Chapter 12
“Let go, Donner.”
“I can’t stand by and watch you disgrace the East any longer!”
“What did I do? Wait, that really hurts, let go!”
“Lord Craban’s son, your behavior is excessive.”
A knight who had been silently observing grabbed Donner’s arm, causing Donner to let out a thin scream.
“Orlay, may we proceed ahead? His Majesty is waiting.”
“Yes. Please go ahead, Lord Digory. I need to have a brief word with this gentleman.”
“Be gentle, Orlay. The post-mortem cleanup for the heir of a noble family is no easy task.”
“Hahaha! Lord Digory! You and your jokes.”
Orlay laughed heartily, then looked at Donner, who laughed along with a ‘haha,’ and abruptly stopped smiling.
“Now, let’s be on our way, Lady Marcella. It was a pleasure meeting you, the eldest son of Count Craban.”
Arthur waved at the pale-faced Donner and extended his hand to Marcella again.
Unknowingly, his best smile of the day appeared. *If that’s the emperor’s love rival… oh, it’s so easy it’s just laughable.*
“Wait! Marcella! Where are you going!”
Donner, held by Orlay, shouted at Marcella as if making a last-ditch effort.
Marcella, who had been holding back her urge to retort because there were many eyes watching, was slowly getting annoyed.
“You have to go back to the East! Just because you came to the capital, do you think you’ve become something? You’re an Easterner!”
“Who said I’m not an Easterner? What’s wrong with you?”
“Then where are you going right now! You’re not going to Morris Castle, are you!”
“What business is it of yours where I go?”
“Why can’t you say? You must be going somewhere shameful!”
*Somewhere shameful?* What on earth does Donner think of me to blurt out such things?
Being from the same East, we’ve had to face each other whether we liked it or not, but this is the first time he’s said something so harsh.
“I’m just going to the imperial palace.”
“Why would the likes of you go there! Do you think it’s Morris Castle? A place you can come and go as you please!”
“I’m going because I was invited, of course. It’s not a place someone like me can enter and leave as I please, just as you said!”
Marcella’s voice, which she had been barely holding back, gradually grew louder. But Donner didn’t stop.
He shook off Orlay’s hand and turned his body toward Marcella.
“No party is being held! Who invited you!”
“Who from the imperial palace can invite me! Obviously, it’s His Majesty!”
“Liar! Do you think you’ll get away with impersonating the Emperor? Why would the Emperor invite someone like you!”
*Liar? Impersonation? Does he think I’m happily going to the imperial palace la-di-da?*
Marcella clenched her fists tightly, looked at Donner who was pressuring her without knowing anything, and took a deep breath.
“It’s because His Majesty and I are close friends, why! If you keep flapping your mouth like that, I’ll beg His Majesty to throw someone like you into the imperial dungeons!”
Donner’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
Marcella glared at Donner one last time, then got into the carriage on her own without taking Arthur’s hand.
As she boarded and the door closed, the carriage soon departed.
As her excitement gradually subsided, Marcella covered her face with her hands.
“Lord Digory.”
At Marcella’s subdued voice, Arthur felt like the laughter he’d been holding back since earlier was about to burst out, but he tightly pressed his lips together and barely restrained it.
“Yes, Lady Marcella?”
“Will I… be imprisoned for the crime of impersonation?”
“Impersonation?”
“I impersonated His Majesty… dared to impersonate His Majesty’s friend.”
Arthur’s face turned bright red as if he were about to burst out laughing any second.
“Could you please… keep it a secret?”
Marcella raised her head and pleaded with Arthur.
Seeing Arthur’s face, red from holding back laughter, Marcella bit her lip.
He was the person who attended to the emperor from the closest position. It made sense for him to be angry. She had dared to impersonate the emperor’s friend, and even claimed to be a *close* friend.
As Marcella bowed her head with a despairing look, Arthur secretly let out his breath in small puffs to suppress his laughter.
“My lady, you needn’t worry. His Majesty won’t hold you accountable for such a thing. He is a merciful person.”
In a way, he was as merciful as a god.
Arthur nodded and reassured Marcella. But no matter what Arthur said, Marcella couldn’t feel at ease.
“That knight must have heard too… I wonder how absurd and furious he must be…”
“Don’t worry, my lady. Orlay’s loyalty to His Majesty is, shall we say, disconcerting—no, excessive—but he won’t do anything to cause trouble for you, Lady Marcella, His Majesty’s close friend.”
“…Stop teasing me.”
Marcella repeatedly begged Arthur to keep it a secret from His Majesty, but Arthur just laughed ‘haha’ without giving an answer.
“By the way, I’m concerned that such a troublesome man is attached to you, Lady Marcella. You don’t seem to have the strength to shake him off. What to do. I should suggest to His Majesty that we procure some tonic medicine from the East for you.”
“Donner is just dissatisfied with everything I do. He really dislikes me.”
“He dislikes you?”
“He’s been like that since long ago. Whenever he sees me, he acts like he’s dying to devour me. I don’t know what I did wrong…”
“Oh…”
*Oh, poor eldest son of Craban. Stupid eldest son of Craban. At this rate, even if Nell is hopeless, he’d be better than this, hahaha.*
Arthur was in a very good mood.
“I thought you were busy, Lord Digory.”
“I’m always busy.”
“If you were busy, you didn’t have to come fetch me personally. You could have sent someone else to deliver the invitation too.”
*You didn’t have to go through the trouble of coming all this way…*
Then Arthur beamed.
“Did Orlay bother you?”
“…Not really.”
“You’re not outright denying it?”
Arthur chuckled.
He crossed his legs and looked directly at Marcella Morris.
“Since you seemed to find me bothersome, I wanted to let you know that I am very mild-mannered compared to others.”
“I didn’t particularly think that…”
*Though I did think you were a swindler.*
Arthur beamed, guessing what Marcella’s swallowed words might have been.
“So, will you be my friend?”
“……”
“I’d like to take this opportunity to become friends with a noble person who is His Majesty’s close friend.”
“Stop! Enough of that talk!”
Marcella put her index finger to her lips and made a ‘shh’ sound.
Arthur no longer held back his laughter and laughed heartily.
“His Majesty will surely be pleased. That you think of him that way!”
“Stop!”
***
Perhaps because Arthur had teased her the whole way, Marcella found it difficult to even look the emperor in the eye when he was right in front of her.
Seeing Marcella with her head deeply bowed, Nell tilted his head.
“You never seem to have much energy whenever we meet.”
*Did my attitude look too bad?* Startled, Marcella quickly lifted her head.
She moved her lips, but no words came out. The fact that she had impersonated his friend kept surfacing, making her face flush.
“Do you have a fever?”
As Nell’s hand reached out, Marcella flinched in surprise, shaking her head and stepping back.
“No! Ah, I’m sorry. I suddenly made a sound…”
Marcella’s voice trailed off.
Nell blinked, looking down at his hand awkwardly extended in mid-air.
As the silence continued, Arthur, unable to bear it, intervened.
“Your Majesty, it’s three o’clock.”
“Yes.”
Lowering his hand from the air, Nell stared blankly at Arthur. *When I tell you it’s three o’clock, Your Majesty, you had something to say to Marcella, didn’t you?*
Arthur said with his eyes, but Nell only tilted his head.
*Ah, I shouldn’t expect him to take the initiative on such things. You knew that, Arthur.*
As if giving up, Arthur turned to Marcella with a faint smile.
“Lady Marcella, His Majesty has something to show you today.”
*Now, I’ve reminded you this much, so you remember, right?* Arthur looked at Nell.
But Nell just tilted his head and slowly moved his eyes.
*The sword, the sword!* Finally, Arthur exaggeratedly mouthed the words.
“Is it perhaps… about that sword?”
Marcella caught on before Nell did.
Arthur inwardly groaned but gave Marcella a friendly smile.
“Exactly, Lady Marcella. That Dragon-Slaying Sword in His Majesty’s underground treasure vault.”
Arthur deliberately spoke loudly and clearly. That way, the little rats hiding everywhere would go report to their masters.
“But that’s…”
It was quite awkward since she had clearly stated she didn’t want to see it.
Nell looked at Marcella’s expression and fell into thought for a moment. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand.
For some reason unknown to him, Marcella had said she no longer wanted to see it. But Arthur kept insisting they had to show her the sword.
Since he was being noisy day and night, Nell had agreed, but he thought Marcella would refuse again. However, the same firm words of refusal from before were not coming from Marcella’s mouth now.
“Marcella.”
Usually, when he called her, she would look at him with wide, surprised eyes, but today it was even more pronounced.
“If you don’t want to see it, you don’t have to force yourself.”
Marcella’s lips parted slightly, then she swallowed her words.
Nell seemed intent on waiting for Marcella’s answer without pressing her. He had plenty of time anyway.
“I, I want to see it…”
It was truly strange. He thought she would refuse, but Arthur was right. Arthur was always right. But this time, he thought his own judgment was correct.
Nell pondered for a while and realized the answer wasn’t coming easily. He would have thought until an answer came, and if it still didn’t, he would have passed the problem to Arthur, but there was no time for that now.
Arthur was making incomprehensible gestures again. Even though Nell didn’t understand, Arthur always waved his body enthusiastically.
“Let’s go to the underground.”
Arthur finally thought his meaning had gotten through to Nell, but it was merely a coincidence.
Nell took the lead, Marcella followed behind, and Arthur brought up the rear, following as if to monitor them.
There were more eyes secretly watching them, but Arthur smiled leisurely inwardly at them.
