Dim candles were barely shining in the cave, which was as cold as midwinter.
A woman wearing iron armor over a maid outfit threw a man in a shabby prison uniform to the floor.
A dismal low voice resounded deep within.
âBaby, did the other child die gracefully?â
âSince he set himself on fire, he wouldnât have survived even if he was alive, master.â
The woman with her black hair neatly combed said shyly.
âYeah. A broken arm is a burden, so even a dead child will understand. Thank you.â
It caught a glimpse of a shadow wriggling inside the cave, which was dyed pitch-black due to lack of light.
The shadow was as huge as a giant cave. But after a while, it gradually got smaller and took on a human figure.
âNo one will be confused by the name anymore. Your brother is dead, youâre the only Bradley.â
The shadows gradually approached the light. A man in a prison uniform lying face down on the floor opened his empty brown eyes and captured the scene.
âAre you angry? That your brother is killed?â
The man in prison uniform did not answer. The shadow clicked its tongue.
âDid you cut your tongue instead of your arm?â
âI, My muse.â
The man in the prison uniformâs jaw dropped and the sound of his teeth clashing was heard. It was a relief that he didnât stutter.
Hmm, the shadow that hadnât even come out of the darkness beckoned with a nasty snort.
Then something rose from the floor and took the form of a chair. He sat down there and rested his chin.
âThatâs what you call me now. Whenever you say that the muse is that child.â
â⊠âŠâ
âWell, I donât care. Now, if you have something to say, say it.â
ââŠâŠOne, give me one more chance.â
âGive it to you?â
âIâll bring her alive.â
âHmm.â
âBut after you have taken what you wanted from her, Muse.â
The tongue freezes and does not move properly. His skin also froze and it hurt every time he spoke.
Nevertheless, the man in prison uniform acted like nothing was wrong with his eyes wide open. His chestnut brown eyes, which had been empty, shone brightly.
âAt that time, can I take over?â
The prisoner forced his hardened cheeks up into a sullen smile.
âGive me the body, my muse.â
Tok Tok, the shadow that tapped its cheek with a finger on its chin crossed its legs and stomped its feet.
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âI canât do that.â
âI can succeed this time⊠âŠ!â
âNo, itâs not. Didnât you hear that too?â
The prisoner, who was trying to crawl up to the shadow and beg him, hesitated.
Didnât he hear?
âThe kid said that. Donât order her to come and go and come in person.â
The shadow laughed as if it were really funny.
âAs she said, itâs me who wants to see her, so Iâll have to go.â
âMaster, you donât have to go there. I can go.â
âItâs nice to think of me, but I will just accept your heart. Actually, Iâm curious.â
Curious?
The woman asked, and the shadow snapped again. She couldnât see it because it was buried in the darkness, but it seemed that her eyes were on its feet.
âNow that ten years have passed, I want to see if sheâs still being rude with my own eyes.â
â⊠âŠâ
âLetâs see what those kids are going to do in the future, and letâs go see it as soon as possible.â
Keke, the shadow which had been laughing again, cast a glance at the prisoner.
âYou may do as you please after I regain my strength from the child, baby. It was just that you didnât have to bring it.â
âDame Anastasia Solen, Marquis Reden Blair from the Blair family, has visited!â
âThereâs no point in saying it. Enter.â
The huge door opened smoothly and without a sound.
Reden and Anastasia, dressed in royal wizard uniforms, stared straight ahead with expressionless faces and greeted them with a simple bow.
âI see you, Your Majesty.â
âMarquis Blair and Dame Anastasia. Itâs been a while since Iâve seen you.â
When the king spoke, Reden replied bluntly.
âI think itâs just you. Didnât I see you a few days ago when I was giving you a report.â
âYouâre not very friendly, unlike your younger sister.â
A question mark appeared on Redenâs face. I donât think he understands why Iâm being mentioned.
The king pointed her finger.
âSit down for now. It would be nice to be next to the Duke.â
Reden and Anastasia, who were about to head to the place indicated by the king with confused faces, hesitated.
Because my eyes met.
I was able to wave hello to them without fear because I had vowed to be brazen countless times before I came to the audience room.
âYouâŠâ
The more I greeted them, the more Redenâs face distorted and Anastasiaâs dazed face was quite worth seeing.
I could see Reden trying to curse at me, but he seemed to holding back because this place was not the place.
Soon after, the two of them were seated.
âBut why isnât Sir Zion coming?â
ââŠâŠSir Glass will come from the dungeon.â
âAh, thereâs a fire.â
Dungeon? Fire?
I blinked at the unfamiliar words and looked at Aiden. Aidenâs expression strangely changed as if he had heard it for the first time.
âWhat do you mean, fire in the dungeon?â
When Aiden asked about the fire, the king laughed.
âOh my goodness! Duke, you didnât know that? A fire broke out in the dungeon while you, Lady Blair, and I were enjoying our tea time. Ah, Marquis. Donât be too upset. Next time, I will invite you too.â
Tea time, Your Majesty. I havenât had any tea today. Even if Iâve been threatened.
