Chapter 74……………………..
In the silence, someone whistled.
“Fweeeet!”
“Hey! Are you out of your mind?”
“How dare you whistle here! Don’t you know who that is?”
“I—I didn’t mean to, it just slipped out…”
The workers, who had been wandering nearby and watching us, all scattered at once.
The way they ran, afraid they’d be marked by me, looked almost desperate.
“Phew…”
Leonhart let out a long breath.
Then he crumpled the blueprint viciously and tossed it toward Esir.
“Wrap it up yourself. And make sure to keep the workers’ mouths shut.”
“Will that even be possible?”
“…”
“I’ll do my best!”
As Leonhart walked past me, he said,
“Follow me.”
“Eh? Where to…?”
Leonhart didn’t answer. He only strode ahead on his long legs.
After a short while, we arrived at a carriage marked with the imperial seal.
He opened the door and gestured inside with his chin.
“Get in.”
“Where are we going?”
“We can’t stay here, can we?”
Why not?
Confused, I still climbed into the carriage without another word.
It was safer to protect Leonhart in an enclosed space than out in the open.
‘I hope he just stays in the carriage all the time.’
As soon as he climbed in after me, the carriage set off.
Leonhart kept his lips sealed, staring out the window.
His face looked very conflicted.
Of course, he wouldn’t enjoy being with me—but this expression felt different from simple dislike.
Unable to endure the uncomfortable silence any longer, I asked carefully,
“Aren’t you busy?”
“I am.”
“Then why…?”
Leonhart turned his gaze from the window to me.
“Do you truly not understand?”
“I don’t, that’s why I’m asking.”
“You tried to seduce me! In front of everyone, no less!”
“…Me? Seduce you, Your Highness? When?”
“Are you joking with me right now? You asked me to spend the night together! If that isn’t seduction, then what is it?”
Only then did I realize how my words could’ve been taken that way. I hastily opened my mouth.
“Whaaat? No way! That’s not what I meant at all! What kind of thoughts do you have to misunderstand me like that??”
“What man wouldn’t misunderstand after hearing something like that!”
“It really wasn’t meant that way! I just… I just…”
Think of something! Anything!
“Ah! Remember the animal water fountain I mentioned before? I meant I wanted to discuss that. I had a good idea.”
“At night?”
“Well, if the discussion went long, it could’ve stretched into the night.”
“Haa…”
Leonhart raked his hand through his hair, visibly restraining his temper.
As his smooth hair slid back, the thick vein bulging on his straight forehead appeared and then vanished.
“Do you think the workers… misunderstood?”
“They probably did.”
“…Sorry.”
“…Phew.”
Leonhart answered only with a soft sigh.
‘At least he doesn’t hate me as much as before.’
If this were the old days, he would’ve tried to kill me on the spot.
The thought only made me feel guiltier. Maybe I should cheer him up with something he’d like to hear.
“I’ll be meeting with my fiancé candidates the day after tomorrow.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, ten of them.”
Leonhart’s brow furrowed slightly.
Was he worried the number was too small?
“Whatever happens, I’ll choose one of them to be engaged to.”
“That’s enough. You can stop now.”
“Not long ago, Your Highness told me that even if you begged me to marry you, I wouldn’t accept. You can trust me on that. I have no interest in you. Soon I’ll have a fiancé.”
“Can you stop with the engagement talk already?”
Suddenly, Leonhart snapped irritably.
I flinched, eyes widening.
“Why are you angry?”
“…”
Leonhart clamped his mouth shut, realizing his slip.
Then he rubbed his face with his hand and muttered in a low voice,
“I wasn’t angry… Sorry. I must be on edge lately from lack of sleep.”
“Is the site really that busy? Busy enough that you can’t sleep?”
“It’s not just the construction… I still haven’t found Della.”
What? My jaw dropped in disbelief.
“You’re still searching for that runaway crow?”
“Of course I am!”
Anyone overhearing might think he’d lost a pet he’d raised for ten years.
‘When you only spent one night with me!’
It’s been many times longer than that, and he’s still searching.
