12 O’Clock Marionette

Chapter 18

I attacked him with a twist.

To put it simply, "What makes you think you know everything just from the rumors you've heard?" would be the gist of it.

But Julian's expression didn't even show the slightest crack.

Well then, let's pretend it was just an innocent remark.

"You're right, I shouldn't judge based on rumors. Of course, His Highness will treat me well, right?"

"No."

"...Excuse me?"

That turned everything upside down.

I wanted to say that, but I kept my mouth shut.

In my head, Minuet was laughing.

Was it a misunderstanding? Her smile seemed to be lifting more than before.

Feeling small in front of Minuet, who wasn't there, I quickly corrected myself.

"It was a joke."

"I see... It surprised me to hear such an unexpected thing."

"Of course. If he couldn't, we wouldn't even be engaged."

"I see. Oh, and if you ever need help, feel free to contact me."

He added with a smile, referring to being Minuet's younger brother.

Just then, the orchestra began playing a dance tune.

As people started to get up to dance, they glanced over toward us.

I thought Julian would gradually take his leave.

"Then, would you like to dance a song with me?"

He smiled and extended his hand.

Dancing wasn’t difficult, but...

Wasn't the first dance usually with a cavalier?

Noticing my hesitation, Julian quickly asked.

"Are you okay with that, Gavotte?"

This guy's like a smooth operator.

Seeing Gavotte shrink back, it was obvious he'd have no objections...

"No, it's not okay."

"Oh?"

Instead, Gavotte grabbed my hand and led me onto the dance floor.

Wow! This feels like a scene from a growth novel!

I covered my mouth, overcome with emotion.

Oh, wait.

"Julian."

I turned my head while still holding Gavotte's hand.

Julian's smile had completely vanished from his face.

"Watch out for the snake."

As he said that, Gavotte raised his leg at a right angle and started walking.

Finally, when we were ready to dance, I shared my thoughts with Gavotte.

"Gavotte, your legs are shaking."

"...They're not."

"Then why did you just look down? You're not sure about your own body, are you?"

"Where did you learn that tone?"

"Are you mad?"

"How do you think I would feel hearing that?"

"Huh, I’m not shaking, though."

"Hey!"

Unable to hold it in, Gavotte shouted.

In the meantime, the dance started again, and Gavotte stumbled on his foot.

His ears turned bright red.

"Didn't you say you weren't getting along, Gavotte? Why's Julian acting friendly? Were you hanging out together after all?"

"If you talk about first love or whatever again, I'm not letting you off."

"Brother's violent!"

"...Forget the goosebumps, I’m eighteen, you know?"

Suddenly?

"Your little brother!"

"Oh... then, sister, give it a try."

"Why did that just come out of your mouth? I never acknowledged you as my brother!"

"Really! Gavotte is above the law, huh!"

"Hey!"

"If you don’t like this topic, just keep talking about the one we had before."

"You didn’t listen before."

"No, I remember. You were saying something about inferiority complexes because of the duke and how bad his quality is, something like that."

"Can you even say you remember that?"

Of course.

"...You know I went to the academy, right?"

"Yeah."

"I went there because I didn’t want to be compared to Minuet."

Oh, this is deeper than I thought.

"I wasn’t suited for it, but I joined the social club to pretend I was doing well. Julian was there."

"Did you fight?"

"If we fought, it would have been better. I was in the magic department."

"Wait, you're a magician?"

The turn in the dance briefly interrupted our conversation.

"Elementals are rare students, so we usually study them together. But... since I couldn't do practical work at all, I became an easy target."

"You mean... you can’t summon elementals?"

That can’t be right.

I still sense an elemental aura coming from Gavotte.

I thought it might be a bad joke, but Gavotte was serious.

"Hey, don't make that face. Even if you're from the Bonetti family, half of us can’t even summon one."

"Really... Yeah, I guess."

"...Do you think it’s pathetic?"

"Is your sister’s personality really that bad?"

"What are you talking about?"

Gavotte chuckled.

Then, he briefly studied my face.

It seemed like he was trying to tell if I was lying, looking a bit anxious.

Maybe I should reassure him.

I was probably overdoing it with my spiritual energy, but it wouldn’t harm my body, so I put more strength into my voice.

"There are other pathetic people, so don’t worry about it."

"Huh?"

"You haven’t done anything wrong. You know that better than anyone."

"...Yeah."

Gavotte pressed his lips together.

Maybe it worked too well, as the bridge of his nose scrunched up.

Since the dance ended, I led him to the edge of the room.

He stayed silent for a while before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Talking about it feels relieving, but I don’t know why I told you this. For some reason, I get lighthearted around you."

People with good hearts tend to open up to clergy, even if just a little.

I laughed playfully.

"That, too, while dancing."

