Chapter 8
‘Dad burnt the invitation on the spot, saying that the Imperial Court had sent me a load of nonsense.’
I just kind of forgot about it, but now that I think about it, maybe it was Carnelian’s way of looking out for me.
‘Maybe he thought I might feel awkward going alone…’
There’s no way my parents would have entered the palace, and even if an imperial carriage had picked me up, I’m pretty sure my dad would have thrown a thunderbolt at the roof of his carriage the moment he walked through the gates of Staedt Manor.
‘If I had Carnelian as an escort, would I have had the courage to wear that dress?’
I don’t know if he would have told me I looked good in it, but I also don’t think he would have laughed at me.
‘He’s not a bad guy, but…’
Perhaps noticing my contemplation, Mir took a step back. “Why don’t you give him a chance? If you’re unsure, how about having a chat over champagne or something?”
She turned to leave. Mir was popular in her own way. Mostly educated people wanted to hear her views, coming from the City of Sages. They just couldn’t get to her because she was otherwise occupied talking to me.
‘Since Mir is actively suggesting it, should I try talking to Carnelian? It could also give Mir time to talk to others.’
I mean, just because I’m talking to the prince alone doesn’t mean we’re suddenly becoming lovers, after all.
“Okay, I’ll give it a try…”
“Eek!”
It was terrifying as the scream pierced through. Reflexively turning my head, I met the eyes of a child staring straight at me. Their new attire, quite different from the local fashion, indicated they were from a distant place.
The boy pointed at me, shouting in a breathless voice, ‘Demon, monst—run! Run!’
In a panicked rush, they staggered backward. Observing the commotion, Mir muttered, ‘Who’s that… Are they from the Little family in the southern corner?’
“I don’t know that family.”
The South was a peaceful province, even when the Demon King was strong and demons were rampaging. Perhaps they hadn’t even seen a real demon.
The Little youth, visibly terrified, attempted to flee, shoving aside the people around. But finding no pathway cleared by those around, they cried for help.
“Guards! Guards!”
I could see them grabbing him to calm him down.
“Young master Little, calm down!”
“Let go! Can’t you see that monster?”
“That’s not a monster—that’s Lady Staedt!”
“Are you all crazy? You think that monster is a lady?”
“Young master, what rudeness is this? Hurry, apologize to the lady!”
Everyone panicked and reprimanded the young boy. The city nobles, with curious eyes, alternated between observing me and the yelling child. Those afraid of me seemed terrified, as if expecting me to attack the lad with my long, sharp claws.
‘Today has been rather unusual.’
Such incidents were always expected during major events. I had simply let my guard down after not seeing this in a while since last autumn.
“Stop it! Let me go!”
“Hurry, apologize to Lady Staedt!”
Some of the nobles, worried that I might be angry, even grabbed the boy and began dragging him toward me.
“Ahh! Agh!”
He was truly an unusual coward. The Little boy screamed, then made a breathless sound, and his eyes rolled back in his head.
“Young master? Young master Little?”
“Look!”
As they brought him closer, the startled nobles subtly released their grip on the unconscious youth and stepped back. Unfortunately, the young lad lay sprawled on the floor of the banquet hall with outstretched limbs.
Knights and guards who heard the commotion approached me and inquired, “Shall we take the patient to a physician?”
I nodded. It was a formal inquiry about what to do with the lad who had behaved rudely toward me, a matter that should be dealt with by Staedt after all.
Upon receiving my consent, the guards promptly lifted the young boy who disrupted the banquet and disappeared. Mir appeared disinterested in the youth causing a ruckus, but seemed curious about why I remained silent.
“It’s not good to hold your temper.”
“I’m not angry.”
“You have every right to be angry, because he called you a demon. I’m sure Lord Staedt would be very angry if he saw that.”
“My father… He probably would. Me, not so much.”
It was true that I looked like a cursed monster, and I couldn’t blame him for being afraid of my appearance.
‘Besides, if I’m going to get angry at people for being rude to me, the prince would be on the top of that list…’
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.