Chapter 9: Former Crown Prince

Chapter 9:
Former Crown Prince

 

“I’M HOME.”

Having spent about a month away from the estate, Julius was genuinely relieved to see Marie again. He then glanced around at the other boys, who had all prepared lavish presents for her.

How pathetic of me, he thought.

Seeing these amazing gifts, he realized how hopeless he was. He hadn’t managed to make very much money at all.

Marie drew closer to him. “Julius, what’s with those clothes?” She was clearly worried for him. That, at least, brought a smile to his face.

“I was working at a food stall.”

“A food stall?”

Kyle and Carla were standing nearby as well. In fact, those weren’t the only familiar faces; Yumeria was here, as well as Angie’s servant, Cordelia. He ignored them all and focused on Marie.

“I actually intended to get here first thing, but Chief stocks up on supplies in the mornings, so I was helping him out.”

Julius had been working hard since Chief had picked him up off the streets. He hadn’t made much money, however, since it was a minimum wage-type job.

“It’s a skewer stall,” he explained.

“You were working at a skewer stall?” Marie’s jaw dropped.

Is she disappointed in me?

Even if she was, this was all Julius had to offer. Plus, he didn’t think his time spent working at the food stall had been a waste. He’d truly had fun there, and it had been a struggle every day. He’d poured all of his effort into it and still only managed to earn a pittance, but that had taught him much about the world. While working for Chief, he’d had to listen to drunken customers moan and groan, and Chief had scolded him numerous times for his ignorance. Julius now realized how wrong he had been about many, many things.

“I honestly did want to buy you a present, but I thought this might be the best gift I could give.” He held out the envelope containing all the money he’d earned over the past month.

Marie accepted it. The money inside was by no means an impressive sum.

“That was the best I could do,” he said. “And I understand now. I really was a fool. I realized one had to work to earn money, but I didn’t really comprehend the deeper meaning of that. I suspect that somewhere in the back of my mind I just assumed money would always fall into my hands. Now that I’ve worked for myself, I finally have a better perspective.”

“Julius…” Marie hugged the envelope to her chest.

“It’s not exactly a present, I realize, but it’s the money I worked so hard to earn. I hope you’ll accept it.”

Meanwhile, the other four boys were disappointed.

“Your Highness… I thought you better than this. What a shame.” Jilk shook his head, having had such high expectations of his master.

“I thought you were the one to watch out for in this competition. Guess I was wrong about you.” Brad pulled a face. “To think this is all my rival amounted to…”

“I didn’t want to see you lookin’ this pitiful.” Greg frowned, saddened by this turnout. He’d wanted to have an honest match with his friends, and seeing Julius like this—as if he’d basically forfeited—came as a huge blow.

“I suppose it’s only a competition between the four of us now.” Chris seemed discouraged as well. Like the others, he assumed Julius was out of the running.

Julius understood why they felt that way. “I have no words with which to defend myself. I concede defeat. However, I at least poured everything I had into this path. If this is how things end, I have no choice but to accept it.”

As vexing as it was to lose, Julius knew he could have done no better. He only wished he could have been Marie’s favorite. However, this experience had at least given him a better understanding of his own shortcomings. He couldn’t blame Marie if she chose someone else.

Leon and the others were still staring at him, dumbfounded.

Marie slowly walked up to Julius and took his right wrist, lifting it into the air. “Julius, you are the winner!”

“Huh…?”

The other boys gaped, unable to fathom how the man who had earned the least could be the victor.

“Hold on a moment, Miss Marie! I thought you said you would choose the person who earned the most?” Jilk protested.

Marie fanned herself with the envelope as she stared down the oblivious boys. “Oh? When did I ever say that? I told you to go earn money. What could possess you to then go piddle everything away until you were once more penniless? The four of you came back with nothing, so your score is nothing!”

Brad’s shoulders slumped. A dove poked its head out of his pocket.

