Episode 104
“Has anything arrived at the Dukedom?”
I asked Cesar, who had briefly stopped by my room, but his reply was indifferent.
“What do you mean?”
“Like, an invitation to the hunting competition, or something.”
“Nothing arrived.”
“You’re lying.”
He was telling a blatant lie.
Since I was allowed to roam freely within the Dukedom, I had been going around, chatting with people like I did when I was a bird.
I could feel people, who had initially just observed me with curiosity, gradually warming up to me.
“Why do you think I’m lying?”
“Because I pretended to be worried that you were too busy lately, and Mariette and Carmela comforted me, saying you were busy preparing for the hunting competition.”
“So you were gathering information?”
“Gathering information? That sounds so cold. I was just… skillfully finding things out.”
He was a man who, while I was relaxing, had devised and executed a plan to keep me by his side. If I wasn’t careful, I might end up dancing to his tune without even realizing it.
“I like you, Cesar, but I don’t intend to be a puppet.”
“Is that why you keep causing trouble?”
He kept poking at my weaknesses, bringing up things that pricked my conscience. He was clearly trying to change the subject.
“That’s not important! Anyway, you received the invitation, right?”
I confidently held out my hand. But Cesar held out his own hand instead.
His hand gently covered mine, his fingers intertwining. He smiled, even though he saw my annoyed expression.
I was weak against his handsome face, but… did he think I would be swayed by such blatant tactics?
‘Well, I almost was.’
Cesar clearly knew me too well.
I snapped back to reality and said,
“I meant the invitation, not your hand, Cesar.”
“My mistake.”
‘You knew exactly what you were doing. What mistake?’
Knowing I would persistently pester him if he kept avoiding the question, he used magic to bring the invitation.
Judging by the Imperial seal, it seemed to be the real invitation.
“You’re looking at it so intently because you think it might be fake? Didn’t you say you trusted me, Lily?”
“I’ll trust you when you act trustworthy.”
The current Cesar was somehow more difficult to handle than before.
Back then, I just had to appease him whenever he glared at me, but now, except for the occasional cold look, he was always looking at me with affection, so I couldn’t tell when he was displeased…
And knowing his affectionate gaze was part of his plan to keep me here, I would be swayed by his charm even when I was angry at him.
Even now, he was listening to my every word with a smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners, as if amused.
“Cesar, are you even listening?”
“Lily, I try my best not to miss a single word you say.”
He casually said such things, making my heart race.
‘I’m losing to Cesar again. Pull yourself together, Lily.’
I tore my gaze away from him and looked at the invitation again. The contents seemed slightly different from what I remembered, so I asked him,
“His Highness the Crown Prince is hosting the hunting competition? I thought it was His Majesty.”
“It’s usually hosted by His Majesty, yes. But I heard he’s entrusting it to the Crown Prince this time.”
“Was that the Crown Prince’s intention, or His Majesty’s whim?”
“Probably the Crown Prince’s. The Emperor only lent his name as the host; the Empress was the one who prepared and managed everything.”
The Crown Prince, who instructed them not to let the Empress prepare for the hunting competition, and the Emperor, who approved it… It made my head spin.
After our meeting at the tea house, what was the information I received from the Crown Prince…?
I remembered him saying the Emperor was poisoned… but he hadn’t been able to find out what the Second Prince was planning for the hunting competition.
So I had been about to tell him what I knew from the novel, but he had drawn a line.
‘What you said last time was correct, but now that the future has changed, I’m not certain the information you have is still accurate.’
As he said, now that the original story was diverging, my information was likely to be incorrect. Even finding clues in the fragmented storyline could lead to errors.
‘Yes. I agree.’
Just as I was thinking I didn’t have to be involved with the Crown Prince anymore, he brought up his previous offer.
‘The conditions of your offer are now moot, and Duke Clovis has taken care of the damaged Imperial building.’
I had begged him to save Cesar, who was walking down a path of ruin, but he was now by my side, his actions different from the original story.
