TPMBHSW 11

Chapter 11

“Are you really thinking of volunteering as the Imperial Princess’s guardian?”

“Yes.”

“Who knows how long you’ll be tied down in that boring capital. You’ve received your title and your territory, so now all you have to do is return to the North!”

Ignoring Philip’s whining, Richard took off his coat with the epaulettes. The Emperor, who had barely regained consciousness, was incomparably more haggard than when he had last seen him. Even he, the chamberlain, and even the Emperor himself hadn’t said it aloud, but it was enough to guess that death was imminent.

“If you want to go back that badly, you can go first.”

“Eeeek? If I go back alone without the Commander, everyone will try to kill me?”

“Then die.”

“…Aren’t you being too cruel, really. If you keep this up, I might just gobble up the carrier pigeon Asta sent.”

At the ridiculous threat, Richard held out his hand. Philip grumbled but obediently handed him the paper folded several times.

“I don’t know for certain, but it seems there’s a problem within the family. Judging by the fact that the accountant who managed the previous generation’s ledgers fled all the way to Hoth Forest, it seems to be quite a big matter.”

“Hoth Forest?”

“Why, you know. The place where important people go in autumn to hunt deer and bears and such.”

Philip made a comical gesture of shooting a gun. He even mimicked the bang-bang sounds with his mouth, but Richard didn’t scold him.

Honestly, the hunting festival hosted by the Bellua Dukedom looked like child’s play to the Northerners who dealt with monsters.

Richard, who had once tried to make a great contribution at that hunting festival to catch the eye of important people, merely let out a smirk.

“So, you couldn’t find out what the matter was?”

“Either he couldn’t find out, or he wasn’t interested. As you can see, it’s filled with nothing but talk about Noah.”

It was as Philip said. Richard clicked his tongue.

Philip, who had been watching him carefully, slyly pulled out a wad of coarse paper from his bosom and held it out.

“Ahem, and this, it’s today’s Trouble Luv. I brought it because I thought you should see it.”

Richard frowned before even reading the contents and took it. As he expected, the coarse paper was full of talk about yesterday’s banquet.

[Has the snake grasped flowers in both hands?

If there is anyone who did not hear the rumor that the Duke of Bellua enjoyed a secret rendezvous at last night’s banquet, they ought to reflect on themselves.

At the beginning of the banquet, the Duke of Bellua and the next sun looked like a perfect pair. If only she hadn’t enjoyed a secret meeting with the hero of the North on the terrace after the first dance, everyone would have believed without a doubt that she would become the next Empress…]

“Ha.”

The cheap coarse paper crumpled messily in Richard’s hand. Glaring at the Trouble Luv with blazing eyes, Richard soon threw it into the fireplace. Philip, who had been watching him from the side, couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke.

“Commander, what on earth happened at the banquet yesterday?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Nothing? Is that why a man like you is rounding up the boys like catching mice from dawn and burning innocent paper alive?”

Philip clicked his tongue and gestured with his chin toward the Trouble Luv that had been reduced to ashes.

“Seeing as your mouth is still alive, you must still be full of energy. What, shall we have a spar?”

“Good grief. No thanks. So what is the matter? I need to know so I can either help or pretend not to know.”

He didn’t realize he was already a lost cause in that he had any intention of pretending not to know. But Philip was right. Since seeing Isabella’s tears yesterday, he had been losing his composure.

The Isabella he knew was not someone who shed tears easily. She was a woman who had been raised receiving an education befitting the Bellua Dukedom from the moment she was born.

The fact that she, who hadn’t shown a single tear even when she said goodbye to him, even when she tore him apart so cruelly, had cried—that meant something serious was afoot.

Richard didn’t think Damon had that kind of talent. Damon, of all people. Others didn’t know why the Emperor was delaying his abdication despite his chronic illness. Nevertheless, Damon was so incompetent that everyone could accept it.

If there was something such a Damon could use to threaten Isabella?

“Go to the Bellua Dukedom, Philip.”

“What?”

“Don’t come back until you’ve asked when they’ll invite us to the promised tea party and heard a definite answer.”

