Free Web Novel"Something wicked?"
When the servant asked back with a puzzled face, Ragniel smiled benevolently. It was a warm smile, yet somehow frightening, and the servant lowered his head as though driving it into the floor.
The magicians’ spell became chains and tightly wrapped around the office door.
"Your Majesty. It is complete."
Of the three magicians, the eldest stepped forward and spoke. Ragniel nodded with a satisfied face.
"You have worked hard."
At Ragniel’s gesture, a servant hurriedly escorted the magicians away. They would be rewarded with gold coins equal to their efforts.
"Your Majesty, it is nearly time for the meeting."
"Yes."
At the servant’s reminder, Ragniel nodded, yet his eyes did not easily leave the door.
***
"A problem?"
A problem had arisen with Ragniel? Luman narrowed his brows.
"If it’s serious enough for you to say it aloud, then is it severe?"
Geloman’s bright blue eyes flashed. Whatever Ragniel’s problem was, if it stood before him, he looked ready to smash it apart.
"Is it something we can solve?"
Temar asked lowly.
"Yes, tell us that first."
Luman nodded and pressed him.
Giselle slowly swept his gaze across the faces of the three men one by one.
Luman, Temar, Geloman. Each time his gaze met theirs, Giselle sharply read the emotions contained within the eyes staring back at him.
"It is a problem we can solve."
At Giselle’s firm answer, Luman relaxed and grumbled.
"Then why scare us over something solvable? What do we have to do?"
"The problem Ragniel suffers from is... suspicion regarding loyalty."
"Suspicion?"
Geloman blinked quietly. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to doubt about the Heroes’ loyalty.
"How should loyalty best be proven?"
Leaving Geloman to seriously ponder that question, Luman and Temar both lost their words for a moment.
Because even while placing Ragniel first, they kept carrying someone else in their hearts.
A boy they wished to protect even if it meant daring to defy the king’s command.
Both of them had already revealed those feelings in front of Giselle, so they remained silent.
"That’s something we’ll have to think about. What kind of proof would suffice, I mean."
***
"Lady Sasha..."
A girl dressed in white spoke to the person kneeling on the floor.
"Was the message not delivered?"
The bob-haired girl asked back without turning around.
"Yes, it seems so."
The girl trailed off as though she had committed a sin.
"Then perhaps another letter..."
"No, that will not be necessary."
She shook her head. Reflected in her clear eyes were transparent ripples of water.
"If that is his will, then we can only follow it."
"Yes, Lady Sasha."
The one called Sasha was the leader who guided the Sorse Girls.
She gazed endlessly at the falling stream of water. Flowing water could never be held in place. There were things in this world that could only be watched.
***
Jepeto hurried toward Ren’s room with quick steps.
‘There must be a clue in the herbs!’
He intended to question Ren carefully about when he had first started eating the herbs. Last night, Jepeto had found something rather meaningful in the royal palace library. Somehow, he felt that if he compared those records against Ren’s answers, he might finally uncover a clue.
Excited, Jepeto nearly broke into a run. A servant crossing the hallway flinched in surprise at the sight of him dashing past.
Bang bang bang.
"Ren!"
Ah, I knocked too hard.
Ahem. Clearing his throat, Jepeto lowered the hand he had been pounding the door with.
"Ren, it’s me! Jepeto."
But no sound came from inside. Come to think of it, the servant who usually waited outside the room had vanished at some point as well.
‘That can happen.’
Jepeto quickly suppressed the unease beginning to rise in his chest.
After hesitating for a moment, he reached for the doorknob. The cold sensation climbed into his palm. As he turned it, the door opened quietly.
The room was chilly. The fire in the fireplace was fading weakly.
"Did he go out?"
Jepeto could not bring himself to enter someone else’s empty room as he pleased. Thinking of the look Ren would make if he disliked it caused him to hesitate.
"Hmm."
Murmuring under his breath, Jepeto looked around the room. Nothing particularly unusual stood out.
"Ah, has he still not returned from Duke Gannion’s residence?"
Jepeto nodded as though he had solved it. That could happen. But it had already been two days. Judging by the little fire still left in the fireplace, perhaps he had returned late last night at least?
Ah, with the door left open, maybe he had gone for a walk with a servant.
