Chapter 32

‘No way!’

I desperately clung to and shook Lysandro’s arm, screaming inside.

“L, Lysandro. Why are you so stiff? It hurts!”

“Eh, eh. Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!”

Xavier hugged me tightly, flustered. In that moment, my hand, which had nowhere else to go, grabbed Lysandro’s collar. Since I had already grabbed it, I shook it firmly. Lysandro patted the hand that was gripping his collar and tried to calm me down.

“But I can’t just leave it without any control mechanism, Your Majesty.”

“That’s cruel. Lysandro is the devil!” (That’s cruel. Lysandro is the devil!)

“No, I didn’t do it, so why….”

Lysandro sounded aggrieved, but I couldn’t hear anything anymore.

‘No one should provoke the devil of Devlin.’

I vividly remembered the scene where that boy had sent someone flying without even touching them. If I hadn’t stopped him then, the knight who was about to touch him would have died. That man is dangerous. However, since I had decided to bring him to Ermanno, it was better to use the carrot rather than the stick. I had intended to slowly persuade him and reveal the purpose of bringing him to Ermanno, but—

‘This is not right!’

I understood putting him in prison. After all, he was the cause of significant damage to Ermanno’s border. I didn’t expect him to be treated with hospitality, but the situation emperor had bound him in chains.

‘Is he angry? He must be….’

What if he changes his mind and attacks Ermanno? I trembled and mustered the courage to look back into the cell. I met his red eyes as if he had been waiting for me. The devil of Devlin just stared at me with a blank expression. I couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

“Eh… I’m sorry, Devil of Devlin.” (Eh… I’m sorry, Devil of Devlin.)

I started with an apology, hoping he would calm down. However, the boy’s reaction was surprisingly calm.

“It’s fine. I haven’t been tortured.”

“I won’t torture you. After all, you are my guest.” (I won’t torture you. After all, you are my guest.)

I felt extremely embarrassed after saying that. Treating a guest with chains.

“Sigh.”

Despite the rough treatment, the Devil of Devlin didn’t seem particularly angry, which greatly relieved me. He had said he would kill everyone, friend or foe, if he lost his mind, but the boy was so composed that I began to doubt the rumors. I felt confident that we could have a conversation.

“I have a question.” (I have a question.)

“Please ask.”

“Why did you say you wanted asylum?” (Why did you say you wanted asylum?)

“I didn’t want to return to Devlin.”

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t want to be swayed by others’ wills anymore.”

So, he had been living according to others’ wills until now. I couldn’t tell what his gaze meant when he looked at me, but he didn’t seem to be lying.

‘Of course, I won’t trust you completely, though.’

“Who is this ‘other’?” (Who is this ‘other’?)

“Véron Arthur Devlica.”

I was momentarily taken aback by the name of the enemy emperor, which he blurted out without hesitation.

“Emperor?”

“Yes.”

“So, you deliberately brought your troops here to kill them?” (So, you deliberately brought your troops here to kill them?)

“Yes.”

“Wow….”

‘This guy…’

His idea was astounding. Normally, someone would just seek asylum, not deliberately bring troops to be massacred. My judgment that it was better to use the carrot with the Devil of Devlin was correct.

‘Of course, you shouldn’t provoke a madman.’

If I provoked him, who knows what might happen. Xavier and Lysandro both looked at him with a mix of fear and revulsion.

“Wow.”

“Indeed.”

Xavier took a step back, looking uneasy. He seemed scared. But I ignored it and asked another question.

“Why Ermanno?” (Why Ermanno?)

I wasn’t well-informed, but there were many countries on the continent. Ermanno was the most powerful, but it was hostile to Devlin. I expected they wouldn’t treat him kindly.

“Véron hates Ermanno’s Emperor Esteban.”

“Oh.”

I understood immediately.

‘If the Devil of Devlin seeks asylum in Ermanno, the person who would hate it the most is Véron Arthur Devlica.’

I didn’t know why the emperor of Devlin hated the emperor of Ermanno so much, but I could roughly understand why he chose Ermanno.

“I have nowhere to return now. If you don’t take me in….”

The boy’s face was filled with sorrow. He was clearly a murderer who had killed so many people, yet why did I feel a pang of sympathy?

‘Stay focused. Don’t be swayed by his looks.’

There were too many charming boys. Oscar, Enrique, and now this Devil of Devlin. Of course, the appearance of the emperor and Lysandro was also excellent—

‘No, focus, focus.’

I quickly regained my composure and looked at the Devil of Devlin. I had one more major question.

“Why do you want revenge?”

“Véron Arthur Devlica pushed me into the border and deliberately made me lose control. I don’t want to experience again the sight of corpses around me when I regain my senses.”

“….”

“I don’t want to return there ever again.”

My question was light, but his answer was heavy.

‘He said he was deliberately made to lose control?’

How could that be possible? But then again, I can communicate with animals, so there might be a way to make someone lose control. I felt his sincerity but couldn’t trust him completely. If this was all a plan to infiltrate Ermanno’s imperial city, it would be problematic. My plan was to pretend to trust him while secretly remaining vigilant.

