Why the sudden apple?
“I’m sorry for lying to you. I fully understand why you don’t trust me.”
Oh, I guess I misunderstood because I hesitated.
I should have told him that it wasn't like that, that I was just worried, but strangely, my mouth wouldn't open.
Why? Why can't I say anything?
“I know it’s shameless to say something like that on such a topic, but... Can you still trust me one more time?”
While I was standing there like an idiot, unable to understand anything, Perdes' earnest voice continued.
“This time, I won’t lie. I’ll tell you everything I know, without leaving out a single period, so trust me one more time.”
At that moment, I realized clearly why I couldn't say anything.
I guess I was afraid that Perdes would lie again.
Of course, I knew it was for my own good.
If I were Perdes, I would have made the same choice.
But that doesn't change the fact that he lied.
Betrayal is also a kind of lie, so a vague fear of it held me tightly by the throat and would not let go.
“Adele.”
But I have to believe.
No, I wanted to believe it.
If I couldn't even believe that, I would have been too anxious to do anything.
I nodded, because more than anything, I had no time or mental space left.
"Is it so."
Perdes' expression brightened significantly.
He smiled broadly, his lips pursed, and then he hugged me tightly.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
I took a deep breath as I was suddenly held in his arms.
Then, a familiar scent penetrated deep into my lungs, stirring up emotions I had been trying to ignore.
A feeling that is both unfamiliar and familiar, yet one that must never be realized.
“Let go, let go!”
As soon as that feeling started to awaken, I was startled and pushed him away.
Perhaps because I pushed harder than I had thought, Perdes fell flat on his butt.
“Oh my god. Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s okay.”
Perdes stood up, dusting himself off as if nothing had happened.
Judging from the way he's frowning, something doesn't seem right.
“I’m sorry. I was so surprised that...”
“No. Rather, I feel sorry for suddenly hugging you.”
"I have nothing to say even if I get beaten up as a sexual harasser," Perdes said playfully and laughed.
Thanks to that, I was able to laugh comfortably.
“You said you were going to see the Duke of Lucien?”
“Yeah. I think I need to meet the Duke first to get information about the man.”
“You can just go to the central hall. They’ll be having a meeting about the budget for the recapture battle.”
“Aha, thanks for the great information. I almost ended up going all the way to the Duke of Lucien’s residence.”
“No. Are you really okay with that?”
"What?"
“I’m talking about finding Sir Aldor.”
Perdes frowned.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Perdes, or anything, I just asked because I was worried.”
I waved my hand hurriedly so that he wouldn't misunderstand.
“It could be extremely dangerous, and you don’t have much time, either, Perdes.”
Because Perdes was the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Knights.
He too had to lead the Imperial Knights to the Western Territory tomorrow.
“I was going to give up my position as Commander-in-Chief because of that.”
“It’s impossible. The Emperor would never permit it.”
“I just have to create a situation where he has no choice but to allow it.”
“Is that possible?”
When I asked curiously, Perdes smiled, his lips smoothly curling upward.
“Of course it is possible.”
A playful yet meaningful smile.
“If I do it like this, it will work.”
“Ahem.”
Viscount Corum looked up at the Palace of Spring, coughing in vain, his expression clearly showing his discomfort.
As a low-ranking official in the Marshal's Office, he was very busy with the recapture battle, but he came here to hand over a document summarizing the meeting contents to Perdes.
“I’ll just sit there quietly.”
He has pride in himself, but he kicks himself out in the middle of a meeting.
“Anyway, I don’t like the Prince.”
Viscount Corum sighed repeatedly, not liking the idea of having to bow down to such a Prince.
'I'll just throw the documents at him and go back quickly.'
He entered the Palace of Spring with that thought in mind.
“Everyone, catch them now!”
“Your Highness! Please stop!”
A small commotion was heard from inside the Palace of Spring.
'What's going on?'
Judging by the way he shouts "Your Highness the Prince", it seems like Perdes has been in some kind of accident.
Viscount Corum turned toward the sound.
Then he saw Perdes running down the hallway, his clothes half-open and his hair disheveled like a magpie's nest.
Behind him, the courtiers followed, astonished.
'Hey, what's that!'
Viscount Corum froze, his mouth wide open, at the bizarre sight he had never seen before.
Perdes, who had run up to Viscount Corum without realizing it, smiled with his lips tilted slanted, then took all the documents he was holding.
