บท 53: CHAPTER 45.8
Elvin's information was concise and to the point.
" – There's been rumors among the socialites about it for quite some time."
" – Rumors? What rumors are you talking about?"
" – Rumor has it that her Highness was abused by her own father."
One sentence. In that one sentence, Kyle's anger grew exponentially. It has only been three days since the banquet, so where are those rumors coming from? The red flame in Kyle's eyes was wavering once again as if it had never left.
"… Keep reporting."
Elvin was quite surprised by Kyle's snapping tone, as if fury was wrapping the very words. The fact that his eyes were red meant that he was holding back in anger.
'What will happen if he hears it all?'
Elvin was worried about what would happen when Kyle heard the rest of the report but it was his duty to disclose to him anyway the very details that seemed to rekindle the embers.
"No one spread the rumors, but he made an indirect reference in front of a number of nobles in the banquet hall."
Bang!
Kyle roughly struck the desk. From the desk raised a white cloud of dust, it had been clearly shattered to pieces. It was the apparent power of the dragon.
"Who heard that?"
Kyle spoke as sharply as if he were spitting out each word, and Elvin called out a list of nobles who had heard the story. At the end, he added the words.
"… And the 'Shadow' also heard it."
If the 'Shadow' did indeed hear it, there was no need to question the authenticity of the information brought by Elvin. The informant was originally a 'Shadow Knight' of the Romani duchy, who quietly protected from the shadows, but was guarding Riddel at the time. It was the order given by Kyle to protect her because she didn't have any official escort yet.
"If you're curious about the whole truth, it would be best to ask Mr. Barr…"
Elvin was stuttering when he realized that Kyle got up from his seat. Kyle rushed up grabbing his coat and was getting ready to go out. Elvin asked him embarrassedly.
"Your Highness, where are you going all of a sudden?"
"I'm going to Spencer's estate right now."
It would be faster to hear the truth from them than Riddel.
Elvin was amazed to see Kyle rush out. Kyle's erratic behavior and facial expressions, that no one ever saw before, resemble those of a human being.
'I can't believe you're doing that for a single woman. It is the expression of war itself. Oh, my God, it's like that.'
His Highness, who had become a dragon full of instinct, seemed to have fallen for that simple concept of love. But was that possible? Elvin ended up alone surrounded in a mess made by Kyle's outrage.
***
Time had steadily passed, and it had already been three days since the stormy imperial banquet ended. I was finally able to enjoy tea time in the beautiful rose garden covered with fluffy clouds with Marina.
'It's cold, though.'
The weather had become very cold. It's no wonder since we are now in December, but even in this cold winter, the sky was beautiful and the sunshine was warm. I couldn't miss the opportunity to come out and enjoy it all.
I looked through the rose garden while drinking Earl Grey, which had a wonderful taste. Sadly, due to the cold weather, there were no flowers in the garden.
'I should have come here with Kyle once more before winter arrived and flowers died. I'm feeling quite sad.'
After coming back from the banquet, the first thing I did was to inform Jean of a very important fact about Kyle.
"- You mean the key to calming the master is calling his name?"
"- Yes, just saying his name; Kyle, calmed him down right away."
"- I see."
As for me, I thought I was giving Jean quite good information, but he just smiled for some reason, then quickly added.
"- I apologize, but I believe it would only work for her Highness."
"- Only me?"
"- Yes, no one has ever survived by calling his name out before."
Jean's revelation brought silence, but he seemed to be pleased for some reason, trying to not smile too openly. When I saw Jean's dismal reaction, I thought I shouldn't have said anything at all, but it was too late now.
Immediately changing the subject, I advised Marina.
"Marina, would you like to try some of these cookies? It's similar to a pumpkin tart. Not too sweet, but quite delicious."
"Thank you, your Highness, but I think I'd better get up now… I think."
Marina's voice shriveled helplessly. She was sitting in front of me, but was stiff like a broom. I could guess she was nervous about sitting face to face while drinking tea.
"Marina, please don't think this is too difficult. It's better to drink tea with someone than to drink alone."
"Yes, yes, I see. Your Highness… Thank you for the food."
Marina sneakily picked up the closest cookie in front of her, then for a while, she just sat in silence, trying to look in every direction but mine. When Marina finally decided to eat the cookie, she looked so surprised and amazed.