“Hmm. I understand.” (Hmm. I understand.)

“Do you believe me, Your Majesty?”

“Yeah!”

Of course, it was a lie. I tugged on Xavier’s sleeve.

“Xavier.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Tying him up like this must hurt. Can’t you untie him?” (Tying him up like this must hurt. Can’t you untie him?)

Lysandro, not Xavier, answered.

“No.”

His firm expression showed his resolve. He wouldn’t be swayed by my pleading.

“Lysandro….”

“No. As I’ve said before, he is a dangerous person. We can’t just untie him. That’s why we used the manacles and shackles made of magicite to cut off his magic.”

Magicite has the ability to cut off magic, which seemed to have neutralized his power. But I couldn’t just let it go. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t untied. This was just a show to demonstrate my concern.

‘I need to show that I care about you to this extent.’

I placed my hands on my hips and spoke confidently.

“Untie him.”

“It’s too dangerous, Your Majesty.”

“Untie him. It’s an order!” (Untie him. It’s an order!)

Naturally, Lysandro ignored my command.

‘This should be enough, right?’

Just as I was about to pretend to give up, the Devil of Devlin’s voice stopped me.

“It’s fine.”

Snap.

‘Huh…?’

The manacles, which were supposed to cut off his magic almost perfectly, broke with a single gesture. Snap. The shackles on his feet also broke and fell to the ground. We all, except the boy, looked at the broken magicite in disbelief.

‘What is he, really?’

If he could break them so easily, why did he let himself be tied up? Why?

‘Being bound must be humiliating, so he must have a reason to endure it here.’

The Devil of Devlin spoke calmly, as if reading my thoughts.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Y-Yeah….”

“It seems like you do.”

“Your Majesty, we should leave now.”

“Already?” (Already?)

“Emperor—”

“Okay, okay.”

If the emperor came down here, it would just complicate things. I draped my arm around Xavier’s neck and waved at the Devil of Devlin.

“I’m leaving. Devil of Devlin.”

At that moment, a low voice stopped me.

“…Aidan.”

“Huh?”

“You can call me Aidan.”

I met his red eyes again. His calm gaze, which held a hidden heat, made it hard for me to look away. I stared at him in a daze, then snapped back to reality and nodded.

“Okay, Aidan.”

…Damn pronunciation! *** Back in my bedroom, I sat quietly and waited for everyone to leave. Finally, even the last nanny had gone.

‘Good.’

I had to be careful; Lysandro might notice if I acted suspiciously. I tiptoed to the window and slowly opened the door a bit.

“Squeak, come here.”

The mice, whom I had befriended after saving them from the owl, appeared soon after I whispered.

“Come on.” (Come on.)

[Hello, squeak.]

“Big squeak.” (Big squeak.)

[What?]

I asked them to go— (I asked them to go—)

[Prison, hate it.]

My request was cut off by a firm refusal. I was momentarily taken aback and looked at the mice. They all turned away, clearly not wanting to go.

‘They used to do anything I asked.’

There’s no reliable mouse in this world. I had to resort to my trump card.

“I’ll give you cheese.” (I’ll give you cheese.)

[Prison, love it.]

They changed their stance quickly. All the mice looked at me with bright eyes.

‘These cheese-loving mice.’

I sighed deeply at their opportunistic behavior. I understand, I do. I decided to make my request.

“Go to the prison and watch the little boy in the lowest cell.” (Go to the prison and watch the little boy in the lowest cell.)

[Male?]

“Yeah, male. Prison….” (Yeah, male. Prison…)

[What kind of surveillance?]

“What are they saying? Who are they meeting? That much.” (What are they saying? Who are they meeting? That much.)

[Give us a big piece of cheese, please.]

“Okay, okay.”

The mice disappeared as if they had been given a piece of cheese.

“Got tricked….”

I looked out the window, feeling bitter. I just hoped the mice would do as I asked. The reason I asked them to watch Aidan, the Devil of Devlin, was because of the possibility. I didn’t fully trust Aidan, so I needed insurance. In case he contacted Devlin, I wanted to be prepared.

“Worried….”

“What are you worried about, Mabel?”

I was startled by the familiar voice from behind and shouted.

“Squeak!”

“…Squeak?”

Oops. I had been calling them ‘squeak’ so much that I blurted out ‘squeak!’ without thinking. The emperor looked at me with concern. I took a step back.

‘He couldn’t have seen everything, right?’

If he found out I could communicate with animals, it would be very troublesome. I had been trying so hard to hide it!

“Promise me you won’t go to the underground prison again, Mabel.”

The emperor looked at me with a stern face. I shivered but didn’t nod.

“No.”

The emperor’s eyes widened at my refusal.

“…Why?”

“Because of the promise. With Aidan.”

“Aidan?”

“Aidan is my guest.” (Aidan is my guest.)

I was the one who agreed to his request for asylum, not the emperor.

“So, Aidan is my responsibility!” (So, Aidan is my responsibility!)

The emperor’s eyes widened even more. Did he stagger for a moment? Did I imagine it? I tilted my head.

‘…?’

Why does he look so shocked?