The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 11 Part 2
‘Wasn’t that Kyr-whatever guy eliminated in the first round?’
Had he been the winner, perhaps it would have been plausible, but he had clearly lost to Young Master Rudwain. Jeremy had already confirmed it through his attendant—his father had been infuriated precisely because of that defeat. That much was certain.
So it made no sense for his father to be buying clothes for someone who had lost, and even less sense that he would personally handle it instead of delegating it to a butler or secretary.
“Well, judging by your expression, seems like you don’t know anything else… Anyway, you’ll be attending the imperial ball tonight, right?”
“Of course.”
Jeremy had already sent a servant to fetch an outfit from Duke Noer’s dressing room. Since he hadn’t been able to meet Anais at the tournament, so tonight’s ball was the only chance left.
‘Both of my parents will be attending tomorrow’s Harvest Festival ball. If they catch me anywhere near Anais, they’ll give me hell.’
Though he hadn’t yet completed the punishment period his father had set, Jeremy couldn’t help himself. He had to see Anais. If he didn’t vent the turmoil within him to her, he felt as if he couldn’t bear to keep living.
“By the way, I heard the young lady chosen as the Maiden of Abundance this year is quite the beauty. She’s the daughter of a viscount, apparently….”
Jeremy barely listened to his friend’s chatter, his mind consumed entirely by Anais. A viscount’s daughter? She wouldn’t even be in the same league as him, much less measure up to Anais.
The only thing Anais had ever lacked was the right bloodline.
Duke Noer had known it. The Emperor had known it. The only fool who hadn’t known—who had been engaged to her yet still let her slip away—was him.
***
Just looking at her peaceful sleeping face was enough to fill him with warmth. Carefully laying Anais, who had fallen into an exhausted, deep sleep, onto the bed, Rahil checked the time. The guests would already be gathering at the ball by now.
She would likely sleep straight through until morning. He had dressed her in clean nightclothes, but the traces he had left on her body were still visible beneath the fabric. Rahil adjusted the folds of her nightgown before pulling the covers over her.
He had no intention of calling in a maid. He wouldn’t allow anyone into this room until morning.
‘That guy….looked different from the last time we met.’
Which meant he had used magic to alter his appearance.
That meant it could mimic any appearance through magic. Dragon magic was said to be fundamentally different from human magic—so much so that it was difficult even to detect, let alone disrupt.
Emilio’s occasional use of magic within the palace, bypassing the magical barriers protecting it, was precisely due to the nature of dragon magic.
Moreover, that man hadn’t been alone. Though it had only been a single day, Rahil had already discovered that Kirthalros had brought along attendants and a knight and that they were definitely not sent by Duke Noer.
They could have simply been humans the dragon kept around for disguise, but if that were the case, he likely would have relied on Duke Noer instead of seeking help elsewhere.
‘Maybe after our last battle, he decided he needed human allies.’
Rahil didn’t know the full extent of a dragon’s magic. But when he had fought one, his first move had been to crush its throat to prevent it from casting any spells. Then he had struck its head, hindering its ability to form magical arrays. After that, he had torn apart its stomach and wings one by one.
Thankfully, there was only a single knight accompanying the dragon. There had been two attendants as well, but Rahil needed to investigate them further before drawing conclusions.
‘It’s alright. My knights are strong.’
For a moment, he considered contacting Theodore and pulling him into this matter. But then there was the issue of Angelica.
Not because he was worried about her clashing with Anais.
Angelica was a knight, and she had a tendency to overestimate her own abilities.
If she found out about this, she wouldn’t obediently wait at the Duke’s mansion. That meant he would have to assign her to guard Anais—but there was a high chance she would spill everything to Anais under the pretense of ‘helping.’
There was also the precarious political position of the Calix duchy. It was true that they were one of the most prominent noble families supporting the Emperor, but that didn’t mean Rahil could count on their help every time something major happened.
As for Theodore, he himself occupied a peculiar position. Of course, he was a loyal vassal who had pledged allegiance to Rahil, but openly depending entirely on him was something Rahil needed to avoid.
‘I’ll trust in my knights and mages.’
His decision to stay here wasn’t simply because of his love for Anais.
If the Empress were kidnapped by a dragon, it would damage the imperial family’s prestige far beyond what people could imagine.
Besides, Rahil was no longer a general who fought on the front lines. He was now an Emperor. He couldn’t rush forward wielding a sword like before. He had to learn to wait behind the lines for news of victory, and his knights needed to demonstrate they could triumph even without him.
Rahil gently brushed Anais’s cheek before pressing a kiss to her forehead.
He lay down quietly beside her, though he knew very well he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
**
