Chapter 12: Trembling with Embarrassment
“NOW, to charge it. Lightning bolt!” Claude cried out, and lightning shot down from the sky, striking the grid.
Electricity trembled violently across the grid, and where it touched the black mist, it burst and disappeared. Static electricity had run through the old grid too, but this looked very different. Such power. Almost…beautiful.
However, as Agnes watched, overtaken with emotion, she saw one of the mushrooms growing on the grid get charged by electricity, too.
“Oh! The mushroom! It’s being electrified.”
“I don’t think it’ll burn, but…”
But mushrooms hadn’t grown on the old lattice. This was a new situation for Claude.
“Even if it doesn’t burn, won’t it hurt? Though I don’t know if mushrooms have a sense of pain.”
Even the fanatic seemed to have no idea how a mushroom might feel being struck by lightning.
Agnes and Claude looked at Ciel, who was apparently interpreting for them.
“He said the mushrooms enjoy it… They say it tingles,” Claude interpreted.
“Then, it’s okay?”
Now she knew the mushrooms liked to be stimulated, but was it a good idea to stimulate them in the first place?
“They don’t seem angry or uncomfortable,” Claude said. “Look, the lightning seems to make them multiply. They seem to rather like it.”
“Seems kind of masochistic…” Agnes sighed.
“Mushrooms are very generous.”
Agnes didn’t really get it, though fungal logic always seemed to elude her.
The knights sheathed their swords and gazed up at the hole in the wall with its new grid, sighing in admiration.
“It’s amazing. Even when the mist undulates, the lattice doesn’t budge in the slightest. Thank you, Mushroom Princess!”
“Er…” Agnes wished they wouldn’t call her that, but she’d hate to rain on the knights’ happy parade.
“You’re the one who enlisted the help of the spirits and mushrooms to create this grid, Agnes. You should be proud,” Claude said.
“Thank the spirits and mushrooms, not me,” she replied wryly. “Thank you both for helping out.”
The spirit balls glowed bright and then went out, and the mushrooms puffed out more spores. Where were all those spores coming from? Shouldn’t they be running out soon?
“I like the name Mushroom Princess, but from now on, you can call her the Duchess of Aznavour,” Claude said to the knights.
“Mushroom Duchess, then!” the knights beamed, causing Agnes to frown.
Why was the mushroom part being preserved? That was when Agnes noticed the mushrooms were gone from Ciel’s head. When were they harvested?
“Claude! Agnes! Are you all right?”
Cesar and Armand appeared then, and the knights bowed and stepped back.
Agnes thought she heard mutterings about “the Mushroom Princess” and “Lady Mushroom.” Maybe it was just her imagination.
“Thanks to Agnes, we were able to completely reform the grid,” Claude reported.
Cesar nodded, looking up at the grid, his breath catching. “Spectacular. Now we’ll be able to relax our guard a little. See that the city is informed.”
“Yes, sir!” The knights nodded and dashed off, their eyes alight. They were saying things like, “The Mushroom Princess forged a mushroom grid,” but Agnes tried to ignore it.
In the midst of the excitement, Armand stared intently at the grid, nodding to himself. “The withering parts are gone…and the grid itself has become thicker. There seems to be much stronger lightning running through it as well. But what’s the purpose of the mushrooms?”
Agnes would like to know the answer to that one herself.
“Erm… I think it’s just for decoration…” she ventured.
Agnes felt bad admitting she had no idea when Armand’s eyes were shining with curiosity. So, she desperately tried to think of a plausible explanation. Even if they were edible, the mushrooms were too super-charged to be eaten; some of them were definitely poisonous too. What other reason could there be for except decoration? Either way, Armand, knowing nothing about mushrooms, didn’t seem to understand this concept. He raised a brow at Agnes.
“Decoration?”
“Beautiful guardian, er, mushrooms,” Agnes muttered.
Claude sighed, his silvery-gray eyes sparkling, and Armand rolled his eyes a little.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m guessing there has to be some significance to those mushrooms,” Armand concluded.
“Oh, doubtless,” Claude agreed.
Right…there probably was.
It was just that it was beyond human comprehension.
“In any case, Claude, Agnes, you did a great job. Thank you,” smiled Cesar as he patted Agnes on the shoulder.
