***

Colin felt like his heart would drop when he suddenly encountered something vicious in his cozy nest.
“Where did you hide the baby?”
Despite grabbing Colin by the collar and lifting him up, those golden eyes that gleamed like a predator’s even in the darkness didn’t even look at Colin, but scanned the inside of the house.
“Lord Ch-Ch-Ch-Chamuka.”
Chamuka’s gaze slowly turned toward Colin.
He opened his mouth calmly. At least he thought he was being calm.
Colin, hearing that eerie voice devoid of any inflection, didn’t think so at all.
“Where is he? Did you hide him? He’s supposed to be here. Where did you take him?”
Colin wanted to shake his head. But that was impossible while being held by the collar and suspended in mid-air.
Trembling with fear, Colin barely managed to speak.
“I-I didn’t hide him. Didn’t take him away…”
“Then why don’t I see him?”
“He j-just went out for a bit—”
Before his explanation could finish, Chamuka muttered something low under his breath. Something like a curse.
Colin trembled at the sight of Chamuka doing something so out of character, and eventually started hiccupping.
He wondered how Chamuka had become even more unhinged than before.
“What if someone kidnaps him? What if someone touches him because he’s cute? What if he falls and gets hurt by accident? In this dark night, with dangerous and crazy people wandering outside, the baby is alone?”
Leticia was a mage. And a very powerful one at that.
Honestly, if Leticia encountered a thug at night, wouldn’t the thug be the one in danger?
Colin felt indignant at Chamuka’s nonsensical ranting.
Anyone would think he had let an actual toddler go outside alone!
But lacking the courage to shout back, Colin could only stammer excuses between hiccups. Common sense wouldn’t work on this madman anyway.
“H-he’ll be back soon! And, h-he’s probably not alone.”
“…Who?”
Chamuka’s voice dropped even lower.
Colin felt like crying.
Already, Chamuka’s cloak was tattered like a rag, and he was filthy from head to toe, making Colin wonder how he had even made it here.
His appearance was truly like that of a madman, which made him even more frightening.
If not for his handsome face, he would really look like a crazy beggar rolling around in back alleys…
“Who is my baby with right now?”
Where in the world is there such a big baby?
Colin found it ridiculous that Chamuka, who rarely used the name “Leti” when referring to the prince in front of others, was doing so now.
It’s not like he didn’t know what they called the prince in Basilinte, but his childish attitude of being possessive about how only they could call him that way was truly immature.
However, since this childish mindset belonged to a madman with power, Colin lowered his eyes respectfully instead of pointing out his immaturity.
“H-he should be with the maid. He said he had something to discuss, s-so this morning he went to the inn where the maid is staying…”
“Morning?”
“Yes. This morning he clearly—”
“It’s night now.”
Chamuka muttered slowly, his voice sinking lower and lower.
“From morning until night. Together the whole time. Just the two of them. Together. The. Whole. Time.”
His constant repetition was terrifying.
It would be nice if those dilated pupils could somehow close properly.
Colin hadn’t realized that “Basilinte’s curse has been lifted” meant this.
It seemed Chamuka hadn’t gained emotions; he had completely lost his rationality.
He shouldn’t have believed Leticia’s hopeful expectation that the Basilinte people would become better people.
Become better people? They would have had to be good people in the first place to improve.
This was just a madman evolving into an even worse madman. Sob.
Colin inwardly swallowed his tears and prayed for this madman’s leash to return quickly.
“The address of the inn where the baby went.”
After getting the information, Chamuka roughly tossed Colin aside, now useless for finding Leticia, and headed to the inn.
And Aina, who like Colin, suddenly encountered a vicious thug in her room, handled it more wisely than Colin.
“His Highness went this way. He stopped by briefly this morning to ask for directions and left right away.”
The moment Aina saw Chamuka’s shadow, she respectfully knelt on the floor and, offering a theater performance poster, finished all her words in one breath.
This was thanks to having dealt with this madman, who had been attached to Leticia for 10 years.
“Hmm.”
“He said he wanted to see you.”
“Hmm.”
“He said he often wants to see you, and that your eyes are pretty.”
“…Did you talk with him ‘often’?”
He’s gone even crazier since the curse was lifted in the few days she hasn’t seen him.
Aina calmly attempted to change the subject. She was no amateur like Colin.
“No. More importantly, would you like to wash up before going to meet His Highness? You’re a bit dirty right now. His Highness wouldn’t like that.”
It was completely out of context, but with Aina’s brazen face, the subject change was successful.
Soon Chamuka went to wash up, and Aina fled from that inn room.
Aina knew very well that the best survival strategy was to not be seen at all.

***

Knock knock.
After knocking on the door, there was a voice from inside saying, “I’ll go check,” and then a middle-aged man with a white beard appeared.
Leticia, seeing Chester, whose face had more wrinkles than 10 years ago, gave a light bow.
“Hello, Mr. Chester.”
Chester took a step back cautiously at the sight of her with her hood pulled down to the tip of her nose.
“Who are you?”
“I’m a fan of Mr. Chester, who sent flowers this evening. Could I possibly have a brief conversation with you?”
Chester’s eyes narrowed.
“Do you think that’s possible, coming unannounced at this late hour without an appointment?”
“I know it’s rude, but I don’t have much time. I need to leave the capital soon.”
“Then send a letter instead. I quite enjoy responding to fan letters.”
As Chester tried to close the door after saying that, Leticia wedged her foot in the doorway.
Then, slightly lifting her hood, she said.
“I’d like to discuss something that shouldn’t be recorded, so that won’t work.”
Her beautiful features and purple eyes, grown just like her childhood appearance, were revealed.
Chester’s eyes widened in surprise, and Leticia added briefly.
“Grandpa Chester, do you remember me?”
“……”
Chester didn’t answer, but Leticia noticed that he recognized her.
Fortunately, her appearance wasn’t easy to forget.
A precarious silence flowed between them.
As the standoff lengthened, a voice came from inside the house.
“Honey, what’s going on? Who’s there…?”
“It’s nothing. Just an actor I knew from the past who came to visit.”
After calling out to his wife like that, Chester exhaled slowly and said.
“I’ll put my wife to bed. Wait a moment.”
“You’re still on good terms, now just like 10 years ago.”
Chester hesitated briefly at those words but went inside without any response.
Faint murmuring voices leaked through the open door crack before falling silent, and after a while, Chester came back.
“Come in now.”
“Thank you.”
The house was cozy.
Leticia closed the curtains of the window and took off her cloak completely.
Chester, who had been quietly watching her, handed her a warm cup of tea and asked.
“How are you still alive?”
The fact that Leticia Borba had been identified as the arsonist of the Borba troupe and became a death row prisoner was a well-known fact that everyone in the capital knew.
Since there had been no news after that, most would have assumed she was executed.
“More importantly, I’m a famous arsonist. Are you sure it’s okay to let me into your home?”
“Anyone with common sense wouldn’t think a 10-year-old could burn down such a large troupe.”
“Then who do you think burned down the Borba troupe?”