Where Is The Demon? (1)

“It’s a top-level secret that the imperial family is proceeding with an engagement with Greitz. Only a handful in the imperial court even know. And yet, this person knows. But he’s not trying to extort gold as a fee for that information, nor is he trying to blackmail me. He’s warning me that there’s a problem with my fiancée and that I should stay away. Sirius cannot be a member of the royal family.”

“Your Grace.”

“Your Grace, were you truly planning to marry Lady Lauren of Greitz? I must oppose that marriage. They say Lady Lauren has had a weak heart since childhood, making long travel a dangerous ordeal for her! Her illness is known only to her direct blood relatives and the maid who personally serves her!”

Roderick raised his voice sternly in front of his superior.

“How do you know that, Roderick?”

The gaze fixed on the letter now turned to Roderick’s face.

Henrik’s eyes also shifted toward Roderick.

A skeptical look floated across his otherwise pleasant features.

“…Please trust me.”

Roderick spoke firmly under their dual scrutiny.

The gaze that had been observing Roderick returned to the ornate letter paper.

“Any more letters after that?”

“No, Your Grace. None. Perhaps to reduce the chance of mistakes, the letter was sent identically to the Grand Duke’s estate in the capital, the main estate in Tessen, and the western border garrison. We checked if there was any other contact, but there was none. What should we do?”

At Henrik’s question, the Grand Duke folded the paper in his hand and placed it into the envelope.

“We go and meet him.”

“You intend to meet him personally?”

“What?”

Roderick looked puzzled at both his master’s words and Henrik’s concerned tone.

He didn’t say, ‘You don’t even know who it is?’

“At the Seven Rocks of Dolore beside the Great Temple. On the day autumn ends. Sirius asked for a meeting.”

The man tapped the ornate envelope with his finger.

“I’ll prepare the arrangements.”

“Henrik, you stay here and guard this place.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Henrik stepped back with a look of regret.

Watching him, Roderick spoke more seriously than ever.

“I’ll prepare the escort.”

“I’ll go with the minimum number of men.”

“Your Grace.”

“Your Grace!”

Both Henrik and Roderick raised their voices in unison.

At their cry, the hand that had been placing the odd letter into the drawer paused momentarily.

As the two hurried to speak further, a dispassionate voice cut across their faces.

“Leave.”

One word was enough.

Henrik and Roderick had much more to say, but unable to open their mouths, they simply bowed and exited the room.

The gaze that scanned the now-silent room stopped on the letter resting in the drawer.

The envelope was so extravagantly decorated it looked almost grotesque, causing the man’s expression to crumple.

Even someone born a royal and used to a life of extravagance would balk and ask, ‘What is this frilly monstrosity?’

Even the emperor’s wedding invitations were more modest than this.

But the most immodest thing about the letter wasn’t its appearance—it was the contents.

“Celebrating my first marriage?”

The word first grated on him.

High-ranking nobles didn’t acknowledge illegitimate children.

In contrast, the emperor had multiple concubines and lovers aside from the empress.

Though a member of the royal family, the Grand Duke was expected to remain married to the Grand Duchess for life barring major incidents.

First marriage.

It was an unpleasant and unsettling phrase.

Specifying first felt like it was hinting that there would be a second, or maybe even a third.

“Who are you?”

With that mutter, the drawer containing the letter shut with a click.

A large four-wheeled carriage raced along the well-maintained imperial road.

The crest of the Appel family was emblazoned on the carriage.

Appel was an influential family from the free cities of the eastern coast.

It was unusual for an eastern noble’s carriage to travel the northern roads.

But if it was the Appel family, no one questioned it.

Said to own uncountable merchant ships, the Appel family was remembered more as bags of money or lumps of gold than nobility.

Over the past twenty years, the northern lands had even come to welcome the Appel family’s carriages.

That was only natural, considering that the Marchioness Marine Rain’s maiden name had been Marine Appel.

There was no one on the continent unaware of the Appel family’s wealth.

Add the influence of the Rain family, and there was no way anyone would dare harm an Appel carriage.

“…Young Lady.”

Alicia was heading to the Great Temple in the Marchioness’s carriage.

After being barred from entering the southern wing, the Marchioness sent word from her family home, reassuring Alicia not to worry as they would assist her.

Alicia did not speak of the complex inter-house matters.

She expressed her gratitude for the Marchioness’s kindness and asked to receive the Appel family’s help in another form.

This carriage, marked with the Appel crest, was the assistance Alicia requested.

After all, there weren’t many fools on the continent bold enough to attack a carriage belonging to the Appel family.

The carriage, which had been galloping powerfully, suddenly began to slow drastically.

At the same time, the sound of rough hoofbeats rapidly approached.

The knights stationed at the front and back of the carriage made no shout or signal.

The slowing carriage came nearly to a crawl, like a slow walk.

Surrounding the slowing carriage, the pounding of hooves surged and then quickly receded.

Daisy looked at Alicia with an anxious expression.

