Rather Than Be Taken, I Will Take - Chapter 40

With eyes full of emotion, Mikhail stared blankly at the honey tea with his blue eyes.

Jieselgrante quietly observed Mikhail.

“Th-thank you, Jiesel.”

Mikhail gulped down the honey tea. Jieselgrante asked Mikhail:

“Did something bad happen yesterday?”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, memories of yesterday flashed quickly through Mikhail’s hazy recollection.

Attending the academy alumni gathering with Cabelased, and almost punching the faces of those bastards who were gossiping about Jieselgrante.

And the memory of clinging to Cabelased’s pant leg, insisting on just one more drink…

As he recalled yesterday’s events, a decidedly regretful sigh escaped between Mikhail’s teeth.

“Ah…”

To Jieselgrante, who tilted her head, Mikhail hurriedly offered an excuse.

“Well… just, you know? I met up with my old academy classmates after a long time? In high spirits… I ended up drinking a bit.”

With an awkward smile, Mikhail finished off the honey tea.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah… But this tea is really delicious.”

Mikhail thought to himself.

‘Fortunately, it seems her heart was ready to soften easily.’

Since her near-death experience, for some reason Jieselgrante had been keeping her distance from both Mikhail and their father, Duke Amaterasu.

It felt like things had become awkward, but not knowing the reason why, he had been secretly fretting about it.

But to come visit early in the morning like this! Even taking care of his health…

Mikhail felt his heart melting like snow. Just because his little sister had brought him tea with honey.

It was such a simple thing to make him happy.

“I heard from the butler that Duke Cardia came with you yesterday?”

However, Mikhail’s improved mood sank again at the mention of Cabelased’s name from Jieselgrante’s lips.

‘So she came to ask about Cabel!’

Mikhail glared at the empty mug with traces of honey tea remaining.

At the same time, veins bulged on the back of his hand as he gripped the mug tightly.

Watching this, Jieselgrante hurriedly continued speaking.

“It seems… Duke Cardia cares for you a great deal, elder brother.”

“…What?”

Mikhail’s lips parted slightly.

‘…Elder brother?’

His heart, which had sunk thinking she had made honey tea just to ask about Cabelased, began to melt once again.

Mikhail recalled a time long ago when tiny, adorable Jieselgrante used to toddle after him.

– In reality, except for when she was very young, Jieselgrante had never called Mikhail “elder brother.” –

“Of course! You have no idea how close Cabel and I are…”

In a good mood now, Mikhail rambled on somewhat.

About how Duke Cardia didn’t abandon him on the street, but kindly escorted him back to the Amaterasu mansion.

And how he didn’t immediately return to the Cardia mansion, but stayed to be his drinking companion.

Listening to Mikhail’s rather long-winded story, Jieselgrante thought to herself.

‘Is that really what you’d call a close relationship?’

She had her doubts.

But it seemed like with a little more prodding, she might be able to get the answer she wanted from Mikhail, so she made sure to interject with encouraging sounds now and then to keep him talking.

“Then, did he say anything about me?”

“…Cabel?”

Mikhail asked back, furrowing his brow slightly.

Jieselgrante nodded with a sweet smile.

“Yes.”

Shuup, Mikhail took a sharp breath and blinked his eyes a few times before promptly shutting his mouth.

It seemed he couldn’t remember well.

‘Just how much did you drink?!’

While maintaining the smile on her face, Jieselgrante pushed down her rising irritation.

“If you remember anything later, please be sure to tell me… elder brother.”

“Hm? Oh! I will.”

Mikhail nodded vigorously with drooping eyes.

He was just like a huge but gentle puppy.

After giving such a Mikhail one more sweet smile, Jieselgrante finally left the bedroom.

But as soon as she stepped out of the bedroom door, the smile disappeared from Jieselgrante’s face.

‘He seems simpler than I’d heard…’

Jieselgrante recalled the rumors she’d heard about the young Amaterasu lord in the past.

Although she’d heard the other party had made a slip of the tongue to the young Amaterasu lord first, still.

It was said that when his anger reached its peak, the young Amaterasu lord beat the other person to unconsciousness. No, even after they lost consciousness, he continued to thrash them.

She’d heard it was such a major incident that if Cabelased hadn’t stopped him, it might have led to murder.

So naturally, she had expected the young Amaterasu lord to have a violent temperament, unable to control his emotions well and prone to rampages.

