Chapter 43 :

Chapter 43 - First Impression (1)

“You cannot go back? What does that mean?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like.”

Ratel answered Jing, who asked with a sigh, and drew the sword from its sheath before his eyes.

Then he drove it straight into the ground.

Remembering the strange and dazzling sight he had seen in the cave before, Jing reflexively furrowed his brows.

But there was no need for that, as the forest remained quiet.

“Normally, if I do this, the door should open.”

“You could do it anywhere?!”

“Because the important thing is not the location.”

Jing covered his head with both hands, unable to decide whether he should get angry at Ratel, who had simply followed behind him without saying a word while he made meaningless efforts in Amica’s space all that time, or whether he should lose his temper over being saddled with this dull young man before his eyes.

“......Does that mean you can never go back?”

“I am not sure. It does seem to be the elder’s will.”

“No, if he could close the door from the beginning, why did he keep me trapped for so long?”

“Ah, that is different. No one knows how Jing got inside.”

Ratel waved his sword at Jing, who asked in disbelief.

“I was looking for you to ask that. I wondered whether there might be another way to get inside. We met faster than I expected.”

It was not a reason he could not understand, but Jing’s head began to hurt even more.

“I am sorry, but there is nothing I can help you with. I truly do not know how to enter that place. This is not a lie.”

“You said that just as confidently before knocking me unconscious. You also confidently limped on a leg that had already healed.”

Damn it.

Looking at Ratel, who held a grudge longer than he had expected, Jing shook his head.

“What would I gain by lying to you now? If my true goal had been to enter that place, would I have left you alone in the forest?”

“Well, that is true.”

Ratel answered obediently, stroked his chin for a moment as he organized his thoughts, then shrugged.

“Even so, I do not have many choices.”

“So. You are saying you will keep following me?”

Ratel gave no answer, but he looked firm, as if he had already decided.

‘......Should I knock him out and run away again this time?’

Judging from his movements when he caught the bandits, it did not seem easy, but it did not seem impossible either.

As if he had read Jing’s thoughts while he was pondering, Ratel added.

“For reference, it will not be easy to run away this time. Right now, there is no one I have to protect, and I also do not plan to let my guard down.”

Jing, who flinched inwardly, cleared his throat and answered.

“Ahem….I was not thinking anything like that at all. It is just...... As you can see, I have nothing. It will be quite inconvenient for a young man to travel with me. I have no weapon, no money, and….”

“You do not have to worry about that.”

At Jing’s rambling words, Ratel answered confidently.

He rummaged inside his chest and pulled out a fairly heavy pouch.

“I made sure to keep the fullest pouch.”

His face was expressionless, but he seemed proud.

Looking at Ratel, who was proud that he had quickly taken the money even while fleeing, Jing had to make an effort not to sigh openly.

For Jing, who had only had obedient Tollin and the young duke, who was like an adult child, around him, Ratel’s behavior, which was entirely different from theirs, could only be bewildering.

‘Tollin sometimes had a sly side, but I never had to worry about him in this way.’

Not yet knowing what Tollin was doing in the capital after his death, Jing lamented inwardly.

No matter how he looked at it, he could only see a future that would become troublesome.

‘As expected, I should knock him out again......’

Clank.

“Did you say something?”

Ratel drew his sword from its sheath and checked the blade.

The vivid gleam of the flashing blade stabbed Jing’s eyes.

Jing, who had briefly taken a stance, quickly relaxed his body.

“I have not said anything yet.”

Because Ratel looked at him suspiciously, Jing opened his mouth to divert his attention.

“That, it is impressive. For now......keep that with you. Let us leave the forest and think about what you should do.”

And, if possible, let us part ways quickly. Swallowing those words, Jing took the lead down the path.

* * *

On the tray being pushed by a maid hurrying through the hallway, there were ornate teapots and tea sets that were rarely used in the ducal house.

It was not easy for someone to visit the ducal house so suddenly like this.

To the point that the visit from the Crisa brothers a few weeks ago could be called exceptional.

There was only one type of person for whom the Feedus family would prepare such an extremely courteous reception.

“The imperial family.......”

Knock, knock.

“Lord Plin, it is Tollin.”

The young duke, who had murmured without realizing it, clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before answering as calmly as possible.

“Come in.”

Tollin, who opened the door and entered, was dressed more neatly than usual, but he could not hide his pale face.

“It seems you must prepare urgently. The Second Prince says he is visiting the ducal house now.”

The ducal residence had been filled with a restless atmosphere since after the late lunch.

The servants were changing the flowers in the vases decorating the corridors and carrying tableware that was rarely seen, and every one of their faces was filled with tension.

* * *

“Your Highness, we have almost arrived at the Feedus ducal house.”

At the polite guidance heard from outside the carriage, Dito Abiran smiled gently and looked at the beautiful old castle visible through the window.

It was a family that had held its place firmly for such a very long time.

Since the time of Sierra Abiran, though the outward appearance had changed little by little, the dog guarding it had continued its lineage through the children of that dog.

Dito Abiran also liked that castle quite a lot.

To what extent? Enough that he would feel regret if the castle disappeared.

So he had not really thought about killing the watchdog guarding the house.

Dito Abiran tapped the window reflecting the castle with his finger.

‘When you think about it, what I like is the castle, not the dog, isn’t it?’

