He had his reasons for staying away from Grimaldi. It was not just a matter of wanting to contradict the will of the King. Apart from the question of Grimaldi's loyalty to the royal family, the King was suspicious of them. This is a person capable of betrayal at any moment. However, he himself is unlikely to consider his actions a betrayal.
This was the difficulty. After all, he is sure that his actions have a compelling, plausible pretext and compelling reasons. Ostensibly for the benefit of the royal family.
“Well, if this is the will of Your Highness, the Crown Prince, then I have nothing to object to.”
Said Julius.
“I only allowed Adrian Grimaldi, who was in my guard, to linger in my Residence, because he asked for time to see the Count, who had arrived in Palesa. As Your Highness has probably already heard, he has a strong affection for his family.
Lie. There was no talk of any strong attachment; They seemed to be at odds with each other. The king won't believe this. It was just a convenient excuse.
“Besides, I have my own rights in this palace.” Although I am a duke, I am still a member of the royal blood.
- Okay, do as you please.
- What are you, Your Majesty, what plans could I have?
Julius answered. Even if he had any intentions, it would not matter to the King. Everyone understood this perfectly. Claude too.
- Okay, then let's move on to the main thing.
Having said this, the King rose from his throne and descended the steps. Once on the same level, the King noticed that the Duke was larger than it seemed from above. The previous Duke was not so huge.
- My faithful vassal.
Perhaps it's the witch's blood.
-What is my son thinking about?
At these words from the King, Yuls lowered his gaze.
“What is your Marchioness Conolly up to?”
* * *They say the royal family is cursed. Nobody knows what kind of curse this is. Does it really exist when it appears, or is there no curse at all? It is certainly different from the curse they talk about in Grimaldi.
When Juls left the audience hall, only Adi was in the reception room. He wondered if someone else had come while the conversation with the King dragged on, but there seemed to be no people of high rank. However, he was worried about Claude.
- Nothing happened?
- Nothing will happen here.
That's not what he meant. Claude was clearly approaching her, but here Jules had no eyes or ears of his own.
-......Let's go.
Jules said it. As they entered the Gallery, the nobles appeared waiting. The court steward led some of them into the Reception Room. Those whose status was too low could not even enter the Reception Room and stood in the Gallery.
Still, those who could stand in the Gallery had a chance. After all, there were those who could not even receive an Audience.
Of course, if the king had personally invited them to Palesa and even provided them with a Residence, they could have received an Audience, but there were those who did not have such an opportunity. Those who rented other people's estates, minor nobles whose existence the king did not even suspect, and Count Grimaldi.
Until his arrival at the Residence, Yuls remained silent. Adi followed him just as silently. Only after reaching the Residence did Yuls speak.
- What did you talk about with Claude?
“We just exchanged polite greetings.”
It was too obvious a lie to be believed. Juls, who had been silently looking down at Adi, opened his mouth.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but it’s not him.” This location may change at any time.
“I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about.”
- Choose me.
“……Is he really hinting at rebellion?”
“If you need support, I’m better suited than him.”
- I am quite capable of Your Excellency...
She wanted to say “rely,” but the words were stuck in her throat. To be honest, you can't rely on him. And Jules knows this very well.
- No need to lie.
Adi Grimaldi remains by his side for a different reason.
“I know you don’t rely on me.”
Wish. He promised to fulfill it. Adi did not believe that Julius would act for her sake, but she trusted him. At least he doesn't waste words.
“I showed you how you can use me, so why not try it?”
- I don’t know what Your Excellency means.
- Try to seduce me.
-...
- What if I give in?
It seems like he's going to use me and throw me away. Although Adi is not too familiar with court life, she is not so ignorant that she does not understand what is happening here.
“I respect your Lordship’s tastes.” But I hope you will respect mine too.
- What are your tastes?
-...
-What type do you like?
-...
“Is it really so embarrassing that you can’t say the words?”
- That's not the point...
- Then what?
- I never thought about it.
-...
— I never thought about who I might like or what type I prefer. I simply didn’t have the mental strength for it. I only planned that when the time comes, the Family itself will choose anyone for me... Yes. That's all I planned.
