[Aren't you curious about the loyal dog's whereabouts?]
A note in a box the doctor left behind read:
Loyal dog.
When I saw that word, the Anatome Guard naturally came to mind.
Because loyal dogs were another term for them.
The guys who attacked me were Anatome's personal guards, so are you telling me their whereabouts?
No, that won't be it.
If so, then the person who sent this note was a great sage.
There is no reason for him to send me a note like this, and even if he did, he would have used informal language.
Then who sent it?
As I was contemplating whether I should call the doctor back and ask her again, someone's words suddenly came to mind.
“What a truly loyal and faithful dog.”
“I hope that you will remain a loyal dog and not a dog that bites its owner.”
That's exactly what Duke Lucien said to Sir Aldor.
Could it be that the loyal dog mentioned here refers to Sir Aldor?
That means the person who sent this note was the Duke of Lucien.
“I’ll have to check.”
Is it really true that the Duke of Lucien sent this note?
If it was true, there were many things I wanted to ask, such as why it was sent, what the contents written there meant, etc.
I immediately called the Count's butler and asked him to bring me some going-out clothes.
“I’m going to ride a horse, so please wear comfortable clothes. And please prepare a horse for me and give me the address of the doctor who examined me.”
If the Duke of Lucien is not the culprit, I should ask the doctor about the note, so I should get her address as well.
"All right."
After a while, I changed into the clothes the butler had brought me, put the note with the doctor's address and the unidentified note in my pocket, and left the room.
As the doctor said, the paralysis was now almost gone and he was able to walk on both legs without any difficulty.
On the other hand, my left arm was still numb, but I had no trouble riding the horse as long as I didn't go too fast.
As I was about to leave on horseback, an intruder appeared.
“Your Excellency, where are you planning to go at this hour of the night when you are not feeling well?”
The saboteur was none other than Count Martina.
I guess you've already told your master.
It was the right posture for an employee, but it was a little annoying from my perspective.
“If you have something to do, why don’t you go tomorrow after daybreak?”
“No. I have to go right now.”
If the person who sent that note was not the Duke of Lucien, then we also need to come up with countermeasures for him.
“Then let’s go by carriage.”
“The carriage is too conspicuous, so it’s not good.”
“Then just tell me where you are going.”
“To meet the councilman on that street...”
“If you are simply going to meet the member of parliament, there is no reason for Your Excellency to go in person, right?”
Hmm, I got caught.
It was suspicious behavior to anyone, but it was even stranger that he didn't know about it.
Then what should I do?
“I’m going to meet the Duke of Lucien.”
I thought about it for a moment, then decided to be honest.
“His Excellency the Duke of Lucien at this late hour?”
“Yes. So don’t worry too much.”
But as I was about to mount my horse, leaving Count Martina, who was still worried, behind, another obstacle appeared.
“What's going on?”
This time the troublemaker was Perdes.
Behind him, the great sage also appeared.
I thought we'd been separated in the underground secret passage and I wouldn't see you for a while, but when did you come back?
Count Martina looked at the great sage and pointed at him in surprise.
“Tch, intruder!”
Oh, by the way, this is the first time Count Martina has seen the Great Sage.
“Call security immediately and remove the intruder...!”
“Don’t worry, Count, he is my acquaintance.”
As Perdes defended the great sage in a calm voice, Count Martina, who had been stamping her feet, froze.
He just rolled his eyes and looked at Perdes.
“His Highness the Prince’s... acquaintance?”
“Yes. I should have informed the Count, the owner of the mansion, that my acquaintance was coming, but I didn’t. I apologize.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine, Your Highness.”
Contrary to his words that it was okay, the Count's gaze toward the great sage was filled with doubt and confusion.
Then the great sage shrugged his shoulders and said to Perdes.
“I think it would be better for me to leave for a moment.”
And then disappeared into the darkness without a sound.
Count Martina's eyes widened once again at his ghostly steps.
“So what happened?”
Then Perdes asked Count Martina again as if telling him not to pay any more attention to the great sage.
“That is Your Excellency the Duke...”
“Countess Martina.”
I called Count Martina, meaning not to speak.
As soon as the quick-witted Count shut his mouth, this time Perdes stabbed him.
