Restaurant Zendica, is a few alleys away from the capital's central square. The antique small restaurant was more of a regular restaurant for wealthy merchants than for nobles.
[Poor Adrienne Trovica. In the end, it wasn't really because she was sick that she died...]
The two men guarding a carriage nearby were Vincenzo and Neil, the direct adjutants of the Second Prince Rhodnes. They were dressed in casual attire to avoid being noticed. The restaurant's interior was not visible from the outside, so Neil twitched one leg and watched the occasional customers coming and going.
“His Highness, what is his real hair like?”
“...”
“Vincenzo, you’ve been here longer. Does that make sense?”
“If he gives me an order, I have to follow it. What else can I do?”
“He only becomes interested in women after he's become very sexually mature, right?”
Neil crossed his arms, half-convinced. Otherwise, the Emperor, who had been either soulless politeness or disgustingly rude to women, would not have acted like this.
“He's of marriageable age now. He's just become an adult.”
“Anyway! Does that make sense for a married woman?”
“Isn’t it possible? Even though she’s a noblewoman, she’s the same age. It’s just a casual date. This country doesn’t even consider it an affair.”
“That is true, but what I mean is that His Highness is putting in so much effort, which is not typical of Your Highness...”
“He must have some thoughts.”
Compared to the relatively calm Vincenzo, Neil glared at the door with a grin. There was one reason why they were so serious. The Lord, who had returned to the capital after two years, had been ignoring the Emperor’s desperate call since the victory ceremony and had been interacting with a noble lady once or twice a week. It wasn’t even a brief meeting. It had already been two weeks.
“His Highness, what is his real hair like?”
“...”
“Vincenzo, you’ve been here longer. Does that make sense?”
“If he gives me an order, I have to follow it. What else can I do?”
“He only becomes interested in women after he's become very sexually mature, right?”
Neil crossed his arms, half-convinced. Otherwise, the Emperor, who had been either soulless politeness or disgustingly rude to women, would not have acted like this.
“He's of marriageable age now. He's just become an adult.”
“Anyway! Does that make sense for a married woman?”
“Isn’t it possible? Even though she’s a noblewoman, she’s the same age. It’s just a casual date. This country doesn’t even consider it an affair.”
“That is true, but what I mean is that His Highness is putting in so much effort, which is not typical of Your Highness...”
“He must have some thoughts.”
Compared to the relatively calm Vincenzo, Neil glared at the door with a grin. There was one reason why they were so serious. The Lord, who had returned to the capital after two years, had been ignoring the Emperor’s desperate call since the victory ceremony and had been interacting with a noble lady once or twice a week. It wasn’t even a brief meeting. It had already been two weeks.
How could a person with a personality disorder interact so faithfully and consistently!
He had only seen his master kill and injure all living things, but he was dressed up nicely and pretended to be polite while meeting a woman. And a beautiful noble lady at that. If it were a gossip magazine, it would be on the front page right away. Of course, unlike what they were talking about, it was a very healthy and very public meeting, but the fact that the other person was already a married woman was very, very concerning.
‘You deceived me like that...'
Neil, in particular, gritted his teeth. Even in a capital city overflowing with beauties, the maid 'Marge', who was so strikingly beautiful that it made his heart flutter a little, was actually Countess Blie Acacia.
"I am afraid that His Highness may be tempted by her beauty and fall for her tricks...”
“Is His Highness that kind of person?”
An expression that clearly said, “You too, idiot,” came over Vincenzo. Neil nodded forcibly, recalling the times he had clung to Rhodnes's trouser legs and slung them over. How many beauties had he ignored while his master, the best in the world, paid no attention to them? But...
“But just in case, there must be some connection with the Grand Duchess of Trovika. His Highness still gets drunk every night as if he were the Grand Duchess’ husband...”
He said he could hear sobbing. Neil bit his lip and kept his last words locked in his mouth. Fortunately, Vincenzo didn’t ask any more questions.
‘You deceived me like that...'
Neil, in particular, gritted his teeth. Even in a capital city overflowing with beauties, the maid 'Marge', who was so strikingly beautiful that it made his heart flutter a little, was actually Countess Blie Acacia.
"I am afraid that His Highness may be tempted by her beauty and fall for her tricks...”
“Is His Highness that kind of person?”
An expression that clearly said, “You too, idiot,” came over Vincenzo. Neil nodded forcibly, recalling the times he had clung to Rhodnes's trouser legs and slung them over. How many beauties had he ignored while his master, the best in the world, paid no attention to them? But...
“But just in case, there must be some connection with the Grand Duchess of Trovika. His Highness still gets drunk every night as if he were the Grand Duchess’ husband...”
He said he could hear sobbing. Neil bit his lip and kept his last words locked in his mouth. Fortunately, Vincenzo didn’t ask any more questions.
