Whispers of Trouble
A visitor arrived at the Fides Duchy at the crack of dawn. Once again, the blue-haired guest had shown up without so much as a letter of warning, demanding to see the acting head of the house, Tollin. Accustomed to this familiar rudeness, the servants quietly guided the visitor to the drawing room as Tollin had previously instructed.
"I didn't realize my own family was so utterly ignorant of basic etiquette," Tollin muttered, rubbing the bridge of his furrowed brow as he greeted his guest.
"You've grown quite sharp since I last saw you," replied Paal Crysa, the second son of the Crysa family.
His nonchalant tone instantly reminded Tollin of another indifferent soul who had sat in that very same chair not long ago, saying almost the exact same thing. Tollin quietly rested his hands on his desk.
"...Did you know? That Eldest Brother was connected to the Imperial family."
"Well, who knows."
"Always with the 'who knows.'" Irritated by the return of his brother's trademark evasiveness, Tollin let out a sharp, sarcastic scoff. Paal merely offered a faint smirk in response.
"You find this funny? The situation is dire. If the Crysa family has fallen out of favor with the Imperial Court, we will never recover."
Tollin glared at his second brother, his eyes rimmed with red. His anger wasn't entirely directed at Paal; it was also fueled by a deep resentment toward the Imperial Court. Bribery—what an utterly ridiculous charge. There wasn't a single noble family that didn't offer tributes to the Imperial family under one pretext or another. Even without voluntary offerings, the Imperial Court extorted so much from the nobility that the word 'bribery' felt entirely meaningless.
At the news that the eldest son of the Crysa family had been arrested on such charges, high society—which had only just begun to cool down after gossiping about the fall of the Fides family—boiled over with fresh rumors. Though only a count's family, the Crysas had long been revered as a beacon of integrity. But people loved nothing more than watching something pure get dragged through the mud. Having served as the acting head of the Fides Duchy, Tollin had learned this bitter truth all too well.
Paal continued to look at Tollin with an indifferent gaze. When Tollin raised an eyebrow as if to ask what he was staring at, Paal finally spoke.
"Why aren't you asking?"
"Asking about what?"
"The carriage accident from last time. I'm sure Eldest Brother made quite a mess of things when he came by."
Tollin grimaced at the mention of it. "Do you honestly take me for a brainless child who can't tell right from wrong? I know Eldest Brother had no intention of killing anyone."
He had lost his temper and punched him that day, but once the Young Duke was found and Tollin had regained his composure, the anomalies had begun to stand out one by one. If Yigo had truly intended to assassinate them, he would never have staged the attack right in the middle of the Capital.
"Though, I couldn't be entirely sure if he actually meant to kidnap the Young Duke or not." Tollin glanced at his second brother, whose expression remained completely unreadable, and continued. "But seeing as you're bringing it up like this, I suppose that wasn't his goal either."
"Indeed. You were always a cowardly child, but quick-witted."
Tollin waved his hand dismissively as Paal brought up their useless childhood memories.
"I doubt you came all this way just to reminisce. How bad is the situation? If it's within my power to help without dragging the Fides family into it, I can offer my assistance."
"There is no need for that."
The offer of help—born half out of guilt for punching an innocent man and half out of a desire to investigate the Imperial Court's bizarre movements—was flatly rejected by Paal's firm response. As Tollin stared at him, his face practically screaming what on earth are you talking about?, Paal spoke in a calm, quiet voice.
"You don't need to worry about the Crysa family. There is no reason for you to get involved now."
Hearing Paal's detached reply, Tollin felt a cold chill wash over his mind.
"You sound just like Eldest Brother. Well, I suppose I am nothing more than an outsider who ran away from the Crysa family."
He wasn't necessarily self-deprecating or resentful; he spoke as if merely stating an undeniable fact. Paal did not bother to correct or dispute his words.
Tollin calmly continued. "Then why did you come all this way? Does Eldest Brother have something to do with the carriage accident? If it's the carriage itself you want, we've preserved it exactly as it was, so I can have it handed over to you."
Paal quietly observed Tollin, who had regained his composure, before speaking. "I came to deliver something."
After rummaging through the inner pocket of his coat for a moment, he pulled out a rough paper envelope, smaller than a standard letter, and placed it on the desk. Tollin didn't pick it up immediately. Instead, he asked,
"What is this?"
"Well, who knows."
"If the person delivering it doesn't know, then who on earth does?"
Tollin spoke through gritted teeth, but Paal merely gave a slight shrug. "Only Eldest Brother knows, most likely."
"Did Eldest Brother tell you to give this to me?"
"Well, who knows."
Paal offered another vague answer, almost as if teasing Tollin, who was staring at him in surprise.
"You do realize I could have you dragged out of here, right?"
At the thinly veiled threat, Paal shrugged again.
"Do you remember the tree behind the estate where we used to play when we were young?"
Tollin's face twisted in annoyance at the sudden detour back into the past.
"...Yes, I remember."
Though it wasn't a memory of them playing together. In his mind's eye, he saw the massive, ancient tree near the lake where the three brothers used to go during their breaks. He remembered the fragile, sickly youngest brother who couldn't climb, staring up at his older brothers as they scaled the branches with ease. He had been a foolish child, unable to even ask them to pull him up, choosing instead to turn around and walk away.
Since it wasn't a particularly pleasant memory, Tollin rubbed his temple, his brow furrowing deeper.
"It was buried beneath the roots of that tree."