“No, this can’t be!” Greg fell to his knees. “So we were the ones who had the wrong idea?!”

The men behind him tried to cheer him up. “Please pull yourself together!” they said, and “Your muscles are better than everyone else’s!” and “You were killing it with those poses!”

Chris turned to Julius. “So you were the one who managed to win her heart after all. This time, we are the losers.”

Despite their defeat, the boys looked at peace with the result.

Julius looked around at them, moved. “Everyone… Thank you.” As he wiped away his tears, the boys tried to cheer him up.

Beside them, Marie did a little jig as she brandished the envelope in the air, “Money! We have money!”

Leon watched them all with a blank look. “What the hell did I just witness?”

 

***

 

The idiot brigade was back. That was all well and good, but their timing wasn’t the best. They’d been in absentia when Noelle was taken, and I could already tell they weren’t going to be any help in trying to get her back. After all, four of the dumbos who’d been told to go make money had only come back as an antique dealer, a performer, a bodybuilder, and a…festival-goer? Julius, who’d worked at a skewer stall, was easily the most competent-looking of the bunch, but that wasn’t saying much. What was even their purpose for existing? I seriously had to wonder. Regardless, I couldn’t avoid updating them on what had happened in their absence.

Julius was still in his apron as he sat in a chair. After hearing everything I had to say, he folded his arms over his chest in contemplation. “I understand the gist. Basically, Bartfort, you want to save Noelle, yes?”

“You got it.”

I didn’t expect any reliable outcome from this tell-all with Team Bozo, but there was no harm in asking. Although if any of them said or did something truly stupid, I’d be forced to put a stop to it.

“In that case, why not go for it and rescue her?”

I sneered. “Huh? Were you even listening? Noelle’s the Priestess, and the republic needs her, so they’ll try to take her back. Even if we did it covertly and took refuge in the kingdom, we’d still be the number one suspects.”

As I figured, it was a waste of time asking them.

Jilk tilted his head. “And why is that a problem?”

“Uh? Because it’ll be an international scandal?”

Brad shuffled a deck of cards as he listened to the conversation, and he chuckled at my response. “Yes, I’m sure it will… But is that really such a big deal?”

“While I’m positive this is hard for you career troublemakers to grasp, yes. It would be a huge deal.”

Greg, who was still completely naked save for his speedo, shook his head.

Put on some damn clothes, I thought sourly.

“This Sacred Tree Sapling will eventually be able to do the same thing as the Sacred Tree, yeah? In that case, even if it causes some trouble, isn’t it worth holdin’ onto? If it means solvin’ their upcoming energy crisis, I’m sure Holfort would be happy to take in Noelle and the sapling.”

Hold up. Is this half-naked guy in man panties actually talking sense?

Kyle had tried to offer Chris some clothes, but the latter had waved him off, insisting, “This is my style.” Thus, he was still wearing nothing but a loincloth as he knitted his brows, confused. “I cannot claim to be the most adept at politics, but after hearing this situation in full, I fail to see why you’re worried.”

“I-I already told you…” I was starting to lose confidence in my defense now that all five of the jerk crew had brushed off my concerns.

“Bartfort, I realize you fear you may complicate relations with the republic by doing this, but I see more pros than cons here,” said Julius. “It would be most beneficial to Holfort to secure both the Sacred Tree Sapling and its Priestess, yes? You have good justification to storm in there and take her.”

“You’re all being way too extreme,” I said.

“Not as extreme as you, I would argue. Besides, if you knew all of this beforehand, why didn’t you take her with you and retreat to the kingdom sooner? Holfort was close with House Lespinasse in the past. Even without the Sacred Tree Sapling, I am sure they would have offered her refuge.”

Because this is an otome game and there’s things you don’t know! I couldn’t tell them that, as much as I might have liked to. “Yeah, but…given how things stand, it’s a bit… I mean, no matter the reason, causing an international scandal is intimidating.”

