When it came to the source of Claudia’s curse, the most likely suspect on my list was Marquis Corquia. I had a feeling there was a reason the bearer of the curse wasn’t the head of the house, Pascal, or the vice captain of the dragon knights, Astrid, but an ordinary noblewoman. And I couldn’t see the reason for it being anything but Claudia’s engagement to the crown prince.
I’d already learned that even though not much time had passed since the engagement was called off, arrangements for the prince to marry Ad Astera’s Princess Sakuya were already well underway. If all went well, Sakuya would be arriving in the royal capital within the next two months. That was far too soon for things to have been decided after canceling the engagement; in other words, while I wasn’t yet sure which of the nations had proposed the idea, the plan had been in the works for quite a while now. That would mean they would have had to foresee that Claudia would be physically unfit to wed the prince. And if that wasn’t fishy, I didn’t know what was.
But if I was able to guess that much, of course Duke Dragonaut and Astrid had as well. In fact, they’d had their retainers keep a close watch on the marquis and other suspects. But no incriminating information had yet come to light. That made me think that I’d have no hope of finding anything as long as I was an outsider.
“In other words, I just need to be an insider,” I muttered, knocking on the door to Astrid’s room. The dragon knight vice captain welcomed me in with open arms, then rested her hand on her chin thoughtfully. “Ever since your audience with the royal family last night, the palace has been abuzz with talk of the ‘Indigo Dragon Knight’ and his achievements,” she said with a smile. “No doubt the marquis, too, is looking to bring you into her own faction, or at the very least, make sure you’re not aligned with us. My guess is she’ll come and talk to you first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I believe you’re right. In fact, she even mentioned to me last night that she had some seats open. Were I to give her the response she wanted, I’m sure she’d usher me onto her side as though it were completely natural.”
That said, while combat was another story, I didn’t think I could win a battle of wits, charisma, or etiquette against Corquia, who’d been a noble all her life. So perhaps it was futile for me to try and search from inside the marquis’s circle from the start...but I did have one advantage. The empire faction didn’t know I’d already figured out how Claudia’s curse worked. There was no way someone who cast a curse like that could be pure of heart. Once I’d gotten close enough, I’d definitely be able to sense the rot in their soul. So getting in good with the marquis served a purpose. However, I couldn’t tell Astrid that I’d learned the truth either, because then I’d have to explain my ability to see souls.
Just as I’d expected, she was rather critical of my plan to accept the marquis’s offer. Not because she thought I wouldn’t learn anything, but because she was worried about my safety.
“Corquia’s family is one of the most esteemed in all of Kanaria,” she warned. “And being well aware of that, she’s used her wit and influence to poach several promising members of our faction now. If you’re not careful, she’ll trap you in her web of words. You see, she’s quite skilled at knowing when to offer the carrot and when to threaten with the stick. And those she can’t cajole to her side, she crushes. That’s what has me the most concerned.”
“You think she’ll crush me?”
“Not from the front and not directly. That’s not her style. She’ll spread rumors about you or implicate you in a scandal, and that’s just if she’s feeling generous. She’s put pressure on some families to remove the retainers that oppose her, or blackmailed merchants from opposing factions into breaking their contracts. And because she’s always just toeing the line of the law but never overstepping it, we’ve found her quite troublesome to deal with.” She gave a heavy sigh, then continued. “It doesn’t matter what status her opponents hold; she’ll find some way to ruin them. And I worry that because you lack a court rank, she’ll have no reason to hold back. She might be more ruthless than ever. Of course, my father and I will make sure that doesn’t happen... Ah.” She held her hand up to her mouth as though she’d just said something she shouldn’t have. When I cocked my head in puzzlement, she bowed her head apologetically.
“Forgive my presumptuousness, Mr. Sora. I’ve been talking like you’ve already decided to ally with us even though you’re only here for Clau’s sake. I know you have no interest in Kanaria’s political affairs.”
“Er...well, you’re not wrong, but was it really that obvious?”
She patted my head with a chuckle. “Considering your attitude toward the nobles at that banquet last night, I could hazard a guess. In fact, I was even a little worried you might announce your intent to return to Ishka at that very moment. After all, simply by being here on this estate, people will inevitably assume you’re siding with us regardless of how you actually feel.”
Having been seen through so thoroughly, I managed a wry smile. Indeed, if it wasn’t for Claudia, I’d probably have been on my way back already. But truthfully, she wasn’t the only one of the Dragonauts I’d taken a liking to—I’d come to be quite fond of her older sister as well. And I liked how the duke treated me too. If their family was in trouble, I didn’t mind offering a helping hand. So I told Astrid as much.