Chapter 80

Sep 05, 2023

“You seem to be slowing down, but there’s still more than half of your meal left on your plate. Try to eat a little bit more.”

“I am...”

I really didn’t see why I needed to exert myself so much, but rather than argue, I returned to picking at the food. Since Sylvia knew I was awake, everyone else at Pedelian castle was surely aware of that as well. I wondered what they would think when they set eyes on the person who had orchestrated her own father’s death and the destruction of her entire clan.

I didn’t know for certain, but at the very least the Pedelian master must have been fully aware of my role in the affair. It was probably also why he had given me that odd look when we met at the goodwill gathering. I was sure he must have viewed me as a woman of questionable morals. What I had done was nothing short of patricide, which of course went entirely against the Pedelians’ code of ethics.

I had prepared myself to be shunned and avoided due to my actions, which was precisely why Sylvia’s welcoming attitude and unbridled kindness had taken me by surprise. Not that it mattered to me all that much what people thought of me in general. Nor did I care whether Cassis had succeeded in convincing them that it was necessary to bring me with him. Even if he had been forced into an awkward situation because of me, it was none of my concern since it was the result of his own making.

Truth be told, a side of me also wished to see him squirm due to his impulsive decision to take me along. Perhaps that was just my Agrece blood igniting my predisposition for mischief. It was still unclear to me what exactly Cassis had in mind for me to do in the Blue territory. I knew what he had said, though it was something I wasn’t likely to ever hear again, but...

I couldn’t quite bring myself to describe it as a heartfelt proposal. What if it had merely been an act of sympathy? Maybe he had only brought me along the way one takes in an abandoned puppy. But there was still the matter of that lingering kiss, which had to mean that he did really like me. Then again, I had been the one to make the first move. And I knew all too well that there was no one in this world who could resist my allure.

“I’ve had enough. Please leave. I wish to be alone.”

Well, it didn’t really matter to me if it was genuine passion or just plain lust since I didn’t intend to dally there for long. Besides, I couldn’t be certain that Cassis could actually revive someone who was rotting to death from the inside like I was, despite how skillful he was at healing. I was sure he knew that I only had a short while left to live, which was probably why he was able to ask for the rest of my life with so little hesitation.

Still, that had been the first time anyone professed to me like that in such earnest. All things considered, giving him a slice of what was left of my time in this world seemed pretty fair. And as he had said, I had intended to throw it away anyway.

“I’ve told everyone about you, so there should be no trouble with you staying here. So if you need anything, just say the word.” He unhappily scanned my plate again, but perhaps I had eaten enough to satisfy him as he then beckoned one of the servants to clear the table for us. “And if you need me, you can ask for me at any time. My room is just across the hall.”

“W-What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Your room is the one opposite of this one?”

“Yes. I’ve decided to stay here for the time being.”

“Why?”

Cassis gazed at me for a moment before answering. “Because I don’t want anything bad to happen to you in my absence.”

He said those words in such a matter-of-fact tone that, just to be certain, I had to ask a follow-up question.

“Then is anyone else staying in this building?”

“No.”

His answer was curt and dry, but it essentially meant that just the two of us would be residing in the annex together.

I suddenly felt the need to reassess my previous conclusion. It was becoming abundantly clear that I was being courted by someone who steadfastly refused to give a damn about what others thought.

* * *

The news of the Agreces’ downfall spread quickly among the remaining clans.

“Is that so? Interesting.”

Luzark Castro’s tepid response was a blatant indication that the Red clan’s heir was simply not interested in the matter. The messenger who had just informed him of the news appeared visibly taken aback and unsure of how to react to such pure apathy. “Well, I’m not the clan master. Mother will decide how to move forward.”

Indeed, he was correct since any decisions regarding clan business were left to its master. On top of that, he had never been much interested in other people’s affairs anyway. What he did know about the late Agrece leader was based on his mother’s scathing remarks after the previous year’s goodwill gathering. “If there were such things as ghosts, all the people that beast has killed would come back from the depths of hell to slaughter him a hundred times over.”

Luzark reflected dryly on her words before his own thoughts interfered. He was indeed a man destined for a brief existence.

The Red Heir didn't have much of an opinion on the slain man. A more prominent memory that came to him at the mention of Lante Agrece was his daughter Roxana and her imp of a brother Jeremy. Luzark had almost asked after them before deciding it best not to.

“What sort of damage did we suffer due to the recent avalanche?”

“Um... Oh! According to the estimates, sir...”

The young Castro concluded that he was better off concentrating on more pressing matters.