“Enough of your waffling!” Marie snarled. She slammed her foot into my rear end, still brandishing Julius’s envelope in her hand.

“Ouch! What do you think you’re doing, you cavewoman?!”

“Watching you dither pissed me off. If you want to save her, get your butt out there and do it! You’re always waffling around and worrying about things, letting the situation worsen until it’s beyond repair. You’re an eyesore!”

I am not waffling around! I protested. “I have responsibilities and stuff!”

“We both know you’re going to end up rescuing her. If you’re just going to throw hands later and make a mess of things anyway, you might as well do it sooner rather than later. Ugh, seriously, you drive me nuts!”

As we bickered, Yumeria nervously glanced between us. Miss Cordelia’s eyes were locked on me, glaring coldly. Meanwhile, the idiot brigade was huddled together and whispering amongst themselves.

“What do you think?”

“I think he’s irredeemable.”

“How to put this… He’s a savage, frankly.”

“Yeah, I gotta agree.”

“Do you really think Bartfort never picked up on it?”

I jabbed a finger in their direction. “You guys! If you’ve got something you wanna say, spit it out already!”

They glanced between themselves before Julius finally said, “In that case, allow me to be candid with you, Bartfort. Did you not realize how Noelle felt for you? Honestly?”

All my bluster faded. “N-no… I didn’t.”

It was the truth. I really hadn’t had a clue until Marie told me. There was nothing I could say in my defense.

“All right, then. Well, I guess that’s just how it is. If you had realized sooner, we might have been able to avoid this situation entirely, but what’s done is done.”

Ugh, he sure does like to drive the knife in deeper. It was true. Things wouldn’t have spun so out of control if I’d figured that out sooner.

“By the way, Bartfort, do you remember when we first dueled?”

“Of course I do. I felt so refreshed afterward.”

My honest reply prompted all the boys to scowl. Alas, I wasn’t in the habit of lying, so if asked, I wasn’t going to hold anything back.

“I see,” said Julius. “Do you remember what you said back then? If I recall correctly, you hammered in how awful I was for playing around when I already had a beautiful fiancée. You scolded me for two-timing.”

That’s right. I did say that. “Yeah, and?”

“Oh, nothing. I simply thought it ironic that now the shoe is on the other foot.”

I clicked my tongue. “Unlike you, I haven’t done any two-timing.”

“I don’t think everyone else would agree with you… But, having said that, I do believe Angelica would forgive you for it.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying, if you tell Angelica you want Noelle at your side, I think she will allow it. She is the daughter of an aristocratic house. More specifically, she underwent training to be the future queen. I think she would agree that securing Noelle is a matter of national interest.”

“You seriously think I could do such a thing?! Are you guys telling me to cheat?!”

Jilk snorted. “Difficult to believe you’re serious when you already have two fiancées.”

Well, shit. I can’t even respond to that.

“Your personal affairs aside,” Julius continued, “the kingdom would not oppose you rescuing Noelle. Plus, my mother gave you leave to act freely while you’re in the republic, yes?”

Yeah, I guess she did give me permission to deal with things here as I see fit. I nodded. “She may have said something along those lines, yeah.”

“Perfect. Then I see no issue at all. Let’s rescue Noelle.”

“Uh, sorry?”

As I gaped, Chris finally chimed in. “Don’t worry. The republic has kept to itself for the past couple of decades. Assuming what they say about the Sacred Tree is true, they can’t invade other countries even if they want to. From what I saw, all their military equipment is purely defensive.”

All of the armaments in the republic were powered by the Sacred Tree’s energy. From an invader’s perspective, Alzer’s might was intimidating, but as soon as they left their borders, their performance fell well below that of Holfort’s.

“They may fuss over it, but they won’t be able to actually do anything,” Chris continued.

I contemplated that for a moment before saying, “But what about the possibility of the republic putting diplomatic pressure on Holfort?”

“Could happen,” said Brad. “But you seem to be forgetting something.”

