Chapter 49
"We didn't hold a wedding, but Madam clearly said that, on paper, they were legally married! But...."
At last, all the pieces clicked into place.
Riena's tiny fist slammed onto the table in anger.
"That deceitful bastard. He tricked her with a fake marriage?"
"......But His Grace said there was no evidence and no witness...."
In the end, the nanny couldn't hold back her tears.
"Madam did everything she could to protect my young master. She was never a weak person! And...."
And?
The fact that there was still more left to say made shock join the anger in Riena's golden eyes.
After Riena visited the Cartes territory, several things began to change.
The Crown Princess had finally come out for an inspection after a long absence.
And there was only one place she visited.
The civilian firefighting office.
Because of that, the number of applicants for the civilian firefighting teams skyrocketed even further.
As a result, the territory boasted the best fire prevention and public security in its history.
Even during the infamous dry season, which had once been called a living hell of fire, not a single major disturbance occurred.
"Honestly, hasn't life gotten easier lately?"
"Exactly. These days, I even find myself humming while doing business!"
"And that's not all. Remember how much we suffered from forest fires around this time every year?"
"Don't even remind me. Every dry season, we couldn't even sleep because we had to stand watch."
"Seriously. I don't know how we lived like that back then~"
The citizens praised the Crown Princess until their mouths went dry and hummed cheerfully as they went about their lives.
But not everyone felt the same.
"Still, the Empire has its dignity. A female Emperor is a bit...."
"A bit what?"
"Things are good now, but I'm worried about diplomacy. She's a woman, isn't she? Won't she be too gentle? Always saying it's better to avoid trouble...."
"Oh~ Why don't you come to the Imperial Palace with me and say exactly that in front of Her Majesty? I'd love to see it!"
"What? Are you picking a fight? What's wrong with you?"
"Picking a fight? I'm telling you to say it right in front of our Emperor!"
"Hah! You think I couldn't? And what does it matter if we commoners say she's doing well? The nobles will tear a female Emperor apart themselves!"
"What are they, dogs? Tear her apart with what? She's doing perfectly well!"
"Good grief, they're fighting again!"
Arguments occasionally turned into outright quarrels.
But neither those fights nor the lack of fires entered Duke Cartes's eyes.
All he could see were the posters.
Staring at the enormous portrait of his own face hanging on one of them, he muttered a curse under his breath.
"D-damn it.... I fed him, housed him, clothed him, and this is how that ungrateful thief repays me...."
There was only one sentence his blue eyes could see.
[If Duke Cartes does not return to the Imperial Palace within seven days, the title of Duke Cartes will be inherited by his successor.]
Letting his successor inherit the title was almost merciful.
There were already countless grounds for stripping him of it entirely.
Failure as lord of the Cartes territory.
Child abuse.
His tangled involvement with Count Shilton and Marquis Hutlen.
If they wanted to list charges, there were more than enough.
Duke Cartes knew that better than anyone.
That was why he'd stayed quiet and waited for the right moment.
Even he hadn't expected Francio to die.
Damn Hutlen. So you're planning to save yourself and abandon me? You bastard!
Cartes's eyes burned as though they might pop from their sockets.
"By the way, do you think they'll give us money if we catch Cartes?"
"Oh... When it comes to thinking about money, no one can beat you."
"That's actually a good idea! Maybe we'll at least get enough for a few drinks."
"But we're not handing him over gently. I still can't stop thinking about my Popo...."
"Popo... Yeah. That little thing was adorable."
"The fluffy one that died in the forest fire?"
The large man who appeared to be Popo's owner nodded.
"If I ever get my hands on that bastard... I'm not letting him off. I'll beat him half to death for Popo first, and only then will I hand him over to Her Highness the Crown Princess."
The man wrinkled his nose and bared his teeth.
He looked ready to rush at someone and tear them apart.
Cartes quietly inhaled, turned around, and hid his face.
If they recognized him, there wouldn't be enough left of his bones to bury.
"Don't be too impatient. He's going to get caught anyway."
"True. Even people like us are desperate to find him. How could he possibly stay hidden?"
"But what if he's already escaped the territory?"
"No way. They've been tightening inspections at every entrance and exit for months."
"Right, that's true."
"Enough talking about that cursed man. Let's get back to work."
Once the men's murmuring faded away, Cartes finally released a breath of relief.
But only for a moment.
Just as they'd said, he had nowhere to escape.
He was literally a rat trapped in a jar.
He pressed his fist against his mouth as his jaw began trembling.
If he continued living like this, he'd be caught eventually.
And the moment that happened, the enraged citizens might beat him to death before he even reached the palace.
Those ignorant bastards might start throwing stones before asking questions....
Cartes looked around and slowly started walking.
"Hey."
He nearly collapsed on the spot.
The rough voice brushed across the back of his head and sent chills down his spine.
His feet froze to the ground.
The only thing he could do was stand still and mutter prayers under his breath.
