“I believe the pressure from Thuringia will increase.” They will continue to send requests for assistance. Tuberose has already given up, Bellifera is still hesitating. They turned to many states for assistance, but only a few responded. The only hope now is our kingdom of Dalcatir, although everything will depend on what His Highness does.
“The king will certainly want to help.” And it will expose those who offer the greatest resistance.
And the most ardent opponent among them will be Grimaldi. The king will want to send Grimaldi to Thuringia at any cost to demonstrate his power.
— Luigi supposedly had some connections with the Thuringian royal house. - said Yuls. If, following the current events there in the royal house, Luigi is put forward with a demand for help, what will the king do?
If Luigi comes to the fore, the king will not be able to stay away. Indeed, in this case, Thuringia will feel much more grateful to Luigi than to the monarch himself. But you can’t refuse help either - then there will be no way to restrain Grimaldi.
- It's a confusing situation.
Still, it’s better not to come to the fore for now, but to stay in the shadows and observe.
- Since they ask for a meeting, we will meet. But not alone. - said Jules. He favored both of them, but the relationship between the two was somewhat uncertain. This means that there is a person who could observe everything from the outside - and this person is right here.
- Contact Claude.
* * *— Wow, I’m dying!
Roy entered, bending his whole body. After muttering that he had stood motionless all day, for some reason he did push-ups, squats, and eventually began jumping on the spot.
- Change?
- Yeah. Are you already awake? Don't you need any more sleep?
- Everything is fine. Yesterday I rested.
My head continued to feverishly figure out exactly how to proceed, but my body felt surprisingly light. Perhaps it was precisely because of this physical comfort that thoughts flowed in an endless stream.
Various assumptions arose in my mind, but nothing definite was yet clear. For now, I just decided that it was better to stay with the Duke, on the assumption that he wouldn't just use me and throw me away.
“I heard you decided to come with us,” Roy said.
- To Woodpecker.
- Yeah.
- This is good.
Roy smiled.
— The South is simply magnificent. You won't regret it. The food there is delicious. I'm so glad I can feed you real food.
He seemed to consider anything that wasn't Southern food to be fake or trash. Looking at his sparkling eyes, Adi felt fear: if she objected, she would have to listen to a long speech about the greatness of southern dishes, so she just said: “...Probably.”
- Is it true. Once you try it, you’ll forget about returning to Grimaldi. You will generally want to subjugate all the lands of Grimaldi.
She could not initially become Lord Grimaldi. Seeing Adi not answering, Roy, who was looking out the window, asked, “Do you want to go out for a while?”
“I’m tired of sitting in the room all the time.” Let's bask in the sun for a little while.
Hearing this proposal, Adi nodded and stood up.
She couldn't remember the last time she had spent an afternoon so peacefully. Adi closed her eyes under the scorching rays, but soon a white cloud obscured the sun. It's good that it's not raining. A shadow from a cloud lay on the grass.
Roy suddenly lay down on the grass and said: “The weather is great.” He was not alone lying on the grass; there were other people around.
And nobles, and children, and soldiers with knights - everyone enjoyed their vacation.
- Still, a person needs to engage in photosynthesis in order to feel less sad. I would rather go to the South, the weather there is good all year round.
- And if the weather is too good, doesn’t that make you sadder?
- What do you mean?
Roy looked at Adi as if he couldn’t understand her. He seemed to wonder how harsh the North must be for a person to change so much.
“When the days are too good, it’s impossible to get used to them.”
“Well, I wish you the blessing of the South.”
Just as he was turning to leave, Roy suddenly said, “Oh, um...” and stared at someone. Adi followed his gaze.
The faces were familiar.
— The family of Lintu and the Marchioness of Conolly?
- Do you remember them?
Roy asked. For a moment he looked as if he was hesitating whether to mention the meeting, but then he added quietly, “It doesn’t matter now, though.” Adi asked: “What exactly?”
“You do understand that the Lingtu family is always trying to get closer to His Grace the Duke because they need something?”
“It seems that the daughter of the Linth family has tender feelings for His Grace the Duke.”
It seemed that this was the case even when the Duke had not yet blossomed. I remembered how the Duke spoke with disgust about pedophilia. It is unlikely that it would come to this, but there were certainly people pursuing him with similar goals. However, the Lingtu family is not one of them. That is why they sometimes became interlocutors for him.
“At first it seemed like she was just trying to climb the social ladder, but now it looks like she's genuinely in love.
- He is certainly handsome. In addition, he has untold wealth, royal blood and the title of duke.
- Yes, he is perfect. In any case, since things are not going according to plan, they seem to have decided to act through the Marchioness of Conolly.
