Chapter 65
Watching the workers of the Rose Guild being dragged away by the knights, Lia Viper recalled what had happened that morning.
Grrr…
The shock of seeing a lizard trembling in the pocket where Lord Cherry should have been…
Even thinking back on it was absurd, yet Lia prioritized turning the pocket upside down to remove the lizard.
“So, it’s you. Lord Cherry’s companion lizard.”
Grrr…
Though no words came from the lizard, it seemed like they could communicate.
The lizard nodded urgently.
Just as Gerard had said—there really was a lizard that could communicate just like Lord Cherry, who was practically a beastman.
“Where’s Lord Cherry, and why are you here?”
Grrr, grrr…
Instead of answering, the lizard flicked its tail, as if signaling her to follow.
Peeking back to make sure she was following, the lizard led her under the bed.
And what unfolded next was…
“A drawing…?”
Judging by the cute little handprint at the bottom, it was clearly a message sent by Lord Cherry.
“You want me to deliver this?”
Grrr.
The lizard nodded, and Lia slowly examined the drawing.
A squirrel, two dragons, a snake—and a carriage.
“Lord Cherry… followed the carriage?”
Grrr.
The first part of the message was straightforward.
The problem was the next drawing.
“It’s cute, but not really cute.”
Thinking of the little hands trembling as they drew, she couldn’t help clenching her fists—but the drawing was far from adorable.
“A chestnut burr? A sea urchin? Or… a human face?”
Inside an oval spiked like a chestnut burr, eyes, nose, and mouth were drawn, almost like a composite sketch.
Lia carefully examined the drawing again.
“This is the Rose Guild emblem… and the next one… the underground prison of Black Dragon Castle?”
The bars drawn mercilessly at the base of the castle were unmistakably iron.
Making a guess:
“Is this telling me to find these faces among the Rose Guild workers and imprison them?”
Grrr!
The lizard nodded vigorously at her words.
It took a moment, but it seemed she had the correct answer.
‘I don’t know why Lord Cherry wants them imprisoned…’
But Lia trusted that there must be a reason.
From what she had seen of Lord Squirrel, he always seemed several moves ahead.
So she immediately summoned the knights.
Of course, she didn’t explain the whole process.
“You want to capture the Rose Guild workers? Princess… you’ll anger them.”
A few knights frowned, but it was no problem.
The lord of Black Dragon Castle, Duke Kreutz, had left and ordered them to fulfill whatever Lord Cherry wanted.
In other words, Lord Cherry’s command was effectively the lord’s command.
“It’s the lord’s order.”
Who’s talking about me?
I absentmindedly shook my face as my ears tingled.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with your health?”
It was the court physician, returning reluctantly from the underground cell after Kennyh’s insistence.
“Y-yes! Breathing is normal, body temperature is fine…”
“Tch!”
I rolled on the bed in place of the sweating physician.
Perhaps because I had rested more, the dizziness had eased.
But Kennyh, with a stern face, simply pressed me back onto the bed.
“You should head back now.”
He sent everyone out—physician, Gerard, Yeloise—all the guests in the room.
It was just me and Kennyh left in the bedroom. Silence lingered for a while.
“Cherry.”
Kennyh, who had been staring at me, spoke first.
His already cold expression had stiffened further, so I didn’t expect anything pleasant.
‘I’ve caused too much trouble… I don’t know what’s coming.’
I nervously swallowed and tried to gauge his expression.
Every night I had escaped from the duke’s bedroom, and now I had escaped Black Dragon Castle itself.
If that weren’t enough, I had even thrown myself at an incoming arrow.
Sure enough, Kennyh pulled the cushion I was sitting on and asked in a low voice:
“Why on earth did you do that?”
Though he skipped the preamble, I understood he meant the arrow incident.
‘Why did I do that?’
I hesitated. Honestly, I didn’t even know why.
Since losing my mother, I had always valued my life above all.
But the moment the mana-contaminated arrow was aimed at Kennyh, my mind went blank, leaving no thought at all.
I only thought I had to stop that arrow.
And honestly, I didn’t regret it.
‘Because I’m still alive.’
Even if time rewound, I would have run toward Kennyh again.
After fiddling with my fingers for a while, I cautiously spoke.
“Tch….”
Because you were in danger.
If the arrow contaminated with the mana neurotoxin had grazed Kennyh, it would have been catastrophic.
The mana he struggled to balance would have poured like a waterfall, and the outbreak would have been inevitable.
Even if it stopped just before full rampage, Gerard and Yeloise would have been engulfed by the mana, meeting a grim fate.
Not to mention a tiny me.
“Tch….”
Then you would have…
I lifted my head and looked at Kennyh.
‘You couldn’t have endured it yourself.’
Since arriving at Black Dragon Castle, I had spent every hour of the day with Kennyh.
We slept in the same bed and woke to the same mornings.
Perhaps that’s why I could read so much from his expression alone.
Behind that bloodless, tearless face, he cherished those dear to him.
And he despised himself for just that much.
Because of the fear that, against his will, he might harm those he cared about.
That was why, whenever his berserk phase approached, he drank poison to harm himself instead.
He thought harming himself was better than harming those he cherished.
Yeloise, bound by blood, and Gerard, a longtime friend and loyal subordinate.
If he lost them, Kennyh might live his entire life in self-loathing.
‘I couldn’t bear to see you spend your life in guilt.’
As I quietly watched him,
“What could you be thinking with that little head of yours?”
Kennyh pressed his finger firmly against my head.
“Tch!”
What!? I was telling an emotional story!
I flailed my arms, trying to free myself from his grip.
“I was worried. You slept like the dead for two whole days…”
A voice seemed to come from above my head.
Unable to continue, I peeked up at him.
“Tch?”
You were very worried?
“You were very worried?”
He surprisingly gave the correct interpretation instead of his usual strange guesses.
“The lord didn’t leave Lord Cherry’s side even for a moment. You didn’t get a wink of sleep for two days, and now you’re finally away.”
I already knew from Gerard’s hint, but I pretended not to, wanting to hear it directly from Kennyh.
“Well…”
Kennyh squinted slightly, looking down at me, pursing his lips coyly.
Then slowly parted his red lips.