I used to admire his obsession and perseverance, but being on the receiving end was exhausting.
‘I’ll have to find the right moment to appear as a crow in front of him.’
Otherwise, he might keep searching for me forever.
He might even mistake another crow for me and start raising it.
‘I don’t like that idea.’
Just then, the carriage stopped in front of the Third Prince’s palace.
I felt much more at ease once we entered the imperial grounds.
For an assassin, the palace was the most dangerous and difficult place to infiltrate.
[Rian, I’ll scout the surroundings!]
[I’ll start setting up the barrier! But I’ll need to place it farther away, or Leonhart might sense it.]
[Like before, I’ll stay near Leonhart. Gnome, you stay hidden and jump out if necessary. Got it?]
[(Nod!)]
‘Reassuring.’
With this setup, Leonhart wouldn’t be in danger.
If anything, the assassin would be the one in trouble.
Just as I was feeling relieved, Leonhart asked,
“I plan to eat first. Would you join me?”
“Thank you for the invitation.”
I accepted his escort and entered the Third Prince’s palace.
We ate dinner, then holed up in Leonhart’s study.
The animal water fountain had been a hasty excuse—but how did it turn into this?
Before I knew it, I was serious about it.
After erasing and redrawing several times, I finally completed a draft design.
“What do you think of this shape? Easy to install, and animals wouldn’t feel uncomfortable using it.”
“A two-tiered fountain, I see.”
“Exactly. Magic gathers water at the second tier and flows it down to the first.”
“Then… the first tier should be wider. That way, it holds more water and won’t blow away even in strong winds.”
“Oh, good idea. Then we just need to plan the magic device for the second tier.”
“A spell to draw moisture from the air and store it would be needed.”
“And one to keep it from freezing. If possible, purification too… though that might be asking too much?”
“There’s no such thing as too much. As long as you have money, anything can be done.”
“Then let’s add that function too.”
“Animals will end up drinking cleaner water than people.”
“We can improve the purification device for human use as well.”
Leonhart finally lifted his gaze from the design to look at me.
“It’d be a waste for only animals to benefit from such a useful device. If applied, it could help people too.”
“You mean, like using it as a humidifier, as you mentioned before?”
“Or storing water in the rainy season to use for irrigation in the dry season. Once built, it could be applied in many ways.”
“…”
His dark pupils roamed quietly over my face.
Suddenly, the atmosphere turned strange.
He was only staring, but why did I feel so nervous?
I laughed awkwardly.
“Do I have something on my face?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Damn it… then you should’ve said so sooner!
As I reluctantly rubbed around my mouth, Leonhart burst out laughing.
“I’m joking. There’s nothing there.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he smiled brightly.
He was dazzling…
When I didn’t respond, Leonhart stopped smiling.
“I wasn’t mocking you.”
“No, I was just a little surprised.”
“About what?”
“You’re making jokes with me now?”
“…”
The man who once couldn’t even stand talking to me was now laughing and joking.
Overcome with emotion at the change, I almost teared up.
Then Leonhart smiled faintly and said,
“I don’t dislike you as much as before, Duke.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said, I don’t dislike you.”
“…”
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
My heart pounded wildly.
[Uh, Rian, sorry to ruin the mood, but shouldn’t we decide what to do?]
[Isn’t it too late to head back to the estate? You should just sleep here.]
[Just to be clear—sleep alone. If you sleep with Leonhart and turn into a crow, you’re screwed.]
‘W-wait, what time is it?’
I scrambled to find a clock but saw none.
“Your Highness, what time is it now?”
Leonhart tilted his head, then took a pocket watch from his vest.
“Oh, it’s later than I thought. About thirty minutes until midnight.”
“…!”
When had the time flown so fast?
‘What about the assassin? Did they never come, or did the spirits block them?’
I couldn’t ask the spirits without telepathy.
‘What should I do? Head back now? No, I’d transform into a crow in the carriage…’
As I panicked, Leonhart rose and put on his suit.
“I’ll escort you back to your residence.”
I quickly grabbed his arm.
“Your Highness, I’ll stay here tonight!”