“What’s that?”

“Based on what you said, this is a domestic power struggle. House Barielle only moved so they could secure power, which means there must be a house that would oppose their ascension, yes?”

“Like House Rault?”

“Precisely. If we want to put up a fight against House Barielle, we just need to team up with the Raults.”

Marie’s shoulders jumped. “Uh, um, but you know… House Rault has kind of a bad reputation, right? I wonder if joining hands with them is really such a great idea.”

I couldn’t blame her for having reservations. They are supposed to be the last boss in the second game, so they’re basically like the villains.

Greg shook his head. “You just don’t get it, Marie. They only look bad from the republic’s perspective. If we look at it from the kingdom’s side, they’re the best house to have leading Alzer. Plus, if we told ’em we wanted to carry Noelle off, they seem like they’d be happy to let us.”

True. House Rault did seem to consider Noelle a problem, so in their point of view, it would do them no harm to send her away. In fact, doing so would obstruct House Barielle’s rise to power.

Jilk grinned deviously. “Yes, it would be of great benefit to the kingdom to establish ties with House Rault, given they head the assembly.”

Julius put a hand on his hip and stared at me. “Well, Bartfort, looks to me like all your concerns have been cleared up.”

“They haven’t been ‘cleared up,’” I snapped. “There’s no way the Raults will agree to work with us.”

“They will if you make them.”

These guys are way more capable than I give them credit for. I guess they did get proper educations when they were heirs of respectable houses. I forgot because they’re normally such morons, but they do have really good grades.

I sighed.

If only you boys could be this clever all of the time!

While I had been busy seeking their advice, Miss Cordelia had managed to disappear and reappear. “Lord Leon,” she said, “you have a guest. A man claiming to be a servant of Lady Louise Rault.”

“Miss Louise sent a servant?”

Julius locked eyes with me. “This is our chance, Bartfort! Do whatever you must to secure her cooperation!”

“Are you all out of your minds?”

“No? We are being quite serious.”

How can you ask the impossible with such a straight face?!

 

***

 

Marie and I dressed our best to attend a party that was being held by the Six Great Houses; I sported a suit while Marie wore a gown. Normally, we would never have been invited to such an event, but Miss Louise had personally sent us invitations specifically requesting we meet her here. It seemed she couldn’t easily slip away from the Druille estate, in part because people were always watching her. She had noticed something amiss at the estate, however, which was why she had summoned us to her.

Marie was distracted by the extravagant food. “That whole roasted pig looks delicious. I’d love to try eating the entire thing by myself.”

I sighed, exasperated. “Just hold on a bit. I’ll let you eat your fill later. Our priority right now is meeting Miss Louise.”

The other nobles in attendance—the ones we knew—were uniformly shocked by our appearance at the party. Whispers rang out in every direction.

“That’s the man from Holfort?”

“I hear people call him the ‘Scumbag Knight.’ A merchant from the kingdom told me.”

“Oh, how dreadful.”

Although the gossip wounded my pride, I ignored the women and focused on searching for Miss Louise.

Marie grabbed my sleeve and tugged. “There’s Loic,” she whispered.

House Barielle had organized this party. Their head of house—Bellange—must have heard from the reception desk about my presence, because he headed straight over to us.

“My, my, Hero of Holfort, what an honor to have you grace us with your presence.” Bellange threw his arms wide for added effect, but given his incredible stature, it only made him seem more intimidating.

Loic stood beside him, wearing a bold grin. “I am afraid I don’t remember inviting you, but I hope you will enjoy your time here, nonetheless. After all, we will be making a very important announcement later.” He held out his hand, so I grasped it. He squeezed, and I returned the favor.

“I’m aware. You’re getting married, right? Congratulations,” I said.

Loic’s expression betrayed nothing. “I see our hero keeps his ear to the ground. Well, while I suspect you’re only saying so to be polite, I appreciate the sentiment either way.”

