AIWA 23

Chapter 23

Paello’s eyes went wide.

“…Huh?”

It was such an unexpected reaction that Lucienne lowered her voice.

“No… it is?”

“…Ah, no, it isn’t.”

Startled, Paello pulled his hands away from Lucienne’s cheeks, and soon his face flushed red.

“I was just checking to make sure you were really alright.”

Meaning it had been Lucienne’s misunderstanding.

‘Good heavens. What did I just say.’

Lucienne bowed her head and covered her face with both hands. She had no idea what to do about the heat burning her face.

But she soon came to her senses.

“Ah. This isn’t the time to be like this.”

Lucienne pointed at the floor.

“There’s a hole here. Water is leaking in!”

Paello raised his body a little more and checked at Lucienne’s feet.

The floor where the basket had been placed was broken, and water was rushing in at a fast pace.

“The bottom of the basket was soaked and even sloshing, so I lifted it to check, and it became this state right away. The boat is going to sink soon. We need to call for rescue.”

Paello handed the silver goblet and the liquor bottle from the table to Lucienne.

“Keep these with you no matter what.”

“Why these?”

“You seem fine, but they’re still evidence.”

“?”

He then swept all the items on the table off with the oar in one go and reached out his hand to Lucienne.

“That side will flood first, so come over here.”

“Excuse me?”

“We could call for rescue, but judging by the speed the water is coming in, it will sink soon as you said. I’ll row as fast as I can.”

Considering the speed at which Paello had moved the boat earlier, that did seem like the better option.

Lucienne moved over to where Paello was. The seat was spacious enough, but she hesitated.

“Won’t I get in the way of your rowing if I sit next to you… Hic?”

Lucienne gasped in surprise.

It was because he had seated her on his lap. He then took hold of the oars again.

“If you think you’ll lose your balance, hold on to me.”

The boat began to move again.

The same spectacular scene as before unfolded. But as water filled the boat, the speed gradually slowed.

Even the people who had been watching blankly finally realized the situation and shouted.

“Kyaaa! The boat carrying Grand Duke Ronater is sinking!”

Commotion also broke out near the dock. Movements to hastily organize a rescue team emerged.

The seat where Lucienne had been sitting became submerged, and soon water began to spill over the table. The tilting speed increased dramatically.

“It’s going to sink before we arrive.”

“Your Highness the Grand Duke. Do you, by any chance, know how to swim?”

“I won’t be swimming.”

Paello immediately threw down the oars and scooped Lucienne up in his arms.

“G-Grand Duke?”

“I’m going to jump in one go. The impact might be strong, so hold tightly around my neck.”

“J-Jump?”

Lucienne wrapped her arms around his neck as he instructed.

The distance between the dock and the boat was clearly visible. They were almost there.

‘About ten meters?’

To jump this distance in one go—for an ordinary person, it would be impossible.

But thinking again, to Lucienne herself, it did look like a distance she could clear in one leap.

Though people would be astonished.

A pleasant scent reached Lucienne’s nose. At the deep body odor that involuntarily reminded her of their consummation night, her heart pounded once more.

‘What am I thinking at a time like this.’

Just as Lucienne reproached herself, her body lifted into the air.

Paello had kicked off one side of the boat and leaped toward the dock.

Lucienne’s eyes widened. Everything around her was visible in slow motion.

The lake surface receded far below. The boat, violently kicked by Paello’s foot, capsized in an instant.

Turning her head slightly, she could see the expressions of the people nearby. Their eyes and mouths wide open, they seemed to have forgotten even to breathe.

Soon a light impact came. Paello had landed lightly on the dock.

He gently set Lucienne down.

“Madam, are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you.”

As Lucienne stood up, Paello also looked around once.

“Phew.”

One of the people who had been standing stiffly finally let out a breath.

As if that were a signal, sighs of relief burst out one after another from the surroundings.

“Goodness!”

“What a relief!”

Someone from the boat side clapped.

“I can hardly believe it even after seeing it!”

“The Grand Duke’s abilities are extraordinary!”

At that, the onlookers rose to their feet and applauded in unison.

