FVB - Chapter 67

"...You make me happy with just a word. What more are you trying to do here?"

"It's different from that! To be honest, I don't really know what it means to live happily either. But at least, wouldn't it be better than now?"

The truth was, I didn't know what it meant to live happily either. I didn't even try because I didn't know what it was. So, I gave up quickly, but I didn't want to do that anymore. If there was such a thing as a happy life, I wanted it. With Theo. Even after a lot of time had passed, if Theo's side was still allowed to me.

"If you don't know, let's find out together. I want to make Shuian happy too. But since you say it's better than now, I'm looking forward to it."

When I thought about how long this kindness would be mine, I suddenly felt it was even more precious. So, I wanted to be mean for no reason.

"Speaking of which, there's something I want to try."

"Something you want to try?"

"Yeah, can you give me a piggyback ride? I'm tall and heavy, so I've never been piggybacked before. Except when I was little."

"When you were a baby bird?"

I nodded at the question filled with laughter. I'm not a baby bird, but I'm roughly a baby... At my agreement, Theo burst into laughter as if he found it cute, and readily knelt on one knee on the floor. 

Even though he was a prince, he knelt on the bare floor without hesitation just to give me a piggyback ride, as if it were proof of his affection for me. I smiled brightly and quickly leaned on his broad back.

Theo, who didn't seem to find me heavy at all, stood up calmly and held me tightly before starting to walk slowly. 

There was nothing I didn't like, so I felt good. As if conveying that feeling, I rubbed my cheek against his neck, and Theo laughed, making his neck vibrate.

"Am I not heavy? You used to carry me around all the time when I was an eagle. I wanted to ask you then too if I wasn't heavy."

"You're not heavy at all, then or now. It seems like those who couldn't carry my little bird were all weaklings."

I burst into laughter at his teasing and slowly swung my feet. I was sure that the beer I drank at the bar wouldn't make me drunk, but I felt very good, as if I was tipsy.

"When I think about it, I guess I should thank you since I'm the first to give Shuian a piggyback ride thanks to that."

"Yeah, that's right. Theo is the best."

I pressed my cheek tightly against his neck and hummed a song. At some point, I fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes again, I was on a soft bed. Theo was asleep, holding me tightly in his arms as usual.

"Theo, are you asleep?"

The only answer to my question was even breathing.

"Thank you for the piggyback ride today. Good night."

I pressed my lips firmly on his cheek with a blessing before closing my eyes again.

***

The next day, as expected, Liam arrived at the office looking like he had been tormented by a hangover and Orca, and his soul had been completely stripped. 

Seeing his disheveled hair and dark circles that seemed to be about to reach his chin, I chuckled, and Liam bowed with an embarrassed face.

"I am really sorry to Your Highness and Shuian... I, actually, don't remember what happened yesterday..."

"That's even more hateful. My clothes are messed up with someone's tears and saliva, but who will resolve the injustice of my clothes?"

"I, I will resolve it...!"

It was clear that he wasn't really angry, but seeing him continue to say mean things, it seemed like he was going to torment him for a while using this as an excuse. I held back my laughter and said sternly.

"If you're sorry, buy Reina's sandwiches and coffee. For four people."

"Yes! Of course!"

Although I spoke as if I was scolding him, it was a light punishment to ease Liam's guilt. Liam also seemed to have noticed, as he smiled brightly and repeatedly thanked me.

"But still, make sure to resolve the injustice of Orca and the clothes who suffered in our place yesterday."

"Yes! Of course!"

Liam went straight to Reina's shop and packed sandwiches and coffee. Thanks to that, we decided to have an early lunch together in the office and proceed with the meeting. 

It was a meeting that had been held every day since Liam joined, unless there was something special.

"Isn't the Empress's side a bit strange these days? Originally, she would poison as naturally as breathing and send assassins as naturally as eating, but suddenly she has become quiet."

Right after I appeared, poison was found in the tea leaf warehouse, and assassins often broke in at dawn, but after that, as Orca said, it passed without any major incidents. 

There were many big events and accidents in the middle, so it could be said that way, but it was clearly different from the Empress's actions so far.

"I don't know if she judged that most of her tricks are useless because of Shuian's existence, or if she is distracted by something else."

Theo also agreed readily, so it seemed like he had the same thought. Liam rolled his eyes and asked carefully.

"To find out what kind of plan she is plotting, should we first look into the Empress's Palace? I heard that the First Prince tends to follow the Empress's opinion..."

"First of all, it is difficult to infiltrate the Empress's Palace. She strictly manages the servants, and there is no such thing as servants who used to work suddenly quitting, so when hiring a servant, she goes through a long verification and investigation."

