To get a better view, I leaned over the fence to watch him.
Under the sunlight, his reddish-brown hair shone strangely. Under his neat locks, his deep green eyes stood out. His smooth nose and soft pink lips were in perfect harmony with his features.
“He's definitely the protagonist!”
Although he was still a boy, he had a striking charm and height that made him stand out.
But not as charismatic as Didric, of course.
In the novel, he had a noble character.
He was clear about his duties, and never took advantage of his position to pressure the heroine or to do something dishonest. He was someone who liked fair play.
He had a good reputation, and he was kind, but that kindness was only a mask he had learned to wear in order to survive in the royal palace, where everyone was an enemy.
But because he was still young, he wasn't fully in control of his emotions, so the Second Prince's facial expression seemed a little stiff.
“He's clearly struggling with acting.”
But the two fools, Somerset and Axel, did not notice Perez's confusion.
“Most importantly, the Second Prince is very curious about Daedric now.”
Unlike Somerset and Axel, who looked nothing like the Duke, Daederick was said to look exactly like him.
Especially with Somerset and Axel's arrogant and foolish behavior, Perez felt very disappointed, which increased his curiosity towards Deidrick.
As for Delaney, she realized all of this in just hours.
“That's why the Duchess is moving now.”
Then the theft happened!
In the novel, a robbery was supposed to happen at this time. The story was simple:
While Perez was staying at the ducal palace, some of his valuables were stolen, and Delaney framed Deidrick.
Because of this, Perez formed a bad impression of Dedrick, and he later had to work hard to clear up this confusion.
“I must prevent this from happening at all costs!”
Furthermore, I will try to get him closer to Daedric and gain him as a strong ally.
I smiled slyly, and suddenly, Deidrick easily lifted me away from the window.
“It's dangerous.”
I was surprised by his steady movement, so I looked at him.
“Are you getting stronger?”
“But you are very light.”
Is this correct?
I wasn't able to estimate my weight myself.
“Didi, I'll tell you what we're going to do today.”
Daedric straightened up and looked at me seriously.
“The Duke’s wife will summon you, so go with her quietly. But don’t let her intimidate you. If she says something, just agree politely. Understood?”
"Understood."
“That's enough for today.”
“Will you come with me?”
“No, I have to stay here.”
If Daedric left, someone planted by the Duchess would definitely start making moves.
So, my plan was to stay here and keep a close eye on things, to prevent Dedric from being framed.
Knock
As if on cue, someone came.
“Young Master, the Duchess requests your presence.”
As soon as he heard the Duchess's words, Daedric's face immediately looked tense.
I hesitated…..
“Should I go with him?”
But staying here was my chance to see how the plot would play out.
However, I felt sorry for sending him alone.
I walked up to him and held his hand.
“If it's hard for you, shall we go together?”
“…”
“Let's go together.”
Well, since I already knew the story, there would be no harm.
How much can things change?
Everything has been going as written so far.
Currently, Daedric was the most important.
“Is this okay?”
“Of course. I don’t want to let you go alone.”
He smiled shyly at my words.
"I'm fine now. I can go alone."
“No, I want to go with you.”
I quickly stood behind him.
“Let's go!”
"…Good."
Although he looked a little embarrassed, I could see that he was happy that I was with him….and that was enough.
We followed the maid through the garden.
“Wow...”
This was my first time getting so close to the park. The blooming flowers and the water channel making its way between the trees made me feel like I had entered a fantasy world.
The flower petals flew through the air and fell into the water, making the scene appear as if the flowers themselves were sailing with the current.
“It's really beautiful...”
I continued to meditate as I walked behind Daedric.
“Oh, you two came?”
A slightly cheerful female voice interrupted my contemplation of the beauty around me.
Under the canopy, the Duchess was seated, with Somerset, Axel, and the second Prince, Perez, at her side.
Somerset and Axel couldn't hide their displeasure when they saw Daedric.
“Sorry to bother you while you were resting.”
The Duchess pretended to look at Dederic regretfully, as if apologizing for interrupting him while he was at rest.
I couldn't help but admire her acting skills.
Her performance was top notch.
Above all, her saying she was sorry for interrupting his rest was ridiculous.
It was an indirect hint to Perez that Deidrick was hiding in his room with nothing to do.
“You trickster...”
I clenched my teeth as the Duchess stared at Deidrick, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
“...Are you upset? Your face looks a little grim.”
“…”
I can't take it anymore.
I stepped forward, causing Daedric to look at me in surprise with wide eyes.
I wouldn't let Perez get a bad impression of Dedrick.
I had to calm him down first.
“I'm here. You can respond at ease.”
It was best not to show Daedric's personality change in front of the Duchess just yet.
But I can't lose Perez as an ally.
“I have to keep this relationship!”
If Deidrick wants strong support, he doesn't need to join the academy, he needs to build the right relationships.
“She's not really a scary person.”
“…?”
Daedric looked at me skeptically.
“She's just someone we have to take revenge on!”
Hearing this, his shoulders relaxed slightly and he nodded lightly.
“No, she is the Duke’s wife.”
Daedric stepped towards the umbrella slightly, saying, “I think I was a little nervous after meeting the Duke’s wife again after all this time.”
“Good answer!”
Daedric was pretending that the duke's wife cared about him, but in reality he was subtly insinuating that he had not seen her for a long time.
She looked at Perez, who raised the corner of his mouth in a slight smile as he watched Deidrick carefully, even resting his chin on his hand, studying him curiously.
This was one of Perez's habits when something interested him.
“It worked!”
Now that his curiosity is the driver of events, Perez will begin to approach Deedric himself during his time here.
“Well done, Didi!”
As expected, Deidrick is always the best!
The hidden competition between the Duke's wife and Dideric seemed very exciting to Pérez.
“I've gained some weight, it would be nice to move more.”
“My diet has improved recently, Your Honor.”
“I heard you were having a hard time keeping up with sword training.”
“I recently found a teacher, and I'm training hard now.”
“…”
"Good shot! Diddy wins this round!"
The duke's wife smiled as she looked at Daedric, but I realized that her smile was not entirely sincere.
As for Somerset and Axel, they could not hide their anger and tried to intervene, but the Duke's wife repeatedly prevented them, which prevented any exciting confrontation.
By this moment, the Duke's wife must have realized something important…
And it is that Perez is already interested in Dedrick.