Jealousy
“So that’s what happened.”
One lazy afternoon, Illid, who had come with me to the aviary in the Imperial Palace, murmured softly.
“Even so, a walk every single day for a whole month? Doesn’t that get tiresome? We never met that often.”
“It does, but if I don’t go along, I’ll only end up provoking Hellion.”
I scattered feed for the white dove that had landed on the back of my hand. The bird cooed and rubbed its small head against my palm.
“Does he really come without fail every day?”
“Yes. He arrives early and tries his hardest to leave late, making up all sorts of excuses. I truly don’t know what to do with him at times like this.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead, still wearing my lace gloves. The thought of the four days of walks still left with Hellion filled me with unease. Illid looked at me and chuckled.
“Hellion must like you very much.”
“Do you really think so, Illid?”
“I do. I’m sure everyone in the palace knows it by now—anyone who isn’t a fool, that is.”
“Ha……”
I leaned back in my chair and let out a sigh. Of course, his goodwill was far preferable to the brawling of our childhood, but I had never expected it to reach this extent.
“Still, I can’t explain why it feels so strange.”
“Does Hellion’s affection burden you?”
“It’s not so much a burden as it is awkward. We’ve been apart for a long time, but we’ve known each other since we were children……”
Illid, seated beside me, reached out and took my hand. The warmth of his touch made my heart flutter. Slowly, I lowered my head and rested it against his shoulder.
“Honestly, I don’t understand Hellion’s feelings at all. Sometimes I wonder if it’s simply a kind of rivalry born from jealousy toward you, Illid.”
“You mean he clings to you because he doesn’t want to lose you to me?”
“Yes. I can’t tell whether the feelings he has for me are genuine affection or merely competition and jealousy.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Hellion has always been jealous of Primos and me since we were young. Sometimes he envied Primos because he wanted to be close to me, and other times it was the opposite. The situation is a little different now, but I suspect it’s a similar emotion.”
“Hellion has always been fiercely competitive. It’s understandable you would think so.”
Illid furrowed his handsome brow and fell into thought for a moment.
“I’ve noticed Hellion has been noticeably cold toward me lately. Now I understand why.”
“I’m sorry. It’s because of me……”
“There’s no need to apologize. No one is at fault. It’s simply the result of the complicated ties between us.”
He laced his fingers with mine and continued.
“Even when I came to the capital, I never imagined the three of us would become entangled like this. It’s practically an arranged marriage. It would be surprising if even one of us developed true feelings, yet somehow all three of us have.”
“Does that mean you love me too, Illid?”
I blinked my eyelashes playfully at him. He gave me the gentle smile I loved most and answered not with words, but with a soft kiss on my forehead. His lips trailed from my forehead down the bridge of my nose and finally settled over my own.
It was a kiss more certain than any words. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck in response.
“Kiss! Kiss! Ishtel, Illid kiss! Kiss!”
The sweet moment shattered under May’s boisterous squawking. Khan, perched on his stand, rattled the bars of the cage with his talons as if to tell her to mind her manners, but May refused to stop.
“If you keep that up, there’ll be no treats for you today.”
At my stern warning, May clamped her chattering beak shut. Illid, watching the scene, burst into hearty laughter while still holding me in his arms.
“That parrot is truly remarkable every time I see it. How does it speak so well?”
“We’ve been together a long time, but its intelligence still surprises me every—”
“Ah!”
I let out a sharp scream as a bundle of black fur suddenly leaped onto my lap. Startled, the hairs on my arms stood on end as I shot to my feet, kicking the chair back.
“Meow.”
The equally startled black cat landed lightly on the ground and let out a pitiful cry.
The sudden appearance of the cat threw the aviary into chaos. The smaller birds fluttered noisily onto their perches, the peacock folded its splendid tail with an irritated squawk, and only Khan, the bird of prey, kept his eyes fixed on the cat, ready to strike.
“A cat. It looks well cared for, so it’s probably not a stray. I wonder who its owner is.”
Illid lifted the cat and asked. The creature struggled in his arms, its amber eyes fixed on me as if it wanted to come closer. I didn’t spare it a single glance.
“It belongs to one of the maids. The one who serves His Majesty tea.”
“Ah, the maid who was recently granted the title of baroness. Or rather, I suppose she’s no longer a maid. Baroness Linton, was it?”
“Yes, something like that……”
I trailed off with a reluctant expression. Illid seemed to have taken a liking to the cat and stroked its sleek body with his palm.
