“If someone with golden blood actually existed…” Duke Hazel proposed the scenario, and after a period of silence, Ruth finally smiled refreshingly. It was the smile of a traveler who had faced no obstacles, proud and unencumbered.
“Duke Hazel. I’m not sure why you’re asking me this question, but I think I understand that you’re looking for a certain answer from me. And that it involves taking a hostile stance against someone with golden blood.”
“Ha ha. That’s not it. I was merely asking out of pure curiosity.”
“So pure that I could see right through it. It seems you’re not as sharp as you used to be due to your age, Duke. Anyway, to answer your question, I would do nothing.”
“Oh, is that so…… What?”
Duke Hazel showed a strange expression upon hearing Ruth’s answer, as if indirectly revealing that this was not the response he had hoped for.
I, too, could not manage my expression upon hearing Ruth’s response. “I would do nothing,” he said. As I mulled over his confident answer, I fiercely tried to keep my nose from crinkling.
Golden blood and the violet eyes were gifts from the gods to those ‘qualified to become emperor.’ Therefore, possessing them meant one rightfully had the qualifications to ascend to the throne.
Moreover, while the violet eyes lost their power over time, the golden blood had disappeared in the fifth generation and reappeared in the current one, its power undiminished compared to the violet eyes.
To put it simply, unlike someone with only half-hearted conviction, a person with pure golden blood was fully qualified to sit on the throne.
Therefore, if the rightful owner of this golden blood were to appear, it was certain that Ruth’s position, who possessed a weakened conviction, would become precarious.
Of course, as long as the owner of the golden blood is me, such an event wouldn’t happen to Ruth.
But how can Ruth remain so calm and do nothing under the assumption that the rightful, fully qualified owner of the throne appears? At the very least, shouldn’t he pay attention to the whereabouts of such a person?
While my thoughts were spiraling, Duke Hazel let out a soft snicker.
“If it were me, I’d be too scared of losing my position to sleep at night, but His Majesty really is something else.”
“It’s just that I’m not that clingy about the throne. If I have to give it up to him, I might as well do so gracefully and retire to the countryside. Would you care to join me?”
“You jest well.”
“It’s not a joke, but I appreciate the compliment.”
Ruth’s skillful response seemed to deepen the frown on Duke Hazel’s forehead. It appeared to take a significant effort for him to suppress his anger and maintain a smile.
After a while of this tension between Ruth and Duke Hazel, the Duke turned his gaze to me. Suddenly locking eyes with him, I hid my twitching fingers beneath the hem of my skirt.
I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid, I repeated to myself incessantly.
While I was doing so, Duke Hazel pointed to my right wrist hidden under my skirt with a nod and said, “It seems you’re alright today.”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
As I replied in a deliberately monotonous tone, Duke Hazel nodded his head with a look that seemed to spot a lying child.
“I was worried that the lady might collapse again today due to physical and mental weakness.”
“Thank you for your concern, but there won’t be a need for that anymore, so please don’t waste your energy on unnecessary worries.”
“I’ll take note of that. But apart from that, please be careful with sharp objects.”
“Why all of a sudden….”
“You never know. Especially since the color of your dress is dark, if something bright gets on it, it will be very noticeable. And if that bright thing happens to be gold,”
Suddenly mentioning gold, Duke Hazel’s pale skin momentarily seemed to shimmer like a snake’s scales. It was definitely an illusion created by my imagination, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop the chill spreading through my body.
Why emphasize ‘gold’ specifically?
Before continuing the conversation, I saw Duke Hazel take a deep breath and sighed to myself.
After bringing up the topic of ‘golden blood’ and suddenly mentioning my wrist and the color gold, the answer was clear.
Duke Hazel knows my secret.
But how?
I barely calmed my pounding heart and tried to think rationally. Given Duke Hazel’s personality, it was somewhat reassuring that he wouldn’t shout my weakness in this room full of people. However, the fact that I had no idea how he found out or how he might use this information against me slightly suffocated me.
As I was slowly organizing my chaotic thoughts, Duke Hazel concluded his speech with a laughter-laden tone.
“You can’t even hide it, can you?”
It was then.
“Duke Hazel.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ruth, who had been silently observing as Duke Hazel veiled his threats as concerns, finally spoke.
