Chapter 67
At my words, Calips walked toward the throne while holding me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
According to protocol, nobles were not allowed to greet royalty first. One could only respond after a member of the royal family spoke to them.
However…
Glance.
As my father, holding me, hovered near Queen Consort Grace—who had been standing as still as a statue—she approached us.
“Little Fairy—no, Lady Aisha.”
Like the true monster fanatic she was, she almost called me by a strange nickname before immediately activating her ‘normal person’ persona.
How do you like that, you guys!
I smiled deviously and stared haughtily at the nobles whose jaws had dropped.
This is the level I’m at!
“It seems you still don’t have your fairy wings. No, that’s not it. Have you been well?”
Her Majesty Queen Consort Grace, still unable to fully hide her inner geek, approached me with a benevolent smile.
At that sight, several nearby nobles gasped.
“…Her Majesty the Queen Consort spoke first?”
“That’s Lady Aisha, the one who was recently adopted, right?”
“Just what kind of connection does she have with Her Majesty…?”
For context, Queen Consort Grace hadn’t spoken to anyone since the banquet began. At most, she’d spoken to Knox and the members of Masamo. Otherwise, she had simply sat in the chair reserved for royalty with a statue-like expression.
“The sun of the world shines upon the Frozen Kingdom, Your Majesty. The dessert you recommended at the last gathering was truly delicious.”
I lifted the hem of my dress slightly and gave a polite greeting.
Now, that was as much as the public was allowed to hear. For the off-the-record conversation, I stood on my tiptoes, covered my mouth with my palm, and whispered to Her Majesty.
“And I’m truly sorry for causing trouble at the Masamo meeting.”
Grace nodded, looking thoughtful at my words.
“You certainly caused a massive scene.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
Naturally, my hands came together in a polite gesture of apology.
“However, I heard you were kidnapped. The responsibility for failing to manage the Royal Palace properly lies largely with us.”
Grace whispered back, placing a finger to her lips in a ‘shh’ gesture as if it were a secret between the two of us.
“Since we’re both at fault, let’s talk about this again at the next Masamo meeting. We have too much private business to discuss. By the way, is the child in your arms a Majin…?”
“Your Majesty. That is also private business.”
Kyle, who was nestled in my arms, wiggled and stared at Grace. Having taken a potion to change his eye color, he looked like nothing more than a quiet, white cat.
“Oh, dear.”
Grace asked, “If other nobles don’t talk about things like this, what on earth do they talk about?”
“Hmm…”
Since Her Majesty asked, shall we try a conversation fit for elegant, haughty nobles?
With that thought, I pointed a finger toward the table.
“Would you like some dessert?”
“I shall. That is a fine idea. Duke Calips, follow us. You are the one holding Lady Aisha, after all.”
“…Yes.”
And so, while I was enjoying dessert with my reluctant father and the secretly excited Queen Consort…
“Announcing the entrance of Duke Pose Cray of the Pose Ducal House from the Doctia Kingdom!”
A name I could never forget—one engraved into my very bones—echoed through the hall. My mouth, mid-bite into a dessert, froze.
“Oh my, so it’s true that foreign nobles were invited this time?”
“The Pose Ducal House… isn’t that the place famous for being a family of spies?”
“How strange. Most families keep their spying a secret, but how confident must they be to be famous for it?”
Half-curiosity, half-wariness. The nobles buzzed and stared at the entrance at the arrival of this fresh face.
Soon, a relaxed, middle-aged man appeared through the wide-open doors.
He had a face like a toad. Flashy rings were shoved onto every joint of his wrinkled fingers. He wore a leisurely smile, as if enjoying the gaze of the crowd.
“…….”
Even seeing him from a distance made my heart pound wildly. It was strange. My heart was racing, but I couldn’t breathe.
Just as I was about to hyperventilate, unable to endure it—
“Aisha.”
Suddenly, a large palm cupped the back of my head and pressed me against a firm chest.
“No need to tremble. You have your father, your brother, and you have Kyle in your arms.”
“…….”
“Everyone is on your side.”
A reassuring bass voice, just hearing it brought comfort, filtered into my ears. I felt a warm heat through my forehead and nose where they touched my father’s chest.
I knew. Back then, I was alone. I had to survive all by myself.
But now, I have a family.
“…Thank you.”
Gaining courage from his words, I slowly turned my head.
“Greetings, haha. This is my first time at the Frozen Royal Castle, and it is quite magnificent. Are those candles hanging by strings?”
Duke Pose was already dominating the center of the hall, conversing with the nobles.
“It is the magic of Her Majesty the Queen Consort. They aren’t hanging by strings; she used magic to make them float.”
“Oh, heavens. As expected of the Kingdom of Mystery.”
“The Kingdom of Mystery?”
“In the North, the royalty use magic, and it’s a place where wondrous monsters live. In our Doctia Kingdom, it’s often described like a fairy tale.”
“Oh my. A fairy tale… that’s quite lovely to hear.”
“Hahaha! It is an honor to be here.”
As the head of a spy family who deceived people with words, he possessed fluent social skills. Leaving a good impression on strangers was an easy task for him.
“By the way…”
Having loosened the atmosphere, Duke Pose looked around with a smiling face. To others, it might have looked like a gaze of simple curiosity, but I knew the true meaning.
When his eyes met mine while wearing that eerie smile…
“…I see the hero of the mysterious North is here.”
I saw his smiling eyes widen grotesquely.
I was terrified. If I were caught by Duke Pose again, I would have to return to that slaughterhouse of a training camp, where I had barely survived or would have been killed.
When I turned my head away, unable to breathe again, Father stroked the back of my head and subtly hid my face in his chest.
And when Duke Pose stood before Calips—
“Greetings. I am Duke Pose. You must be the famous Duke of Crost.”
Duke Pose offered a greeting with a brazen face.
“It feels awkward for you to act as if we are meeting for the first time.”
“Pardon?”
“I recall we exchanged very intimate messages recently regarding a spy named Dorothy.”
Calips didn’t mince words. With a cold face, he mercilessly stripped away Duke Pose’s facade.
In the moment Duke Pose’s complexion stiffened—
“A spy named Dorothy? Did something happen in the North?”
“I’m not sure. But if we’re talking about spies… the Pose family might have certainly sent a few to our kingdom as well.”
“Thinking about it that way is a bit scary, isn’t it?”
The surrounding nobles murmured upon hearing Calips’s remark.
“…Ha.”
A slight tremor ran through the corners of Duke Pose’s mouth, which had been smiling. He looked as if he hadn’t expected Calips to express such direct loathing in a formal setting.
That was because Duke Pose was well-versed in noble etiquette.
“Man to man.”
But my father was a war hero who didn’t give a damn about such things.
“Let’s not mess with children.”
“Children? People might misunderstand if they hear you say that…”
“That’s why I’m saying it.”
Calips cut him off, his jaw tightening.
“I’m telling them so they don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re a good person.”
Duke Pose’s lips twitched at the final remark, but Father turned and walked away without even a polite parting gesture.
Glare—
Lucas, following behind Calips, glared at Duke Pose until the very end.
Glare—
And Knox, too.
Glare—
And even Queen Consort Grace, who happened to be beside us.
“Ha…!”
I heard Duke Pose’s exasperated sigh from behind, but I didn’t look back.
I couldn’t have felt more safe.