Despite her fear, Daisy drew close to the carriage door as if to protect Alicia.

“Stay still.”

Alicia stopped Daisy as she tried to open the door to check outside.

“No, I’ll do it.”

Erasing her frightened expression, Daisy tried to show the dignity of the Marchioness’s house.

The moment she opened the door, Alicia moved at the same time.

Just as the door cracked open—barely a sliver—a darkened poison dart shot through the gap.

The carriage door shut as soon as it opened, but Daisy’s neck gave a tremble.

Without even a short scream, Daisy convulsed and collapsed.

Alicia locked the carriage from the inside and laid Daisy by the door.

The crude lock was unreliable, but there was nothing immediately usable as a weapon.

After laying Daisy down, Alicia examined the poison dart with a grimace.

She pulled the dart out with a handkerchief and brought it close to her nose for a second confirmation.

“Musto?”

The sharp scent of cinnamon and the refreshing smell of cypress confirmed it—this was definitely the Musto that Alicia knew.

Musto wasn’t a lethal poison.

It could cause strong paralysis and sleep for a while, making it dangerous depending on usage, but compared to other poisons, it was relatively safe.

However, this poison…

Alicia couldn’t quickly sort her thoughts due to confusion.

Knock knock knock.

Just then, the roof of the carriage thudded.

A rider had come close and was knocking on the carriage.

Alicia twisted the handkerchief she had used to retrieve the poison dart and wrapped it tightly around her hand as she approached the carriage window.

The short moment of opening the window was critical.

She positioned herself as far from the carriage wall as possible and pushed the window up.

As if fully anticipating her move, the other party didn’t foolishly show their face through the window.

Instead, a man’s gloved hand suddenly thrust itself into the carriage.

Alicia quickly pulled her body back, but the hand that had forced its way inside grabbed her by the collar with a strong grip.

“Sirius?”

A man beyond the carriage wall spoke briefly.

Even while heading to the Great Temple, Alicia hadn’t expected the Grand Duke himself to come.

She’d considered the possibility that no one might show up.

Though the secret wasn’t widely known, the childish tone of the letter made it easy to dismiss as a prank.

But the low voice from beyond the window was not something an ordinary person could produce.

It was the kind of voice that only those born noble and raised arrogantly could command—one of pressure and authority.

“…Your Grace the Grand Duke.”

“It’s our first meeting, Lady Alicia Rosette Sirius Eugenie Rain. Shamefully, I couldn’t recall every northern noble, but the imperial family keeps noble records, so I managed to find yours.”

“I’ve troubled Your Grace unnecessarily.”

Alicia belatedly regretted not using a false name.

She had known the recipient was royalty but overlooked the fact that the imperial family had access to noble genealogies.

“As you must already know, I am Reichardt Tessen.”

Alicia struggled to inch away from the window, but it was useless.

The man who became Grand Duke of Tessen at age fourteen now ruled the western frontier.

He was famous for crushing enemy troops with brutality in war and battle.

The royal family was known for their snow-white skin, dazzling platinum hair, and clear sky-blue or pale aqua eyes.

Rare cases of green eyes were usually such a light shade they looked nearly yellow-green.

The praise for the angelic appearance of royals was endless.

The only royal with an infamous reputation was the Grand Duke of Tessen.

A man who wouldn’t budge from his territory unless at war, he was said to be a hulking brute with muscles rivaling a pirate or bandit.

They said he had a face as savage as his violent nature.

“It’s an honor to meet Your Grace the Grand Duke.”

Alicia gave her greeting while watching the man’s shadow spill through the carriage’s narrow window slit.

She scolded herself not to fumble or freeze as she had in the past.

Even just seen in silhouette against the light, the Grand Duke was tall, as the rumors said.

Judging by how unmovable his grip was, the rumors of him being a massive, muscular brute seemed true.

Unlike other royals with angelic faces, rumors claimed the Grand Duke had horns on his head, that his skin was black and rocky with holes, that his eyes were slitted vertically like a snake’s, that he was a monstrous giant of muscle.

Though absurd, the rumors about his height and strength at least seemed accurate.

The large hand slowly released Alicia, having lost its grip.

“Shall you come out?”

A stranger’s face appeared through the sunlit window.

His hair, a grayish platinum blond, was darker than radiant platinum but glowed brightly under the sun.

Royal skin was said to be clear and fair, unlike the pallor typical of northerners, but this man’s skin was slightly tanned as if sun-kissed.

His strange amber eyes didn’t seem of this world.

“…Y-Your Grace…?”

Alicia’s eyes widened at the sight of the Grand Duke, rumored to be a hideous muscle monster.

“Lady Alicia, come down.”

Reichardt gestured outside the carriage with his eyes.

Alicia, dazed, murmured.

“Your Grace, please marry me.”

A heavy silence fell between the inside and outside of the carriage.

The stillness stretched on.

The amber eyes stared at Alicia for a long time.

Alicia stared back up at a face that didn’t seem to belong to this world.