Chapter 16

#016 The Duke is Suspicious (2)

"The weather is really nice today, isn't it? It's perfect for a walk, don't you think?"

Cardinal Aurelie Boutier asked gently. There was no response.

Today, she had not come to the garden of the Palace of Rome to enjoy a picnic with her beloved Daiji.

But since she was already here, there was no reason not to enjoy it.

She looked at the prince who was walking silently by her side.

The two of them were moving without a single attendant following them.

The gardeners had all vacated the area, knowing it was the prince's walking time.

"This way."

After a long while, the young man spoke, guiding her to a corner of the vast garden.

It was a place where the shrubs were neatly maintained, reaching up to the height of the cardinal's head.

Indeed, it was not a bad environment for hiding something.

"Who else knows about this place?"

"His Majesty knows. I've also informed Caphyson."

"Amazing. That you're still the only ones who know about it."

"You'll understand when you see it."

Under her monocle, the cardinal's beige eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Though she was now in her middle age, this was her first time seeing a divine creature.

The cardinals of the Holy Kingdom and the bishops of the provinces had occasionally reported sightings, but that was all.

After all, there was nothing in the palace where she resided that a divine creature would protect.

Throughout the vast territory of the empire, there were only four divine creatures.

"Madam, please step back for a moment."

Cedric spoke softly. The cardinal obediently took a few steps back.

The prince confirmed the silence around them and slowly removed the black glove from his left hand.

*Click!*

With a crisp sound of his fingers touching, a bright orange flame bloomed at his fingertips.

Aurelie Boutier quietly held her breath.

This child's ability was always dazzlingly beautiful.

She knew he didn't think so, but she believed it was a blessing, not a curse.

For a very long time.

*Whoosh!*

Cedric swung his arm with a graceful motion.

The flame, which had been like a flower bud, instantly spread out like a giant fan and fell to the ground.

*Swish...*

Red sparks met the fresh spring grass and began to glow golden.

The cardinal observed this with great interest. This was certainly not an ordinary reaction.

Instead of the green turning black from the heat, it was producing yellow clumps in the air, like forsythia.

Things that had been dormant began to rise from the ground, reacting to the prince's ether.

*Chirp!*

"Huh...?"

One of the clumps made a sound that didn't seem to fit its grand name, "divine creature."

The cardinal looked at the prince with a puzzled expression. Cedric met her gaze silently.

*Chirp!*

"Seddie?"

The second clump also made the same sound. The confused cardinal called the prince by his nickname.

"They don't bite."

"That's not the issue..."

Aurelie Boutier watched with a somewhat bewildered expression as the sacred divine creatures descended before her.

The two clumps, which had stopped emitting light, slowly transformed into the complete forms of animals.

The light clusters gradually took on a clear shape.

*Chirp!*

*Chirp!*

Their legs were black, and their bodies were reddish-brown.

They had short, sturdy bodies with tails of just the right length, which were plump.

Their noses and ear tips were as white as if they had been dipped in sugar powder, and their large, round eyes were as black as beans.

Overall, they had a fluffy and adorable appearance.

"Goodness."

"..."

She had not expected dragons or griffins, but this was far more unexpected than she had imagined.

The two stuffed animals, or rather, the two divine creatures, seemed delighted to have been awakened by Cedric and circled around him, recognizing him.

Soon, the young man's sleek black boots began to get dirty.

"They are... so adorable. I never expected this."

The cardinal bent down to close the distance between her and the creatures.

Even in her younger days, when she had traveled all over the empire with the emperor, she had never seen such creatures.

She couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it.

These creatures, which had suddenly appeared in the garden of the Palace of Rome, startling the prince, followed him closely despite being afraid of his flames, and were said to freely produce flowers and grass, were so unexpectedly cute.

"Are you taking them to the Sarnaise Manor tonight? Elizabeth said as much."

The cardinal looked up and asked. But the prince's demeanor was not normal.

A shadow had fallen over his handsome face.

