I stared intently at the antidote on the tea table before opening my mouth.
“So... is it true that Hetor really took the obedience potion?”
“It seems the Magic Tower Master’s disciple created and handed over the obedience potion under Roxana’s threat.”
“!”
“That’s Bonis’s father, right? Logan?”
“Yes...”
“Logan is suffering from guilt. The Magic Tower Master didn’t look too happy either.”
My heart sank as I recalled Bonis’s last face.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes... Logan must have had no choice but to face Roxana’s threats. I feel bad.”
“Of course. Since it’s Melanie’s birthday, you can go to Melanie’s palace tomorrow and meet Hetor and tell him.”
“That would be good. It’d be much safer than meeting Hetor separately. We can avoid the eyes of Roxana or Emperor Adrian.”
Linel nodded.
He tried to put the antidote back in his uniform pocket.
I held out my hand to him and said,
“Please, I’ll give it to Hetor tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll go with you.”
“Really? Do you have time for that?”
“I have time to celebrate Melanie's birthday,”
He replied with a smile.
At that moment, the antidote bottle, which had been safely on the table, toppled over and started rolling away.
“Huh...?!”
I quickly reached out, but the antidote had already fallen under the table, and I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a short scream.
But...
“Whew! Your best friend almost scolded me.”
I looked away at his words.
Fortunately, he snatched the antidote bottle before it hit the marble floor.
“Uh... why would the perfectly fine antidote suddenly fall?”
“I see. Oh, this feels ominous...”
Linel said, wrapping the antidote bottle in a handkerchief and putting it in the nightstand drawer.
After Zelda left Empress Elan’s room, Moiya did not follow her orders.
“Master told me to get out of that silver hairtail right away, but I’ll be out in a bit. I have work to do.”
Moiya clenched hia fists and suddenly started hitting Emperor Adrian on the head.
“Bad guys, bad guys, bad guys deserve to be hit!”
“...Mo, Moiya, what are you doing?”
Empress Elan asked in surprise.
“Elan is going to get revenge on him, right, Moiya~?”
“Huh? Then let’s make Elan’s neck look exactly like that wound! No. Elan, where’s the sword that silver hairtail used? Why don’t we just kill him? Moni~?”
At Moiya’s words, Moni flew around Empress Elan’s room, searching for a dagger.
“Thank you for thinking of me, but that won’t do.”
“That’s right. If we kill him here, Elan won’t be dragged to prison, Moiya~?”
Pecilini, as if he had been waiting for the troubled expression of Grand Duke Martins, quickly opened his mouth.
“I know what you are worried about, Grand Duke! I will never use my child to claim the throne or be greedy for anything else! I swear on my life!”
Pecilini desperately clung to Grand Duke Martins.
“If you ever suspect me or my child of harboring even the slightest impure intentions, then kill us without mercy.”
“Your Highness, coming to the Kingdom of Shattonil is not a matter for me to decide alone.”
Grand Duke Martins finally finished his contemplation and spoke.
“Then...”
“I will discuss it with His Majesty Linel and then decide. Please stand up.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Pecilini staggered to his feet.
“Let’s go before the sun rises.”
“Yes.”
Before opening the door, Pecilini turned back to Grand Duke Martins and stared at him blankly.
“What is that?”
“With all due respect... Ah, no. Nothing.”
Pecilini started to say something, but closed her mouth.
“Go ahead.”
“Later. We’ll have another chance to talk on the way to the Pasha Empire, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s important to me, so I think I can tell you later, Grand Duke.”
Pecilini smiled faintly.
Grand Duke Martins, who had been absent-minded, became curious.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
Pecilini politely apologized, put the hood of her robe over her head, and left the room.
Judging by her smile, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
“What, what were you talking about that you stopped talking about...?”
Grand Duke Martins scratched his head, feeling uneasy.
The next day, Linel and I headed to Melanie’s palace after lunch.
Before meeting Melanie, we first visited Hetor.
Hetor was quite taken aback by the sudden visit.
I told him to come into his room, as I couldn’t turn the Emperor away, but the suspicious expression on his face remained.
As soon as Linel sat down, he explained why he had come.
“I should have come with the Magic Tower Master, but as you know, eyes are watching me.”
