"The clothes are bigger than I thought."
My back was especially loose. Even though I tightened my belt as much as I could, it was strangely uncomfortable. The sleeves were long enough to cover the back of my hand.
It seemed to be two sizes larger than the clothes I normally wore. But it didn't fall off, so that was fine. I just had to get to the room and then turn off 'load'.
"I'm sorry. I told them to bring it as close to your size as possible, but I didn't expect you to be thinner than you appeared."
I shook my head excitedly. How can you match clothes with your eyes? In particular, I have to wear a waist one or two sizes smaller than my actual size for clothes to fit perfectly.
"It's okay, this is enough to wear. Gauze is attached to the wound, so it's more comfortable to make it bigger than to stick it tightly."
It wasn't custom-made, and it was even stranger that the clothes I usually wore fit so well... Wait? Come to think of it, why did they fit so well? All the clothes I wore were saved by Kyle...
"The Grand Duke seems to be taking care of you quite gently. Is he a great man who is so kind to his subordinates?"
Belial asked sarcastically.
I squinted and replied with pride, "Yes, well, he doesn't pour tea on people."
"Wasn't that something you knew about and intervened in?"
"That's right, too."
I lowered myself into the seat across from him and said, "I think we have some questions to ask each other, so why don't we talk about each other fairly? Honestly."
"Why do I have to answer questions with you fairly? I'm the prince, and you're a servant."
"A servant? I'm a mathematician. If the questions and answers are fair, wouldn't it be cheap? If you just scratch my itch, I'll answer you with anything."
I added nervously, "I don't think you know, Prince. Isn't this kind of opportunity a good thing? If I change my mind right away and jump up and leave, you won't be able to hear anything and will just have given me a piece of clothing."
Belial leaned back on the sofa and replied arrogantly, "What if I tie you up?"
"Well, for the safety of your subjects, you are in a total conflict with Grand Duke Blake, who is pretending to be dead. Do you want that?"
That wouldn't be a good decision for Belial now.
The ambiguous order of succession to the throne for the second prince, the pressure of Duke Klein, Sen's ambiguous lineage, and the confrontation with the North, all combined to make him truly isolated.
Belial clicked his tongue briefly. "You're so clever."
"If you're smart, you're useful."
"Good. I'll try to find out if it's a fair question and answer."
Belial's smile showed no hint of gentleness on his face.
When he usually smiled, he looked like a prince from a fairy tale, but looking at it like this, I could believe that it was carved out of ice.
"But I'll ask you first."
"Please. Well, that's a difficult task."
Isn't it "Sammosa Cho"? Do whatever you want. As for the horse, that one is the prince, and this one is a demon beast... Because I'm a scholar.
There was a moment of silence. Belial looked at me with a skeptical eye, trying to clear his mind, and then asked me the first question.
"When you met me in the North, you told me not to attend the grand banquet. You even rushed at me, who didn't know anything, to say that. Why did you do that?"
I replied without hesitation, "I thought the chandelier was going to fall. It could be dangerous. I told them to fix it, but they didn't listen to me because they were busy with other preparations."
"If the chandelier falls, I'm not the only one who gets hurt. But you dared to stop me. That's it..."
I shook my head to stop his question. "If you want to ask me again, you can answer my question."
Belial pulled his lips taut as if he was disapproving. However, he did not break his promise.
"Good. What are you curious about?"
"You were attacked on your way back to the Imperial Palace from the North. You injured your right arm as a result."
"Huh, you know secrets well. How could you know all of that? Only a few people know about it."
"Well... If I can answer that question with all my heart, there is a way to know everything."
Hamsters listen to daytime words, and hamsters listen to night words, because this hamster doesn't know anything.
"Anyway. Have you figured out who is behind it?"
Belial laughed coldly. "You're so suspicious. You ask questions even though you know all the answers."
"I want to make sure I do it."
"Yes. They were hired by the Duke of Klein's family."
"They moved under the order to kill Your Highness?"
He replied, raising the corners of his mouth in a pout. "Answer my question first. The reason why they singled me out and didn't let me go to the banquet."
I tried to answer honestly... I have no choice but to look around for this.
I thought about it for a moment and then answered, "I saw it."
"See? What do you mean?"
"I saw it in a dream."
A dream, a book. It's the same that it originated in my imagination, so let's tie it up appropriately.
"Don't look like a scammer. That's why I didn't want to talk about it... Anyway, I have premonitions sometimes. And I realized that there are times when the dreams that I have seen many times really come true in reality."
"So, in my dream, I saw myself knocked down by a falling chandelier..."
