Chapter 40
Come to think of it, I had no idea about that incident in the past either. There had been unpleasant rumors circulating regarding the attendant who disappeared along with my mother after she left the Grand Duke’s residence.
At that time, I thought it was omitted from the original work simply because it was a subplot involving the secondary characters. However, upon reflection, it seemed strange. Even though my parents were secondary characters, their story was one of the factors that made the novel popular. How could such a significant conflict be completely missing from the story?
At that moment, Lady Montfort looked at me and said, “Speaking of which, the first dance at the debutante ball will be between the young lady of Iskas and the young lord of Acanthus. The public’s interest will be immense.”
“Yes, that’s why I specially invited you, Lady Montfort. If they make even the slightest mistake, the nobles won’t keep their loose lips shut.”
“Hoho, seeing how the young lady is performing today, you needn’t worry about that. She was picking up new moves very quickly, and I already know the young lord’s skills well.”
Ah, that’s right. At the debutante ball, it was customary for the highest-ranking man and woman among the participants to dance the first dance.
So, unless something unusual happens, Hyperion and I will be dancing the first dance.
Alright, given this situation, I will absolutely not give them a chance to criticize me. If I make even a slight mistake, they will use it to speak ill of my mother. I will practice until my feet are sore to show a perfect performance on the day of the debutante ball!
Just as I was burning with enthusiasm, I heard a distant, dull bark of a dog. Soon, the reception room door opened, and a white fur ball came rushing toward me at an alarming speed. Behind it stood Hyperion.
“Rose, no….”
Before I could finish my greeting, Rose crashed into me. Just as her tongue was about to mercilessly cover my face, Hyperion’s voice rang out.
“Rose, sit!”
Immediately, Rose plopped down on the floor.
At that moment, I realized once again that Rose was much smarter than the pickpockets I had encountered on the street. At the very least, Rose knew when to back off.
“Oh my, Ar, are you okay?”
As the duchess supported my swaying figure, I nodded.
“I’m, I’m okay.”
No, in fact, I’m not okay at all. A lot has happened today. I encountered a pickpocket and got hurt, and now there’s been a traffic accident.
“Rose really seems to like you. She usually doesn’t jump on people like this.”
Suddenly, Rose started sniffing the air. She circled around my arm, busily smelling, then let out a low howl.
The duchess tilted her head in confusion.
“Hmm? Rose? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Thinking she might have caught a whiff of blood, I quickly covered my arm. In fact, when Rose bumped into me earlier, I felt the handkerchief covering my wound loosen a bit.
As I checked with my hand and confirmed there was no serious issue, I lifted my head and locked eyes with Hyperion. He was staring at me with his brows furrowed.
At that moment, the duchess cheerfully exclaimed, “Hyperion, you came at the perfect time. You need to be Ar’s dance partner. Ar, let’s put what you’ve practiced into action.”
I realized that the ideal practice partner was right in front of me. Yes, if I’m going to practice, he’s the best choice!
I quickly stepped in front of Hyperion and looked up at him with a smile.
I felt a bit sorry for the person who had to dance with me right after getting off work, but what could I do? If asked, I had to do it.
“Please take care of me.”
“……”
However, despite my greeting, Hyperion continued to look at me with his brows still furrowed.
“Alright, then let’s start….”
Just as the duchess was about to clap her hands together, Hyperion spoke up.
“I’d prefer to practice the dance just the two of us. Would you mind stepping aside?”
The duchess’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Hmm? Just the two of you?”
“Yes, I would like Lady Montfort to step out as well. Please take Rose with you.”
“Uh, well…”
The duchess’s gaze turned towards me. Realizing she was asking for my opinion, I replied, “I’m fine with it.”
After a moment of being dazed, the duchess’s eyes sparkled with understanding.
“Ah, yes, I suppose we’d just be a distraction! Well, I can’t have that. Then I’ll step aside, so don’t feel burdened and practice together.”
The duchess took Rose with one hand and grabbed Lady Montfort’s arm with the other. As they were leaving the room, Lady Montfort suddenly shouted as if she had just come to her senses,
“Duchess, still, it’s not proper to leave an unmarried man and woman alone in a room… Ugh!”
But her words were immediately cut off by the duchess, who quickly covered her mouth and whispered in her ear,
“Lady Montfort, you’ve had a tough day today. I’ll personally see you home, so let’s go!”
With that, one person and one dog were swiftly ushered out by the duchess.
As the door closed, Hyperion’s gaze returned to me.
“Excuse my rudeness for a moment.”
He immediately grabbed my wrist and rolled up my sleeve.
“……What!”
I tried to quickly pull my hand away, but the loosened handkerchief slipped down, revealing the mark of my wound.
The blue eyes examining the wound soon locked onto mine.
“……A cut from a sword? It’s fresh. Probably happened a few hours ago.”
“That is…”
“Where did this come from? Who did this to you?”
His voice dropped to an extremely low tone.
Seeing this, I began to understand why people found him intimidating. He had a chilling aura that could pin someone down with just a look. Especially in this angry state, ordinary people would probably find it hard to breathe.
Wait, he’s angry? Because I got hurt?
Then I realized. His expression right now is strikingly similar to the one my father had when I did something dangerous. He’s angry, but what’s really filling that expression is definitely concern for me.
Why? Why is he worried and angry about me?
As I stared at him, a fleeting expression of cracks seemed to pass over his face. He slightly bit his lip and quickly returned to his usual calm demeanor.
“You’re a guest in our home. Do you know what it means when something happens to you? The duke’s family bears all the responsibility for that.”
Ah, that’s true. I acknowledge it. Yes, it’s certainly something to be angry about.
“Alright. I understand your point. But just pretend you didn’t see this. That should be enough.”
Hyperion’s gaze narrowed, and he released the arm he was holding. Then he spoke in a cold voice.
“If you won’t speak, then I have no choice. I’ll report everything I’ve seen to the Grand Duke’s family.”
Just as he was about to turn away, I hurriedly grabbed his arm.
“No! If my parents find out, it’ll be a big deal!”
“Then you want me to just ignore the fact that you’ve been injured?”
“It was just a slight brush. There’s no need to make a fuss over something trivial.”
“Whether it’s trivial or not, I’ll listen to the story and decide.”
“Fine. Well, I bumped into someone while walking, and it escalated into a conflict…”
“Lacks plausibility. Don’t you have another excuse prepared?”
As expected, he wasn’t easily swayed. I couldn’t expect him to let it slide like the duchess.
While I was pondering my response, a good idea suddenly came to me.
“……If I’m honest, will you tell me the information I want in return?”
From this outing, I had learned two significant facts.
The first is that someone likely released counterfeit money into the Grand Duchy with a specific purpose. The second is that I had caught a clue about the mastermind behind it here.
Just from stopping by a few shops and asking about the metal badge, it was clear that I needed to approach this matter more cautiously. If Hyperion had information, it would be better to get that first.
“Information?”
“Yeah, we’ll exchange information one by one. Fair, right?”
“Do you really think that counts as a negotiation? I could just tell the Grand Duke’s family everything instead of listening to your explanation.”
“Then go ahead!”
Ah, fine then!
I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. Did he think I would cave to such threats?
Hyperion looked down at me coldly with his bright blue eyes. Strangely, those blue eyes seemed to see right through everything.
As he continued to gaze at me silently, he eventually let out a shallow sigh.
“Alright. I understand. First, let’s treat your wound and then exchange information.”
