After Count Martina left, I lay sprawled on the sofa and thought over my conversation with him.
“There are several witnesses who saw the scene where my father was killed by a monster while trying to save His Highness the Crown Prince.”
I also personally saw the statements written by the witnesses.
“But he was murdered? Does that mean someone ordered a monster to pretend to attack the Crown Prince and kill my father?”
“I was curious about that part too, so I looked into it... All of those witnesses were knights escorting His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The moment I heard those words, it felt like someone had hit me on the head with a big hammer.
“So I thought it was a little strange, but since it was unfounded and the rumors died down quickly, I just let it go.”
Count Martina's words pierced my blurred consciousness like an arrow.
“But after hearing Your Grace’s story today, I think that maybe the rumor is true.”
Why did I never doubt my father's death?
“Of course, this is just my opinion, which is still unfounded, so you can ignore it.”
It was nothing more than something related to my father's death, so there was no way I could ignore it.
If I had been loyal to the imperial family, and the Emperor had not attempted to take my life, I would have dismissed it as a false rumor.
Having died several times at the hands of the Emperor, I could not just let it go.
Besides, even if it was just a rumor, there must have been a reason for it to spread.
For example, if someone spreads it maliciously.
If that's the case, then their purpose would be to sow discord between the royal family and Duke Leopold's family, so I would have heard about this rumor.
But if you look at it, it was passed around among a few people and then disappeared...
“No matter how much I think about it, that rumor seems to be true.”
“That rumor?”
I thought I was alone, but when I heard someone else's voice, I was startled and looked in that direction.
Then Perdes appeared at the door, holding a tray in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other.
“When did you come?”
"Just now."
Perdes placed the tray he had brought on the table.
There were wet towels on the tray.
“I knocked several times but there was no answer, so I was worried that you might have collapsed, so I just came in. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
"It's okay."
Even if I were Perdes, I would have done the same.
More importantly, no matter how you looked at the clothes Perdes was holding, they were clearly women's indoor clothing.
“Are those clothes mine?”
"that's right."
“This is a servant...”
“I shouldn’t show my injury to the servant, so I brought it myself.”
That's right.
“What is this towel?”
“I brought it so you can clean your body. It’s not good if water gets into your wound.”
Did you even think about that?
“It’ll be hard to clean it since the paralysis hasn’t gone away yet, so I’ll do it for you.”
"It's okay."
I appreciated his consideration for me, but I felt a little embarrassed about him cleaning my body himself.
Because it meant that I had to show my bare skin.
“You're not okay.”
So I refused, but Perdes was stubborn.
“I granted your request earlier, so grant me a favor this time.”
Ha, really.
Once I got past that, I couldn't refuse any longer.
“Then please just do the ones that my hands can’t reach.”
I unbuttoned my blouse, thinking it would be okay to cover my back.
Then Perdes was startled and shut his eyes tightly.
“Why, why are you taking off your clothes?!”
“Well, I have to take off my clothes to wash my back.”
"Ah!"
Judging from his reaction, it seems he's finally realized that fact.
Anyway, he's usually very stubborn, but he shows his fierce side in strange places.
“Ahem. I’m saying this in advance just in case there’s any misunderstanding, but I didn’t have any strange intentions.”
"I know."
If that was his intention, I wouldn't have accepted anything he said.
“That, that back, just a little bit, so, um...”
Seeing Perdes stutter and stammer in embarrassment, I too felt a little embarrassed.
I was also embarrassed.
“You’ll just decide not to do it.”
“No, no! I will. I can do it. Let me do it.”
As Perdes spoke urgently and earnestly, I nodded without realizing it.
Perdes turned around, covering his eyes.
“I’ll turn around, so take it off slowly. Um, so just show me your back.”
"... Yes."
I wasn't nervous before, just a little embarrassed, but now I was really nervous.
My mouth was also very dry.
Since I still can't use my left hand properly, I had some difficulty taking off my clothes.
I couldn't bring myself to ask Perdes for help with something like this, so I groaned and took it off.
Although the waiting time must have been boring, Perdes waited silently.
I put my blouse on backward and turned around, holding onto the back of the sofa so that my back was visible to Perdes.
“It's all done.”
I heard Perdes approaching from behind.
