Chapter 138: Copycat Part 4

Lobelia Vicious von Miltonia.

The Third Princess of the Empire was kneeling before me with her head bowed.

Would I ever get to experience something like this again in my life?

“I’m sorry.”

“Do you think an apology erases the danger you put me in?”

“…I have no excuse.”

“When I think about how devastated Ariel must have been, my heart feels like it’s being torn apart. How did Ariel take it?”

“I… somehow managed to explain…”

“Well, of course. Ariel is your subordinate, so she wouldn’t dare speak harshly to you.”

“…Eh?”

“Am I wrong?”

“N-No… you’re not wrong at all.”

Lobelia’s face turned pale.

I almost feel like the despicable villain here—

But it’s not a bad feeling.

If only vile villains are allowed to feel this sense of superiority, then I’ll gladly be one.

“So, what will you do for me? Surely you’re not thinking of just apologizing and walking away, are you?”

“A chest of gold bars…”

“You must think a human life can be bought with money.”

“Two chests…”

“This isn’t about the amount.”

“Thirteen chests.”

“…Actually, it seems it is about the amount. Especially since you raised it without bargaining.

I like that.”

“….…”

“That much should be enough to soothe Ariel’s wounded heart.”

Thirteen chests of gold… Just how much would that be?

From now on, I think I wouldn’t have to work to make a living. Since I was rather frugal, it would probably be more than enough.

Well, if I tried investing here and there, I could probably grow it even more.

Of course, being faint‑hearted, I would just use the money I had stashed away.

“Though a person’s heart can’t be swayed by money, I’ll end things here with that ‘token of sincerity’.”

“Th‑Thank you.”

“Of course, the wound in my heart will remain. But it’s enough if you simply understand that I have a fragile, delicate heart.”

Don’t trouble me again.

I left those words with that meaning.

Still, perhaps out of some lingering shame, Lobelia couldn’t bring herself to lift her head.

Who would have thought there’d come a day in my life when I would oppress a member of the imperial family?

No wonder those terrorists made such a fuss about wanting to capture the Emperor.

“Anyway, Your Highness, you should get up now. I fear others might see us. What would people say if they saw this? Wouldn’t they misunderstand and think a lowly man like me was oppressing you?”

“Y‑Yes, I suppose.”

“Then you should head back now.”

“A‑Are you forgiving me?”

“How could I presume to decide whether to forgive or not forgive Your Highness? If I forgave you here, it might look as though I had bowed to power. You dislike deceit, don’t you?”

“Uh…”

“So I’ll just keep the matter of forgiveness in my heart. Now, please get home safely.”

“…Alright.”

I opened the door for her.

At that clear order to leave, Lobelia drooped her shoulders and departed.

I sprinkled salt from the house in the direction she had gone.

It was a relief that I wouldn’t have to worry about using this expensive salt in the future.

“Hmm?”

Just as I had driven Lobelia away, I realized someone was standing behind the door.

Well, it wasn’t the first time a guest had shown up at my dorm.

But this time, it was a rather unexpected person.

“Ariel?”

“Ahem, well done.”

“……”

An unexpected reply.

I never imagined I’d hear the words well done from Ariel’s mouth.

Did this mean that even ten years of friendship were worthless before love?

A bitter reality.

“I didn’t know you thought of me that much, Johan.”

“So you lacked that kind of trust in me.”

“N‑No, that’s not what I meant…”

It was a good thing I hadn’t mentioned Yuna’s name when provoking Lobelia.

I had avoided it, thinking Lobelia might get even more riled up if another woman’s name came up while I was pressuring her. And as it turned out, that had been the right choice.

“Since you’re here, how about some tea? I just got some good tea leaves.”

“Ah, but… I came here on impulse. Is it really alright for me to come here?”

For now, my relationship with Ariel was still considered a secret.

Even my fiancée Ariel was this cautious, yet Lobelia had gotten drunk and made a scene….truly impressive.

“Well, you’re already here. Rather than going back like this, why not enjoy a small bit of fun?”

“S‑Small bit of fun…”

I didn’t know exactly what she was imagining, but Ariel’s face turned bright red.

Just what was she picturing from my simple invitation to have a cup of tea?

Of course, I had no intention of pointing it out.

Last time, I’d ended up with two or three broken ribs…no need to risk my life again.

Unlike back then, this time we were in my room, so I had to be especially careful with my words and actions.

“I’m not skilled at brewing tea, so I don’t know if it will suit your taste.”

