CHAPTER 78………………………..
It had been a long time since Alfeo last visited the count’s estate.
Of course, there was no prior message.
“He never even used to knock—now he doesn’t even bother sending word.”
What scared me was realizing that I was getting used to that kind of behavior from him.
“How were you planning to get in if I hadn’t been here?”
“Honestly? I was hoping you wouldn’t be.”
Alfeo pushed back his bangs, now long enough to cover his eyes. Dark circles hung deeply beneath them.
“Oh… even darker than last time.”
He had graduated three years ago and entered a research lab.
‘If you return to the palace, you’ll die for sure. So stay at the Academy as long as possible. Even if you want to leave, don’t unless I tell you to.’
Contrary to my expectation that he’d ignore my advice, Alfeo had taken it seriously.
He had graduated and gone straight under Professor Mackerman, where he was being worked to the bone.
“Well, better to suffer in this world than be dead.”
Because if he returned to the palace, he’d be marked for assassination in no time.
“I was just going to lie down and sleep at your front gate until you arrived.”
“So that’s how you planned to make up your sleep time?”
“Please.”
His red eyes were begging, Can’t you just let me sleep here?
He even made a pitiful little-kitten face that, strangely enough, only made me want to reject him more. Still, I waved a hand and said,
“Tell me your business first.”
“Cruel person.”
I ignored his resentful look and sipped my coffee.
Alfeo almost never visited without a reason. It was probably about the imperial banquet.
He shrugged as if he were doing me a favor.
“You’re attending the imperial banquet this time, right? If you don’t have a partner, just say so.”
It was exactly as I expected, though I was still a little surprised he’d guessed correctly.
“How does he even know that? News travels fast.”
Alfeo just shrugged under my gaze.
“It’s all over the capital. The social outcast of the nobility attending the imperial banquet—quite the gossip.”
“So, what? You’re going to introduce me to someone suitable?”
I appreciated the sentiment, but… someone introduced by Alfeo? That didn’t sound very normal. Not exactly appealing.
“Maybe I’d be better off going alone.”
Alfeo looked at me like I was asking something obvious.
“If you didn’t have a partner, I was going to take you myself. It’s your first time, after all—your debutante.”
His red eyes sparkled for the first time.
He was clearly up to something, hiding mischief. That was exactly the same expression he wore when reading his favorite novels…
“You don’t still read those kinds of books, do you?”
“What books?”
How should I put this?
The ones where men and women… kiss? Where 1+1 = 3 somehow?
“You know… those indecent novels.”
“Calling them indecent when they’re about pure love between men and women—how narrow-minded.”
Alfeo shook his head as if pitying my ignorance.
“So you still read them?”
“They’re like a drug to me. I can’t quit.”
“Hmm…”
So, he still found time to read such things despite working in the lab. That meant life wasn’t too unbearable.
“You can’t sleep here, and as for being my partner—thanks, but I’ll think about it. I’m not eager to die early.”
“Saying you’d die if you went with me—that’s too harsh.”
I half-ignored his complaint while mulling over his offer.
“It’s actually not a bad idea…”
This banquet would be my first step into high society.
Making my debut at the imperial banquet—the one even high-ranking nobles dreaded—was like being a newbie gamer thrown straight into the final dungeon to fight the last boss.
But Alfeo, sitting across from me, was someone who loved parties. He’d attended plenty. Compared to me, he was a seasoned veteran.
“If I go with him, I might be able to save some dignity.”
“Are you really going to refuse me?”
Alfeo narrowed his eyes and smiled slyly, as though he already knew my situation.
It wasn’t genuine concern or kindness. That beautiful, scheming face of his made me uneasy.
It had been a long time since Duke Penelope last visited the Empress Dowager’s palace.
When he saw her, surprise flickered in his eyes.
Her face had grown even younger over the past five years.
Looking at his sister, it felt strangely as if time flowed only for himself.
But it wasn’t just her.
His nephew, Emperor Seriel, was the same.
“Did they share some miraculous elixir of youth between father and daughter?”
If it were only appearances, he might have accepted it. But they were growing healthier by the day.
Like the legend of Countess Bathory, said to bathe in virgins’ blood.
“You’re here, Rohan.”
The Empress Dowager delicately raised her teacup. Even her hand was smooth, without a wrinkle.
After exchanging greetings, she dismissed her attendants with a glance.
“Have you found the white tiger yet?”
At her question about the divine beast, the duke made a troubled sound.
“…My apologies.”
“Find it quickly. Once the offering is complete, things will get… difficult.”
“Yes, I will continue my efforts. But have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“That girl—she’s attending the banquet in place of the Duke of Dinero.”
“Oh, you mean that impudent young lady? Yes, I’ve heard.”
The Empress Dowager smiled brightly as she sipped her tea, utterly unbothered. Duke Penelope, on the other hand, scowled as he drank.
He still couldn’t understand.
She had refused the development of combat aircraft—an outright declaration that she had no intention of joining their faction.
Allowing her to attend the imperial banquet and meet influential figures could not be good.
The veins on his forehead bulged.
“Bentley… that useless fool.”
By meddling with the line of succession, he had only benefited Dinero.
Since then, Count Bentley had been completely excluded from central politics.
“What troubles you so, Rohan?”
The Empress Dowager asked. After a pause, the duke spoke.
“I fear the Duke of Dinero may have designated that girl as his heir.”
At that, the Empress Dowager let out a soft laugh.
“But we have an excellent gardener, don’t we? Oh, by the way…”
She set down her cup.
“How is the weed growing?”
A cruel smile twisted the duke’s lips.
“Feeding well and growing strong.”
“And the will?”
The duke frowned and shook his head.
“Security is far too tight. I haven’t been able to confirm it.”
“I see.”
At her reply, the duke said,
“If you’re uneasy, I can reach out.”
“No. The contents of a will don’t matter.”
She smiled sweetly. Like a single perfect blossom.
“A will can be changed at any time, can’t it?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
Understanding her meaning, the duke also smiled wickedly.
The bothersome old man wouldn’t last much longer.
On the carriage road back to the ducal estate.
In my hands was a letter—just arrived from the Academy.
Evening primrose, red-horn herb.
Each, when taken properly, has benefits.
But together, they are incompatible.
With long-term use, toxins accumulate,
leading to consumption and death.
It was the long-awaited analysis of Duke Dinero’s medicine.
“Why do my worst suspicions always prove right…?”
The old man had trusted Jacques Lorenzo because of the Lorenzo family’s long-standing ties.
“If it’s deliberate, that means…”
The Lorenzo family had switched allegiance to the duke’s enemy. In other words—betrayal.
And the one person who most wanted Duke Dinero dead was obvious.
Duke Penelope, leader of the imperial faction.
“Jacques Lorenzo, you’re dead by my hand.”
“How dare you put such a ridiculous disguise on a divine beast!”
Mion scowled at himself in a hand mirror, grumbling.
Wearing a brown wig beneath a fedora, he kept scratching furiously at his scalp.
“Do I really have to wear this? My head itches like crazy!”
“Just bear with it. Lives are at stake here.”
Even now, as a full-grown beast, Mion was noisy. I tried to soothe him gently.
His role was critical—if he got sulky and ran off, my entire plan would fall apart.
When we arrived at the duke’s residence, Duke Dinero was fast asleep. Even in sleep, he groaned softly as if uncomfortable.
While I stood watching him, someone approached—a man who looked like a plump beaver.
“You must be Countess Jacqueline?”
“…And you are Jacques Lorenzo?”
He smiled politely and nodded.
“Yes, the duke has told me a lot about you.”
