VDBO 26

Chapter 26

I stared blankly at the spot where the spinning top had gone in and blinked slowly.
It really went in?

“It’s first place.”

“It went in!”

The moment someone shouted, cheers erupted from all around. The host made a huge fuss.

“The Goddess of Fortune has descended upon us! Now, my lady, please accept the Ice Statue of Ariske.”

The host handed me the glass dome he had been holding onto all this time, unable to find its owner.

I wasn’t sure this deserved so much attention, but I accepted it in a daze.

“You are the perfect owner for the Ice Statue of Ariske. I usually refrain from personal remarks, but truly—truly—you are sincerely beautiful.”

The organizer said that while winking one eye. Ugh, how greasy.

“Thank you.”

I quickly stepped back—and bumped into a solid body behind me.

It was Delkian. I casually lifted the glass dome toward him.

“I got first place.”

“That’s impressive. You seem to have talent in this.”

I wasn’t fishing for praise, but perhaps because of our age difference, Delkian spoke as if he found me admirable.

“Would you like it?”

Delkian smiled and quickly refused.

“No, I couldn’t possibly. Rather, I should have obtained it and given it to you myself.”

“I’ve never seen a magic stone before.”

“Once refined, it’ll be quite useful. It’s often used as simple ornamentation, but at that size, even if you divide it into ten pieces, you’ll still get fairly usable magic stones.”

I was startled. That many?

“Ten?”

“Yes. It depends on the craftsman, but if you leave it to someone skilled, it can even be used for long-distance travel—or to conceal one’s body.”

I gazed down at the Ice Statue of Ariske.
Ten magic stones…? Then could I use it to escape someday?

“Can it be used to attack as well?”

Delkian looked slightly surprised.

“I didn’t know you had such violent interests.”

“I was just curious.”

“It’s possible. With a single magic stone, you could blow away a small building.”

“Oh.”

That’s genuinely useful.

As I mulled over it seriously, Delkian asked uneasily,

“You’re just curious, right? You’re not serious?”

It wasn’t something to ask so earnestly. I suppressed the smile creeping up my lips.

“I’m joking.”

Still, I hesitated for a moment.
If I took this out with me, it would definitely reach Mr. Schvalt’s or Mother’s ears. It would get there anyway—but Ian wasn’t around right now.

“Your Highness. Earlier, you said you’d grant me any request, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

Delkian nodded readily, lifting his brows as if to say, Go on.

“Could I… ask you to have this refined into magic stones? Or could you introduce someone who can refine it?”

“…For offensive use?”

His expression suggested he was half-joking, half-serious. I ended up laughing.

“No. You said it could be used for travel, or to conceal one’s body.”

“That wouldn’t be difficult. Should I have it refined small, like a toy? Then the yield should be quite decent.”

I handed him the glass dome containing the Ice Statue of Ariske.

“Would it be possible to make one that lets me hide myself… for about a day? If that’s too much, even half a day—or no, even just an hour would be fine. If that’s still not possible, then something that lets me move the distance of an hour by carriage—no, even thirty minutes would be fine.”

“……”

Delkian didn’t answer and simply stared at me. Feeling oddly uneasy, I asked,

“Why…?”

“No, it’s just very specific. Are you planning to run away or something?”

His expression was so serious that I laughed.

“Sometimes you just want fresh air, or want to hide somewhere, you know? Times when you want to be alone.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, there’s no problem.”

“You’re not planning to run away, are you?”

As he said that, Delkian accepted the statue. He gestured to someone, and from afar, someone approached and took the glass dome from his hands.

“It’ll probably be finished within a month.”

“That’s faster than I expected. I thought refining magic stones would take longer.”

“Stabilization is necessary, but with a magic stone of that size, it doesn’t take too long. Well then.”

“Hm?”

“Will I be able to see you again next time?”

Our eyes met head-on. I shrugged.

“I suppose so.”

Delkian replied with a relaxed smile.

“I’ll send word to your family once it’s completed.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

I’d ended up making a promise without really meaning to—but since it benefited me in another way, I figured it was fortunate.

If the work was completed as he said, it would be an extremely useful item for me. Even if I didn’t need it right away, someday I would.

