First of all, I was careful to keep my cheeks from puffing up as much as possible, but in a situation where I would have normally turned away in anger, the Duke managed to greet me with a gentle smile.
"This is our first time meeting face to face like this, right? Nice to meet you, Count Hardt. I've heard a lot of rumors."
"..."
"Count?"
As soon as the Duke arrived, Cruel took a step back and his gaze fell on me.
Sir Lien's face turned blue, and the complexions of the people around him also turned pale.
'I know, I know.'
I know that a mere Honorary Count is now daring to chew on the Duke's words!
It wouldn't work. If I continued like this, I'd just add one more enemy. Even if it hurt my throat, I had to get over this and answer. I hurriedly attempted to swallow my mouthful of pudding.
The moment I forced my neck to move.
"Count!!"
"Cough!"
It was a sudden attack.
The half-eaten pudding popped out of my mouth again.
I looked in bewilderment at the red liquid and lumps that had ruined the floor of the banquet hall, and then carefully called out to the person who was clinging to my back.
"Cough…. Your Royal Highness Princess Hwa…."
***
"It's been a while, Lord Illuster."
"Yes, Your Highness... But..."
"There hasn't been much traffic at the imperial palace these days, so it seems to be very busy."
"I'm sorry. But Your Highness..."
"Or is something going on?"
"No, Your Highness. That..."
"Ah, I apologize if it was for personal reasons. Excuse me."
The princess turned Count Hardt's gaze, and the crown prince turned the Duke's gaze. All of this was planned on the spot the moment the Duke spoke to Count Hardt.
The Duke of Illuster was the head of the noble faction. What good could there be in having a conversation with Count Hardt, the Emperor's great sword? There must be a sinister intention.
The crown prince and princess planned to steal Count Hardt out of his dark plan.
But it seemed like the princess was being overly forceful.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, the princess's screams were heard.
"Aaaah, Count! Blood, blood!"
"!?"
At first glance, Count Hardt could be heard muttering, 'No, this is...', but that voice did not exert any influence and was buried in the commotion.
It wasn't just blood, it was blood in lumps. Who would overlook this?
"Palace physician!"
The crown prince hurriedly called for the royal doctor and glanced at the princess.
So, be careful when attacking with a direct attack from behind. It has been said repeatedly that Count Hardt's body was like glass due to the Demon King's curse.
'I understand your desire to lure Count Hart, but... this was too much.'
With the promise that once this incident was resolved, he would have the princess sit down again and pay attention to her, the crown prince hurriedly approached Deon Hardt.
***
"Aaaah, Count! Blood, blood!"
"No, this is..."
"Don't say it."
It's not blood, it's pudding...
Before I could explain, Sir Lien covered my mouth with a handkerchief.
After struggling in embarrassment, I managed to pull her hand away, and with a bewildered expression, I looked at the incredibly alarming red seeping out of the handkerchief and then turned my head.
The banquet hall was in chaos.
"Palace physician!"
Starting with the crown prince calling the royal doctor.
"What's going on?"
Even the fucking Emperor. Even the person following him was clearly General Nemeseus, the Commander-in-chief and my superior during the Eight Year War. Even though I haven't seen him in a while, how could I forget that scar across his face?
So, including the damn hero Cruel and Duke Illuster, it was safe to say that I was now attracting the attention of all the big names in the empire.
'If I really vomited blood, it wouldn't be a big problem...'
The problem was that this isn't blood.
I think they think the smell of blood was masked by the perfume that filled the banquet hall, but I didn't know what would happen if they find out the truth.
Even as my heart felt like it was about to stop, the Emperor's mutterings became even worse.
"Is it because of the Demon King's curse?"
No, I was never cursed by the Demon King in the first place.
On the day I returned to the imperial palace carrying the hero's body, I was so weak that I vomited blood in front of the Emperor. Somehow it became known as the Demon King's curse and it ended up like this...
'Oh my god.'
This was. fucking disaster.
***
The palace doctor was examining the other person with a rare serious expression.
In fact, it would be more accurate to say that his expression had hardened rather than that he was serious.
After all, His Majesty the Emperor, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Princess, Duke Illuster, the head of the noble faction, General Nemeseus and even the hero Cruel Hardt were obsessively watching his every move.
The patient was even the famous hero Deon Hardt, who had a lot of scary tinnitus.
If something bothers you, your life will not be perfect.
That's why he was very nervous and doing a thorough examination with all his might.
'Why…'
Was there anything wrong?
It's just that his body was too weak, but there was really no problem.
Even if blood was vomited, a fishy smell should have remained, but surprisingly, there was no smell of blood.
At first he thought it was covered by perfume. This was a banquet hall filled with the smell of all kinds of perfume.
He thought the strong cherry scent coming from him was also the scent of perfume buried somewhere.
'But there's no way your mouth can smell like cherries!'
When he slightly opened my mouth to check whether he had really vomited blood, the physician was struck by the strong smell of cherries instead of the smell of blood.
There, the palace doctor was confident that Count Hardt had not vomited blood.
Then, the problem is the red liquid and lumps that come out of the mouth...
'It has a cherry scent, so it must be cherry-related.'
