Chapter 23
Star of Chaos (2)
“Why the low spirits today?”
Dabi tilted his head and winked playfully.
Tarot, astrology, mediums, alchemy, magic and witches, prophets who claimed to see the far future—ever since the empire’s temples had vanished, rootless superstitions were running wild.
Among them, Dabi was a rather famous astrologer.
Rumor of his uncanny accuracy spread quickly: first to the tea parties of noblewomen, then to the imperial banquets themselves. After his prophecy about an assassin at the hunting tournament proved true, the Emperor now trusted his every word.
Had the Emperor not wound iron chains absurdly tight around his own neck, just as Dabi had advised, who knew whether he would still be alive? How Dabi had foreseen that incident was another matter entirely.
The marquis, however, did not believe in Dabi at all. But with the Emperor’s favor behind him, he could not treat the astrologer carelessly.
The overpowering perfume rolling off Dabi made the marquis’s head ache; he pinched his nose in exaggerated disgust and turned away. Mischievously, Dabi fluttered his fan to waft more of the scent toward him.
“Are you unsettled because the spy you planted in the Duke of Side’s household has been caught?”
How could he know that? The marquis’s eyes darkened.
“Does astrology show you such things, or have you been snooping behind my back?”
“Investigate you? Surely not! Why would I bother with something so tedious?”
Dabi waved his hand and burst out laughing.
“You do know His Majesty has his eye on the Duke of Side, don’t you?”
“…”
“Perhaps you should have chosen a more capable agent.”
Dabi murmured slyly, still lazily flicking his fan.
Clearly, someone in the Emperor’s own spy network had tipped him off. With Dabi’s quick wit, it wouldn’t have taken long to deduce the marquis’s little game.
The marquis cursed himself for ever mentioning “astrology” and felt his cheeks burn.
“That man wouldn’t have lasted long anyway,” he said brusquely. “The Duke of Side isn’t easily deceived.”
Dabi, who had been offering what almost sounded like comfort, suddenly grew serious. The playful flutter of his fan ceased.
“But do you know who uncovered the spy?”
“I heard it was a new aide,” the marquis replied gruffly.
Dabi shook his head.
“It was the Star of Chaos.”
Star of Chaos? What nonsense was this?
The marquis frowned.
He’d once consulted astrologers himself and was well used to talk of suns, moons, Aquarians and Scorpios—but “Star of Chaos” was a first.
“What is that supposed to mean? Explain yourself. Some newly discovered constellation?”
Dabi pressed a hand to his mouth, chuckling.
He tried for politeness, but it felt like mockery, and the marquis’s mood soured further.
“A new constellation? Hardly.”
Dabi muttered to the air, then turned his eyes back to the marquis.
“Stars don’t just pop into existence overnight.”
Yet he knew the marquis’s patience was short.
“That aide the Duke recently hired—I made some discreet inquiries.”
“…”
Dabi crossed his arms and studied the marquis’s face with fresh interest.
“Hmm…”
After a thoughtful hum, he finally turned his gaze to the garden.
“She’s said to be the eldest daughter of Baron Beaufort, but I found no such family anywhere in Belph.”
He lingered mischievously on the words eldest daughter, but the marquis didn’t catch it.
“A fake?”
Dabi shrugged.
“Who knows? If we stir things up, the Duke of Side has enough power and wealth to conjure a barony—or even a county—out of thin air before anyone can blink. Unless that aide causes serious trouble, pressing the issue would only make us look suspicious and gain nothing.”
“For now, we can only watch,” Dabi finished with a bright smile.
The marquis, chin propped in thought, slowly knitted his brows.
“Wait—daughter? A woman? The Duke hired a female aide?”
“I hear she’s extremely intelligent. The reports from our informant aren’t mere flattery.”
Is that really the point? The marquis’s face twisted in irritation.
“Are you sure she’s an aide and not… a mistress?”
“My lord…”
Dabi still wore a smile, but there was a sharpness to his eyes and a subtle edge in his voice that made the marquis fall silent.
Insolent brat!
Even if he enjoyed the Emperor’s favor, Dabi was no noble—and by age, nearly young enough to be the marquis’s grandson. To interrupt him like that!
“You know as well as I that the Duke is not that sort of man. That’s precisely why His Majesty cannot move against him lightly.”
“Perhaps now. But who knows the future? Between a man and a woman—first it’s all business, then gradually…”
The marquis clicked his tongue, annoyed. He had long urged Hildegard to charm the Duke, but what had she been doing all this time?
He resolved to speak to his granddaughter as soon as he returned.
“I doubt there’s anything to worry about yet,” Dabi said lightly.
According to the spy’s reports, the pair were like cat and monkey—barely on speaking terms unless absolutely necessary.
“By the way, how is your granddaughter these days?”
The sudden question made the marquis frown. Why bring her up now?
Could this fellow be interested in her? Admittedly, Hildegard was beautiful enough to make any man’s head turn.
“Why mention her out of nowhere? You were talking about this ‘Star of Chaos.’ So why call the aide that?”
“Well…”
Dabi gave an irreverent shrug.
“No record of birth, no trace of parentage—so that’s what I call her. Unless she really fell from the sky, how can someone leave so little trail? She might have worked as an information broker, but even that’s uncertain.”
“An information broker?” the marquis repeated, one eyebrow raised.
“I said it’s not certain,” Dabi reminded gently.
“And?”
The marquis pressed for more, but Dabi only jutted his lower lip.
“If I could learn more, she wouldn’t be the Star of Chaos. No background, no identity—that’s the problem. We can’t even pin down her birth date.”
“So you’re saying if you knew her birthday, you could learn everything about her,” the marquis said, narrowing his eyes.
The thought unsettled him. In business, there were many things a man preferred to keep hidden. If something as simple as a birth date could expose them to this sly astrologer…
If it came to that, Dabi might need to be dealt with before the Duke ever was.
“Why else would His Majesty value me?” Dabi said with a faint smile. “But you still haven’t answered—how is Lady Hildegard?”
The marquis scowled. “Why keep asking? If you’re interested in my granddaughter, forget it.”
Dabi’s eyes widened, then he laughed out loud.
Bent over and shaking with mirth, he only deepened the marquis’s glare.
“No, no,” he said at last, still half doubled over. “Me and Lady Hildegard? Hardly. I do have rather refined tastes.”
“What? Mind your tongue!”
The marquis grabbed Dabi by the collar, eyes flashing.
“Just a joke, just a joke,” Dabi said quickly.
Taking advantage of the marquis’s loosened grip, he slipped back and straightened his disheveled clothes, though he couldn’t stop the occasional chuckle.
“I’d never dare harbor improper thoughts about Lady Hildegard. I was simply asking after her well-being.”
It sounded more like a teasing love confession than a casual inquiry, and someone else might have suspected he truly desired her. But the amused red lips and the seasoned, glinting eyes of Dabi made it clear there was not the slightest chance of that.