"Say it."
“Don't talk.”
“I told you to tell me.”
A useless fight broke out.
The funny thing is, even while we were fighting, Perdes never looked in my direction once.
Obvious disregard.
I know I did something that deserved to be ignored, but I still felt a little bit bad.
“..."
Count Martina, who was suddenly caught between me and Perdes, stuck her neck out and looked at us.
I didn't want to embarrass Count Martina, but I couldn't back down.
Because I didn't want Perdes to know what I was doing.
I was about to leave after firmly telling the Count never to tell anyone when Perdes asked me.
“Does Countess Martina think that I, the Prince, am of equal status to Duke Leopold?”
“Oh, no. How could that be!”
“But why are you hesitating over which order you should follow, mine or Duke Leopold’s? Are you ignoring me?”
It was the moment when the momentum of the tense battle shifted sharply towards Perdes.
Seeing Perdes come out like that, Count Martina had no choice but to open his mouth while watching me.
“That’s because His Excellency the Duke suddenly said he would go out, so I was trying to stop her.”
"Outing?"
“Yes. She's going to see His Excellency the Duke of Lucien...”
Oh, I shouldn't have told the truth.
I thought Count Martina was too worried, so I tried to reassure him, but that was the cause of the trouble.
“You’re going to meet the Duke of Lucien at this hour?”
Only then did my image appear in his golden eyes.
I was a little upset when Perdes ignored me, but when I actually looked at him, I felt nervous.
But I acted calm and met his gaze.
“...”
“...”
But since neither Perdes nor I opened our mouths, a heavy, awkward silence flowed between him and me.
“Ugh, ugh.”
At this, Count Martina coughed loudly as if trying to lighten the mood.
“Then I will be going now, so you two can talk comfortably.”
...That’s not it, was it running away?
While watching Count Martina's back, who was hurriedly disappearing as if someone was chasing him, looking somewhat bewildered, Perdes asked.
“Why is that guy suddenly going to meet me?”
I turned my head and looked at Perdes.
The moment I met his dark, golden eyes, my mouth went dry, and cold sweat ran down my back.
My breathing was ragged as if someone had choked me, but I forced my voice out and answered.
“...That’s not something that Mr. Perdes should be concerned about.”
"Why?"
“Well...”
“Is it because our contract is over?”
Why did you ask if you already knew?
When I nodded silently, Perdes laughed vainly and shook his head.
“You know what, Adele?”
As Perdes approached, his shadow covered me like a large net.
“Our contract may be over, but our engagement is not over yet.”
I wanted to run away, but I couldn't run away.
“So I still have the authority to care about your business.”
“..”
“If you go out alone at that hour to meet a man, you should be even more careful.”
He picked up a handful of my hair that had fallen over my shoulders and kissed it.
“I am your fiancé, and you are my fiancée.”
The breath that softly echoed over my hair was hot.
The gaze fixed on me was even hotter than that.
I lowered my head to avoid his gaze.
I wanted to say something in rebuttal, but I couldn't because every word of what he said was true.
“So tell me.”
But that doesn't mean I can just ignore it.
You must never say that.
“Why do you want to meet the Duke of Lucien?”
“...A note arrived.”
My head thought so, but my mouth moved on its own.
“I think the Duke of Lucien sent me a strange note... I’m going to check to see if it’s true.”
“A strange note?”
I nodded, took out the note I had kept in my pocket, and showed it to him.
It's probably easier to understand if he sees it for himself than to have it explained in words.
Perdes looked over the note and tilted his head.
“How did you know that the person who sent this note was the Duke of Lucien? Did a messenger tell you?”
“No. It’s because of that word, loyal dog.”
“Loyal dog?”
“Yes. Duke Lucien once called Sir Aldor a loyal dog. He said he hoped he would remain a loyal dog and not a dog that bites its master.”
"What?"
For a moment, Perdes's eyebrows narrowed.
“Does that mean that guy betrayed you?”
“No, that’s absolutely not true.”
Perdes pursed his lips as if he was displeased with my firm denial.
“You seem to trust that guy quite a bit.”
“Of course. Sir Aldor is a knight who has sworn loyalty to me.”
“Then me?”
Yes?
