I thought the Seeker family erased all evidence of Gramps.
“I’ve been good at finding secret rooms in the palace since I was a kid,” Duke says, grinning like a mischievous little boy.
So Duke has always been like this. I guess he never spent any time as a sweet, innocent child…
“When you’re royalty, there are some matters that cannot be resolved with hard work alone… So I’m going to bring my uncle back to this world.”
He’s going to choose Gramps over his own father…
The real question is, will Gramps leave Roana Village? Duke’s case is so compelling, I quickly make up my mind.
“I want to make Gramps king,” I say. “He’s more suitable for the throne than anyone else. Let me handle things in Roana Village—I can help you.”
“You know my uncle well, Gill. I trust your judgment. You have my support.”
I nod at Duke. He’s depending on me. I have a lot of hard work ahead of me.
“Also, I want to look into Liz Cather’s abilities.”
Duke turns a grim gaze on me. “I’ve been concerned about that, too.”
“You and Albert are friends, aren’t you?” I ask.
“We used to be.”
“He chose the saint over his own sister…”
“……Albert didn’t used to be that kind of guy.”
A conflicted look fills Duke’s face. They were good friends before Liz tore them apart. The way I see it, Liz is brainwashing everyone.
I used to think Albert and the other boys were just stupid for letting her take control of their minds…but recently, I’m starting to suspect Liz Cather.
“I think the worst of them all are Eric, Gale, Albert, and Alan… Meanwhile, the Liz-skeptics are Curtis, Henri, Finn, myself, and you. We’re either suspicious of her, or we dislike her. What exactly is the difference?”
“I can’t quite tell whose side Finn is on.”
“He may look all sweet and innocent, but he just might have the biggest dark side out of all of us.”
“He’s always had a dark side,” Duke says, as if it were common knowledge.
I have to admit I never really spoke to the guy…so I can’t exactly grasp what sort of person he is.
“Finn likes to observe disputes as a neutral third party,” Duke says.
“What the heck? That’s news to me.”
“He’s got a dark sense of humor. Not very many people know that, though.”
When you’re around other people, you can learn a lot of secrets. It’s a new experience for me, having spent all my time with Alicia thus far.
“Hey, Duke…something’s been on my mind.”
“What is it?”
“When are you gonna drop the amnesia act?”
He looks taken aback by my question for a moment, but he collects himself. “Good question. I hadn’t thought about it.”
There’s an answer I wasn’t expecting.
“I only put on the act so I could exile Alicia from the kingdom. The truth will spread on a need-to-know basis.”
“Have you always been like this, Duke?”
“Like what?”
“Nothing, forget it. I just get the sense your reputation as an upright prince is starting to erode ever so slightly.”
“Well, I was never an upright prince to begin with.”
If you ask me, he always gives off the impression of a “perfect” prince. He always shows up to save Alicia from danger. He’s handsome, gifted in both magic and academics—he has no shortcomings.
“Wait a minute, does somebody else know your amnesia is an act?”
“I’m sure my father knows,” Duke says casually.
……What?
I’m too stunned to speak. If the king knows, why doesn’t he say anything?
“Remember what I told you? My father’s no fool.”
“Is he hands-off with his children? No… No, no, even a laissez-faire ruler would step in and stop a daughter of the nobility from being exiled.”
“He knows I have a plan, but he can’t let on that he does.”
“What a burden it must be to have a genius for a son.”
“I have not made one actual achievement yet,” Duke points out cynically.
I suppose his genius means nothing to him if he has nothing to show for it. His eyes shine blue in the light of the sun. They resemble the clear blue sky so vividly, I catch myself swooning. Anybody, regardless of gender, will fall for that man if he stares at them long enough with those eyes.
Alicia’s golden eyes are truly beautiful. Do all nobles have beautiful eyes as a rule? Alicia praises my gray eyes, says they look intelligent, but I have never liked them.
“Duke, are your eyes special also?”
“What do you mean by ‘also’?” Duke raises an eyebrow.
“Gramps’s and Alicia’s eyes are special. If they focus, they can perceive things with incredible speed, and they can see very long distances, too.”
I try to explain but can only find vague words. Describing someone else’s eyes was odd enough to begin with.
Duke thinks for a few moments, then says, “If that’s what you meant, then my eyes are normal. I can perceive most of what’s going on at a glance, but my vision is nowhere near as sharp as Alicia’s.”
Isn’t that more than enough to qualify as special? I’m starting to think that Duke’s normal is most people’s special.
“I saw Alicia speed-reading in the past once, and that was really impressive. Oh, but it was the apple that gave me goose bumps,” Duke said.
“What’re you talking about?”
Alicia rarely speaks about her childhood, so I have no idea what she was like back then. When I first met her, she could already use magic, and she was very strong and nimble. She obviously trained very hard. Yet when I asked her about her childhood, she told me she used to be an unhinged selfish little brat.
……I can’t exactly say she was being humble, but I also can’t see how that was true.
“She took Albert’s sword from his belt and effortlessly slashed an apple in two as it fell from a tree.”
“……What?!” I yelp louder than I mean to. “How old was she?”
“Seven? I think that’s about how old she was.”
“I can’t believe it. I mean, how could a seven-year-old even be strong enough to hold a sword…?”
“She did more than just hold it. She used it like a sword should be used.” Duke smiles proudly.
I wonder if it’s her will to become a villainess that gave her that ability…
I shiver from my head to my toes. “Alicia really is no ordinary girl.”
As I ponder her terrifying talent, a smile creeps onto my face.