Chapter 1 - Part 1
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***
Romeo stood up in an instant and struck Kalix on the back of the head.
Kalix was still looking at Lelia, wondering if he was well. His eyes were red.
“……”
Griffith was stunned by Kalix’s actions and his words.
Oscar, meanwhile, hugged Lelia, who had just sat down to process why he approached her.
“Are you all right?”
Oscar caught Lelia by the arm in a gentle tone.
“You madman, Kalix. What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy? What is this rude behavior..!”
Romeo couldn’t speak properly because of Kalix, who acted so contrary to common sense.
Kalix defended himself with vexation.
“No, I suppose so. You… I’m sure I’ll be disappointed! No! You…! You pervert! Stop dressing up as a woman from now on! Tell me everything! Tell them everything about you!”
[What? Did you take the wrong medicine? Or are these aftereffects of losing sight in one eye? Or did something happen in the battle with the heathens yesterday?]
Lelia looked at Kalix suspiciously.
Kalix stomped his feet. Romeo and Griffith couldn’t stand this any longer.
“You! You’re so perverted!”
Kalix pointed his finger at Lelia to the end, even though he was being dragged away.
“Well, what happened yesterday?”
Lelia finally got up and asked, grasping Oscar’s arm, which supported her.
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
“Then why on earth did he suddenly…”
“He is strange, isn’t he?”
Oscar was the strangest character of all.
Then he hugged Lelia, who had already stood upright.
“What are you doing now?”
“Wait a moment.”
Just a second. Oscar literally hugged her for a single second. Then he let go of her.
“… Beautiful.”
Oscar’s red lips touched the back of her hand.
[PR/N: Is it bad that Oscar is becoming one of my favorites?]
For some reason, Lelia looked away from his transfixed eyes.
Oscar took a polite step back.
Thud
Becky showed up through the half-open door.
“Oh, young lady?”
“What’s wrong with this…?”
Becky murmured and shoved the tray inwards which was where the cups were placed.
“Two cups of tea will suffice.”
Oscar said to Becky.
Becky hesitated for a moment and spoke.
“Yes, we have a visitor, Lady.”
“… Again?”
Why on earth is she so tired this early in the morning?
Lelia rubbed her eyes.
“Sir Verbos Creek of the Creek family.”
Becky said uncomfortably. Lelia tilted her head. Who is it? Oh…
Lelia sighed and blinked at Becky.
When Becky sneaked backwards, Verbos Creek came in.
“… Lelia.”
Verbos walked inward with a stiff expression and saw Oscar standing beside Lelia.
‘He is even said to be as beautiful and handsome as the statue of the temple.’
When Verbos saw him in person, he was so beautiful that he couldn’t help but be upset. Why was he so tall and so strong?
But Verbos did not show this, and straightened up.
“… I brought you beautiful flowers that look like you.”
When he held out the bouquet he had hidden from his back, Lelia’s eyes narrowed.
“Please accept it…”
Clap!
Oscar took away the bouquet offered by Verbos. It was not like a servant who was being handed it, but like shaking him off.
“What now?”
The bouquet of flowers in Oscar’s hand turned red and disappeared in an instant.
Less than a handful of ash fell to the ground.
Verbos stepped back in surprise.
“… Lelia is allergic to pollen.”
“What, what’s that… Le- Lelia! Who the hell is this man? Who is this rude…”
Verbos looked at Oscar like he was a villain and immediately turned pale.
“Ah…!”
He looked as if he had seen a ghost.
Lelia noticed his behaviour and stared at Oscar.
“Ahhh!”
Verbos screamed and ran away from the room.
Becky, who was waiting in front of the door, was surprised to see him running out, and suddenly closed the door behind her. So that Lelia and Oscar can get along well.
“What did you do?”
“……”
When Lelia blamed Oscar, Oscar avoided her eyes.
“I’m sure he just had a strange illusion…”
Lelia was afraid of Oscar, who used extraordinary power beyond her control. Someday he might use that power on her family.
“Sir Oscar… you promised to be quiet.”
“That was when we were together.”
“What?”
“Now that the others are here, you must adhere to your words.”
“What?”
“It’s too much of a disadvantage for me to be quiet until you answer. There is no guarantee that they will do as I say.”
Lelia remembered her conversation with him.
“You said it yourself. When it comes time… when you finish the work you were going to do, you’ll follow me and stay with me forever.”
In response to the remark, Lelia recalled her words.
“I’ll give you an answer when Sir Oscar remains quiet until all my work is done.”
