Chapter 118

They told Yelberk everything that had happened up to that point.

Even after hearing all of it, Yelberk couldn't quite work out what kind of situation this was.

He'd worked up the nerve to come, but he'd told himself that even if they turned him away at the door, there wouldn't be anything he could do about it.

And then they just believed him.

Was a person allowed to be this trusting?

It went past absurd into the territory of this has to be a dream of mine.

So without thinking, Yelberk stretched his own cheek out.

It hurt.

"Oh, what a cute thing you just did."

"What? Cute?"

"Your cheek stretched out all stretchy, like a mochi — that's cute."

"Mochi? What's that?"

"Something like your cheek."

"……."

He'd thought she was a different kind of person.

What had she been like the first time he'd seen her?

Iberin had smiled softly at the young Lecashe heir and been warm with him.

Unlike his own parents, every gesture had love woven through it, and he'd just thought, helplessly, I'm jealous.

"What is it?"

But — that look in her eyes was no different from how she looked at the young heir Ether.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What? How am I looking at you, Your Highness?"

"…Affectionately."

Yel forced it out, his voice slightly strained.

"Because you're cute."

Iberin laughed softly and said it.

"Why do you trust me?"

"Is it a problem that I trust you? Isn't that what you came here for?"

"That's true, but it was so easy I can't quite believe it…."

"You're suspicious by nature."

"…It's not suspicion, it's confusion."

The child wasn't acting like a child.

Not in his tone, not in his behavior.

The last time he'd played with Ether he'd seemed to play perfectly well, so apparently he'd been adjusting himself to suit her son.

"Well, what should I do for you?"

"I didn't mean for you to do anything. If anything, it's me who should be doing something for you."

"Then could I ask you one favor?"

When Iberin asked, Yelberk nodded readily, as if he'd been waiting for it.

That made him look childlike again.

"Just name it. Anything."

"Anything?"

"Yes. Anything."

At the confident, ready posture, Iberin smiled gently.

"Play with my children for a bit."

"……What?"

Yelberk's voice cracked, echoing through the parlor.

"They say children are the window to the heart. If my children get along with you, I think I can relax a little."

"…Wait, did you say children?"

"Ah! Yes, we adopted. Including Ether, we have three now."

"Don't tell me that's the whole favor?"

"It isn't."

Only then did Yelberk let out a breath of relief.

This was just the appetizer.

---

Iberin and Yelberk moved to the flower garden. Soon Rotte brought the children out.

"Who's he? You're not telling me you're adopting him too?"

That was Rozelia's opening line when she saw Yelberk sitting there like a painting.

"I'm not an adoptee."

"Oh? Well, glad you're not a rival in love. So what are you?"

"I'm Crown Prince Yelberk Areta."

There was a slightly more imperious feel to him now, different from how he'd been with Iberin and Lyssel.

Not arrogant exactly, not putting on airs — more like a child imitating an adult.

"Aaah! Ether knows that big brother prince!"

Shy Ether had been hiding behind Kal because of the stranger, but at the familiar name he poked his head out and grinned.

He'd played with him as a friend his own age the first time they'd met, so the gladness was bigger — he even ran over and threw himself into a hug.

"Wow, big bro! Did you come to see Ether?"

Yelberk seemed thrown by the sudden hug, but at Ether's bright, unclouded smile he smiled back.

"What, you know the Crown Prince too?"

"Yeah, met him once before."

"Once? And you're that excited?"

"He was nice to me!"

"Oh, please — he was nice to you once and you act like this? You some kind of stray puppy?"

Rozelia narrowed her eyes into sharp triangles and shot Yelberk a glare.

"Ether's a person! And big sis Rozel hasn't once been nice!"

"Excuse me?! I'm nice to you all the time, that's hurtful!"

"You bully me every day…."

"How is that bullying. That's teasing."

"Big bro doesn't tease me, he played nice with Ether."

"Oh, you like him so much, why don't you just go live with the Crown Prince forever!"

Apparently she was a little jealous at how thrilled Ether was about Yelberk.

Ether, oblivious as ever, was too busy beaming at Yelberk to notice.

"Big bro, big bro, what're we gonna play with Ether today?"

"……We are going to play, but all of us together."

"Okay!"

"Well, I don't want to!"

Rozelia plopped herself down with her back against a tree and buried her face.

"……."

For some reason Yelberk already felt tired, and he glanced back at Iberin — but she was just watching the children with a fond expression.

After a sidelong glance at her face, Yelberk thought,

This is a trial. She's clearly testing me. Asking me to play with a girl with a temper like this is the start of it…….

After a small steadying breath, Yelberk arranged his face into a picture-perfect smile and walked over to Rozelia.

