First Year First Semester – Q of Hearts – Mansion (Part 4) Note: Please don’t read it in the little pop-up for the reader. For some reason it doesn’t reflect my later edits (which I often make a lot of after publishing), so please click ‘view original’.
How many times have I already dropped the soldiers into a pitfall? Not a single man of valour has made it to where I am.
“Camille, how long are you going to play around for?”
Achille brought me in front of the door. When I saw that the number of icicles had increased, I realised that while I was busy dropping soldiers into holes, the number of Achille’s victims further increased.
“Nnnnn, I’m not playing, you know.”
I raised my voice in protest, but Achille paid it no heed and took my arm. With my arm still linked with his, we walked to Royce-sama’s side.
“I wonder what we should do with these.”
With sparkling eyes filled with amus.e.m.e.nt, Royce-sama was watching the count and his daughter who were both coiled up by th.o.r.n.y vines. What a nice smile!
The count had probably struggled quite hard to get out of the vines. His clothes were worn and tattered. As for his daughter, she had no energy. She’s a girl with a familiar face, but this girl has been acting strangely ever since she saw us entering the room. Her complexion worsened, and she was fearfully looking in Raiga’s direction.
As for Raiga, because he had burst in here by himself and began fighting, his body was wounded all over. Kai was covered in similarly harsh wounds. Count, even though Raiga is the son of the Royal Prince, you attacked him? Isn’t that no good…? Even if it was in self-defence, this is overdoing it. Guess there’s no choice, huh. Shall I heal him? When I made to heal the two of them, I was stopped by Achille.
“You don’t have much magic power, so I’ll do it.”
“But…”
“Camille, just leave it to Achille.”
For some reason, Royce-sama stopped me with a smirk. I don’t really get it, but I’ll take Achille up on his offer.
Achille precisely sent off healing magic at a distance. How skilful… I was looking at Achille with a sidelong gaze, when Royce-sama spoke to me in a quiet voice.
“Achille has a surprisingly strong desire to monopolise you, doesn’t he? He doesn’t want you to treat other men, you know.”
“Eh-…”
I was bewildered by the unexpected response. Is that why he stopped me just now?
It looks like Raiga and Kai’s injuries have healed. A smile has returned, just a little, to Mei’s face. Raiga called out to Mei about something, but because they were too far, I couldn’t really hear. Is it a lover’s conversation? Or is it asking about the events that led to this? On the side, Kai is watching the two of them with a dissatisfied expression.
The Spades faction are here in full force, but why is Kai in a place like this…? I’ve been having my doubts about that for a while now, but as I thought, I can’t really figure it out. After all, there’s also the fact that I feel that he arrived a little too quickly for somebody who found out about danger to his sister by chance.
“So, Count t.i.to. Is what Mei said true?”
Raiga suddenly spoke to the count. That’s it! It was Count t.i.to! So vexing! Even though I even recalled as far as ‘Ti-‘…!
Still wrapped up in the vines, Count t.i.to shouted.
“Raiga-sama! Why are you getting familiar with those of the King Faction!? You are the son of Royal Prince Kuuga!”
It seems that he’s dissatisfied about the fact that Raiga is with us.
“Who I get familiar with is my right. It’s nothing to do with you.”
“But, they are the enemy!”
“To me, you lot who did this to Mei are more the enemy!”
Raiga glared at them with a furious expression. The daughter began trembling even more.
“It was a plot to separate Mei and I, and have me marry that woman over there, wasn’t it? Was turning your blade even towards me because you wanted to capture me weakened and have me move as you pleased?”
With a wicked smile, Raiga approached the count and his daughter.
“That was for your sake…”
“It was for your sake, wasn’t it!? Using Royce to depose the king, separating Mei and I… You wanted to turn me, who would be your future son-in-law, into a puppet and seize control, right!?”
“Hii-!”
Raiga’s anger wouldn’t stop. There’s enough momentum that Count t.i.to will end up killed at this rate. The cornered count continued giving even more excuses.
“It’s that woman! That woman’s in the wrong! She whispered something into your ears! She’s a spy of the King Faction!”
Count t.i.to started attacking Mei. You could tell what a small fry the count was from how he mercilessly attacked only Mei who wasn’t resisting.
“That’s enough, okay?”
Suddenly, one of the vines constricting Count t.i.to rose into the air, and then came down on his b.u.t.t.
“Higii-”
“Royce-sama?”
The count let out a cry of anguish. It seems that Royce-sama had his own anger about this.
“Well? Who are the others that you’re connected with?”
“Kuu… I have nothing to say to say to you!”
“Really. Even if I do this?”
Another vine came down on him.
R-R-R-Royce-sama, is this an interrogation? Just when did you learn something like that!?
I was panicked. As the th.o.r.n.y whip swung down at the count, Royce-sama questioned him with a smile. It seems that he’s an expert at it for some reason, but this isn’t something a normal prince does. The count’s huge bottom was swollen bright red, pants torn.
“At any rate, after having father step down from the throne, you were planning on killing me together with him, right? It’s uninspired, isn’t it? Who did you receive those orders from?”
Frankly speaking, he’s several times scarier than Raiga.
“Or was it something you thought up yourself? Just how did you gather up this many soldiers, I wonderr?”
“Guahh-”
Achille who had noticed that I’d paled subtly pulled me towards him, and blocked my sight with an embrace.
“Royce-sama, let’s leave the rest to the interrogation service. People from the castle should arrive before long.”
“Hmph, guess there’s no choice, huhh.”
Royce-sama looked a little discontented, but he obediently followed Achille’s suggestion. Being freed from Royce-sama, the count wet his pants in relief, and lost consciousness.