We dropped our hands at the same time.

“By the way, Hero,” said Bellange, “there is something I would ask of you. That Sacred Tree Sapling in your possession is incredibly important to our country. In fact, it’s most holy to us. Could we not persuade you to part with it? Of course, we would be happy to provide adequate compensation.”

I smiled at him. Everyone else’s ears had perked up at the mention of the sapling. As a result, the entire area had grown quiet. The sapling’s importance to the republic was self-evident.

“No can do,” I said. “I’ve taken a liking to it. If you want it that bad, you’re welcome to take it by force. Assuming you’re able, that is.”

Bellange chuckled. “You’re a hard one to bargain with! Though I regret to say we cannot give up so easily. We will continue trying to negotiate with you.”

The other party-goers glared at me.

“How dare a knight from a primitive kingdom like Holfort take such an attitude.”

“He’s grown arrogant just because he managed to win against those insignificant Feivels.”

“Young men like him are always so full of themselves.”

They were really going to town with their insults.

Since they had no more time to waste on me, Bellange and Loic took their leave. As they did so, Loic said, “Please excuse us. I hope you enjoy yourselves. Oh, and one more thing… If you’re planning on trying to take Noelle back, you had best give up while you’re ahead. She belongs to me now.”

Loic kept up the good boy facade in front of everyone else, but the animosity he showed me was that of a ravenous wolf protecting its prey. He sneered, though the expression was almost comically exaggerated.

“Bastard,” Marie cursed as she glared back at him.

I smirked. “You know, I went through something like this before. A stupid prince who reminds me of you tried to pick a fight with me.”

“Oh? And?”

“What, you wanna know how it ended for him? He’s grilling skewers in a food stall as we speak. That’s right—a former crown prince was reduced to grunt work. Almost brings tears to the eyes, doesn’t it?”

It wasn’t a lie. Julius really did leave to work at the food stall whenever he had a spare moment—although he didn’t do it out of obligation. No, he was delighted to grill those skewers, claiming he’d found his calling in life. But whatever, I intended it as a threat.

Not that it had any effect on Loic. “How exciting. So do you plan to ruin the republic in the same way you took down House Feivel? I admit you’re strong, but I don’t believe mere strength will guarantee your survival.” He peeled his gaze from me, nodding his head toward some foreign diplomats. One from the Holy Kingdom of Rachel was eyeing me. “Understand now? The world isn’t quite so simple. You may be powerful, but don’t think that means everything will go the way you want it to.”

“I never have. But don’t forget: I’ve crushed every person who’s ever opposed me. You’ll be no different. Enjoy quaking in your boots at the thought of losing Noelle.”

Loic glared at me before schooling his expression. “Well, I’ll look forward to seeing how things go, Hero of Holfort. Or should I say…Scumbag Knight?”

It seemed word of my unsavory nickname had gotten around.

As Loic marched off, Marie sighed. “He’s the poster boy for an abusive, garbage boyfriend. Those types do a good job of putting on a show for the people around them. Anyway, Big Brother, are you sure you can actually get Noelle back?”

The security at this party was already impressive, but more daunting than that was how much they’d strengthened their watch around Noelle. Even Luxion would have had a difficult time extracting her without casualties on the opposing side. Not that he cared whether he killed anyone to begin with—he wasn’t really the peacemaking type.

“I’m still debating what to do and how best to do it,” I said. “Getting her back would be the simple part, but…”

“Leon, it’s been a while,” Albergue interrupted as he approached, his face heavy with exhaustion.

“Mr. Albergue…” I said. “What are you doing here? I have a hard time believing Bellange would invite you.”

“Actually, you see—”

Before he could explain himself, the room suddenly went dark as a spotlight flickered on, illuminating the stage in the corner. Loic stood on top of it with Noelle beside him. She wore a dress that covered most of her figure, and her neck was obscured by a number of accessories.