For example, she even sent a doctor and someone to take care of the sick to the house of a maid who was trying to quit urgently because her mother was sick and needed to be taken care of. All the servants who are currently working are verified, so the intention is to keep them as much as possible.

"Likewise, it is not easy to win over servants who are already working. Those who work close to the Empress enough to know important information are more closely watched, and if someone pays a price to win them over, they receive a considerable amount of reward just for reporting that fact. It would be more profitable for them to receive the reward than to be caught spying and tortured to death. The Empress is not someone who is stingy with money, so she uses money to keep people."

"Then, what about kidnapping and torturing?"

At Liam's question, I and Theo stopped eating our sandwiches and raised our heads sharply. Liam, who received our gaze, waved his hands and denied as if he was wronged.

"I, I'm not saying we should do that, I'm just asking because I'm curious! Really!"

In fact, everyone here wouldn't have blinked an eye even if we said we should do that, but Orca jokingly narrowed his eyes and stared at Liam suspiciously.

"I, I'm serious...!"

"Well... let's say so. First of all, the maid who works closest to the Empress is only the bedroom maid, and the maids of honor take care of most of the work. The maids of honor, as well as the bedroom maid, are protected by knights. It's not that we haven't tried to take the maids away, but they all committed suicide with the poison they had while the knights were buying time, so there was no particular harvest. They were terrible."

I don't know what the Empress promised them as a reward, but it was clear that they were loyal since they immediately swallowed poison when they were in danger of being kidnapped.

"The Empress doesn't leave the Empress's Palace often, so it will be difficult to find out anything from the Empress."

Duke Raymond would have a hard time as well. He is one of the best in the Empire, so it would be difficult to attach people, and it would be even more impossible to win them over. 

All that's left is Ricardo, but he received the right to investigate in relation to human experimentation, and attention is focused on him, so it would be better not to touch that side unnecessarily in the current situation. Then where should we dig into...?

As I was thinking for a moment, I slammed the table at the thought that suddenly came to mind.

"Ah! What about Ariel? She's not the Empress's henchman, but she's close to Ricardo."

"Aren't they not that close? After all, the Empress called her because she needed her."

"Apart from that, Ricardo and Ariel will become lovers. Unless there is a change, it won't change. Even if they're not in a relationship now, aren't they doing well?"

Even Theo, who had been indifferent all along, was surprised at the words that Ricardo and Ariel would become lovers. 

The Empress did mark Ariel as a candidate for the Crown Princess, but that was irrelevant to the relationship between the two, so it was not strange for him to react like that. Especially Theo, who suspected that Ariel might have feelings for me.

"The Saintess and the First Prince? Not having feelings for you?"

"I told you, no."

Ariel's liking for me was nothing more than a fan's heart, but in this world without celebrities, I didn't know what to say to explain it properly, so I always glossed over it, and he was misunderstanding it on his own.

"I told you it's not me so many times!"

"It's not that I didn't trust you, but that woman was acting suspiciously..."

"Anyway, it's really not. I think they both have feelings for each other? It's only a matter of time before they start dating."

Of course. They are the heroine and hero of the original story. At my assertion, Theo finally raised the corners of his mouth with a pleased look. No, why are you happy...?

"Could it be... that Shuian is also doing prophecies...?"

"It's not that great, and it's not accurate."

There were parts that I felt guilty about to express it grandly as a prophecy, so I had no choice but to gloss over Liam's admiration.

"Anyway, I don't know what Ariel knows, but let's call her and see, or not. No one will think it's suspicious that a devout Saintess has tea time with a divine beast who is the child of God. Besides, it was Ariel who came to me first because she wanted to meet me."

"I think it's a good idea."

But Theo didn't think it was a good idea at all, and his displeasure was written all over his face. I held back my laughter and said.

"When she came last time, I promised to have a cup of tea next time. Isn't the excuse good?"

I guess it's not good after all. Orca kept giving me a look to try to persuade him more, so I thought for a moment and added.

"Oh, right. Ariel said we look good together. She thinks we look good together."

Only then did Theo allow it with a slightly softened face. I took a sigh of relief, and Orca subtly gave me a thumbs up. Whew, it's hard to persuade the final boss!

I asked the maid to bring me stationery and an envelope and immediately started writing the invitation and letter. 

I felt awkward to write in detail, and I didn't know how to write fluently, so I wrote briefly that Theo had allowed it, so let's have a cup of tea if it's okay. 

The content seemed too flimsy compared to the stationery, so I drew an eagle in the empty space. Hmm, I think I drew it pretty well?

"Theo, how's the picture? Can you tell what it is?"

"You drew a teacup. You have very good skills."

I drew you... Seeing Theo not doubting at all that his answer was wrong, I had no choice but to say that it was right with a sullen face.​