“Ishtel, do you dislike cats?”
“No, I don’t dislike them. I’m rather fond of them, actually. But a cat in Her Majesty the Empress’s aviary is hardly welcome. To the smaller birds, it’s no different from a tiger.”
“True, you have a point. Still, I’ve got a firm hold on it now, so you needn’t worry. Would you like to pet it? It’s quite cute. And it seems to like you.”
As Illid said, the cat’s gaze was entirely fixed on me. Its name was Sasha, if I remembered correctly. I had only heard it in passing, yet I couldn’t understand why the name had stuck in my mind.
I reached out and placed my hand on the cat’s head. A low purr rumbled from its throat as Sasha rubbed its small head against my palm first.
‘I shouldn’t do this……’
I deliberately kept my expression cold, not wanting to grow attached, but the creature was undeniably endearing. It had adapted well to palace life; its body was plump and healthy. I gave its chin a single scratch before shooing it out of the aviary.
“Go on, off with you. You’re not supposed to come in here.”
Once the door closed, Sasha’s mournful meows echoed outside. The cat stared at me with shining eyes for a long while before slowly turning and disappearing from view.
Watching the cat retreat, Illid snapped his fingers as if something had just occurred to him.
“Seeing that cat reminded me—there’s a rumor that the maid who serves tea has been treating Countess Bladin’s scars.”
“I’ve only heard the rumors myself. They say His Majesty personally requested it.”
“That makes sense. Countess Bladin is His Majesty’s niece, after all.”
Ebony Bladin was the Emperor’s niece and Illid’s relative as well. Wondering if he might also be acquainted with her, I asked carefully.
“Are you close with Countess Bladin as well?”
Illid shook his head gently.
“Not particularly. I believe Hellion is closer to her than I am.”
“Hellion?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that because Ebony Bladin is the youngest, she wasn’t subjected to as much interference from her family as her siblings. Thanks to that, she spent two years in the Northern Archduchy.”
“Two whole years?”
“Yes. It seems my aunt took quite a liking to her. The Bladin family is the maternal house of His Majesty, my father, and my aunt. As her niece, she was treated with great care.”
“That does sound like her.”
Alensia, as I remembered her, had been bold and sociable. Someone as free-spirited as Ebony Bladin would have suited her perfectly.
“Now that you mention it, isn’t it almost time for your walk with Hellion?”
Illid pulled a pocket watch from his coat.
“It’s five o’clock in five minutes.”
“Oh, what am I thinking!”
Startled, I sprang up from my chair. Hellion was the sort of person who would find fault if I were even five minutes late and demand an extra fifteen minutes of walking. I grabbed Illid’s wrist and flung open the aviary door.
“Hurry! Come on!”
I took his hand and dashed across the garden at a breakneck pace. Sasha, perched on the wall, meowed as if to greet us, but I rushed past without a glance. Illid, who had been keeping up easily, suddenly burst into laughter as if the situation struck him as absurd.
“You run remarkably fast, Ishtel.”
“If I don’t hurry, Hellion will make my life miserable. He’s already been saying the weather is nice and we should increase the number of walks.”
“Oh dear. What do we do now?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think we’ve already been caught.”
Illid, who had been running smoothly, came to an abrupt halt. At the same time, he tightened his grip on my hand, forcing my body to stop as well.
“Hello, Hellion.”
Illid turned his head and smiled brightly. Standing there, glaring at us, was Hellion.
“Ah, Hellion. I’m not late, am I?”
After greeting him in an exaggerated tone, I tried to let go of Illid’s hand. But I couldn’t pull away. Illid squeezed my hand even tighter, as if to make a point.
“We were just on our way back from the aviary in the garden. You could call it a walk. You like walks too, don’t you?”
Illid spoke to Hellion with his usual friendly smile, but Hellion’s expression remained rigid. His blue eyes dropped to our joined hands.
“You’re calling her Ishtel now?”
“You’re not the only one allowed to.”
“Ha……”
Hellion exhaled deeply, as if suppressing his anger. The atmosphere was different from usual. Contrary to my expectation that he would glare and try to snatch my hand away, he looked at me with a grave expression.
“Ishtel, there’s somewhere we need to go right now.”
“Where?”
“To Count Silanda.”
“Count Silanda? Why would we go see the count all of a sudden?”
The unexpected name left me momentarily stunned. After hesitating briefly, Hellion spoke again.
“Count Silanda has been arrested for murder.”