Chapter 52 …
Just as the flowers one gives carry their own meanings, no act is ever truly meaningless.
At the wedding, and again at the reception, those who had noticed Epher’s behavior were quick to lavish praise on the Duchess in front of her.
“Your Grace is incredibly beautiful.”
“You suit His Grace perfectly. One might think an angel had descended from the heavens.”
Yet Epher didn’t particularly appreciate these compliments.
‘Is all there is to praise just her face?’
Of course, they hadn’t had any real conversation with Roselia, so there wasn’t much else to compliment. Still, Epher was weary of such superficial flattery.
“It was a rare wedding, indeed. Haha.”
“Indeed. The vows were truly moving.”
Epher simply looked away. He knew that everyone’s words were empty, but somehow it still made him uncomfortable.
‘Maybe I should’ve just kissed her.’
At weddings, it was customary to seal vows with a kiss—a symbol of lifelong love.
But he could not bring himself to do it.
In this situation, kissing her might feel like committing some terrible act toward her.
‘I promised not to interfere.’
Now that he had glimpsed his own heart, he didn’t want to force anything through his position or influence.
So, as a knight would pledge to his lord, he knelt on one knee, reciting a vow typically reserved for pledging loyalty.
“What did that mean?”
Epher stood, his face faintly flushed.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
He had only taken a few steps when murmurs arose behind him.
“It means your life is mine, right?”
The whispers didn’t quiet down, and Epher’s expression remained tense.
“Isn’t that usually a vow made by a groom of lower status?”
“To pledge that to the young lady of the Pelua family? Must’ve fallen head over heels in just a month.”
Though the counts were speaking quietly amongst themselves, excitement made their voices carry. Epher’s face reddened further as he quickened his pace.
When Fior approached from afar, he felt as though he had been saved, finally escaping embarrassment.
“Fior.”
“Wow, Your Grace. People are saying all sorts of things about your vow. They’re wondering how the Duchess managed to trap the Duke.”
But instead of relief, embarrassment returned tenfold.
“Haah… even you.”
“So, what are you going to do? I told you it’s best not to draw attention.”
Fior’s worry-laced nagging made Epher consider turning back.
“Ah. So it’ll be a divorce because of Your Grace’s change of heart?”
“Yes. I’ll say it’s because of an affair with you.”
Fior’s eyes widened.
“Are you serious? I thought you were joking…”
Epher took off his glove and tossed it at Fior as he asked,
“Never mind. Did you notice anything suspicious?”
Fior grumbled, picking up the glove that fell onto her chest.
“No. Not really. Everyone was too busy crawling around.”
“I mean besides that. I told you to watch him carefully—he might have schemes. You haven’t been just chatting with people, have you?”
Fior shrugged, snorting.
“Nope. Herion is a genius of public opinion. So, naturally, I heard what people were saying the most.”
Epher sighed, staring at the garden, now fully alive with the party.
“Herion will never leave things be. It’s suspiciously quiet.”
“Exactly. That shouldn’t happen.”
Fior nodded in agreement, then suddenly narrowed her eyes.
“What is it?”
“Your Grace… what is that?”
Pointing past Epher’s shoulder, Fior drew his attention. Without much thought, Epher turned to look.
Behind where the counts had been gathered, a dark shadow approached.
The sharp scream startled him, but the young ladies in front of him startled him even more.
Whatever they had seen, they screamed in shock.
“Kyahhh!”
They stepped back, turned, and ran. Some tripped on their dresses, others shook their hands in fear.
“What on earth….”
By the time Epher turned around, Moria grabbed his shoulder urgently.
“My lady! Run!”
Then someone grabbed Moria’s hand.
“Your Grace! This way!”
“N-No, I’m not—!”
Someone had mistaken Moria for the Duchess and dragged her along. Seeing Moria’s panicked eyes, Epher quickly turned back.
The crowd fleeing toward him created such a commotion that he unconsciously furrowed his brow.
Through the gap in the crowd, a yellowish figure appeared.
Climbing onto a table for a better look, he realized he might understand the situation, yet it still didn’t make sense.
‘San-gun…?’
