Chapter 04
My grip loosened.
Thud—
“You’re going to bleed dry from your ears.”
I snapped back to my senses that instant. Thanks to my heart pounding a warning, sensing the voice had drawn closer once.
But weren’t you supposed to return in the evening or late at night? If you were going to come back this early, what was the point of having all the servants gathered in the entrance hall for greetings?
“Lord, is this really the time for jokes?”
The corridor outside was a single, straight path. The only connected space was just one.
Their destination was right here.
The Chamber of Rites.
What… what kind of ridiculous situation is this…
“Ugh.”
I don’t want to run into them.
Sincerely.
If I stand here stupidly, I’ll collide with them head-on.
A place to hide. Is there nowhere to hide?
“A joke? I’m being serious.”
Damn it. Through the slightly ajar door, the figures of two people came into view.
Cold sweat trickled down my temples.
“My Lord—!”
Bang!
* * *
“If you have something to say, why not go through the documents?”
The voice, devoid of any laughter, made the blood in my entire body run cold. It felt exactly as if I were the one being reprimanded.
“I refuse. You’ll just throw them all into the fireplace as soon as you see my name, won’t you?”
“A reasonable thing to do.”
“Argh! My Lord, please…!”
That was close.
If there hadn’t been a curtain in the space behind the stone statue, by now…
Just the thought made my back shiver.
Flutter—
Oops. I grabbed the slightly swaying curtain. At the same time, the footsteps stopped. Surely I haven’t been discovered?
I peeked out, only my eyes showing through the narrow gap. Next to the back of the wolf statue, I could see a familiar silhouette.
His height was so tall I’d have to tilt my head back, and shoulders so sturdy you wondered how much he’d trained them.
Following the sharp jawline upwards, his ash-gray hair, as if sprinkled with stardust, swayed.
It’s really Ash Canis.
His face, matured over the three years that had passed, made me feel strangely unsettled.
Women in the capital of Euphorian were utterly captivated by that wild yet glossy appearance and his reticent atmosphere.
Included among those poor lambs was me—one of my tearful, shameful past episodes.
His annoyingly arrogant expression remained the same, so I wouldn’t be fooled twice, but…
“My Lord, please listen to me. I beg you.”
By the way, what business does he have here?
The Chamber of Rites is a place for solemn ceremonies only.
I heard that normally, the Lord or family members rarely visit the Chamber of Rites.
A big reason I readily agreed to switch duties with Sonia was the certainty that I wouldn’t run into the Lord.
My rising curiosity made my ears perk up.
“Do you plan to just stand there like a statue at the royal ball and then come back?”
Was he perhaps invited to the ball?
The royal balls of the Euphorian Kingdom had a slightly troublesome rule.
A pesky rule stating that if you don’t dance, you can’t leave the ballroom.
The closing time of the ball was at the discretion of the host; sometimes it ended before midnight, other times it continued until dawn.
“Three years ago, Princess Laycie helped you, didn’t she? Where’s the guarantee such luck will strike again?”
Asking Ash Canis to dance was purely because I had something else to say to him…
It seems it caused an unintended misunderstanding.
“Have you heard the news about this year’s New Year’s banquet? Using the end of King Edwin’s national mourning as an excuse, they held the most splendid one in history, they say.”
A name I had kept buried in my heart was mentioned.
My father’s name.
“You know how Euphorians can’t resist events. Can you even imagine how magnificent this autumn’s harvest festival will be?”
My father, though born a royal, was someone who kept luxuries at a distance.
He once told me that after studying abroad in his youth, he came to pursue practicality.
Even after ascending the throne, his convictions didn’t change. He omitted unnecessary events and kept formalities to a minimum.
It seems the national customs changed with the change of the throne’s occupant.
“They’ll probably invite a host of dignitaries from neighboring countries. The head of the Canis family playing the part of a mere screen within that? I’d rather die than see that sight.”
“Are you asking me to have a coffin made instead?”
“How could that be?”
Fritz didn’t back down a single word, even facing Ash Canis, whom others feared to confront directly.
Perhaps the person the head maid should truly regard with respectful eyes is the chief aide.
A silent battle of wills stretched tautly between the two men.
A sigh escaped from the lips of the one whose patience ran out first.
“So, your conclusion is?”
His tone seemed to say, ‘Go on, try and convince me.’ The chief aide’s face lit up.
“Hire a dance instructor.”