"...One is missing."

"What?"

Her composure, which she had just regained, was shaken again.

The smallest of the three was nowhere to be seen.

Cedric Liester raised his confused eyes to the building in front of him.

The Palace of Juliette looked as peaceful as ever.

*

"So, the content is that she wants to meet you at some point?"

I asked to confirm, sitting quietly. Benezaim nodded.

He had been reading the letter from the Duchess of Sarnaise, Isabelle de Sarnaise, which was delivered to me during lunch with the cardinal.

I was so preoccupied with the letter that I didn't even go to confession and had locked myself in my room.

"There's nothing special about the text. After inquiring about your well-being, she says she wants to arrange a good day to meet the prince in private. That's all."

I sighed lightly.

I had read it that way too, but I showed it to Benezaim just in case there was some kind of secret language among the Liester nobles.

I was relieved that it seemed to be a normal message, not some hidden meaning in the greeting or the private meeting.

"What could have happened all of a sudden? Other nobles don't send me such things."

At my words, Ganael, who was standing next to Benezaim, shook his head with wide golden eyes.

"Prince, you receive a lot of unofficial letters. But His Majesty... "

"Ganael."

Benezaim sternly cut him off. The boy quickly closed his mouth.

It seemed that the emperor had been filtering the letters from the nobles to me.

"I apologize, Prince."

"Please forgive me, Prince."

"It's fine, it's fine. It's not a strange thing."

I am not a long-term guest at the palace resort.

Even though I am living a life of leisure and study, I am, after all, a hostage.

The emperor would not be pleased with the high-ranking officials of the empire trying to contact me for any reason.

I wasn't upset.

From my perspective, wanting to stay away from society, the emperor's interference felt almost considerate.

"Then, what about the Duchess of Sarnaise... Ah, I heard it was delivered through the head butler."

"Delivering the letter through the head butler means that it had the emperor's tacit approval. The Duke of Sarnaise is a loyal subject of His Majesty, so it makes sense."

It means that the emperor firmly believes that the House of Sarnaise would not send me a suspicious letter.

I knew before the possession that the engagement between Princess Cristel de Sarnaise and Prince Cedric had already been arranged.

Eunseo often sang, "If it were me, I would have broken the engagement long ago," so I remembered it clearly.

Although it hasn't been officially announced, the marriage talks must be underway.

The duke and I have a good relationship, and with their children getting married, the emperor's trust is understandable.

"Then, I can just forget about it."

I pushed the duchess's letter to the corner of the table.

There's no need to think about it more than necessary.

"If the duchess requests an audience, even if His Majesty doesn't stop it, please block it at Benezaim's level. Please tell them I'm sick."

"Prince?"

"I don't want to get involved with a great house like the House of Sarnaise. As I said on the first day, I want to live quietly."

I smiled, and Benezaim frowned slightly.

I've been saving the excuse of being sick to avoid overusing it, but it seemed appropriate to avoid meeting the duchess.

Benezaim, sensing that the topic was over, refilled my empty teacup with lemongrass tea.

"Ganael, what's that book?"

"Ah, I brought the book with pictures and maps as you requested."

The boy approached me with a bright smile.

His blond hair was like the spring sky outside the balcony.

"It must have been heavy. Good job, thank you."

"Hehe, no problem."

I took the book and gave the boy a large piece of clafoutis.

I watched him take a bite of the pie and then opened the hardcover.

A wide map caught my eye from the first page.

"It's a map of the empire's divine artifacts."

"Yes, I was curious. Especially after the temple theft incident."

I quickly answered Benezaim's curious tone. Well, it was partly true.

I wanted to know where the temple that had been robbed of its divine artifact was located.

But today, I was looking for this book because I was curious about how far the little Seddie would go with the divine creatures.

Although he insists he's fine, it's strange not to worry about such a young child wandering around late at night.

"The Duchy of Sarnaise is really right next to the Imperial Road."

"Yes, once you cross the western border of