'That's a good thing to see.'
Marina was the heroine of the novel. I thought maybe the setting I created was too hard on her, trying to make her grow up faster. I pushed the plate of cookies toward Marina indicating she would eat more.
"By the way, Marina. How is it staying at the Great Duchy? Is everything alright?"
I was speaking in a soft tone, but the reality was hard to tell what was really happening in between those walls when no one was looking. No one knew what shady things other maids could do to each other. She might be safe around me, but I didn't think it was going to be easy for her to bluff me.
"Your Highness, there's nothing your Highness has to worry about. Thanks to your consideration, I'm doing well in your care."
I stared at Marina, looking at her seriously. The expression on her face didn't seem to be a lie. It was a relief. I was about to nod my head satisfactorily, but Marina continued talking.
"Well, that… Your Highness. But… Well, I think I'll be leaving the Great Duchy for a while."
"Huh? Leaving the Great Duchy? Why? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. I'm only going on a vacation."
"A vacation?"
"Yes… I will be visiting the nearby town during my vacation."
For a moment, I remembered the original setting of the novel. The welfare of the Great Duchy was good. The basic salary is considerably better than other houses; she was not even long working hours, full vacation, it was not a bad employment, except for the occasional life-threatening of dealing with the terrifying Archduke. Honestly, if this was following the original setting, Marina would be leaving soon. During that period, Marina would go through various jobs.
Most importantly, I thought about the novel and I knew what would be useless here and what could help her in the future. I stared at Marina with an unwavering look. She straightened her back as soon as she noticed my eyes on her, looking more nervous than before. Her eyes were still sparkling.
'Cute.'
But I had something to say to her, so I kept the tense atmosphere and continued.
"Marina, listen to me very carefully from now on."
"Yes? Oh… yes, yes!"
"It's nice to be able to visit the town, but you must be on the lookout for strangers and you must be on guard at all times. Even if you ask for directions, be careful and never let them follow you. If someone seems to recognize you, make sure they actually know you. Ask them for your name and where you work."
I had no choice but to give the child a good lecture. Those were all tricks Marina was caught in the original. She was too innocent for her own good.
"And, ah…"
I paused while I was talking, thinking I probably naged her too much. Lectures should be done in moderation.
I sneakily looked at Marina to see if she seemed troubled by my words. When I smiled without feeling the awkwardness of the air, I felt better. After finishing my lecture, I continued to chat with her for a while. The lighter conversation went on in a variety of ways, including Marina informing of what was happening at the Great Duchy, and I soon heard a great deal of tales.
"… Kyle was pointing to the heart of the knights?"
"Yes, yes. He, yes…"
'Look at this crazy dragon…'
I was dumbfounded. The knights were already afraid of Kyle, and I didn't know when I would be killed. Kyle knows that very well. I wondered what would I do if he suddenly pointed at my heart?
'Do you want to be misunderstood? Or did you come up with a sudden intention to kill everyone here?'
Either way, it was troublesome. It took a moment for my head to pound in search of an answer, but the unexpected disturbance at the front gate stopped me from thinking more about it.
'What's going on?'
I turned my head around and saw a carriage from far away. Elvin was desperately rushing after it. Come to think of it, it was the first time I saw Kyle in three days. After coming back from the banquet, Kyle disappeared, seeming to avoid my presence. I didn't have any complaints because I was also an odd generalist and preferred my own company.
Well, apparently, Kyle was in a foul mood today. His walking pace was wider than usual, seemingly urgent. I believed he was angry, but it was hard to tell by only looking at the back of his head. More than anything else, I was amazed that Kyle was wearing an overcoat.
'Are you going out somewhere?'
That was truly unusual. Kyle and going out was the oddest combination. I tilted my head and looked away. Well, that was enough, maybe something important happened. Let's stop worrying about his private life and think about why he would point at the knights' hearts. It might become a dangerous situation.
With a relaxed mind I kept on sipping my tea and noticed something in the garden.
'Huh?'
I could see a rose blooming in a corner of the garden. A charming red rose blooming beautifully through the cold season. I thought I wanted to show Kyle the beautiful rose, because, more than anything else.
'I think it would be a good thoughtful gift for Kyle.'
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