“How much do you believe?”
A note in a box the doctor left behind read:
Loyal dog.
When I saw that word, the Anatome Guard naturally came to mind.
Because loyal dogs were another term for them.
The guys who attacked me were Anatome's personal guards, so are you telling me their whereabouts?
No, that won't be it.
If so, then the person who sent this note was a great sage.
There is no reason for him to send me a note like this, and even if he did, he would have used informal language.
Then who sent it?
As I was contemplating whether I should call the doctor back and ask her again, someone's words suddenly came to mind.
“What a truly loyal and faithful dog.”
“I hope that you will remain a loyal dog and not a dog that bites its owner.”
That's exactly what Duke Lucien said to Sir Aldor.
Could it be that the loyal dog mentioned here refers to Sir Aldor?
That means the person who sent this note was the Duke of Lucien.
“I’ll have to check.”
Is it really true that the Duke of Lucien sent this note?
If it was true, there were many things I wanted to ask, such as why it was sent, what the contents written there meant, etc.
I immediately called the Count's butler and asked him to bring me some going-out clothes.
“I’m going to ride a horse, so please wear comfortable clothes. And please prepare a horse for me and give me the address of the doctor who examined me.”
If the Duke of Lucien is not the culprit, I should ask the doctor about the note, so I should get her address as well.
"All right."
After a while, I changed into the clothes the butler had brought me, put the note with the doctor's address and the unidentified note in my pocket, and left the room.
As the doctor said, the paralysis was now almost gone and he was able to walk on both legs without any difficulty.
On the other hand, my left arm was still numb, but I had no trouble riding the horse as long as I didn't go too fast.
As I was about to leave on horseback, an intruder appeared.
“Your Excellency, where are you planning to go at this hour of the night when you are not feeling well?”
The saboteur was none other than Count Martina.
I guess you've already told your master.
It was the right posture for an employee, but it was a little annoying from my perspective.
“If you have something to do, why don’t you go tomorrow after daybreak?”
“No. I have to go right now.”
If the person who sent that note was not the Duke of Lucien, then we also need to come up with countermeasures for him.
“Then let’s go by carriage.”
“The carriage is too conspicuous, so it’s not good.”
“Then just tell me where you are going.”
“To meet the councilman on that street...”
“If you are simply going to meet the member of parliament, there is no reason for Your Excellency to go in person, right?”
Hmm, I got caught.
It was suspicious behavior to anyone, but it was even stranger that he didn't know about it.
Then what should I do?
“I’m going to meet the Duke of Lucien.”
I thought about it for a moment, then decided to be honest.
“His Excellency the Duke of Lucien at this late hour?”
“Yes. So don’t worry too much.”
But as I was about to mount my horse, leaving Count Martina, who was still worried, behind, another obstacle appeared.
“What's going on?”
This time the troublemaker was Perdes.
Behind him, the great sage also appeared.
I thought we'd been separated in the underground secret passage and I wouldn't see you for a while, but when did you come back?
Count Martina looked at the great sage and pointed at him in surprise.
“Tch, intruder!”
Oh, by the way, this is the first time Count Martina has seen the Great Sage.
“Call security immediately and remove the intruder...!”
“Don’t worry, Count, he is my acquaintance.”
As Perdes defended the great sage in a calm voice, Count Martina, who had been stamping her feet, froze.
He just rolled his eyes and looked at Perdes.
“His Highness the Prince’s... acquaintance?”
“Yes. I should have informed the Count, the owner of the mansion, that my acquaintance was coming, but I didn’t. I apologize.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine, Your Highness.”
Contrary to his words that it was okay, the Count's gaze toward the great sage was filled with doubt and confusion.
Then the great sage shrugged his shoulders and said to Perdes.
“I think it would be better for me to leave for a moment.”
And then disappeared into the darkness without a sound.
Count Martina's eyes widened once again at his ghostly steps.
“So what happened?”
Then Perdes asked Count Martina again as if telling him not to pay any more attention to the great sage.
“That is Your Excellency the Duke...”
“Countess Martina.”
I called Count Martina, meaning not to speak.
As soon as the quick-witted Count shut his mouth, this time Perdes stabbed him.
"Say it."