It used to be so simple, but now everything is different. And it’s not just Lef Zide. I don’t know exactly what the Count is up to, but I won’t survive. I could be imprisoned somewhere in a tower of Grimaldi Castle, and I would never get out. We need to get out at any cost.
—Which type do you like, Your Excellency?
- I...
Jules fell silent. The same thing happened to him. He never realized that he liked anyone, and he never defined for himself what exactly constituted his taste.
Until recently.
- I like people like you.
-...
It was more like a sentence or a warning than a declaration of love. Adi looked at Yuls with the face of a man who did not know how to answer. Words swirled around in his mouth, but he couldn't utter a single one. Finally Adi opened his mouth and said:
- Thank you.
“...I didn’t expect to hear words of gratitude here.”
It sounded pretty sweet as a warning. This deep red color seemed to mean the same thing as the bright colors of poisonous creatures: it was dangerous to approach. There was an understanding that you need to stay away.
“What I said about my liking for you is a kind of warning.”
- Should I be more careful?
- Yes. If you don't want to get in trouble, stay away from me. All men are wolves.
“There are no wolves in the South, so you apparently don’t know their character.” Wolves practice monogamy, so they even...
Adi wanted to add that wolves are in many ways similar to people or even superior to them, but for some reason these words would sound like a defense of Woodpecker, and she cut herself off:
- No.
- Why did you stop? Continue. You seem to like wolves.
“Your Highness is not a wolf, but a Woodpecker, isn’t it?”
-...Yes, I am Woodpecker. And you are the Gray Disease.
Adi fell silent. This is true. Grimaldi. They were originally Grimaladi. A gray disease that has engulfed the North. When the ashes of burned witches covered the world, people began to call those who led to this. With reverence and fear.
- Yes.
Although the rhythm and pronunciation have changed over time, and now it seems that no plague ever occurred, this was the origin of the Grimaldi family.
“This is a disease that has infested the northern forests.
People like them are like a pathogen that has turned the world into a pile of ash. They deserve damnation.
- I just misspoke.
Jules hastily corrected himself.
- I didn't want to humiliate you. It was just a sarcastic remark thrown out.
Woodpecker King.
That's what they called Yuls, but he didn't like the nickname. Seeing a boy born not with golden hair, like his father, but with red hair, the witch named him Woodpecker. The very name of the Woodpecker family already meant “woodpecker,” but what the witch put into this word had a different meaning.
The woodpecker is a cruel bird. With its powerful beak, it is capable of destroying not only trees, but also attacking its own kind. The bright red plumage on the head, found only on males, reminded the witch of the color of the hair of the woman she hated. And also the color of her own hair. But the witch did not admit this. She simply thought the child was a Woodpecker.
A woodpecker parasitizing the Red Oak Grove.
A man parasitizing a witch.
Perhaps the witch loved her son just as much as she hated him.
“To some, your line was like a plague, but at least the Royal Family remained in your debt.”
Jules wondered if something would have changed if he had carried the house name Dalcatir instead of Woodpecker, but he was not Dalcatir and could not become a witch. You need to admit that you are dissatisfied and live with it. He is capable of this.
“I’m in your debt, Adrian.”
Are twins really born with the same destiny?
“So you are using me to repay your debt.”
Is it possible that when someone else dies, that fate passes to the twins?
- Not Claude.
What if it's not really Adrina Grimaldi who is destined, but Adrian Grimaldi? The Witch would have enough sense of humor for such a joke. Besides, she wants this blood line to end.
Don't know. Only one thing is clear: Juls has some feelings for Adi. A tiny spark ignites in my chest. Weak, but at some point it can spread uncontrollably and burn to the ground.
The desire that this moment never comes, and the hope that it will come, coexist.
“You seem to believe that there is some kind of connection between me and His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
- Yes.
-...
“Don’t think that I don’t have eyes and ears here.”
Yuls's hand rests on Adi's head. Thin curly hair gently curls around your fingers.
“You shouldn’t jump on a horse that’s heading for a fall, Adi.”