Chapter 026
Lord of Delint’s Castle.
“I’ve heard that Count Delint is quite influential. They say that in the Delint region, the count can cover the sky with the palm of his hand. They say that he is arrogant, haughty, and self-willed.”
“I see.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“I’ll handle it, miss.”
Rebecca said that as long as we just listened quietly, he wouldn’t be much of a problem. After all, there are always people like him wherever you go, those who live by their own inflated sense of importance.
The carriage carrying Rebecca and me arrived in Delint. The owner of the castle came out to the entrance to greet us.
“Thank you so much for coming all the way here.”
Though his words were of gratitude, his attitude was arrogant. His face gleamed with oil, making it seem true that Delint made a fortune every season.
His clothing and jewelry were not things one could easily acquire.
They looked expensive at a glance.
“No, thank you for your hospitality.”
Rebecca stepped forward, shaking hands with the Lord on my behalf. It was Alejandro’s influence that had bought off the Delint Lord to allow us to hold the event. It was also Alejandro’s power that made the Lord rush out to greet us like this.
I had been making good use of Alejandro as well.
In any case, the Lord of Delint smiled graciously.
“Not just because it’s the season, but because it’s the weekend. Allowing you to hold an event on such a day took a great deal of generosity on my part. I hope you understand. And I also hope that this will benefit His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
He sure likes to brag.
And yet, he wasn’t even looking at me while speaking. Lord Delint was confident that this would be of little benefit to him.
He likely believed that he was the one doing me a favor. But was that really the case?
“Please be careful not to damage the scenery.”
In addition, Lord Delint continued to rattle off a long list of things to watch out for. Wow, this is some serious power-tripping… Is this what it means to have the leisure of a landowner?
Rebecca listened calmly.
Ugh, how irritating.
The highlight was this part:
“Since Delint is a resort area, carrying weapons is strictly prohibited. You must follow this rule thoroughly.”
“Understood.”
Rebecca gave a brief response. I thought it was going to be a meeting, but it turned out to be a one-sided notification.
It was infuriating, but most of what he said wasn’t worth paying attention to. As we left the castle, Rebecca, looking annoyed, swore at the castle lord in annoyance.
Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who found it insufferable.
“May all your hair fall out and leave you bald,” she muttered a curse under her breath, making me burst into laughter.
When I see this, I can tell that our personalities really match.
* * *
After returning to the capital with Rebecca, we went to Dear Elizabeth as promised. Just looking at the sparkling desserts made me feel at peace.
It’s like my soul and eyes were being cleansed from the filth of Lord Delint.
“From here to here. I’ll take them all.”
“Pardon?”
Rebecca’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Sweet things are the best when you’re stressed.”
Casper met my gaze and lowered his head. Seeing him along with the desserts lifted my mood. If things go the way I expect, Casper will almost certainly take my hand.
Looking at the fish that would soon be in my hands made me feel full already.
I exchanged a glance with Casper, greeting him once more with my eyes, and then took my seat.
“Phew, this is really delicious,” Rebecca murmured, her face filled with happiness.
“Yeah, this is good, and so is this one.”
We were conquering the desserts we had bought one by one when Casper approached us.
“As a thank-you for your large purchase, we’d like to offer you a complimentary gift. It’s a new product coming out soon. Would you like to try it?”
“Oh, I’d love to!” Rebecca clapped her hands. Beneath my piece of cake, there was a small note. Only one word was written on it.
<friend>
Already?
Had he finished gathering information on me in just one day? I turned my head toward Casper, who was walking away in a composed manner. He didn’t look back at me until he returned to his station.
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Rebecca looked at me with a puzzled expression. I smiled brightly at her as she tilted her head in confusion.
“It’s just… he’s my type.”
In more ways than one.
“I-I see.”
Coming here today, even though I was tired, was worth it. I had Casper in my hands.
The fact that he could gather information about me in just one day was a testament to Casper’s abilities. Ah, today was a perfect day for healing.
* * *
Rebecca stared intently at Alejandro with a serious expression. Alejandro’s eyebrow twitched. He was bothered by Rebecca’s gaze.
All she had to do was report what happened today and mention any noteworthy points, but why was she looking at him like that?
“Why is she acting like that?” Alejandro asked coldly.
“…Well, I kind of get it,” Rebecca replied.
“What?”
“Oh, we went to get some dessert today, and the lady said something. She mentioned that the owner of the dessert shop was her type. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.”
Rebecca shrugged.
“To be honest, I thought the lady had fallen for Your Highness at first sight, but now I’m not so sure. The shop owner is kind and considerate, and Your Highness, well, isn’t.”
Alejandro let out a dry laugh. Did that really matter right now? Besides, it wasn’t important what kind of man Evelina was attracted to.
“Rebecca.”
“Of course, Your Highness wouldn’t care, but I got ahead of myself.”
Rebecca quickly changed the subject.
“Ahem, Lord Delint hinted that he wouldn’t allow anyone carrying weapons inside. What should we do? Do you think the Empress will intervene again this time?”
“The Pope has expressed a desire to take Evelina with her.”
“Are you considering it?”
“As if I would.”
Alejandro laughed viciously. The Pope thought he had Alejandro completely under control. To control the things that were parasitizing Alejandro’s body, the Pope’s power was essential.
That was why the Pope treated Alejandro like a puppet, believing he had him in the palm of her hand. While it was convenient that the Pope wasn’t actively restraining Alejandro, there were times when he wanted to overturn everything.
“Ignore the Pope’s demands, but don’t cut ties completely. Take her to the temple a few times. We need to show at least some gesture of goodwill.”
“And what should we do there?”
“Pray?”
“Excuse me?”
“Pray for that senile old woman to hurry up and die.”
Rebecca let out an awkward laugh. That was extreme blasphemy.
“What about the issue with weapons?”
“Lucifer will be accompanying us, so don’t worry about it. What are the chances that Lord Delint has sided with the Empress?”
“As of now, it’s 50-50. Weren’t you planning to confirm that during this opportunity?”
“Hmm.”
Alejandro rubbed his chin. Lord Delint was like a golden goose that spewed money. Empress Rielin had been approaching him repeatedly, but so far, he had turned her down.
Now that we were planning an event there, the Empress would definitely try something. She was desperate to get her hands on Evelina.
“Keep an eye on it. The Empress is bound to make a move, so assign more people to follow her.”
“Should we inform Lady Evelina about this?”
Alejandro gave a cold smile, glancing at Rebecca.
“Do as you like.”
“I’ll inform her, then. She needs to be prepared.”
“Don’t worry about the security. If Lucifer can’t handle something that basic, I’ll cut him off.”
“Yes, then I’ll place knights around the Delint estate.”
Alejandro nodded. That should be enough to ensure Evelina’s safety and to gauge Lord Delint’s intentions.
If Lord Delint decided to side with the Empress, Alejandro had every intention of taking his life and replacing him with someone else. Letting the golden goose fall into Empress Rielin’s hands would expand her influence, and that was something he couldn’t tolerate.
As long as the Empress and the Pope refused to give up, a clash between the two forces was inevitable. With the Emperor wavering and refusing to back either side, all that was left was an underground war.
After calculating the situation, Alejandro lifted his head.
“So, which dessert shop was it?”
“…Excuse me?”
Rebecca was caught off guard by the sudden question, her face showing her confusion.
Alejandro silently stared at her, waiting.
“Which one?”
