PSITAC 16

Chapter 16

For some reason, I felt all the strength draining out of me.

“Kiing……”

Perhaps sensing my mood, Merry circled around me anxiously before tugging at my skirt. Watching Merry behave like that made Ttori cling to my hem too.

“I’m okay! Really, you guys.”

Merry had always been sensitive to my emotions.

“Kkiing…… Kkang!”

Merry smacked my leg repeatedly with both front paws. When I lowered my knees, he jumped right up. Ttori carefully watched Merry before claiming a spot on my lap beside him.

Goodness, these adorable little things.

Because of them, I couldn’t even stay depressed for long. Merry and Ttori tangled themselves together and built a nest on my lap.

The warmth from the puppies slowly melted my heart away.

The thick front paw Merry rested against my palm seemed to tell me:

You’ll be okay.

And the thing I believed would be okay led to consequences I never could have imagined.

Damn it. This was exactly why people said to tap even a stone bridge before crossing it.

These days, Agatha occupied Nael’s thoughts constantly.

Whether he was quietly working or training with his sword, he found himself thinking about her no matter what.

People called Nael the knight who never wavered, the cold and merciless knight.

But was that really true?

Nael raked a hand through his hair.

“Ha…”

What had filled Agatha’s eyes when she coldly cut him off was indifference—and annoyance.

[Why are you worrying so much?]

Hisha flicked his ears while busily chewing dried sweet potato strips. It was one of the snacks Nael had bought together with the feed the other day.

[If you’re curious, just go see her. And while you’re at it… ahem. You could take me too.]

Hisha placed one tiny paw adorably atop Nael’s foot.

Nael glanced down at him.

“You say that so casually.”

Up until now, Nael had never been particularly fond of Agatha.

To him, Agatha was the golden goose who would bring him the wealth, title, and prestige of the Stadiun family.

A political union. Nothing more.

When they were younger, there had been moments when he tried to be softhearted. Since they would marry eventually, he thought they should at least get along.

But perhaps that had been a mistake, because Agatha’s obsession only deepened beyond reason.

She would storm into his office screaming:

“I know I saw another woman go in there! Where is she? Where are you hiding her?!”

She would show up without even arranging a meeting and sit around miserably waiting for him.

At social gatherings, she even grabbed noble ladies by the hair simply because they had spoken with Nael.

Thanks to that, no women could remain around him for long.

There had even been a young noblewoman who fell down the stairs and sprained her ankle after Agatha shoved her.

If she hadn’t been the daughter of House Stadiun—if she hadn’t been protected by her father’s authority—Agatha would have long since been expelled from high society.

But the worst incident happened during a diplomatic reception.

The representative of the foreign delegation had been Countess Shuria. Out of jealousy, Agatha deliberately sabotaged the event.

As a result, the important diplomatic conference collapsed entirely, and Countess Shuria—who had been drenched in filth before a public audience—left while cursing them all.

“Ha…”

Recalling the past, Nael couldn’t believe he was even agonizing over this.

And yet lately, Agatha had been too quiet.

He neither saw her nor heard any news about her.

That anxiety became curiosity, and when he heard that the missing Hisha was staying at Agatha’s estate, he had actually felt relieved.

So that’s where he went.

Laughing to himself, he had visited the estate—

Only to encounter a completely changed Agatha.

Did her parents’ deaths finally make her grow up?

Thinking that, he even began to pity her.

[Humans are so complicated.]

Having finished all the dried sweet potato strips, Hisha spun around Nael’s feet before curling up atop them. Tilting his head upward, he blinked.

[Anyway.]

Hisha tilted his head, trying his absolute hardest to look cute.

[Give me one more snack. You can at least do that much, right?]

Nael sighed once again.

His thoughts were already a mess, and Hisha remained utterly oblivious.

Nael tossed him another dried sweet potato strip.

Honestly, it was easier when he stayed out of sight.

The one who finally offered Nael a solution was his aide.

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The aide cleared his throat nervously.

