For You In The Cage - Chapter 87

*******

As if the aftermath of last night was pretty big, Canaren overslept for the first time since the wedding. Roana asked carefully as she washed the face of her master, who could hardly open her eyes.

“Shall we eat in the room instead of going to the dining room today? What do you think?”

“Well…”

Canaren pondered while feeling the soft towel tap on her face. She didn’t want to see Rena coming in with Yulif in the dining hall as she did yesterday. After she saw her in the morning, she didn’t come back feeling subdued all day. Did she just feel like that? Her appetite was completely gone, and she didn’t want to eat anything. When she forced something in, her stomach churned.

However, it was Canaren who first pushed her stubbornness and pushed her conditions. Yulif was already dissatisfied with the conditions she had proposed. She knew that if she broke it first, he would make an excuse and might never show his face again.

Even if that wasn’t the case, Canaren didn’t want to be the one who broke her promise. When she feels good about making a promise, she keeps it, and when it’s bad, she doesn’t break it.

“No. I promised, so let’s go.”

“Ehh. I knew you would say that.”

Roana shook her head as if she couldn’t believe it, and quickly called a maid to attend to the clothes. Because they were tight on time, the dress had an uncomplicated design, the accessories were minimal, and she couldn’t even have makeup put on.

Today, let’s use innocence as a weapon. Roana said that Canaren didn’t understand her charm of being pure and innocent.

“It’s all done! Let’s go!”

Roana, who pushed the door open with great force, was startled and almost fell. Because there was a dark shadow standing in front of the door. About to unleash her magic before ascertaining who it was, Roana muttered dumbly when she saw the face of the shadow.

“My lord?”

“Roana, why are you doing this? Did something…”

Canaren was also startled and lost her words. It was surprising that Yulif visited her room in the morning, but she was even more surprised that he was wearing a completely different outfit than usual.

With all of his dark hair pulled back, and in a black uniform embroidered with gold thread, Yulif looked extremely imposing and majestic. He looked strong and elegant enough that there would be no disparity even if he put him on the throne right away. Under the dark eyebrows, the eyes that stretched out coolly showed a strong will, and the purple eyes of a mysterious light were beautiful and arrogant, and they looked at her as if possessed.

“Today’s appointment is replaced by this conversation now. I have a place I need to go to urgently.”

“Ah, yes. all right.”

“Is this the way to the dining hall?”

“Yes. Speaking of which. Have you been waiting? I overslept… I’m sorry.”

“If you feel sleepy on the way, you should go and lie down again until you fall asleep. Don’t come out.”

“Yes…”

The ears of Roana who was listening to their conversation perked up. What? Did something happen while she was sleeping? Yulif beckoned to Roana, whose eyes lit up like a hunting dog looking for prey.

“Get out.”

She let out a brief ‘sheesh’, and just as she got out and closed the door…

“Rena is going to eat somewhere else today. Eat comfortably with Roana in the dining room. As well as Muasa.”

Canaren’s exhilaration subsided when Yulif put Rena’s name in his mouth naturally. Biting her lower lip, her eyes widened when Muasa’s name suddenly entered the conversation.

“What about Muasa? Did he make a mistake with Yulif?”

“I was going to send him back to the village, but he said he didn’t want to go. So I decided to entrust him as an escort to Rena. Since he says he is the strongest guy in the village, he’ll be useful.”

“Yes, Well… Yulif can take care of that. It’s not something I’m going to do.”

“I see. Very well.”

As if the business was over, Yulif turned around. Canaren felt like she saw a white feather fluttering from the inside of his coat in the brief moment he turned around. She had put the webbed net with a hook in a box somewhere. But it’s unlikely that Yulif would have taken the box, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be carrying the net.

‘I must have been mistaken.’

“Yulif.”

Yulif, who grabbed the handle, turned his head to look at Canaren.

“Are you going to a dangerous place?”

“No.”

‘It’s a place to go to create dangerous situations, so honestly speaking, it’s not a dangerous place.’

There was no dangerous place for Yulif. Even if it was the Imperial Palace with countless soldiers, it was just a bit of a troublesome place to him.

“What a relief. Have a good trip.”

Incapable of hearing what Yulif did not say, Canaren simply smiled reassuringly at his words. Yulif glanced at her and opened the door without saying a word.

—I will be back.

Inwardly saying his greeting, which would not have reached for her, he stepped through the open door.

After leaving Canaren’s room, Yulif moved quickly with magic. A narrow space with nothing but a magic circle greeted him. It was a room that he had personally taken care of so that it could not be traced or followed.