Loic took her right hand and lifted it into the air. “It’s been over a decade since House Lespinasse was wiped out, which means the chair of the Priestess has been empty all this time. But that ends today! This woman—Noelle Zel Lespinasse—bears the Priestess’s Crest on the back of her right hand! We assumed her house no longer existed—but she has survived.”

Applause rang out, indicating that no one here was surprised by this revelation.

Mr. Albergue’s expression turned grim in the dim light. Perhaps he still hadn’t forgotten his anger toward House Lespinasse.

Noelle stood by Loic and smiled, waving at everyone.

Marie took one look at her and turned to me. “This is bad. I’d bet every penny I have that she’s covered in bruises under that dress. Her expression is stiff too, which means they’ve probably caked makeup on her to hide her pallor.”

“You can read that much just from her appearance?”

“Call it a woman’s intuition.”

Was her intuition something I could really rely on? Skeptical as I was, Luxion reappeared after having wandered off. “Marie is entirely correct,” he informed me. “They have put makeup on Noelle to hide the bruising, and there’s even more on the rest of her body.”

Then why is she smiling and waving like that?

“Because she thinks her sacrifice will make everyone else happy,” Marie said, as if reading my mind. “Plus, the further you drive a person into a corner, the further you weaken their ability to think straight. She’s losing the will to escape her situation. I’m sure people who don’t get what it’s like would tell her to run if things were that bad, but it’s not that simple.”

Was this Marie’s own personal experience speaking…? Either way, it pissed me off to see Noelle suffering.

“Now then, since you all know the Priestess has reemerged, I am sure you are anxious about what comes next,” Loic continued. “There is currently no Guardian. However, that will soon change in the coming days. I, Loic Leta Barielle, will soon marry Noelle and take up the mantle of Guardian!”

Everyone clapped and cheered.

Guess this means Loic has laid the groundwork for their planned takeover.

As I watched, someone suddenly grabbed my hand. I whipped around to find Miss Louise.

“I finally found you,” she whispered. “Come, quickly.”

Mr. Albergue gaped. “Louise, you’re the one who summoned him?”

“I’ll explain things later. For right now, Noelle is our bigger concern.”

We slipped out of the dark venue, retreating to a room Miss Louise had prepared for us.

 

***

 

Back in the party hall, one other person had noticed Leon and Marie’s appearance at the party—Lelia, who was accompanying Emile.

Those jerks—do they really plan to go off script again?! She had panicked after watching them leave with Albergue and his daughter. “Emile, I need to fix my makeup real quick.”

“What? But you just did that a moment ago—”

“Don’t ask so many questions.”

Emile jumped in surprise and averted his gaze. “Y-yes, all right. I’m sorry. Go ahead, take your time.” It seemed he’d chosen to interpret her response as her saying she needed to go to the bathroom. As a lady, that was a bit embarrassing, but Lelia was more concerned with finding out what Leon and the others were up to.

I can’t believe they’re going off on their own again!

Lelia hurried after them.

 

***

 

After hearing everything Miss Louise had to say, the first person to speak was Mr. Albergue, who simmered with a quiet rage. “So you finally show your true colors, Fernand.”

Miss Louise, on the other hand, seemed somewhat panicked. “I managed to find a good opportunity to slip out with all of you, but I am essentially under house arrest. Even if I do leave the estate, they send people to follow me, and I have nearly no freedom while there. It seems they’re even reading any correspondence I send or receive.”

Why was House Druille keeping Miss Louise locked up, you ask? Because they had turned traitor.

Mr. Albergue shot to his feet. “Louise, you stay here. I am going to go have a word with Fernand.”

“Father?”

“I am taking you home today. If any member of House Druille comes looking for you, you need only mention my name.”

And with that, Mr. Albergue left.

As the tension lifted from the air, Marie finally breathed out a sigh. “Jeez, that was scary. He’s an intimidating one.”

Miss Louise giggled. “He’s normally very kind, actually.”