“Ah, i‑it’s fine.”

I decided to use the tea leaves I’d received from the Andvaranaut Merchant Guild.

Cattleya had been slipping me all sorts of precious goods under the guise of samples in an attempt to subtly win me over, so moments like this were when they came in handy.

Since I usually prefer coffee over tea, I rarely drink it. But this one didn’t seem half bad.

“How is it?”

“The aroma is amazing.”

Was it because it came from Andvaranaut? Ariel’s eyes widened as she sipped the tea.

If her rabbit ears were under that hat, they’d probably be twitching right now.

“Mind if I have some of that tea too?”

“Yuna.”

I turned to Yuna, who was sitting on the windowsill looking my way.

“How many times have I told you not to come in through the window?”

“Come on, it’d feel weird to walk in through the front door.”

“Well… I guess that’s true.”

Come to think of it, if Yuna had been coming through the front door every time, rumors would’ve spread like wildfire.

Or… maybe it wouldn’t have mattered? In class, people already treated her as practically my girlfriend.

“……”

Anyway, as always, she had an uncanny sense for timing.

I hadn’t seen her for a while, and now she shows up. What was she here for this time?

“I came to ask what was going on, but it looks like you’ve already sorted things out.”

“Huh? Oh, that? Yeah, pretty much.”

Yuna handed me a newspaper as she asked. Her lips were sticking out in a pout.

Judging by that expression, she seemed just as displeased with the article as Ariel had been.

“So, are you not giving me any tea?”

“Oh my, what should I do?”

In response to Yuna’s question, Ariel emptied her own teacup, then immediately picked up the teapot.

And then…. she downed it in one go.

Uh…

“Phew… there’s none left now.”

“Wow.”

Was that really necessary?

It felt like the tension between these two was growing sharper by the day.

If even a single spark flew, I’d be the one to die from it.

To them it might just be a spark…but to me, it’d be more like a meteor strike.

“Interesting. But, Lady Ariel, did you know? The teacup you just used. That’s mine.”

“…….”

“Why do you think Johan has guest teacups when he doesn’t even have any friends?”

She wasn’t wrong.

I had those teacups precisely because Yuna often dropped by my room.

Still, I don’t recall ever saying it was exclusively hers. It was just there for guests, nothing more.

“Alright, alright. Let’s stop fighting. I’ve got something important to talk about, so let’s sit down.”

Fortunately, I had a way to diffuse the tension between them.

I couldn’t keep living on edge like this forever; it was exhausting.

I had prepared a topic that both of them would find impossible to ignore.

“I’m going to die, you know.”

“…What?”

“Huh?”

It was the death of Johan Damus.

A topic so gripping that they couldn’t possibly look away.

See? Both of them were staring at me now, wearing identical looks of shock.

Ariel, perhaps because she had once come dangerously close to death herself, had gone visibly pale.

“It’s not like I’m sick or anything. Just… there’s a good chance I’ll be murdered soon.”

“…Because of Her Highness?”

“That’s right.”

I wasn’t lying.

A white lie? Screw that. I’m the one who’s been wronged; why would I sugarcoat it?

This was clearly Lobelia’s fault.

I had managed to do some damage control, but I couldn’t say for certain the danger had passed.

Which was only natural.

This morning’s scandal. Me and the Third Princess.

And then, to bury it instantly, the rumor about the antidote of the mood poison.

For now, they were probably scrambling to deal with the issue, but there’s no way a rumor like that could last forever.

Without new fuel, it would die down in less than a week.

And when that happened, Loki would remember—

Who exactly had profited from spreading those rumors in the first place.

“As you’ve probably guessed, the rumor about the antidote was something I started myself.”

“There was such a rumor going around?!”

“You didn’t know…?”

“Well… after I saw the article this morning, I couldn’t focus on anything else.”

Ariel’s awkward expression.

In a way, it was actually impressive. It meant she really didn’t spare even a glance for anything outside her interests.

“Well, anyway, thanks to this rumor, we’ve buried the dating scandal with Her Highness.”

Ariel blinked at me in surprise.

“In any case, once his own rumor dies down, Loki will start to wonder: Who started this rumor?”

The answer to that question is simple.

The Misft group of clowns led by Safe Clown.

He must have been exhausted from chasing around what was basically a group in name only, and now he’s taken another hit….he must be seething.

But Loki was far too cold-blooded to be swept away by anger.

The kind of person he is, he’ll figure out exactly who benefited from this incident.

