Chapter 57
As soon as the door opened, Perez stepped inside as if he had been waiting.
“Let’s have a chat. You wait outside.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After dismissing his attendant, Perez personally locked the door and led Dedrick further inside.
“So, where’s the wardrobe monster?”
“…First of all, please forgive my rudeness.”
“Rudeness?”
Dedrick didn’t bother hiding his displeasure as he spoke to the prince.
“Mary is not some spectacle.”
“Mary?”
“Ah.”
“Did you give the wardrobe monster a name? Ma…”
“It’s Marilyn!”
Dedrick’s sudden loud voice startled Perez, who blinked before letting out a small laugh.
“Alright, Marilyn. That wasn’t my intention, but I see I’ve caused some misunderstanding. My apologies.”
Perez was a good-natured person at heart.
However, as a member of the royal family, he carried an inherent arrogance and rarely apologized to anyone.
The fact that he sincerely apologized showed just how much he liked Dedrick.
“I truly consider you a good friend. This secret brought us closer, and that’s why I wanted to meet the girl who connects us and have a conversation together.”
“…I understand. I apologize for raising my voice.”
“That’s what friends do, isn’t it? Argue and make up. I accept your apology!”
Perez, were you really that desperate for a friend?
“Then, shall we shake hands?”
“…Alright.”
I reached out my hand to Dedrick, and he held it tightly.
Perez looked directly at me and greeted me.
“It’s been a while, wardrobe monster. Or rather, your name is…?”
He wanted me to introduce myself, so I gladly did.
“My name is Marilyn! My dear Didi gave me that name, so please call me Marilyn from now on!”
“What about Mary?”
“That’s my nickname, but I’d rather Your Highness not use it!”
“You say that so openly and cheerfully…”
Because I only wanted Didi to call me that.
“Should I feel honored just for being allowed to use your name?”
“Of course!”
“Haha, I see.”
We all sat down. I was still holding Dedrick’s hand tightly.
“Ah, wait. I actually brought some desserts for you two.”
Perez glanced at our hands, silently asking us to let go for a moment.
He pulled the servant bell, but when no one came, he looked puzzled.
“They don’t usually come. I’ll go get them…”
“How ridiculous. They don’t even respect their master.”
Muttering coldly, Perez stood up.
“I’ll get them myself. It’s just outside.”
As he frowned and stepped out to give orders to the attendants, I quickly turned to Dedrick.
“Did I do well? Only Didi can call me Mary!”
“Yeah!”
Soon, the servant returned with a variety of desserts.
“Wow…!”
I stared at them with sparkling eyes. Even though he was a member of the Blackwood family by blood, neither Dedrick nor I had ever properly tasted such luxuries.
After the servant set up the desserts and left, the prince gestured toward us.
“Now, shall we hold hands again and let me see your form?”
“But I want to eat! If I hold hands, it’ll be hard to eat.”
“I’ll feed you.”
Dedrick reached out his hand, urging me to hold it. I grabbed his hand and immediately turned to Perez.
“Can I eat as much as I want?!”
“Of course.”
“Thank you for the meal!”
I eagerly grabbed the most delicious-looking éclair and took a big bite.
The soft pastry melted in my mouth, making me stomp my feet in delight. My eyes widened in surprise.
“It’s so good!”
“Seeing you enjoy it makes me even happier.”
Perez sipped his tea, watching us with satisfaction.
“Didi, you should try it too.”
I naturally held out my éclair, and Dedrick took a bite without hesitation.
“Hmm?”
Perez watched us curiously, but I was too focused on the desserts to care.
As I kept eating, Dedrick wiped the crumbs off my lips and I fed him more desserts in return.
“You two seem really close.”
“Yes!”
“Haha. You’re so cheerful. Just watching you makes my worries disappear. This place feels more comfortable than home.”
“That’s because Marilyn is special.”
Dedrick nodded as if it was obvious.
