Esteban hastily reined in his energy, fearing Mable might get hurt. Though there was a possibility that the enemy might take advantage of any weakness and launch a surprise attack, he didn't care about that. Mable's safety was more important than his own.
"Mable, why did you come here? Isn't it dangerous?"
Despite his gentle tone, Esteban glared at Lisandro, who was behind Mable, as if he were about to kill him. Lisandro avoided Esteban's gaze and muttered in a complaining voice.
"How could I stop Your Majesty...?"
Lisandro had his own reasons. Xavier had inadvertently told Larima everything he had heard outside. After learning that the Demon of Develin and the Situation Lord were at an impasse over an audience with the Emperor, it was only natural for Mable to decide to take matters into her own hands. No matter how much he warned her of the danger, it was useless.
"Your Majesty, the Demon of Develin is a formidable opponent. It's too dangerous for you to go there—"
"Lisandro, you're strong, right? You can protect me, can't you?"
"Of course, I'm strong... but..."
How could he turn away from the small hand tugging at his sleeve? 'Right. If I protect her well, it'll be fine...!'
Lisandro ultimately succumbed to the overwhelming cuteness. 'I see.'
Esteban, who had a rough idea of the situation, didn't relax his expression. He signaled Mable to step back, but she didn't comply.
"You're fighting with that brother."
Mable fearlessly pointed at Eidan, who was radiating a menacing aura. Everyone was shocked when she referred to the Demon of Develin as 'brother.' Oscar was the most surprised.
'I've never been called 'brother' by her...!'
Regardless of Oscar's shock, Mable decided to defuse the situation. When she heard that he had killed all the soldiers she had brought, she was skeptical, but the scene before her was truly gruesome. Eidan was the only one standing amidst a pile of corpses. He hadn't taken his eyes off Mable since she appeared. Feeling his intense gaze, Mable broke out in a cold sweat.
'My face feels like it's about to be burned through...'
Eidan's attention was solely on Mable, ignoring the hostile glares from the others. 'What's his plan?'
Mable, too, was tense as she clung to Lisandro's leg.
'If I protect her well, it'll be fine...!'
Lisandro, who had failed to shield her, finally gave in to her cuteness. 'I see.'
Esteban, however, was not convinced. He drew his sword.
Gustav, sensing the impending bloodshed, hurriedly restrained Esteban.
"Your Majesty!! The Emperor is watching!"
Esteban flinched and reluctantly sheathed his sword, but his anger hadn't subsided. He continued to glare at Eidan, who was still kneeling.
"He's clearly not in his right mind. Lock him up immediately!"
The soldiers slowly approached Eidan, but he remained kneeling, his eyes fixed on Mable. When a knight finally touched Eidan's shoulder, a burst of energy sent him flying. Fortunately, the knight was still alive, though groaning softly. The soldiers froze, unable to approach further.
'He can attack with just his aura?'
How powerful must one be to do that? Mable, who had just witnessed a person being flung away, was also shocked.
'This guy is a living bomb!'
Let's pretend to be a baby and get out of this crisis. She smiled innocently, but Eidan's gaze remained unwavering.
"Of course, I'm strong... but..."
"Okay! You can have asylum. But you have to listen to Papa!"
Everyone was shocked by the Emperor's decision.
Despite their reprimanding voices, Mable didn't flinch. She couldn't afford to be distracted by such trivial matters; the boy in front of her might do something drastic.
To her surprise, Eidan nodded obediently.
With the shock of many, the 'Demon of Develin' successfully sought temporary asylum in the Ermano Empire. *** An impromptu meeting was held due to the unexpected commotion.
"This is absurd, Your Majesty. Asylum? He's a monstrous creature who destroyed half of his country's border troops!"
"Clearly, this is a Develin plot. They want to steal Ermano's military secrets."
"How dare a mere servant misunderstand Your Majesty's deep intentions, oh...!"
"Your Majesty, you're so cute...!"
Faced with the barrage of praise from the ministers, I was speechless. Then a thought crossed my mind. Wait a minute.
'Am I working too hard...?'
My dream was clearly to be deposed! Could my part-time job experience have kicked in without my awareness? But there was no turning back now. *** A day had passed since Develin's attack, but I heard nothing about the Demon of Develin. Every time I asked the Situation Lord—
"I forgot something important."
He would suddenly leave, or—
"Madam Rufe, bring Mable a snack."
He would distract me with a snack, or—
"It's time to sleep, Mable. Have sweet dreams."
He would leave a kiss on my forehead and turn off the lights. After several attempts, I finally got angry. I just wanted to know where the boy was and how he was being treated, but he wouldn't tell me anything, which made me furious.
'If it comes to this, I'll meet him myself.'
He probably thinks it's dangerous, but if he wanted to kill me, he would have done so already. I had a feeling the boy had other intentions. The next evening, I resisted the chocolate cake served as dessert and asked Larima to put it in a basket with a fork.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Are you going for an evening walk?"
"Deburin's demon, where is he?"
Xavier, who seemed to have heard something he shouldn't, was visibly shaken. His face turned pale.
"I, I don't know...? Haha."
His awkward response confirmed that he knew where the boy was. I put on a teary expression, which I knew would affect Xavier.
"Surely... Father is better?"
I especially emphasized the pitiful look. Xavier's eyes wavered.
"Ugh, why are you doing this to me?"
Despite his words, Xavier began to lead me. As we walked, Lisandro appeared.
"Where are you going, our little Emperor?"
Lisandro, looking stunned, quickly blocked my path. I frowned and looked up at him. He shook his head firmly.
"It's too dangerous. If he goes berserk... Moreover, the Situation Lord—"
"No, no! How could that be!"
It was a similar but different reaction from Xavier. Perhaps this tactic wouldn't work on him.
"Alright, Lisandro, Father is better..."
I turned my head away. Lisandro seemed flustered. I delivered my final line.
"Hmph. Fine. Lisandro, Mio."
Thus, I got what I wanted. I handed the basket with the cake to Lisandro and walked confidently. We finally arrived at the entrance of the underground prison. A massive number of troops were stationed around it. The guards let us in without a word upon seeing Lisandro. Xavier extended his arm to me.
"The stairs are dangerous, so I'll carry you."
The spiral staircase seemed to go on endlessly. After descending for a while, we finally reached our destination.
'Ugh, what's this smell?'
I quickly covered my nose with the foul odor. Xavier led us to the last cell at the end of the corridor.
The sight inside the cell shocked me. I didn't expect him to be treated luxuriously, but this was—
I saw a boy tied up and hanging from the wall. And the person who did this was—
The moment I realized this, the boy opened his eyes. His red eyes immediately focused on me without hesitation.
If I mishandled this, who knows what might happen. For example, the boy, angry at me for putting him in this state, might send me flying!