âIsnât this Grand Princess Maryâs dagger?â
Marquis Borneauâs gaze finally reached me, and I didnât avert my gaze, instead I nodded cautiously.
I could feel Lucas holding my hand tightly.
How could the dagger I had lost be in the possession of Marquis Borneau?
âAccording to Brian, he received this from the Grand Princessâ
âOh, as collateral?â
âI know this dagger. Itâs a dagger similar to the one you received as a gift from Count Stein. They say itâs very valuable because thereâs only one of them in the world. When I heard that, I took it to Count Stein and checked it myself, and it was true. He said thereâs probably only one dagger like this under the sky. So, this dagger is probably an imitation of the one the Grand Princess owns. Do you happen to have yours now? Do you have any proof that what I have now is an imitation?â
â⊠I lost it.â
I thought it was a stupid thing to say.
When Marquis Borneau heard me, he sighed quietly.
Lucas, who was listening to the conversation, let go of my hand and talked.
âMarquis, the children at the Texton orphanage where Brian stayed are literally receiving the best education; I am confident that it will be higher than the level of a commoner school, even if it is less than the level of an academy attended by aristocratic children, and it also provides tremendous support for children to become independent when they become adults. Iâm sure Brian knows much better about this. But even if there is only one in the world, does it make sense to do such a dangerous thing at the expense of only one dagger?â
âThat was a question I had as well.â
The Marquis of Bourne continued to speak calmly.
âI know that. So I asked. Why did he do this when he was given sufficient support?â
âAnd what did he say exactly?â
âHe said she promised to bring him great wealth and fame because she is the Grand Dukeâs daughter and soon will be engaged to the second prince.â
Eh, why would I give him wealth and fameâŠâŠ?
Even if I am engaged to a God, not the second prince, I do not have the heart to bestow wealth and fame on Brian.
That person must be very eager to disparage me.
âThe Second Prince and Grand Princess Maryâs engagement appears to be making the rounds among the nobility, but Brian couldnât have known that.â
Right.
Because Demimore is unwilling to become engaged to me, it hasnât been formally acknowledged yet.
These rumors are bound to circulate among nobles who enjoy good gossip. However, since they concern the Grand Duke and the Imperial Family, they cannot be discussed in public.
Brian, who lived in the orphanage, cannot therefore be familiar with the events. Until someone tells him otherwise.
âI think itâs meâŠâŠ?â
After some thought, I realized why Marquis Borneau had come here.
He came all the way here with the intention of antagonizing the Grand Duchy of Conler. To uncover the entire truth for Astina.
Grand Duke Estin listened to him quietly, as if he knew his determination was sincere.
Lucas tapped his knee nervously with his finger. Then he said in an urgent voice.
âThere is no reason for Miss Mary to kidnap Lady Astina. As you know, arenât the two really good friends? Lady Astina was the first person Miss Mary wanted to invite to her birthday. And why would she order the person with whom she was not on good terms to kidnap the person she was closest to?â
âThey claim that Astina is to blame.â
For the first time, Marquis Borneauâs voice, which had been speaking calmly up until that point, began to tremble.
âBecause he loved Astina, the second prince refused to marry the Grand Princess; the Grand Princess was upset that she was rejected on her birthday, so AstinaâŠâŠ.â
âWhat?â
Marquis Borneau was unable to complete his speech and blurted the final words.
Even Lucasâ voice echoed confusion.
I didnât say anything, just sat there with a lot on my mind.
âThatâs ridiculous!â
Demimore and Astina will eventually fall in love, Iâm certain of it.
But there hasnât been any indication yet that Demimore has developed feelings for Astina.
In the original, Demimore refused to be engaged with Mary by saying, âDo you want to marry an empty shell because I am in love with AstinaâŠâ.
When he declined to become engaged to me, Demimore didnât say that to me. Perhaps itâs a courtesy owed to a âfriend.â
Demimore may have had feelings for Astina, but I donât know for sure.
So, I canât be envious just yet.
No, isnât jealousy something I ought to experience if I like Demimore?
As of right now.
Someone is familiar with the originalâs content.
Iâm being impersonated by someone who knows the original and is engaging in these actions.
Doing things like the original Mary would.
âWe sent the girls back as you said.â
âDid you completely wipe out their memories?
âYes, they wonât remember anything about this place.â
At Xâs words, the man nodded. He appeared to be listening to X, but in reality, he was playing with the doll in his hand.
The doll, which appeared to be a girl, had black hair.
The man, who was tinkering with the dollâs black hair, had a red thread tied to his left handâs ring finger.
âGod, are you listening to me?â
It didnât appear to have much of an impact.
They selected young girls from the orphanage and fastened red thread to their fourth finger.
The left handâs ring finger symbolizes eternal love. Additionally, the red thread is said to represent a bond in Maryâs previous life.
Although it appears to be linked to a different place there. However, you wear your wedding ring on your ring finger.
With this thought came the beginning of a playful prank.
It appears that the impact of similarities was insufficient; it had little effect.
Although he didnât have high hopes, he felt bad.
The man grinned and released the doll he was playing with after noticing Xâs glum expression as he stared at him.
He then cut the red thread that was attached to his hand. His purple eyes shone coolly.
âIt was fun, right?â
âNo.â
However, X, whose main concern is entertainment, did not comprehend everything.
No matter how hopelessly in love you are, it wasnât simple to tie a red thread to the ring fingers of the girls they had abducted.
The ridiculous and childish magic, which he had never heard or seen before, made him feel bad.
âWhy not just let the demonic beast loose?â
Mary was getting along well with Grand Duke Conler.
Estin Conler was purposely interfering in Maryâs dreams in an effort to sour her relationship with the people of the Grand Duchy. However, he seemed to care more about Mary than he realized.
The man declared with assurance, âMy love will triumph.â
Itâs not that he wasnât concerned.
Despite purposely limiting his power, Estin Conler, the familyâs patriarch, was a great man.
âDonât you remember how organized it was last time?â
Seeing that he easily handled the trick he sent on purpose.
He understood the foolish emperorâs fear of him, but couldnât let him go.
Only then did X make a sound, possibly because Estinâs brutality came to mind.
âI was told by Bruno that he was a horrible and cruel man.â
âIs that what the person who murdered his sister would say?â
Is that what the person who taught him how to do it will say?
He simply laughed at Xâs unwavering assertions. Then he began tinkering with the doll once more.
When will he finally get her, considering how desperate he is? X started to feel somewhat sorry for his god.
X then mentioned a story that would cheer the man up. But the chances were slim.
âYou were the happiest back then, right?â
ââŠâŠwhen?â
âYou know.â
Oh, yes.
The period in which Mary was his lone source of support.
The expression on the manâs face as he reflects on those timesâŠâŠ
He looked so happy.
If Mary had been born as the stupid daughter, she might have spent more time in the orphanage. The manâs expression once more dimmed.
The man then began to dress the doll. A short skirt and a white shirt. There was no way this was a costume.
The man gave X the doll after he had finished dressing it.
In the future, weâre going to need more Mary-like girls.
âIâll be ready.â
âIt will take more time than I thought.â
When God handed X the doll, he smiled as if saying thereâs nothing to worry about.
âGo at your own pace. I am currently working on something.â