DSB 26

“How can you be sure of his intentions when you haven’t even watched him as closely or as long as I have?”

“Well, that’s…”

Bron and Theo looked at each other. They both found it strange how Yutis completely trusted Lebel.

“My wife told us what he knew for our sake. He isn’t using his knowledge for the Empire, he’s using it for the North, so what’s the problem?”

“If the Empire knows the same things he does, that could be a serious problem for us….”

“My husband doesn’t even treat the Emperor as his father. And he knows exactly what his position in the imperial palace was.”

He doesn’t lie. He’s like someone who has no reason to lie. That’s why he simply recited all the knowledge he had, because it might be useful.

Yutis also wondered how he knew those things. But he couldn’t ask in detail. Lebel sometimes talked about himself briefly, but he never explained much.

What could he ask someone who, when asked how he lived in the imperial palace, only said he slept?

It didn’t feel like an act or a lie. Yutis had seen Lebel’s chaotic lifestyle with his own eyes.

It was strange that he didn’t know things everyone should know but understood things others couldn’t.

That made it all the more pitiful.

How he learned about the beasts didn’t matter.

Yutis was simply grateful that Lebel wanted his bits of knowledge to help the North and shared them.

Besides, he was never someone who spoke at length.

“If I doubt the words he said to help the North even a little, what would he think?”

“If all that’s a trick…”

“A trick? For what reason? I already trust him. If he wanted to dig out information about the North, the easiest way would be to make me talk, but he never even tried, can’t you see that?”

Yutis spoke with slight bitterness. The two looked surprised when they saw his face.

“Bron, Theo, I know you spoke because you care about me and the North. But is my wife someone who needs to understand your suspicions? Don’t ever show that kind of attitude to him again.”

The two frowned, frustrated by Yutis’s firm tone. Then Bron suddenly noticed Mahan walking down the corridor.

“Ah! There’s Mahan. He’s probably suspicious too, not just us.”

Mahan, who was passing by, came over when Bron called him. Yutis was the first to ask about Lebel.

“What’s my wife doing?”

“He’s resting in bed.”

That meant he was asleep.

Bron also asked about Lebel.

“What do you think of the young madam? You’ve spent the most time with him.”

“……”

Yutis’s eyebrow twitched. Mahan sensed the cold gaze and reluctantly smiled.

As Lebel’s attendant, Mahan had in some ways spent more time with him than Yutis himself.

“Well, are you curious about the young madam?”

“Yes! Lord Yutis doesn’t even think of doubting him!”

“Ah….”

Mahan nodded in understanding. Then he looked at Bron and Theo. They were knights who guarded the domain, so they rarely met Lebel.

Mahan also knew what others said about him.

He understood that for men who fought battles where a moment’s carelessness could cost their lives, it was hard to let go of suspicion.

But Lebel was honest about his feelings and condition, so honest that it disarmed those around him. And he didn’t even realize that his honesty made others feel sympathy.

“…Have you ever talked with him?”

“Huh? Well, no.”

“I’ve seen him a few times, but we’ve never spoken directly.”

“You’ll understand once you talk with the young madam.”

Mahan smiled as he said it like it was the simplest solution. It had worked for him, and it had worked for others too.

Even when people pressured him, he never frowned. He forgave them with patience and sincerity, and he had no guile.

Some said it was high-level acting, but it was probably because of how he was raised.

They even thought that he wasn’t called a fool because of illness but because his environment made him appear that way.

If he didn’t speak, his life wasn’t much different from that of a fool. If no one woke him, he wouldn’t rise, and he almost never said he’d eat unless someone brought him food.

He rarely opened his mouth. He often responded only with his eyes or silence.

“He’s someone who grew up in hardship. Even so, the young madam is warm and pure.”

If Lebel had heard that, he would’ve clicked his tongue and asked if warmth and purity suit a demon.

“Haven’t you heard what happened at the castle?”

“I’ve heard. The young madam used his power for our sake.”

