I Became a Tyrant’s Maid - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Tundra was cold. It was freezing cold to the bone!

Shivering, I held out the imperial seal that Calix possessed to the knight guarding the front of the mansion and said.

“This is His Highness the Crown Prince. Open the gate.”

“C-Crown Prince?”

The knight was startled upon seeing the seal I presented and stammered.

“He’s here in secret, so stop being surprised and guide us in. We need to see the Duke.”

“Yes, yes! What are you doing? Open the gate quickly!”

I clutched my bag tightly to my chest and looked around.

Inside the castle, people who looked like they hadn’t eaten a proper meal were shivering.

It was serious.

It seemed like magical beasts had swept through here as well…

“Y-Your Highness. Would you please wait in the drawing room first? I will summon the Duke immediately.”

Someone who appeared to be the butler ran up to Calix, bowed his head, and spoke.

“I understand, so stop trembling and call him quickly.”

“Yes!”

The butler guided us into the drawing room and quickly disappeared.

I rubbed my arms, which were frozen from the cold and said to Calix.

“Your Highness, it seems this place has suffered considerable damage as well.”

“Other places are probably the same. Magical beasts have been released throughout the Empire.”

I bit my lip firmly and asked in a hushed voice.

“To completely eliminate the magical beasts, would we need the power of the temple?”

“Well… I can guarantee that if the temple gets involved, things will get bigger. If Kamesis himself steps in, it would be destruction, just as the elves say.”

Then what are we supposed to do! With mixed feelings, I hugged the bag containing the diary tightly.

The diary had clearly absorbed and purified the magical energy that was flying toward Calix like an attack.

Would it have the same effect on magical beasts?

I could find out by going outside the castle and fighting the magical beasts right away, but it didn’t seem like Calix would allow that.

So I whispered with a very serious face.

“Your Highness, please don’t leave my side.”

“…You have a talent for saying things in the worst possible way.”

“Pardon?”

Even when I show concern, he makes a fuss. When I gave him an embarrassed look, Calix frowned deeply and grumbled.

“Even if you begged me to leave, I wouldn’t, so don’t worry about such things.”

“Your Highness, ‘leave’? As the Crown Prince, you should mind your language…”

“Is that what’s important to you right now?”

Of course that’s important, what else would be important, you fool.

“And I was speaking to you seriously just now, Your Highness.”

“I was being serious, too, so take it to heart.”

Suddenly, I felt a surge of heat. No, is this person trying to play word games with me in this situation?

“Your Highness.”

“…Enough. I understand, so stop looking at me like that.”

Fortunately, Calix was quick to notice.

Whether he knew I was slightly annoyed, he plopped down in the prepared seat and closed his mouth.

Yes, it seemed better not to speak at all.

***

Ruel Peloton. I genuinely admired his appearance.

‘Again, they look identical!’

He boasted a tall stature and handsome features like Calix, and above all, that unique dog-like face was exactly like Calix’s.

Except for the blue eyes, they could pass as brothers just by their aura.

“…Have you come because of the magical beast subjugation?”

“No? Didn’t the Duke send me a letter? Weren’t you interested in entering central politics? I kindly visited you in person because of that. Yet the reception is quite poor.”

“The Imperial family has ignored all of Tundra’s requests for aid until now.”

“That’s the Imperial family’s story. Not mine.”

Calix raised his eyebrow, visibly annoyed, and continued.

“As you can see, I very much dislike beating around the bush.”

“That makes two of us.”

…Where exactly? I didn’t understand, but since it wasn’t my place to interject, I quietly listened.

“Seeing that you’ve come all the way to my territory, I think you’ve already anticipated enough.”

“The reason?”

“Supporting the First Prince would do me no good, would it? After all, he would just continue the current Imperial ways.”

“So you’re targeting an empty house?”

“That’s quite an exaggeration.”

At that, Calix smiled slightly, evidently pleased.

“Your Highness needs a force to check Duke Tianel, don’t you?”

“Because you’re both Dukes?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

Duke Peloton’s blue eyes seemed to blaze.

It was a gaze filled with sharp anger and desire.

“Although the timing isn’t ideal, I deeply respect your choice.”

Calix replied with a rather serious face.

“As you know, I’m not in a particularly good position. Especially in the current situation.”

“…You don’t need to provide support for the magical beast problem.”

“Indeed, your understanding is quick, which is good.”

Soon after, his voice lowered considerably.

“But you see, I’ve been deceived by so many schemes and tricks in the Imperial court. I need to be able to trust you completely.”

Then he pulled out a scroll from thin air.

“A confidentiality oath.”

“It’s from Arcadion.”

The Duke’s gaze moved from the scroll to Calix. He smiled arrogantly.

