Chapter 41
“…Young Mistress?”
Aileen called out worriedly to Alice, who was deep in serious contemplation.
Her face brightened, then darkened. Suddenly she nodded solemnly, then furrowed her brow in concentration.
The rapidly changing expressions didn’t seem normal, as if her thoughts were jumping from one thing to another.
Alice smiled at Aileen, who was looking at her with a slightly frightened expression, and replied:
“It’s alright, I was just thinking about something for a moment. More importantly, did Lady Meltain go out again today?”
“Yes. She left early this morning as well.”
“…I see.”
Lady Meltain, constantly going out.
She probably wasn’t just going for walks in the capital, but rather preparing something with Kylus.
Just one week… if they could hold out for that long.
Alice silently prayed that nothing would go wrong within that week.
“Young Mistress, if you’re finished, shall I clear this away?”
“Oh. Yes.”
“Was everything to your liking?”
“Yes, it was delicious.”
“I’m glad. The Duke instructed the chef to pay special attention to your meals, so the chef was quite worried. I’ll let him know you enjoyed it.”
“The Duke did?”
“Yes. He ordered extra care be taken with your meals yesterday, saying you might be in a bad mood after the Fordley family was driven out like that.”
“……”
No wonder the meals had suddenly improved since last night.
Alice’s heart felt a bit heavier at the consideration from that shameless thief.
If he was going to be shameless, he should be consistently so from start to finish.
Why suddenly show consideration now? It just made abandoning her more difficult.
But come to think of it… he had helped her deal with the Fordley family yesterday too.
His entrance may have been a bit rough, but… he was quite dashing.
Like a prince on a white horse coming to rescue a princess in danger.
“…Young Mistress, why are you suddenly smiling?”
“Huh? Was I… smiling?”
“Yes. You were smiling very foolish- I mean, very brightly.”
To think she’d been smiling while thinking of Kylus.
She mustn’t fall for that good-for-nothing thief, no matter how handsome!
Alice lightly slapped her cheeks and stood up.
“I think I’ll go for a walk to aid digestion. There’s nothing special planned until dinner, so you should take a break too.”
“Yes, Young Mistress.”
Leaving behind Aileen, whose cheeks were lifted in a smile at the unexpected break, Alice left the room with a determined look on her face.
* * *
Meanwhile, the carriage that had departed from the Dearrut duchy early that morning was speeding towards the imperial palace.
And the passenger in the carriage was, of course, Kylus, the master of the Dearrut duchy.
Thanks to the protective magic on the carriage, the interior remained completely steady despite the intense speed.
Kylus, who had been lost in thought with his eyes closed, slowly opened them as the sunlight streaming through the window intensified.
He opened his pocket watch to check the time.
It had just passed noon.
“By now, Madam Quillian must know.”
The news that he had headed for the imperial palace, that is.
She was probably throwing a fit, unable to contain her anger at having let him slip away.
As if she had the ability to stop him even if she knew.
Without needing to see it, he could clearly picture Madam Quillian grabbing someone’s hair or throwing objects in a rage.
So he had firmly instructed the butler to ensure Alice wouldn’t become the target of that fury.
Her hair must not become the hair Quillian grabbed.
Of course, Alice probably wouldn’t meekly submit anyway.
Kylus smirked at the image of Alice that naturally came to mind, then thought of Madam Quillian again.
More precisely, of Madam Quillian exhausted from her tantrum, scheming some pathetic ploy.
Let her try her petty schemes. After all, it was he who had set the stage for Madam Quillian.
Naturally, it would be he who overturned that stage as well.
Kylus wore an icy smirk as he imagined Madam Quillian wailing over her ruined plans.
It was a chilling smile that made the flesh of the person sitting across from him tremble.
And the man sitting opposite Kylus, shuddering in fear, was none other than Doctor Helkin.
Helkin, transformed by Sienna’s shapeshifting magic.
His once grayish-white hair had changed to a deep navy, and his brown eyes to an ashen color.
Helkin’s toad-like face had been perfectly disguised into an unremarkable servant’s visage.
As Kylus appraised Helkin, newly impressed by Sienna’s magical skill, Helkin cautiously asked with cold sweat beading on his forehead:
“…Do you have something to say to me, Your Grace?”
“No.”
“Yes, sir.”
Kylus gave a short reply and averted his gaze from Helkin.
Then he closed his eyes again as before. Seeing this, Helkin also held his breath and pressed his lips tightly shut.
But his hands kept sweating and his back remained stiff as a board.
That was because he was now trapped. Alone. With Kylus. In this carriage.