There was a loud pop, and a clam-shaped mushroom appeared on Cesar’s arm. The Cryptoporus volvatus mushroom was quickly plucked and handed to Claude as a matter of course. Apparently, there was a mushroom trade agreement in place between Claude and his uncle as well. Cesar’s approval made Agnes smile, and the mushroom handover made her giggle.
Claude pocketed the mushroom and put his arm around Agnes. In front of the others, Agnes felt embarrassed. But seeing Claude’s smile, she had to giggle again.
“Now then. Sorry to bring up business so soon after a dramatic scene, but there’s something I’d like to confirm,” Cesar began a little more seriously.
“What is it?” questioned Agnes.
Perhaps Cesar was wondering about the mushrooms as well. Agnes didn’t really have any answers to give. Perhaps the resident fungi expert could explain.
But Cesar and Armand exchanged glances, as if they were having trouble proceeding with the conversation. What could they be having difficulty discussing relating to mushrooms? Maybe they were going to ask Claude to hand over some of his precious mushrooms? No, no way would they ask that.
“Philip was causing a ruckus, claiming that he is the one Agnes truly loves… So, we had to restrain him,” Armand stated, albeit timidly.
“…You’re not…not seriously asking Agnes to confirm whether or not it’s Philip she loves, are you?” Claude asked incredulously, his voice dangerously low and his smile fixed.
This is what’s known as a landmine. Armand seemed to sense this as well, and shook his head in a panic.
“N-No, even I can tell that’s not true.”
“Obviously.”
Though Claude’s voice was still cold, the menacing aura seemed to have lifted for the time being. Armand exhaled, looking exhausted, and Cesar patted him encouragingly on the shoulder.
“…See, that’s why I warned you to choose your words carefully,” Cesar admonished gently.
“I was just relaying what happened?!”
“A Crest Bearer’s Dragonmate is his moon and stars. If he sees you as an enemy, he will not show mercy.”
“What a hassle…” Armand groused.
Seeing two Dragonmate-less royals nodding in solidarity with one another was kind of heartwarming. All the same, there were bigger concerns just then.
“That waste of human skin. Still saying things like that, without any remorse,” Agnes spat out, much to everyone’s surprise.
“I never expected words like that to come out of your mouth, Agnes.” Claude grinned, looking stunned.
True, Agnes had rarely voiced such strong opinions aloud before.
“Well, it’s impossible trying to reason with that reprobate. I love Claude, and don’t care a speck for Philip! …Oh.” Agnes clammed up when she suddenly realized what she’d just done—she said “I love Claude” in front of his brother and uncle. How embarrassing! “Er, I mean— That’s not what I meant. Although it technically is, I—”
Agnes stumbled over her words trying to take back what she’d said without actually taking it back. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
Claude hugged Agnes as she turned away, as if to help shield her from view. Like this, no one could see how much she was blushing. But the hug somehow made things even more embarrassing.
“I love you too, Agnes,” Claude crooned above her head, and made a smoochy sound as he kissed the top of her head. In Claude’s arms, Agnes grew redder still.
“Claude! We’re in public!”
“Indeed, we are. Shall we show them all who you really belong to, Agnes?”
Oh, yikes. Agnes wasn’t sure what triggered it, but Claude had gone into full-on lover-boy mode. As she squirmed, trying to escape his embrace, she heard Cesar sigh.
“Surely, he’s seen this, too. I wonder what sort of possible thought process could have led Philip to any other conclusion.”
“Maybe he’s in denial,” Armand speculated. “He wasn’t executed for his crime on account of his ties to the family. Perhaps he misunderstood and thought that Lady Agnes pleaded his case. Good grief, he’s got a sunny outlook on things, doesn’t he?”
Cesar and Armand were hypothesizing away. Never mind that, rein Claude in, Agnes wanted to say.
“He’s got the obsessive nature of one with dragon blood, to be sure. But if he keeps this up, Claude is liable to explode,” Cesar predicted.
As Agnes managed to get her head free from Claude’s chest, she saw Armand nodding, an odd look on his face.
“That would be troublesome, indeed. …Claude, Lady Agnes?”
“Yes?”
Armand gave them both a loaded grin, and stated, “I have a suggestion.”