What?
“If you plan to maintain exchanges with the Euphorian Kingdom, take this opportunity to learn it properly.”
Does that mean he’s never formally learned to dance?
But when I met him at the masquerade ball, he followed the steps perfectly.
I thought he was relaxed, even adept.
Could it be that he was just following my movements and the surroundings…?
“Then, wouldn’t you no longer need to meticulously avoid all the balls from now on?”
It was a skill in itself to get through a dance without anyone noticing.
Although it was the simplest piece.
“Princess Laycie, who could pull you out of that quagmire now, has passed away…”
Hmm. To think my existence would be referenced in this way.
“Tch.”
Ash Canis turned with a cold expression.
“I’ve wasted my time listening to nonsense.”
From here, I could only barely see his hand reaching out, blocked by the wolf statue.
“Don’t just let it go in one ear and out the other!”
Fritz followed, continuing to chatter incessantly.
“Do you think the usefulness of a dance instructor is really just the lessons?”
The nagging continued without rest. One might expect a retort, but Ash Canis paid no attention at all.
“Think about the rules of the ball…!”
Grrroooaan—!
Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet shook. Ornaments clattered noisily. This wasn’t an ordinary tremor.
An earthquake?
“Wh-what?”
Damn it! I’m falling!
Instinctively, I grabbed the windowsill.
“Ah…!”
I regained my balance, but at the cost of letting go of the curtain. The curtain fluttered and was pushed aside. My view cleared, and light swallowed my pupils.
I’m caught!
Without thinking, I squeezed my eyes shut.
But…
“…Huh?”
The earthquake stopped, but nothing happened. Even after a long while.
I cautiously opened my eyes.
“Huh? Where did they go?”
The two men were nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t even sense the slightest presence.
I lifted the curtain and went back in front of the statue.
“Strange. They were definitely here just now…”
No one was there. As if no one had ever been here.
But I saw the two men clearly.
“Did they shoot up into the sky, or sink into the ground?”
I narrowed my eyes and carefully examined the surroundings. I even bent down to my knees, scrutinizing intently.
“Found it.”
On the puzzle-like fitted brick floor, there was an area where the groove depth was different.
An area large enough for two or three people to stand.
Then, there was only one thing I could guess.
“So this is the entrance to a secret passage.”
Secret passages are essential installations in the residences of royalty or nobility.
Their uses vary, from hiding to connecting to the outside.
Canis Castle was built several hundred years ago. It wouldn’t be strange if there were three or four secret passages.
“No wonder they have it cleaned every day, even if they don’t use it often.”
If dust had piled up thickly, operating the mechanism would have revealed the secret passage’s existence.
“What does the opening mechanism look like?”
I don’t see any obvious control device.
I gave up after searching for a bit. There was no telling when Ash Canis and Fritz might return.
I hurriedly left the Chamber of Rites and returned straight to my room. I lay down on the bed to calm my heart.
Everyone I passed on the way back had looked peaceful.
Either the vibration from the secret passage opening was familiar, or it was designed not to transmit to the outside.
But something felt empty. As if I’d forgotten something important…
I was lost in thought for a while when—
“Laycie!”
Sonia, looking frantic, burst into my room.
“Sonia, why are you back so early?”
“Is that the issue now? I heard the Lord went towards the Chamber of Rites?”
So not only the Lord’s return but also his movement route has spread widely through the castle.
“Y-you’ve gone pale. Did the Lord scold you severely?”
She clung to the bed as if about to climb onto the second floor where I was.
“Don’t tell me you already received punishment…”
She was firing off questions so rapidly I barely managed to find a moment to interject.
“Sonia, calm down. Thankfully, I didn’t run into the Lord.”
“R-really?”
“I mean it.”
She still looked doubtful.
“If they found out we switched duties, wouldn’t we have been summoned to the Head Maid’s office?”
“R-right?”
Finally, I saw the tension drain from Sonia’s face.
She slid down and slumped onto the floor. She looked a bit pitiful.
“Sigh, what are we going to do next time it’s your turn…?”
It seems even after today’s events, cleaning the wolf statue is daunting.
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Will you… switch again?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Laycie. Next time, I’ll do a favor for you.”
It’s because I switched duties with her that Sonia is being kind to me, but…
“Really? I’ll be counting on you then.”
I’m the one who’s thankful.
Thanks to you, I found a way to return to the Euphorian Kingdom.