Of course, the comfort of the ducal carriage was incomparable to ordinary carriages, almost like a noble’s bed, but the plushness of the seat was the least of Helkin’s concerns right now.
He didn’t even desire such luxurious treatment fit for nobility – he just desperately wanted to get out of this carriage.
No, if only they would send him to the luggage compartment instead, how wonderful that would be.
Having his tailbone dislocated from the jostling of the luggage cart would be a million times better than being here with Kylus.
In this enclosed space, every moment with the Duke was uncomfortable, but the most terrifying thing was Kylus’ black eyes.
Whenever Kylus opened his eyes and their gazes met, chills ran down Helkin’s spine.
It was as if he’d become a herbivore faced with a black-eyed predator.
Like he could be devoured in an instant.
At least now that Kylus had closed his eyes again, Helkin could breathe somewhat.
Taking advantage of Kylus’ closed eyes, Helkin took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat soaking his palms.
Just as he raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead, Kylus’ chilling voice resonated through the carriage:
“When we arrive at the palace, there will be no shortage of eyes on us. What do you think people will think if the servant attending the Duke is trembling like a halfwit?”
Helkin’s hand froze mid-air.
He looked up to see Kylus watching him intently, head tilted slightly.
Helkin clasped his trembling hands together tightly and slowly replied:
“…I will conduct myself properly so as not to appear strange or arouse suspicion.”
“You’d better. That’s the only way your head will stay firmly attached.”
Kylus spoke in an even tone as he languidly leaned back against the carriage wall.
Though Kylus turned his head away as if no longer interested, Helkin unconsciously rubbed his neck, which suddenly felt chilly.
As if checking that his head was still securely attached.
Just as the stifling atmosphere was about to truly suffocate Helkin, the carriage fortunately arrived at the imperial palace.
As the carriage stopped, Helkin took a deep breath and exited first.
He then naturally lowered the footstep and bowed.
“Your Grace, please alight.”
It was a moment when the crash course in servant etiquette he’d received from the butler before coming to the palace paid off.
Kylus gave Helkin a satisfied look at his natural behavior, then stepped out of the carriage.
He then raised his eyes towards the imperial palace.
It had been quite a while since he’d last seen it.
Befitting the strongest empire on the continent, Pentaum’s imperial palace boasted a scale larger than any other kingdom.
Especially where Kylus stood now was the Sun Palace, the emperor’s residence known as the heart of the imperial palace.
The Sun Palace exuded an awe-inspiring dignity that overwhelmed just by looking at it.
It was fitting for a palace imbued with the spirit of the founding emperor, a mighty swordsman who would go down in history.
Unfortunately, the current master of this palace was an emperor who failed to inherit that greatness.
“Duke.”
Just as Kylus was looking at the palace with a bitter feeling, a harsh voice that grated on the ears rang out.
Lowering his gaze, he saw the emperor’s chamberlain who had come out to greet him.
“It’s been a while, Mactran.”
Mactran Bulkin, the emperor’s closest aide.
Hailing from the Bulkin viscounty, he was a truly loyal sycophant who closed the emperor’s ears and blinded his eyes.
Kylus naturally despised Mactran before him.
“…It’s been a long time. I’m glad to see you again in such good health, Your Grace.”
Mactran flinched as his eyes met Kylus’ and bowed his head.
“I too am truly glad to see you again like this. Having nearly died, I find myself seeing anew all the things I took for granted before. So I intend to dedicate myself even more to serving the imperial family from now on. We’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other in the future.”
Kylus gripped Mactran’s shoulder firmly.
“…I’m even more pleased to hear that.”
The corners of Mactran’s mouth turned up awkwardly.
He seemed to be trying to manage his expression, but couldn’t hide his trembling lips and stiff gaze.
A look full of hostility.
To think the emperor’s chamberlain couldn’t even hide his emotions like this. As expected, the only thing he was good at was spouting flattery to the emperor.
Nothing else.
With such a useless fellow as the emperor’s closest aide, it was only natural that the emperor’s eyes were blind and ears deaf.
But from the start, the emperor himself was far from the word “wise ruler.”
So birds of a feather flock together, as they say.
Kylus, who had been sneering inwardly as he looked at Mactran, finally stepped into the palace to meet the long-awaited emperor.
“Your Majesty, His Grace the Duke of Dearrut has arrived.”
“…Show him in.”
The doors to the audience chamber opened, and Kylus walked along the red carpet towards the throne.
Stopping not far from the imperial throne, Kylus bent one knee in a formal greeting.
“I stand before Your Imperial Majesty, the radiant sun of the Pentaum Empire.”
