Chapter 49: Omen (4)
Chapter 49: Omen (4)
I'd only asked where the bathroom was, yet he was charging at me with a knife? What was that about?
Pushing aside the wave of absurdity, I twisted my body because I had to survive first.
He'd been charging with all his might, so he lost his balance and pitched forward. In the process, the blade grazed my forearm, but I paid it no mind.
This much was nothing compared to what I'd been through so far.
'Now what should I... do?'
Time stopped.
No, it seemed like it had stopped for a moment.
I slowly rolled my eyes and took in the sight of the guy frozen in midair.
A bright red face. When I lowered my gaze slightly, I saw a hand gripping his neck.
The man hadn't stopped; someone had abruptly reached out and seized him by the neck as he fell.
I slowly raised my eyes to find the owner of that hand—
"......Brother?"
"......."
My gaze met his unwavering green eyes.
What the fuck, why are you here?
As if my question hadn't reached him, Cruel quietly looked me over, then looked at the person in his grasp.
As if he meant to kill him just like that, strength entered his hand.
The tendons on the back of his hand and forearm stood out; the man in his grasp reddened further, and bloodshot veins stood out in his eyes.
"Ghk, uugh—"
Wow, brutal.
The sight of him clutching Cruel's arm with both hands and flailing wasn't particularly pleasant, so I averted my gaze with a dumbfounded look. Just then, something suddenly fluttered down at the attendant's feet.
"......Documents?"
What, was he really a spy?
I unconsciously reached for them, but there was a hand that picked up the papers first.
Cruel was still strangling the man, so it couldn't be him.
Then the owner of this hand was......
"These appear to be important imperial documents."
"......Your Grace?!"
"It's been a while, Count."
The purple eyes smiled. I scrambled to my feet.
What was this? Someone who wasn't on good terms with the Emperor, and he was here?
"I was just on my way out after visiting His Majesty, to also give a reward to an obedient dog. I didn't expect to run into you like this."
His gaze briefly flicked to my injured shoulder.
......Was it possible for a duke—not a royal, not even at his own house—to keep a dog in the imperial palace?
No, more than that, it seemed my question was written all over my face.
His answer returned with a note of amusement, and I awkwardly rubbed my face. But the Duke's voice continued, as if he had more to say.
"I heard you came to see His Majesty as well. May I ask for what purpose?"
"Ah, there's something I wanted to request regarding the territory I recently received......"
"Is it lacking? Too small, or the land is barren?"
"No, I simply wish to return the territory."
"That's interesting."
Watching the Duke's eyes curve softly with interest, I inwardly frowned.
What if he asked more? I didn't want to discuss the reason here.
Especially not in front of Cruel.
Maybe he noticed I was nervous about being asked for a reason, because thankfully the Duke didn't push further.
But I wasn't grateful. The topic he brought up to change the subject was a rather troublesome one for me.
He lowered his gaze to the attendant sprawled on the floor.
Cruel, who had been gripping the man's neck, was now standing behind the Duke.
His expression was as calm and unperturbed as if he hadn't been strangling someone moments ago.
"To catch a spy even while waiting here. As expected, you are remarkable."
"No, this is......"
"No need to be humble. Or guarded. I have no intention of stealing the credit. Even without Sir Cruel, you would have easily subdued this man."
"No, I mean......"
"Count!"
Ugh, what now!
I turned toward the voice, full of irritation, then had to relax my eyes.
Because it was none other than the Crown Prince and Princess approaching in the distance.
"I was worried because you hadn't returned even though much time seemed to have passed......"
The golden eyes quickly swept over the situation.
As if proving he wasn't Crown Prince for nothing, he grasped the situation at once and smiled broadly.
"To even catch a spy like this."
"That's......"
"You really are amazing!"
"Cough, Your Highness......"
Could the both of you just shut up?
They were both doing this on purpose, weren't they? Just to fuck with me. Otherwise there was no way they'd pull off this 'pretending not to' routine so perfectly while piling on the pressure.
But the atmosphere felt strange. The air had shifted sharply.
Wondering if something was wrong, I cautiously raised my head and met the gazes of people whose eyes were wide.
"Count, are you all right?"
"......Yes?"
"Oh, oh no, blood!"
"......?"
"Summon the court physician! Quickly!!"
Along with the Princess's fuss, the Crown Prince's voice summoning the court physician echoed through the palace corridor.
Only then did I feel the warm liquid dripping down my chin.
Ah, I thought it was just a coughing fit from something going down the wrong pipe, but it seemed this frail body had taken damage from that small shock. No wonder my insides hurt a bit.
It couldn't have just been a simple wrong-pipe cough; I figured this outcome was a combination of that and being startled by the sudden attack.
"I'm fine......"
"Don't lie. Tell me what caused this. You must have some idea, don't you?"
"No, really......"
"Come to think of it, you have a wound on your arm. It looks fresh."
The Crown Prince's gaze landed on the cut from the blade earlier.
This was just a scratch. It really wasn't a problem.
No, even weak as I was, there was no way I'd vomit blood from just this much.
As I was agonizing over how to explain this to these obtuse royals, Cruel, who had been silently watching, spoke up abruptly.
"It appears to have been sustained while subduing the spy."
