Chapter 28
“Mmmrrgghhh!”
Demeyra let out a muffled shriek.
“Listen up! No matter what people say, it only matters if you let it get to you.”
I grabbed her cheeks and shook them hard. I finally let go when it seemed like I might leave red marks on her face.
“Got that? The problem is in your own head!”
“B-But…”
She rubbed her sore cheeks, tearing up again.
“Everyone saw…”
“And everyone saw you throw food and water in my face. They saw you dunk my head in dirty water. Plenty of servants witnessed that. And I bet half the noble circle has heard the rumors.”
“T-That’s…”
She stammered, clearly flustered, but I cut her off.
“And I didn’t care. A scandal only lasts a month. In the Capital, it’s rare to meet someone over twenty who’s never had a lover.”
“…”
“There are women out there—countesses, baronesses, wives of noblemen—who live with pride in themselves, without needing any titles.”
Though, let’s be honest… I wouldn’t say you have much worth.
“Instead of wallowing, be grateful you saw that trash for what he is. Consider this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rebuild. Not everyone gets that chance.”
Even if… well, you’re probably not going to be much use going forward either.
I made sure to keep those thoughts internal and continued:
“Go get some cake. There’s this café in the Capital, Mama Daines, they have—”
Hiccup.
She started sobbing again, hiccups and all.
“Fine. Cry, then.”
I really wanted to leave her there, but I stayed. We had to ride the same carriage, and it would be better if she calmed down a little before we returned to the estate.
“Hic… hic… I…”
Still weeping, she muttered something. Her hiccups and sniffling made it hard to understand, but she kept trying.
“Sor… hic… ry…”
“…What?”
My eyes widened as I finally understood.
“I’m… sorry.”
It was barely audible, but the meaning was unmistakable.
For the first time in five years, Demeyra had apologized to me.
Meanwhile…
“Ugh…”
Bartol groaned, clutching his fractured rib.
“I’m tired of hearing his whining. Tell him to get treated at home—and shut him up.”
When Balthazar frowned, someone rolled Bartol aside like luggage.
Balthazar’s gaze returned to where it had been earlier—to Iris Apellemeon, standing over the collapsed Demeyra.
His expression was unreadable—a mix of fascination, grudging admiration, lingering resentment from the banquet, and something darker, more possessive.
“Tell me what you know.”
“…Excuse me?”
David, who had been standing nearby, blinked and turned his head.
“You mean me, Your Highness?”
“Yes. I hear the House of Adellon excels at gathering intelligence—and that you’re the best among them.”
“You flatter me.”
David smiled coolly.
“Then answer.”
Balthazar’s voice was firm.
“Who is Iris Apellemeon? How did she tame the Pegasus? And why has she been absent from society until now?”
“Well… to be honest, I don’t know.”
David shrugged.
“For someone with your reputation, that’s disappointingly useless.”
“I apologize, Your Highness.”
David smiled again, entirely unfazed.
He truly didn’t mind—Balthazar’s favor or disapproval held no weight to him.
More importantly, he didn’t want to obey that order. Whether he had information about Iris or not, he had no intention of sharing it.
The Adellons were famed for their intelligence network, but when something truly intriguing came along, they held onto it tightly—until they could measure its true worth.
And Iris… was the most fascinating subject David had ever encountered.
“…Ridiculous.”
He muttered to himself.
She had bested him in the bet he suggested.
He had guessed someone would tame the Pegasus—but hadn’t expected it to be her.
Still, that wasn’t a bad outcome. Since she’d won, she would come to him for a favor—and that meant he’d get to see her again.
Chuckling, David turned and headed for his carriage.
Balthazar, however, remained.
Memories from his childhood stirred.
He had always thought himself strange—no matter how much he had, he always wanted what Karsiel had.
He had never felt a thrill greater than stealing something from his older brother.
“She said she admired Karsiel, didn’t she…”
Balthazar let out a dark chuckle.
Karsiel had taken her hand and led her to the garden.
Earlier, he’d even put himself in danger to protect her from the Pegasus.
Which meant—
Taking her away might just be the greatest thrill of all.
Back at the estate…
“You wicked girl! Don’t you even realize what you’ve done?!”
Lucilla shoved my shoulder.
“Bartol is a mess! And you came back a hero!”
“…”
“His Highness Balthazar didn’t even offer words of comfort! Bartol has completely fallen out of favor!”
“…”
I had no idea how that was my fault, but I kept my mouth shut.
“You tamed the Pegasus, didn’t you? You could have stopped this!”
Ah. So that’s what this is about.
“This all started because you confessed to the First Prince! And Demeyra—!”
Lucilla’s eyes blazed with fury.
I sighed inwardly.
Between the garden incident and today’s humiliation, Bartol and Anthony were now pariahs in the social scene. And Demeyra—rejected and shamed—would be hiding for a while.
Julius and his wife were said to be shocked, but most of their fury was now directed at Demeyra. Probably because of their subtle preference for the eldest son, Bartol.
“Demeyra is so useless now—!”
“Demeyra was just as useless before.”
I answered coldly.
Of course, I meant she’d always been useless.
Lucilla didn’t seem to catch the nuance. She slammed one side of my door shut.
“You’re grounded! Don’t let sunlight in. Let her starve in the dark for all I care!”
She glared at me from inches away.
“Yes, yes. Grounded. Got it.”
I was too used to this to take it seriously. That only made her angrier. She stomped out of the room, then suddenly turned back at the threshold.
“And the prize money?!”
“…Excuse me?”
“I heard everything. They gave you 50,000 gold. Hand it over!”
“…”
“I’m going to see Her Majesty with it. This is unacceptable!”
I shrugged with a grin.
“Feel free to look for it.”
“You wretched girl!”
She roared.
She had already searched my room but hadn’t found the hidden compartment in the floor.
The 50,000 gold—and the 5,000 I won from the bet—were perfectly safe.
“Marie! Don’t feed her until she confesses! She’ll talk eventually!”
Lucilla barked the order and stormed out.
Click. The door locked behind her.
“Marie, lock it from the inside too,” I said.
Without a word, Marie obeyed.
“And about that thing from earlier…”
Marie nodded and brought over a tray from behind the bed.
On it: gourmet steak, freshly baked bread softer than a baby’s cheek, and cakes made with chocolate and lemon.
“The kitchen staff snuck it in. They were worried about you,” she said.
“Perfect.”
I swallowed hard.
“The pest is gone. Let’s eat.”
As I carved the steak, I pointed to the window.
“Open that up. Let the sun in. I intend to enjoy this rare luxurious breakfast.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Marie, who had taken a bonus from the Morin household, no longer cared one bit about Lucilla’s orders.