As the warm towel touched my bare skin, my shoulders hunched.
I had to show my back and was embarrassed to look at his face, so I turned away, but for some reason, this felt more embarrassing.
It was fortunate that his bare hands did not touch it.
“There are a lot of bruises on your back. It must hurt.”
“Not at all. And if it’s just a bruise, it’s fine.”
I was ready to give up my left arm, but what could a bruise be?
“I was able to survive thanks to your help, Perdes. Thank you.”
“If you know that you're grateful, take care of yourself from now on.”
I couldn't say that even if it was just empty words, so I changed the subject.
“But how did you get to the capital already?”
It's something I've always been curious about.
“I heard from Leo that you crossed the border two days ago.”
“You already contacted that guy? How?”
“How did I do it? I contacted him using a magic communication ring.”
The space between Perdes' eyebrows narrowed significantly.
“...It wasn’t just that.”
"Yes?"
“No, nothing.”
If you say it's nothing with that expression on your face, who would believe you?
“The capital came with the help of the Great Sage.”
“If he is the great sage, is it the person I saw earlier?”
Oh, it's not a person but a dragon?
“That’s right. I can’t tell you how he helped me, because he asked me to keep it a secret. Sorry.”
"It's okay."
I wasn't particularly curious about that part, but I had a rough idea.
Byblos must have used some magic like teleportation.
Because dragons have unparalleled magical abilities.
It wouldn't have been strange if they had teleported long distances.
Even while we were talking, Perdes was carefully rubbing my back and shoulders.
The touch was very careful as if cleaning broken glass.
“Come to think of it, he and you broke up like that. Are you okay?”
“It’s okay. When he finds out something, he’ll come to me.”
“But he has the bodies of the men who attacked me.”
“That’s true, but... Why? Do you need it?”
I nodded.
“I may not be able to use it as bait after death, but I think I can use it as a warning to the Emperor and the nobles.”
“I understand the Emperor, but who are the nobles?”
“It’s like a warning to everyone. If you attack me, this is what will happen, something like that?”
“Hmm.”
Perdes hesitated for a moment, making a strange noise as if he didn't like something, and then answered.
“Yes. I’ll tell you when the Great Sage comes.”
“Can’t I just contact you right away?”
“I want to do that too, but I have no way to contact you.”
There's no way to contact me?
When I turned around in surprise, Perdes was even more terrified and quickly turned his head away.
The towel he was holding fell to the floor with a thud.
“Those, those, oh, clothes.”
Oh, by the way, I was half-naked.
But my chest area is well covered by my shirt so it shouldn't be visible, so why are you so embarrassed?
I smiled at his innocent appearance, which was a little cute, and turned around again.
“If there is no way to contact you, how can I call you when I need you?”
Ahem, a loud cough was heard behind me.
Perdes said, wiping my back with a fresh towel.
“Hey, next time we meet, I’ll ask you for the communication ring.”
“Yes. If you need a communication ring, just let me know. I’ll give you what I have.”
“If it’s something you have... are you talking about the communication ring that we exchanged?”
"That's right."
“...”
Suddenly the conversation stopped and the towel moved away.
Is it over?
As I tried to turn my head, the towel touched my back again.
“I’ll take care of that part, so don’t worry about it.”
His voice was slightly quieter as if he was angry.
It seems like you don't like me giving the Great Sage a communication ring.
"Is it so."
It's not like I have to give it to you, and I didn't want to force you to give it to me even though you said you didn't want to.
“By the way, what happened to the palace knights?”
“I sent it back.”
“Did you just go back?”
“No way. I insisted on seeing your face and then I drove you out using my status as a Prince.”
He added playfully, "It's a really useful status in normal times, but it's really convenient at times like this."
Fortunately, it seems like your mood has improved.
“And before I chased them away, I took a quick look around, and it seemed like you didn’t know about the attack.”
“I guess so.”
If he had known, he would have made a fuss the moment I left the Count's residence, saying he had to see me.
“Can I ask you a question too?”
“Go ahead.”
“When you reached out to me, you said you would erase the name of the Empire from the continent.”
For the first time, his bare hands touched bare skin.
I turned around in surprise, and Perdes grabbed my shoulder a little harder and asked.
