Chapter 31
“A few wells in the territory’s villages have suddenly dried up.”
“What…? Why would perfectly fine wells suddenly dry out?”
Calliope’s eyebrows shot up.
“They say the water has dried up so much that you can see the bottom of the wells, and the people who drank the remaining water have even begun to fall ill… It seems like this phenomenon is gradually spreading to nearby villages.”
“What on earth is going on?”
Calliope furrowed her brow tightly and turned to ask Rerazier.
“Have you ever heard of a phenomenon like this before?”
“Not at all.”
“Really? If even someone like you, who’s always wandering around, hasn’t heard of it, then it must be something really unusual…”
“Why’s this conversation turning on me all of a sudden?”
While Rerazier looked dumbfounded at the unexpected jab, the carriage arrived at Count Verdi’s estate.
Rerazier hopped down from the carriage and held out his hand to Calliope.
“Come on. We’re in a hurry, so let’s go.”
Calliope narrowed her eyes and asked coolly,
“Isn’t your escort posture a bit sloppy, Your Highness the Seventh Prince?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to say it’s energetic and full of life, Lady Calliope?”
Rerazier retorted without missing a beat, escorting her to the entrance of the mansion.
Then he leaned close and whispered into her ear.
“If you ever need this prince’s help, don’t hesitate to call.”
Calliope subtly pulled her body back as if he was talking nonsense, and whispered back just as quietly.
“Please. I can handle this perfectly fine without your help.”
“Ohh… So confident? You do know you’ll look really pathetic if you mess up, right?”
“Why don’t you go ahead and hold a ritual wishing for my complete failure then?”
“Should I?”
Rerazier’s teasing made Calliope glare sharply.
“Quit your nonsense. Until I return to the capital, stay put in the palace and behave yourself.”
“The more you say that, the more I want to stir up trouble… Ack!”
Calliope stomped hard on his foot.
The high heel delivered a piercing sensation, and Rerazier gasped, bending over in pain.
Trembling from the pain, he lifted his head and glared at her sideways.
“You used magic just now, didn’t you.”
Pain makes everyone equal. Rerazier’s voice trembled—only slightly, but definitely.
Calliope widened her eyes innocently like a bunny and shook her head.
“Oh my, Your Highness, what a misunderstanding! How could I dare to do something so disrespectful to a royal?”
“You didn’t even use magic, and yet you managed to inflict that much damage on a Sword Master like me? That makes no sense.”
Frustrated, Rerazier growled in protest.
But he failed to realize—Calliope was always one step ahead in matters like these.
Suddenly, she covered her face with both hands.
“Your Highness… do you not trust me? It’s not enough to misunderstand me, and now you’re accusing me of insulting royalty… sob…!”
“…!”
What the… why is she acting like this?
Rerazier, caught completely off guard, was visibly shaken. His golden eyes trembled wildly.
Then, she began to shake her shoulders slightly, as if crying.
Startled, some of Count Verdi’s servants began to gather.
“My lady, are you all right?!”
“Our spirited young lady… why would she…?”
The Verdi family’s servants were shocked by the sight.
Since her early childhood, Calliope had almost never shown weakness.
Naturally, all their gazes began to drift toward Rerazier.
Their expressions were filled with suspicion and confusion, as if to ask, What did you do to our lady?
‘What the hell… what did I even do wrong…!’
Rerazier was about to burst from frustration.
‘Seriously though, how is she this good at pretending to be pitiful?’
For a brief moment, Rerazier nearly questioned himself, wondering if he had actually done something wrong.
Fortunately, he managed to come to his senses just in time.
“Lady Calliope? Please, calm down…”
Awkwardly, Rerazier gently placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her away from the growing audience, then whispered in a barely audible voice, almost like ventriloquism.
“Hey, are you seriously doing this right now?”
“What did I do…?”
Calliope removed her hands from her face and looked at him innocently, as if she had no idea what he meant. Rerazier was rendered speechless.
He actually preferred the usual Calliope—arrogant, proud, and merciless toward her enemies.
This weak and vulnerable Calliope Verdi was…
‘Damn it.’
Sensing danger if he kept thinking further, Rerazier forced himself to stop.
“Fine, I get it! I get it, okay?! I’ll stay quietly holed up in the palace!”
After trying to tease her and ending up completely outplayed, Rerazier finally surrendered.
Only then did Calliope calmly wipe away her fake tears and lift her head.
“In that case… I’ll generously forgive you just this once.”
The way she wiped the tears from her eyes with the tips of her index fingers—smug and proud—was so irritating it made him want to grind his teeth.
Rerazier could only let out a hollow laugh at her swift mood change.
He was about to turn away in defeat when Calliope stopped him.
“What now?”
“I just realized I forgot to mention something, so I’ll say it now.”
Calliope traced a finger down his chest and said casually,
“I prefer gentlemen who know how to behave.”
Rerazier’s face crumpled like crushed paper.
* * *
After Rerazier returned looking as if he’d taken a heavy blow to the face, Calliope went straight to see Archibald.
He was wrapping up his work to leave for the territory.
“I heard what happened. You’re planning to head down to the territory?”
“Yes. I need to assess the situation accurately.”
Archibald signed the last document on his desk and stood up.
“I’ll go instead,” Calliope said, stopping him.
“You just got back from Orkel territory a few days ago. You haven’t even recovered from the travel fatigue—you need to take care of your health.”
“But won’t it be too much for you? You’re already busy preparing for the New Year’s banquet. And besides, shouldn’t you also discuss this with the prince?”
“I already spoke with His Highness. You don’t need to worry.”
Calliope replied confidently.
“Besides, there’s still nearly a month left before the banquet. I have plenty of time to take care of things in the territory first.”
Persuaded by her reasoning, Archibald finally nodded.
“In that case, I’ll entrust this matter to you…”
“Father!”
“Baron Roman, please, you mustn’t!”
Suddenly, Gilbert burst into the office. Calliope’s face immediately twisted in annoyance.
“I told you to stay in the annex and reflect. What do you think you’re doing?”
But Gilbert, seemingly oblivious to consequences, ran to Archibald and fell to his knees.
He stretched out his neck like a turtle and shouted,
“Please give me a chance!”
A chance…?
Calliope stared at him in disbelief.
“I’ve deeply reflected on my previous actions. So this time, I want to redeem myself by helping solve the problem in the territory—and contribute to our land!”
What on earth is he saying?
Calliope let out a bitter laugh.
Solve the problem? More like get in the way.
If Gilbert went along, it was obvious he’d be more of a burden than a help.
On top of that, someone who had endangered the heir’s life had no business earning merits by dealing with estate matters. It was nonsense.
Archibald seemed to think the same.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Gilbert. Did you forget you’re still under disciplinary confinement?”
But Gilbert grabbed Archibald’s pants leg and began pleading.
“I just want to do well, Father! Can’t you give me just one chance?!”
How is it that this man never changes, no matter how much time passes?
Calliope’s patience was wearing thin. At this rate, she’d rather lock him up in a deep, remote forest.
Just as she was doing her best to suppress her fury…
Wait a second…?
A thought suddenly struck her mind—sharp as lightning.