‘Since my knight happened to separate you from Duke Clovis, I have a request. Even if you’re a fraudulent prophet, I still need your power, the divine power you wield. So, would you help me until the hunting competition? Help me become Emperor.’
Recalling our past conversation, I looked at Cesar.
“I find it strange that His Majesty, who would have normally ignored the Crown Prince, has shown such a reaction. The Second Prince’s faction must be flustered. If they feel cornered, something will surely happen at the hunting competition.”
I was certain.
The situation was unfavorable to the Second Prince. Even the Emperor had turned his attention to the Crown Prince, and the Clovis Dukedom, the leader of the noble faction, had sided with the Crown Prince.
It was obvious which side the other noble families, seeking their own benefit, would support.
And when cornered, people tend to act recklessly.
“So please take me to the hunting competition.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s dangerous.”
He firmly refused, his eyes cold as ice. The invitation I had been holding was gone.
Our gazes clashed in the heavy silence.
“Why do you want to participate, especially since the people from the Holy Kingdom will be there?”
I flinched at the mention of the Holy Kingdom, but it was fine.
“It’s okay. The Tower Master cast a spell on me. He said they wouldn’t be able to sense my true nature.”
Cesar, his expression hardening, asked,
“Lily, when did you meet my master?”
Oops. I misspoke.
“…He summoned me and helped me.”
I felt his chilling gaze, but it wasn’t me who would be in trouble.
Ignoring my guilt, I continued,
“So Cesar, please take me to the hunting competition. Even if you don’t want to, didn’t His Highness ask you to bring me?”
“He didn’t.”
“You’re lying again.”
The Crown Prince had asked me to help him become Emperor. So there was no way he hadn’t mentioned it to Cesar.
“You didn’t argue about this while I wasn’t around, did you? His Highness is someone you serve, Cesar.”
Cesar replied in a low voice,
“…I don’t want to see you get hurt again. You said you didn’t want to sacrifice yourself anymore. How can I allow you to go, knowing the dangers that await you there?”
Back then, I had kept quiet, intending to endure everything on my own. But it was different now.
“I don’t want to risk my life and sacrifice myself either. And there’s something different this time.”
“What’s different, Lily…?”
“You’re right here beside me, Cesar.”
As I smiled and met his gaze, Cesar looked away, frowning, unlike his usual confident self.
“Don’t trust me.”
“If I don’t trust you, Cesar, who else can I trust?”
A meaningless argument ensued.
Cesar kept refusing, and I kept insisting.
Frustrated by him avoiding me, I raised my voice,
“Stop saying no!”
I reached out and pulled him towards me, but perhaps because the floor was slippery, I lost my balance and stumbled backward.
Just as I thought I would hit my head, a long, firm hand reached out. I saw his eyes widen in surprise, as if he hadn’t had time to use magic.
Thanks to Cesar catching me, I wasn’t hurt. But our position was awkward.
“Is this what you wanted, Lily?”
“…It was a mistake. Get off me, Cesar.”
“A mistake? But Lily, you pulled me towards you.”
His teasing words made me feel like we were having a pointless argument.
I glared at him and rolled my eyes.
“Anyway, you’ll come and save me whenever I’m in danger, right, Cesar?”
“There’s no way I would let anyone who harms you live.”
“That’s right. But have you ever considered the opposite? That I would come and save you?”
A look I had never seen before appeared on his face. Surprise, bewilderment, and a strange hint of joy.
“You, little Lily, would come and save me?”
“Do you still think I’m that small, ordinary bird? I have the power to protect myself, and I can even heal you when you’re hurt. What, do you think I don’t worry about you?”
Of course, he wasn’t the type to get beaten up… but he did die in the original story.
Even a seemingly invincible man could get hurt and die. And I was changing the original story to prevent his death; how would I feel if he was injured somewhere else?
I bumped my forehead against his to get his attention.
“So take me with you. Cesar.”
As I looked at him, refusing to back down, he sighed softly.
“You’re one of the few people I can’t control.”
“People aren’t meant to be controlled. Didn’t you know?”
If he really didn’t know, I had just taught him some common sense.