CH 13.3

PART 3

[For now, that is. But instead, promise me that I’m the only one who can kiss and touch you like this.]

[…. What about my brother?]

[Do you kiss?]

[…………]

Rafael took my silence as a confirmation and gritted his teeth.

My shoulders flinched after hearing the loud grinding noise.

[It’s no good. If it’s just at the level of a greeting… no, you can’t. I will back down a hundred steps and let him have your cheeks.]

I was thinking who does he think he is to be saying it with such a tone, but it dawned on me that he’s the Crown Prince.

Realizing that, this time, I started worrying if it’s fine to be touched by Rafael.

Schpudreine also talked about it before. (TN: Rafael’s status and stuf.)

When I was about to talk about it, my cheeks were pulled from behind.

[Rafwael, ow, ow.] (TN: Not typo.)

[This is weird. Even though I love you, you look really irritating right now. That is too late now! I will say this in advance, but both you and I are definitely men. We’re the same sex. But I love you. Do you understand what I’m saying?]

[Hai het it…! Hai het it halredi!] (I get it…! I get it already!)

Rafael immediately released my cheeks, but the feeling of being pulled still remains on my cheeks so I put my hand on them as if to cover them.

[You’re so mean…]

[Even if you ask your steward later, he’ll also tell you it’s your fault just now.]

When I’m being told that with such confidence, I also began to feel like it’s really so.

And Nicole seemed to be sympathizing with Rafael previously, too.

[Sorry.]

[Well, it’s fine, you don’t seem to be used to this kind of physical interaction. That’s right, I will accept a kiss instead of an apology.]

[Eh?]

I realize that I let out an idiotic sound.

It’s Rafael’s fault for making strange suggestions.

[You will kiss me. Isn’t it a good deal?]

[Which is?!]

Moreover, weren’t you apologizing and asking for forgiveness just now?

[Here, hurry up.]

[No way!]

[Why?]

[Isn’t it embarrassing?!]

When I refused with all my might, Rafael slumped his back on the sofa weakly.

The heat on my back has slightly become distant.

[I blame your disposition.]

[I, I think it’s a natural reaction, though…]

[You’re right, it’s how an innocent lover’s reaction is. Rather, I should say it’s perfect. Are you really not aware of it?]

About what? Was what I thought but I feel like Rafael won’t give me an answer.

I look up the ceiling with my hands still on my face, and thinking he’s probably satisfied enough, I get off his lap.

Even if my weight is lighter than his I still have tens of kilos on me so his legs should be feeling numb by now.

By the way, how long have I been in here?

While I was searching for a clock, a knock came from the door and a maid’s voice called out.

{ Rafael-sama, I can see Bashral-sama’s steward. }

[Got it.]

Rafael gave a response then he took my hand and stood up.

[That will be all for today. The kiss will be carried-over for next time.]

[Can’t you make it a cancellation?!]

[It depends on how you respond to me in the future.]

Just what does he want me to do?

When I left the room, Nicole was waiting for me in front of the entrance hall with the wheelchair.

[Rest well.]

[Tsk!]

On our parting, Rafael kissed me and then immediately turned his face away.

I sat in the wheelchair while being conscious that my face has turned red.

It’s already embarrassing when it’s done to me, doing it to him will be impossible!

I don’t know if the cry of my heart has reached him, but when I glanced back, Rafael was laughing satisfyingly.

Feeling that even his form like that is beautiful, I feel sorry for him.

We returned to our room, and while preparing to sleep, when I told Nicole about the part where my cheeks got pulled──

[That was Sheryl-sama’s fault.]

Just as Rafael predicted, he agreed.

**********

{RAFAEL’S POV}

[Fuu…!]

I got carried away by my anger and threw my knife on the wall, embedding it.

Seeing Sheryl’s face has temporarily extinguished the  fire that has always been burning within me.

A few days have passed since the attack, but we still don’t have enough information making it flare up once more.

Aah, if I cut the perpetrator’s stomach open and drag out his innards in front of him while he’s still alive, will I be able to calm down?

[I’m so sorry…]

Was he hit by my fury, Camille’s face has turned blue just like his hair.

On the side, Serge is also watching Camille.

[It is not your fault. But regrettably, the information is not enough.]

It’s true that Camille created the chance for the attack, but he also prepared the carriage of the Marquis. (TN: Since it’s a high rank, people will avoid looking for trouble for whoever’s inside it.)

Regarding escorts, this might be the natural result, but Sheryl’s steward, Nicole, took that role. Yeah, that part is worthy considered.

But originally, even thieves don’t attack a carriage when the Marquis’ ─ also the current Prime Minister─ emblem is in it. If one did, he will be charged with treason, and even if it’s done unknowingly, the risk is very heavy.

[Sheryl’s attendance in the funeral was sudden. Besides, to be able to quickly respond to it, there’s a high possibility that they’ve been looking for an opportunity and prepared in advance.]

