Sensing something strange, Julia lifted her head as well.
“Huh?”
The girl’s eyes widened when she saw someone approaching her.
***
“Another body was found?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Don’t tell me this happened again...”
“It appears the victim was killed by a monster.”
“Haah...”
Crown Prince Aseraian let out a weary sigh at his aide’s report. They still hadn’t finished investigating the corpse discovered not long ago, yet another victim had appeared in the capital.
“However, there’s one strange detail this time.”
“A strange detail?”
“A Black Forest alarm reportedly went off at a shop near where the body was discovered.”
“Huh? Only one shop?”
“Yes.”
“That makes no sense.”
Whenever the Black Forest emerged, the entire surrounding area would be swallowed by it. How could the alarm have gone off in only one place? Were all the other alarms broken?
“There were no reports of the Black Forest appearing, correct?”
“None. Even the owner of the shop thought the alarm had simply gone off by mistake.”
“Hmm... I heard Cheion has been distributing upgraded alarms lately. Was that shop using one of the new models?”
“Yes. They had installed a model with an expanded detection range.”
When Aseraian first heard that Cheion was improving the alarms’ Black Forest detection range, he’d been more puzzled than impressed.
Why was that man voluntarily taking on extra work without being asked?
Even when Aseraian questioned him about it, Cheion offered no explanation, so he eventually let the matter rest. As much as Cheion despised working, once he took responsibility for something, he always saw it through to the end.
Aseraian just assumed Cheion would handle things himself and left it at that, but...
“I should meet with Cheion.”
Now that matters had taken this turn, his suspicions resurfaced.
Did that rascal know something?
“Have you identified what monster did this?”
“Not yet.”
“Again?”
“Yes.”
Aseraian clicked his tongue. Whenever a body mutilated by a monster was discovered, identifying the creature responsible should’ve been the first priority.
Yet every single time, uncovering the monster’s identity proved absurdly difficult.
“What about Grand Duke Kainel Persia?”
It seemed they would need his help once again.
“We already contacted him, but...”
“But?”
“They said he is unavailable today. Apparently, he has an important engagement.”
“An important engagement? There isn’t even an imperial council meeting today.”
Aseraian found himself genuinely curious about what kind of matter someone of Kainel Persia’s status considered important.
The aide hesitated before answering with an awkward expression.
“He said he has to attend an academy arts festival.”
“...Where?”
For a second, Aseraian wondered if he just misheard.
The Grand Duke of Persia was going where?
“To the academy arts festival.”
***
Step.
The moment a man leisurely entered the classroom, everyone inside fell silent in shock.
“Isn’t that Grand Duke Persia?”
“Why is he here...?”
Kainel Persia was famous for refusing every invitation that wasn’t related to an Imperial council meeting. Seeing him appear at an academy festival of all places left everyone doubting their own eyes.
“Y-Your Excellency!”
Count Lucia, Christine’s father, was no exception.
What reason Grand Duke Persia had for coming here wasn’t important right now.
For years, Count Lucia had been searching for an opportunity to approach him, yet he had never once managed to exchange more than a few words during Imperial meetings.
To run into him in a place like this felt like a blessing from the heavens. He hurried toward Kainel at once.
The North was, quite literally, a land of gold. Having remained closed off for so long, every resource found there was treated as a priceless treasure. If he could somehow build a connection with the Grand Duke and secure exclusive rights to one of those resources, it’d be enough to make a fortune.
“What brings Your Excellency here—”
However, Count Lucia couldn’t even finish his sentence. Kainel walked right past him without sparing him a glance.
Instead, the person he stopped in front of was a small girl standing alone with a dazed expression.
“Mister?”
Julia’s eyes grew even wider as she looked up at him.
“Did you come to see me?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re not working at the shop today?”
“No. Not today.”
...The shop? What does she mean?
The Grand Duke of Persia works at a shop?
The people eavesdropping nearby only grew more confused.