Come to think of it, he remembered there was cherry pudding among the desserts.
He probably got sick while eating this pudding... He looked at the red lumps being cleaned up by the attendants with salty eyes, then looked away again.
'Should I tell them?'
It will only be a matter of time before others notice.
Even if they didn't notice at first because they were so dazed and the smell of perfume was all around them, in the end, most of the people here had experienced blood.
The tyrant Eduardo Desert, who not only rose to power through rebellion, but also started the Eight Year War almost immediately after ascending to the throne; General Nemeseus, who was the Commander-in-chief of the Eight Year War; and, of course, Cruel, a hero who cannot be separated from battle.
If they were given a little time, they would be able to quickly understand the situation as they had watched it so tiresomely.
That's why he was seriously thinking about it.
The physician's eyes involuntarily raised his head and met bright red eyes staring down at him.
'...Hiek!'
That's clearly a look in his eyes that will kill him if he says anything!
He reflexively took a breath. The expressions of those around him who took it seriously became even darker, but the palace doctor had no time to worry about such things.
Did he lie to His Majesty, or did hr tell the truth at the risk of death?
After pondering for a while at the crossroads of life and death, he said, "You said there was an attack when he came here. It seems like he was bleeding due to fatigue due to the internal injuries he suffered at that time."
He closed his eyes tightly and chose life.
***
"You said there was an attack when he came here. It seems like he was bleeding due to fatigue due to the internal injuries he suffered at that time."
Incredible! It seems that my earnest pleading eyes were conveyed.
Although he stuttered a bit, the doctor did a great job. To be honest, when he closed his eyes tightly, my heart sank because I thought he was going to tell the truth.
Really, what would have happened if he had told the truth?
He must have felt embarrassed and incurred the wrath of others, but even before that, the Emperor's reaction was unpredictable.
Maybe he tried to kill me for humiliation.
"There is no treatment other than rest, so it is best to rest well..."
"I see."
I answered calmly and got up from the chair I was sitting on.
It's finally happening. I thought it was too burdensome. He held out a chair for the patient, saying I should sit down, but who would be able to sit alone in a gathering of royal family members unless their heart was quite strong?
Even the Emperor was standing there!
Perhaps, if the Emperor had not said it was an order, I would have stood firm until the end and received the examination.
'Anyway, it seems like it's been roughly resolved.'
Now I can use this as an excuse to go home. Could it be that they are trying to capture the patient?
I turned towards the Emperor. I was about to say that I would just bow down and go back, but unfortunately, my body was more tense than I expected.
It's so bad that my legs will give out! Clearly, my heart was bowing to the Emperor without any hesitation. Why is my body falling forward?
I cursed under my breath as I felt my body collapsing helplessly.
'Oh, shit.'
I showed all sorts of things in front of the Emperor. How funny would the people at the banquet look at me?
As I have never been in the social world, this incident will be firmly engraved in their minds.
As an Honorary Count who fell shamefully in front of the Emperor.
'My social life is ruined.'
With that thought in mind, I stared blankly at the floor getting closer.
─No.
'It's not getting closer?'
Did time always flow this slowly?
Oh, is that it? It's not. The magic light should also bring back memories of the past.
As I was coming up with various nonsense thoughts, it was only after a few more seconds that I realized that someone was holding my arm.
Who was it? Among the people nearby, if there was anyone who could catch me... Was it Sir Lien? I took my distracted focus, moved my gaze along the hand holding my arm, and opened my mouth.
"Thank..."
...No thank you!
The words of gratitude that were coming out of my mouth disappeared the moment I saw the other person's face.
My eyes, which had been filled with kindness as I had to say thank you, turned cold, and almost immediately, I showed extreme disgust and shook off the hand that was supporting my body.
"..."
"..."
In cold silence, Cruel looked at my hand and me in silence, then took a step back. I also bit my lip and took a couple of steps back.
I didn't want to do something like this in front of the Emperor, but I can't help it. Because this was a reflexive action.
I fought on the battlefield for eight years and pondered the hatred over and over again.
How could I calmly accept this guy's touch when the disgust has remained so deeply rooted that it is at the level of an imprint?
Fortunately, the silence was broken quickly.
"...You seem to be quite unwell. How about you just go back and rest?"
"I'm sorry."
I bowed obediently and expressed my respect.
What the Emperor said was often a congratulatory command given by the host to the other party at a banquet.
This word, which can be either insulting or considerate depending on how it is used, was considerate to me now.
No matter how I feel about Cruel, the star of this banquet is Cruel, and the host is the imperial family.
As such, my rudeness, which could have easily become a big problem, was disguised as 'due to being unwell' and the Emperor took the initiative to lightly reprimand me, thereby preventing anyone from openly reprimanding me.
The Emperor has definitely surrounded me.
'Because he is generous to talented people.'
That's why I feel even more burdened. I'm not the kind of talent you think I am.
I am already afraid of how the Emperor will react the moment those expectations disappear like bubbles.
With renewed awareness, I felt like my legs were losing strength again, so I hurriedly walked out of the banquet hall without rejecting the hand of Sir Lien who was supporting me from my side.
I had intentionally forgotten about Cruel.