Fragrant Things-3
“Now, cough… what are you….”
By my collar, I was hauled up into the air. It was hard to breathe.
I forced my eyes open.
What I saw was the Grand Duke of the North, Roswell.
He was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
His jaw was clenched, his breathing rough and ragged.
...What the hell? Why are you suddenly grabbing me by the collar and throwing a fit?
The moment I got out of the carriage and stepped into the Imperial Palace, he had seized me by the collar in full view of everyone.
Glancing around, I saw that every single person nearby wore a dazed expression.
Lady Aran’s mouth was hanging open too, and she stared at us blankly.
So this wasn’t something they’d agreed on beforehand… Judging by his state, he really is acting on emotion.
He was yelling about holding me accountable for daring to mock the princess, and on top of that, he wanted me thrown out of the Imperial Palace?
When had I ever mocked her?
If he knew I’d come to my quarters, word would already be spreading…
Most likely, this was Roswell acting on impulse.
I looked back at him.
Even with his face twisted in fury and those icy eyes fixed on me, I met his stare calmly.
“What exactly are you doing?” I asked. “Right now?”
“I’m questioning your crime.”
“...Crime? Cough. What crime could I possibly have committed?”
“Will you keep pretending not to know? Look here! This man is the gigolo who seduced the princess! That’s why she disappeared, and why she always wandered around at night looking for you!”
With that shout, Roswell flung me to the floor.
Crash!
I rolled across the ground.
Only after a beat did I manage to drag air back into my lungs.
Spit ran down my chin. For a moment I just stared blankly at the floor, then slowly turned my head.
Roswell looked like he was about to burst from the strain of holding back his emotions. He pointed at me and snapped, “Throw that bastard in prison!”
“W-What are you talking about? Hawin seduced the princess?” Aran shouted, sounding completely lost.
The guards nearby couldn’t bring themselves to move.
Of course Roswell had the authority to issue commands as Grand Duke of the North, but whether anyone could accept this situation was another matter entirely.
I spun my mind rapidly.
...Got it, more or less.
Roswell had said I’d seduced the princess. I didn’t know what that accusation was based on, but he was angry, and right now he was staring at me like he wanted to kill me on the spot.
I let out a snort.
Using the wall for support, I pushed myself to my feet and looked at Roswell.
“What are you talking about? If you’re going to throw someone in prison, a crime alone isn’t enough. Bring evidence.”
“There’s plenty of evidence. We can start with what the servants here have to say. We’ll throw you in prison and sort it out there.”
Roswell curled his lip in disgust and gestured to the guards.
Though flustered, the guards closed in around me. Roswell’s orders carried far more weight than my empty protestations ever could.
Let me breathe for once, too.
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and looked around.
Thanks to Roswell grabbing my collar and shouting, I’d drawn a lot of attention.
Servants, nobles—everyone was watching.
I might be able to make this work.
Then I suddenly burst into laughter.
“Pfft—hahahaha! And you expect me to believe that?”
“What?”
Roswell’s expression darkened at once, his gaze turning cold and blatant.
“Me?” I said. “Think about it. How exactly is a nobody like me, Hawin, supposed to seduce the princess?”
“What nonsense are you spouting….”
“Do I look like some great noble? That’s the purest nonsense I’ve ever heard. If I had the ability to seduce the princess, I’d be thrilled. But me? How, exactly, am I supposed to do that?”
The people around us began to stir uneasily.
The guards, still surrounding me, stood there at a loss.
All I need is time until Lobelia arrives—or else I’m going to have to get out of here on my own.
Roswell wore a baffled expression, clearly not expecting me to react like this. That was when I pressed in.
“I’d just gotten off the carriage after finally arriving at the Imperial Palace, and then suddenly I’m grabbed by the collar and thrown to the ground. No matter how I look at it, it seems to me that the guilty one here isn’t me—it’s you?”
“You insolent— You’re unfit to even set foot in the Imperial Palace, so I handled it myself.”
“Then tell me why I’m unfit. Say it clearly. Because if you’re careless, you’ll end up making the princess look like someone who was bewitched by the likes of me. Do you understand?”
I shouted the last part to make it clear I was furious.
Every eye turned to Roswell.
His only claim was that I’d “bewitched” her—no evidence, no convincing reason.
Roswell hesitated.
Apparently not expecting this turn, he looked around in agitation, then ground his teeth.
“Ask the servants, then. They say you mutter her name every night.”
His disillusioned eyes settled on me.
