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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Secret Signals
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“Isaac, you’re really…”
“Clueless?”
“We were all thinking it, but did you really have to say it out loud?”
Scornful gazes from Yulia and Edmond fell upon Isaac.
“Emily, don't listen to him. Ed, hurry up and take care of this.”
“I'm fine, really…”
“Can a zombie die again? An interesting topic.”
I tried to stop them with an awkward laugh, but they paid me no mind.
Well, I suppose it can't be helped.
“What do you mean, 'it can't be helped'?! No, Emily, I wasn't talking to you. Brother, put the hammer down!”
Oops, did I say that out loud?
Isaac, with a woeful expression, was too busy trying to explain himself to me and dodge Edmond to make any sense.
Isaac shouted something else, but thanks to Yulia covering my ears, it sounded like a distant mumble.
What was he saying?
Before Edmond could bring the hammer down on Isaac's head, I spoke up.
“But the warlocks were sealed on the Isle of Thanatos long ago. And it's the Holy See's job to watch over them.”
As the conversation returned to the main topic, Edmond hid the hammer behind his back as if nothing had happened and cleared his throat.
Isaac, panting for breath, barely managed to escape.
“Either a warlock has truly escaped, or this is a fabrication by the Holy See. It must be one of the two.”
“If so, their ability to control the monsters makes sense.”
A warlock would have tamed the monsters through a method called taming.
If it was the Holy See, they would have used divine power to herd and manipulate the monsters.
“Either way, they don't have good intentions toward us. And I doubt they'll leave us alone after seeing we survived unscathed.”
“It's safe to assume the assassination attempts will continue.”
“Haa. And on top of that, His Highness the Crown Prince plans to stay at our home.”
They say that when the head butler heard the news, he was, for a rare moment, struck silent.
Hosting a royal of noble blood requires countless preparations; a month's notice would have been barely enough, yet he suddenly announced his arrival in two days.
For the head butler, who manages all of the household's affairs, it must have been a bolt from the blue.
“That said, for the time being, all family meetings will be held in the basement.”
“The basement? Ah, the secret space connected to the study.”
“…Wait a minute. Aren't there still bodies down there?”
“Weren't they resealed and put in cold storage? There's no choice, everywhere else is too risky.”
“Ugh…”
Yulia booed, but Edmond seemed to have no intention of changing his mind. Besides, the idea of a zombie being afraid of corpses was a bit ridiculous.
“We'll also establish signals. First, if 'Schuhill Vermouth, 33-Year-Old' is served as the aperitif, it means we meet that evening.”
“Okay.”
“Three coughs means someone needs to draw the Crown Prince's attention.”
“Got it~.”
“Lastly, if someone mentions the weather, like 'The weather is nice today,' or 'It'll be cold tomorrow, so be careful,' it means His Highness the Crown Prince is nearby, so watch your conduct.”
It felt like something out of a spy movie. I wondered if all this was necessary, but there was no harm in being cautious.
Aperitif for a family meeting, coughs to draw attention, and weather talk as a warning. Everyone should be able to remember that much.
“Then, until His Highness returns to the imperial palace, let's not let our guard down.”
“Yes~!”
And so, our strategy meeting came to an end.
…completely unaware of what would happen because of these signals.
***
Tristan naturally took the seat at the head of the table.
While the dinner was arranged to host him, it was strange to see him occupy the seat that had always been Edmond's since childhood.
“I had planned to stay as an unnamed guest. Thank you for such a warm welcome, Duke Walker.”
“We are only grateful that you have personally come to understand our difficulties.”
Edmond said, without a hint of sincerity. He was sitting in the seat Isaac usually occupied.
“I imagine everyone must be anxious after the recent disturbance. I hear the academy is proceeding with classes as normal.”
“Yes. …For now, it seems to have been handled as a mere monster attack.”
No land touched by a warlock is ever free from the threat of monsters.
The state likely didn't want to stir up unnecessary trouble either. Still, I was anxious about sending Andrea to the academy alone, so I secretly gave him a bracelet infused with a drop of my blood.
“As you know, this is the year for contract renewal with the Holy See.”
“That is why both our house and House Arkmonet are simply remaining silent.”