[Although the people who plotted to kidnap him before fit the profile, there’re no tracks, right?]

[Yeah, I’ve also confirmed with Bellom-sensei. There doesn’t seem to be any signs that they moved.]

Although Sheryl told me about the previous attempted kidnapping after the attack, Bellom-sensei had already informed me about it before he moved in. That was why I paid close attention back when we went out to the city, and Camille also corresponded accordingly.

[In the first place, Bellom-sensei is watching them. There’s a chance that others imitated the surveilled targets… but no report has come yet.]

They’re included in the very first investigation that was conducted.

I focused my investigation on the mourners who were attending the funeral that have family members with Dreaming Illness, but the result was unfavorable.

[No one else got informed that Sheryl was attending the funeral other than the mourners?]

[Yes. Bellom-sensei silenced the people from the school so they couldn’t have talked, and Sheryl also said he didn’t tell anyone else about him leaving.]

[Are we overlooking something?]

I receive the list of the names of the mourners that Camille prepared.

Although Samuel’s house is a Count, there’s also the fact that he’s Camille’s cousin, so there are a lot of mourners regardless of title.

We can have every mourner’s background thoroughly, but it will take too much time. Even if that’s how it will eventually happen, we should first focus on the objective at the moment.

[Uhhー…. It’s hard to say this but]

[What is it?]

Serge takes his eyes away from me and raises his hand conspicuously.

It looks like he’s worried that my mood will get worse with the following remarks.

[I want a lot of perspectives right now. Say it.]

[You know, Sheryl, even to us who’s always been with Rafael, isn’t he beautiful enough to cause one stop on his tracks? He also appeared in public at the FIghting Tournament so I’m just wondering if some pervert took a liking to him…. or something…]

[…………]

My eyes reflexively stilled.

Because I also remember it, I can’t refute the possibility.

There are some among the nobles who love boys. There are also those who succumb to desire and forget their status.

However, as someone who has met someone of the aforementioned person, I sent out a warning to those who have the same tendency somehow or other.

[If they showed such movements, it’s impossible that I wouldn’t know.]

[That… makes sense.]

Serge who knew the contents of my ‘warning’ drops his eyes to the floor.

It hasn’t come up to light, but the purge that I did among aristocrats and their sellers is a famous story. Because the reason was like that, no one said anything.

[When I think about their speed of correspondence combined with their boldness to attack the Marquis’ carriage, the perpetrator is a noble,or a merchant who’s able to provide gold is also plausible. I just pray that there’s no one among them who wishes to take me as their enemy.]

What Serge said about a perverted collector, I can only see a slim  chance of that happening.

Also….

[What was the enemy hurrying for?]

Sheryl travels a long distance as he goes home every holiday.

Although it will be hard to attack him while Jule-senpai is present, if thinking about the long run, attacking the Marquis’ carriage has a higher risk.

Even if they get along well with Bellom-sensei, they are still a Baron household in the end.

When I raise my voice, the amount of people I can use is limited.

But because it’s the Blow Family’s carriage that was attacked this time, it’s possible to put in a large number of human resources.

If it’s a collector, they would probably aim for his homecoming.

[They weren’t able to prepare for the previous homecoming so they couldn’t wait for the next one, is it?](C)

[I can only relate this to a Dreaming Illness case.] (R)

Depending on the illness’ stage, every moment is a struggle.

But there had been no response in that direction.

I seem to have overlooked something I couldn’t remember.

That memory, I couldn’t understand what that ‘something’ is.

I follow the list of mourners with my eyes as a diversion, and then point out the names that catch my attention even if it’s just a bit.

[Iowaja1, he’s a merchant even though he has a family name?]

[Yes, apparently he wants to make a connection with the Blow Family during Samuel’s funeral. He got in touch with me that very day. Sadly, there were a lot of them in the mourners. Even Earl Boirmortie was among them.]

[Were you that cornered in that place?]

Serge’s eyes opened wide after hearing Camille’s words.

The Boamortie Family is facing an unfortunate era over the past few generations due to the retention of their mana capacity visibly decreasing.

On top of being the other nobles’ subject of contempt when the Mana capacity does not commensurate one’s title, without the capability as a magician, it is impossible to be dispatched to the battlefield as a commander, thus making it impossible to achieve merits.

[Although there were talks that there are those who suffer from the Dreaming Illness among the citizens, it is also a legitimate reason. There were also others in that person’s hands.]

Politics was even brought to his cousin’s funeral, Camille must have been frustrated.

Camille who has no siblings treated Samuel as his younger brother, and while grieving, it’s no surprise that he finds those kinds of nobles disgusting.

[The citizens, huh…. To broaden our perspective, it might be better to extend our scope of collecting information to those who are indirectly related to those with Dreaming Illness.]

The incident regarding the attack is being taken care of by the Blow Family.

After receiving the report, although all I did was investigate the missing parts in the information, but putting it together with the instruction I newly issued gave form to a new thought.