Derek raised his voice unusually. His jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth.
"Just because of such a reason, you engraved a magic rune on a crossbow...!"
"From the looks of it, you seem deeply hurt by the incident in the training ground after Lady Donna's passing."
The duke abruptly cut off Derek, who was about to protest.
"Apparently, it's because that slave boy choked a knight and openly slandered Penelope in front of everyone. Did you know about it?"
"That... I..."
Derek's mouth closed.
He had learned about it later.
He had headed to the training ground after receiving a hint from the butler that Penelope was practicing with the crossbow.
He intended to inform her that the disrespectful scoundrel who had insulted the duke's daughter had been dismissed.
But the moment he saw her shooting the crossbow while half-embraced by the slave boy, his vision turned red.
In the end, he couldn't convey any of the words he had intended to.
"Would you scold a child who comes back from being insulted and says they don't want to attend the hunting competition, or would you do something else?"
"..."
"Would you?"
"..."
"So I consoled her and gave her the crossbow. I can't keep her locked up at home forever, can I?"
Derek remained silent for a moment at the duke's words.
"Mark and his gang have already been dismissed."
After a long pause, he spoke in a cold, hard voice.
"If you, or even the butler, had told me or Father, it would have been easily resolved."
"..."
"Perhaps Leonard wouldn't have known."
But he had never thought of doing such a thing.
Leonard might have, but not him.
He wouldn't have resorted to childish retaliation against a girl who had taken his sister's place after she was lost.
"I... I have never hated or tormented Penelope, Father."
He disliked her solely because of her wicked and improper behavior, which always made him frown.
Lately, as she had become more human-like, there was nothing particularly to dislike.
So he hadn't shown much of his dislike...
At that moment.
- No, Young Duke.
A dry voice flashed past his ear.
- Did Emily ever make such a request to you, Young Duke?
- I will gladly accept any punishment you give, Young Duke.
The girl who had always called him 'Brother' had started calling him 'Young Duke' at some point.
She still called him 'Brother' in front of others, but when they were alone, she was meticulous in her formality.
Every time she called him 'Brother' in a sweet voice, it had made him feel nauseous and irritated...
- From now on, I will live like a mouse, without troubling you.
Now, she hurried to draw a line and stiffen her face coldly whenever she saw him.
Derek was newly shocked by this realization.
"Rather, the one who dislikes me... is..."
Just as he opened his mouth to say something, looking a bit bewildered, it happened.
Bang!
"Father!"
The door to the study was roughly opened, and Leonard rushed in.
"Leonard."
"A witness has come forward who claims to have seen Penelope."
Both the duke and Derek's eyes widened at Leonard's rapid, breathless words.
"What? Who is it?!"
"Lord Tullet."
"Lord Tullet? Who is he...?"
"He is the fiancé of Lady Kellin."
Derek quickly spoke, reviving the vague memory the duke was struggling to recall.
He was a minor noble who had barely obtained his title through connections with the empress.
However, early this year, his sudden engagement to a viscount's family caused a stir in society.
Rumors circulated that the two families, both having only daughters, had forced an awkward alliance through distant kinship.
It was a plausible theory since both families supported the second prince.
"So, where did Lord Tullet, that guy, see Penelope?!"
The duke urged Leonard with an anxious voice.
Leonard hesitated for a moment with a subtle expression before speaking.
"He claims that he was knocked unconscious by a crossbow shot in the forest, which Penelope fired."
"What, what?!"
"Ever since he was found, he has been drooling like an idiot and searching for a pink-haired goddess of the hunt."
"Ha...!"
The duke's mouth gaped open, unable to continue.
But that wasn't all.
"Moreover, several nobles who are presumed to have lost consciousness and then regained it have also appeared."
The worst-case scenario Derek had feared finally came to pass.
* * *
Whoosh.
I suddenly felt a chill and woke up from my sleep.
It seemed to be early morning, as the cave was filled with a pale dawn light.
The bonfire that had burned all night was now extinguished, leaving only a smoky haze.
Beyond it, I could see Calisto leaning against the wall, asleep.
'I need to put on clothes quickly while he's still asleep.'
I was still naked under the cloak, and the faint breeze blowing into the cave felt even colder.
I tried to get up without making a sound.
Fortunately, the clothes I had laid near the bonfire were completely dry.
Just as I hurriedly put them on before the prince woke up, it happened.
Whoosh.
A cold wind blew, accompanied by a ghostly vibration.
My bangs fluttered in the wind.
I paused, recalling the unease I had felt before waking up.
'The wind... is coming from inside the cave.'
It wasn't blowing in from outside but from within the cave.
I held my breath and stared into the dark depths of the cave.
At that moment.
Whoosh.
The wind blew again, and I took a step back, startled.
It wasn't a hallucination; the cold wind was indeed coming from inside the cave.
'Is there another opening on the other side of the cave?'
If the wind was blowing from the opposite side, it suggested that the cave was short and straight.
But all I could see in front of me was pitch-black darkness.
The cave, devoid of even a faint light, didn't appear short at all.
Whoosh.
Then, another ghostly wind blew from the depths of the cave.
I turned to the prince and quickly approached him.
"Your Highness, wake up."
He didn't wake up immediately, as if he was in a deep sleep.
Reluctantly, I grabbed his shoulder and shook him, despite his bare skin.
"Your Highness."
But Calisto didn't open his eyes at all.
Suddenly, I noticed how chillingly cold his skin felt under my palm.
'Did he give me his cloak and sleep naked all night?'
Moreover, the prince had kept his wet trousers on last night, perhaps out of consideration for me.
"Your Highness, Your Highness?"
I was frightened when he didn't open his eyes even after I shook him a few more times.
I suddenly remembered that he had been hit by a spear and a sword yesterday.
'Could he... be dead?'
I hurriedly pressed my ear to his chest.
Thump, thump. Fortunately, his heart was beating steadily, indicating he was still alive.
I pulled my head back and lightly slapped his cheek to wake him up.
'Since shaking him doesn't work, I have no choice.'
Slap.
"Your Highness, try to open your eyes!"
Slap! Slap, Slap!
My gentle taps gradually became more forceful.
It wasn't out of malice; I really had no other choice. Even with gentle taps, he didn't wake up.
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
Slap, Slap!
Slap!
Finally, the sound of a proper slap echoed through the cave.
"Ugh..."
The prince furrowed his brow.
His eyelids twitched, and then a bright red pupil appeared between them.
"Your Highness, are you okay? Is anything hurting?"
I quickly hid my hand, which was about to slap him again, and asked with a worried face.
"Princess."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Did you... just slap my cheek?"
"What? How could I ever dare to do such a thing?"
I widened my eyes and shook my head.
My gaze was fixed on his reddened cheek.
"That's strange. I distinctly felt a slap on my cheek."
"It must have been a dream. Please wake up quickly."
I quickly stood up and handed him his clothes and light armor before he could realize anything.
It was a matter of conscience.
"It's not the time to chat about dreams, Your Highness. There's a wind blowing from inside the cave."
"Wind?"
"Yes. It's definitely not a short cave..."
Whoosh.
At that moment, another cold wind blew from the depths of the cave, as if to support my words.
The prince, who was putting on the clothes I handed him, paused and looked toward the depths of the cave.