Otherwise, the Arkmonets would have raised quite a fuss. Given Herace's temper from what I saw last time, that seemed more than likely.
“…Then, we shall begin with the aperitif.”
At Edmond's gesture, waiting servants stepped forward and filled their glasses.
'Schuhill Vermouth, 33-Year-Old.'
I immediately glanced at Edmond. Right, it was the Crown Prince's first day, so it made sense to review our plans.
I must remember to attend the family meeting tonight, I thought, and casually tilted my wine glass.
I took a light sip to cleanse my palate, but just then, Tristan said something completely out of the blue.
“Does Divine Grace have the power to make even monsters avoid someone?”
*Cough!*
Edmond choked on his wine. He exercised superhuman self-control and didn't spit it out, but the wine from his glass spilled onto the tablecloth.
“*Cough*, my apologies, Your Highness.”
Once.
“*Ahem*. I have made a bit of a scene.”
Twice.
“Could you please repeat that? *Ahem, ahem*.”
Three times.
While I was wondering if that counted as three coughs, Yulia made the first move.
“Oh. Look. Out. The. Win. Dow. I. Think. I. Saw. A. Sus. Pi. Cious. Sha. Dow.”
If a warlock had a puppet, would it look like that? For a moment, I wondered if I had awakened a new power.
'We're screwed.'
A subtle look of despair crept onto Isaac's and Edmond's faces.
“…Young Lady Walker. No, Young Lady Yulia.”
Since there were two young ladies of House Walker present, Tristan belatedly corrected himself.
He was looking at Yulia with a very cold expression.
Hmm. Not even a first-year academy student would fall for that shoddy acting. Let alone the Crown Prince, who had seen it all.
We were all just exchanging glances, wondering how to fix this.
“Can you explain exactly what you saw?”
What?
“It hasn't been long since the last assassination attempt. They're moving faster than I thought.”
Wondering if he was joking or being sarcastic, I carefully studied Tristan's face.
My goodness.
“It seems certain that their next target is House Walker.”
Tristan was 100% serious.
'...His Highness the Crown Prince, he's quite the clueless one, isn't he.'
My gaze met Edmond's and Isaac's in mid-air. Though no words were spoken, we each knew what we had to do.
Edmond was the first to act, summoning the head servant and giving an order.
“Tighten security and search for any signs of an intruder.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“My apologies, Your Highness. I will take special care to ensure such an unfortunate incident does not happen again.”
With Edmond taking the blame so readily, it became difficult for Tristan to press the matter further.
“No. Your opponents are capable of commanding monsters; it's only natural that a proper defense is difficult.”
“We are grateful for your understanding. And Yulia, report what you saw to the captain of the knights separately.”
“Uh, yes!”
If Yulia were allowed to say any more, even the hopelessly oblivious Tristan might sense something was amiss.
'Good. That should settle things for now.'
I glanced at Tristan; he showed no sign of having noticed anything. That was a relief.
“Well then, before the food gets cold, shall we continue our meal…”
“Ah, right. I was in the middle of asking about Divine Grace. It might have been my imagination, but it seemed as if the monsters were avoiding Duke Walker and Young Lady Yulia.”
Unfortunately, what the Crown Prince lacked in perception, he made up for in memory. I sensed the question was unavoidable.
“No, that can't be it. If that were the case, it wouldn't make sense for the monsters to have attacked Young Lady Emily.”
“……”
“Do you have any idea why?”
Well, I suppose even monsters don't want to eat a zombie.
…is not what I could say. Seeing Edmond frozen stiff, I subtly interjected.
“It was our first time seeing monsters that close as well, so we don't know the exact reason. But if I were to venture a guess…”
I deliberately lowered my gaze, as if I were reluctant to speak but had no other choice.
“…Perhaps it was because my own Divine Grace is lacking.”
“Young Lady Emily.”
“It's alright. It's no secret.”
I replied with a gentle smile, but my fingertips trembled. The end of the silverware I gripped tightly revealed the faint tremor.
“My many shortcomings have always been a burden to my family. I was glad I could help Your Highness with what little talent I possess, but compared to my siblings, my grace is woefully inadequate.”
My tone was composed, calm as if stating an obvious fact.
But I knew from long experience. The more nonchalant I acted, the more deeply others pitied me.
