Cruello sat beside me, arms crossed, and gestured toward Gavotte with his chin.
Reluctantly, Gavotte took the seat across from him.
The appetizer felt like thin ice.
I mechanically lifted my spoon.
Just as I was about to put it in my mouth, Cruello spoke.
“Do you finally believe your sister is alive? At the front gate, you were so determined to uncover the truth, accusing me of murder.”
“Pfft—?”
You expect me to eat like this?!
This was not an introduction suitable for swallowing food.
Cruello naturally handed me a napkin, which I used to wipe my mouth.
Gavotte’s face turned red, likely from embarrassment.
So he really did say that.
“D-Did I say something without basis? You wouldn’t let me see her for a week! What else was I supposed to think?”
“...A week?”
“It felt like three weeks.”
“Wait, you tricked me?”
Yeah, no wonder I thought my recovery was too fast for three weeks!
I turned to glare at Cruello, but he remained shameless, simply pointing at my soup again.
Fine, I’ll eat.
It’s definitely not because I sense that Cruello hasn’t completely cooled down.
...This is just miserable.
On a side note, the soup was quite delicious.
As expected of White Desert—their chefs were better than Bonetti’s.
How am I supposed to survive back at the temple when I start craving good food?
“If she was just unconscious, you could have said so.”
“I told the priests.”
“Siora’s family is Bonetti.”
“Family? Does that term apply to a household that adopted her just to shove off a marriage proposal?”
“That’s—!”
“You seem quite close, so calling them family isn’t entirely unreasonable.”
“We don’t need Your Highness’s approval.”
“Ah, family, is it? Then you must know more about Lady Siora than I do.”
“Of course!”
“In that case, can you explain her memory loss?”
The moment the words left his lips, my heart clenched.
I stiffly turned my head to meet Cruello’s gaze.
He smiled, his eyes curving beautifully.
“Keep eating. Until you finish your soup, you won’t be allowed to eat anything else.”
“No, I mean, that’s a little cruel, but I—”
“Or are you sulking because you want me to feed you?”
What an absurd thing to say.
I silently resumed eating.
Maybe this soup was meant to keep my mouth shut.
I had my suspicions, but at this point, I didn’t care anymore.
It’s out of my hands.
I sneaked a glance at Gavotte—he had turned completely to stone. Idiot.
“This is my first time hearing about it. And I couldn’t exactly question my nearly-dead fiancée, now could I? In cases like this, isn’t it customary to ask the family?”
“If you’re asking who is responsible, I understand. Let’s annul the engagement.”
“Do you have the authority to do that?”
“I have full power of attorney from Count Bonetti.”
“Hmm.”
I know nothing. I want no part in this.
I kept my gaze fixed on my bowl, focusing solely on my spoon.
At least my stomach was warm.
Surprisingly, I didn’t feel like I was going to get indigestion despite the tense atmosphere—good menu choice.
“The Count is becoming quite irrational.”
“I’ll handle this quickly so as not to inconvenience Your Highness. Whether it takes nine discussions or ten, what difference does it make?”
“You misunderstand. I was only curious about my beloved—I never asked for an annulment.”
“And you expect me to believe that, after interrogating your fiancée right in front of you?”
Gavotte suddenly stood up, pushing the tension further.
“Fine, I admit it. It was Bonetti’s responsibility to properly investigate Siora’s eligibility and inform Your Highness. That was our failing, so we will take responsibility.”
“Sit.”
“I never approved of this from the start. Marriages are alliances between families anyway, so from our side—!”
“Your sister seems uncomfortable.”
It would be much less uncomfortable if he stopped mentioning my name.
I hesitated, then resumed eating.
Gavotte slowly sat back down.
“My apologies if my disapproval offended you, but I wasn’t planning to argue.”
“Hah.”
“I was simply curious. I wonder which side was truly deceived.”
Cruello smirked, but the atmosphere only grew heavier.
Was he implying that it was the Bonetti siblings who had been tricked? Or himself?
A chill ran down my spine.
And to make things worse, I had finished my soup—meaning I no longer had an excuse to keep my mouth shut.
Feigning indifference, I set my spoon down.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m suddenly feeling very sleepy. Is it okay if I nap?”
“You should probably leave now.”
“...I’m taking Siora with me. She’s regained consciousness—there’s no reason for her to stay here.”
“She’s not even fully recovered. Are you planning to carry her? With your stamina?”
“T-Then I’ll bring people!”
“Oh, and have a bunch of people coming and going in this situation? That would be delightful.”
Cruello sneered at him elegantly.
It was an odd description, but accurate.
Gavotte turned to me for help, but I subtly looked away.
With Nigellia dead, the church would be on high alert.
