The Duchess seemed momentarily at a loss for words. She quickly regained her composure.
“…Such words don’t make one a lady, Your Majesty.”
“Is that so? I didn’t know. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind next time.”
“But I’m not the kind of person to drive out a guest who’s gone through the trouble of coming all the way here.”
“I appreciate your generosity. Honestly, I was a bit worried. I was concerned that something uncomfortable might happen if I stayed here.”
The Duchess smiled faintly at the biting words.
She then took a sip of her tea and responded in a steady voice.
“That wouldn’t happen. This is the Duke’s residence. I would never allow any rudeness to a guest.”
Then she turned her gaze to the Emperor.
Her face was smiling, but there was a chilling aura around her.
“But it seems, Your Majesty, that you don’t know something.”
“Something I don’t know?”
“The more secrets a woman has, the more beautiful she becomes. Isn’t that right, young lady?”
Now, the Duchess’s eyes were fixed on me.
Her silent pressure was telling me that what had just happened was to remain a secret between us.
At that moment, it was the Emperor, not I, who spoke first.
“So, that’s why the Duchess is so beautiful. You must have many secrets that others shouldn’t know.”
For a brief moment, the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Of course, I’m not going to say what those secrets are myself. But for now, that’s the way it is.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
The people who had been ready to tear into me just moments ago now retreated, their tails tucked between their legs.
Some of them even seemed desperate to leave the room as quickly as possible.
I didn’t like the Emperor’s sharp, irritating nature, but I have to admit, having him by my side was more reassuring than anything.
“If anyone lays a hand on my people, I won’t stand idly by.”
The Emperor smiled faintly, and the Duchess curled her lips into a forced smile.
It was clear to everyone present that it wasn’t genuine.
“See? I told you things would get unpleasant when I arrived. I think it’s time for this unwelcome guest to leave.”
The Emperor looked around the room before getting to his feet. Then, he stared at me.
“Why are you just standing there? You should come with me.”
“…Me too?”
“Of course. If I’m going somewhere, you should be with me, shouldn’t you?”
“Ah… right, of course.”
When I took his hand, his strong grip instantly pulled me toward him.
I was embraced by the Emperor, my body sinking into his warmth.
The faint scent of roses brushed my nose, and my heart fluttered oddly.
As he lowered me, he locked eyes with me, and for some reason, it became hard to meet his gaze.
“Shall we go then?”
Without a care, he waved his hand in a casual farewell to the Duchess and the other noblewomen before walking with me.
The conversation behind us disappeared as we walked out of the estate.
It felt as though I could still sense the coldness in their hearts.
“By the way, what brings you here today?”
“I had some business to attend to.”
“Business? What kind of business?”
He didn’t answer until I was seated in the carriage.
A thought crossed my mind.
‘Could it be that he came all the way here because of me?’
But I couldn’t believe that he would go through all this trouble just for me.
The Duke’s estate was far from the Imperial Palace.
To get here, one had to spend a lot of time in a carriage.
Suddenly, Sir Samuel, who had already boarded the carriage, greeted me warmly as he saw me.
“We meet again, Lady Meihen. I’m glad you managed to escape from that den of vipers without getting eaten.”
“Fortunately, His Majesty showed up just in time and saved me in a magnificent way.”
“Well, he has a poison in him that’s worse than a snake’s.”
Sir Samuel glanced at the Emperor, who was crossing his arms and leaning back. Then, the Emperor suddenly shouted.
“Shut up, Samuel.”
“See, even now, just his gaze could probably kill someone.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the usual back-and-forth between them. But when the Emperor noticed my laughter, he immediately asked.
“So, what did you get out of it?”
“Nothing special, really… Oh! Everyone was looking forward to the hunting competition. Honestly, I told them I’d be attending with His Majesty. Do you think I made a mistake?”
“It doesn’t matter. Everyone probably guessed that much already.”
“Other than that, it seems like everyone was getting a little something from the Duchess. Things like tea to help with sleep or a tonic that instantly relieves fatigue, and some other things…”
“Those will turn out to be poison in the end. How foolish.”
“Poison? Why?”
“I have an idea of where those things came from. I’ve heard reports about the Duchess’s people going to places they shouldn’t have for quite some time now.”
“Places they shouldn’t go? Are there places like that in Hamillon?”
“Of course.”
He left my curiosity hanging without explaining where those places were.
Since he didn’t answer, I turned my gaze toward the passing scenery outside the carriage.
Thinking back, it was truly a strange situation.
When I first arrived in Hamilton, all I could do was look at the scenery from beyond the bars of my cage.
Yet now, I was traveling with the Emperor in his carriage.
A lot had changed compared to then.
As I was lost in thought, the Emperor’s sharp voice broke through.
“There’s nothing to see here. It’s not even a city.”
“But it’s not Medreland, is it?”
If I ever gained my freedom, I would love to travel around Hamilton.
Right now, of course, I knew very well that it wasn’t the time or place for such things, so I didn’t even dare to speak those thoughts aloud.
“I don’t know about His Majesty, but… it means a lot to me. I’ve always been curious about the world outside Medreland. What color is the sky beyond the wall? How do the other beastfolk live? How many delicious foods are there beyond Medderland? It’s the little things like that that I’ve always wondered about.”
The Emperor didn’t respond right away.
He glanced out the window for a moment, following my gaze.
After a brief pause, he quietly gave an order to Sir Samuel.
“Let’s head to the Kritin River.”
“The Kritin River? Why there, all of a sudden?”
“There’s been an issue with the dam recently. I need to go check on it.”
“That’s true, but… since when has Lord Argon been so considerate of me?”
“Considerate? I’ve always thought about you.”
At those words, Sir Samuel’s eyes filled with disbelief.
It seemed he wasn’t exactly pleased with the Emperor’s kindness.
“…How much more do you plan on using me for this? Isn’t working late enough already?”
“If you don’t like it, you can go back to the Imperial Palace right now.”
Once the offer was taken away, a look of regret appeared on his face.
He quickly added to the Emperor.
“Ah, no, I mean, it’s more efficient to move now that we’re out here anyway…”
“See?”
He opened the window and shouted something at the coachman.
Slowly, the scenery outside began to change.
‘Even though they act like it, those two seem to have a good relationship after all.’
This couldn’t be explained by anything other than love.
Perhaps the purpose of this outing wasn’t really to rescue me from the Duchess’s tea party, but rather an outing for Sir Samuel.
Though the thought made me feel a little bitter, I turned my gaze back toward the window, pretending not to notice.
When we returned to the Imperial Palace, the sun was nearly set.
Like the fading sunset, this outing seemed to stir strange emotions in me.
***
It was one week until the hunting competition the Emperor had mentioned.
During this time, I lived a life of peaceful routine.
Every morning, I would have breakfast with the Emperor, but strangely, his face had become noticeably worse recently.
He seemed more irritable, and in a short time, he had become gaunt.
“Haven’t you been sleeping lately?”
“…No.”
“But you look like someone who hasn’t slept for almost half a year.”
“It’s just…”
For some reason, there was a trace of resentment in his eyes as he looked at me.
Then, a deep sigh escaped his lips.
“The fish served this morning looks like it’s withered.”
But the fish on the table looked plump as usual.
If he could say it had withered, I thought I should take him to see his physician, Harpone.
“…Do you usually like fish this much?”
“No, I think I’ll start liking it now.”
My earlier attempt to understand him quickly evaporated.
Once again, the Emperor was a strange person.
Instead of trying to understand his world, it seemed better to take a step back and simply respect it.
After breakfast, I took Perry and headed to the training grounds.
There, we spoke with members of the Imperial Knights and watched her duel with Sir Veratri.
After she was sent flying into the wall about thirteen times, we moved to the garden.
The reason we were here was to find a very important ingredient.
I had almost finished making the woolen doll for Sir Kerif, but I still hadn’t found the last ingredient.
That ingredient was a cloudgrass, a fluffy plant similar to wool.
In Medderland, it was considered a symbol of good luck, and people would often give it to someone special.
But it was hard to find in the Imperial Palace garden.
“Perry, you don’t think there’s no cloudgrass in Hamilton, do you?”
“How would I know…”
Perry seemed unusually downcast after not being able to land a solid counterattack during her duel with Sir Veratri.
‘Poor Perry, when we get back to our room, I’ll make sure to give her lots of sweet desserts.’
With that thought, I reaffirmed my determination to find the cloudgrass this time.
As I rummaged through the bushes, Perry suddenly began sniffing the air and exploring the surroundings.
“Why does it smell so strongly like sewage today?”
“You always say that when we’re in the garden.”
“No, this is far worse than usual. It’s making me gag.”
As she wandered off in search of the source of the smell, I finally found the cloudgrass I had been searching for.
“Perry, I found the cloudgrass…!”
Then, suddenly, something sharp touched my waist.
Before I could react, a familiar voice whispered in my ear.
“If you don’t want to die, stay still, Tch.”
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