"Don't be like that — let's play together."

"What's this, do I know you?"

Rozelia, of course, wasn't an easy mark.

---

Rozelia, who at first seemed to be making him work for it, gave in after Yelberk came back a few times and started playing along.

Iberin and Lyssel were sitting at the tea table watching them.

"He's really trying."

Yel must have figured there was some intent behind Iberin's favor, because he was doing his best to coax Rozelia and join in.

"But are you really sure this is all right?"

"…Honestly, I don't know."

There was no way to be certain whether the emperor had done nothing to Yelberk.

The thought would he really reach as far as his own son did surface.

"Still, I want to give him my trust."

"…Is that all?"

"Earlier, while we were talking, his hands were shaking."

"Were they?"

"Yes. They were. Nothing he said sounded like a lie, and he's only seven — it's just too sad."

When she thought about it, plenty of people stayed by Yelberk's side in the original — but the only one he'd truly trusted was Rozelia.

Holding to one's convictions and trusting others were separate things.

"I don't even want to suppose it, but — even if the emperor did send him, it's all right."

"Why is that?"

The emperor was an enemy they had to deal with.

He wasn't in a position where they could afford any opening, and yet she was saying it was fine.

"Because he's still a child. I don't want to brand him."

"How can you be like that?"

"Like what?"

"…You're a remarkable person, and I — I'm so different from you……."

"I'm not remarkable. I just……."

She just happened to know a little more than most about the traits of the three protagonists of the original story.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it, and let the sentence trail off.

"Just?"

"I guess I'm soft on children."

"That part's true. Either way, I don't think the Crown Prince was lying, so I'll trust him too. This is my choice, all of it."

Without realizing, both their eyes drifted over to the children, who were laughing now.

The smile that always sat on his face out of habit shifted into something else.

A little more like a child's.

---

The hypnosis they'd been trying to place on the Sherburn viscount's family was apparently complete.

They couldn't fully trust Caliman, so they verified it in front of their own eyes, over and over.

With this, the mouths of the viscount's family were sealed shut for good.

If they valued their own lives, they'd keep quiet.

"Then my work here is done."

The one thing nagging at them was that Caliman couldn't put hypnosis on himself.

Then again, they had something on him, so he wouldn't be able to move recklessly.

On top of that, the materials Yelberk had handed over laid out, in a clean, orderly list, the names of the hypnotists and everything the emperor had done together with them.

Iberin looked quietly into his eyes.

The one who looked away first was Caliman.

"M-may I be on my way back, then?"

"I don't believe I ever said I'd let you go because your work was finished."

"…What?"

"I thought it over a bit, and the fact is, you've been on the emperor's side for a long time."

"……."

"How am I supposed to trust you?"

Caliman blinked, looking dumbfounded.

"You said you'd let me go… if I just placed the hypnosis……. You never even meant to."

The trembling, betrayed way he said it was almost funny.

"What are you going to do, kill me?"

"Maybe I will?"

"……Wh-what?"

Caliman shook harder than before.

"Though just killing you would be boring."

"P-please let me live! Please, I did everything you told me! You said you'd let me live!"

Iberin let out a small laugh.

He'd killed people without an ounce of guilt as a hypnotist himself, and apparently he didn't want to die.

How funny was that.

"I'm joking."

"…What?"

"I said I'm joking. Just one more warning, in case you try anything."

"……Ah."

"In case it's not clear, don't try anything."

Lyssel stepped up to Caliman menacingly.

He lifted Caliman's chin and held his eyes.

Caliman, desperate not to meet his eyes, rolled his pupils every which way in a panic.

"Go straight back to Montiana territory and keep your head down."

"Yes, yes."

"Don't move even if the emperor calls. Stay put."

"Of course!"

His eyes were full of fear.

Watching Caliman nod like he'd lost his mind, Lyssel jerked the hand at his chin to the side in a get out motion.

Caliman bolted from the manor as if his tail were on fire.

"Will he actually do what you said?"

"Doesn't matter either way. If he does, he'll pay for his crimes; if he runs to the emperor instead, he'll pay for his crimes."

"True enough."

Yelberk and Cherity didn't like leaving loose ends.

Lyssel, of course, was the same way.

And the viscount's family wouldn't be scheming anything more, but they'd put a watcher on them just in case.

At least until everything was wrapped up.

"By tomorrow, the capital will be in an uproar."

"It will."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm curious how the emperor will react…."

As for the cult business, Yelberk had decided to expose the imperial family's wrongdoing himself.

If the Crown Prince came out with it directly, people would have no choice but to believe it.

It seemed too cruel and they'd tried to stop him, but Yelberk had been firm.