Chapter 37 ……………………………………
“That guy?”
The emperor asked back, sounding genuinely surprised. Of course, I was just as taken aback.
In <Once Again, a Nouveau Riche!>, the crown prince also counted as a sub-villain.
A human being addicted to dopamine.
Crown Prince Chaser.
He wasn’t on Matthias’s level, but he was still one of the villains who played a part in driving the protagonist to the edge of a cliff.
Unlike the emperor, who was nothing more than an extra, this guy had enough importance to have episodes dedicated solely to him.
But before the original story properly began… I was sure it said he had gone down to the southern region for a while?
‘Ah—no, wait.’
Matthias is here too!
‘Is it even okay for the two of them to meet?’
They were both masterminds lurking in the shadows, but their relationship wasn’t exactly good.
Their styles, personalities, temperaments, even their sense of aesthetic beauty were completely different. Simply put, they were natural enemies.
If Matthias was the fierce, aggressive type, the crown prince valued artistic qualities much more.
‘Right. This one wasn’t normal either.’
He was the type who believed that anything not beautiful deserved to die.
‘Not that Matthias was any better.’
He was a remarkably extraordinary madman himself. Honestly, he was a man I wanted to avoid just as much as Duke Frombel.
Both his personality and his usual way of thinking were a bit… perverted.
‘Well… to be fair, he’s still less of a problem than this one.’
Without realizing it, I shot Matthias a sideways glance. Thankfully—or unfortunately—we hadn’t met yet, so there was no particular change in his expression.
“Lady.”
At that moment, the emperor, who had called me, gestured toward the door.
It meant he was leaving the decision of whether to let the crown prince in to me.
Since he was currently meeting with me, he seemed to be giving me the choice of allowing an outsider in or not.
‘At least the father seems normal…’
Was it because their relationship was bad?
In many ways, it felt strange.
“I’m fine with it.”
After all, even if I refused, I knew he wasn’t the type to stay out. The emperor must have thought the same, because he smiled at me gratefully and turned to the attendant.
“Let him in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The attendant briskly pulled the door open.
Through the opening stepped a single man.
Brilliant blond hair that seemed to gather all the light in the world, blue eyes resembling the emperor’s. A man who looked unpleasant by nature sauntered inside.
‘They said he was extremely popular in high society.’
Indeed, his looks were nothing to scoff at. Just from his appearance, he seemed like the type who could easily win people’s favor.
Though he was a sub-villain, he even had a quiet core fanbase, and I almost found myself admiring him for a moment.
But no matter how outstanding his appearance was, he was still a madman. Not someone I could relax around.
“I didn’t realize you had prior company.”
His pleasant baritone softly brushed against my eardrums. After sweeping his gaze over me and Matthias once, he lifted the corners of his lips into a smile.
I cautiously stood up from my seat. I didn’t forget to prompt Matthias to stand as well.
There was no need to create bad blood before the original story had even begun.
Before I could greet him, the emperor suddenly stepped in front of us, blocking the way.
“There’s no need for greetings, my lady. You’re not feeling well yet, are you?”
“…?”
My upper body, which had been about to bow toward the crown prince, froze awkwardly in midair. Just as I felt a strange sense of discomfort—
“Are you unwell?”
Chaser asked, looking at me with a deeply concerned expression.
“I-it’s not anything serious.”
“Are you sick?”
To make matters worse, Matthias also crowded closer to me. Flustered, I hurriedly shook my head. In an instant, I’d become the sole focus of two shadowy masterminds, and I had no idea where to put myself.
Meanwhile, the emperor insisted that I sit down, saying he couldn’t keep an unwell person standing.
But the more he did that… the more uncomfortable I became!
If they were genuinely worried, that would be one thing.
‘But the way I hear it…’
It just sounded like he was blatantly ignoring his own son. Like he was awkwardly butting in.
Maybe it felt that way because I already knew the two of them didn’t get along.
Left with no choice, I sat back down. The emperor then spoke in an exceedingly enigmatic tone.
“Still, shouldn’t the crown prince be in the southern region around this time?”
“The task you entrusted to me concluded safely, so I was on my way back.”
“…You’ve already finished?”
Amber eyes narrowed sharply. I could feel him scrutinizing Chaser’s face, as if trying to judge whether he was telling the truth.
But Chaser showed no sign of intimidation and casually added,
“Fortunately, we found them before the ship departed, so we were able to capture them quickly.”
I was lucky.
Chaser lowered his head slightly as he added that modestly.
“Since I only stopped by to greet you upon my return, please feel free to continue your discussion. As for the report—”
He flicked a glance at me, then slowly lifted the corners of his mouth.
“We can do that next time.”
He slowly swept his gaze over Matthias as well.
Very.
Blatantly.
‘Ha… I just want to go home.’
Dealing with Xavier alone was already enough to give me a headache, and after witnessing a father-and-son battle of nerves in real time, all my energy had been completely drained.
‘And I didn’t even learn much.’
For now, all I’d confirmed was that Xavier had been stabbed to death. I still hadn’t figured out who, acting on Frombel’s orders, had killed him.
‘It’ll probably take some time to investigate.’
No matter how much we narrowed it down, there were still plenty of people coming and going in the imperial palace. It didn’t seem like something we could solve overnight.
Still, it was possible that the culprit was a knight or servant working in the palace. If we watched to see who took leave over the next few days, or who suddenly quit, we might find something suspicious.
“So, are we going now?”
As soon as we left the reception room, Matthias asked. He must have been quite suffocated inside, because at the mention of going home, his eyes were already sparkling.
“…Mm.”
That sight was, in my eyes, a little—no, seriously—cute.
I nodded awkwardly and abruptly turned my body around. I deliberately ignored the strange ticklish sensation fluttering in my chest.
But just as I was about to take a single step—
“?!”
My body suddenly lifted into the air.
“M-M-Matthias?!”
W-what are you doing?!
I stared down at the floor, which had already grown distant. I was so shocked I could barely speak.
As I blankly blinked, Matthias calmly explained the situation.
“You said we’re going home.”
“R-right?”
“So.”
He lightly adjusted his hold on me.
“Let’s go to the carriage.”
…Like this?
The image of how we’d entered the palace earlier flashed through my mind like a panorama.
“No.”
“Hm?”
“Put me down. Right now…!”
I’d nearly died of embarrassment coming in like that, and now he wanted to leave the same way?
‘Absolutely not!’
At this rate, it wouldn’t be Xavier—I’d be the one dying of humiliation.
But—
“Have you finished your conversation, my lady?”
The real ordeal was just beginning.
“……”
“I’ve been waiting for you to come out.”
Chaser approached calmly, his expression unchanged even at the sight of the two of us.
Then, wearing an exceedingly amiable smile, he placed a hand over his chest.
“My apologies for greeting you so late, Lady Renesty.”
If it wouldn’t be too much trouble—
“May I escort you out?”