“Sure doesn’t seem that way to me.”

As they conversed, Luxion began relaying information directly to me, making sure that no one else could hear.

“Master, it appears House Druille intends to use Louise in order to make Hugues the next leader of House Rault.”

Great, more bad news. Can’t I get any lighthearted reports for once?

Alas, it was not to be.

“There is also someone snooping by the door—Lelia. Shall I dispose of her?”

Why is murder always your go-to solution? I rolled my eyes. “Nope, I’ll let her in.”

Marie and Miss Louise immediately turned their gazes to me. I tiptoed over to the door before yanking it open to reveal our eavesdropper.

“How unbecoming for the Priestess’s younger sister,” I said with a grin.

Lelia glared at Miss Louise before quietly replying, “What are you planning? Don’t tell me you intend to ally yourself with the Raults?”

“I’m considering it.”

“Don’t play games with me!”

As we bickered, Miss Louise crossed her arms and glowered at our uninvited guest. “Lelia. So you’re involved as well. No matter, I suppose. I’ve been wanting to speak with you. There’s no use hiding it anymore.”

Once Louise gave her permission, I shooed Lelia inside before closing the door. Though she stepped forward nervously, her tone was venomous. “This will be the end of House Rault, you know.”

“That could be.” Miss Louise’s face was absent of emotion.

Marie dropped her voice and asked, “Uh, what’s going to happen now?”

“How should I know? That depends on these two.”

Lelia had only taken such a brazen attitude because she was confident in having victory over House Rault, but seeing Miss Louise unaffected by her barb left her reeling. “W-well, you won’t be able to do whatever you like anymore. I know how horribly you bullied my sister, but you won’t get away with that again.”

“I suppose not. Even if we both return to the academy, there would be no need for it anymore.”

No need for it? Marie and I traded glances. She hesitantly turned to Miss Louise. “Um, so…you mean you weren’t picking on Noelle because you hate her?”

Miss Louise laughed, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, I definitely hate that girl. Truly, truly hate her. Lelia as well. They’ve lived ignorant and carefree this entire time, and on top of that, they even sneaked their way into the academy. They didn’t even bother changing their names. I had to wonder if they were mocking us.”

“Th-that’s not our fault! House Lespinasse’s former servants filled out our applications, not us.”

Ah, so it’s not like they used those names because they wanted to.

“The moment I saw you girls at the academy, I could barely contain my loathing,” said Miss Louise. “Even if I didn’t know all the details, I did know my father let the two heirs of House Lespinasse live.”

He let them live? What in the world is going on?

I glanced at Marie, but she merely shook her head, indicating she didn’t know either.

Ugh, she’s so useless. Since Marie wouldn’t ask, I did. “I’m hearing that you’re not fond of either of them, so why did you only ever go after Noelle?”

As she gazed at me, Miss Louise’s eyes filled with sadness. She balled her hands. “My father asked me to. ‘No fault lies with them,’ he said. Lelia already had Emile to protect her, but Noelle had no one. Not long ago, Pierre targeted her, and then that insufferable Loic fixated on her as well.”

Lelia’s face screwed. “What does that have to do with you bullying my sister?”

“Oh, I think I get it!” Marie blurted. “You warded them off by acting like she was your prey, and you didn’t want anyone else touching her.”

Miss Louise nodded weakly before turning back to Lelia. “I wanted nothing to do with either of you. I hated you for living in blissful ignorance. How dare you—when you don’t have a clue how my family and I feel!” She was letting her anger get the best of her. She had driven Lelia against the wall and grabbed her by the collar. Marie and I had to pull her off.

“Get Lelia out of here,” I said to Marie. “I’ll look after Miss Louise.”

“G-got it. Come on, out you go!”

Once they were gone, it was just Miss Louise and me.

“All alone together, I see,” Luxion remarked. “I do hope you’ll take care not to invoke further suspicion of two-timing.”

Oh, shut up, you floating tin can!