Seeing his hurtful expression briefly choked me. Rex is so kind and likes me. When Rex almost passed out in fear at the bug I had caught on a picnic we went on years ago, he just laughed and said it was his fault for being careless. He likes me so much that he doesn’t mind any practical jokes I play on him.
“Did Cameron bother you again?”
I pondered for a second and then nodded. Rex sighed heavily while covering his face with his hands. I hoped someone would show up. It would be preferable if the guards nearby asked me what was going on. The proud Conler’s guards, however, were simply concentrating on their work while standing there like air.
“Does everyone know? Even the Duke and your brothers?”
“Yes…”
“How come no one in the Grand Duchy told me, is it because I’m not really a family?”
“There is nothing like that!”
Rex appeared overly upset. That’s why he said those words. Despite the fact that I am aware of this, my eyes started to tear up. Never once did I consider Rex to be not a member of my family. Did he feel excluded?
“Is the Second Prince aware?”
Demimore, of course, was aware. Demimore’s name was mentioned in the case, so he must be aware. In addition…. Jasper was ecstatic about it. Because Demimore will be furious when he discovers Cameron was the one who did it.
Rex sighed deeply once more, as if noticing my silence. His sigh added to the pressure in my chest.
Rex didn’t say anything else.
The three brothers returned after speaking with Mr. Francis. Grand Duke Estin sent a message after meeting with the emperor to go back first because he had another job.
Gilbert inquired about what had happened earlier in the banquet hall between Rex and Demimore in the carriage back to the Grand Duchy. While I was hesitating, Rex told them the truth.
“I gave the second prince some scathing advice the other day.”
“Rex, you?”
Not Mary?
If I heard a voice say that, it had to be a hallucination.
Gilbert appeared befuddled as well. Rex, not any other child, gave the prince that advice. Perhaps that is the same expression I used earlier.
Rex had his head bowed. Gilbert let out a long sigh.
“I know how much you love and care for Mary, but there is a line to be drawn. Did you apologize to the prince?”
“……Yes.”
“It’s a relief that the prince accepted your apology; don’t ever treat the second prince so disrespectfully again, Rex; I’m telling you this because I care about you as much as you care about Mary.”
Gilbert’s words prompted a reluctant nod from Rex. It was exactly what I was going to say, but Gilbert said it instead… If you look at him like that, he’s really like an older brother. I should have chastised him like that……
Gilbert has never reprimanded Rex. But when Gilbert reprimanded me, he was always there for me. No, rather, Rex said it was all his fault and that he was being careless.
But now Rex was just sitting there with a cold expression on his face. Gilbert also came to a halt as he looked at Rex.
The cold war between Rex and me continued even in the Duchy. Gilbert, who had listened to the entire story, rubbed his brow as if he had a headache. He told me to apologize.
“Sigh…”
“Oh, I believe you should be familiar with this magic spell; have you ever seen it?”
“Ha…”
“Look, it’s teleportation magic. It’s an altered summoning magic. To put it simply, it changes the space where a person stands. Think about it. If there is such a spell to where the lady is, you’ll be sent to another place. You have to be careful.”
“Whoo…”
“Although it might be challenging, you should learn it so that you can flee if a spell like that were to be cast where you are.”
“ha..”
“Sigh…”
“How long will you continue to sigh?”
Logan sighed after me as he pulled the book from me while putting his chin on his hand. He asked me what was going on before closing the book.
I sat straight in anticipation of this response. Logan is the coldest-hearted person in the Grand Duchy, so I had to use this method of attention-getting. As if to tell him right away, Logan arched his brows.
“Did Rex say anything?”
“Say what?”
“Anything!”
“He doesn’t talk to me either.”
“Lies, Logan is the one who speaks to Rex the most,”
“I know, and that’s why he’s mad at me as well.”
I sat back down at the desk after hearing Logan’s words. A glimmer of hope was lost. Should I return to the palace and assassinate Cameron right now? Should I sling the bow over my left shoulder and the arrow over my right shoulder?
No, I’m entirely to blame.
Why did I not inform Rex? But because our youngest has witnessed a lot of traumatic events since she was a child, I refrained from telling him.
Yeah, it’s all an excuse.
But I wish Rex would take my excuse seriously.
“Well, I mean.”
Logan knocked on the desk where I was lying down. Logan looked up at me and grinned warmly.
“Let’s do what we can.”
Logan looked at ease, as though he had found a suitable outlet for Rex’s frustration. I got to my feet and gave Logan a gleaming look. He was intelligent and well-aware of Rex, so he would devise a clever scheme!
“What is it?”
“Memorizing magic spells.”
“What?”
“Let’s memorize the spell first. Young Master Rex will take care of himself.”
Logan pushed the book and spread it out in front of me. There’s no way I can memorize a magic spell right now.
“Miss, don’t think about making excuses; memorize them quickly.”
“Oh, I’m memorizing it.”
“I can’t memorize magic spells because of Rex.”
Logan mimicked my tone with an indifferent look. It made me even angry because it sounded so similar.
“Don’t make such an excuse and memorize it quickly.”
“I’ll memorize it, so don’t tell me what to do.”
I buried my nose in the book, determined not to lose. Ah, there really isn’t a single easy person in the Grand Duchy.
***
“Have you made up your mind to talk to me at last?”
At the sound of someone approaching from behind, Logan, who was perusing books in the library, spoke without looking. But there was no reply from behind. With the book he had selected in his hand, Logan turned around. Standing there, Rex had a chilly expression on his face. On the desk, Logan set the book he was holding.
It was the book of spells he had read with Mary earlier.
“Please tell me what happened.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer to hear it directly from Miss Mary?”
“I want to hear the story as it is, not a summary.”
“Sit down.”
Rex sat in the chair in response to Logan’s remarks. Logan sat across from Rex as well.
Naturally, there were rumors about the Grand Duke of Conler’s family that they were cold-blooded due to the demonic blood that flowed within them, that they lacked human emotions, and that they were devoid of tears and other human emotions. Grand Duke Estin occasionally exhibited these characteristics, but the four Conler siblings did not. Logan reasoned that their mother’s influence was probably to blame.
Rather, Rex sometimes showed that aspect. When Rex got cold because something did not please him, Logan felt as if the Duke’s prejudices had been compressed into his small body.
Logan handed him the book of spells.
“Do you know that Miss Mary has the ability to read spells?”
“……Yes.”
“When Lady Mary was 9 years old and the young master was 8 years old, there was a case where young Lady Astina was almost kidnapped. The culprit claimed that Miss Mary had ordered it.”
“The perpetrator purposely got himself caught.”
“Probably. The evidence presented was a dagger given to Miss Mary as a gift by Count Stein, with a summoning spell drawn on it. It was a plot orchestrated by Prince Cameron and Count Stein.”
Rex patiently listened to the story. Logan finished his explanation, observing that Rex’s passive listening was typical of him.
“The summoning spell is…….”
“If you draw it on an object, you can summon it to where you are.”
“Then the spell… Can you draw it on people?”
Logan paused for a moment when asked by Rex.
“You shouldn’t draw spells on people.”
“Why?”
“Using a summoning spell requires infusing your own magic into the spell you draw. If you infuse your magic into a living person, not only could they be in danger, but you could be too.”
“……what about the dead?”
“…….”
“Just forget I said anything, teacher.”
“…… young master.”
“I’ll go now.”
Rex got up with a squirm.
In the library by himself, Logan processed what he had just heard. He vowed to deal with Rex more cautiously in the future and hoped Cameron wouldn’t provoke Mary and Rex any further.
