The Bystander's Agony (1)
"Tollin!"
As the distant lake came into view, the Duke spotted his aide slumped over the back of a horse standing by the shore. He cried out in shock and rushed forward.
"What on earth..."
"Ugh..."
Noticing the dried blood on Tollin's head, the Duke began to glare fiercely at their surroundings. It was a futile search, of course, considering the culprit was standing right here.
For my part, I was internally panicking. I hadn't expected him to still be unconscious. Wait, did I really hit him that hard?
After checking his condition for a moment, the Duke must have decided it wasn't life-threatening, as he carefully pulled Tollin down from the horse.
Watching the Duke lay him down by the lake and rummage through his bag, I quietly slipped back toward the thicket we had just emerged from. First things first, I needed to turn back into a human to do anything useful.
Snort?
The brown horse, which had been watching its master alongside me, tilted its head in confusion at my sudden retreat, but it didn't make a loud noise.
Once I was deep enough in the woods to ensure no one was around, I stepped into a small hollow formed by two half-fallen beech trees leaning against each other. I closed my eyes and willed myself to return to my human form.
Fortunately, the process was no different whether I was a crow or a horse. A familiar, warm energy enveloped my body, and when I opened my eyes, I was back in the body of the Seventh Prince.
Adjusting my slightly askew bag, I quickened my pace. If the Duke decided Tollin's condition was too severe and tried to rush back immediately, it would ruin my plans.
Though it took a bit longer on two legs than on four, I easily navigated the path I was now walking for the third time and parted the bushes.
My vision cleared to reveal the familiar lakeshore, the two horses, and the two men. Things had gotten more complicated than expected, but at least the tangled threads were starting to unravel.
As I drew closer, fragments of their conversation reached my ears.
"Tollin, do you have any idea who did this?"
Tollin, holding a damp cloth to his head, mumbled in response.
"I... I cannot be certain. There was just a sudden, heavy impact to my head, and then..."
"I found this lying nearby. It seems someone threw a stone at you."
The Duke showed Tollin a blood-stained rock. It wasn't a massive amount of blood, but the stained area looked glaringly large. Damn it, I shouldn't have left that behind.
"Heavens... with a stone of that size... do you think it was an assassination attempt?"
"I cannot say for sure. Our horses look quite similar. It is possible I was the true target."
...Maybe I should just postpone meeting the Duke for another year? He's the protagonist's father, after all. Surely he has some kind of protagonist family buff to keep him alive.
I shook my head. No, I have to take responsibility for what I've set in motion. Judging by how dazed Tollin had been, he might not even remember my face clearly. It wasn't uncommon for people to suffer temporary memory loss right after a head injury.
With that reassuring thought, I took another step forward.
"However... Your Grace, before I lost consciousness, I saw a familiar face."
"What? Who was it? That person could very well be the culprit."
"It was... the Seventh Prince."
Our protagonist is a growth-type character anyway. No matter how the timeline shifts, he'll overcome it.
This time, I turned on my heel without a shred of hesitation. I decided I would find another opportunity to face the Duke later—just definitely not right now.
Crunch.
But God was never on my side, and since I was the type to blame others rather than reflect on my own luck, my brief escape came to an abrupt end.
I glared down at the unusually large beech nut beneath my boot. It must have caught on the edge of my bag when I transformed back into a human. Now, it lay thoroughly crushed.
Sigh...
I took a quiet breath to steady myself and turned around.
The Duke of Fides was staring blankly at my feet, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Tollin, whose face was already pale, had turned completely white and bowed his head in sheer terror.
"So, how is the hunt going?"
If things were already ruined, I might as well lean into the villainous persona.
An awkward silence stretched over the three of us. The first to regain his composure was the Duke of Fides.
"I greet the Seventh Prince."
"I-I greet the Seventh Prince."
Tollin followed suit with a clumsy bow, keeping his head lowered so low it looked as if he wanted to bury it in the dirt.
"We found Your Highness's horse in the forest. Fearing that something might have happened to you, we followed where the beast led us, Your Highness."
Stepping in front of the trembling Tollin, the Duke of Fides spoke smoothly. When I glanced around at his words, a flicker of realization crossed his face, and he quickly added:
"The horse slipped away while we were momentarily distracted. I deeply apologize."
He bowed his head with an expression of profound remorse.
"Ah, do not worry about that. It probably made its own way back. My horse is exceptionally clever, you see."
It wasn't a lie. My horse—which was more audacious than clever—was probably grazing peacefully somewhere by now, and the black stallion the Duke had encountered had somehow made its way back here safely.
"Even so, I have no excuse."
He kept his head bowed, continuing his apology.
I stared down at his submissive posture, recalling our conversation in the forest when I was a horse. I remembered him murmuring that nothing brought greater happiness than ignorance and oblivion.
In the original novel, his resolve wavers due to the events around this time, but he desperately tries to ignore it. In other words, the Duke is currently insecure and deeply conflicted. And I intended to exploit that crack.
My gaze shifted to Tollin, who was anxiously stealing glances at the Duke. I curled my lips into a smirk. The Duke needed a slightly stronger push.
"More importantly," I began, my voice laced with amusement.
Perhaps surprised by my tone, the Duke raised his head and met my eyes.
"Your aide does not look well. Is he alright?"
As I stepped past the Duke to approach Tollin, who was standing half a step behind him, I felt the Duke flinch.
"It seems he has injured his head."
Tollin, ever the coward, kept his head buried so low that I could see the cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck.
"Raise your head. I did not come here to admire the crown of your skull."
"I-I apologize, Your Highness."
"What did I just say?"
Under my pressuring gaze, he had no choice but to lift his head, trembling like a leaf.