- His Lordship's aunt?
- Formally, yes, although there are rumors that she is his stepmother’s sister.
Roy said this. In fact, opinions on this matter are divided. Be that as it may, Duke Woodpecker, unlike his brothers, was the only owner of red hair. Not the dark golden hair of the royal family, but the red hair of Mrs. Woodpecker.
Therefore, the lady herself claimed that if this son were not her own, then where would such a color come from, but inside, it seems, other rumors were circulating.
— There were also such rumors. The details, however, are unknown to me.
“But the Marchioness of Conolly is red-haired.”
- Having the same hair color does not make people related.
That's true. Even within the same family, hair and eye colors often vary. Wasn't she herself different from her father?
- According to my colleague.
Roy continued:
“It seems that Marchioness Conolly intends to adopt the daughter of the Lintu family.”
- Like an adopted daughter?
- Yeah. Apparently, she felt that her current family ties were not enough. Since the daughter of the Lingtu family has a soft spot for his lordship, the marquise will probably adopt her to promote this party seriously. Then the status will be preserved, and as an adopted daughter, she will be able to get married without any special obstacles.
“But this only benefits the Lingtu family, doesn’t it?”
“The Marchioness of Conolly wouldn’t do something like this without benefiting herself.”
Roy commented that I should know what kind of person she is. In response to my answer that this is why I’m asking because I don’t know, Roy was taken aback for a moment, paused, and then spoke again:
“Apparently, the Lingtu family has something very valuable.” Rumor has it that this is a mine. They don’t say exactly what they mine there, but since the Marquise of Conolly is coveting it, it means the value is considerable.
A gem mine? Or perhaps a magic stone? After processing, this could also bring huge money. However, it is unknown whether Duke Woodpecker will be happy about this. The Lintu family seems unaware of this, but the relationship between the Marchioness of Conolly and the Duke leaves much to be desired. Roy also found out about this only after arriving here.
Roy spoke quietly, wondering how events would develop, and Adi looked at him. Feeling her gaze, Roy asked:
- Why are you looking like that?
“You know more than I thought.”
“It’s more likely that you don’t know too much.”
- Really?
Roy, who was frowning at Adi, scratched the back of his head furiously. Apparently, the count did not tell him anything, and he, like her, was forced to desperately flounder alone. Roy sighed heavily.
- I had a goal. I found out everything myself and acted independently. Made acquaintances everywhere.
The mother did not help. She said that since it was all over, it was better to just bury the past and move on. She easily forgot everything and went to build a new life.
“And yet, if not for His Grace the Duke of Woodpecker, my plan would not have succeeded.” Ultimately, I had to join the strong hand.
Only Roy remained standing in the same place. However, he did not blame his mother for her choice. At that moment he was simply hurt to tears.
“After all, the nameless clan can’t do anything.”
“Is that why you came to me that day?”
- Yes.
Roy remembered the day when he first visited Adi. Palesa's dog, who took his place. He firmly decided that he must return what was his at any cost.
“Otherwise I would certainly have failed.”
What did he say then? It seems like crawling between your legs?
“It’s thanks to you that I get help.”
In the end, nothing of the kind happened, and thanks to this, Roy found the place he wanted. Maybe now I should crawl between his legs? It didn't seem like Adi would prefer that. Roy wanted to say this as a joke, but Adi asked in bewilderment:
“I don’t understand what His Lordship wants.”
- Isn't this the simplest thing?
Roy said:
- Remove the curse.
And the man who was supposed to lift the curse, or had already lifted it, was standing right in front of him. Strictly speaking, Duke Woodpecker can be considered to have achieved his goal. Although he himself did not seem to fully understand the meaning of this.
“Then how about I help you?”
“...To be precise, Adi, His Lordship is not helping me.” This is me standing next to His Lordship asking for favors. His Serene Highness the Duke only magnanimously turns a blind eye to the fact that I use his name.
Yes, generosity. You can't find another word. Duke Woodpecker may be a support for someone himself, but he is not someone who needs anyone's help.
“You yourself called him the Woodpecker King.”
The look on Adi's face at Roy's words demanded more; the current explanations did not clarify anything for her.
“The king is not driven by any intentions.” He simply sits on the throne and looks down.
Adi believed that people called him the Woodpecker King only because of his vast possessions and royal blood. However, judging by Roy's words, he truly considered Woodpecker to be a real king.
“It is we, like me, who cling to him, begging for mercy and mercy.
Not the current king of Dalcatir.
“As long as he is not touched, His Grace the Duke is unlikely to do anything.”
Lord of the South, the one who rules in Red Oak Grove.
- That's who our king is.