He simply tapped the table with his fingertips without answering, then pointed at Catherine with his chin.
âThe key.â
When he said something, he seemed to point to a magic key that was hung around her neck along with a royal pendant.
âThere is no need to have a horsepower car. With that one key, any door can be opened.â
âAhââ
âYou must be thinking of going to see your father.â
âNo. There are things I left behind because I was rushing out of the house. Iâm thinking of stopping by my room and going to Chen.â
âChen?â
âMy younger sister is getting married there. Soâ not Maggie you saw last time, sheâs the youngest.â
Catherine felt very strange calling Anne the youngest.
Anne was the child who stole her ex-fiancee and eventually forced her to run out of the family.
But, as a result, she had an incomparably satisfying life in the past, and sheâs not sure whether to call this an enemy or a saviorâ.
âNo. The enemy is enemy. Enemies are enemies, even when they die. Even if the enemy kneels for 100 years and apologizes, the enemy is the enemy.â
Is it the aftermath of living a happy life for the past few days? She seems to have forgotten the sense of disappointment she felt at that time.
No matter how much she was relieved of going home, she was suffered before. If she had lived her whole life as a stranger, she would have forgotten it neatlyâbut in the end, Anneâs wedding invitation came into her hands.
âShe stole my ex-fiancee.â
Cesare made a rare startled face. Catherine shrugged her shoulders in response.
âUm. Is it too private?â
âNo, not really. I just donât think a great person like Miss Catherine would sit back and watch herself suffer throughâ
Staring at Catherine, he opened his mouth.
âI donât think itâs interesting.â
âWhere? My ex-fiancee?â
âWhether your ex-fiancee or your sister. Because Miss Catherineâ.â
Cesareâs voice faded slowly. He quickly loosened his slightly wrinkled brow.
âBecause youâre pretty.â
What are you talking about?
Unsurprisingly, it was an inconsistent way of speaking. Catherine, wondering what he meant, came up with the most plausible answer.
âBy any chance, do you mean indifferent?â
He raised one eyebrow. It meant that Catherineâs prediction was correct.
âIâve heard this a lot since I was young. It doesnât hurt my feelings, so you can speak comfortably.â
So, Cesare is also conscious of others. Or is he thinking a little bit more because sheâs a contractor? She didnât feel bad about being special.
âTo be exact, I was going to say that you are only interested in what you like.â
âDid I?â
âDid you forget your conversation a few days ago? You asked me when you would learn magic.â
âMagic⊠I want to learn it.â
âDonât worry, Iâll teach you until the day you whine that you donât want to learn.â
Cesare moved his gaze back to the puzzle without any hesitation.
âSo. Miss Catherine, are you saying that you will attend the wedding of your ex-fiancee and sister?â
Of course, she has to attend.
She was planning to attend Anneâs wedding and, if possible, her ex-fianceâs wedding too.
âThe groom is not my ex-fiancee. Heâs Count Chen.â
âI wonder how charming she is. If Miss Catherine is okay with me, Iâd like to attend too.â
âThen letâs go see how disappointing the younger sister is.â
Catherine thought quietly and nodded her head. Itâs a family sheâll never see again in her lifetime, so it would be nice to introduce them to him at least once.
So how are you going to get revenge?â
âYou think Iâll get revenge?â
Cesare looked at Catherine as if she was asking something so obvious.
âThen isnât that so? In my opinion, Miss Catherine is⊠As I said earlier, I donât think youâre a person whoâs going to suffer and just live.â
âDoes that mean youâre willing to help?â
If Cesare was added to the work she would do alone; it was sure to be even more fun. Of course, she meant to trick her quietly if she wanted to save faceâ.
âI think itâs going to be pretty fun.â
Seeing the smile on his face, it seemed that he had no intention of doing so.
******
Last late afternoon of the cruise trip. The Lilith set sail in Christopherâs Harbor. It was a return after ten days.
The dock was already crowded with families who had already come to meet passengers. Madam Pompadour returned to the beautiful appearance of Madame, saying she wanted to walk on two feet as much as when getting off.
Catherine left the cabin and delivered the schedule she had planned with Cesare to Madame Pompadour.
âOh my.â
âHow about it? It sounds like a lot of fun, right?â
Madame Pompadour shook her head with her shining eyes. It was the expression on the face of the person hearing the happiest ending in the world of romance novels.
âItâs absolutely the best. Itâs so much fun. Itâs already fun!â
ăItâs something the old ladies would like.ă
âBecause I like to get attention. There are a lot of dresses of the type you want. Would you like to check it out now?â
âNo. I think itâll be enough to check that day.â
For the time being, Madame Pompadour decided to stay at Catherineâs mansion. It was because she needed her help more than anyone else to mess up Anneâs wedding.
