/
“I only hoped to lessen the amount of Your Majesty’s workload…”
“How easygoing you are. Do you think you can manage with that mental strength of yours?”
Not on your life.
As if telling him not to talk nonsense, the Emperor coldly crossed his legs.
Even he himself….
A crack appeared in his previously flawless forehead.
“Anyways, things will be clearer if I do the observation myself, so don’t act rashly and interfere. If you dimwits get involved, too, things will only get more complicated.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Seeing Rashid draw a line like that so clearly, certainly brought relief to the younger brothers.
He was the man who didn’t just sweep through the war, but overturned it completely. Judging from how he spoke of mental strength, instead of the more common military strength or stamina, this Duchess may have more dark powers than they had originally thought.
“Is there anything that you’ve figured out about her?”
“…….That’s…..”
‘Of course,’ he was about to say, but Rashid drummed his fingers on the knee he’d crossed over the other.
Technically speaking, he hadn’t just stopped at observing.
Whether he’d wanted or not, she was the woman that he’d had the closest physical contact to, so there was no way he couldn’t know anything.
“She likes birds….”
“…..”
“And she very much obsesses over them.”
A strange expression began overtaking his two younger brothers’ faces again.
But the face of Rashid, who’d said those words himself, became even more serious, raising the tension in the room.
“How much does she like those birds that you act like this, Your Majesty? Well, I have indeed heard that many among those who use black magic use birds as their tools.”
“Rather than tools…..”
Like a family, if he had to say.
But that wasn’t something he could really say with his own mouth.
His two brothers in front of him now was inside the realm called family, but just from that thought, his entire body itched and his neck and shoulders stiffened.
How should he say.
It was like when he thought of that newly born sister of his.
“Your Highness?”
“…..she’s an unbelievably suspicious woman anyways. Can’t tell the front from the back, and fearless to boot.”
Enough to risk her life for a mere bird, but he didn’t say that. And it was a good thing he also didn’t add that it didn’t feel bad when they’d touched.
“Then what do you plan to do in the future?”
“What do you mean, what. I’ll have to keep her closer and continue watching her.”
“…..”
The tone of his voice said that he found nothing more annoying, but in contrast, his expression didn’t look that bad.
Tenon, who’d been thinking for a while, spoke up his concern a little.
“But last time, she seemed to find meeting people uncomfortable, so if I may ask how you intend to keep her close…”
“That’s why I cast out some bait.”
“By bait, do you mean what you sent through elder brother Peyton today? I was wondering what you were sending, but I see now that it was for this purpose.”
“Of course.”
Setting his hands on the armrests, Rashid narrowed his eyes as if to say there could be no other motives, and Tenon was quickly convinced.
“……”
But that was only possible with Tenon, because he had been busy tracking Haniel’s location down and so didn’t know of its contents.
As for Peyton, who had personally carried out Rashid’s order, perhaps he could not understand right away—he stared at Rasid with a sheepish look.
“……what are you doing? Peyton. Do you have something to say?”
“N-no, Your Majesty.”
As befitting his status as the most close-mouthed brother, Peyton closed his mouth just like that.
Rashid ran a hand through his hair as if to say he knew he’d do so, and he leaned back onto the black velvet chair, his eyes shining with expectations.
“She’ll definitely take the bait…. if it’s that woman.”
***
[Madam, look at this! I wonder what all this food is!]
“What do you mean? That’s just food.”
I said so in a disgruntled voice, but this wasn’t actually something that I could smooth over like that.
The warm soup with its fluffy steam rising up into the air, the steak that looked like it would melt at the tip of my tongue with only a single look, and even the extremely luxurious dessert—it was perfect.