1. Even Pretty Shoes Can Become Weapons (part 6)
Marcella hoped this was all a dream.
Though she had dreamed of the Foundation Day celebration, of having her debutante ball at the Foundation Day celebration, following behind the Emperor like a puppy wasn’t what she had wanted.
They left the ballroom and were walking down a corridor when Nell suddenly stopped. Marcella, who had been hurriedly following him worried about being scolded again for slow steps, almost collided with him.
“You seem out of breath.”
Because Your Majesty walks so fast. If only she could say that, but she couldn’t.
Marcella shook her head vigorously, saying she wasn’t tired. Then Nell tilted his head to the right and moved his lips.
“Is that so.”
His voice still felt indifferent. Yet he remembered the promise made three years ago so well.
Marcella herself had forgotten it since she didn’t really think that demon beast hunter boy could actually show her the imperial treasures.
It was just a memory like ‘I met a strange boy one day. I almost died that day.’
She couldn’t tell which one was more indifferent, but Marcella definitely thought Nell was indifferent.
Then footsteps were heard from the corridor shadows. The heavy sound didn’t seem like human footsteps.
Marcella looked at the shadows with an ominous feeling. Soon a beast’s growling was heard.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Marcella urgently called Nell, but he looked with unimpressed eyes at what was approaching from the corridor shadows. The demon beast that fully revealed itself opened its mouth wide and roared.
“Kyaaaaa!”
It was that demon beast. Marcella screamed. His Majesty doesn’t even have a weapon right now!
When the demon beast charged at them, Marcella panicked and screamed. Hoping someone would hear and come running, she screamed again.
But that would be too late. Before anyone could come to help, the two of them would become the demon beast’s meal.
“Your Majesty, get back!”
Marcella squeezed her eyes shut and stood in front of Nell with her arms spread wide.
Someone had to buy time before anyone could come. Even if that meant becoming the demon beast’s meal, it was better for her to die than the Emperor.
—Pffft.
Contrary to her desperate, tragic voice, a deflating laugh was heard.
When Marcella slightly opened her eyes, the demon beast that had been about to attack was suddenly rolling on the ground laughing. Marcella’s mouth fell open.
—Your Majesty, get baaack!
Mocking her, it imitated her and wiped away tears while chuckling.
—It’s nice that you have such a devoted retainer who thinks so dearly of you.
The demon beast that had been rolling on the ground laughing raised its head, bounced up slightly, and transformed into human form.
He swept back his mane (hair) and pointed at Marcella, then clutched his stomach again.
“Ah, I’m really going to die. The human is so funny my stomach might split from laughter.”
He laughed while grimacing as if in pain from laughing too much.
Marcella became as red as a ripe tomato. Moreover, she felt like her hair was standing on end.
“Why, why are you mocking me!”
“Whyyy are you mocking meee!”
“Tamarin.”
Nell called to him who was teasing Marcella. The demon beast, Tamarin, finally stopped laughing and looked at Nell, shrugging his shoulders.
“You should have been quietly in your room. It hasn’t even been a day since Arthur scolded you.”
“He’s the bad one. If he wants me to stay quiet, he shouldn’t make me bored.”
“…The fire on your mane seems to have been left there out of boredom.”
“Fire?”
Tamarin sniffed and brushed his hair with his hand. Then it made a sizzling sound and the fire went out. Smoke rose slightly, but he didn’t seem hot.
His purple eyes glared at Marcella and smiled wickedly.
“How dare you burn my mane?”
“I-I was trying to protect His Majesty…!”
“I never tried to attack Nell, though? You just misunderstood on your own.”
“That can’t…”
That’s ridiculous… She was sure he had been about to attack. Marcella’s eyes shook with injustice.
Tamarin chuckled and crossed his arms, lifting his chin to look down at Marcella.
“How dare you touch the Emperor’s divine beast.”
“…Divine beast?”
When Marcella asked with a serious face, Tamarin smiled wickedly and put both hands on her shoulders. It felt like a heavy lion’s paw pressing down, making Marcella’s brow furrow.
“Good courage. You know it’s a serious crime, right? Could be seen as treason.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose, it was unconscious!”
“Oh, so if you set someone’s head on fire unconsciously, it’s not a crime?”
“Th-that’s!”
“How should I kill you?”
Tamarin opened his mouth wide.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Marcella’s desperate scream echoed through the corridor.
Thinking her head was being crushed, Marcella was in a panic state and didn’t hesitate to hit and kick him with all her might to survive.
But Tamarin didn’t care and only after biting Marcella’s head gently several more times did he finally let go.