Oscar accepted it and acted quietly ever since, but suddenly he lost control over such a small thing, causing her anxiety.
She felt like he was facing a hard time which he couldn’t communicate.
“Feed me to get your way. You need food to tame beasts, don’t you know?”
“What kind of food do you want?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
Oscar scoffed with one end of his mouth.
Lelia couldn’t blink. She was sure they were separated by one step, but she couldn’t move at all. She felt as if Oscar had grabbed her by the extremities.
“You should know what I want.”
“……”
“You know, even if you look at me once, even if I give you a hand…”
Oscar stretched out his fingers and touched the back of Lelia’s hand, who was holding the hem of her dress.
He touched the tip of her index finger lightly, but her heart started pounding.
“That’s enough…”
Lelia didn’t believe Oscar.
[You’re satisfied with a look and a touch once? Liar.]
She couldn’t believe he said that with the desire to swallow Lelia from head to toe right away.
No one will believe it.
Even if he is satisfied with it right now, his demands will grow. He will only be satisfied if she gives him everything later.
But Lelia couldn’t tell the truth and she couldn’t believe it.
Now she has to be satisfied with him not being as violent as a loose animal.
Lelia knew instinctively. At this rate, compared to that look, Oscar is well past his limit.
“All right.”
“……”
At Lelia’s reply, Oscar’s hand fell. He folded his hands behind him and turned his back slowly, looking away from Lelia.
“Ah,” he said, turning his back again.
“By the way, I prefer the red dress you are wearing now to the blue one. It’s beautiful like blood.”
Lelia closed her eyes when she saw Oscar’s back, who was the last to say the word.
[I’ll wear it in blue, anyway.]
***
“Hey, you madman. No matter how much you may disagree, it is what it is. How old are you? Do you need a courtesy teacher at that age? Don’t you remember anything you learned in the Imperial City?”
Romeo denounced Kalix and grabbed him by the collar.
“Well, I’ll give you some blows. Right?”
Griffith, a man of sacred power, naturally proposed violence as a solution. Romeo seriously wondered whether he really should do so.
“……”
Kalix looked down.
His eyes were red with vexation.
Romeo smacked him on the chest in frustration.
“I’d rather be honest with you. I’m frustrated. Lelia is a she…”
“Stop it!”
He closed his eyes, as if Kalix didn’t want to hear them, and covered his ears with his big hands.
“I don’t want to hear it! Go away, you unscrupulous fellows! Get out!”
Kalix laid down on the floor and kicked them like a child. It would be cute if a child did it, but now, Kalix was not a child.
They wouldn’t want to get hit with those big legs.
Romeo and Griffith frowned.
“That madman.”
“I tried to be honest, but he doesn’t listen at all.”
Griffith said coldly to Romeo’s grief.
“Leave him alone so that he can live like that.”
“… But it’s a little pathetic. If he finds out later that he is the only one who doesn’t know, he will cry.”
“Let him cry.”
Romeo and Griffith roughly shared information.
Of course, there are some cards that both of them didn’t show each other, but it didn’t matter much.
They knew everything, even though they didn’t reveal all their cards.
Everything about Lelia’s identity.
However, neither of them knew about the truth behind Lelia’s silence.
They just guessed.
The speculation was the same.
What did the former emperor do to the temple’s request?
Both were also aware that Lelia used an unknown force.
But they didn’t discuss or talk to each other about it.
Now, as Griffith said two days ago, they didn’t have to share information with each other.
Their common purpose was already over.
When they got out of Kalix’s room, Griffith passed by Romeo, saying he would go first.
Romeo looked at Griffith’s back as he disappeared at the end of the hallway with strange eyes.
“That dreary b*****d.”
He clicked his tongue criticizing Griffith.
It wasn’t Oscar who he really didn’t know, it was Griffith.
Griffith said Oscar would definitely put Lelia in danger, but he wasn’t sure.
Romeo’s thoughts were different.
It was Griffith who was really nervous.
He could tell by the eyes that Oscar is crazy, but not Griffith.
Griffith knew how to hide everything thoroughly, emotionally or whatever, for his own benefit.
So he was more disturbing and dangerous.
Romeo turned and shook his head at the closed door of Kalix’s room.
Romeo was most comfortable with Kalix for a reason. He was the most transparent.
It’s a problem because he was too transparent about everything…
Romeo took a walk to refresh himself.
He was worried about the future.
“I don’t like passion…”
Well, passion is also his specialty.
He hummed as if he had lost his mind.
***