After the video ended, the surroundings became quiet in an instant. It seemed to be because the sound from the video, which had been breaking the silence all along, had disappeared.
Sitting dazed for a while, I eventually looked up at Ruth with a big smile.
“How did you manage to place the orb inside the inner office of the Duke of Dright? I was totally surprised.”
“Ah, it’s magic. The orb is quite small, so I used psychokinesis magic to place it there.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It’s nothing.”
At my compliment, he blushed slightly and waved his hand in negation of my words. Somehow, this reminded me of when we were children, and I found myself smiling even more.
As I was blooming with laughter looking at Ruth, suddenly, I remembered the conversation I had with Lilia yesterday. It was as if trying to affirm the existence that had been so vague until now.
Then, I mulled over our conversation for a bit before slowly breaking the ice.
“Your Majesty. And regarding the trial of Duke Dright, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I mentioned to Lilia, that is, the advisor, that the eldest son of the Harvest family wasn’t a suicide but was murdered, and I asked her to take his place on top of that. I thought it’d be too late if we didn’t reveal the truth soon. Also…”
“Hmm, also?”
“I was also worried that if the eldest son of the Harvest family was only known as a ‘bastard’, the public might take Duke Dright’s murder charge too lightly.”
Ruth, gesturing for me to continue, scrutinized me carefully, and then his relaxed gaze quickly turned cold as he softly questioned.
“Why?”
“If we want to achieve our intended result, the severity of the murder charge needs to be emphasized. But if the victim of the murder case is tagged as a bastard, the fact that it was murder might not be considered as serious.”
As I told Lilia, there has been a tendency in modern society to ostracize bastards. This means, when a legitimate child and a bastard experience the same thing, the former receives deep empathy while the latter gets hardly any interest at all.
Therefore, if it becomes known that the eldest son of the Harvest family is a bastard, people might be outraged that the viscount of Dright deceived society and embezzled money, but they wouldn’t react much to his having killed the eldest son of the Harvest family and other vulnerable individuals. And such an outcome would be morally despicable and personally displeasing to me.
Hoping that my thoughts were clearly conveyed to him, I opened my mouth once again.
“That’s why I asked the advisor to take the seat of the Harvest viscount’s vacant eldest son, bearing the name of the Harvest family. Only then would he be recognized not just as a ‘bastard’ but as a ‘bastard who was a member of a family as noble as the viscount’s.’ ”
And only when recognized as such would people not take lightly the fact that the Harvest viscount was behind the eldest son of the Harvest family. After strongly stating my opinion, I glanced at Ruth, who seemed lost in thought.
The moment the conversation ended, I was wrapped in anxiety, wondering if I had made too hasty a decision.
After a moment of silence, Ruth eventually looked directly into my eyes, unshaken, and began to slowly respond.
“It might not have been Young Lady’s intention, but I’ve been worrying about that part as well. As you know, the nobles are currently only focused on establishing their positions and aren’t much interested in others’ circumstances. Thus, if this incident is presented to the nobles without any separate preparation, it might lead the atmosphere in a direction we do not wish for.”
“Yes, I think that could happen too. That’s why I’ve asked the aide for help. Of course, it was done without His Majesty’s consent, so if you dislike my decision…”
“No, I like it. No, I more than like it. So, let’s erase that possibility, Young Lady.”
The harsh look in Ruth’s eyes softened immediately as he promptly cut off the carefully broached topic.
“And though it might be a bit late, thank you.”
“……Pardon?”
“I said thank you.”
Caught off guard by his sudden expression of gratitude, I couldn’t hide my surprise, prompting Ruth to burst into a hearty laugh. Then, he playfully tapped his chin with the tip of his finger as if telling me to close my mouth, which had fallen open in astonishment.
That small gesture snapped me back to reality, and I bit my lip slightly, my cheeks flushing. The realization that Ruth had caught me making a foolish face was embarrassingly acute.
After he saw that I had composed my stunned expression, he turned the topic with a rather satisfied look.
“Then, I’ll make sure to explain in detail about the trial that will be held next week to Lilia.”
“So what I have to do is…….”
