“Leaving the capital? Why?”
“I heard the businesses owned by Count Alias have run into some trouble.”
“All of a sudden?”
“Apparently, every one of their ventures has stalled. They’re at risk of losing their estate and lands to the bank.”
“Hmm.”
“It sounds like divine punishment to me.”
Colin nodded vigorously, looking very satisfied. It reminded Ceres of how outraged he’d been after learning she was kidnapped and locked in a basement. He’d spent days fuming over it.
Would he scold me if he found out I let it happen?
To be honest, she had no hard feelings toward Feik. Holding a grudge required the other person to be worth the effort.
He’s just pathetic.
Even if he was being deceived, who in their right mind kidnapped and imprisoned someone because of a few words from Aria?
Then again, his gullibility was why Aria had been able to use him for so long.
Besides, the kidnapping was exactly what I wanted.
It wasn’t like she’d been hurt.
If I were...
She’d have beaten the b*stard half to death. She was never the type to quietly take a hit.
In the end, he was just a fool doing exactly what fools do, so what was there to be angry about?
The real surprise was Princess Nailia.
After everything that had happened with Aria—
“I believe my foolish judgment caused me to misunderstand you. I sincerely apologize.”
Princess Nailia had bowed her head before countless witnesses and offered her apology. Though the misunderstanding was born from Aria’s deception, Ceres never expected her to apologize openly.
She’s royalty, after all.
The sort of royalty who behaved like bowing their head would cost them their life.
“By the way, Colin.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Don’t you think you’ve given him enough?”
“Hm? Ah...”
Colin, who kept cutting one slice after another, finally paused.
[Bbu?]
Sooty, who had been endlessly devouring the cake, looked at Ceres with displeasure as if asking what the problem was.
Look at that smug face.
Despite the small eyes, he’s still glaring at her.
“He eats everything I give him, so I end up feeding him more without realizing it.”
“Mm. He’d probably keep eating even if his stomach burst.”
Though whether that small stomach could actually burst was another matter.
Watching Sooty diligently work his way through a cake larger than his own body, Ceres shook her head.
“That’s enough.”
[Bbuu!]
“That isn’t just today’s snack. It’s supposed to last through tomorrow too. Would you rather eat it all now and have nothing tomorrow, or save the rest for later?”
[.....]
...He’s actually thinking about it.
Was that really something that needed so much consideration?
After watching him stare helplessly at the remaining cake, Ceres let out a quiet sigh.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Hm?”
A strange sound from the window drew her attention. When she turned, she found a tiny bird no bigger than the palm of her hand repeatedly pecking at the glass.
Recognizing it immediately, Ceres sighed again and opened the window.
“Haha, what an unusual bird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that red before.”
Colin watched the little bird fly into the room with open curiosity.
“What’s that? And why are you back again?”
“Ah, do you know this bird...?”
[There’s a problem.]
“Gasp!”
At the voice that came from the small bird, Colin nearly choked on his own breath.
“Th-The bird talked?”
“Mm.”
Because it wasn’t an ordinary bird.
“You can go now.”
“Ah... Yes, my lady.”
His shock only lasted a moment. Still looking slightly wary, Colin glanced back and forth between the mysterious bird and Ceres before leaving the room.
“What do you want?”
Annoyance practically dripped from her voice as she looked at Jubelios, the King of Fire Spirits. He certainly didn’t come here for a friendly visit, which meant something had happened.
Well, at least he listened.
She’d told him not to draw attention to himself if he came looking for her, and it turned out he’d taken those words seriously.
Not that she’d meant he should shrink himself to a size smaller than a sparrow.
“You look ridiculous.”
[What?!]
“So, what’s the problem?”
No matter how loud he yelled, it wouldn’t be remotely intimidating in that tiny body.
[Bbuu!]
[Eh?]
Apparently, Sooty disagreed.
Having been completely focused on his cake until now, he immediately scrambled in front of Ceres and let out a loud cry, as though telling Jubelios to leave.
