Chapter 36
The Duchess of Shire was in an uproar.
Even after we returned to the tea room, she stuck right by my side and wouldn’t leave me alone. She was so absorbed that she didn’t even hear Eloise apologizing.
“I’m so sorry, Your Grace. I think I may have urged you to eat too much—”
“Your Majesty the Empress, thank you so very much! As a token of my gratitude, I’d love to invite you to our estate. What do you say?!”
Eloise, who had been unintentionally ignored, looked flustered.
“Yes, if the opportunity arises, I’d be delighted.”
I smiled brightly at the overexcited Duchess of Shire, then resumed the conversations I’d been having with the others.
To be honest, I’d just seen Eloise’s eyebrow twitch slightly, so I figured it was time for the two of them to be surprised and then bow out.
I’d experienced it when I was younger—if someone sulks because a friend they had their eye on gets “stolen,” it becomes a real headache. Not that I had any such intention in the first place.
“You said you’re Her Majesty’s cousin, right? You two look so alike—it’s amazing!”
“Ah… I hear that a lot. Oh, by the way, I heard you have an older brother, Your Grace. I wonder if the two of you resemble each other as well.”
Fortunately, the two of them seemed to chat comfortably after that.
Hmm, good. That worked out nicely.
And so I, too, enjoyed a pleasant tea with everyone. It was a very peaceful tea time.
“You know… I think we need to fix Cyan’s berserk episodes.”
That evening, I lay sprawled beside Lindo as he bubbled reagents in a flask, murmuring my thoughts aloud.
“Are you referring to what happened at the hunting grounds?”
“Yeah. I knew Cyan was sensitive to the smell of blood, but I didn’t realize he could completely lose his reason like that.”
I fidgeted with the red book in my hands as I continued.
“When he smelled the blood I spilled to use this, he was fine. But at the hunting grounds, the moment he smelled someone else’s blood—and then started bleeding himself—he lost all rationality.”
From that, I could guess that if he became sensitive due to someone else’s blood and then shed his own, it was dangerous.
What’s more, it seemed that being attacked and bleeding himself triggered the rampage even more easily than simply smelling another person’s blood.
“That prophecy about how the Empire will be destroyed if Cyan develops emotions—it’s complete nonsense, but if you interpret losing reason as ‘rage,’ it fits disturbingly well.”
An emperor who possesses the “emotion” of anger goes berserk and harms the “Empire,” or something like that.
So far, it hadn’t been a fatal issue since Cyan was a crown prince who’d become a war hero. But it would be a problem if this kept happening.
“We need to fix this before he gets branded as a true tyrant. Could it be war trauma?”
“Hmm. Since he’s been much more stable after Your Majesty put him to sleep yourself, shall we try medicinal treatment?”
Lindo nodded in agreement and leaned in to think with me. Still, it wasn’t enough.
“We need something more fundamental.”
“Why not ask that red book? It helped calm His Majesty when he went berserk, didn’t it?”
As I muttered to myself, Lindo handed me a silver needle and gestured with his eyes. He said it would be a good chance to ask about some research results that hadn’t been going well either.
Sigh. Figures—this was probably the only option. It always made me tense, since it felt suspiciously like human sacrifice.
“Shall I do it for you?”
“You’re awfully enthusiastic for something that’s not your job.”
I shot a look at the foxlike-grinning Lindo, then pricked my finger and drew blood.
Paaat!
What is it you wish to know, my master?
Someone whose soul is bound to mine—there are times when he loses his reason at the sight of blood. Tell me how to fix that.
I carefully wrote the words. A few dots blinked on the page as if the paper were thinking, then a reply appeared.
As you have always done, tame him with your power, my master.
Hey—someone could seriously misunderstand that.
“So His Majesty has that kind of taste. I had no idea,” Lindo said.
Exactly like that. I cleanly ignored him and scratched my cheek.
Tame him? What was that supposed to mean? The only image that came to mind was something disturbingly maniacal, involving a leather whip.
How do I tame him? Explain in detail.
If you claim the same aura you brought back with you today, your power will guide him into stability.
Huh?
“What did I bring back with me today?”
I immediately asked Lindo, but he looked just as baffled. It seemed the book had no concept of speaking plainly.
In the end, I coaxed and cajoled the evasive red book for quite a while. Only after all ten of my fingers had been pricked did I finally get a concrete clue.
“The Duchess of Shire’s necklace?!”
As he carefully applied ointment to my fingers, Lindo spoke up at once.
“I’ve heard it’s a treasured heirloom of House Shire. For generations, the dukes of Shire have married princesses of Helios, and it’s a jeweled necklace passed down among the princesses who become the duchesses of the house.”
Now that he mentioned it, I remembered the duchess wearing a red ruby necklace at today’s tea party.
“Oh! So I just need to get that necklace?”
It was fortunate that she’d taken quite a liking to me—but I was a little worried about whether I could really obtain another family’s heirloom.
Is there anything else with that aura besides the necklace?
All jewels that amplify their master’s power gather in clusters. Where there is one, there will be others nearby.
Those hopeful words appeared on the red book, then soon began to flicker. It seemed I’d used up today’s allowance.
I quickly asked even Lindo’s research question before the page completely faded, wringing out every last bit of information.
“Then I’ll have to visit the Shire ducal estate soon. If the ruby necklace doesn’t work, I’ll get my hands on some other jewel!”
Just as pleased as I was, Lindo enthusiastically corrected his research results and handed me the fully brewed antidote.
“By the way, until His Majesty stops suspecting you’re terminally ill, it would be best if you use separate bedrooms.”
“Huh?”
As I packed away the antidote, Lindo continued his advice.
“The poison you take is accumulating, so the amount of blood you cough up will increase. The timing will also become irregular. If you sleep together, you may end up witnessing another episode of hemoptysis.”
Ugh. If that happened, he’d become even more overprotective than he already was. He already treats me like I’m made of paper.
Cyan had a strange personality—openly irritated by me, yet subtly interfering in every little thing.
“Alright. I’ll try to do it as naturally as possible.”
I nodded, brushing off the faint shiver that crept up my spine just from imagining it
