I couldn’t let her do that.
“I’ve said too much, haven’t I?” she asked. “My apologies. I’m glad I had the chance to meet you, though. Despite what the rumors say, you really are far—”
“Craig.”
Before I could hear what she said next, I called back over my shoulder. Craig had been keeping his mouth shut like a proper servant, but all this time, he’d been sticking right behind us on guard duty.
“Your Grace,” he replied.
“Leave us.”
I gestured at him to go, like I was shooing away a dog.
Craig furrowed his brows sullenly and tried to argue back. “But Your Grace, my duty is to guard—”
“We’re in a wide-open field. What do you think is going to leap out at us? If anything, you’ll have an easier time reacting to a threat if you’re a little farther away. Now shut up and do as I tell you.”
I issued my orders in a suitably haughty tone, and he gave up on pushing back.
“Do be careful not to engage in any indecent conduct, Your Grace,” he said instead, giving me a nagging warning before stepping away.
What are you, my mom?
He stepped away, but naturally, he didn’t actually move out of sight. He was probably out of earshot... It was kind of an awkward distance, though. Better to be on the safe side.
“Duke Heinreid...?” Angelica looked at me, clearly confused about why I’d sent my guard away.
“Just bear with me for a moment.”
I took her hand and pulled her in close. Her petite body came along without much resistance, and she landed against my chest with a soft thump. She stared up at me, trying to make sense of what was happening, and her face gradually flushed red as her eyes met mine at point-blank range.
“Wh-What are you—?”
“Shhh. Keep quiet. I have something to tell you, but it needs to stay secret. Please, just listen.”
Originally, I’d been planning to talk to the marquis. But over the course of the tea party and this conversation, I’d picked up on Angelica’s undeniable brilliance. The marquis was clearly lacking in composure—I wasn’t sure whether he’d always been that way or whether it was a result of his brush with death at Eberhart’s hands. Either way, I needed someone I could trust to make the right call when the time came, and Angelica felt like the better option.
“Not long from now,” I whispered, “a rebellion against the king is going to break out all across Amagis. That includes right here in this marquessate. Obviously, King Eberhart is going to order House Zechress to fight the rebels—but don’t listen to him. Just take your family and run.”
I spoke softly, keeping my voice audible only to Angelica while acting as though we were just having an ordinary private talk. She looked thrown off by my absurd claims, but she picked up on the seriousness in my tone. Rather than disputing the premise, her first question was about the ethics of the actions I was urging.
“We can’t simply abandon our people—”
“The leader of the rebel army is a compassionate man of conscience and character, fighting to save the people of this kingdom. No one’s lives will be in any danger unless they absolutely refuse to yield. I’m sure there’s no love lost for the king or for me among the people of this marquessate—they’ll surrender right away unless the marquis is forcing them to fight.”
Sig was going to march his forces straight into the marquessate and win over the people. The ideal outcome would be for House Zechress to listen to his appeals and join the rebellion, but I doubted the marquis had the courage for that.
Angelica quietly contemplated my words. “But where will we go?” she asked.
“There’s an old church on the outskirts of the duchy of Rodvelia. It’s long abandoned, but in the room at the back right corner, if you slide the bookcase aside, you’ll find a small hole. Speak into it, and tell them Craig Bauer sent you. After that, just go along with the people there.” I pressed a small scrap of paper into her hand with a map drawn on it.
Karl was the one who’d tracked down the church. This was the hidden shelter where Carlos, along with all the other prisoners who’d escaped the First Dungeon, had taken refuge. Craig’s fortress was a lingering vestige of one of the religions Eberhart had outlawed following his coronation.
I still couldn’t tell whose side Karl was on. If he’d found the place, then there was a nonzero risk that the information could leak—but I’d figured out a thing or two myself as I’d observed Karl at work. If my hunch was right, Eberhart was never going to find out about the church.
Angelica carefully examined the map for a few moments, then tucked it away into one of her sleeves and gave me a nod. Relief washed over me, and I found myself gently stroking her hair the way I’d used to do for my sister—but as I did, I noticed a different color at the roots of the black hair near her temples.
“Red...?” I muttered.
Angelica immediately clapped her hands over her ears. She frantically smoothed her hair back into place, then nervously started trying to stammer out something or other.
“Um, well— You see, I—!”
It was hard to believe she’d worn the peaceful, composed smile of a goddess only minutes ago. But I got the picture, more or less. Red was the color of the late King Albert’s hair, and Sighart’s as well. She obviously knew that Eberhart and Heinreid had assassinated the old king, and she’d dyed her own hair black to avoid any risk of angering them.
She was brave and noble—but she could never let her guard down. Even that gentle smile of hers must have been a shield she held up to defend herself.
Angelica was still having trouble coming up with a good excuse. I gave her a little smile of my own, doing my best to calm her down.
“When this is all over, there’s going to come a day when you can live life just as you are. I’m sure this flower garden is going to make it through too. So, please... Hold on to hope.”
Angelica stared at me with a look of open-mouthed shock—nothing like the face of a noble heiress. She blinked in surprise.
“Who...? Just who are y—”
Angelica started to say something, but she was interrupted once again as a hand grabbed me by the shoulder and yanked me backward. I stumbled, but the hand kept on pulling, forcibly dragging me away from Angelica.
“What the hell are you doing?” I griped at the man who’d pulled me away, shoving his rough hand off my shoulder. “I could’ve tripped!”
I looked up at Craig as he insolently glared down at his own master.
“I believe I warned you not to engage in any indecent conduct, Your Grace.”
“What did I even do? And whose guard are you supposed to be anyway, Craig? You haven’t forgotten, have you?” I stubbornly glared right back at him.
Sparks flew between us as we stared daggers at each other like a pair of delinquents facing off. Finally, having regained her composure, Angelica gently spoke up to intercede.
“Um... Sir Knight, I don’t feel that Duke Heinreid has done anything indecent to me. He is my husband-to-be, after all. I’m grateful for your concern, but please, there’s no need to get so heated.”
Her wide, soft smile drained all the poison out of the air.
Yeah, I really can’t stay mad when she looks at me like that. She’s seriously got a gift for this—Angelica the Mediator.
Faced with that smile, Craig cooled off a little as well. He collected himself and adopted a knightly demeanor once again as he gave her a bow.
“You have my sincerest apologies for my rash behavior, my lady.”
Hey, why are you apologizing to her?! I swear I’m gonna get you back for this, dammit.