“Speaking of which, the Duke of Blackwood…”
As the sweet desserts put everyone at ease, Perez finally brought up the topic he had been waiting for.
‘I have a feeling this is the real reason he came to see Didi.’
Perez seemed eager to gather personal information about the Duke.
Unfortunately, the Duke was indifferent toward his own children, so Dedrick had little to offer.
But that didn’t stop Perez. He quickly switched to praising the Duke instead.
“…So, you must have heard of him, the hero who came back from the dead!”
“He died and came back?”
I asked, confused. Perez’s excitement grew as he explained.
“Eighteen years ago, a great war broke out. Do you know about it? Barbarians crossed the border without permission and caused chaos everywhere. The royal family decided it was the perfect time to wipe them out completely.”
“Did that really happen? Didi, did you know?”
“Yeah.”
“It’d be weird if you didn’t know! Every citizen of the Beatum Empire knows about it! It was such a huge event that it’s recorded in history books!”
Whoa, calm down.
I almost forgot how much of a fan Perez was of the Grand Duke.
Normally, he was composed, but the moment the topic of the Grand Duke came up, he turned into an excited boy.
He continued, even blaming himself for not being born 18 years ago.
“And leading the charge was your father, the lord of Blackwood, Carlos. After three years of war, the Grand Duke completely wiped out the barbarians and even took over their land. It was rich in resources.”
“If their land had so many resources, why did they cross the border and start a war?”
“Because they wanted more. They kept eyeing what belonged to us, and when their patience ran out, they invaded imperial land. There’s a reason they’re called barbarians.”
Dedrick didn’t seem very interested in the story. He was too busy feeding me desserts.
I, on the other hand, found it fascinating. So, while munching on a treat, I listened intently.
“To wipe out those barbarians… That’s really impressive!”
Perez seemed pleased to have someone listening to him and eagerly continued.
“Right? But do you know what’s even more amazing? Near the end of the war, the barbarian chief set a trap and ambushed the Grand Duke. Many people saw him get stabbed right through the heart.”
“…But the Grand Duke is alive now?”
At that, Perez slammed the table in excitement.
“Exactly! Everyone thought he was dead, but he wasn’t. Not only did he survive, but he also killed the barbarian chief and ended the war!”
“He got stabbed in the heart and lived?”
“Yes!”
How is that possible?
Maybe someone exaggerated what they saw back then.
After all, people’s loyalty and admiration for the Grand Duke were extreme.
But… what if it really happened?
My chewing slowed as I thought about it.
If it was divine intervention, could the Grand Duke also be close to the divine?
That could explain why he could enter the Sanctuary.
And if the war happened around the time I was born…
No way… I shook my head.
“That’s too far-fetched. There’s no way so many coincidences line up.”
But Perez didn’t give me any time to stay lost in thought.
“Oh, and I heard that’s where he met your mother.”
Dedrick’s mother?
In my memories, the man and woman seemed very close. The woman already knew about the man’s connection to the divine, so the idea that they first met on the battlefield and found me there didn’t make much sense.
“Their love story is famous, too.”
Dedrick’s hand suddenly froze.
I shot a glare at Perez.
Do you have no tact?
Well… he’s not the type to watch what he says anyway.
Perez finally cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“Ahem! Thanks to that war, trade routes to Kerut opened up, and international trade has flourished! That’s an incredible achievement, right?”
You stuttered.
But I played along, exaggerating my reaction.
“That’s amazing!”
“Right? Super amazing.”
“Didi, I want some pudding.”
“This one?”
“Yeah.”
Dedrick, who had been tense, finally moved again and fed me a spoonful of pudding.
Perez gave him an approving look, as if to say, ‘Good job.’
See? Now you know not to bring that up again.
For Dedrick, his mother was a painful topic.
Perez smoothly changed the subject again.
“By the way, I got curious and did some research about the closet monster…”
I love them so much they’re so cute😭😭😭 their cuteness is overwhelming 💕