved slightly, and soon, a sweet voice reached my ears.

“Your recommendations never disappoint.”

“R-Really?”

“Maybe our tastes are the same.”

“Maybe they are!”

“How about we make it a habit to eat out together regularly? I don’t usually dine out, so doing it with you would be a first.”

“That sounds great! Let’s go together! I’ll find lots of great places to try!”

His compliment made my heart flutter with excitement.

I quickly began mentally compiling a list of the best restaurants from Diana’s memories.

Remembering how many foods Harold hadn’t been able to eat due to his health-conscious habits, I became even more motivated.

“Only with me.”

“Huh?”

Lost in thought, I hadn’t caught his words clearly and asked for clarification, but Dante interrupted before Harold could repeat himself.

“Haha, the two of you seem to get along so well.”

Oh no.

I froze in surprise.

It wasn’t like Dante was a quiet or unnoticeable person, but for a moment, I had completely forgotten he was there.

While I fumbled awkwardly, Dante smiled brightly, his dimples deepening as he made a suggestion.

“Since we’ve run into each other like this, why don’t we explore the festival together from now on?”

“Of course. We did agree to spend the festival together.”

I composed myself and agreed.

Then I turned to Harold, wondering what he had said earlier.

“…”

Harold’s eyes, fixed on Dante, were icy cold.

Even though his gaze wasn’t directed at me, a chill ran down the back of my neck.

But as if I had imagined it, Harold soon gave Dante a welcoming smile.

“Well, ‘for now,’ traveling together doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Haha! Thank you for welcoming me, both of you!”

Dante beamed happily, like a puppy wagging its tail, while Harold maintained his smile.

Seeing the two of them seemingly getting along, I felt relieved.

---

“Diana, aren’t you thirsty?”

“Actually, I was just thinking the same thing. Should we go get something to drink?”

Diana responded enthusiastically to Harold’s suggestion.

After eating chicken skewers and walking around, she was feeling thirsty.

“No. You’ve been walking for a long time, so your legs must be tired. Stay here and rest with the knights. Dante and I will go get the drinks.”

Diana’s round eyes widened.

She wasn’t tired at all, thanks to her divine powers, so why would he say something like that?

She opened her mouth to speak, but mindful of the others around her, she chose not to voice her confusion.

“That sounds like a good idea, Your Grace. The Duchess and the knights can rest while we fetch the drinks.”

Dante’s reddish-orange eyes curved gently as he encouraged her to stay and rest.

Diana glanced back and forth between the two men, hesitant.

‘Will it really be okay to send them off together?’

Recalling how Harold hadn’t been fond of Dante in the past, she felt uneasy, but Harold hadn’t clashed with him even once during today’s festival.

“Alright. You two go ahead.”

After a brief moment of deliberation, Diana decided to trust that nothing would go wrong.

“Let’s go.”

The two men set off to get drinks, walking deeper and deeper into a deserted alley.

---

Dante, staring at Harold’s broad, imposing back, eventually glanced around.

The alley was narrow, barely wide enough for an adult man to stretch out his arms fully.

The only light came from the moon above, casting an eerie atmosphere.

Turning his gaze back to Harold, Dante asked, “Your Grace, are you sure there’s a shop selling drinks this way? All I see is trash rolling around.”

Suddenly, Harold spun around.

Dante instinctively stepped back, sensing the dangerous intent aimed at his throat.

“Wh-What’s going on all of a sudden…!”

He flailed his arms wildly as he stared at the dagger in Harold’s hand.

Harold, on the other hand, fixed him with a sharp gaze, his lips moving slowly.

“So, that clumsy act of yours was all just a performance, wasn’t it, Prince Andrew?”

Dante’s movements, which had been clumsy and exaggerated, became precise and efficient as he dodged.

His quick reactions and instinctive defense of vital points were proof that he wasn’t as bumbling as he seemed.

“A prince? What are you talking about…! Dodging was just luck! Please, lower the dagger…!”

Dante didn’t get to finish his sentence before Harold’s dagger flew toward his vital point again.

“Calm down! Isn’t this a bit excessive? What if you actually hurt me with that thing?”

Harold swung the dagger again, and Dante tilted his head to narrowly avoid it.

His staggering shadow flickered briefly before going still.

“Do you think I’d do this without being certain?”

“…”

Leaning against the wall, Dante fell silent.

Realizing that further denial wouldn’t work against Harold’s certainty, he ran a large hand down his face.

“I thought I’d done a good job imitating my younger self. Was it not convincing?”

His once soft, puppy-like eyes turned firm and resolute.

But despite his composed expression, his mind was racing.

Up until now, he had thought Harold would at most express jealousy or question his reason for attending the festival with Diana.

If he had known Harold was aware of everything, he wouldn’t have followed him so nonchalantly.

When did Harold figure it out?

Dante clenched his fists tightly.

His darkened eyes moved slowly, searching Harold for any openings.

Harold, aware of the cautious gaze, calmly sheathed his dagger.

“I know you pretended to be pitiful to manipulate my wife into inviting you to the festival.”

“I had no ill intentions. It’s just that the information I’ve gathered differs greatly from what I’ve heard. And since She is close to Lady Mayer, I wanted to observe her more closely. Surely you know how important Lady Mayer is to me, Your Grace.”

“That, in itself, is ill-intentioned.”

“…”

A cold wind swept between them.

Dante eventually raised his hands in surrender.

“I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Until he succeeded in inheriting the throne, he had to remain the foolish and incompetent son.

This was the only way he could keep the Emperor from getting angry and ruining his plans.

“Tell the Duchess you had urgent business and had to leave early.”

Harold finally put away his dagger completely.

“I apologize for my earlier rudeness. And I formally welcomed you to the Empire, Your Highness. May glory be with the future sun.”

The man who had moments ago been wielding a dagger brimming with killing intent was now nowhere to be seen.

Watching Harold play the role of a loyal subject, Dante let out a hollow laugh.

“…Thank you.”

“By the way, this is a gift.”

Harold handed Dante a small folded piece of paper.

“What is this?”

Dante unfolded the paper to find a name and an address written on it.

“Didn’t one of your mute servants go missing from the Marquis’s estate? That’s his real name.”

“What? That can’t be… But before taking him in, I had his background thoroughly investigated. He had no ties to the royal family.”

“You can confirm the rest for yourself. If you go to the address on that note, you’ll find him there.”

“…”

“I’m glad I could deliver this gift. I’ll take my leave now, Your Highness.”

With a slight nod, Harold left the alley.

It was only after Harold’s shadow completely disappeared that Dante let out a breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh.

At that moment, a shadow melted into view—it was one of his guards.

“Is it okay to let the Duke go just like that? He could use this information to bargain with the Emperor.”

“As long as I don’t ignore his warning, it’ll be fine. The Duke isn’t some ambiguous power player. Even without the Emperor, he’s strong enough to obtain almost anything he wants on his own.”

To ignore Harold’s warning now would be like poking an angry eagle’s nest.

And not just any  eagle’s nest—a hornet’s nest.

Looking down at the note, Dante clicked his tongue.

Though it appeared to be a gift, it was actually a veiled warning.

It told him not to pursue the matter of Harold’s earlier actions and to tread carefully moving forward.

If Dante had been stubborn and refused to back down, who knew where the servant on that note might have ended up?

Adjusting his glasses, Dante reminded himself that this all started from his curiosity about Diana.

“That’s one hell of a way to show jealousy.”

So much so that he wasn’t sure if he could even call it jealousy.