He opened the door and went through a narrow and dark hallway, and another door appeared. When Yulif’s hand touched, the locked door opened without any resistance. Beyond the door was a plainly decorated hallway. As soon as he stepped into the hallway, the door closed by itself and disappeared.

Yulif stood in front of the painting hanging at the end of the hallway. He grabbed the edge of the frame and tilted it to reveal the hidden door.

Several people were already seated around the round table in the room that arrived through the layered secret device. Even though soundproofing magic was on, they were whispering with lowered voices, and soon noticed Yulif entering the room.

“Are you here, Your Grace?”

“You don’t have to get up.”

Yulif simply dissuaded those who were about to get up and say hello and sat down in a moderately empty place. As three more people arrived, all the empty seats were filled. He opened his eyes, which had been softly closed.

The eyes of 20 nobles except for him were fixed on him. They were all nobles belonging to a faction called ‘The Dukes’, who wanted a future like Yulif. Yulif moved before and after the wedding in earnest and gathered them together.

“I will skip the greetings. Count Kildon, I would like you to give me a rough outline of the capital situation.”

“The emperor’s madness is getting worse. Politics is pushed behind, and he is focused only on seeing blood.”

“You say it’s entertainment and he’s doing strange things, so what the hell is that?”

“That is… It’s terrible, can I tell you what it is?”

Count Kildon took a look at the crowd. More than half of them nodded. Count Kildon moistened his throat with tea and continued his speech with a firm expression.

“I asked the wizards to capture the monster alive. Some wizards were killed in the process.… Next, is another problem. We put monsters and people who have been caught alive in one cage and watch what happens.”

“Huh.”

“I had heard about the rumors, but I thought it was a made-up story because it was so absurd… Is it true?”

“Yes. I went to do some business a few days ago, and I came across it by chance. Really, it was terrible. It was a scene I never wanted to recall again.”

“What are the emperor’s men doing? They can’t stop the emperor, but are they trying to discourage him?”

“What can those cowards do? Even when the emperor was in good health, they couldn’t say a word.”

“If we go out now, it will definitely be a monster’s meal, so who will? Even the country will take care of itself.”

“From what I have heard, there are also signs of division within the imperial faction. Count Enderk is trying to stop it, but the emperor is like that, so it can’t be done properly.”

“Neutral forces?”

The voices that were bursting from here and there were cut off at Yulif’s question.

“I think they are under pressure from the brutal public sentiment. The frequency of contact from them has increased noticeably. At this rate, the neutral forces can be brought in without much difficulty. There seems to be little chance of them joining the emperor’s side..”

It was Count Sailude who answered this time. Count Sailude was one of the few nobles who had long maintained a trusting relationship with Yulif. This secret meeting was taking place in his estate, halfway between the capitals Cicena and Pionia.

“The problem is Duke Theodore. The empress is being insulted rather than being treated properly, but there is no movement.”

“I know, right. I do wonder. He does love his daughter very much…”

There were two dukes in the empire. The dukedom conferred on Yulif meant was an honorary title given to a member of the imperial family. On the other hand, the dukedom of Theodore’s was a prestigious family that produced more than 10 empresses, including the current Empress Estella.

As the head of such a family, Duke Theodore, who led the family and empire for decades, had symbolism in its existence alone. Although it was classified as part of the emperor’s faction because of Estella, it was also a situation where the duchy could be transferred as and when because of Estella.

“I’m curious too. Can you give me your opinion about that, Duke Theodore?”

Yulif was staring at only one person all the way through the story. The count who received his gaze was the person sitting at the farthest point. He had a small estate on the outskirts of the country, and while his power was modest, his personality was also timid, so there were many days when he did not say a word throughout the meeting.

But Duke Theodore? The nobles looked at Yulif and the count alternately with curious eyes.

After a while, the count who was pointed out by Yulif let out a small sigh.

“Since when did you know?”

“I’ve known it from the beginning.”

“I’m losing my energy. Of course, I didn’t think I’d be able to avoid Duke Rubius’ eyes.”

The count took off his gloves. As the illusion magic on his gloves was released, the figure of Duke Theodore, who was smiling helplessly, was revealed. Except for Yulif, the nobles shouted in surprise.

“Duke Theodore!”

“Let’s not waste each other’s precious time with unnecessary greetings.”

Duke Theodore calmed the commotion with a soft but stubborn tone. And he stared at the blunt Yulif, who didn’t raise an eyebrow.