* * *

“What’s that? The Agreces have fallen?”

Noel Vertium immediately dropped the fork he was holding, along with the delicious looking strawberry stuck to its prongs and topped with cream. Noel was so beside himself that he didn’t even take notice of the stain the cream left on his trousers. His eyes, which had been heavy with sleep and half way shut, were suddenly wide open.

“Then what about Luna?”

“‘Luna,’ sir?”

“You know, my goddess!” Noel shouted at the top of his lungs as if he were warning of the sky about to fall. It was apparent that nothing else mattered to him except his “Luna.”

Does he really not have even a single question regarding such an important turn of events?

Despite being Noel’s right-hand man, Dante had to think carefully before attempting to clarify who this “Luna” was.

“You wouldn’t happen to be referring to Roxana Agrece, would you, sir?”

“Yes! Her! My Luna!”

To say Dante was at a loss for words would be to make light of his plight. He couldn’t fathom when Roxana Agrece would have become Noel’s property. Let alone property that he could shout and act so openly possessive about.

And why dub her “Luna” after the moon goddess?

While he had to admit it was actually a rather apt comparison, Roxana Agrece was hardly a puppet anyone could brand with a new name on a whim.

“Master Noel, precisely how long has she been your... ‘Luna’?”

“From the moment I set eyes on her, of course! It was destiny!”

“But I as I recall... she turned down your advances at the Yggdrasil gathering?”

“No, she didn’t!” Noel insisted. “She even accepted the flowers I sent her!”

“Yes, but she only accepted the flowers. Not your heart.” Dante sighed in frustration as he dreaded having to deal with Noel’s tantrums.

Despite being the head of the Gold clan, Noel was basically a shut-in who had never courted a woman before. Without warning, this same shut-in had been lovestruck at the mere sight of the Agrece girl at the final banquet for the goodwill gathering. Had that been the end of it, there would be no problem, but Noel had made a fool of himself by bloodying his nose in front of all the other attendees. Then due to his determination to present the breathtaking Agrece with a gift, he had raided the Yggdrasil greenhouse for flowers. But the worst part about the entire ordeal was that he had lacked the gumption to actually give the flowers to her himself. Instead, Noel begged and even threatened Dante until his hapless assistant was forced to play delivery boy for his leader.

Roxana was undoubtedly more beautiful up close than Dante had imagined. So beautiful in fact that even he, who was normally terrible at distinguishing beauty from beast, was at a loss for words in her presence. She, however, hadn’t appeared the least bit interested in the man who had delivered the flowers, nor in dealing with the person who had sent them. On the contrary, she had left so soon after receiving them, that Dante hadn’t been able to utter a single word he had been tasked with relaying to her.

He had only heard after the fact that the Agreces had made an en masse departure from Yggdrasil, but Noel had been pestering him about her ever since. As he recollected the awkward position his master had put him in, Dante couldn’t help slyly needling Noel further.

“Perhaps you’re right, but it really does seem to be over now. You shouldn’t take it to heart, sir. This is just the way of the world after all. It’s precisely why there’s that saying about first love never being fulfilled.”

“N-Nooo! Nothing’s over between me and my Luna!” Noel stared angrily at Dante with tears brimming in his eyes.

The Vertium Master was known for being careless about most things, but once he set his mind on having something, he had a tendency to become quite maniacal. That’s when it occurred to Dante that Noel’s obsession would not be going away anytime soon.

“Oh, Dante. Did you make Noel cry again?” A soft voice akin to a spring breeze floated toward the two men. The crimson drapery hanging over the door parted as someone stepped through it.

It was a beautiful, blond boy.

“Nix!”

Nix, who was named after the goddess of night, was Noel’s absolute most favorite puppet. He was also truly as beautiful as his namesake.

“Luna has disappeared. I was going to get her before anyone else could!”

“‘Luna’? You mean that woman you were talking about not too long ago?”

“Yes! My goddess who is as beautiful as you are, Nix.”

Dante could only scowl as the two youths chatted away. Truth be told, there was a deep loathing in his gaze aimed at Nix.

“I wonder just who she could be to have made you fall so head over heels for her at first sight, Noel. Would you like me to find her for you?”

“Do you mean it?! Can you really find her, Nix?!”

“But of course. Don’t forget—I’m the most perfect puppet that you’ve ever made.”

For good measure, Nix gave Noel a grand smile, but across his eyes flashed a hint of dangerous cruelty. While happy and carefree Noel failed to notice a thing, Dante’s scowl only deepened as he could see Nix for what it truly was.