Tollin Crysa. The third son of Count Crysa. He was highly perceptive and capable, but his timid nature kept him from standing out. The Duke of Fides was the first to recognize his worth and take him in. And the Duke had his own reasons for treasuring him so deeply.
In short, this blue-haired young man was the perfect catalyst to provoke the Duke.
I examined his face closely. Aside from a slight laceration on his forehead, he looks fine. He had likely fainted from the sheer shock of the impact, but the wound itself wasn't severe. A week of proper treatment and good rest would patch him up.
Since I was the one who had injured him in the first place, tormenting him for too long would be inhumane. I needed to wrap this up quickly.
"It looks as though you were struck by a stone."
"Hic!"
Recalling the conversation he had been having with the Duke right before my arrival, Tollin couldn't even form a proper reply.
"Your Highness, he is currently unwell—"
"Can you not see that I am speaking to your aide, Duke?"
I cut off the Duke's panicked intervention with a cold snap. Bound by the absolute authority of the Imperial Family, he shut his mouth and stepped back.
Tollin, now hiccuping uncontrollably, had red-rimmed eyes and looked on the verge of tears. He was probably recalling the rumors about me—like the one about the prince who boiled people alive. I silently hoped the rumors he had heard weren't too graphic as I continued.
"And I believe I heard you mention seeing someone earlier. Specifically, me. Is that true?"
"N-No! Not at all! I was so dazed, I saw absolutely nothing!"
He shook his head frantically, immediately catching onto my implication.
As the Duke watched his aide desperately shake his head with dried blood still clinging to his forehead, I saw his fists clench tightly.
I offered a gentle smile.
"Indeed. Then you were not struck by a stone today, nor did you see me. Correct?"
"Y-Yes. That is correct, Your Highness."
With that reply, he hung his head low once more.
Of course it wasn't correct. Though unintentional, he had been struck by the stone I threw, and he had seen me. In a normal world, they should be demanding an explanation, extracting an apology, and insisting I face proper punishment.
But at least for today, nothing of the sort would happen. Because I was still the Seventh Prince. The law held no sway over me. And the same went for any other member of the Imperial Family.
I wiped the smile from my face and stared blankly at the Duke. He looked both conflicted and furious.
As well he should. Breaking free from self-rationalization to face objective reality always accompanied confusion and pain. If he could shatter his own shell, the pain might be lesser, but that was too much to ask of the current Duke. If he couldn't overcome this now, he would lose something far greater in the future.
Leaving the trembling Tollin where he stood, I walked slowly over to the Duke and patted his shoulder.
"Look at this, Duke. To obey any word from the Imperial Family so blindly... your subordinate is truly... loyal."
The Duke did not answer. He merely gave a nod so slight it was barely perceptible.
"He is a fitting vassal for a Duke who pledges his very soul to the Imperial Family."
Again, he remained silent. But I knew the storm inside his mind was anything but quiet.
"I suppose the Young Duke will be the same? Having grown up watching his father. I am truly looking forward to his future."
At the mention of his young son, the Duke visibly faltered. He had been avoiding my gaze, but now he snapped his head up to lock eyes with me.
The emotion burning within them was pure, unadulterated rage.
I did not look away.
"He, too, will become a faithful sword of the Imperial Family. He will walk the exact same path as you. Groveling at the mere word of royalty."
"T-That..."
"Are you not pleased?"
My question seemed to snap him back to reality. He slowly opened his mouth.
"...Indeed. It is the greatest honor of our house."
"And the one watching that from the closest vantage point will be you, his father."
"..."
"I hope you will still be proud then, Duke. Proud of your son, who will obey the Imperial Family's commands under any circumstance."
The deep wrinkles around the Duke's eyes twitched. This would be enough.
"You and Tollin have worked hard today, Duke. Tending to my horse, being dragged here and there to assist me... Consider this a reward for your troubles."
I unstrapped the bag I had been carrying all day and dropped it at his feet.
Thud.
The heavy bag hit the ground with a dull thud, its mouth spilling open slightly to reveal its contents.
...Stones.
Yes, this was the reason I, who hadn't even participated in the hunt, had dragged this heavy bag around all day. It was to hand him this pile of rocks.
Though it wasn't my original intention, hitting Tollin with a stone earlier made this gesture look like absolute mockery. It was as if I were flaunting the weapon I used to strike his aide.
Here, these are the stones I used to hit your precious assistant. Even when I admit it to your face, you can't say a damn thing, can you, Duke of Fides?
That was the exact message this scene conveyed. I hadn't planned to go this far, but if it provoked the Duke even more, then all the better.
"I... thank you, Your Highness."
"Yes. Make sure you do not let that bag leave your side for the rest of the day."
Without a word, he picked up the bag I had dropped and slung it over his shoulder. As he straightened his back and looked at me, his eyes still held confusion, but they no longer wavered as they had before. He seemed to have steeled his resolve.
He maintained the flawless etiquette of a knight, offering no disrespectful glances. Yet, something deep within him had undeniably shifted today.
After studying his eyes for a moment longer, I turned around, announcing my departure. Since I had "lost" my horse, I had to borrow one of the Duke's.
I really am a perfect piece of trash until the very end.
As I rode away, I turned my head back slightly to look at the two figures still bowing to me by the lakeshore.
I had done something terrible to them. But I had no choice.
In the original novel, this man would challenge tradition at next year's hunting contest, speak out against the Emperor, and be cast down a cliff. By then, the Duke would have already lost what was most precious to him, meaning he wouldn't need a catalyst like me to push him over the edge.
He wouldn't die. If he did, he wouldn't be a major character.
He would miraculously survive, albeit at the cost of one of his legs. Abandoning his title, his name, and his entire past, he would be reborn as One-legged Jing.
One-legged Jing—the friend, parent, and sole mentor who would guide the protagonist until the very end of the novel.