How did that child know him? Seeing Julia speak to the Grand Duke so casually shocked them all over again. Did he truly come all the way here to see her?
“Julia.”
Just then, another person stepped into the classroom. It was Ceres Drow.
“Cer—huh?”
At the familiar voice, Julia instinctively moved, only to stop short. Her eyes blinked rapidly.
This wasn’t the Ceres she was used to seeing.
The woman who never cared for dressing up or wearing accessories had arrived in neat, brand-new clothes instead of the faded old outfits she usually wore. She looked like a completely different person.
“Ceres, you look so pretty!”
“Really?”
That’s a relief.
Well... it’s not like this face is unattractive or anything.
Originally, Ceres was only planning to wear something simple and presentable. She always believed that as long as someone looked neat, that was enough. She had no intention of dressing up any further.
But—
“Miss Ceres, this is a gift.”
“What gift?”
“I heard you were attending your younger sister’s academy festival. His Excellency asked that you wear it there.”
“...Who? T-The Grand Duke?”
“Yes. He said you should wear it nicely.”
“How about returning this instead and deducting the price from my debt?”
“Haha. Do you think that would work?”
“...Yeah. I didn’t think so.”
She had received a gift from the aide, Del. When several large boxes arrived with word that they were sent by Kainel Persia, she was left utterly dumbfounded.
I really have lived long enough to see everything.
Clothes as a gift? Was that man even the type to give someone clothes? A sword, maybe. Clothes were another matter entirely.
However, letting such expensive outfits sit unused felt wasteful, so she ended up wearing them.
As soon as the maid Jay found out, she created a fuss from early morning, insisting on styling her properly to match the dress.
I’m definitely not doing this a second time.
Between all the dressing up and styling, Ceres had nearly fallen asleep in her chair several times. She was only released from Jay’s grip shortly before the academy festival began.
“Isn’t that dress from Elua Boutique’s newest collection?”
“I think it is.”
“That place is impossible to place orders with. How did she manage—”
Before long, the crowd’s attention shifted from Kainel to Ceres Drow.
Wasn’t she supposed to be from some insignificant family? But somehow...
It wasn’t just the dress. There was something about her presence that naturally drew the eye. Even standing still, she carried herself in a way that made people look twice.
It was difficult to believe she was really the daughter of an obscure baron family.
“Ceres, Mister’s here too!”
“...I noticed.”
Only then did Ceres finally glance toward Kainel. When she entered the classroom earlier, she had barely managed to hide her disbelief.
What is that man doing here?
She had sensed something strange from the hallway. Unlike the noisy classrooms nearby, Julia’s classroom was oddly quiet. That was why she knew something had happened.
She just never imagined the cause would be Kainel.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was bored.”
“You came here because you were bored?”
Ceres stared at him like he was ridiculous.
“When did you start taking after Cheion?”
“Cheion?”
“You’re wandering around saying you’re bored when there’s enough work to bury you alive. What about the mountain of documents sitting on your desk?”
“......”
Kainel silently watched her as she clicked her tongue.
“Don’t sell those clothes.”
“A gift stops belonging to you once you give it away.”
“So, are you saying you’ll sell them?”
“Are you really going to interfere after handing it over?”
“They look good on you.”
“......”
At his offhand remark, Ceres stared at him for a moment. Then, she suddenly placed her hand against his forehead.
“You don’t have a fever.”
Gasps echoed around the room. She just touched the Grand Duke’s face without hesitation! The Grand Duke of Persia was famous for despising physical contact with others.
Yet contrary to everyone’s expectations, Kainel just stood there and allowed Ceres to inspect him, as if checking whether he was sick.
“Which family were those young ladies from again?”
“I believe they’re from the Drow barony.”
“The Drow family?”
“You know, the house founded by the Mercenary King, Tom Drow.”
“Ah...”
People began showing interest in Ceres’s family. Count Lucia was no different.
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