For a while, silence swept over them. When he returned to the capital, he thought Rhodnes would prepare to get married, tell stories of his bravery on the battlefield, and be respected and happy... It may sound crazy to live like there was no tomorrow, but when Rhodnes went out to battle with him, he was a ‘battlefield demon’ who was more reliable than anyone else, and when he wasn’t in battle, he was a ‘training ground demon’ who called for suicide.
However, after the Grand Duchess died, the complexion of the once reliable and huge mountain-like person suddenly darkened, and every moment he didn’t see the lady felt like time spent dead.
“Oh, right. Since it has come to this, it might be better for His Highness to continue to wander outside the bedroom filled with cigarette smoke, even if it is a forbidden love.”
After the death of Grand Duchess Trovika, it was clear that Rhodnes had been seriously upset. The Grand Duchess must have been an acquaintance who had been like family to him. After all, Grand Duke Noevian was Rhodnes’s uncle, albeit only half. Vincenzo’s lips, which had been quietly opening, suddenly closed.
"Your Highness!"
“Well then, that’s it.”
“Thank you again today, Your Highness. Then, I will see you next time next week at this time.”
Rhodnes and Countess Acacia left the restaurant together. The noble lady, who had been paying respect to Rhodnes with the aforementioned face, gave a quick glance to his aides, then leisurely got into the waiting carriage and disappeared, holding a book in her arms. And Neil saw clearly. Rhodnes’ subtle gaze lingered for a long time, watching the end of the carriage as it moved away.
“Oh, right. Since it has come to this, it might be better for His Highness to continue to wander outside the bedroom filled with cigarette smoke, even if it is a forbidden love.”
After the death of Grand Duchess Trovika, it was clear that Rhodnes had been seriously upset. The Grand Duchess must have been an acquaintance who had been like family to him. After all, Grand Duke Noevian was Rhodnes’s uncle, albeit only half. Vincenzo’s lips, which had been quietly opening, suddenly closed.
"Your Highness!"
“Well then, that’s it.”
“Thank you again today, Your Highness. Then, I will see you next time next week at this time.”
Rhodnes and Countess Acacia left the restaurant together. The noble lady, who had been paying respect to Rhodnes with the aforementioned face, gave a quick glance to his aides, then leisurely got into the waiting carriage and disappeared, holding a book in her arms. And Neil saw clearly. Rhodnes’ subtle gaze lingered for a long time, watching the end of the carriage as it moved away.
***
Several days had passed since I met Rhodnes. It had been just as many days since I had received the murderous assignment. Since we had made an appointment to meet again this afternoon, I was busy finishing the assignment Rhodnes had given me.
My brother Gregory had been wrong when he said that someone good at studying couldn’t be good at teaching. I had already had several classes with him. In the meantime, I had made enough progress in my studies to recall memories from my academy days. Furthermore, after reviewing for a few days, I had a good feeling that even the contents of the academy classes that had been on the back of my mind were slowly coming back to me.
If I were to take the test now, I might not get an A+, but at least a C+. I was excited as I solved the problem, but my quill broke because I couldn’t control my strength. At first, I was flustered, but I had become accustomed to Blie’s strong body and called out to Marge.
“Finally. Where is the quill I was using?”
“Yes? I threw it away?”
"...What?"
It is said that Marge threw away a quill pen that Blie had been training for a long time. When I was trying to study for the first time in a long time, a rude maid threw it away without my permission. I kept my mouth shut for a moment to maintain my dignity. Marge did not even show an expression that she had done something wrong, but instead looked at me strangely and continued talking.
“You always said that the best thing is ‘new’ and that you should always throw away the used ones, right?”
“Does that make sense?”
The more the owner tames a pen, the smoother it writes. Just because something is new doesn't mean it's good!
“Yes. I also thought it was wrong. Madam, you get angry when you see something that has been used a few times or someone else using it.”
"I?"
“Yes, Ma’am.”
This must also be Blie's shit. I told Marge not to throw it away without my permission from now on, and silently accepted the new quill that Jonah had brought me.
“ 'I like new things, I like new things.' You always said that, and really, you are the best in the empire when it comes to your fickleness.”
“Marge, I can hear you very well.”
When Margie openly criticized me while I was organizing the console, Jonah flinched when I reacted. It seems that even if she becomes a little more friendly and takes care of me more, her true nature will not change. Now, I don’t even think that she is a brat, and I just chuckle. Even though she says things like that, she is incredibly good at taking care of my food, so I don’t hate her.
“Finally. Where is the quill I was using?”
“Yes? I threw it away?”
"...What?"