“Does that mean you want to go to war?”
“There are several witnesses who saw the scene where my father was killed by a monster while trying to save His Highness the Crown Prince.”
I also personally saw the statements written by the witnesses.
“But he was murdered? Does that mean someone ordered a monster to pretend to attack the Crown Prince and kill my father?”
“I was curious about that part too, so I looked into it... All of those witnesses were knights escorting His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The moment I heard those words, it felt like someone had hit me on the head with a big hammer.
“So I thought it was a little strange, but since it was unfounded and the rumors died down quickly, I just let it go.”
Count Martina's words pierced my blurred consciousness like an arrow.
“But after hearing Your Grace’s story today, I think that maybe the rumor is true.”
Why did I never doubt my father's death?
“Of course, this is just my opinion, which is still unfounded, so you can ignore it.”
It was nothing more than something related to my father's death, so there was no way I could ignore it.
If I had been loyal to the imperial family, and the Emperor had not attempted to take my life, I would have dismissed it as a false rumor.
Having died several times at the hands of the Emperor, I could not just let it go.
Besides, even if it was just a rumor, there must have been a reason for it to spread.
For example, if someone spreads it maliciously.
If that's the case, then their purpose would be to sow discord between the royal family and Duke Leopold's family, so I would have heard about this rumor.
But if you look at it, it was passed around among a few people and then disappeared...
“No matter how much I think about it, that rumor seems to be true.”
“That rumor?”
I thought I was alone, but when I heard someone else's voice, I was startled and looked in that direction.
Then Perdes appeared at the door, holding a tray in one hand and a bundle of clothes in the other.
“When did you come?”
"Just now."
Perdes placed the tray he had brought on the table.
There were wet towels on the tray.
“I knocked several times but there was no answer, so I was worried that you might have collapsed, so I just came in. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
"It's okay."
Even if I were Perdes, I would have done the same.
More importantly, no matter how you looked at the clothes Perdes was holding, they were clearly women's indoor clothing.
“Are those clothes mine?”
"that's right."
“This is a servant...”
“I shouldn’t show my injury to the servant, so I brought it myself.”
That's right.
“What is this towel?”
“I brought it so you can clean your body. It’s not good if water gets into your wound.”
Did you even think about that?
“It’ll be hard to clean it since the paralysis hasn’t gone away yet, so I’ll do it for you.”
"It's okay."
I appreciated his consideration for me, but I felt a little embarrassed about him cleaning my body himself.
Because it meant that I had to show my bare skin.
“You're not okay.”
So I refused, but Perdes was stubborn.
“I granted your request earlier, so grant me a favor this time.”
Ha, really.
Once I got past that, I couldn't refuse any longer.
“Then please just do the ones that my hands can’t reach.”
I unbuttoned my blouse, thinking it would be okay to cover my back.
Then Perdes was startled and shut his eyes tightly.
“Why, why are you taking off your clothes?!”
“Well, I have to take off my clothes to wash my back.”
"Ah!"
Judging from his reaction, it seems he's finally realized that fact.
Anyway, he's usually very stubborn, but he shows his fierce side in strange places.
“Ahem. I’m saying this in advance just in case there’s any misunderstanding, but I didn’t have any strange intentions.”
"I know."
If that was his intention, I wouldn't have accepted anything he said.
“That, that back, just a little bit, so, um...”
Seeing Perdes stutter and stammer in embarrassment, I too felt a little embarrassed.
I was also embarrassed.
“You’ll just decide not to do it.”
“No, no! I will. I can do it. Let me do it.”
As Perdes spoke urgently and earnestly, I nodded without realizing it.
Perdes turned around, covering his eyes.
“I’ll turn around, so take it off slowly. Um, so just show me your back.”
"... Yes."
I wasn't nervous before, just a little embarrassed, but now I was really nervous.
My mouth was also very dry.
Since I still can't use my left hand properly, I had some difficulty taking off my clothes.
I couldn't bring myself to ask Perdes for help with something like this, so I groaned and took it off.
Although the waiting time must have been boring, Perdes waited silently.
I put my blouse on backward and turned around, holding onto the back of the sofa so that my back was visible to Perdes.
“It's all done.”
I heard Perdes approaching from behind.