“It’s snow!”
Then he tore the papers to shreds and scattered them into the sky like snow.
“Oh, no!”
Viscount Corum, who came to his senses late, snatched the documents back, but more than half of them were already torn.
At this, Viscount Corum screamed and fell to the floor, and Perdes held his stomach and burst into laughter as if he found Viscount Corum amusing.
“I finally got it!”
“Please return to your room, Your Highness!”
“Is the Imperial Palace still far away?”
The courtiers, who were able to put an end to the tiresome game of tag thanks to the sacrifice of the documents, quickly took Perdes back.
Another courtier picked up the pieces of paper that had fallen to the floor and handed them to Viscount Corum.
“Are you alright, Your Grace?”
“...Not okay at all.”
It couldn't be okay if the documents he had worked hard on for hours suddenly became scraps of paper.
“What the hell was that just now! Why on earth would His Highness the Fourth Prince do something so crazy...!”
“We will have to have the palace doctor examine him to know for sure, but looking at the current situation, it seems like his dementia has returned.”
Idiotism.
The commander-in-chief who is supposed to lead the Imperial Knights into battle for recapture tomorrow is an idiot!
Of course, Perdes would do nothing and just stand there like a banner for a battle force, but still, the commander-in-chief being afflicted with idiocy was a fatal flaw that could never be tolerated.
“We need to call a meeting right now.”
Viscount Corum looked shocked and hurried to the central palace.
About an hour later, rumors spread throughout the palace that the 4th Prince had fallen into a state of dementia again.
Less than an hour after the rumor spread, the Emperor changed the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Knights from Perdes to the Crown Prince.
Since Perdes couldn't go, I expected one of the other Princes to go, but I never thought it would be the Crown Prince.
“That’s unexpected.”
Perdes responded to what I muttered to myself.
“That’s right. I thought the Third Prince would go.”
“I am the 5th Prince. The 3rd Prince received a Marquis title and left the palace, so it would be awkward to send him away.”
“That’s true. If we send the Third Prince away for no reason and he achieves some merit, it will end up giving great power to the Marquis.”
Even if it was a family that was close to the imperial line, having great power in a noble family was not a very good thing for the imperial family.
That's why I was even more surprised when the Emperor appointed Perdes as commander-in-chief.
“Anyway, it’s fortunate that the Crown Prince, who was so suspicious, is going to war. It’s easy to monitor him on the battlefield.”
“Are you trying to monitor him yourself?”
“I’ll just attach people to it. If the Crown Prince moves, there will be many people to attend to him.”
Perdes nodded as if agreeing with my opinion.
“Be careful not to get caught.”
“You say what I want to say.”
“I see.”
Perhaps embarrassed, he smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“More than that, didn’t you say that Sir Aaron was chasing the Crown Prince?”
“To be exact, I was chasing that man, and then the Crown Prince showed up at that place.”
“So the Crown Prince and Sir Aldor are together?”
“Perhaps. If the man really was afflicted with Diabolos, then the caster would be the Emperor.”
[Is the Emperor not human?]
When a familiar voice suddenly pierced my mind, I looked around in surprise.
“What was that voice just now?”
Perdes also heard it and looked around in surprise.
“It sounded like Byblos’s voice.”
“That’s right. He's talking to me through a fairy.”
“A fairy?”
[Yes, it's a fairy.]
Once again, a voice burrowed into my head and the doll sitting on the fireplace moved.
[You know right away.]
Oh, it wasn't a doll, but the fairy of the great sage.
The great sage, fluttering his short wings, flew in and sat on Perdes' shoulder.
[So, that Emperor guy isn't human?]
“As far as I know, it’s human.”
Perdes answered.
“As proof, I am human, his son.”
[Then the one who cast Diabolos wasn't the Emperor. Humans can't cast Diabolos in the first place.]
“Then who is the culprit? There is no one else who could be the culprit besides the Emperor.”
Even so, only the Emperor could control the Anatome Guard.
When I asked in bewilderment why such an Emperor was not the culprit, the great sage clicked his tongue.
[I said there was no way the Emperor would cast Diabolos, I never said he wasn't the culprit.]
“What does that mean?”
Unlike me, who did not understand the words of the great sage, Perdes asked back with a stiff face.
“Could it be... that the Emperor made a pact with the devil?”