It is said that Marge threw away a quill pen that Blie had been training for a long time. When I was trying to study for the first time in a long time, a rude maid threw it away without my permission. I kept my mouth shut for a moment to maintain my dignity. Marge did not even show an expression that she had done something wrong, but instead looked at me strangely and continued talking.
“You always said that the best thing is ‘new’ and that you should always throw away the used ones, right?”
“Does that make sense?”
The more the owner tames a pen, the smoother it writes. Just because something is new doesn't mean it's good!
“Yes. I also thought it was wrong. Madam, you get angry when you see something that has been used a few times or someone else using it.”
"I?"
“Yes, Ma’am.”
This must also be Blie's shit. I told Marge not to throw it away without my permission from now on, and silently accepted the new quill that Jonah had brought me.
“ 'I like new things, I like new things.' You always said that, and really, you are the best in the empire when it comes to your fickleness.”
“Marge, I can hear you very well.”
When Margie openly criticized me while I was organizing the console, Jonah flinched when I reacted. It seems that even if she becomes a little more friendly and takes care of me more, her true nature will not change. Now, I don’t even think that she is a brat, and I just chuckle. Even though she says things like that, she is incredibly good at taking care of my food, so I don’t hate her.
After the maids who were worriedly watching me study left the living room, I quietly went to the bedroom and locked the door. Blie’s pink diary was carefully placed in the safe where she kept her jewels. An old pink diary that was stuck like a foreign substance among my jewels that I had stolen, or rather brought, from the Grand Duchess’ residence.
The government’s diary kept bothering me like a fishbone stuck in my throat. I wet my lips with my tongue in nervousness and took out the diary in question. On my other hand, I was also holding a thick Elacon dictionary. As Rhodnes said, the grammar of Elacon was easy, so if I just remembered the words he had pointed out as basics, I would be able to quickly interpret a diary about my daily life.
I had already read more than half of <Elementary Elacon>, which I had only skimmed through during my academy days.
When I opened the rather thick diary again that day, most of it was scribbles or drawings. While looking for the part where the date was written to interpret the important part, I found a part that was particularly pressed down. Blie’s handwriting was so bad that I traced the writing with my finger and tried to understand it. And finally, I interpreted the first line of the diary. It took quite a long time because I didn’t know all the words, so I had to look it up in the dictionary.
The first sentence was, amazingly, as follows: “Poor Adrienne Piretta.”
"Ha!"
My blood ran cold, and I couldn't help but laugh. It was so ridiculous. I'm not even her friend. How dare she use my name, Noevian's wife, in such a way... And...
“...Are I pitiful?”
Yes, it must be pitiful. My heart, which had been cooling down, began to tremble as I continued to rewrite the diary to interpret the next sentence. Cold sweat broke out on the hand holding the quill, and I had to clench and unclench my fists several times to calm my nerves.
“Noevian... finally... saved...”
I tore through the blank pages of my diary as if possessed, and played with my quill pen. I, who always wrote neatly, scribbled proper sentences in handwriting as messy as Blie. I looked up the meanings of the words in the sentences I could barely read in my handwriting like crazy in the dictionary I had brought. And finally, I translated the following sentence.
"Ha!"
My blood ran cold, and I couldn't help but laugh. It was so ridiculous. I'm not even her friend. How dare she use my name, Noevian's wife, in such a way... And...
“...Are I pitiful?”
Yes, it must be pitiful. My heart, which had been cooling down, began to tremble as I continued to rewrite the diary to interpret the next sentence. Cold sweat broke out on the hand holding the quill, and I had to clench and unclench my fists several times to calm my nerves.
“Noevian... finally... saved...”
I tore through the blank pages of my diary as if possessed, and played with my quill pen. I, who always wrote neatly, scribbled proper sentences in handwriting as messy as Blie. I looked up the meanings of the words in the sentences I could barely read in my handwriting like crazy in the dictionary I had brought. And finally, I translated the following sentence.
[Noevian Trovica finally found the medicine.]
"What..."
It was a trivial sentence. He always sent medicine for me. Without those expensive medicines, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the difficult situation where I was suffocating.
"What..."
It was a trivial sentence. He always sent medicine for me. Without those expensive medicines, I wouldn’t have been able to endure the difficult situation where I was suffocating.
I took a deep breath, relaxed little by little, and calmly interpreted the following sentences. The interpretation was difficult, and I ended up having to look up words in the dictionary and put them together. Another lot of time passed.
[Adrienne won’t live long anyway. There are already many, many signs of death. There’s no time.]
I didn’t even know about the signs of my death... How did this Blie Acacia know and write like this when she’s never even met me?
[Poor Adrienne Trovica. In the end, it wasn't really because she was sick that she died...]
As the story began to come out directly, I started to tremble with tension again and finally burst into tears at the last line.
[...I guess she didn't even know that her husband was killing her.]
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