"Then... we must consider the possibility that the weapon was poisoned. Is the court physician still not here?"
......What? Poison?
As I sat there dazedly with a dumbfounded face at this runaway situation, some cloth was wrapped around the upper part of the cut.
The Crown Prince tied it off, pulling the cloth tightly up near my shoulder to prevent the poison from spreading... He tied it way too tight.
'The blood isn't even circulating.'
No, aside from that, my arm felt like it would fall off. And because it was tied so tightly, more blood was seeping from the wound.
The blood, which had started out a normal red, soon turned a murky dark red and began to bead out.
"It's poison after all."
That's because the blood isn't flowing. Of course the blood turns dark and dead when you tie it this tight.
Anyway, where did this cloth come from? Who in the world carries something like this... Ah.
My eyes met Cruel's. And beside him was the Duke, his eyes curving in a smile, offering praise in a meaningful tone......
'That bastard provided it.'
My mood turned sharply foul. I wanted to tear off this useless thing and throw it away, but I couldn't exactly undo what the Crown Prince had personally tied.
I had no energy to say anything more, so I just gave up and closed my eyes.
It was my own measure to ignore this whole damn situation, but......
"Count! You can't close your eyes! Hang in there just a little longer!"
"......Ha......"
* * *
The court physician was examining the patient with a stiff expression. His hands were trembling slightly, imperceptible to anyone without a keen eye.
If this situation felt familiar, it was no illusion.
He, of all people, had been the one who examined Honorary Count Deon Hart when he vomited blood in the banquet hall last time.
Ah, it wasn't blood, it was pudding. Even thinking about it now, it was truly absurd.
So even as he'd rushed over this time, he'd harbored a seed of doubt.
'This time it's real.'
The metallic smell wasn't fake. Which meant the situation was truly dangerous...
He swallowed the tears that welled up.
The patient's condition had changed from last time, but the surrounding figures had not.
His Highness the Crown Prince, Her Highness the Princess, His Grace the Duke, and even the Hero Cruel. He'd tried to take comfort that at least His Majesty the Emperor and General Nemeseus weren't there, but—
"What is going on here?"
As if the heavens hated him, even General Nemeseus had arrived.
As if he had business with Honorary Count Deon Hart, he paid his respects to the Crown Prince and Princess, then planted himself and began observing. Cold sweat trickled down the physician's back.
If he made a mistake, he would surely die. If he failed to treat him, he would die. Sensing his life at risk, the physician's hands quickened.
He checked inside the mouth, felt the pulse, examined the wound.
As the examination continued, the physician's face grew paler and paler.
It looked so grave that even the onlookers grew anxious, until the Crown Prince, unable to bear it, spoke nervously.
"Is it that serious?"
"Well......"
"It's all right, speak."
"......There are no particular abnormalities."
"......What?"
At a response completely different from what was expected, a momentary silence fell.
The Crown Prince's eyes twitched as if in disbelief, the Princess covered her mouth with both hands and her eyes widened. Cruel kept his mouth shut and looked only at the physician.
While others hurried to come up with a different answer, the one who drew a conclusion first was Nemeseus, who had arrived late and been observing.
"Then that means it's the Demon King's curse."
"Ah......"
Realization dawned on the others' faces.
So that was why he kept saying he was fine. Because it couldn't be treated anyway.
He must have judged there was no need to cause unnecessary worry and make them waste their efforts.
An expression that said 'what else is new' flickered across everyone's faces before fading. The Crown Prince in particular looked at Deon Hart with a pitying expression.
'He's so considerate deep down.'
It was such a pity that others didn't know this side of him.
Recalling the public image of Deon Hart, the Crown Prince forcibly straightened his near-twisted expression and changed the subject.
'He doesn't want anyone paying attention to his curse.'
Pity would only make him uncomfortable.
He barely tore his gaze away and moved it to the sturdy man who had arrived late.
"General Nemeseus. What business brings you here in person?"
* * *
The Crown Prince's attention shifted elsewhere. I, who had been anxious about what else they might say about the curse, quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Because every time the nonexistent curse was mentioned, for some reason, burdensome new details seemed to get added.
But that relief was short-lived,
"His Majesty is looking for Honorary Count Deon Hart."
"Kuh, kuh-hack!"
I barely managed to suppress the cough that was about to burst out.
I had to hold it in. If I coughed here again, who knew what kind of shitty situation would unfold.
The General's gaze fixed on me. I pressed the back of my hand firmly against my mouth, lowered my eyes, and tried to calm my agitated mind first.
......Somehow I managed to calm down, but I still couldn't understand.
General, why on earth did you come personally? What did you keep an errand boy like an attendant for?
He even looked displeased. There was clear annoyance in the eyes that swept over me.
The General's rapidly moving gaze swept over those present and stopped on the attendant with a flustered expression.
"But before that, there seems to be an uninvited guest. May I handle it?"
"I was just about to ask. For reference, the spy was caught by Count Hart, so keep that straight."
"......Understood."
I was extremely uneasy that my name had been inserted into that conversation, but at least it was over.
So now they just had to drag the guy off and throw him in prison... Why was he looking at me?
And that look in his eyes was definitely not good.
"Anyway, you have to see His Majesty, and since you're the one who caught him, you might as well come along."
"Huh?"