"Yes, just in case, I looked at the chandelier and it was really loose, with seams. I didn't want you to fix it, so I said it because I didn't want you to come."
"I don't think you had any obligation to save me."
"That said, if you get hurt in our territory, Your Highness will be in trouble, right? I don't like that."
Belial stroked his chin and laughed. "Tearful loyalty. Or is it love?"
"... Oh, what is love?"
I was speechless for a moment and said as if I was grumbling, "Now it's your turn to answer."
"Yes, they were waiting for me. But when I took up my sword and fought in person, I was quite embarrassed. It's as if they expected me to be seriously injured."
"What do you mean..."
Does this mean that someone may have broken the chandelier on purpose?
It was strange. Is there any reason to use such an old chandelier? Where did you get that gift...
I looked up at the ceiling. The rose-shaped chandelier was like the one I had seen in the Northern Ballroom.
"Hey."
While I was distracted by the chandelier, Belial asked, "Did you see it in your dream this time? That I was going to pour tea on her."
It's not a good choice to use dream excuses often. I looked around moderately. I decided to answer honestly, but what can I do? Let's say it's a white lie.
"I knew it with my eyes."
My question immediately followed. "Your Highness, are rose-shaped chandeliers common?"
"No. There is only one technician in the Meinhardt Empire who can make this chandelier. And he's working for Duke Klein."
"So, this type of chandelier can only be supplied by Duke Klein?"
Questions followed one after another. Belial tried to point it out, but he noticed that my voice was cold, so he just answered.
"... Okay. The rose is a symbol of Duke Klein. This chandelier is heavier than others and has a shorter lifespan. But it's brighter and more gorgeous than any other chandelier."
"The chandelier in the North is from the Duke of Klein."
That's why I used it even though I thought it was old. It was sent by the imperial family, so I would use it at a banquet to make it seem less flawed.
According to Belial's explanation, it usually has a weak lifespan and must have been replaced or separated from it. It would have cost more money to fix it, and Kyle might have thought it was a useless luxury.
"No way... Did you use the chandelier to hurt me?"
"At the very least, we need to investigate when it went North and who sent it."
"Your statement now can be interpreted as an attempt to slander the Duke of Klein."
"So, you want to accuse me?"
I tilted my head and grinned. "Even if you hurt your arm like that?"
"...."
Belial snarled. "What do you want? Demon mathematician."
It was a good question.
I grinned. "Don't harass Grand Duke Kyle Blake. One way or another. Don't pressure him, don't give him a bad feeling."
"So what do I get?"
"At least a sense of security that the North will not be turned into an enemy? Who knows. If I had a strange premonition again, I might go out like this. I've already saved them once, and I've even prevented them again."
"...."
"If you had poured tea water according to Your Highness' personality, what would he have been talking about by now?"
You can't be friends with Belial forever. However, at least there is no need for both sides with urgent problems to get exhausted in useless fights. For Belial, who has to oppose the Duke of Klein's family right now, this alone will be helpful.
Belial's eyes narrowed. "Interesting. He's a wasteful talent to be a demon mathematician."
"Just leave him as a Demon Mathematician. I'm not as big of a deal as I thought."
Okay. He is a beautiful creature who lives twenty hours a day as a hamster. If you don't have the confidence to raise a hamster, don't pay attention to it.
"Do you want to stay in the Imperial Palace? The conditions are twice as high as those in the North."
"You can't even hit twenty times."
Belial asked, his eyes widening as if he was really disappointed. "Why? Do you really like Kyle?"
Why do you keep weaving it with rumors?
I didn't think it would end like this, so I screamed, "Yes, I like him! Yes? For the safety of his beloved Grand Marshal, a chandelier can be hit on his back!"
"Haha. Ahaha, fufu, hahaha."
"... What are you laughing at?"
I looked at him, and Belial tilted his head and laughed.
"That's it, that's it. I will do as you say. The more I look at him, the more mysterious and funny he is."
"What..."
I must have changed my clothes and picked up information, but I don't have anything to look at anymore.
[Belial Serena Meinhardt recognizes Blake as a temporary ally!]
I think this is okay for now.
"I'm going then."
Belial was still smiling and waving his hands excitedly. He said I could leave.
I grumbled and left the room. Kyle will be worried about me, so I should go to him. I have to show my face just once and get in. The 'load' time is almost over...
However, when I entered the palace where the guests were staying, it was Sen, not Kyle.
Why is Sen here?
"What, Sen?"
"Shu!"
Then Sen came up to me and cried out desperately, "Cashew Nuts are gone!"