“Magnificent! Your Highness!”

“No wonder he can protect the border from the demon race.”

“He’s so handsome.”

“My word, to have such a strong man as your husband. How reassuring it must be for the Grand Duchess.”

On the other hand, the knights, boat managers, and the doctor on standby turned pale.

“A-Are you alright?”

“We made sure to manage the boat properly—how could this happen?”

“The water had pooled enough to wet my shoes, so when I lifted the basket, the floor was completely torn off…”

Lucienne, who had been about to explain the situation as she understood it, caught herself.

She had been about to apologize, realizing she had essentially ruined one boat.

‘But if I act brazenly here, wouldn’t the Grand Duke regret bringing me along on the boat ride?’

He would want to set aside marital duty even more and separate.

“No, if you had stuck the basket firmly to the floor, you should have said so in advance. Or stuck it on so it wouldn’t come off when lifted. Or made it so water wouldn’t leak at all.”

“Excuse me? The basket was stuck to the floor?”

“That can’t be.”

At the boat managers’ doubts, Lucienne lifted her chin.

“What? So you’re saying I’m lying? Who was in charge of the boat we rode?”

“If it was the pale blue one, Max was managing it.”

One of the boat managers looked around and frowned.

“Huh? Where did Max go?”

Paello revealed his discomfort without hiding it.

“I never imagined an Imperial-hosted event would be such a mess.”

At the same time, Lucienne found it incomprehensible.

The description of Paello as poker-faced, mentioned in the original work, didn’t fit.

When she first saw him, he did give off the vibe of an expressionless Grand Duke. But the more she watched, the more varied his expressions became.

‘Was it because he had so little screentime that he only appeared with that expression in the original?’

Alarmed by Paello’s demeanor, a knight hastily bowed his head.

“We are terribly sorry this happened! Your Highness the Grand Duke! We will find him immediately and report the truth after investigation!”

“If it were a matter of management error, that would be one thing, but this is not. Have that man captured and handed over to the Grand Ducal House immediately. And before that, there’s something to check first.”

Paello showed the bottle and silver goblet in Lucienne’s hand to the knight and the doctor.

Those who looked inside the silver goblet widened their eyes.

“W-What is this?”

“Good heavens!”

The doctor began to fumble through his bag in a hurry.

The pale-faced knight broke into a cold sweat and said quietly to the other knights.

“A-A poisoning attempt has been made. Immediately check the safety of the food being served to the distinguished guests. Catch that man Max at once, and keep the surroundings under control so the Grand Empress Dowager is not shocked.”

“Yes, sir!”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the knights hurriedly scattered.

Soon the doctor pulled out two potions in haste.

“They’re strong antidotes. Since no effects have appeared yet, it’s probably not a lethal poison, so this should neutralize it.”

Paello took the medicine and handed it to Lucienne.

“Reactions could come up late, so take this for now.”

“So you’re saying the alcohol I drank had poison… in it?”

“The silver goblet was stained black, wasn’t it?”

Judging by the series of events, that seemed to be the case. But Lucienne couldn’t understand it.

“Oh, it can’t be poison. I really feel completely fine, you know? You even saw me drink the whole bottle yourself, Your Highness.”

It was true. Though she felt nauseated seeing the black-stained cup, her stomach was perfectly fine.

Rather, she was disappointed. Even though it was supposed to be strong liquor, she hadn’t even felt a buzz.

“You’re saying it’s not poison?”

“Yes, it must be that they didn’t wash the dishes properly. And Your Highness, you should be careful with your words. If you claim it’s poison and some innocent person suffers, can you take responsibility for that?”

“An innocent person, you say.”

Paello murmured, then nodded after a moment.

“That makes sense. Then it would be better to verify.”

Paello put the mouth of the empty bottle to his lips.

He licked the liquor with his tongue and swallowed it. Soon his expression twisted, and he quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth.

“Cough.”

He let out a small cough and checked the handkerchief.

What remained at the corner of his mouth, and what was clearly staining and spreading on the handkerchief—anyone could see it was dark red blood.