Still hesitating, he stepped back out of the room. Yes, it was still a little early. He would come back at lunchtime.
Jepeto returned to Ren’s room at lunch. The door remained open, and the inside had turned completely cold.
"His outing must simply be taking longer than expected."
Anxiety crept into him, yet Jepeto tried to remain calm.
If Ren had truly vanished, then surely Temar or Luman would have noticed before anyone else.
This was probably just needless worry from Jepeto, Ren’s attending physician. He had always been the type to worry excessively.
He returned to his room once more.
To kill time, he buried himself in the royal palace library and practically memorized books cover to cover. Then, once the sun had begun to set, he hurried back toward Ren’s room.
But the room was still empty. An ominous feeling surged over him, but Jepeto decided not to make a scene. What if he caused unnecessary commotion, only for Ren to return and feel uncomfortable because of it?
With a pale face, Jepeto swallowed hard.
And the next day, Jepeto visited Ren’s room once again, only to find it exactly the same as yesterday.
Unable to endure it any longer, Jepeto asked the servants where Ren had gone, but the servants merely repeated that they did not know. They offered vague answers anyone could have given, saying he was likely still at Duke Gannion’s residence.
But even then, Jepeto remained optimistic. Very calmly, he submitted a leave request and headed toward Coco Gannion’s ducal residence.
"The weather..."
Jepeto trailed off as he looked up at the sky. Dark clouds filled it so heavily it looked as though rain might pour down at any moment.
"Where shall I take you?"
"To Duke Gannion’s residence, please."
"Yes, sir."
The moment he named the destination, the coachman’s tone grew even more courteous. Bowing his head, he shut the carriage door before snapping the whip sharply.
Hyaah!
The carriage lurched into motion alongside the coachman’s spirited shout.
As the carriage gradually gained speed, raindrops began striking the window. Tap, patter— what had begun as one or two drops soon became a downpour thick enough to blur the world outside.
"This rain... why is it coming down so heavily?"
Jepeto swallowed the rest of his words.
Because of the rain, Jepeto arrived much later than expected.
Before long, he was soaked through.
A knight with a razor-sharp presence guarded the front gate. After hesitating, Jepeto finally gathered his courage and rang the bell. At news of a visitor, a maid carrying an umbrella hurried out.
"Who are you?"
Looking at the maid questioning him with obvious suspicion, Jepeto parted his pale lips.
Shhhhhhh—
"My name is Jepeto. I am Ren’s attending physician. If you would please inform Lady Gannion..."
"Please wait a moment."
Unable to hide her suspicion, the maid hurried away.
Jepeto stood there lost in thought, not even realizing his drenched body was trembling.
Naturally— so naturally that he never once questioned it— Jepeto assumed Ren would come out carrying an umbrella. Curling his fingers tightly together, he waited.
The roar of rain dulled his hearing, and the skin struck directly by the heavy downpour began to ache.
And then— fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
At that moment, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Open the gate!"
The voice cracking like thunder belonged to the young lady herself.
At Coco’s shout, the people guarding the entrance hurriedly opened the gate, and with the screech of iron, Coco rushed outside. Ignoring the cries of “My lady!” behind her, Coco seized Jepeto sharply by the arm. Pulled beneath her umbrella by sheer force, Jepeto found himself staring directly into blazing violet eyes.
And in that instant, Jepeto realized it.
Something really had gone wrong.
"Why did you come here? Did something happen to Ren?"
As though she had rushed over the instant she heard, Coco’s chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Why aren’t you answering? I asked you a question."
Barely restraining her anger, Coco gritted her teeth.
"I asked whether something happened to Ren."
Staring at her trembling lips, Jepeto answered blankly,
"N-no, I... it’s not that something happened to Ren."
His voice barely carried through the sound of the rain.
"I was wondering whether Ren was doing well... I came to ask when he would be returning to the royal palace..."
Jepeto finished weakly. The longer he spoke, the more horribly Coco’s expression twisted. Frowning deeply, biting her lip, Coco looked as though she were struggling to process his words. Slowly nodding once, she lifted her eyes and repeated,
"You were wondering whether Ren was doing well. You wanted to know when he would return to the royal palace. So you came here to ask that. Is that correct?"
At the coldness in her voice— cold enough to send a chill through him— Jepeto could only barely nod with a frozen expression.