"True. At least it's a calm song; if it were a more intense one—"

"Gavotte would have already passed out."

"He's not that weak!"

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on him."

"...Anyway. I don't care about the others, but don't get too close to Julian."

"Why is he still obsessed with you? Or is it Julian who actually likes you?"

"Stop with that disgusting talk!"

Gavotte trembled, his body shaking.

"It’s not me, it’s the Duke. It's obvious there's malice behind it."

"Oh, right. You mentioned that before. But what's the connection?"

"Didn't you know? We both entered the Academy in the same year."

Cruello went to the Academy?

There’s so much I don’t know about him.

What could he have been so busy with over the past four years?

"Normally, you enter at fourteen, but the Duke entered at seventeen. And he graduated early after just one year."

"That explains the age gap. But how did they attend together?"

"Because of that, Julian only became a joke. He was praised as a genius, but while the Duke was there, he didn't even get a glance."

Did that make him feel inferior?

And it seems like the Elder Council took advantage of those negative feelings.

There are still parts I don’t fully understand, but my understanding of the extras is enough for now.

"He was impressive, though. They say the Duke learned magic for the first time at the Academy, and his year would change with each season."

"Really?"

"Well, saying it was his first time learning magic is probably a lie. But still, his talent is monstrous."

Hmm, as far as I know, Cruello couldn’t use magic until he was seventeen.

After seeing all the magic in Fate, I wasn’t even surprised when I saw him use it.

It’s bitter to think of how the Elder Council spent hundreds of years crafting that vessel.

"What kind of person was he at the Academy?"

"He had a bad personality. He wouldn’t even look at the professors when they spoke. Once he graduated, he got a title right away, so no one dared to touch him."

"Hmm."

"I'm glad no one stopped him. The moment he got his dukedom, he went mad."

"So it started then."

"I'm not just saying this. You still haven’t had your engagement ceremony, and now..."

Just as Gavotte was about to repeat his usual nagging, the lights in the ballroom suddenly flickered.

Huh?

I raised my head and saw the chandelier lights flickering on and off.

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

"The... the table!"

The table was shaking, and finger foods were flying around.

Trays spilled, and wine glasses shattered in heaps.

Naturally, the ballroom was quickly thrown into chaos.

Gavotte, pale-faced, stepped in front of me to protect me.

I appreciate him trying to protect me, but...

"What's going on? Is the royal family holding some kind of event?"

"Could it be? What the hell is happening?"

"It must be Prince Talias causing trouble!"

A woman screamed from the side.

Talias? Was there such a person among the royal family?

I looked at Gavotte, demanding an explanation.

His face briefly turned even paler.

"Wait. What’s today? Is it that prince's birthday?"

"Huh, there’s no prince."

"Not now! I mean, from decades ago. Remember, there was that one rebellion?"

"Oh, when the imperial palace was occupied?"

"They say the prince who was caught and killed by the rebels right before they were driven out happened to have his birthday that day."

"Oh, wow."

"They say that prince loved the ballroom so much, and on his birthday, there were ghost sightings in the palace. I thought it was all a lie."

"Hmm."

Despite the flickering lights, Gavotte’s face continued to drain of color, and he looked like a ghost himself.

I nodded.

"10 points."

"I'm not joking."

What? Talking about ghosts with no foreshadowing and asking me to believe it?

People were shouting something about Talias, or whatever.

But this was too noisy to be dismissed as a ghost story.

"Whoever this ghost is, it's making a huge fuss. There’s nothing subtle about it."

"Tell me about it. But from what I hear, he wasn’t some ordinary crazy guy when he was alive."

"I know a guy like that too."

At that moment, the loudest screams I’d heard so far echoed through the room.

"AAAAH!"

"Ugh, guh!"

The chilling sounds carried the scent of death.

This seems real.

I turned my head toward the source of the scream, but with the lights flickering, I couldn’t see clearly.

People screamed in fear.

"This is definitely the curse of Prince Talias!"

"It can’t be."

The crown prince’s voice immediately negated that theory.

Even amidst all this commotion, her voice rang out clearly.

It was like she cast a spell.

The crown prince, sounding tired, spoke.

"Please stop, Duke."

With a snap of her fingers, the chandelier lights, which had been flickering incessantly, immediately returned to their full brightness.

With the lights back, the chaotic ballroom became even clearer.

Hair and clothes were all disheveled, and even those who had managed to maintain some semblance of dignity had food stains on their clothes.

Tables were nearly toppled, and no food was left intact.

What was most ridiculous was the expression on everyone’s faces.

All of them were staring blankly in one direction, their spirits lost.

At the high seat where the crown prince sat.

And leaning on the armrest, was a beautiful man in appearance.

"Did you find it boring?"

Cruello White Desert.

I knew it was you.

No way there could be two such lunatics involved, life or death aside.