Chapter 31
“What? Fire?”
The one who brought the news was Piele.
Looking out the window toward the annex, there was no sign of flames—or even a single scorch mark.
“Yes. Fortunately, it didn’t spread to the entire annex,” she reported.
I tilted my head slightly.
Of course.
It would be ridiculous to hear that the Argent of Fire’s annex was completely destroyed by fire, wouldn’t it?
But to begin with, does it even make sense for there to be a fire in the Argent of Fire?
“Can a fire accident happen at Argent?” I asked.
Piele let out a faint laugh.
“Even a person can be bitten by the pet they raise.”
It was a strangely grim answer—one that reminded me of Mirta.
A pet they were raising…
“Apparently, it was an unexpected accident.”
Piele said lightly.
Yes, unexpected things always happen.
Some prepare for them, while others take advantage of them. Their deaths would be treated as an unfortunate accident.
By the Argent intelligence service that ‘takes advantage of unexpected accidents.’
A chill ran down my spine.
I was standing on thin ice right now.
On ice over a lake, not knowing when the bottom might give way—or how deep the water below might be.
If I let my guard down, the ice would shatter in an instant, and I’d sink into the lake’s depths.
“Alright, go out.”
I gestured to Piele.
“An unexpected accident, huh…”
Argent was certainly merciless to those considered enemies.
I wondered what would happen if I left this family.
It struck me suddenly.
Even if I left here, there’s no way I could become close with Alojé or Kartiel.
Naturally, I’d have to stay close to Argent.
But it seemed I needed to appeal more to Argent, who prepares for ‘unexpected events.’
To show that even if I leave, I remain an ally of Argent.
With that tense thought, I fell asleep.
And when I opened my eyes.
―Flame!
Before me was fire, consuming everything around it as if it were alive.
“Uh?”
I felt the heat and jumped in alarm.
Walls and objects were all ablaze.
I was trapped in a strange building, unable to even tell where the door was.
Instinctively, I tried to pull water, but it was useless.
There wasn’t a single drop of water nearby.
Even if there were, it seemed long dried up.
The fire was that intense.
―Boom!
Something holding up the ceiling fell right in front of me with a loud crash.
“!”
I stepped back in shock and saw someone in a corner of the burning building.
A black-haired boy.
…Ah, it’s a dream.
I knew this dream.
This building would soon collapse, and the boy would be crushed by the burning debris.
That boy must be the black-haired boy.
He was trembling.
“Hey.”
I approached him. My voice sounded youthful.
This dream was clearly the kind of nightmare Croa occasionally had in the original story.
“…”
The boy, hugging his knees and crying with his head down, lifted his gaze.
His eyes, clear and pale blue, looked at me.
“…!”
I paused for a moment.
I thought that maybe Diello would look like this if he were twenty years younger.
Of course, that was a foolish thought.
The Argent of Fire wouldn’t be trembling in fear in the middle of a burning house, would they?
Fire was like their hand and foot.
“Let’s get out of here.”
I said, but the boy shook his head in despair.
“The fire is too hot and strong. I can’t get out.”
His voice was soaked in despair.
As I hesitated in the dream, I woke up.
“…Ah.”
Blinking, I saw Diello in front of me.
His jet-black hair resembled the boy in my dream. He probably also had the same pale eyes.
But this man was the head of the Argent family, who controlled fire.
I let out a short sigh. My heart, which had been pounding from the dream, seemed to calm slightly.
Watching his chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm, I blinked.
…But when did he get here?
He wasn’t here when I fell asleep.
Looking at the clock, it was almost time to wake.
Diello seemed to have fallen asleep next to me while I rested from work, still holding my hand tightly.
“I was going to wait, but you fell asleep.”
I scratched my cheek with the hand he wasn’t holding.
Even so, it seemed he was tired from using his abilities to interrogate traitors during the day.
“…”
I quietly watched the sleeping Diello.
When he opened his eyes, those bright, clear eyes would surely stare straight at me.
I thought that I should postpone my departure plans slightly.