When Madame Pompadour heard about the situation between the sisters, she snorted and ranted.
âDoes Anne or someone else have something wrong with me? What? She dare steal your sisterâs fiancee? Besides, what? Steal it and throw it away? To become obedient, you must grasp that thing.â
Damian, who was guarding closely, whispered in Catherineâs ear.
âI think that old lady will really pull it.â
âHng. Still, it was tiring to run away from Busperfields. I need to rest for a while, watching the Grand Duke by the Ladyâs side.â
Cesare was waiting for Catherine in front of the stairs going down to the dock with Prime Minister Cole.
âMiss Anne Maggie!â
Calling her, Prime Minister Coleâs face was noticeably paler than before.
âIt was nice to see you, Prime Minister Cole.â
âIt was nice to see you, too. When will we meet again if we part away today? Why donât you visit the island sometime and meet my daughter? If sheâs a wizard sheâll be dead, haha!â
Even though a big incident occurred during the voyage, Prime Minister Cole calmly shook hands with her. Facing such a Prime Minister, Catherine suddenly wondered what Cesare would choose.
Will he inform the Emperor that the Great Devil Behemoth has finally been summoned? Or will he quietly shut his mouth?
âI will consider it positively.â
âIf possible, I would like to ask the Master, His Highness the Grand Duke, as well.â
Prime Minister Cole, who had glanced at Cesare, whispered in Catherineâs ear as he went down the stairs.
âIâm about to die because the people of Imperial want to see him.â
âI can hear everything, Count.â
âHahaha! Thatâs what I said to make you hear.â
The group boarded the train and left the port. Prime Minister Cole said he would visit Duke Christopherâs residence instead of returning to the Islands right away. Before boarding the carriage returning to her home, Catherine called Cesare alone to express her gratitude.
âThanks to you, I had a pleasant experience, Cesare. I bought a bed, a chair, a dining tableâŠâ
âIf youâre satisfied with buying a bed, thatâs a relief.â
ăBest satisfaction!ă
Cesare, who was silent for a moment, nags at Catherine in a kind voice, as if dealing with a little child.
âIâll tell you just in case⊠If you think itâs dangerous, donât delay and call my real name. Thereâs no need to call it out of your mouth. If you want me, Iâll know.â
âI will do that in the future.â
âAnd it would be better if you be careful with other Great Devilâs contractor. I recommend you not get involved if possible.â
Another Great Devilâs contractor.
A sense of alarm that she had not felt before began to rise upon hearing the word.
That day, recalling Percyville, the Behemoth contractor she had unintentionally found, she asked.
âWith me⊠Is there any more Devilâs contractor?â
âAs far as I know, there are two more. Miss Catherine will be able to notice just by making eye contact.â
I see. Well, she wouldnât have known for the rest of her life that he was the Great Devil if she hadnât signed a contract with Cesare. As such, there would have been Great Devils that melted among humans hiding their true selves.
âThey and I are the same. Is there any reason to be careful?â
Cesare narrowed his forehead at her question.
âSame?â
He had such a disgraceful face that Catherine had to remind herself that she had made a great mistake.
Cesare sighed briefly.
âWe are beings who can change the human history, Catherine. And we need a sacrifice worth 10,000 lives to summon. What kind of person hopes for such a contract with the Great Devil and then makes it happen?â
Catherine understood at once what Cesare wanted to say.
There are not many beings in the world who want to offer 10,000 sacrifices to achieve their goals. The being who made the plan come true even more.
âHow lucky I was.â
The chance of meeting the Great Devil Leviathan by chance and signing a contract with him without offering. It is more correct to assume that it doesnât exist.
âI donât want you to be harmed physically or mentally. The most basic prevention for that is to stay away from madmen.â
Madman. A few faces immediately came to mind. It would be nice if she could stay away from it.
Because her wish was also to have a smooth life for her. The first day she returned home, she fell asleep right after she showed her room to Madame Pompadour.
It seems that accumulated fatigue was present even after spending ten days in one of the finest rooms. When she woke up again, it was early morning with birds chirping. She had been lying down for nearly half a day.
There are three days left until Anneâs wedding. Catherine led her refreshed body down to the kitchen.
ââŠDo you really think I donât have to follow you?â
âIt doesnât matter because Iâm only going to bring things. Damian stays in the mansion and takes care of the garden properly.â
Donât do it roughly. Take care of it properly. Catherine looked at Damian with strength in the last sentence. Damian turned his eyes away and opened his mouth with a shameless face.
âStill, the human head can fly away in the blink of an eyeââ
âItâs noisy and just get out here, young man! Youâve made the garden a lot worse.â
At the sudden shout, the two eyes turned out of the window. In her perfect gardenerâs outfit, Madame Pompadour was glaring at Damian with a large shovel.