As the warm towel touched my bare skin, my shoulders hunched.
I had to show my back and was embarrassed to look at his face, so I turned away, but for some reason, this felt more embarrassing.
It was fortunate that his bare hands did not touch it.
“There are a lot of bruises on your back. It must hurt.”
“Not at all. And if it’s just a bruise, it’s fine.”
I was ready to give up my left arm, but what could a bruise be?
“I was able to survive thanks to your help, Perdes. Thank you.”
“If you know that you're grateful, take care of yourself from now on.”
I couldn't say that even if it was just empty words, so I changed the subject.
“But how did you get to the capital already?”
It's something I've always been curious about.
“I heard from Leo that you crossed the border two days ago.”
“You already contacted that guy? How?”
“How did I do it? I contacted him using a magic communication ring.”
The space between Perdes' eyebrows narrowed significantly.
“...It wasn’t just that.”
"Yes?"
“No, nothing.”
If you say it's nothing with that expression on your face, who would believe you?
“The capital came with the help of the Great Sage.”
“If he is the great sage, is it the person I saw earlier?”
Oh, it's not a person but a dragon?
“That’s right. I can’t tell you how he helped me, because he asked me to keep it a secret. Sorry.”
"It's okay."
I wasn't particularly curious about that part, but I had a rough idea.
Byblos must have used some magic like teleportation.
Because dragons have unparalleled magical abilities.
It wouldn't have been strange if they had teleported long distances.
Even while we were talking, Perdes was carefully rubbing my back and shoulders.
The touch was very careful as if cleaning broken glass.
“Come to think of it, he and you broke up like that. Are you okay?”
“It’s okay. When he finds out something, he’ll come to me.”
“But he has the bodies of the men who attacked me.”
“That’s true, but... Why? Do you need it?”
I nodded.
“I may not be able to use it as bait after death, but I think I can use it as a warning to the Emperor and the nobles.”
“I understand the Emperor, but who are the nobles?”
“It’s like a warning to everyone. If you attack me, this is what will happen, something like that?”
“Hmm.”
Perdes hesitated for a moment, making a strange noise as if he didn't like something, and then answered.
“Yes. I’ll tell you when the Great Sage comes.”
“Can’t I just contact you right away?”
“I want to do that too, but I have no way to contact you.”
There's no way to contact me?
When I turned around in surprise, Perdes was even more terrified and quickly turned his head away.
The towel he was holding fell to the floor with a thud.
“Those, those, oh, clothes.”
Oh, by the way, I was half-naked.
But my chest area is well covered by my shirt so it shouldn't be visible, so why are you so embarrassed?
I smiled at his innocent appearance, which was a little cute, and turned around again.
“If there is no way to contact you, how can I call you when I need you?”
Ahem, a loud cough was heard behind me.
Perdes said, wiping my back with a fresh towel.
“Hey, next time we meet, I’ll ask you for the communication ring.”
“Yes. If you need a communication ring, just let me know. I’ll give you what I have.”
“If it’s something you have... are you talking about the communication ring that we exchanged?”
"That's right."
“...”
Suddenly the conversation stopped and the towel moved away.
Is it over?
As I tried to turn my head, the towel touched my back again.
“I’ll take care of that part, so don’t worry about it.”
His voice was slightly quieter as if he was angry.
It seems like you don't like me giving the Great Sage a communication ring.
"Is it so."
It's not like I have to give it to you, and I didn't want to force you to give it to me even though you said you didn't want to.
“By the way, what happened to the palace knights?”
“I sent it back.”
“Did you just go back?”
“No way. I insisted on seeing your face and then I drove you out using my status as a Prince.”
He added playfully, "It's a really useful status in normal times, but it's really convenient at times like this."
Fortunately, it seems like your mood has improved.
“And before I chased them away, I took a quick look around, and it seemed like you didn’t know about the attack.”
“I guess so.”
If he had known, he would have made a fuss the moment I left the Count's residence, saying he had to see me.
“Can I ask you a question too?”
“Go ahead.”
“When you reached out to me, you said you would erase the name of the Empire from the continent.”
For the first time, his bare hands touched bare skin.
I turned around in surprise, and Perdes grabbed my shoulder a little harder and asked.
“Does that mean you want to go to war?”
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