Bron and Theo were startled by the same answer Yutis had given. Especially since it came from Mahan. He was the very one who had raised his voice, saying they should be on guard when the sudden bride turned out to be a prince, so his change was even more surprising.

If Bron and Theo fought alongside Yutis against beasts, Mahan worked as an intelligence agent. Those agents needed to be able to infiltrate anywhere, so the role usually went to people with many skills.

Mahan was the perfect person to serve as Lebel’s attendant. Though called a spy, he was strong enough that if something happened, he could restrain Lebel.

“The young madam knows about the demonic beasts. But I was also curious about how he knew, so I asked him.”

“And what did he say?”

“It sounded a bit strange, but he said a friend told him.”

“…A friend?”

“Yes.”

“The Foolish Prince had a friend…?! Gah!”

Yutis hit Bron for his stupid words. Theo dodged as Bron collapsed to his side.

“That still doesn’t explain it. If it was a friend, that’s worse. It means there’s someone in the Empire who knows all about northern beasts…”

“He said he can’t meet that person anymore.”

Theo stopped talking at Mahan’s reply. “Can’t meet anymore” never meant anything good.

“Is he dead?”

“I’m not sure. I only heard that some died and some didn’t.”

Yutis’s face darkened. The three watched his expression carefully.

Even the two who had doubted him couldn’t bring themselves to speak against Lebel now.

“Mahan, how old did my husband say he was when he entered the imperial palace?”

“Five years old.”

“I also heard he was born to a maid.”

When Lebel told Yutis his mother had sold him to the imperial palace, Yutis investigated his past.

Not the rumor about the “Foolish Prince,” but before that, the time when Lebel first entered the palace.

His mother had been a palace maid. After becoming pregnant, she left, then later returned with her grown son and claimed he was the Emperor’s child.

Lebel turned out to be the Emperor’s son, and during the bloodline test they discovered he had the potential to manifest as a dominant omega.

That was how he became Lebel Alcadi.

“Are you still looking into what happened before that?”

“It’s hard to find. The young madam’s mother’s whereabouts are also unknown.”

“He must have been unusual even as a child….”

Yutis wondered what Lebel’s life had been like before entering the imperial palace.

He even considered the possibility that Lebel hadn’t been a fool from the start. What if the prince, who suddenly became royal against his will, had to pretend to be one just to survive?

That would prove how hard his life in the palace had been. Then it would almost be better if he’d been born a fool.

Even though he’d lived with his mother for a while, he didn’t know many basic things needed for daily life. That meant his upbringing had been harsh and poor.

Maybe, because he was the Emperor’s blood, they had locked him away so no one could see him. Otherwise, nothing made sense.

Yutis didn’t like the thought, but Lebel’s blond hair resembled the Emperor’s.

“My wife never talks about his past.”

He wished Lebel would open up, even a little.

Lebel never lied, but when something about himself slipped out, he would mumble and deflect.

Is it because he doesn’t trust him? Or because it’s hard for him to say? Probably the latter.

Yutis had seen that hesitant face too many times.

“He must have suffered. Who would welcome a prince who suddenly appeared, especially one born of a maid?”

Mahan, who had once been the first to suspect Lebel and dig into everything about him, spoke with pity.

“What’s certain is that the young madam isn’t someone who will bring us harm.”

Since even Mahan now defended Lebel, Bron and Theo began to grow curious about Lebel.

“Before worrying about him being a threat to us, we should worry about his health.”

Mahan spoke with unusual gravity, and Yutis’s expression hardened.

“I actually have something to tell you. The young madam refuses to take his medicine.”

“He didn’t take it today?”

“He did, but he left half, saying he was full. The smell is so bad that he can hardly bring himself to drink it. We should work on masking the bitterness, but the scent needs fixing too.”

“How’s his appetite?”

“I tried persuading him, but he said not eating won’t kill him….”

Bron and Theo could only stare as Yutis and Mahan seriously discussed Lebel’s health.