Whether it would become a travel stone or a concealment-type magic stone, or how many would be made—I didn’t know. But even one would be a tremendous help.

The Duke of Rige returned after finishing his conversation with Elabriche and called Delkian.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

“Of course. Please go ahead. I need to stop by the lounge for a bit as well.”

After excusing myself to Delkian, I slipped away toward the lounge.

Since the game, the attention focused on me hadn’t dispersed at all—if anything, more people were sneaking glances at me, clearly looking for a chance to strike up a conversation.

But the moment I pulled back the curtain along the lounge corridor, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist roughly.

The grip was so strong that before I could even see who it was, I was dragged swiftly to the end of the corner.

“Wh—!”

I frowned in pain as I started to speak, but the instant I saw his face, my expression froze.

“Like a filthy rat.”

The man who had driven my mother and me into a dead end.

Lucchelai Ludwig’s biological father.

It was Duke Ludwig.

I thought he’d sent one of his people to follow the carriage—but I hadn’t expected him to come personally. Or perhaps he’d spotted the carriage while out and followed it. Either way, facing such a heavyweight made my nerves tense despite myself.

I pretended to remain calm.

“…What brings you here? How did you recognize me?”

As I spoke casually, anger spread across Duke Ludwig’s face.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s not exactly a place I’m forbidden from coming to.”

“You’ve grown even more insolent in just a few years.”

“Maybe it’s because I nearly died and came back to life. Were you following me earlier?”

“Where is Lucchelai?”

Honestly, then and now, he only ever said what he wanted to say.

Duke Ludwig was the person in the Ludwig family who had seen my face the most. Not that he’d seen it often—but he remembered me clearly. Despite rarely seeing me, he always looked at me as if I were a rat crawling out of a sewer.

In the past, I’d been so terrified I could do nothing but tremble.

But strangely, today—even with him right in front of me—I wasn’t scared at all.

Why was that? Because he looked old now?

“Mother is wherever she wants to be. How would I know—”

Smack!

My vision flashed white as my head snapped to the side.

Without any warning, the duke struck my cheek.

I was so shocked that the pain came a moment later. My cheek throbbed, and I tasted blood. It felt as though my entire head had been shaken.

This old man really won’t do.

“You insolent wretch. Speak.”

“Stop threatening me.”

“What?”

“My skin is unusually pale, you know. If I raise my voice right now, wouldn’t that be troublesome for you? The First Prince is inside, after all. You’re still watching your steps carefully around him, aren’t you? I don’t mind.”

Duke Ludwig’s face twisted with rage. His flushed face trembled as he fumed, fingers fiddling with the gloves he wore.

“Come with me.”

With that, he turned and strode quickly down the opposite, empty corridor.

Giving orders really did come naturally to him.

Sighing, I followed. When we exited through the back door, a carriage was waiting.

Duke Ludwig turned around.

“Get in.”

There were five of his guards around us. If I didn’t get in now, he looked ready to drag me by force.

The moment I climbed into the carriage, he followed and slammed the door shut. My escape route was cut off.

“I really don’t know where Mother is. I haven’t seen her since she went to the North.”

That was true—though not the whole truth.

“I’ll give you one day. Return to the North and stay buried there like a dead rat. Tell Lucchelai the same. If she doesn’t want her father’s hands stained with blood, that’s what she should do. When the time comes, won’t I call for her myself?”

I almost laughed.

When the time comes, he’ll call for us.
They were the ones who wanted us dead.

I hadn’t planned to resort to underhanded tactics—but this old man really wouldn’t do.

“I can’t do that.”

“What?”

He raised his hand again, ready to strike my cheek once more. It was still throbbing—if I got hit again, my flesh might actually tear.

I wasn’t completely helpless, you know.

“Are you going to lock me up somewhere? I came here with the First Prince. Didn’t you see? We even played the game together.”

“……”

“You recognized me, so you must know this much at least. I’m not here as Carvella Ludwig.”

You were the one who taught Mother all of that.

Even in the darkness, I looked at him with open disgust as rage climbed to the top of his head.

“Do you truly think eliminating a rat like you would be difficult for me?”

“No. I know very well that you’re someone who could take me right now and make it so not even a single limb could be found. But, Duke…”