“Not much. You’ve done enough just by this. You might as well take some rest now.”
“Is that so.”
After having run hard until now, taking a rest felt even more awkward. If I stayed still, I was eaten up by a lazy feeling, as if I was not doing the work I had to do.
However, as Ruth said, taking a break this time didn’t seem like a bad idea. If a person keeps running, they will soon become too exhausted to even stand up.
As I pondered what to do during the upcoming short rest period, I clapped my hands and asked Ruth. The reason was that the task that came to mind could not proceed without his agreement.
“Ah. By any chance, could I visit the Duke of Dright while he is detained?”
“Hmm? Why?”
“I have something I want to ask.”
“Umm.”
I was curious why he committed such an act, what relationship he had with the Duchess of Dright, and what caused him to join hands with the Duke of Hazel. I had no intention of sympathizing with the criminal’s narrative, but still, I wanted to hear it.
As Ruth furrowed his brows in thought, he eventually shrugged his shoulders leisurely.
“I’m not really keen on it. As the lady knows, he is a murderer. He’s not someone to be taken lightly.”
“I know too. That’s why, since Sir Cedric will be returning to the capital soon, I plan to go with him. Is that really not possible?”
If I had tried to meet the Duke Dright without any plan, I might have given up at Ruth’s persuasion. However, I had Cedric, who would be returning to the capital in a few days. Thanks to him, if there were any problems during my encounter with Duke Dright, I could rely on Cedric’s help.
It also seemed like Cedric needed to have a proper conversation with Duke Dright.
After recalling the ‘atonement’ that Cedric had mentioned, I silently added that thought.
While I was listing in my head the reasons why I needed to meet the imprisoned Duke Dright, Ruth, who had been shaking his head, murmured softly in the end.
“If you’re with Sir Cedric… Alright, fine. But only for an hour.”
“Yes. That will be enough.”
An hour. That was more than enough.
When I smiled satisfied with the time he had offered, Ruth smiled back. Then suddenly, he took out a pocket watch to check the time and, with an inexplicable snort, stood up from his seat.
“Oh, it’s already this late. I should go now.”
“Right. Time really flew by. Have a good night, Your Majesty.”
“Yes. You too.”
Upon hearing Ruth’s words, I glanced at the wall clock already pointing to 9. Suppressing the feeling of regret, I lifted my bottom off the bed and bid him farewell.
Ruth responded briefly to my greeting and then strode out of my bedroom without delay. As he disappeared from my sight, a sense of meaningless emptiness washed over me, but I was not swayed by it. My scars have become too tough to be troubled by such a light sense of void.
After standing absent-mindedly for a moment, I soon returned to reality and pulled the bell cord. With the situation having progressed this far, I intended to finish what must be done. If delayed further, it may be endlessly postponed.
At my call, Isabella hurried into the bedroom. Seeing her apron slightly damp, it seemed she might have been helping out in the kitchen this time.
“Isabella.”
“Yes?”
“Could you bring me some writing paper?”
Isabella looked at me with a puzzled gaze for a few seconds but then nodded and went off somewhere.
I watched Isabella’s figure disappearing through the door and quickly washed my face, thinking about what to write in the letter to Helen.
***
[To my dear friend, Helen Abyss,
Hello, Helen.
How have you been lately? It seems spring is soon upon us, as flower buds have started appearing in the imperial garden. I wonder if the Duke Abyss’s garden has also seen the first signs of bloom.
The reason I am writing to you is to give you my response to the proposal you made last time. Actually, it’s not just my answer, but the emperor’s as well.
We too believe that still water eventually spoils. Hence, we think that as time passes, it’s necessary to fill that space and create new puddles elsewhere.
From what you said last time, it seems you share our view. So, this time, we would like to offer you the same suggestion you made. Should you be interested, we hope you will contact us in any way you can.
I hope your spring is not too cold,
Longing for the full bloom of the flower buds,
Serbia.]
Less than a day after sending the letter to Helen, a reply came back from her.
Precisely,
[You are invited to Helen Abyss’s birthday celebration.]
It was an invitation to a celebration she was hosting.