“Nell, did you hear? Your knight is making a fuss just from having her head bitten a little.”
“Marcella isn’t my knight.”
“No, I don’t mean she’s really your knight… Ah, forget it!”
Tamarin showed annoyance at Nell and stared at Marcella again.
When he smiled wickedly, Marcella flinched and stepped sideways crab-like several steps. Then Tamarin bent his torso and knees while spreading his arms to both sides.
He threateningly blocked Marcella’s path and opened his mouth. To avoid him, Marcella ran around between the pillars but tripped over her uncomfortable shoes and fell. This was the second time today.
Marcella was angry at the shoes, at Tamarin who was toying with her, and even at the Emperor who just watched while his divine beast tormented her. She was even angry at Teon who had left her and gone with Arthur Digory.
Marcella picked up her shiny shoe and threw it at Tamarin with all her might.
Was it okay to harm the Emperor’s divine beast? Of course not. She would be punished or have to offer enough money to appease the Emperor’s anger to be forgiven. If unlucky, she might not save her life.
The answer was clear, but Marcella was already being threatened with her life by Tamarin. What would change if she received more threats?
“Oh? Now you’re throwing shoes too?”
Tamarin, hit in the leg by the shoe, showed a demonic smile and opened his mouth wide.
“I’ll chew you up painfully.”
Marcella fled in terror, gasping for breath, but was soon caught by Tamarin and had her head bitten.
Though Tamarin had only touched his teeth to her skin without piercing it, Marcella in her panic had no leeway to notice that.
She was just scared. Screaming and flailing her hands was all she could do.
Yet this demon beast, no, divine beast just enjoyed watching Marcella’s reaction. He even looked happy.
Marcella continued screaming. Only after screaming until she thought her voice would give out did Tamarin let her go.
When Marcella raised her head, Nell was holding a very small lion cub by the scruff of its neck.
“Tamarin, your playing has gone too far.”
—Why? I bit gently. More than that, do you want to be made to look bad in front of others? Want to see your pillow torn to shreds again?
“I don’t know why you’d tear up pillows, but I don’t mind.”
Marcella looked blankly at the conversation between one person and one creature with tear-filled eyes.
She felt the area Tamarin had bitten with her hand. She could feel a slightly pressed mark.
“…Playing?”
Marcella clenched both fists. Playing? Did he just say it was playing?
“I’m going back.”
Then Nell tilted his head to look down at Marcella.
Tamarin, held by the scruff of his neck in Nell’s hand, quietly watched Nell’s reaction to Marcella’s suddenly subdued voice.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to see the sword?”
“No. I don’t want to see it anymore.”
Marcella was firm.
Nell slowly blinked and looked between Tamarin in his hand and Marcella.
“You said you wanted to see it earlier, but I don’t understand why not now.”
“Thank you for showing such ocean-like magnanimity to someone as insignificant as me.”
“If so.”
“But it’s fine.”
“I don’t understand.”
The Emperor really looked like he didn’t understand. Tamarin kept his mouth shut and just rolled his eyes around.
“Your Majesty will never understand in your lifetime, so you don’t need to try to know.”
Someone born a natural ruler would never understand the heart of a weak person who was just terrorized by a divine beast’s ‘playing.’
Marcella got up by herself, bowed to the Emperor, turned around and walked away.
Slowly, then gradually faster, Marcella began to tear up.
She ran because she was afraid he might call her rudeness a crime, because her state was ridiculous.
She felt like a fool for thinking such a person was being attacked by a demon beast and trying to protect him.
Didn’t she know he was an incredible mage? Compared to him, she was an Inferior worse than any magic stone rolling around in some corner of the imperial palace.
How insignificant must she have looked? An Inferior with little power daring to try to protect him from his own divine beast!
Marcella asked a servant working outside the ballroom to call Teon.
Instead of answering, the servant glanced at Marcella’s feet. Because she had thrown away her shoes while fleeing from the Emperor and demon beast and failed to retrieve them, Marcella was barefoot.
“I’ll call him right away.”
The servant who had been glancing at Marcella’s feet went into the ballroom, and a group of noble ladies came out to the corridor.
They each glanced at Marcella standing there blankly, and seemed surprised to see her barefoot.
Marcella sank into a miserable mood and hung her head low.
“Marcella!”
Hearing from the servant that Marcella was looking for him, Teon came running. He saw Marcella’s disheveled hair and bare feet and grimaced.
“Sister-in-law, what on earth happened!”
“Let’s go home.”
“Marcella!”
“I want to go home.”
The tears that had barely stopped came again when she saw Teon.
Marcella grabbed his arm and begged him to please go home. It was the worst debutante ball.