“Don't talk.”
“I told you to tell me.”
A useless fight broke out.
The funny thing is, even while we were fighting, Perdes never looked in my direction once.
Obvious disregard.
I know I did something that deserved to be ignored, but I still felt a little bit bad.
“..."
Count Martina, who was suddenly caught between me and Perdes, stuck her neck out and looked at us.
I didn't want to embarrass Count Martina, but I couldn't back down.
Because I didn't want Perdes to know what I was doing.
I was about to leave after firmly telling the Count never to tell anyone when Perdes asked me.
“Does Countess Martina think that I, the Prince, am of equal status to Duke Leopold?”
“Oh, no. How could that be!”
“But why are you hesitating over which order you should follow, mine or Duke Leopold’s? Are you ignoring me?”
It was the moment when the momentum of the tense battle shifted sharply towards Perdes.
Seeing Perdes come out like that, Count Martina had no choice but to open his mouth while watching me.
“That’s because His Excellency the Duke suddenly said he would go out, so I was trying to stop her.”
"Outing?"
“Yes. She's going to see His Excellency the Duke of Lucien...”
Oh, I shouldn't have told the truth.
I thought Count Martina was too worried, so I tried to reassure him, but that was the cause of the trouble.
“You’re going to meet the Duke of Lucien at this hour?”
Only then did my image appear in his golden eyes.
I was a little upset when Perdes ignored me, but when I actually looked at him, I felt nervous.
But I acted calm and met his gaze.
“...”
“...”
But since neither Perdes nor I opened our mouths, a heavy, awkward silence flowed between him and me.
“Ugh, ugh.”
At this, Count Martina coughed loudly as if trying to lighten the mood.
“Then I will be going now, so you two can talk comfortably.”
...That’s not it, was it running away?
While watching Count Martina's back, who was hurriedly disappearing as if someone was chasing him, looking somewhat bewildered, Perdes asked.
“Why is that guy suddenly going to meet me?”
I turned my head and looked at Perdes.
The moment I met his dark, golden eyes, my mouth went dry, and cold sweat ran down my back.
My breathing was ragged as if someone had choked me, but I forced my voice out and answered.
“...That’s not something that Mr. Perdes should be concerned about.”
"Why?"
“Well...”
“Is it because our contract is over?”
Why did you ask if you already knew?
When I nodded silently, Perdes laughed vainly and shook his head.
“You know what, Adele?”
As Perdes approached, his shadow covered me like a large net.
“Our contract may be over, but our engagement is not over yet.”
I wanted to run away, but I couldn't run away.
“So I still have the authority to care about your business.”
“..”
“If you go out alone at that hour to meet a man, you should be even more careful.”
He picked up a handful of my hair that had fallen over my shoulders and kissed it.
“I am your fiancé, and you are my fiancée.”
The breath that softly echoed over my hair was hot.
The gaze fixed on me was even hotter than that.
I lowered my head to avoid his gaze.
I wanted to say something in rebuttal, but I couldn't because every word of what he said was true.
“So tell me.”
But that doesn't mean I can just ignore it.
You must never say that.
“Why do you want to meet the Duke of Lucien?”
“...A note arrived.”
My head thought so, but my mouth moved on its own.
“I think the Duke of Lucien sent me a strange note... I’m going to check to see if it’s true.”
“A strange note?”
I nodded, took out the note I had kept in my pocket, and showed it to him.
It's probably easier to understand if he sees it for himself than to have it explained in words.
Perdes looked over the note and tilted his head.
“How did you know that the person who sent this note was the Duke of Lucien? Did a messenger tell you?”
“No. It’s because of that word, loyal dog.”
“Loyal dog?”
“Yes. Duke Lucien once called Sir Aldor a loyal dog. He said he hoped he would remain a loyal dog and not a dog that bites its master.”
"What?"
For a moment, Perdes's eyebrows narrowed.
“Does that mean that guy betrayed you?”
“No, that’s absolutely not true.”
Perdes pursed his lips as if he was displeased with my firm denial.
“You seem to trust that guy quite a bit.”
“Of course. Sir Aldor is a knight who has sworn loyalty to me.”
“Then me?”
Yes?
“How much do you believe?”
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