And in doing so, he’ll also learn about the article involving Lobelia and me.

Even if he’s thinking, ‘Would they really pull something like this just to cover that up?’, he’ll also be thinking this:

“Loki will realize that I’m the one who masterminded this.”

If Lobelia had done it, it would’ve been the worst move possible.

If she had kept that secret to herself, she could have used it as a bargaining chip to blackmail him at a critical moment.

But if there’s anyone who would actually go out of their way to spread such a rumor, it’s me.

Soon enough, he’ll begin to suspect a link between me and the Misfits.

“He’ll probably try to kill me, won’t he? It’s the simplest and most straightforward way.”

That’s why I’ll die.

For Loki, the easiest solution was simply to kill me.

The thirteen chests of gold bars I received from Lobelia? Compared to the danger I was in, they were nothing but a drop in the bucket.

But I have no intention of dying.

“Loki will probably poison me before long.”

His methods were consistent.

Using the special ability known as Mood Poison to poison his target to death.

There’s no reason for him not to use a power that can manipulate both the timing of the poisoning and his own alibi.

Of course, killing a few people wasn’t something you could really prosecute an imperial member for.

But that was exactly Loki’s way of showing that such a thing was possible and that was why he could be as cruel as he wanted.

And this time, he absolutely needed to use that method.

“If he intends to check whether I have an antidote, then without a doubt, he’ll try to poison me.”

If I died, that would suit him just fine.

If I didn’t die, even better.

Just poisoning me alone would be enough for him to achieve his goal.

“I’m sorry, Johan… for putting you through this because of Her Highness…!”

“That’s right. Which is why I’d appreciate it if you could speak to Her Highness on my behalf.”

“Yes! I’ll press her so hard she won’t dare let anything happen to you!”

Ariel looked close to tears, as if she thought all of this had happened because of Lobelia’s drunken outburst.

Even so, there was another reason I had so readily forgiven Lobelia.

The truth was, this was something that would have happened sooner or later anyway.

“Ah, Ariel. Then could you please deliver a message to Her Highness for me?”

“Yes, what message?”

As long as I was in a cooperative relationship with Andvaranaut, I could never be entirely free from matters involving Loki.

Why else would Cattleya have poured so much of the merchant guild’s wealth into just a few bottles of antidote?

During the battle with Kult, she had borrowed countless mercenaries and other manpower.

She had even risked sheltering Jeff and Melana, who could be considered members of both Under Chain and Eden.

And now, she had mobilized the entire guild to spread rumors about the Second Prince.

What she had gained from all that was only the knowledge of the antidote’s existence and the real thing itself.

But was that truly all?

Those two things had one thing in common. They both carried a deep-seated hostility toward a certain person.

“Please tell Her Highness to keep in mind the thought of killing the Second Prince.”

In the end, there was only one contract that existed between me and Cattleya.

She would help me, and I would help her with her revenge.

Of course, that wasn’t the sole reason she was planning all of this.

“But, Johan.”

Yuna tilted her head slightly, as if she had caught on to that fact, and asked,

“Why are you going that far?”

As if to say, this wasn’t like me.

Normally, I’d just shove everything off onto someone else and hide away.

Well, that’s what I plan to do this time as well. After taking the proper precautions, of course.

Up until now, there have only been two situations where I’ve taken the lead to this extent.

The first was when I was dealing with a problem I had created myself.

The second was when it directly involved me or those close to me.

But this time, on the surface at least, it’s a bit ambiguous.

This isn’t something I set in motion.

And if you asked whether Cattleya and I were close enough to warrant this, I could only shake my head.

Yet, tangled atop this horrifically knotted mess, there’s one more person.

“Well…”

And that person was someone I could reasonably call one of my own.

“I do have a sense of shame, you know.”

“Did you ever?”

“……”

“Then shouldn’t you be treating me better? You know, if you have any sense of shame.”

“…I’ll do better.”

“You always say that.”

Yuna grumbled, pouting her lips before leaning against my back as if to piggyback, and whispered,

“So, who is it? The person you feel you owe something to.”

“You know her well.”

“Huh?”

She was a genius who defies common sense. A high-ranking member of Ex Machina.

An honor student learning what it means to be human.

Like Cattleya Tales, she had black hair, golden eyes, and a faint expression that rarely changed.

…And she’s someone who once lost everything at the hands of the Second Prince, Loki.

“Emily.”

Another survivor of the Tales Marquisate.