He might feel uneasy otherwise.
Of course, preparations had to be made for Daisy Forest.
We needed a house, had to clear the surroundings… I couldn’t sleep on the road.
But that should wait until I reassured this partner.
Otherwise, he would probably look at me with those gleaming eyes in worry.
—Just like that.
“…Croa.”
His voice startled me; he had already opened his eyes.
“Good morning.”
He smiled softly.
His voice, still laced with sleep, sounded oddly sweet.
“Good morning, Diello.”
Diello looked at me and smiled slightly.
“You’re up early. Did you have a dream?”
This guy was uncanny.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“A good dream? Or…”
He studied me. His eyes blinked, and a slight sparkle returned to them.
“A nightmare.”
There was no need to hide it, so I answered lightly.
“A nightmare?”
Diello’s eyes widened.
He touched my forehead with the back of his hand, concerned if I had a fever.
“It’s a dream where I’m trapped in a burning house… with a boy.”
Diello blinked at my words.
I continued.
“I have this dream sometimes, but it’s not really scary.”
Without realizing, I said it happens occasionally—even though this was my first time dreaming it.
Still, the Croa Alojé from the original story had been plagued by this dream, so it would probably appear repeatedly.
In the original, Croa Alojé would get stressed by dreams and even confide in the maids beside her.
Diello tilted his head slightly at my words, then smiled again.
“Then that’s a relief.”
Through his shirt, the lilies became conspicuous once more.
Three lilies.
If they disappeared, even if Pero came, Diello would lose his chance to awaken.
We had to protect them.
And the lilies remained clear, just as vivid as on the wedding day.
“By the way, the meeting is coming up soon, right?”
I asked suddenly, looking at them.
Diello nodded slightly at my question.
I suppose my recollection of the original story’s order was correct.
…Except for the timing of Pero’s arrival.
Did the wedding seem too sweet, so he couldn’t interfere?
Why was it only Pero’s timing that changed?
I tilted my head slightly.
“We should get ready.”
Diello frowned slightly and stood.
The meeting.
It was a gathering of the three families—Alojé, Argent, and Kartiel—held every three years.
Originally meant to discuss how to protect the places promised to be guarded since ancient times.
…but recently, it had become nothing more than a chance to gauge the others’ strength.
“Hmm…”
I looked at Diello’s lilies.
It was fine for the Alojé Duke to know I was a fake, but those lilies couldn’t be so clear in front of the Kartiel Duke.
They’d think I was the real Pero.
Diello, the head of the seemingly weakest Argent family, would surely seize Pero’s place, so if the lilies were that clear, it would raise suspicion.
How could I hide them…?
I was pondering when a voice suddenly spoke.
“…Ticklish, Croa.”
Startled, I looked up. Diello was slightly blushing, adjusting his shirt collar.
The lilies visible through the slight gap were hidden.
Did he think I touched them?!
“Ah, no.”
I recoiled my hand in alarm.
I must have given him too intense a look in front of this innocent man.
“I didn’t mean anything.”
I quickly reassured this pure, herbivorous creature.
“I was just thinking if there’s a way to blur those lilies before the meeting.”
“Hmm…”
Diello seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation.
For this meeting, the lilies must appear altered, so that the Alojé Duke would let down his guard.
Furthermore, the Kartiel Duke would underestimate Diello if the lilies disappeared without any noticeable change.
“They’ll try to see my lilies no matter what.”
Diello’s expression darkened in thought.
They’d spill water, or make him remove his clothes, whatever it takes.
Then, some blur should be noticeable.
“Makeup can only do so much…”
I said, and Diello nodded.
“Makeup can hide the appearance, but not the lilies’ power.”
I felt the strange magic from his lilies.
The power of Pero, and the ancient power blocking the head of Argent, Diello’s power.
Anyone from the three families would notice.
Then we had to hide that magic—
“…Ah! I have a way.”
I jumped up from my seat.
Someone who could conceal magic. I knew who it was from the original story.
The only problem was that person was currently in Alojé.