At first glance, it looked like San-gun: yellowish with dark brown stripes.
But on closer inspection, it was not a tiger, but a leopard.
‘What the…? That gave me a scare.’
Believing the master of the mountain had returned, he felt his shoulders relax immediately.
Was he embarrassed for ruling a mountain without a tiger? Feeling relieved it wasn’t San-gun, he exhaled—but then, seeing the leopard prowling and growling, he snapped back to attention.
‘Why is a leopard here?’
Tiger or leopard, why would one appear at his wedding?
How did it even get into the Duke’s estate? It’s surrounded by the lake!
The garden had become a chaotic scene, so abnormal that it felt dreamlike.
“Your Grace! Move!”
Strong knights shouted from nearby, drawing their swords in attack stance.
Some muttered complaints about the absurd situation.
“How did a leopard get here?”
“Did the fox summon it?”
“How could a fox summon a leopard?”
“They say it’s a mystical creature, not a normal animal.”
What was all this about?
Just then, a parrot flapped and flew toward him.
“Fox-sama!”
Clinging to Flynn between its claws, it struggled with its wings, eventually dropping Flynn in front of him while chattering.
“That beast is from the Tiris Mountains!”
“I know where that leopard came from! There’s an underground passage!”
It seemed faster to see for himself than to rely on the kids.
‘I haven’t even found the fox orb yet, but I can’t waste my energy….’
Closing his eyes, he extended his power as much as possible, slowing time around him.
Ever since arriving here, his energy had been replenishing minutely, but he used it liberally, feeling uneasy yet compelled.
‘Whatever this is, it’s not a good sign for me (Siena).’
Placing his hand on the parrot’s forehead, he saw all the scenes the bird had witnessed.
From above, the Duke’s estate looked beautiful, surrounded by the lake.
While the wedding attendees bustled in the hall and gardens, three figures in entirely white veils gathered on the opposite side.
One watched the perimeter, while the other two struggled with a large object wrapped in cloth among the trees.
“When will it wake up? It must remain asleep until we escape, right?”
“Don’t know. Just administer the drug first. It’ll get excited as soon as it wakes up.”
“Are you sure? Excited upon waking?”
“What choice do we have? If this isn’t done correctly, we’re dead. Just give it and run.”
One removed the cloth, revealing a leopard trapped inside.
“Hurry! Hesitate and it dies. People might come this way too.”
“Ugh, whatever.”
They jabbed the leopard with a syringe and fled, leaving the door open.
The parrot, more interested in the leopard than the men, flew over.
Watching the sedated leopard, it nodded.
“That’s a leopard from the Tiris Mountains, isn’t it?”
Another bird tilted its head.
“But they never come near humans.”
The leopard narrowed its eyes, breathing heavily.
It looked lifeless, on the verge of death—but suddenly it drew a harsh breath, its gaze changing.
Seeing the startled birds flee, Epher paused his energy use and caught his breath.
‘I think I can tell who’s behind this.’
Herion Kai Elysia.
Having been to Tiris Mountains weeks ago, if that leopard resided there, it all fit together.
Clearly, this was a scheme to ruin the wedding while blaming the fox, achieving two goals at once.
He bit his lip.
‘Why bring an innocent wild animal into this?’
Though he had ruled the mountain without a tiger, he himself was a mountain spirit.
The Tiris Mountains weren’t his to protect, but seeing a leopard brought here by humans made him uneasy.
‘Even though we give up our habitats, they insist on coming deeper to exploit us.’
And they had drugged it.
“Shoot it! Draw your swords!”
Knights a short distance away ran toward the leopard. It fled toward him, not as a beast attacking people, but as a mountain creature struggling under the drug’s effects.
Then:
“Ahhh! It’s coming this way!”
The chaos caused people to collide, and the table Epher was standing on tipped.
“Whoa!”
He fell onto the garden grass, then immediately got back up—only to fall forward again when someone stepped on his dress.
A large shadow loomed before him.
“Your Grace!”
Epher looked up to see yellow eyes wide open, filling his vision.
The leopard bared its sharp teeth and lunged at him, drooling.
It all happened in an instant.
His white dress was instantly stained red with his blood.