But the behavior he’d just shown her was, how should she put it…

‘A bit of a simpleton, I suppose.’

In any case, it was a positive thing for her.

In truth, she had been keeping her distance from both Duke Amaterasu and the young lord.

If she spent time with them, they would naturally notice that she had changed from before.

So she deliberately avoided the two of them, trying to gradually fake a change in personality.

‘It seems I don’t really need to do that with the young lord.’

Seeing how Mikhail seemed like he’d give her his liver and gall if she just acted a little affectionate, she naturally came to think that way.

‘Please swear your loyalty to me.’

Loyalty? Even thinking about it again, it was nonsense that made no sense.

But Jieselgrante’s words stirred up Count Frederick’s mind.

“Damn it…”

In the past, Princess Trinity had said the exact same thing to Count Frederick.

Word for word, without changing a single syllable.

Recalling the moment when the Amaterasu duke’s daughter had uttered those words, Count Frederick’s heart began to race again.

“Of all things to say…”

Count Frederick knew well what Princess Trinity had wanted from him. What his use was to her.

A chess piece on a chessboard. Like a hidden card to be kept concealed and used without showing on the surface.

Fortunately, Count Frederick knew his place well. That it was certainly not a sweet whisper asking him to become her husband.

The problem was that those words felt so sweet nonetheless.

Just as things that taste sweet on the tongue are often not good for the body.

In fact, Count Frederick had foreseen that it would be extremely difficult for Princess Trinity to ascend as the next emperor.

It was then that he received Princess Trinity’s proposal.

Becoming her chess piece was something that Count Frederick could easily predict would also bring him losses.

But he ended up falling for her temptation. Because her whisper asking for his loyalty sounded so sweet.

Because he realized that the reason she had slowly melted into his life was love.

And by the time he realized it, it was too late.

“Damn it…”

Although he knew well that it was too late to do anything now, matters of the heart were not so simple as to be cut off cleanly like with a knife.

At first, he was just angry at Baroness Oppenheimer who had killed Princess Trinity and at the princess’s exclusive knight order who had failed to protect her.

But he felt puzzled by the fact that there was no target on which to pour out that anger.

He thought it was natural. That a royal who was to become emperor had died, and the incompetence of the subordinates who failed to prevent it should be punished.

But looking back, something seemed off.

The fact that Princess Trinity’s body and the crime scene were cleaned up so quickly after her death, and that all the maids and knights who were there that day were immediately executed.

So he dug deeper.

Even knowing that if it wasn’t a simple murder due to a love triangle, both he himself and all the people of his family could be in danger.

But if he didn’t do at least that much, he simply couldn’t forgive himself.

No, maybe he just needed to be engrossed in something for a while.

So Count Frederick was secretly investigating the incident on his own.

It was then that the Amaterasu duke’s daughter suddenly appeared before him.

At first, he was suspicious.

Wondering if the Amaterasu ducal family might be behind Princess Trinity’s murder.

But given the circumstances, there was no justifiable reason for the Amaterasu ducal family to get involved, and he couldn’t find any reason why the Amaterasu duke’s daughter would be interested in Princess Trinity’s case.

Then suddenly, this thought occurred to him:

‘Was I really Princess Trinity’s only hidden card?’

He thought that perhaps the Amaterasu duke’s daughter might also be an aide chosen by Princess Trinity.

Even when everyone else turned their attention to the crown prince’s appearance, only the Amaterasu duke’s daughter was trying to dig up the past that everyone else was forgetting.

That was the reason he found.

And at the same time, he felt betrayed. By the fact that there were more hidden subordinates besides himself.

The night the Amaterasu duke’s daughter followed Count Frederick’s carriage, his visit to the Amaterasu mansion was half on impulse.

He wanted to observe closely and gauge whether she really was another of Princess Trinity’s hidden cards.

And he was startled every time Princess Trinity’s habits and way of speaking subtly emerged from the Amaterasu duke’s daughter.

After doubting it over and over, Count Frederick became certain after their conversation at the Amaterasu mansion a few days ago.

That the Amaterasu duke’s daughter had also been Princess Trinity’s subordinate. That he hadn’t been the only special person to Princess Trinity.

He had to accept that.

Only after going over his conversation with Jieselgrante like that for a long time was Count Frederick finally able to turn his gaze to the documents that had barely registered in his sight before.