So even if the castle’s guard dog changed, its owner would not feel the least bit disappointed.

And there was no longer any need to quietly watch what those people had taken from him.

* * *

“You must be very nervous.”

Tollin, glancing at the young duke’s stiff side profile, asked carefully.

“......To be honest, I am.”

At the honest and solemn answer, Tollin, who had been trying to ease his tension, ended up laughing a little.

“You will do well. You are of Lord Agony’s bloodline, after all.”

At Tollin’s confident words, the young duke had to wonder whether he should say that his father had confessed that on the day he first met a member of the imperial family, his legs had nearly given out and he almost collapsed.

“And even if you happen to make some mistake, Young Duke.”

Perhaps misunderstanding that stiff face, Tollin cleared his throat once and opened his mouth again.

“Do you remember what I told you before? At your position in life, Young Duke, you may use as many expedient methods as you like.”

“You also said within the limits permitted by my ability.”

How clever.

Pleased that the young duke did not lose his intelligence as always, even in a tense moment, Tollin gave a gentle smile.

“When we are beside you, you may cross the line just a little. This Tollin will manage somehow.”

At his playful appearance as he tapped near his chest and straightened his back, the young duke finally loosened his tension a little and showed a faint smile.

Reassured by that smile, Tollin composed his expression again and led him to the entrance.

The splendid golden carriage that crossed the garden came to a smooth stop.

“His Highness the Second Prince, Lord Dito Abiran.”

With a solemn resonance, an attendant with clean, precise movements soon approached the carriage door.

Gulp.

The young duke swallowed, unable to hide the obvious tension on his face, and fixed his gaze ahead.

He recalled the words Duke Feedus had told him someday in the not-so-distant past while stroking the child’s head.

- Plin, the imperial family is divinity itself. Before them, everything is nothing more than dust. One day, you will meet them in person.

It had probably been the answer to his question about what it felt like to see a member of the imperial family for the first time.

Remembering that affectionate face, which had jokingly added that on the day they first met, his knees had nearly buckled and he almost collapsed, the young duke put strength into his eyes.

At least now was not the time to be immersed in memories.

Creak—clack.

The sound of the well-oiled carriage door opening was so quiet it could barely be heard.

But perhaps because of the presence of the person who stepped out from within, it sounded as loud as thunder in the young duke’s ears.

For a moment, the child thought that every living thing around him had stopped breathing.

“Everyone must be troubled by my sudden visit.”

A playful voice settled on the crown of the young duke’s head.

The child lifted his stiffened head.

A golden god, dazzling even in his very existence, was looking down at him.

It felt as if something hot would flow from the eyes he met.

“I, I greet Your Highness.”

With a trembling voice, the young duke paid his respects.

As always, the child’s father had been right.

The entire world must surely exist for the imperial family.

Otherwise, there was no way that even the act of raising the corner of his mouth while looking at him would make the desire to kneel and swear loyalty well up within him.

* * *

Mir steadied his breathing as he looked at the line in the distance, where people were waiting to receive bread and blankets.

The place where materials had originally come and gone because they said they would build a hospital had long since stopped construction.

It was after that that his companions on the streets had begun disappearing one by one.

The children living together in the vacant lot were a group of those who, among the children who had noticed more than that, had been the quickest to give up asking adults for help.

Among them, Mir was the child who had kept the most thorough distance from this building.

But now, this was the most likely place where Seya had been taken.

Jill had clearly said that a large man had come to help the children, and Jin had said that the large man had taken Seya.

Mir knew who the only people were who reached out to the vagrants of the streets.

The child curled his small body even tighter and moved toward the line.

* * *

In the largest reception room of the Feedus family, which shone so brightly that one could believe it had been newly constructed, the fragrant scent of tea and the taut tension, two combinations that did not suit each other, mingled together and created an atmosphere that made anyone watching want to rush out the door at once.

The person who had created this atmosphere, Dito Abiran, lifted the teacup to his lips with a gentle smile.

“Well then, since it is difficult to force this sewage down my throat, shall we get straight to the main point?”

At the Second Prince’s sharp yet gentle words that broke the silence, the young duke flinched and trembled his shoulders.

“I can only apologize for failing to serve tea befitting someone royal. Since I lack knowledge of tea leaves, the varieties are not very diverse.”

At Tollin’s apology, the Second Prince set down the teacup without answering.

That flawless figure even seemed royal at a glance, so the young duke briefly forgot his fear and took in the sight.

The child recalled the stories about the imperial family that Duke Feedus had once told him in a voice filled with melancholy.

—The imperial family are messengers of god, Plin. If the day comes when you face them in person, you will understand what I mean.

His words were right.

The young duke understood Duke Feedus’ words.

The moment the door of the golden carriage, large enough to contain even the smallest room of the ducal house, opened and he faced the Second Prince walking out slowly and leisurely, every step, every gesture, everything about him seemed noble, and the impulse to kneel before him at once wrapped around the child.

If not for the matter involving Duke Feedus, he probably would have willingly done so.

The young duke was able to stop at bowing his waist in greeting.

And that was quite a meaningful step forward.

“The matter of the Crisa family is truly regrettable, Tollin Crisa.”

Though it vanished without a trace in the gust created by Dito’s meaningful sentence.