“…Wait a moment. Me? So you’re telling me to go and intimidate them into giving me a date for the tea party invitation?”

Richard nodded as he looked at the dumbfounded Philip.

“You understood perfectly, so why aren’t you leaving?”

At the question that was not just confident but shameless, Philip was left utterly speechless.

But what could he do? If told to do it, he had to do it.

Philip, who had suddenly been saddled with the role of cupid of love, departed for the Bellua Dukedom with a blank face.

***

I rolled my eyes nervously. Things were turning serious.

The social season is about to begin. Nobles who had left for their territories and vacation spots were gathering in the capital, and the debutante ball invitations announcing the start of the season had arrived long ago.

Now that we were past mid-August, I had to prevent the hunting festival from being moved up at all costs.

The best thing would be to replace the hunting festival with something else. There was precedent, so it wasn’t impossible.

If it weren’t for the fact that I couldn’t meet either the Emperor or Damon, things wouldn’t have been this bleak.

It was a solvable level of problem!

I subtly raised my eyes and stole a glance at the man sitting across from me.

‘How did things get so tangled?’

The problem started when I ran into the Winston family’s knight on my way back from going all the way to the imperial palace to meet Damon, only to return with nothing. Or maybe the problem was when I answered “anytime” to the question of when I would invite him to tea.

‘I did say anytime, but that didn’t mean today!’

Unlike me, who was fidgeting nervously, Richard, who had come insisting on getting tea no matter what, was calm.

‘It’s about time Noah’s regular report arrives.’

Unable to overcome my anxiety, I broke the silence.

“If the mint tea doesn’t suit your taste, shall I have something else brought out, Count?”

Drink whatever it is quickly and leave.

Perhaps reading my intentions, Richard let out a smirk. He picked up the nearly cold teacup, downed the remaining tea in one gulp, and spoke.

“How long are you going to keep using that ridiculous title, Bella?”

At the pet name that seemed to roll off his tongue, I swallowed a sigh. If I wanted to send Richard away quickly, I had no choice but to play along with what he wanted. I relaxed my stiff expression and nodded.

“…So why did you come?”

“What happened yesterday?”

“Yesterday?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Bella. You cried on the terrace after dancing with the Crown Prince.”

He really came all the way here to hear that? I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Why?

I couldn’t understand Richard. Wasn’t he supposed to resent me?

Moreover, I had sharply lashed out at him yesterday. I drew a line, telling him not to concern himself, not to interfere, and pushed him away. Yet now he seemed to be worrying about me.

I couldn’t tell whether the feelings Richard had for me were affection or hatred. So there was no way I could carelessly open my mouth.

When I didn’t answer, Richard furrowed his brow.

“Did Damon threaten you?”

“Even if that were true, I have no obligation to tell you. Have you forgotten, Richard? That we’re not the kind of relationship where we worry about each other?”

“What kind of relationship is that?”

“You know.”

“Are you going to tell me not to concern myself now that we’re strangers, like before?”

I pressed my lips together. One thing was certain, whatever else might be true.

That man remembered everything I had said ten years ago. And he was using it in reverse to poke at me.

If I were even a little younger, I would have been caught by Richard’s prompting. I would have let my emotions lead me, poured out things I should and shouldn’t say, and exposed everything. But I was already twenty-eight.

Instead of retorting, I crossed my arms and buried myself in the sofa. It was a silent signal that I wouldn’t talk about old times. Richard looked at me like that, then slightly furrowed his brow.

“…I might become Sasha’s guardian.”

A sigh escaped between his muttered words. Surely he wasn’t thinking of accepting that proposal?

“What?”

“I’m saying I want to confirm, since the problem between you and Damon could affect me as well.”

I blankly chewed over Richard’s words. And only after quite some time had passed did I understand.

Ah.

So it was Damon he was interested in, not me. No, in this case, should I say he was interested in Sasha?

I swallowed the hollow laugh that threatened to escape.

‘Ah. How sly.’

The moment Richard revealed his purpose, I was disappointed. Even though I thought I shouldn’t harbor lingering feelings, there was no way to prevent the disappointment.