Before we headed back to the terrace, I told Angelica that I had an important matter to discuss with the marquis. Quick on the uptake as always, she stayed behind in the garden, saying she’d check on the flowers before returning.
I’d saddled that young girl with a critical role in my plan, and now I needed to do everything I could to back her up. Only...I didn’t really want her seeing how I did that.
“Your Grace!” the marquis said. “I must apologize for our insolent behavior earlier—”
“Indeed, you must. It seemed as though you’d forgotten my presence entirely as you carried on with that disorderly display. It was comical, I admit, but insolent truly is the word for it.”
I cocked my head in thought, pointedly stroking my hand along the iron whip at my side. The marquis was visibly shaking; I felt bad for him, but I was doing all of this for a reason. I just needed him to hang in there.
“In any case... It’s about time we got to the point.”
The marquis tensed, his eyes filled with fear. I kept on speaking, ignoring his plight.
“As you’re aware, my liege is exceedingly fond of me. Do you know why? It’s because he is starved for entertainment. My role is to provide new diversions for His Majesty—and I would like you to serve as a pawn to that end.”
“Wh-What does that—?”
“It means that you must prioritize my orders above those of my liege.”
The marquis’s eyes widened at my ridiculous command. I was definitely being unreasonable—but I was a villain unbound by common sense, and that meant I could get away with a lot at times like this. Even if I was spouting faulty logic that no one would normally go along with, Heinreid could push it through.
“But, Your Grace—”
“Did you not hear me? Your comprehension is pitifully lacking, Ralf Zechress. All that I do is in service of my liege. Therefore, obeying my words will result in my liege’s happiness. If you would prefer to form your own conclusions and set out toward your own destruction, then I shan’t stop you. But right now, I am offering you a more merciful option.”
The marquis couldn’t turn against Eberhart because he was bound in place by the terror the king had carved into him. And I wouldn’t be able to break those chains—even Sig couldn’t do it, and a villain like Heinreid would only have a harder time. So, what to do? My only option was to wrap him in chains of my own and pull him in a different direction.
“Wh... What is it you would have me do?”
“For the time being, nothing in particular. However, I have just instilled a lesson into your daughter—a seed that will take root and blossom when the time is right. When that time comes... Simply heed the whispers of that flower, and all shall be well.” I placed my hands on the marquis’s shoulders and stared right into his eyes, tightening my grip to make it clear that he was not permitted to look away. “I trust that you are not a foolish man.”
I’d threatened him, backed him into a corner, and overwritten his terror. I’d used his fear of Eberhart to heighten the effects of Heinreid’s venom. As that venom infiltrated his mind and dulled his thoughts, I could only hope that it would help Angelica’s voice get through to him.
I watched his throat bob up and down as he gulped anxiously. Then, I bid him farewell and turned away.