He placed the antidote on the table and said.
“What is this?”
“Antidotes to the obedience potion.”
“Are you saying I... have taken the obedience potion?”
Hetor’s expressionless face crumpled.
“You must have noticed, right? Then you would have gone to the Magic Tower Master and asked him.”
“...”
Linel pushed the vial of antidote a little closer to Hetor and continued.
“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. The Magic Tower Master heard it directly from his disciple, so it must be true. Let him explain in detail, but first, drink the antidote.”
At that moment, Hetor’s door swung open.
It was Melanie, dressed as if she were celebrating her birthday.
“Aren’t you here to celebrate my birthday?”
“...That’s right. I was just about to leave.”
I concealed my embarrassment and smiled brightly at Melanie.
“But why are you all here? Huh? What’s this?”
Melanie picked up the antidote in front of Hetor.
“T-that’s... a tonic!”
Linel blurted out after a moment’s hesitation.
“Really?”
Melanie asked, examining the bottle of antidote.
“Of course! It was specially made by the Magic Tower Master to increase the stamina of the escort knights. Hahaha.”
Linel offered a plausible lie, and I nodded diligently beside him.
“Don’t you have any for me? I’m running low on stamina, too. And it’s my birthday...”
“No,”
Linel said flatly.
Melanie’s lips began to protrude like a duck’s, and she said with a look of determination,
“Then I’ll drink this.”
“What?”
“Why?”
Linel and I asked at the same time.
“I wanted to eat something healthy before leaving for the Pasha Empire, so this is great. I’ll consider this my birthday present.”
Melanie said, uncorking the potion.
"Melanie, I'll make you one separately...!"
I quickly stood up and reached out to snatch the antidote.
But Melanie quickly stepped back and gulped it down in one gulp.
"No! Don't swallow it!!"
Melanie blinked at my shout.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like she'd swallowed the antidote yet.
"Hey, what are you just looking at!"
This time, he pressed Hetor.
"...Huh, huh?"
"Get it now! Hurry!"
“So... is it true that Hetor really took the obedience potion?”
“It seems the Magic Tower Master’s disciple created and handed over the obedience potion under Roxana’s threat.”
“!”
“That’s Bonis’s father, right? Logan?”
“Yes...”
“Logan is suffering from guilt. The Magic Tower Master didn’t look too happy either.”
My heart sank as I recalled Bonis’s last face.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes... Logan must have had no choice but to face Roxana’s threats. I feel bad.”
“Of course. Since it’s Melanie’s birthday, you can go to Melanie’s palace tomorrow and meet Hetor and tell him.”
“That would be good. It’d be much safer than meeting Hetor separately. We can avoid the eyes of Roxana or Emperor Adrian.”
Linel nodded.
He tried to put the antidote back in his uniform pocket.
I held out my hand to him and said,
“Please, I’ll give it to Hetor tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll go with you.”
“Really? Do you have time for that?”
“I have time to celebrate Melanie's birthday,”
He replied with a smile.
At that moment, the antidote bottle, which had been safely on the table, toppled over and started rolling away.
“Huh...?!”
I quickly reached out, but the antidote had already fallen under the table, and I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a short scream.
But...
“Whew! Your best friend almost scolded me.”
I looked away at his words.
Fortunately, he snatched the antidote bottle before it hit the marble floor.
“Uh... why would the perfectly fine antidote suddenly fall?”
“I see. Oh, this feels ominous...”
Linel said, wrapping the antidote bottle in a handkerchief and putting it in the nightstand drawer.
***
After Zelda left Empress Elan’s room, Moiya did not follow her orders.
“Master told me to get out of that silver hairtail right away, but I’ll be out in a bit. I have work to do.”
Moiya clenched hia fists and suddenly started hitting Emperor Adrian on the head.
“Bad guys, bad guys, bad guys deserve to be hit!”
“...Mo, Moiya, what are you doing?”
Empress Elan asked in surprise.
“Elan is going to get revenge on him, right, Moiya~?”
“Huh? Then let’s make Elan’s neck look exactly like that wound! No. Elan, where’s the sword that silver hairtail used? Why don’t we just kill him? Moni~?”