“I’m sorry for lying to you. I fully understand why you don’t trust me.”
Oh, I guess I misunderstood because I hesitated.
I should have told him that it wasn't like that, that I was just worried, but strangely, my mouth wouldn't open.
Why? Why can't I say anything?
“I know it’s shameless to say something like that on such a topic, but... Can you still trust me one more time?”
While I was standing there like an idiot, unable to understand anything, Perdes' earnest voice continued.
“This time, I won’t lie. I’ll tell you everything I know, without leaving out a single period, so trust me one more time.”
At that moment, I realized clearly why I couldn't say anything.
I guess I was afraid that Perdes would lie again.
Of course, I knew it was for my own good.
If I were Perdes, I would have made the same choice.
But that doesn't change the fact that he lied.
Betrayal is also a kind of lie, so a vague fear of it held me tightly by the throat and would not let go.
“Adele.”
But I have to believe.
No, I wanted to believe it.
If I couldn't even believe that, I would have been too anxious to do anything.
I nodded, because more than anything, I had no time or mental space left.
"Is it so."
Perdes' expression brightened significantly.
He smiled broadly, his lips pursed, and then he hugged me tightly.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
I took a deep breath as I was suddenly held in his arms.
Then, a familiar scent penetrated deep into my lungs, stirring up emotions I had been trying to ignore.
A feeling that is both unfamiliar and familiar, yet one that must never be realized.
“Let go, let go!”
As soon as that feeling started to awaken, I was startled and pushed him away.
Perhaps because I pushed harder than I had thought, Perdes fell flat on his butt.
“Oh my god. Are you okay?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s okay.”
Perdes stood up, dusting himself off as if nothing had happened.
Judging from the way he's frowning, something doesn't seem right.
“I’m sorry. I was so surprised that...”
“No. Rather, I feel sorry for suddenly hugging you.”
"I have nothing to say even if I get beaten up as a sexual harasser," Perdes said playfully and laughed.
Thanks to that, I was able to laugh comfortably.
“You said you were going to see the Duke of Lucien?”
“Yeah. I think I need to meet the Duke first to get information about the man.”
“You can just go to the central hall. They’ll be having a meeting about the budget for the recapture battle.”
“Aha, thanks for the great information. I almost ended up going all the way to the Duke of Lucien’s residence.”
“No. Are you really okay with that?”
"What?"
“I’m talking about finding Sir Aldor.”
Perdes frowned.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Perdes, or anything, I just asked because I was worried.”
I waved my hand hurriedly so that he wouldn't misunderstand.
“It could be extremely dangerous, and you don’t have much time, either, Perdes.”
Because Perdes was the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Knights.
He too had to lead the Imperial Knights to the Western Territory tomorrow.
“I was going to give up my position as Commander-in-Chief because of that.”
“It’s impossible. The Emperor would never permit it.”
“I just have to create a situation where he has no choice but to allow it.”
“Is that possible?”
When I asked curiously, Perdes smiled, his lips smoothly curling upward.
“Of course it is possible.”
A playful yet meaningful smile.
“If I do it like this, it will work.”
***
“Ahem.”
Viscount Corum looked up at the Palace of Spring, coughing in vain, his expression clearly showing his discomfort.
As a low-ranking official in the Marshal's Office, he was very busy with the recapture battle, but he came here to hand over a document summarizing the meeting contents to Perdes.
“I’ll just sit there quietly.”
He has pride in himself, but he kicks himself out in the middle of a meeting.
“Anyway, I don’t like the Prince.”
Viscount Corum sighed repeatedly, not liking the idea of having to bow down to such a Prince.
'I'll just throw the documents at him and go back quickly.'
He entered the Palace of Spring with that thought in mind.
“Everyone, catch them now!”
“Your Highness! Please stop!”
A small commotion was heard from inside the Palace of Spring.
'What's going on?'
Judging by the way he shouts "Your Highness the Prince", it seems like Perdes has been in some kind of accident.
Viscount Corum turned toward the sound.
Then he saw Perdes running down the hallway, his clothes half-open and his hair disheveled like a magpie's nest.
Behind him, the courtiers followed, astonished.
'Hey, what's that!'
Viscount Corum froze, his mouth wide open, at the bizarre sight he had never seen before.
Perdes, who had run up to Viscount Corum without realizing it, smiled with his lips tilted slanted, then took all the documents he was holding.