“...You’re saying you’re arresting me over that?” I said, frowning as if I truly couldn’t understand. “All right, let me get this straight.”
I put on a bewildered look.
“Because I supposedly called my own name a few times at night, the princess was bewitched by me, I became some trashy gigolo, and the princess’s heart was thrown into disarray by a mere swindler like me?”
“....”
Roswell opened his mouth as if he had something to say, then shut it again.
Instead, he kept glaring at me, fury barely contained.
...This isn’t like him.
For the moment, I shoved that question aside. As long as I didn’t end up in prison, I could think about it later.
“From where I’m standing, it looks as though you simply dislike me for some reason and are trying to dump an absurd charge on me so you can drag me off to prison.”
“You… you damn—!”
“What, are you going to talk or not? From what you’re saying, are you seriously claiming the princess’s heart was thrown into disarray by me? The Little Sun of the Empire, by me?”
I snapped at him in a cold voice.
I wasn’t trying to persuade Roswell so much as appeal to the people watching.
Roswell’s face was contorted with emotion.
But he couldn’t do anything.
If he hit me here, all he’d accomplish would be dragging the Grand Duke of the North’s reputation through the mud.
“If anything, it looks more like you’re the one who’s been insulting the princess, doesn’t it?”
“You….”
“I’d just finished my work and gotten off the carriage, and now I’m the one who’s been grabbed by the collar and thrown on the ground. Who exactly do you think is to blame? Use your head before you speak. Being the Grand Duke of the North doesn’t make everything possible.”
By the time I finished speaking, I was a little worked up myself, so I’d come down hard.
Picking a fight with Roswell won’t do me any favors….
With a long sigh, I dusted the dirt off my formal coat.
Touch me now, and you’re the one who loses.
Then I turned my back on him. I had to get the evidence to the Imperial Palace as quickly as possible.
The guards, meeting my cold stare, parted to make way.
“Roswell, what are you doing?”
“...This is insane.”
A familiar voice rang out. Colder than usual, too.
Silence settled over the area. In an instant, the atmosphere froze, and everyone seemed to hold their breath.
I shut my eyes tightly.
If you were going to come, you should’ve come earlier.
Showing up after everything’s already over makes the whole picture look wrong….
Lady Aran slowly turned her head, horror-struck. Everyone else reacted much the same way.
Princess Lobelia was standing there.
Her red eyes, fierce and cold with rage, were aimed at Roswell. His reflection seemed to be caught in their depths.
The people dropped to their knees.
So did the guards. And me as well.
The only one still standing was Roswell.
He was frozen, unable to say a word.
“I made myself clear,” Lobelia said.
“P-Princess….”
“There is no further need to speak of Hawin, nor to approach him. Do not touch him.”
Lobelia walked forward with a face like ice.
Her stride was no different from usual, but in the silence, each step rang out sharply.
She’s really angry….
Just what had happened while I wasn’t in the Imperial Palace?
“But Princess… this man—”
“Speak clearly,” Lobelia said. “Go on.”
“Ah.”
Roswell let out a small, dazed sound.
Only now, it seemed, did he realize what kind of situation he was in.
Lobelia stopped in front of the Grand Duke of the North.
She looked up at him in silence.
Within that dead stillness—
Smack.
The sharp crack of a slap rang out.
The people flinched and stared in stunned disbelief.
Roswell touched his reddening cheek, his face utterly unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Lobelia, her eyes chillingly cold, spoke again.
“Speak. That is an order.”
“The man who bewitched the princess….”
Roswell murmured the words low, eyes lowered.
“Is that a crime worthy of Hawin being grabbed by the collar and thrown in prison? Did you even ask for my opinion?”
“....”
“Do you understand what you’re doing? Hawin has only just returned from an assignment dangerous enough that he might as well have died. He is someone I value. The only reason I haven’t executed you yet is because the North still needs you. Do not let me see you again.”
Lobelia let out a small sigh and turned away.
She walked over to me, not caring in the slightest about Roswell’s trembling gaze.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. This much is nothing.”
“...Good. I must report, so come to the conference room at once.”
After clasping her hands behind her back and giving a small nod, Lobelia left with the Minister of Security.
Roswell could not tear his eyes away from her retreating figure.
Ah, damn it. I’m losing my mind. What the hell is going on?
I left as well, along with Lady Aran, who still seemed too stunned to make sense of anything.
Then, from behind me, I heard Roswell muttering under his breath.
“Lobelia… Princess….”
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