At Moiya’s words, Moni flew around Empress Elan’s room, searching for a dagger.
“Thank you for thinking of me, but that won’t do.”
“That’s right. If we kill him here, Elan won’t be dragged to prison, Moiya~?”
“Oh, well, yes. Then I’ll have to hit him a few times too, right Moni~?”
Moni’s small fists began to mercilessly hit Emperor Adrian on the head.
“Ouch, ouch. Moni, hit me harder!”
Ironically, the pain from the blows was entirely Moiya’s, who was inside Emperor Adrian’s body.
But instead of telling her to stop, Moiya gritted his teeth and endured Moni’s punches.
Empress Elan, who had been blankly watching, burst into laughter.
“Moiya, we can’t delay too much.”
Empress Elan took a deep breath, preparing to face Emperor Adrian.
“Yes, I understand.”
Moiya assumed the position he had just taken before entering Emperor Adrian’s body.
He knelt on one knee in front of the bed and turned his head back to Empress Elan.
“Elan, you were lying over there earlier.”
Moya pointed with his hand to the spot where Empress Elan had fallen.
“Oh. That’s right! Thank you, Moya.”
Empress Elan went to where Emperor Adrian had pushed her and sat down in the same position she had before.
When Empress Elan signaled with her hand that she was ready, Moya smiled and nodded.
“Everyone is ready.”
Finally, he checked that Moni, who had transformed into a butterfly, and the other butterfly she was transforming into were quietly clinging to the wall, then lifted the bed skirt.
A few seconds later, Emperor Adrian’s body trembled.
Empress Elan swallowed hard and steeled herself.
Black smoke billowed from behind her, indicating that Moiya had emerged from his body.
It was time for the play to begin.
Emperor Adrian's hand, which had been lifting the bed skirt, rose roughly.
"...Nothing?"
Emperor Adrian, regaining consciousness, shouted nervously, lowering his head further to look under the bed.
"I told you there was nothing."
Empress Elan said cautiously.
Emperor Adrian turned his head and glared at her with a sharp gaze.
Then, closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"Strange...?"
A faint wyvern's presence was felt in Empress Elan's room.
"Was it not that woman Zelda, but a wyvern?"
Empress Elan asked, hiding her bewilderment at Emperor Adrian's words.
"Huh?! No way. A wyvern wouldn't come to my room, let alone Her Highness Zelda's."
"Yes, that's right. But it's definitely a wyvern's presence."
"Perhaps... Your Majesty has been trying to communicate with them in their language, and perhaps they came in response to that call? Of course, I haven't seen it..."
Empress Elan's hastily concocted excuse was quite plausible.
Emperor Adrian couldn't help but be taken in by her suggestion.
In fact, he found himself mumbling the Wyvern tongue out of his mind at every opportunity, and coincidentally, he had been mumbling it out of habit even before entering Empress Elan's room.
"But why in your room?"
Moni’s small fists began to mercilessly hit Emperor Adrian on the head.
“Ouch, ouch. Moni, hit me harder!”
Ironically, the pain from the blows was entirely Moiya’s, who was inside Emperor Adrian’s body.
But instead of telling her to stop, Moiya gritted his teeth and endured Moni’s punches.
Empress Elan, who had been blankly watching, burst into laughter.
“Moiya, we can’t delay too much.”
Empress Elan took a deep breath, preparing to face Emperor Adrian.
“Yes, I understand.”
Moiya assumed the position he had just taken before entering Emperor Adrian’s body.
He knelt on one knee in front of the bed and turned his head back to Empress Elan.
“Elan, you were lying over there earlier.”
Moya pointed with his hand to the spot where Empress Elan had fallen.
“Oh. That’s right! Thank you, Moya.”
Empress Elan went to where Emperor Adrian had pushed her and sat down in the same position she had before.
When Empress Elan signaled with her hand that she was ready, Moya smiled and nodded.
“Everyone is ready.”
Finally, he checked that Moni, who had transformed into a butterfly, and the other butterfly she was transforming into were quietly clinging to the wall, then lifted the bed skirt.
A few seconds later, Emperor Adrian’s body trembled.
Empress Elan swallowed hard and steeled herself.
Black smoke billowed from behind her, indicating that Moiya had emerged from his body.
