🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 47
The Duke of Persia loved banquets, so he arrived at the ballroom earlier than anyone else.
For other nobles, seeing the four dukes together in one place was rare, so attendance was unusually high. Even though it was still early, quite a few people had already gathered.
Naturally, the first of the four dukes to arrive—once again the Duke of Persia—was the center of attention.
He was surrounded by people, busy listening to flattery, when one of his subordinates approached and whispered something quietly in his ear.
The Duke of Persia gave a small nod, then addressed the people around him.
“If you’ll excuse me for a moment. I hear the Duke of Rhode will be arriving shortly.”
Right on cue, the Duke of Rhode entered the ballroom.
As people turned their attention to Rhode and away from him, the Duke of Persia quickly slipped out to the balcony and drew the curtains.
A moment later, his subordinate emerged from the shadows.
“Tell me in detail.”
“The rumor is true.”
Not long ago, the Duke of Persia had heard an utterly absurd story—that Wishid had fallen in love. And with a rat beastman, no less.
He hadn’t believed it, but now his subordinate was saying it was fact.
“It was the chief steward of the palace where the Duke of Erquil resides who said so. Apparently, the duke treasures some rat and calls it ‘Luna.’ They say he’d practically play dead if she told him to.”
“Is this certain?”
“Yes, sir. I heard it directly.”
The Duke of Persia’s face twisted in disgust.
“What’s that snake plotting this time…?”
And to make matters worse, the assassination had failed—again. Even with twice the usual number of men, it had still failed.
He swallowed hard.
Two years ago, around this time, he could still vividly remember that face—the one that had thrown his precious only son’s little toe right at him.
“Damn snake…”
The pain from that day was still fresh in his mind.
His son could still fly without issue, but when in human form he now had to wear a prosthetic leg for the rest of his life.
The thought of it was enough to make him bolt upright in the middle of the night.
And now, the idea of facing that face again made the blood in his body boil upward.
From inside the ballroom came a small commotion.
Without thinking, the Duke of Persia drew back the curtain—and spotted a familiar head of golden hair.
He could almost feel the heat from that day ten years ago, when Wishid had just ascended to his title and set his own head on fire.
The Duke of Persia stepped out onto the balcony and strode purposefully toward Wishid.
And then he saw it—a rat perched primly on Wishid’s shoulder.
The rat was dressed in a tailored miniature gown and draped in dazzling jewels from head to tail.
I’m going to die of embarrassment.
Every eye was on me.
I stared blankly into space with an enlightened expression. The weight of the dress and jewels was crushing.
What annoyed me even more than the nobles gawking at me like some zoo exhibit was the fact that Wishid looked genuinely delighted, grinning ear to ear.
The problem had started this evening.
I’d been enjoying a nice, long nap when Wishid woke me up.
[Squeaky, we’re short on time to get you dolled up.]
[Squeak…?]
[What do you mean “dolled up”? Of course you can be. Don’t worry.]
And so the end result was… me, a chinchilla buried under a mountain of jewels and fine fabric.
Nana and Dana had dressed me up without a word.
Thank goodness Nana had the sense to quietly remove the necklace that was twice my body length—it would have been even more humiliating.
I’m not a human. Right now, I’m a zoo monkey. I refuse to be human.
Now was the time to abandon all dignity, or else I’d die of shame.
To make matters worse, Wishid had chosen a brooch from the same gem set as my biggest jewel—clearly on purpose.
Still, he hated banquets, and there weren’t many he was required to attend. If I endured this once or twice, I’d be fine.
Wait… a few more times?
The thought was suffocating. I couldn’t do it. No, I didn’t want to do it.
The nobles who had been approaching to greet Wishid all stopped short when they noticed me.
Wait… is this on purpose?
Wishid hated people hanging around in his space or trying to talk to him, and he had no interest in anyone but himself.
That’s when a brave young man stepped forward.
“Um, D-Duke Erquil! I was so disappointed I couldn’t attend the banquet two years ago to meet you! I-I truly admire you!”
Apparently, he had no idea about Wishid’s notorious reputation.
“So?”
“Uh—what? Oh, right, um… what’s with the rat on your shoulder?”
Flustered by Wishid’s cold tone, the boy ended up pointing at me.
“Really want to know?”
I glanced around.
The nobles nearby were clearly eavesdropping, eager to hear the answer.
Well, I’d be curious too if I saw someone as infamously ill-tempered as Wishid suddenly carrying around a rat dripping in jewels.
“She’s my lover.”
“…Sorry?”
“Let’s just say we’re inseparable. We love and cherish each other deeply.”
I caught the way he almost called me Squeaky but stopped himself.
“Right?”
He turned his head toward me, and suddenly all eyes were on me.
The pressure was overwhelming, so I decided to face Wishid instead.
After a brief moment of thought, I hopped forward and bonked my forehead lightly against the corner of his mouth.
May you bite your cheek and get a canker sore.
Wishid blinked, looking faintly surprised.
The room went utterly silent.
“The two of you seem so close…!”
That comment broke the dam, and soon praises and encouragement about our “relationship” were flying from every direction.
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
Someone emerged from the crowd—a massive, bear-like middle-aged man.
My back tensed.
It had to be one of the other three dukes.
“Is that so? Funny, I feel like I’ve been seeing the Duke of Persia constantly lately.”
The jab at all the assassins sent after him made the Duke of Persia’s eyebrow twitch.
“I had no idea you liked me so much, Duke.”
“Indeed. It’s as though you’ve stolen my line.”
It was a battle of spear and shield.
The difference was that the Duke of Persia’s words carried raw emotion, while Wishid’s tone was utterly devoid of it—he radiated only boredom.
Their verbal sparring was cut short by a sudden shriek.
“Kyaaa!”
A woman standing right behind Wishid stumbled with a scream, and in the process shoved his back—sending me flying through the air.
What the—?!
I landed against something with a wet smack.
My blasted dress flipped over my head, blocking my view.
I barely had time to feel relieved before I started sliding. I tried scrambling upward, but kept slipping.
No choice!
Pushing off hard, I leapt toward where I instinctively guessed Wishid would be.
“Oh my!”
Someone gasped in shock.
I landed again with another smack, this time onto something that firmly supported my backside. Wishid, no doubt.
Lifting the dress out of my face in relief, I caught sight of hair sprawled on the floor.
A wig?
The color looked oddly familiar—very much like the hair of the man Wishid had been sparring words with moments earlier.
Just to be sure, I lifted my head.
Shiiine!
The first thing to greet me was the glare of light reflecting off the Duke of Persia’s smooth, bald head.
