The eve of the Founding Anniversary had arrived. Stalls lined the city’s streets, and dragonkin men and women from all over joined the festivities in their traditional attire. Tomorrow, the women would wear flower crowns, and the men would transform into dragons and join a parade.
I would typically be excited to join the festivities every year, but this year was different. Van had something to tell me this evening. Last night, Van had sent me word through his secretary that he would be unable to shake off Duchesse, so we couldn’t meet in his office. Instead, we would be meeting in the cathedral’s clock tower. According to him, there would be special magicstone lanterns that would only be lit during the festivities and they would be a sight to behold. My attendants were all ecstatic about how romantic our meeting place would be.
However, I couldn’t share in their excitement. Right about now, the three ladies were preparing to send their underlings to Duchesse’s research facility to investigate. I was too anxious to worry much about dressing up.
Perhaps my anxieties were showing on my face because Madeleine gently held my hand. She knew nothing about today’s plot, but she must have guessed that something was going on from my expression.
“Lady Mille-Feuille, it’s almost time,” announced one of the attendants.
“Yes, I’m getting ready,” I replied.
It would be cold on top of the clock tower, so I ordered the attendants to bring me a fur mantle. “I would like to wear that snow rabbit mantle I received from the Lord Dragon Duke.”
“As you wish, milady. As for the dress, would the traditional dress that the Lord Dragon Duke sent you the other day suffice?”
“That will do,” I said. “Parfeil, please prepare it.”
“You got it!”
I slid into the unfamiliar dress and covered myself with the all-white fur mantle. It was long enough to cover my entire body, so I would keep warm even while at the clock tower.
It was almost time for me to meet with Van. I covered my head with the hood and headed to the cathedral via carriage.
The cathedral was almost deserted. He must have made sure to keep people away.
On top of that, only members of the Dragon Duke’s family were allowed inside the clock tower. Madeleine, Parfeil, and all the guards could only accompany me up to its entrance. The structure’s interior was enchanted with monster-repelling charms, so there wouldn’t be anything dangerous inside.
I reassured the worried Madeleine that I would be fine. Parfeil saw me off as I entered the clock tower.
Now that I was on my own, I suddenly felt anxious, even though I’d just told Madeleine that I would be fine. The high-pitched echoes of my footsteps as I climbed the stairs didn’t help assuage my nerves.
I know that the city’s scenery must be beautiful, but why did he call me here? Ah, whatever.
I hurried up the spiral staircase to make it there at our appointed time. I ran out of breath just as I reached the top of the staircase. I waited to calm myself before climbing up the ladder connecting to the very top of the tower.
I mustered all my remaining strength to push open the rounded door leading to the outside. I peeked my head through the doorway and saw a man with his back turned to me.
I stepped through the door at last.
This place was where the Dragon Duke relaxed and could stretch his wings. Nobody except him and his family could enter.
However, the one with his back turned to me was not Van.
I called out to the man who wasn’t supposed to be here. “Why are you here?”
“Why do you think?” Duchesse Langue de Chat then turned around to face me.
“I came all the way here because Van asked me to,” I said.
“And I was the one who ordered a change of venue.”
“You did?”
“Indeed,” he said. “Mille-Feuille Forêt Noire, I would like to have a private conversation with you.”
I could feel my heart pounding. A terrible feeling was growing in my chest. I’d worked hard to avoid him over the past few months, but now, he was right before me.
“Duchesse Langue de Chat, you never liked me, did you?” I asked him.
“And why would you think that?”
“Every time we crossed paths, you always gave me a cold glare.”
“Oh, I see. I had been working so hard to keep that under control too.” Duchesse didn’t deny anything. He took a step forward, and at that moment, a loud clang rang out.
“What was that?”
“I’m just making sure that nobody interrupts our little chat.”
“What?!” I tried pulling on the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge. There shouldn’t have been any kind of lock on it.
“It’s an enchanted lock,” Duchesse said. “It locks with just a short incantation from me. The mechanism is a little different from the key your little phantasmal beasts copied.”
“How did you...?!”
He knows about the duplicated key?! I felt all the blood drain from my face and started to feel dizzy.
“Don’t you worry. Your coconspirators will be found guilty of high treason against the Dragon Duke and be publicly executed by tomorrow. It will make for quite the entertainment during the Founding Anniversary festivities.”
A twisted expression had appeared on Duchesse’s face as he talked about executing my three friends.
What a cruel, evil man. How could such a fiend be right under Van’s nose and pretend to be his friend? This is unacceptable.
“So, you were the one trying to kill me, then?” I accused him.
“Why of course. You are such an obstruction.”
“An obstruction?”
“Indeed. Women like you seduce and mislead good, chaste men like the Dragon Duke.”
According to Duchesse, Van had been an exemplary man before meeting me. But after that, he had begun running away from his attendants and secretaries, spacing out in the middle of work, and prioritizing me over everything else. His actions had become selfish.
“He was like this a century ago too. He fell in love with that princess of the Kingdom of Sacristain, and since she disliked war, he started saying that he would no longer fight. Because of that witch, our proud race was derided as weak, pathetic cowards with no élan, no panache! That is why—”
I cut him off. “You killed Princess Charlotte?”
“Correct.”
My vision went white, and even more of Charlotte’s lost memories began to flow into my head. There was no mistaking it—he was the one who had killed Charlotte! He’d pretended to feel sick and had stumbled in front of her, and when she had approached to check up on him, he had stabbed her through the heart.
And even though Duchesse had stabbed her, Charlotte had still been worried and kept asking him if he was okay. Perhaps she’d thought that he’d been manipulated by someone. Yet despite all that, Duchesse had pushed her away. Charlotte had rolled across the floor, and he’d left her for dead.
The Dragon Duke had promised to meet with her, but what had awaited him in their meeting place was an injured Charlotte breathing her dying breaths. He had tried to ask who had done this to her, but she couldn’t answer—Duchesse had snuffed out her voice with magic.