It was time for the play to begin.
Emperor Adrian's hand, which had been lifting the bed skirt, rose roughly.
"...Nothing?"
Emperor Adrian, regaining consciousness, shouted nervously, lowering his head further to look under the bed.
"I told you there was nothing."
Empress Elan said cautiously.
Emperor Adrian turned his head and glared at her with a sharp gaze.
Then, closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
"Strange...?"
A faint wyvern's presence was felt in Empress Elan's room.
"Was it not that woman Zelda, but a wyvern?"
Empress Elan asked, hiding her bewilderment at Emperor Adrian's words.
"Huh?! No way. A wyvern wouldn't come to my room, let alone Her Highness Zelda's."
"Yes, that's right. But it's definitely a wyvern's presence."
"Perhaps... Your Majesty has been trying to communicate with them in their language, and perhaps they came in response to that call? Of course, I haven't seen it..."
Empress Elan's hastily concocted excuse was quite plausible.
Emperor Adrian couldn't help but be taken in by her suggestion.
In fact, he found himself mumbling the Wyvern tongue out of his mind at every opportunity, and coincidentally, he had been mumbling it out of habit even before entering Empress Elan's room.
"But why in your room?"
"...Your Majesty, I think you must have mistakenly thought I was in the room next to yours and wandered off."
Empress Elan's words were plausible once again.
"Yes, perhaps they're finally starting to respond to my call."
Emperor Adrian chuckled with a hopeful expression. His thoughts drifted as he wished.
Empress Elan's words were plausible once again.
"Yes, perhaps they're finally starting to respond to my call."
Emperor Adrian chuckled with a hopeful expression. His thoughts drifted as he wished.
"Come to think of it, something seems off with my body..."
Emperor Adrian walked over to the mirror. He examined his reflection, then raised his hand and stroked his hair.
"Wait, what's that lump on my head...?"
Emperor Adrian had no idea Moiya had entered and exited his body. He merely tilted his head, touching the lump on his head.
***
In the wee hours of the morning, before dawn, Pesilini avoided the public eye and went to the villa where Grand Duke Martins was staying. Grand Duke Martins was surprised by the unexpected visit, but let her in.
“I apologize for surprising you. I hesitated too long before I finally came.”
“I suppose the reason Your Highness came to see me was because of Prince Tesla?”
Pesilini shook her head.
“Then what was the matter?”
She explained her reason in a trembling voice.
“As Your Highness already knows, His Majesty intends to raise this child as a Prince.”
Pesilini placed both hands on her stomach, revealing her slightly swollen belly.
“Yes, it must have been a difficult decision.”
“Yes, I am grateful that His Majesty saved my life and the child’s life, but to have him as a Prince of the Lapion Empire? That is too much consideration.”
Grand Duke Martins stared intently at Pesilini’s face. He seemed to understand why she had come to him and brought up such a topic.
“I want to raise this child in the Kingdom of Shattonil. Of course, if Your Highness permits.”
As expected, Grand Duke Martins’s intuition was right. Pecilini also suspected that Grand Duke Martins would become the Kingdom of Shattonil’s new ruler.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I have no desire to raise him as a member of the royal family. Just help me and the child live safely. Please.”
Pecilini knelt before Grand Duke Martins.
“As long as Empress Roxana exists in the Lapion Palace, I will not be able to raise this child safely.”
“Do you think he will be safe in the Kingdom of Shattonil?”
“It would be better than Empress Roxana, I suppose.”
“It feels like I won after being weighed against Empress Roxana.”
Pecilini seemed to have concluded that he was a better person than Roxana. Even though he won, he wasn’t at all happy.
“If I give birth like this, this child will become the firstborn of the Lapion Imperial Family, and that will be a shame for Her Highness Zelda.”
Pecilini's words made sense. Grand Duke Martins's worries deepened. He planned to deal with Prince Tesla a few years later, when he was transferred to the Kingdom of Shattonil. However, Pecilini and the child in her womb were not part of his plans.
Since Emperor Linel had promised to take them in, he had decided not to interfere. But leaving the Lapion Empire and having Prince Tesla's bloodline grow in the Kingdom of Shattonil? This could have created a complex situation in the future.