For now, I needed to stay under White Desert’s protection and observe.
“...Siora, you—”
“I’ll allow an official visit soon. We’ll discuss matters in detail then.”
“Don’t act like you’re granting permission. Siora is still a Bonetti.”
Gavotte turned to leave, and Cruello tilted his head, puzzled.
“Where are you going?”
“Huh?”
“You should leave through the door you entered.”
Cruello calmly pointed at the window.
His eyes curved with amusement, as if genuinely enjoying this.
“Well then, safe travels.”
What a lunatic.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
After a long time, I let the word slip from my lips.
I considered stopping Gavotte, worried he might actually fall to his death. But instead, he only grew more stubborn.
If that’s what he wanted, I had to respect his decision.
“Gavotte!”
“It’s fine! I already said I’d—”
“Leave a will before you go!”
“You... Ugh, just get over here.”
Huh?
I had only meant to tease him, but his reaction was unexpectedly subdued.
Wait, was he planning to grab me and jump together? I hesitated but approached him cautiously.
As I moved closer, the little sparrow tucked into his collar fluttered its wings excitedly.
A sudden silence fell around us, the surrounding sounds cut off, and Gavotte whispered into my ear.
“He was never sane to begin with, but that bastard’s eyes have completely lost it.”
“I thought the same.”
“Be careful. If you drag this out any longer, I’ll send Pianissimo. If you have anything to say, pass it along then.”
“Mm, well.”
“And the annulment—it's true. It’s not just my decision; Minuet agreed too.”
Minuet?
I had already heard too many unbelievable things today. Had she been replaced with an imposter?
I’d have to check later.
Resolving to confirm it, I nodded.
Only then did Gavotte put on a dramatic expression and latch onto the curtain.
Fortunately, there were no screams of agony.
I looked down at Gavotte sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath, and gave him a thumbs-up.
My brother—he gets things done when it counts.
Just then, a hand landed on my shoulder.
“You should rest now.”
“...Yes.”
For the first time, a gentle voice sent chills down my spine.
I scrambled under the blankets.
I had made it in, but was it really okay to ignore reality and just sleep?
“What are you doing? Didn’t you say you wanted to sleep?”
“A-Ah, well, I just realized I haven’t brushed my teeth.”
Cruello lazily flicked his fingers.
Before I could even react, a single droplet of water formed in the air and swept through my mouth.
...Magic, what even.
At this point, I was less impressed by its convenience and more curious.
Which lunatic spent time developing a spell for brushing teeth?
It was ridiculous, but I obediently shut my eyes.
At the very least, pretending to sleep would give me some time to think.
But the weight of a gaze pressed down too obviously.
“...You’re not leaving?”
“I’m staying here.”
“Your staring is making me uncomfortable.”
“You slept just fine before.”
“That was because I was unconscious...”
“The Grand Elder is on high alert. You can’t use Nigellia as a shield anymore.”
I had thought the same, but hearing it from Cruello’s mouth irritated me.
“The reason I let priests in so frequently was partly because of that. The more ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ eyes on us, the harder it is to act. I apologize for making that decision without discussing it.”
“Well, I was asleep the whole time, so...”
“You were asleep last time too.”
Last time—when he made that offer to Nigellia?
Fair point.
“But my darling didn’t discuss hiding her memory loss with me either.”
“...What?”
“I’m joking.”
A quiet chuckle followed.
I kept my eyes shut, unable to see his expression.
After hesitating, I finally cracked my eyes open.
Cruello’s gaze met mine.
“You’re lying about the memory loss.”
“Mm.”
“I mean, I can’t tell you everything, can I? Pebula’s priestess, Morion—there’s too much to hide.”
“And?”
“There’s more?”
“There’s plenty my darling hasn’t told me. How did you come to serve Pebula? Why are you so desperate to destroy Morion?”
“Ah.”
“I knew you wouldn’t tell me, so I never asked. But realizing others might know what I don’t... I guess I was just taking it out on you.”
Cruello gave a sheepish shrug.
“I can still trust you, right? For now.”
“...Yes, for now.”
His lips curled into a soft smile.
Then, without warning, his hand covered my eyes.
“Go to sleep.”
“But I wasn’t actually tired.”
“I know. But now you really are, aren’t you? Your eyelids are drooping.”
“...Shouldn’t we be preparing and making plans instead?”
“Nothing will change if you rest for one more day. You bought yourself two weeks.”
“Unbelievable. Using the three-week lie like this.”
It was absurd, but I had to admit—it really did feel like I had gained time.
Lying in bed with my eyes closed, I actually began to feel drowsy.
Consciousness slipped away.
“Sweet dreams.”
For once, I thought, maybe I wouldn’t have nightmares.