DBTS 39

Episode 39

“……”

As I blankly stared at him, Antonio gestured toward the door.

“I’ll teach you the mana circulation method later. You must be tired, so go rest.”

It was a dismissal. But judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he looked more exhausted than I did.

The hippogriff incident had ended peacefully without a fight, but I was left with more responsibilities. From now on, every time we deployed, I would have to explain things to Antonio and the knights.

I trudged back to the room assigned to me.

Opening the window wide, I gazed out at the ducal estate’s garden, now cloaked in deep night. A thin crescent moon silently lit the window. A maid brought me a negligee, and with her help, I changed into it.

Flutter flutter.

A small bird flew in through the window.

It was Polka.

[Josephine! I’m back!]

Even though I hadn’t told it where the estate was, Polka had found its way here. Perhaps it had asked the local birds for directions.

“Polka, are you sleeping indoors tonight?”

[Yup. It’s too noisy outside. There’s a fight going on.]

“A fight?”

[Yeah. The emperor is fighting with a male.]

“Emperor? Male?”

Polka was spouting nonsense again.

If it meant “emperor,” could it be talking about Antonio, who looked strikingly like Emperor Tristram? And the “male” must be…

One of the knights, or perhaps a servant of the estate, involved in a fistfight.

My heart sank. Maybe Antonio had caused trouble during the night. I hastily threw on an outer robe and rushed outside.

I had to stop him.

If word got out that Antonio had been in a brawl in the ducal estate, gossip would spread like wildfire through the noble society.

Drinking holy water in public was already a scandal—clearly, we hadn’t started off on the right foot. Still, since I had become his de facto aide, I needed to help manage his reputation.

I asked Polka to guide me and hurried behind the estate. In the corner of the garden filled with white roses, a man and woman stood together. It was too dark to see clearly, but the man was definitely not Antonio.

He was noticeably smaller in build—Antonio stood a full head taller than most men.

They weren’t fighting either. There was tension in the air, but no physical conflict.

“Antonio’s not even here.”

Had Polka lied to me? I had no business being here. What an awkward situation.

[Antonio? The one with yellow hair is the emperor here!]

Polka chirped at my mutter. Based on that, the woman was probably the “emperor”—she had blonde hair, while the man’s hair was a dark brown.

“That’s not what I meant! This is purely political—!”

“That’s why I’m stepping away, so your political deal can go through smoothly.”

Slap!

The woman slapped the man’s cheek.

For a moment, I recalled myself slapping Antonio in front of the lake at the Ruby Palace.

I quickly shook my head to dispel the thought and looked more closely at the woman.

Her voice sounded familiar.

Then I realized—it was Lady Theodora Cassia. The moonlight made her blonde hair look even more golden.

Polka must have assumed she was the “emperor” because she was the mistress of this estate—just as the emperor ruled the palace.

Still, it was impressive how quickly the bird figured out the power structure. Truly a clever creature.

“What’s the point if I can’t be with you? I finally found a way to make it work—why won’t you…!”

“So. Are you going to propose to that prince?”

“I will, when the time is right.”

Listening in, I quickly realized—they were lovers.

The man referred to her as “My Lady,” so he was likely a retainer or knight of House Cassia.

I remained hidden behind the garden fence, eavesdropping on their conversation.

“I can’t bear to see you with another man.”

His voice cracked with emotion, like he might cry at any moment.

“I’ll only stand next to him. It’s just for appearances in front of others.”

“Has the prince agreed to that?”

“…No. I’ll persuade him.”

And that’s when it became clear—Theodora planned to marry Antonio for political reasons while continuing her romance with this man.

“So the plan is to become a princess and duchess, control the land, and keep me as your lover. Perfect.”

“Don’t say ‘lover,’ Vicente! You’re the only man I’ve ever loved. You always will be.”

“And I’ll always live in your shadow. How can you be sure that prince won’t desire you as a woman? If our affair is discovered, I’ll lose my head.”

The man shook his head, clearly distressed.

Theodora grabbed his wrist, but he pulled away. Yet she reached for him again.

“He said I could be the viscount. He won’t care if I inherit the title. Maybe we can talk it through.”

“What exactly are you planning?”

“My father’s lobbying couldn’t change the succession law, but that prince… maybe he can.”

“Now you’re aiming for central politics too? Hoping to win the prince’s favor?”

The man scoffed. He clearly didn’t like how Theodora was trying to have both power and love.

Crack.

Startled, I looked down. I’d stepped on a twig.

“What was that?”

The two instantly tensed and turned toward the sound. I collapsed to the ground, trying to make myself as small and quiet as possible.

Oh no—if I got caught here, I was finished. Cold sweat dripped down my back. Polka fluttered up onto my head.

[See? It’s noisy! Let’s go inside!]

The bird kept chirping noisily.

“…Just a sparrow.”

The man muttered. Thanks to Polka’s noisy flapping, they dismissed the sound as a bird. They visibly relaxed.

Polka saved me.

I decided it was time to leave. Silently, I crept away from the white rose garden.

*******

Antonio gathered the Scorpios in the estate’s VIP parlor at dawn.

There had been no time to tell him about what I had overheard the night before.

I had lost sleep wondering what I should and shouldn’t say. I felt I should inform him about Theodora’s motives and political intentions—but discussing someone’s private matters felt distasteful.