Chapter 40
Theo, in his current state, was feeling anxious that he might soon part ways with Perea.
While he had insisted on coming to Eclit, he wasn’t sure when Perea might leave. He wasn’t certain that she would join him at the royal palace.
In the end, due to Ray’s vague threats, Theo reluctantly took on the role of their cupid.
“If Perea sparkles like Ray, will she be able to stay with him longer?”
“Yeah,” Ray answered quickly. He certainly wouldn’t reject Theo’s help. Theo thought about it, ‘Hmm…!’ His mind became tangled with all the possibilities. How could Perea and Ray both “sparkle” and stay together?
In just five years of being a beastman, Theo faced his greatest challenge!
Ray chuckled softly as he watched Theo struggle, his rabbit ears twitching from all the thinking. Ray felt reassured. With Theo on his side, he felt confident.
“Anyway, Theo, you need to be the one to handle things in the middle,” Ray said.
“Theo is smart. I can do everything without you telling me!” Theo proudly declared.
“Alright. I believe in you,” Ray said as he ruffled Theo’s golden hair. Theo’s mouth curved up into a small smile at Ray’s affection. Even though he was upset about not getting the toy rabbit warrior doll, Theo still felt happy.
Theo, who had just been crying, came back with a bright face. When he saw Elo holding the rabbit warrior doll, he turned his head away with dignity.
He then asked Elo in a very polite and gentle manner, “Do you have the Rabbit Hero Sword?”
Theo had remembered the sword he had seen on the way here. Elo let out a strange laugh and nodded.
“I don’t just have the Rabbit Hero Sword. I also have the Fox’s Shield and the Wolf’s Spear,” Elo said.
“Wow! Wow! Did the Rabbit Hero have all of these?” Theo asked excitedly.
“Of course! They were custom-made, and there’s only one set in Amur,” Elo replied proudly.
The two of them, having once been enemies as the Rabbit Hero, now became best friends, sharing a deep conversation about the hero’s adventures.
It was such a deep discussion that the adults around them couldn’t understand a single word.
At least Theo seemed to be in a good mood again.
“So, have you not contacted your subordinates in the capital?” Barry asked, breaking the silence.
“Not yet… there might be spies inside,” Elo replied.
“Right, well, we’ll have to weed them out one by one,” Barry muttered, running his fingers through his messy hair. The sound of him scratching his head made Ray frown slightly, and he moved his chair a bit further away.
Barry, who had once slept on the ground for three days in battle, was now being so finicky. Ray snorted in amusement.
Suddenly, Barry called out, “Elo!”
Elo, who had been deep in thought, turned toward the three of them. His eyes, hidden behind his hair, might not have truly made eye contact, but it was hard to tell.
“You said you planted a tap in the palace?” Barry asked.
“Mm…” Elo answered, causing Perea to frown in confusion. She had never heard the term “tap” before. On the other hand, Ray immediately became serious.
Barry, seeing the confusion on Perea’s face, decided to explain.
“A tap is, well, like a listening device,” he said.
“Huh…?” Perea responded.
“It’s a listening device, but it’s hard to catch, so instead of a device, we used a beastman who specializes in eavesdropping.”
“Is it okay to say something like that out loud…?” Perea asked, unsure.
Elo didn’t seem to care, but Perea was worried. After all, the young prince and the royal knight were present, and mentioning such a thing might get them in trouble for treason.
Perea glanced at Ray and Theo. Ray’s face softened as he shrugged, and Theo, busy with his doll, didn’t seem to care about the conversation.
It was a relief for Perea, who sighed deeply, then listened to Barry’s next words.
“It’s fine! The Emperor already knows everything. He’s probably already figured it out too,” Barry whispered to Perea, letting her know that the Emperor was fully aware of everything, including the secret spying.
This meant that the Emperor had directly commanded the Sike family to plant listening ears throughout the palace to help him govern the empire.
In conclusion, the Emperor pretended not to know what happened in the palace, but he actually knew almost everything. The Sike family’s secrecy worked in their favor.
Ever since Ray and Theo arrived in Timi Village, Perea had learned more than she should have about things she didn’t need to know.
‘Tap’ was one of those things. It was hard to pretend she hadn’t heard it once it was said aloud.
“Hmm… then, do you think the Emperor knows about the incident in the forest?” Perea asked hesitantly.
“Probably, but I can’t be sure. Anyway, we can get help from Elo to figure out the current situation in the palace,” Ray said.
Perea whispered to Barry, who whispered back. They were trying not to reveal anything to Elo, careful not to let him overhear something important.
Every time they whispered, Ray’s eyebrows twitched, showing that he was getting uncomfortable.
Perea didn’t notice any of this. She was just relieved by the answers she had received.
“Anyway, Ray, if we get help from the tap, we might be able to figure out when to leave,” Barry said.
“Right. Can you help us with that?” Ray asked Elo.
Elo quickly nodded. Though he was curious about why they were so interested in the palace, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself for now.
Soon, he would be inheriting his family’s title and would learn all the palace secrets, but for now, he had no desire to get involved.
In the meantime, he was happy to focus on caring for the rabbit beastmen in Timi Village.
The group left Barry’s house and headed to the hotel.
“Wow, this place is really nice!” Perea exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked around.
It was her first time at a hotel, and she couldn’t stop admiring everything. The hotel lobby was luxurious and elegant.
Perea was amazed by everything, while Theo and Ray, who had lived in the imperial palace, didn’t show any surprise.
They had been around much grander places before, but they couldn’t help but smile at Perea’s genuine excitement.
It made them realize how easy it was to make her happy with the smallest things.
Ray found himself thinking that he wanted to be the one to make Perea smile next time. He was confident he could do that.