"And how do you know he left it for me?" Tollin countered. What if it was just some private item Eldest Brother had buried in secret?
"Well, who—"
"No, don't answer that. I don't need to hear it. Is this all you came for?" Tollin cut him off, terrified that his chest might burst from sheer frustration if he had to hear that infuriating phrase one more time.
Seeing that Tollin had lost even the energy to be annoyed, Paal stood up without hesitation. "I'll be off, then."
"I won't see you out."
At Tollin's cold farewell, Paal gave a slight nod and walked out of the drawing room. Tollin picked up the envelope, which felt surprisingly heavy for its size, and stared at it for a long time. As the light from the drawing room filtered through the paper, the faint silhouette of a key became visible inside.
"..."
"..."
Anna and the squirrel—which was cute only in appearance—had been locked in a tense standoff in front of the Seventh Prince's office for several minutes now.
"H-here... I'll give you this, so come over here. You can't bite me this time, okay?" Anna stammered, carefully extending her palm, which held a few pine nuts.
Having had her hand bitten by its deceptively sharp teeth during their very first encounter, Anna had since been bitten several more times, thoroughly learning the depth of the creature's foul temper. At the same time, she had developed a gut feeling that this tiny thing would eventually cause a massive disaster. It looked incredibly adorable as it scurried around, but Anna, having already shed blood, refused to be fooled. She kept a wary eye on the fearless little beast, sensing that it was bound to cause trouble.
And today, she had finally witnessed it: the tiny creature was stealthily trying to sneak into the Seventh Prince's private office.
Because the palace was so run-down, a small crack beneath the door hinge had somehow widened into a small hole. Anna cursed the shameless face of Sein, who, a few months ago, had barked at them not to waste money on such things because the door didn't need to be replaced entirely. Still, the crack shouldn't have been large enough to pass through. Anna was absolutely certain that this violent squirrel had clawed its way through.
Whatever the case, she had to stop the little beast from entering the office. Anyone working in the Seventh Prince's Palace knew how sensitive the prince was about anyone entering his personal space. Perhaps he had hidden something inside that he wanted to keep secret...
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Anna vigorously shook her head. A servant who let their thoughts wander that far would lose their head.
While Anna believed the Seventh Prince no longer executed people on a whim like he used to, she didn't think he was lenient toward those who crossed his boundaries either. The servants who had gone to assist him with his clothes had warned everyone to be careful, whispering that the Seventh Prince had threatened to sever their limbs if he ever caught them loitering near his bedchamber again. There might have been some exaggeration, but his intent to show no mercy was undoubtedly genuine.
There was no way a violent squirrel would just quietly look around and leave. If anyone found out that a wild animal had been allowed inside, not only would the creature's life be forfeit, but the servants on duty at the time would surely face his wrath. Such were the anxious thoughts of Anna, who remained entirely ignorant of the bizarre relationship between Ran and the squirrel.
"S-so please... come here. I swiped some leftovers from the kitchen, and I'll give them all to you. I have way more in my pocket, okay? I'll give you those too. Please?"
At Anna's desperate whispers, the squirrel twitched its nose and tilted its head. Yet, just as it had for the past few minutes, it merely stared at her, refusing to take a single step forward.
"Are you... are you actually not a normal animal? There's no way a regular beast would have this much patience..."
Anna's exhausted voice trailed off. She quickly stood up, straining her ears toward the staircase to her right.
It was the sound of heavy footsteps. The guards were supposed to be changing shifts right now, so there shouldn't be anyone coming up. More than anything, she feared the noise would startle the squirrel into darting straight into the office. Anna quietly held her breath.
Should I just run away right now? If the Seventh Prince gets angry later, should I just play dumb and pretend I didn't see anything?
Before the panicked maid could make a decision, the footsteps ascending the stairs grew rapidly louder.
"What's this? Is there only a single maid on duty today?"
A youth with reddish-blonde hair, standing taller and broader than the Seventh Prince. It was the Eighth Prince, Selos Abaran.
Like most of the maids in the Seventh Prince's Palace, this was Anna's first time seeing a true member of the Imperial family other than Ran. His towering physique, his inhumanly beautiful face, and his pale golden hair—he was, without a doubt, royalty.
Anna, who was only thirteen, had only ever heard stories of how ordinary humans would instinctively fall to their knees in awe upon beholding an Imperial. But rather than reverence or wonder, it was sheer, paralyzing terror that brought her collapsing to the floor. In truth, Selos, who possessed only a speck of Manis, exuded a far weaker presence than other royals, but the sheer shock of encountering an Imperial was enough to bring Anna to the brink of fainting.
"I-I greet the E-E-Eighth... Eighth Prince..."
Even as she lay collapsed on the floor, Anna managed to stammer out a formal greeting. Selos glared down at her as if she were a mere insect before stepping past her. He raised his hand high, preparing to pound heavily on the office door, but for some reason, he flinched. Lowering his hand, he adjusted his posture to give a light knock instead.
The thought of stopping him flashed through Anna's mind, but she didn't dare open her mouth. She felt that if she uttered a single word, he would crush her like a bug.
However, there was one thing Anna had momentarily forgotten: in this very corridor, there was a creature far more fearless and violent than any human.
"Argh!"
With a sharp cry of pain, Selos Abaran stumbled back from the door, clutching his right finger. The culprit behind the bite had already leaped down from his hand and vanished.
The only problem was that it had darted straight into Anna's apron pocket.