The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 10 Part 4
“What in the world is going on here?!”
The Duke Noer burst into the room, shouting at the top of his lungs, only to find it empty. After sending his wife ahead, he had come to the waiting room, only to be met with an unsettling sight. He looked around in disbelief.
Not only was Kirthalros gone, but so were his attendants and his escort knights.
“What’s going on? The room’s completely empty!”
The Duke grilled the attendant who had led him to the room, but the man could only respond that the candidate seemed to have left. With the match over, no one had cared to keep an eye on the eliminated Knight of Autumn candidate.
‘Could he have simply disappeared? Out of shame?’
If that were the case, it would have been a relief. The Duke already knew where the area containing the buried mana stones was located. He had marked it on a map and instructed his people to investigate further. If the dragon had truly fled, that would have been cause for celebration.
‘Though the magical oath binding me to obey that bastard’s orders is a concern… Still, if he’s given up on the Empress, that’s a blessing in disguise.’
At the time, there had been no other choice. Without making the oath, he would have been killed by the dragon.
The Duke Noer shot a displeased glare at the attendant who had guided him and left the room.
The man trailing after him only began moving once Duke Noer had exited the hallway. Taking a mental note, ‘It seems things aren’t going as the Duke planned.’
**
The Calix duchy’s carriage was insulated from both jolts and outside noise. Theodore looked puzzled as he observed Angelica, who seemed unusually downcast.
The pre-festival events had been splendid, and the citizens who attended appeared joyous. Angelica, who had spent the entire day watching and chatting with excitement, now appeared listless as soon as she entered the carriage.
Theodore recognized that expression on Angelica’s face. It was the look of someone longing for something they couldn’t have.
But what could possibly be out of Angelica’s reach?
She was the Duchess of Calix. The wealth of the Calix duchy rivaled even that of the imperial family, and Theodore had already gifted her countless rare treasures from across the world. Before they had returned from their honeymoon, Angelica had seemed nothing but blissful.
‘Then why…’
Is it because she hadn’t been able to grow close to the Empress? Indeed, Angelica hadn’t appeared her usual lively self during the eve celebrations. Theodore had even braced himself, fearing that her usual boldness might provoke the Empress, but the event passed peacefully.
Angelica had mingled gracefully and managed to get through the day without any conflicts with the Empress. She hadn’t even gone out of her way to speak to Rahil. Perhaps she had been holding herself back to avoid rumors? But knowing Angelica, Theodore doubted that was the case.
“Angelica, is something troubling you?”
He spoke gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Startled, Angelica turned to look at him with wide eyes, her expression flustered as she shook her head.
“No! I’m not worried about anything, really…”
“You’ve been out of sorts all day. That expression—you wear it when you’re longing for something but won’t say what. Is it something I’d try to stop you from doing?”
At his soothing tone, Angelica’s face crumpled into a near-tearful expression. This was the one thing she couldn’t bring herself to tell Theodore. She thought of herself as the worst person for even entertaining that thought.
Instead of answering, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace. Silently, Theodore hugged her back. But within the comfort of his arms, Angelica’s guilt only grew heavier.
**
“Don’t you think it’s a bit much to make me come all the way here and then give me that look?!”
“Haah…”
Having just been with Anais moments ago, Rahil sighed and turned his head to the side in exasperation. Emilio, was about to grumble further in irritation, but his muttering was cut short when someone jabbed him in the side, reminding him to show respect to the Emperor.
“So, Your Majesty, where’s this man you suspect of being a dragon?”
“He’s disappeared.”
Sion stepped in to explain Kirthalros’s movements on Rahil’s behalf. Accounts from witnesses who had seen him fight and the remains of a chimera were presented as evidence.
Arken, who had returned alongside Emilio, stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking.
“I see. So you suspect this individual of being a dragon?”
“If he’d been exceptionally skilled, I could understand, but his swordsmanship was abysmal.”
“That does make sense. Against a swordsman, perhaps it would be different, but facing a mage, even one of considerable strength, it’s rare for monsters to feel genuine fear.”
Moreover, the chimera Kirthalros had faced was a hybrid of a lion and a troll—one of the strongest beasts used in the tournament that day, rivaling even wyverns for the top spots in terms of power.
“Moreover, the knight overseeing the third trial made an absurd claim. He believed Kirthalros was on the verge of becoming a Sword Master.”
As Sion spoke, he ordered the knight to be brought in. When the imperial knight entered the chamber and took his seat, Arken studied his condition. While Arken’s apprentices had examined him a few hours earlier and found nothing, he now frowned.
“This… the traces are far too subtle. Tower Lord, would you mind taking a look?”
At Arken’s request, Emilio stepped forward willingly, placing his hand on the knight’s head to examine his memories. His brow furrowed as he probed deeper.
“It’s certain. This is dragon magic.”
“So Kirthalros is really that bastard, then?”
Rahil’s eyes gleamed with hostility, though he held himself back from voicing his desire to kill Kirthalros on the spot. But with so many people present, such an act was impossible.