Pecilini, as if he had been waiting for the troubled expression of Grand Duke Martins, quickly opened his mouth.
“I know what you are worried about, Grand Duke! I will never use my child to claim the throne or be greedy for anything else! I swear on my life!”
Pecilini desperately clung to Grand Duke Martins.
“If you ever suspect me or my child of harboring even the slightest impure intentions, then kill us without mercy.”
“Your Highness, coming to the Kingdom of Shattonil is not a matter for me to decide alone.”
Grand Duke Martins finally finished his contemplation and spoke.
“Then...”
“I will discuss it with His Majesty Linel and then decide. Please stand up.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Pecilini staggered to his feet.
“Let’s go before the sun rises.”
“Yes.”
Before opening the door, Pecilini turned back to Grand Duke Martins and stared at him blankly.
“What is that?”
“With all due respect... Ah, no. Nothing.”
Pecilini started to say something, but closed her mouth.
“Go ahead.”
“Later. We’ll have another chance to talk on the way to the Pasha Empire, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s important to me, so I think I can tell you later, Grand Duke.”
Pecilini smiled faintly.
Grand Duke Martins, who had been absent-minded, became curious.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
Pecilini politely apologized, put the hood of her robe over her head, and left the room.
Judging by her smile, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
“What, what were you talking about that you stopped talking about...?”
Grand Duke Martins scratched his head, feeling uneasy.
***
The next day, Linel and I headed to Melanie’s palace after lunch.
Before meeting Melanie, we first visited Hetor.
Hetor was quite taken aback by the sudden visit.
I told him to come into his room, as I couldn’t turn the Emperor away, but the suspicious expression on his face remained.
As soon as Linel sat down, he explained why he had come.
“I should have come with the Magic Tower Master, but as you know, eyes are watching me.”
He placed the antidote on the table and said.
“What is this?”
“Antidotes to the obedience potion.”
“Are you saying I... have taken the obedience potion?”
Hetor’s expressionless face crumpled.
“You must have noticed, right? Then you would have gone to the Magic Tower Master and asked him.”
“...”
Linel pushed the vial of antidote a little closer to Hetor and continued.
“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. The Magic Tower Master heard it directly from his disciple, so it must be true. Let him explain in detail, but first, drink the antidote.”
At that moment, Hetor’s door swung open.
It was Melanie, dressed as if she were celebrating her birthday.
“Aren’t you here to celebrate my birthday?”
“...That’s right. I was just about to leave.”
I concealed my embarrassment and smiled brightly at Melanie.
“But why are you all here? Huh? What’s this?”
Melanie picked up the antidote in front of Hetor.
“T-that’s... a tonic!”
Linel blurted out after a moment’s hesitation.
“Really?”
Melanie asked, examining the bottle of antidote.
“Of course! It was specially made by the Magic Tower Master to increase the stamina of the escort knights. Hahaha.”
Linel offered a plausible lie, and I nodded diligently beside him.
“Don’t you have any for me? I’m running low on stamina, too. And it’s my birthday...”
“No,”
Linel said flatly.
Melanie’s lips began to protrude like a duck’s, and she said with a look of determination,
“Then I’ll drink this.”
“What?”
“Why?”
Linel and I asked at the same time.
“I wanted to eat something healthy before leaving for the Pasha Empire, so this is great. I’ll consider this my birthday present.”
Melanie said, uncorking the potion.
"Melanie, I'll make you one separately...!"
I quickly stood up and reached out to snatch the antidote.
But Melanie quickly stepped back and gulped it down in one gulp.
"No! Don't swallow it!!"
Melanie blinked at my shout.
Fortunately, it didn't seem like she'd swallowed the antidote yet.
"Hey, what are you just looking at!"
This time, he pressed Hetor.
"...Huh, huh?"
"Get it now! Hurry!"
Linel shouted.
Then, Hetor, who had been looking dumbfounded, quickly got up from his chair, grabbed Melanie's face with both hands, and kissed Melanie as if he were going to swallow the entire antidote.
Then, Hetor, who had been looking dumbfounded, quickly got up from his chair, grabbed Melanie's face with both hands, and kissed Melanie as if he were going to swallow the entire antidote.
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