“Tomorrow is the memorial day of the former Duchess of Stadiun. So… I believe Your Highness should escort the Duchess of Stadiun… unless you are unwilling……”

Even while speaking, the aide looked hesitant, clearly nervous about what kind of fury Nael might unleash.

Truthfully, Agatha was currently the highest-ranking woman in the empire after the Empress herself.

Considering their childhood connection and various political interests, Nael was the most suitable escort.

“I’ll do it.”

Nael answered immediately.

He had already been searching for a natural excuse to see Agatha again anyway.

He wanted to confirm once more whether Agatha had truly changed.

Nael was curious about her life these days.

“I’ll go escort Agatha tomorrow morning. Clear my schedule.”

The aide bowed with a dazed expression.

Hisha, busily chewing sweet potato strips, glanced sideways at Nael.

Hmph. Acting reluctant when you clearly want to see her.

Relationships were all the same in the end.

And there was one more person preparing for Selaila’s memorial day.

None other than Chase Damon.

Everyone already knew Agatha and the Crown Prince were not on good terms. Their verbal engagement had become meaningless.

According to rumors, the Crown Prince and Agatha had decided to walk completely separate paths.

After already losing both her parents, Agatha had effectively lost her fiancé as well.

How heartbroken must she be?

Which meant this was the perfect opportunity to exploit her weakened heart.

“I shall personally visit the ducal estate tomorrow.”

Chase smiled gently.

“Ahem, Chase.”

Count Damon lowered his voice.

“No matter how foolish the Duchess may be, aren’t you still technically a married man?”

The Count cleared his throat.

Now that Rosalyn sat in the position of Empress, it was better not to behave recklessly. Not long ago, Rosalyn herself had warned them to act carefully for Prince Silas’s sake.

Besides, Count Damon could not abandon Mellison.

After all, he was still his second son.

“Surely Mellison should be the one to go……”

“Father, if you send Mellison, he’ll ruin everything. Do you truly think the Duchess would look favorably upon him?”

“What would that girl even know? She’s barely over twenty years old. Surely Mellison can handle one young woman.”

“Which is precisely why I’m the best choice for this task. I’m far more reliable than Mellison. Surely I can win over one young Duchess.”

Seeing the Count hesitate, Chase pressed further.

“Father, aren’t we already proceeding with the marriage annulment lawsuit? From what I’ve heard, the judge is highly likely to rule in my favor.”

Chase smiled smoothly.

“And as you know very well, House Stadiun possesses immense wealth.”

“That’s true.”

“Now imagine all of that falling into the Crown Prince’s hands. Would that truly benefit Prince Silas?”

Count Damon wavered.

Rumors said that if you visited Stadiun territory, gold coins rolled across the ground.

That was how immense their wealth was.

And if such a treasure slipped away?

Of course it would sting. Terribly.

And if that were all, it would still be manageable…

The Count narrowed his eyes.

Lately, the Emperor’s behavior had been unusual.

He kept speaking about the “stolen lands.”

Back when the various feudal kingdoms united to establish the Brylls Empire, several northern lords who disagreed with the alliance had broken away.

They founded independent kingdoms of their own: Taelum, Yulan, and Pierce.

Those three kingdoms were what the Empire referred to as the stolen lands.

Previous Emperors had repeatedly attempted to subjugate the northern kingdoms, but all had failed.

The current Emperor wished to erase that humiliation and leave behind glorious achievements during his reign.

And the one most frequently mentioned as supreme commander was Crown Prince Nael.

If House Stadiun funded Nael’s war efforts—

“…Ugh.”

Count Damon pressed a hand against his forehead.

“That certainly cannot be allowed. It would not be right for Prince Silas either.”

“Please trust me, Father. Have I ever disappointed you?”

Count Damon sighed.

“Yes, you’re far more capable than that fool Mellison. But will the marriage truly be annulled?”

“Yes, Father. As it happens, the judge is the uncle of my friend’s father’s friend.”

“Excellent! Connections truly are everything!”

Chase smiled like a serpent.

It was the smile of a man who already believed he had Agatha in the palm of his hand.