[.....]
[.....]
For a brief moment, the two stared each other down in silence. A faint pressure gathered around them.
...What are you two doing?
From Ceres’s perspective, the whole thing was absurd. What kind of intimidation could two palm-sized creatures possibly manage?
[Buuuuuuuu...]
[You insolent wretch!]
“Enough. Both of you.”
When Sooty let out a long warning cry and Jubelios tried to return to his original size, Ceres simply picked one up in each hand.
[Buu?]
[Put me down this instant!]
Sooty and Jubelios both looked dissatisfied, demanding to know why she was stopping them. Ceres answered with a firm shake of her head.
“If you start fighting in my house, I’m throwing both of you out.”
[Buu...]
[Urgh...]
Neither looked pleased, but neither seemed eager to continue either.
Still, why did they start fighting in the first place?
[Why are you keeping something like that around?]
“What exactly is ‘something like that‘ supposed to mean?”
And what makes you so special?
[I don’t know exactly what it is. But there’s an incredibly dense darkness coming from that thing!]
Darkness, huh?
“Because he’s a monster?”
[Not that sort of darkness! It’s nothing like the darkness those crude creatures carry. This is purer and deeper...]
“So you have no idea.”
[.....]
“You don’t even know what it is, yet you’re making all this fuss.”
[Y-You really are...!]
For all his outrage, the sight of him shaking in that tiny body was more pitiful than threatening.
“Why did you come?”
How many times did she have to ask?
Stop changing the subject and tell me why you’re here.
[Ah...]
Only then did Jubelios seem to remember the reason. His face immediately turned grave.
[Herion has been injured.]
“Injured? How badly?”
If the head of House Ellesia had gotten hurt, shouldn’t they have handled it themselves? Why come all the way to her?
[Those d*mned knights beat her up!]
“What?”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“Who beat who?”
.
.
.
Chapter 29: Acting Head of House Ellesia
“It looks like Count Alias will soon be shutting down all of his businesses in the capital.”
Del handed a stack of documents to Kainel before cautiously broaching the question.
“But Your Excellency, why did you go after Count Alias?”
It had started not long ago.
Out of nowhere, Kainel had summoned Del and ordered him to find out everything there was to know about House Alias, despite never having exchanged more than a few words with them.
Not long after, every business under the Alias name began running into obstacles. Naturally, Kainel was the one behind it.
“For failing to teach his son any manners.”
“...Pardon?”
Count Alias’s son. If Del remembered correctly, his name was Feik.
I’d heard he was a troublemaker, but...
Lord Kainel wasn’t the type to concern himself with things like that.
“What about Ceres?”
“Ah, right. I was just about to tell you. Here.”
“...What’s this?”
“Miss Ceres asked me to pass it on.”
It was a letter.
Why was she sending a letter all of a sudden? Frowning slightly, Kainel unfolded it and read the contents.
[Something came up. I won’t be around for a while, so don’t come looking for me. Make sure you eat properly. And don’t start skipping meals just because I’m gone. You know better than that. I’ll be checking with your aide later.]
The message was so short that calling it a letter felt like a stretch. It was closer to a note.
“Did she say anything else?”
“No. She only said something urgent had come up and that she wouldn’t be visiting for a while. She didn’t tell me what it was.”
“.....”
“Would you like me to find out?”
“No.”
“Understood.
“I’ll do it myself.”
“...What?”
Find out himself? How?
“Your Excellency?”
Del could only stare in a daze as Kainel rose from his seat and left the office without another word.
“Where are you going...?”
***
“Lady Ceres!”
Having returned to House Ellesia for the first time in a while, Ceres headed straight for Herion.
As soon as she stepped into the office and saw the woman, her brows knitted together.
“Welcome.”
Herion greeted her with a bright smile, looking genuinely pleased to see her.
“What happened to you?”
“Ah...”
At the blunt question, Herion gave an awkward smile and quickly averted her gaze.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter