He’s My Real Brother, Duke Chapter 130

🐾

 

Duke Anais set out from the Capital with the imperial guard’s wagons and reinforcements.

 

While most of the manpower to prepare for war had been unfairly placed on the duchy, this war was different. 

 

The imperial palace had organized a large group of knights for the Demon War and supplied them with over a hundred wagons for supplies and transportation.

 

However, the war was expected to last more than a month, even if it was short, so naturally, the supplies provided by the imperial court were somewhat insufficient. 

 

Fighting the war required some strategy. First, they had to reach the duchy and establish a supply route. 

 

Since they had fought so many wars, it was easy enough to create a supply route. 

 

However, with the Crown Prince in town, I had to do a final review to make sure I was prepared for any possible conspiracies.

 

That means I’m back in the Duke of Anais’ castle for a little while.

 

‘I also need to leave Rune at the castle…’

 

I glanced at Rune, who was curled up like a tiny snowman in the Maid’s arms, and then looked ahead again. 

 

I was thrilled at the thought of seeing the Duke’s family again, including Head Maid Rudel. 

 

My heart was pounding until I rode the carriage through the castle gates.

 

I wondered how the Maid had changed, what the atmosphere was like in the treatment center, and what the Delphinium Room, where I was staying, would be like.

 

“Come on in!”

 

Hearing Jenny and Sally whisper in unison behind me, I pushed through the doors of the main castle building. 

 

And finally, I found the Head Maid, Rudel, standing tall and staring at me.

 

“Long time no see!”

 

But there was no reply. Only the echo of my voice…

 

“Am I out of place now?”

 

I hadn’t seen her in a while, so it was understandable…

 

I shrugged a little and took a step closer to her, a worried look on my face. Rudel, still the perfect Head Maid, was still staring at me with a blank stare.

 

“What’s wrong with the Head Maid?”

 

Jenny, who stood behind me, said to herself in surprise, that Rudel’s condition was more than a little delicate. I was a little nervous, too. 

 

Rudel, who had everyone’s eyes on her, but only mine, spoke with a cold, dry expression.

 

“I’d like to see you, Madame.”

 

What the hell, I gave her a look of disbelief, not a smile.

 

“What is it?”

 

She spoke firmly and clearly, “Madame.”

 

What the heck, why am I suddenly the Madame?

 

Unlike my flustered self, Rudel inclined her head, her face calm and unaffected.

 

“Please, come in. When I heard you were coming, I turned on the heating spell, and your room is cleaned daily. Not a speck of dust.”

 

‘If Rudel says it’s dust free, it is dust free…’

 

I glanced at the maids behind Rudel’s back, their complex expressions. 

 

Somehow, their lips looked like the Emperor’s bluish lips. In other words, they looked like they were about to die. 

 

I muttered a small condolence to them.

 

“Yes, Rudel. You didn’t have to do that. Thank you for caring!”

 

I grinned as I pulled her into a tight embrace. Rudel’s fingertips wandered, unsure of where to go, and then she patted me. I scrunched up my nose, a little touched by the motherly touch.

 

“Welcome back.”

 

Gently releasing me from her embrace, she ruffled my tightly tied hair, making sure not a single strand was loose, and whispered to me.

 

“Let me serve you properly.”

 

Rudel turned her body to the side, and I could see the outer wall of the main house, its surface shiny and polished. 

 

I’d heard the stones out here were hundreds of years old, and I’m sure there was moss on them.

 

Apparently, they didn’t just clean up the rooms…

 

🐾

 

Inside the sparkling clean Delphinium Room.

 

After a short nap with Rune to recover, I woke up bright-eyed. In my sleep, I thought I heard Rudel take Rune away and give her a thorough wash.

 

‘All I have to do now, then, and see what Cornwall has done.’

 

As the day drew to a close, I brought my hand to the bracelet out of habit. I could only look at it twice a day, so I had to be as discreet as possible.

 

“Usually, the Dark magicians and villains meet in secret at dusk or dawn.”

 

So, given the time of day, now would be the right time. I closed my eyes, pressing the bracelet tightly. 

 

As I had expected, the Crown Prince, Cornwall, and the woman and man I assumed to be the Warlock were seated around a round table.

 

The only woman among the four spoke.

 

“The poison is ready.”

 

In her hand was a clear bottle filled with a substance that looked like black jewelry. Cornwall reached out and pulled the cap off the bottle’s spout.

 

“This is what will kill that insolent wench…”

 

The Crown Prince interrupted Cornwall’s emotional ramblings and asked impatiently.

 

“And the antidote?”

 

“I have prepared it, but in very small amounts. Just enough for His Majesty’s use only.”

 

“There are spies in the knights.”

 

“I’ve already put several in.”

 

“We’ll spread the disease like it’s a plague. I have plenty of poison on hand.”

 

I wonder what he plans to do to me or Knox with that poison.

 

Given that there were already spies among the soldiers, I wondered if they had been poisoned from the start.

 

There was more unfortunate news. The female warlock scoffed.

 

The woman warlock sneered, “Oh, that’s right, Ciela, one of the spies the knights have hidden in their ranks, has already spread a milder version of the poison.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. If you’re infected with the weaker poison, the symptoms don’t show up right away, so no one will know yet. They won’t realize it until they get to the battlefield and see their entire army collapse, and they’ll all die without a second thought, not because of the beast, but because of the poison inside.”

 

They looked at each other and nodded.

 

“And in the end, the Duke and his ward will be dead, too. Oh, and…”

 

“…?”

 

“Cassian Gray, apparently he’s connected to the Duke.”

 

“…The flower of the capital, a beauty too good to be wasted.”

 

“I think we should kill him as well.”

 

The male warlock, who hadn’t said a word until then, nodded.

 

And so it was, Duke Anais, my brother, and me. The three of us, side by side, are on the kill list.

 

“Remember to keep this a secret.”

 

“Of course.”

 

I smiled to myself as I observed their situation.

 

Perhaps they had done their best to maintain secrecy, given the location, a closed room in the Crown Prince’s palace, the presence of only those they deemed trustworthy, and the magic stone in the center of the round table.

 

But…

 

‘Your secret, the one you’ve been hiding, is slipping through my fingers.’

 

Now that was some good-quality CCTV.

 

But it was that moment.

 

“By the way, you…”

 

The Crown Prince suddenly turned his face toward Cornwall.

 

His strange gaze moved over Cornwall’s face, scanning his features.

 

It was an eerie gaze that made even me, who shared his line of sight, hold my breath.

 

“That’s weird.”

 

“What?”

 

Unlike Cornwall’s casual question, I met the Crown Prince’s hazel eyes without blinking.

 

“You seem to have some sort of… spell on you or am I mistaken, I saw a white patch of light.”

 

Unlike me, who shrank back in nervousness, Cornwall shook his head casually.

 

“That can’t be. Voodoo neutralizes all magic.”

 

“I see.”

 

The Crown Prince nodded, his face grim. I let out the breath I had been holding.

 

‘Not yet. They haven’t found out yet.’

 

My vision slowly blurred. Today’s dose of tracking magic had expired.

 

I let out a puff of air and pulled my hand away from the butterfly bracelet.

 

“This is bad!”

 

It was then. An oddball of fur touched my fingertips. I stiffened, wondering if it was a ghost or a goblin.

 

“Meow~”

 

A sinister voice came from my fingertips, pretending to be a cat.

 

“Mimi!”

 

Mimi rubbed his face against the back of my hand in an adorable, not-so-affectionate way.

 

“Ugh, I must have left this cat behind…!”

 

My eyes widened, but Mimi beat me to it.

 

“You, you little brat, how dare you leave me behind in the capital?”

 

“No… how did you get here, alone?”

 

“What’s with this body, anyway, I want to see the war! The pain of the demons, the blood!”

 

‘I didn’t bring you here for that!’

 

“Are you… really a god?”

 

I looked at Mimi suspiciously. Mimi shrugged and shook his head.

 

“Anyway, thanks to me, you can see what they’re up to, can’t you?”

 

“Yeah, they say the poison’s been spread, but I don’t know what to do.”

 

Mimi started pacing from foot to foot.

 

Now that I have information about the emergency situation, I must tell my brother in the Knights immediately!

 

I stroked Mimi’s fur, then got to work.

 

🐾

 

I returned to my room after telling my brother to investigate the spy called ‘Ciela’.

 

“Don’t worry, Astel. I’ll kill them all.”

 

“Kill them all?”

 

“Yes. Neatly, with no mess.”

 

…This fool, still bragging.

 

Despite all the rumors of his heroism, he couldn’t even kill a single bug.

 

He said it was too painful to kill in front of me. My heart throbbed at the thought of him, so innocent and vulnerable.

 

But I’ve made my orders clear, and I’m sure he’d take care of this mole named Ciela somehow.

 

‘He’s a man of action.’

 

Stepping into the room, I paused at the sight of the first person to enter my room.

 

“Astel, you’re here!”

 

The attending physician on the couch bounced to his feet and sat back down.

 

“You’ve been well, haven’t you?”

 

I had a feeling that he was unusually concerned about my health. For some reason, I couldn’t quite figure out why, but I smiled weakly and nodded.

 

“Yes, I’ve been healthy. What about your doctor?”

 

“Same old me. I was fine, except a little old and sick, yeah.”

 

I don’t think old and sick was a good thing…

 

Still, I smiled broadly at the doctor, who took my hand in his. He turned to me and muttered in a devious, conspiratorial voice.

 

“I’ve heard from His Excellency, the Duke, that you’re looking for a master in poisons.”

 

“You’re…?”

 

He lowered his voice tone to a whisper, “I hear there’s a man he’d like to kill.”

 

He gave me a very sinister look. I shakily rubbed the back of my neck and muttered.

 

“Well, something looks seriously out of place…?”

 

“That’s why I’ve brought in the masters of poisons.”

 

He was already not listening to me. I nodded carefully, because of course there was someone I wanted to kill.

 

“Where are they?”

 

At my words, the attending physician held up both hands and clapped his hands together, loudly, as if to summon someone, and the door to the Delphinium Room slid open.