Chapter: 622
When I returned to the mansion with that bastard, the first one to greet me was…
Let me correct that. The first one to pounce on me was the Sloppy Fox.
Before I even stepped into the mansion’s entrance, somehow, she recognized me and jumped at my face, only to be caught by the scruff of her neck.
“Haaah! This scent! Those sharp eyes! This tingly feeling! This must be Lucy…!”
Hearing the Sloppy Fox drooling as she mumbled, I suddenly threw my arms back.
“Whoa? Lucy! What the heck is happening here?!”
I threw the Sloppy Fox into the Void.
If she were an ordinary creature, she would have fallen and died from that height, but that creature, being the master of the forest, wouldn’t die from that much.
What a pity. I really wish she would just die.
“My daughter! Are you back?!”
“Yes, I’m back, you incompetent idiot of a father.”
I was going to scold her for failing to catch the Sloppy Fox, but I was taken aback by her more pointed tone than I expected and realized my own emotions were on edge. Was it the aftermath of reading Lucy’s memories on the island?
“Lu… Lucy?”
The moment I opened my mouth, I knew a flood of rebuke would come pouring out, so I said nothing and entered the reception room.
I could hear Benedict behind me, holding Karia and crying, but there was nothing I could do about it.
If I opened my mouth now to clarify, I’d end up leaping at Benedict like a teenage girl, and that dad fool would probably cry for three days and nights and faint.
It was better to let them misunderstand on their own. After tossing aside the bastard I had brought, I took my place above her and pondered over my turbulent feelings with my chin resting on my hand.
It felt similar to when I had a conversation with Benedict in winter. An emotion that feels like mine but isn’t really mine.
[The hero said what you saw at the end of the
The voice within me.
In my case, it would be Lucy’s voice.
The fact that her voice is this deep makes me wonder if Lucy really isn’t gone.
Is she simply lost in a deep, deep slumber?
I’ve never faced Lucy herself, so I can’t say for sure.
But if Lucy is still here, I think I would be happy. That means everything can return to where it originally belongs.
[It seems that the old
‘No. He was a good father even back then. I was just a bad daughter.’
If it were Lucy, I bet she would say something like this. While I thought that, I felt a piercing gaze from the crack in the door.
The Sloppy Fox in human form was glaring at me. Did my tossing her aside really tick her off that much?
From my point of view, I thought it was quite a merciful response. After all, you were the one who broke the promise first.
“…I’m jealous!”
Ah. She wasn’t mad at me.
She was jealous of the bastard lying underneath me. Thinking it’s really consistent, I looked down at her with cold eyes when a rough hand snatched her away.
“Let her go! I said let her go! I need to fill up on Lucy essence!!!”
“Shut up! Because of you, Lucy is… is…!!”
A commotion erupted outside, and before long, those who had been waiting returned to the Allen Family.
Joy, Arthur, and Rene. Just a few days ago, their faces were a torment to meet, but the memories of Lucy I saw on the island made me feel delighted to see them.
“Gloomy Prince. Where have you been running around like that?”
No, it’s a more complicated emotion than that.
“If someone who lived like mold in a corner runs around like that, they’ll be cleansed by the sunlight, you know?”
I felt shame for the words I had carelessly said, discomfort for the past that had clung to my loneliness, and reminded of moments I needed to tuck away in my black history, making the very presence of Rene uneasy, yet still welcoming, wanting to have a conversation again.
“Sorry for being late, but who’s the woman lying under you?”
“She’s the bastard that slandered me as the only piece of trash in the gloomy prince’s life.”
Rene was undoubtedly a precious person to Lucy. That’s why she pushed Rene away. She prioritized Rene‘s future over her own desires.
“…What? No. Wait. Are you serious?”
“Do you think I could easily forget a moldy human like you?”
The feelings originating from Lucy were warm.
“Did you forget or something?”
“You’re naive. Do you really think that makes sense?”
“But you…”
However, the feelings originating from me were hot.
To put it simply, this guy who seemed like he would lament his incompetence for losing a woman annoyed me.
“Hahaha♡ So you’ve been sulking a lot, huh? So honest♡”
“Th-that…”
Rene must have known Lucy intentionally pushed him away.
He couldn’t have missed it!
This guy is infuriating but genuinely skilled!
Yet, instead of trying to meet Lucy again, Rene was cooped up in the palace, whining!
If you’re a man, shouldn’t you at least try to resolve the misunderstanding?!
Why give up right away? Was Lucy just that insignificant to you?!
“You could have just said it honestly, yet you came looking and acted so childish, how pathetic♡ Are you still a man?♡”
“…You…”
“Did you really expect me to treat you kindly like before?♡ Being locked up in the palace must have made you lose your social skills, huh?♡ That can’t be. Pathetic Prince♡”
Not for anyone else, but for you, no way!
