DSFL | Chapter 13

~Chapter 13~

It was a face of Ricardo I had never seen before. I tilted my head in confusion, and he cleared his throat, quickly composing himself. His gaze wandered aimlessly.

“Ahem, so, you’re saying you faked it?”

Correct!

“You understood it very well.”

“Really… you only get smart in situations like this.”

No matter how many times I heard it, it sounded like he was saying, “Your thick head only gets clever when scheming,” but I decided to interpret it as a compliment about my intelligence.

The chocolate in Ricardo’s hand rustled. I was sure I had brought enough chocolate to fill both of my fists, but now in his hand, it seemed like only a single fistful.

Did I eat that much? Or did Ricardo secretly eat some of it?

The thought was a little funny.

As I let my mind wander, I stared at Ricardo.

I should ask for that back, but somehow, I didn’t feel like it.

“Excuse me—”

“That’s—”

We spoke at the same time.

“Please, go ahead.”

Ricardo hesitated, then let out a deep sigh.

“More importantly, Bianca.”

“Yes?”

“You might not know this, but…”

Ricardo took a deep breath, exhaled, and then continued.

“Traditionally, it’s customary to give a handkerchief to your fiancée. It’s a tradition, a law of the Empire…”

A law?

“…Well, it’s not exactly a law, but I wanted to mention that it’s an old tradition. If you want to give me your handkerchief, I would, of course, accept it out of respect.”

Ricardo spoke quickly, then turned abruptly to walk away.

I stood there, dumbfounded, watching his retreating figure, then I fumbled through my pockets, which thankfully weren’t torn.

“Your handkerchief is here—”

Just then, Ricardo appeared again, having somehow returned without me noticing, and snatched the handkerchief from me.

He glanced at the clumsy embroidery and let out a small chuckle.

“It’s embroidery that looks like it has been done by you.”

…Just go ahead and insult me.

I reached out to him in frustration.

“If you don’t like it, you can return it.”

“I’ll keep it for now.”

With that, he continued walking as though nothing had happened.

I stood there, stunned, watching him.

I didn’t say you had to accept it…

***

A crow squawks in the distance. The long horn sound of the hunting competition rang out again.

I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

I wanted to leave the tent immediately, but I felt like I should stay in bed for a little while, pretending to be sick, since I had faked illness to Hestia.

I wondered if Idette had gotten away safely.

“Lady Bianca, it’s me. Idette.”

Just then, I heard Idette’s voice from outside the tent.

She made it out safely!

“Come in!”

At my voice, Idette entered the tent with an innocent face, almost like a puppy, followed by a maid. I gave Idette a warm welcome.

“You got here quickly.”

“As soon as I saw the princess, she told me to leave.”

Idette sighed in relief and smiled brightly.

“Thank goodness.”

She certainly had that kind of face.

I carefully asked her,

“Shall I ask them to bring some refreshments?”

“Oh, I’ll bring them! I have cookies the prince gave me.”

Wait, can I really eat cookies the crown prince gave her?

But with Idette looking at me with hopeful eyes, I couldn’t turn her down.

“Well… it’s an honor.”

“Then I’ll go get them quickly!”

Idette dashed out of the tent. I hoped she’d bring Peril along since she was already out.

I sighed inwardly and leaned back against the couch.

As my tense body slowly relaxed,

“…It’s you.”

A slow voice echoed in my ear. Startled, I opened my eyes and saw a stunningly beautiful person sitting beside me.

Long silver hair that flowed down his back, paired with ash-gray eyes.

In his calm gaze, there was a  Sacredness that no one could dare to imitate.

Though I had never seen him before, it didn’t take me long to recognize him.

…Peril Edwin.

He really showed up.

Peril, who had been silently observing me, curled the corner of his mouth into a smile. His eyes weren’t smiling, but the sight of it was still unsettling.

“I heard from a disciple that you know me.”

“…”

“Go ahead and speak. Tell me who I am.”

Why is he looking at me like that when he told me to speak freely…?

His gaze felt like it could shoot laser beams.

I forced myself to speak calmly.

“Um, Teacher.”

“…Teacher?”

“It’s a title I use out of respect.”

I had no idea how to address someone as ancient as the Master of the Magic Tower. I couldn’t just call him by his name like the bold female protagonist in novels.

“Even though there shouldn’t be anyone who knows the name you speak of…”

Peril tapped my lips with his finger.

“If you wanted to die, you wouldn’t have that expression.”

The air around me began to grow tense, slowly tightening around my neck, suffocating me.

“Well, I’ve read forbidden books. The books mentioned that someone has been watching the world for a long time.”

Since that’s what was written in the original text, it wasn’t a lie.

“I investigated the Master of the Magic Tower. As a result, I found that the movements of the disappeared Lord Beibe and the Master of the Magic Tower were quite similar.”

“How did you know about the shop?”

“I’ve heard and seen a lot. The only one who could manage the ancient shop is the Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Poor excuse. You won’t convince me with that.”

“…I just blurted it out to the disciple. I didn’t expect the shopkeeper of the Sun’s shop to come over.”

At my words, Peril narrowed his eyes.

On the upper body of Peril, wearing a white shirt, were complex magical symbols that I couldn’t even begin to understand.

I suddenly felt scared and instinctively pulled my hips back. But in that moment, Peril grabbed my chin roughly.

“…!”

Peril, who had seized me, turned my face from side to side.

“The world has changed a lot while I was asleep. There’s someone who calls my name, someone who dares to wake me from my deep sleep…”

“Hehe…”

I awkwardly avoided his gaze. Peril, who had been staring at me, narrowed his eyes further.

“…You’re quite interesting.”

“Uh, I hear that a lot.”

I didn’t think that was exactly what he meant, but I answered him literally.

What if he gets mad and kills me for talking too much?

At my answer, Peril bared his teeth and smiled. The observation seemed to be over, and he released my chin. It felt strangely numb.

“Well, fine. I’ve always liked bold people.”

“Th-thank you!”

I quickly bowed my head.

“So, why did you call me?”

“There’s someone who needs your help.”

I took a deep breath.

“Do you know about the Drimokan disease?”

At my words, Peril’s gaze sharpened.

“…That’s a name that disappeared a hundred years ago, isn’t it?”

Peril, with his arms crossed, tapped his fingers on his arms.

“…It’s similar to what that child said.”

That child…?

I didn’t know for sure, but it seemed like the “child” he referred to was Idette. After thinking for a moment, Peril snapped his fingers.

Whoosh—

A cold wind blew from afar. I flinched and quickly turned around.

We had moved from the tent to the Helios Forest.

Teleportation.

That’s kind of impressive.

Peril nodded toward the dead rabbit body in front of him.

The rabbit was split in half, its insides almost spilling out. The rotten smell of its body reached my nose.

…Ugh, that’s pretty gross.

“It’s a beast that died less than an hour ago.”

But the insides that I saw were completely rotten. The blackened organs didn’t look like they belonged to a beast that had just died.

Confused, I watched Peril continue with his thoughts.

“I sent my disciples to Drimokan not long ago.”

Drimokan…

That place was a forest close to the temple. It was also the site of a battle fifty years ago, where Marquis Roygin and Duke Hessen had returned victorious.

The royal family and the temple had abandoned Drimokan, which was heavily damaged by the war, and it was handed over to the Roygin family.

“The result was that they went missing.”