âIt canât be helped. Thatâs what Liddy decided. Besides, she said earlier that someone else would show up for you, Maybe thatâs why.â
I cringed at what was pointed out.
I would be lying if I said I had no idea. Of course I cared about Lidith.
But a girl I met a few days ago flickered in my mind. Her name was Cynthia.
Orchis Umber brought her over, she was a girl who needed the protection of the royal household.
She was originally living in an orphanage, but was only recently discovered to have the mark of a goddess on her body.
The mark of the goddess Is an engraving that indicates the vessel of the goddess Elvisa, the god who created the Kingdom of Evandia.
It was a floating red mark on Cynthiaâs chest, it was shaped like a sun.
In order to protect Cynthia, Baron Katze was asked to take her into this household as his child.
As a noblewoman, Cynthia had problems with her etiquette and lacked knowledge, so she was to study at the Royal Academy for about three years.
The only people who knew that Cynthia was the vessel of a goddess were me, my father, the current king, and the Amber family.
My father even asked me to call off my engagement to Lydith and get engaged with Cynthia. Of course I refused, but Cynthiaâs existence is that important.
âRaphael. You seem to have an idea about whatâs going on.â
âNo, I donât. I love Lydith.â
âYou do? What are you going to do, Raphael? Do you want to go to war with the demons?â
Soleil said jokingly.
âIâll do anything to get Lydith back.â
There seemed to be no point in talking to Soleil any further.
After saying that in an angry manner, I left the Dukeâs house in frustration
It was one of my official duties to address the welcoming ceremony of the new students to the Academy. I didnât want to go to the Academy when Lydith wasnât there, but that wasnât an option.
When the ceremony was over and I was heading back to the castle, Orcis came over to me, he brought Cynthia with him.
âRafael-sama. How is Miss Lydith?â
Orcis Umber was the eldest son of the Umber family. He would be the next Prime Minister. He was a quiet man who does not speak much except when necessary, but his mind worked well and his work is always precise and fast.
He and Lydith must not have met yet. Orcis is an important person who will support the royal family in the future, so I thought I would introduce him at the school.
âAh, um, Rafael-sama, hello.â
Behind Orcis, Cynthia greeted me timidly.
Cynthia was the complete opposite of Lydith, who was like a large, dignified flower. Cynthia was a pretty girl, like a modest wildflower.
She was likeable, but the feelings I had for her were different from those I had for Lydith.
âHello, Cynthia. Youâre moving into the academy dormitory today, arenât you?â
âYes, I am. I am very grateful to Rafael-sama and Orcis-sama for being so good to me.â
Cynthia does not know that she is the vessel of a goddess.
The imprint was aptly described as something that stands out in the Katze baronâs family lineage.
First of all, we had to be intimate with her so as not to frighten her, to prevent her from running away.
âShe has a reputation for being a high-ranking daughter of a duke. Wasnât she planning to enter the academy today, just like Cynthia?ââ
âWeâll talk about that later. First, letâs show Cynthia to her classroom.â
I hid my frustration and smiled.
When I touched Cynthiaâs back to urge her to walk, she blushed with a tensed look.
It was refreshing to see a reaction different from Lydith.
In an academy where nobles gathered, Cynthia was an outlier. While greeting me, everyone I passed seemed to be paying attention to Cynthia.
I had to stay by her side as much as possible so that she wouldnât get into trouble. If they knew I was protecting her, they wouldnât be able to get their hands on her.
In truth, I was looking forward to seeing how Lydith would react to seeing me care for Cynthia alone. I was hoping that she might be jealous. I didnât expect her to disappear from my sight.
After dropping Cynthia off at class, I went with Orcis towards the guest room, which only members of the royal family were allowed to use.
Locking the door, I was relieved to finally be able to talk to him.
âOrchis. Itâs about Lydithâ
âYes. I havenât seen her since this morning. Whatâs wrong?â
âI heard she went to the land of the demons to marry the king of the demons. She disappeared on her own, without my knowledge.â
âI seeâŠThat seems to be Lydith-sama. Can we assume that there is a rebellion against the royal family?â
Orcis seemed unperturbed.
He puts his hand over his mouth, thinking about something..
âAh⊠Yes, thatâs right. Maybe sheâs trying to avenge the royal family. We need to bring her back and put her in prison.â
Put her in a prison and surround her so she canât escape anywhere.
That was a very good idea.
âOkay⊠leave it to me.â
Orcis smiled darkly.
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