Redenâs and Aidenâs expressions turned into insect-bitten expressions at the same time.
âLetâs talk about it when the other two come.â
As soon as the kingâs words were over, the guard shouted again.
âSir Diwen Fergus, the leader of the 7th Knights of the Royal Family, and Sir Zion Glass, the Vice-Caption, have visited!â
Finally, weâre all here.
I sighed and touched my fingertips. Itâs because I still donât know if the choice I made was a good one.
Before I came to the audience room, I finally told the king everything.
PLEASE Read only at PM Translations
Once while I was organizing by myself, Twice while confiding in Reden, This was the third time I confessed.
I still donât know why I shouldnât tell you the damn process of confronting Bradley because Reden didnât tell me until the end⊠⊠I said it anyway.
Yes, the Bradley brothers were targeting me. That, what is it. Have you heard my speculation that the dragon might have been stealing the dragon bones and giving them to the Bradley brothers? Maybe not, but Iâll call it Dragon for convenience.
The dragon seemed to be targeting me. The dragon told Bradley to get me. So the Bradley brothers were after me. Thatâs why Bradley wanted to be alone with me. I donât know why itâs targeting me.
Anyway, thatâs why I got into a fight with Bradley like this. Yes. Thatâs it.
But, Your Majesty. Reden did nothing wrong. I didnât tell Reden. Thatâs why Reden must have forgotten about it when he reported it to His Majesty.
Ah, Diwen and AnastasiaâŠâŠ How did they know if the Bradleys were targeting me or not in that frantic situation. The two of them would have been out of their minds. As Your Majesty knows, there is a fire! You know that Anastasia is weak to fire, right? Iâm sure you know, yes! Thatâs why neither of them told you that Bradley brothers were targeting me.
TL/N: Absolute word vomit LMAO
How was the kingâs expression when I talked like a fast cannon while covering up the three people?
âIt gave me goosebumps. Because she laughed like a child who found a funny toy.â
I let out a deep sigh once again.
Soon after, Diwen and Zion sat down. I was about to raise my head when I heard the sound of a chair dragging.
âI know that the 7th Knights and royal wizards are working hard to install.â
The king said something like a bolt from the blue.
I stopped staring at the two men and looked at the king.
The king, who was looking down at us in a crooked posture from the throne above the stairs, grinned. It was that childlike smile I had seen before.
Excluding the king and the escort knight, there were six people in the audience room including me. And four out of six said the same thing at the same time, then shut up. I was just dumbfounded and had my mouth open.
At that time, the king waved her hand while saying ahhh. It seemed as if there was something she forgot to say.
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âI forgot, let not only the young lady but also Duke Aiden Burwars be with you.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
Aiden, who showed no reaction, completed the unfinished words that the four spoke at the same time.
âWhat do you mean. Donât you understand? It means that not just the four of you, you should all hang out together and not bully the two of themâ
âYour Majesty, one.â
âOhoo, Marquis, stay still. Because you, Dame Anastasia, Sir Diwen, suppress everything about your younger sister in the report.â
Eum, as expected, youâre a king. It wasnât that she had a soft temper to accept my words as they were.
Reden kept his mouth shut as if he had noticed everything at the kingâs words.
âYou know what youâre working on. The knights are looking for dragon bones, and the wizards are looking for dragon lairs.â
Dragon Lairs. Itâs unfamiliar words I heard from someoneâs mouth a few days ago.
Itâs not that I donât know the meaning. I was just wondering why it popped out all of a sudden⊠âŠ
Were you looking for Dragon Lairs? The wizards? Why?
âI donât know what happened between you that led to the establishment. Itâs not empty words to say that Iâm going to overlook it. Gathering dragon bones as soon as possible, I agree. Iâm in favor of finding Dragon Lairs and wiping out dragons for the reputation of the Kingdom of Konia.â
The king painted a nice smile.
âAs I said earlier, join Young Lady and the Duke. If you refuse this, I will leave the search for dragon bones to the 1st Knights.â
ââŠâŠCould you please tell me what could be the reason? The Duke, aside, the lady is a very ordinary person. Itâs dangerous to have a search and sweep together.â
Zion said calmly.
It was a moment when I looked at him as a sign of agreement.
Diwen, who was sitting next to Zion, caught my eye. It was him I hadnât seen in a long time.
But somehow, unlike usual, the atmosphere seemed to have settled down, which made me wonder.
âNo, itâs not just that the atmosphere has subsided⊠âŠâ
A pale face, tired-looking eyes, and a body that looks somewhat heavy.
âLooks like youâre sick?â
It was like the day after we met for the first time at the banquet hall.
He looked sick then too, and he still does.
âUnexpectedly, are you the style to catch a cold easily?â
I was thinking about useless things in front of a sick person, but Diwen turned his head as if he felt my gaze.
I met the dark purple eyes.
Just when I thought about a simple handshake, Diwen immediately turned his head.