“It’s snow!”
Then he tore the papers to shreds and scattered them into the sky like snow.
“Oh, no!”
Viscount Corum, who came to his senses late, snatched the documents back, but more than half of them were already torn.
At this, Viscount Corum screamed and fell to the floor, and Perdes held his stomach and burst into laughter as if he found Viscount Corum amusing.
“I finally got it!”
“Please return to your room, Your Highness!”
“Is the Imperial Palace still far away?”
The courtiers, who were able to put an end to the tiresome game of tag thanks to the sacrifice of the documents, quickly took Perdes back.
Another courtier picked up the pieces of paper that had fallen to the floor and handed them to Viscount Corum.
“Are you alright, Your Grace?”
“...Not okay at all.”
It couldn't be okay if the documents he had worked hard on for hours suddenly became scraps of paper.
“What the hell was that just now! Why on earth would His Highness the Fourth Prince do something so crazy...!”
“We will have to have the palace doctor examine him to know for sure, but looking at the current situation, it seems like his dementia has returned.”
Idiotism.
The commander-in-chief who is supposed to lead the Imperial Knights into battle for recapture tomorrow is an idiot!
Of course, Perdes would do nothing and just stand there like a banner for a battle force, but still, the commander-in-chief being afflicted with idiocy was a fatal flaw that could never be tolerated.
“We need to call a meeting right now.”
Viscount Corum looked shocked and hurried to the central palace.
About an hour later, rumors spread throughout the palace that the 4th Prince had fallen into a state of dementia again.
Less than an hour after the rumor spread, the Emperor changed the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Knights from Perdes to the Crown Prince.
***
Since Perdes couldn't go, I expected one of the other Princes to go, but I never thought it would be the Crown Prince.
“That’s unexpected.”
Perdes responded to what I muttered to myself.
“That’s right. I thought the Third Prince would go.”
“I am the 5th Prince. The 3rd Prince received a Marquis title and left the palace, so it would be awkward to send him away.”
“That’s true. If we send the Third Prince away for no reason and he achieves some merit, it will end up giving great power to the Marquis.”
Even if it was a family that was close to the imperial line, having great power in a noble family was not a very good thing for the imperial family.
That's why I was even more surprised when the Emperor appointed Perdes as commander-in-chief.
“Anyway, it’s fortunate that the Crown Prince, who was so suspicious, is going to war. It’s easy to monitor him on the battlefield.”
“Are you trying to monitor him yourself?”
“I’ll just attach people to it. If the Crown Prince moves, there will be many people to attend to him.”
Perdes nodded as if agreeing with my opinion.
“Be careful not to get caught.”
“You say what I want to say.”
“I see.”
Perhaps embarrassed, he smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“More than that, didn’t you say that Sir Aaron was chasing the Crown Prince?”
“To be exact, I was chasing that man, and then the Crown Prince showed up at that place.”
“So the Crown Prince and Sir Aldor are together?”
“Perhaps. If the man really was afflicted with Diabolos, then the caster would be the Emperor.”
[Is the Emperor not human?]
When a familiar voice suddenly pierced my mind, I looked around in surprise.
“What was that voice just now?”
Perdes also heard it and looked around in surprise.
“It sounded like Byblos’s voice.”
“That’s right. He's talking to me through a fairy.”
“A fairy?”
[Yes, it's a fairy.]
Once again, a voice burrowed into my head and the doll sitting on the fireplace moved.
[You know right away.]
Oh, it wasn't a doll, but the fairy of the great sage.
The great sage, fluttering his short wings, flew in and sat on Perdes' shoulder.
[So, that Emperor guy isn't human?]
“As far as I know, it’s human.”
Perdes answered.
“As proof, I am human, his son.”
[Then the one who cast Diabolos wasn't the Emperor. Humans can't cast Diabolos in the first place.]
“Then who is the culprit? There is no one else who could be the culprit besides the Emperor.”
Even so, only the Emperor could control the Anatome Guard.
When I asked in bewilderment why such an Emperor was not the culprit, the great sage clicked his tongue.
[I said there was no way the Emperor would cast Diabolos, I never said he wasn't the culprit.]
“What does that mean?”
Unlike me, who did not understand the words of the great sage, Perdes asked back with a stiff face.
“Could it be... that the Emperor made a pact with the devil?”
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