Not to mention that I wouldn’t permit it! I can’t let a spineless man like you have Lucy!
No! Absolutely not!
“Did you expect a pet that would wag its tail no matter how many years you left it alone?♡ Did you want me to bark with enthusiasm?♡ Not going to happen, that’s only a dream you’d have when you are having wet dreams!♡”
As the taunts continued, Rene, turning pale, staggered backward and lost balance. Arthur rushed to catch him, opening his mouth in shock.
“Stop! Big brother’s mental strength is already at its limits! If this continues, he’ll die!”
“What a coincidence! I’d love it if he would just die♡ It’s so creepy that someone like him cares for me♡”
“…You’re right. Dying might be better.”
“Big brother! Calm down! I don’t know what happened in the past, but for now, we need to talk!”
While Arthur was persuading the despairing Rene, Joy hurriedly approached me trying to cover my mouth. Naturally, her actions were thwarted by my hand.
“Pervert Sloppy Fox? Did you want to touch my skin that badly?”
“Th-that’s not it!”
“Then what is it? You’re not siding with that pathetic Prince over me, are you?”
“No! I’ve always sided with Lucy! What happens to the First Prince is none of my business!?”
“Joy!? What kind of crazy talk are you spewing now!”
My feelings were no different from Arthur‘s. I never expected Joy to say something like that.
“Honestly, I want the First Prince to disappear too! Lucy is mine!”
“…What?”
“But leave chasing away the First Prince until everything is over! It’s not the right time for that!”
No. Wait. What? Did Joy just say it’s hers? As I pondered over her words, embarrassment kicked out anger.
“That’s an interesting piece of information. I never thought the Ducal Young Lady would have that kind of preference.”
As Karia chuckled beside me, Joy seemed to realize how her words could be taken, her face turning crimson as she stepped back.
“No! That’s not what I meant! I just want Lucy to be by my side as a friend!”
“It’s fine, Ducal Young Lady. There are quite a few nobles with interests in such things.”
“I’m saying no!”
“You don’t need to worry. I’ll bury this deep in my heart…”
In her dazed state, Joy began drawing multiple Magic Circles, prompting Karia to quickly change the subject.
“Just kidding! Just a joke. The atmosphere was getting too heavy, so I wanted to lighten it up.”
“There’s a level of that too!”
“I’m sorry, Ducal Young Lady. I failed to gauge the situation because I’ve been getting cozy with the Employer. If you punish me, I’ll accept anything.”
Karia bowed her head, and Joy slowly began to erase her Magic Circle one by one.
“U-um. It’s okay. I got a bit carried away myself.”
“Thank you for your mercy, Young Lady.”
Once again bowing her head, Karia approached Rene and whispered something.
I didn’t know what she conveyed, but with every word Karia uttered, Rene regained color and by the time she finished speaking, he had returned to his former self.
“I apologize. I showed an unsightly side for a moment.”
“Huh? Was that unsightly…?”
“Employer. Let’s stop there. We have a lot to discuss, you know?”
Under Karia’s lead, we gathered around the table and waited patiently for her to steer the conversation.
“I’ve just heard that the First Prince, your majesty, the King has passed away, and the First Queen is hiding it. Is that true?”
“That’s correct. I saw it with my own eyes alongside the Fairy Queen.”
“Wait? What? The King is dead?”
So soon? Isn’t the event supposed to happen much later?!
Why did an event meant for the third year happen already?!
Wait, did the First Queen hide all of this? Why!?
“We are moving quickly because we don’t know what a mentally unstable First Queen might do.”
“I have secured the cooperation of the three ducal families.”
“Then we’ll cooperate with the Newman Family on our end to deal with minor matters. That should be sufficient, right?”
Excuse me! Don’t you think the story is moving too fast?! Can you explain it in a way that even an outsider can understand?! I don’t know a thing right now!
[Just stay quiet. They’ll explain later.]
‘But I feel excluded!’
[That’s what being an adult is, to navigate without seeming bothered.]
As I silently kept my mouth shut at my grandfather’s words, Karia reached under my armpit and lifted me up.
“Auntie.”
“Hahaha. I wanted to try this at least once. Employer, why are you so light? Where have your muscles gone?”
“Do you want to be insulted like that?”
“I’m sorry!”
Apologizing, she placed me back in my seat, then grabbed the hair of the bastard lying beneath me.
“You’re lucky. This bastard is part of the First Queen’s direct Information Department. She’s got a decent position, so she knows a lot.”
“You managed to catch her. She’s a creature obsessed with self-preservation.”
“That’s because I have an ability user next to me.”
With a grin, Karia slapped the bastard’s cheek and lifted her up.
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