No, even for a Duke, how dare he move his eyes so freely?

“Yes, Arcadion.”

“Is there a reason you specifically chose something from Arcadion rather than from the Magic Tower?”

In response to the Duke’s question, Calix smiled and said.

“Take a guess. Why do you think?”

At his words, the Duke took a pen and signed the scroll without hesitation.

The scroll then emitted light, which flowed into the Duke.

“I had suspected that the hidden owner of Arcadion was Your Highness, the Crown Prince. It was concealed suspiciously thoroughly.”

Huh? That? I looked up at Calix in surprise, but he seemed unfazed and got to the point.

“I would like you to become a very important person to me.”

Calix tapped the table and said.

“It seems the time has come to replace the central powers, as you wish. And this chaotic period is precisely the right time.”

“Now, you mean?”

The Duke asked, and Calix nodded.

“The Imperial family won’t step in, and it’s too late to wait for the temple to intervene.”

A twisted smile appeared on his lips. I completely agreed with Calix’s opinion. In this national crisis, they were fighting over power instead of doing anything.

The situation was clearly going mad.

“The First Prince is plotting treason. If the Emperor passes away, barring any major changes, I will become Emperor. So he’ll obviously attack me using my mother’s treason as an excuse. And there’s only one way to remove that justification.”

“…Are you saying you’ll eliminate the magical beasts?”

“That’s why I need your help. My forces alone aren’t enough to stop the First Prince’s rebellion. Most nobles have already sided with him.”

The Duke’s expression hardened.

It was a natural reaction given that the situation was unfavorable to Calix in many ways.

“If the First Prince becomes Emperor, you will continue to be abandoned in this barren territory where not even a blade of grass grows. Duke Tianel won’t sit idly by and let you come to the capital and seize power.”

“….”

“So, whom will you choose?”

After a moment of silence at Calix’s words, the Duke spoke.

“The First Prince’s maternal relatives were among the forces that demoted my father. Even without that, the only way for me to advance to the center is to side with Your Highness. You said it yourself, didn’t you? Tianel won’t just leave me be.”

At that, Calix smiled with amusement.

“Indeed, we understand each other well.”

“What is there not to understand?”

The Duke extended the signed scroll without changing his expression.

After collecting the scroll, Calix belatedly added a request.

“I’ll send someone separately to discuss the rest. As much as I’d like to talk more, I’m short on time.”

“That’s fine. Thank you for your valuable time, Your Highness.”

The conversation ended more quickly than I expected.

As I followed Calix out of the mansion, I said to him.

“Your Highness, why have you been idle until now? If you had moved faster, you could have received the Duke’s help earlier.”

At my words, Calix averted his gaze, clearly embarrassed.

“I didn’t think of it. I only realized after the Duke sent me a letter.”

For a moment, my mouth fell open in disbelief. So, until then, there was no plan whatsoever?

“Still, since you appeared, I’ve been trying to build my own forces, so please stop looking at me like that.”

“No, how exactly am I looking at you that you keep saying that, Your Highness?”

At my question, Calix seemed at a loss for words, opening and closing his mouth.

Then suddenly, his ears turned bright red.

In the past, I might have thought, ah, it must be because it’s cold here, but not now.

His whole body started to stutter like a malfunctioning machine.

I barely managed to turn my gaze away from Calix.

‘I’m going crazy, I’m losing my mind! Why are you suddenly acting embarrassed when it doesn’t suit you!’

You’re making me feel strange, too! To overcome this awkwardness, I cleared my throat and said.

“Anyway, let’s return to the Imperial Palace, Your Highness.”

“We will.”

Calix’s hand hesitated in the air.

It seemed like he was about to grab my waist.

“…If I safely become Emperor as you wish, what will you do for me?”

It was an absurd question. You’re becoming Emperor, and I should do something for you?

When I frowned, he too seemed to realize how nonsensical his question was and bit his lip firmly.

“How is Your Highness becoming Emperor, my wish? If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”

“….”

“Let’s just run away. Surely there isn’t only one continent in this world.”

“One continent? What do you mean?”

At Calix’s words, I suddenly felt dizzy. Don’t tell me they haven’t even discovered the New World or something yet?

No wonder. The world map only had Posnia and Desart on it.

“I’m just saying we can run far, far away, Your Highness.”

“Together?”

“If I don’t go with you, who will? Your Highness seems to be overlooking something, but without me right now, you’d be exposed to magical energy, oh my!”

That’s when it happened. Calix swiftly grabbed my waist and pulled me close to him.

He was about to use a spatial movement scroll.

“You really have a way with words…”

And then a light enveloped us. Somehow, his ears were burning even more.