“I appreciate your concern for my fiancée, but there’s no need to be cautious of sharp objects as you suggest. Because I won’t let them touch her noble body. So, let the Duke focus on his own health. A frail and aging body that might expire any moment needs good care to stay in its position for a long time.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Then, my fiancée and I will….”
“Please take care as well, Your Excellency.”
As Ruth hurried to wrap up his conversation with Duke Hazel, after hundreds of deliberations, I finally found the courage to speak up. Knowing that he was aware of my secret, and if he continued to be a source of my fear, I would ultimately be manipulated by Duke Hazel.
Therefore, as I had promised with Ruth before coming to the banquet, I decided to confront my fear first.
“What are you talking about?”
“When handling sharp objects, shouldn’t you be aware of whether the edge is pointed at the other person or yourself? Isn’t it a true virtue of a house lord to rationally understand one’s own situation?”
“Hmm, I am curious to hear such words from a lady.”
“Just.”
I merely gave a meaningful smile, just like Duke Hazel had done.
“Just. I am simply expressing my hope that you wouldn’t face an unfortunate situation where the sharp thing you have a grip on ends up harming yourself, inspired by my belief that it had been handled recklessly by Your Excellency.”
“Is that so? Then I will take note of that.”
“Yes. Let’s go now, Your Majesty.”
The longer I spoke with Duke Hazel, the more I risked showing my weaknesses to him, and my hard-repressed fear might resurface as well. Therefore, I was eager to end our conversation as quickly as possible and leave with Ruth.
Suddenly, he stepped closer to me and whispered softly.
“Lady.”
“……?”
“Always be careful.”
What did he mean by that?
No sooner had I harbored such a question than Duke Hazel, pressing his face even closer to my ear, added in a volume low enough not to be heard by Ruth.
“Because those who fail to understand their own place are the first to be devoured by predators.”
“Thank you for the advice, Your Excellency. But you see.”
I shot back without losing ground.
“Isn’t it stupider for a prey who mistakes itself for a predator not to understand its own place than for a prey that doesn’t understand its own place?”
“…….”
You think of yourself as a predator, but in reality, you’re nothing more than prey. As I made this assertion, a tiny crack formed on Duke Hazel’s face. That crack looked as dangerous as a cave beginning to collapse.
Feeling that I could no longer control my emotions if I stayed any longer near Duke Hazel, I quickly grabbed Ruth’s arm and, almost running, headed to a corner of the banquet hall. Ruth, who was dragged along without a word, couldn’t help but laugh after a while.
“I saw you again today, Milady. You really have a way with words.”
“Me, I wasn’t trembling? My legs are just… just shaking right now.”
“No, I wasn’t nervous at all. You did great. You were awesome.”
“If that’s the case, I’m glad. His Majesty was also magnificent.”
As I praised him in the same way, Ruth’s mouth curved into a smile. After a moment in that state, Ruth seemingly had a thought, exhaled, and then reached out his hand to me.
“I feel a bit sorry for suggesting this to a lady who says her legs are trembling, but if you’re not completely unable to walk, would you like to dance one song with me?”
“Hmm. If you had asked me to dance more gracefully, I would have accepted right away, but now I’m a bit disappointed.”
“How picky.”
Contrary to his choice of words which seemed like a complaint, his face was filled with joy.
“Then, let’s try again. Lady of the Duke of Serbia Obelton. If you’re feeling alright now, would you like to dance one song with me?”
“Yes. I’d love to.”
“It’s an honor to have you accept.”
Since I was already planning to accept, I immediately agreed, and Ruth chuckled softly.
As I was about to walk to the ballroom hall with him, suddenly my left ankle started to throb severely.
“Ah…!”
“Did you hurt your ankle?”
“It seems my ankle is strained because I’m not used to wearing heels this high.”
Ruth, noticing my state from the groan I let out, asked with concern. My appearance suggested that I might call for a doctor any moment, but I shrugged it off as if it was nothing and muttered briefly, postponing my frustration to a place unseen, and faintly lifted the corners of my mouth.
“Sadly, the dance is…”
“Follow me.”
“?”
However, before I could even finish my sentence, Ruth, cutting me off mid-sentence, turned around and started leading me somewhere.
