DED 11

Chapter 11

What was the Imperial Palace Banquet Quest?

It was a quest that required one to gain the emperor’s recognition by showcasing outstanding musical or dance skills.

In her previous life, Lucy had chosen to play an instrument—and failed miserably.

The instrument performance had been run in the form of a rhythm game, with the difficulty determined by proficiency.

Did the difficulty increase as proficiency went up?

Of course not.

True to its status as a trash game, if your proficiency was low, hard mode was automatically applied.

It was hard even back then—let alone now.

With her negative intelligence stat, she wouldn’t even be able to read the sheet music.

But dancing might work.

Through her painful quest failure, Lucy had gained a hint on how to win the emperor’s favor.

The words the emperor had casually uttered after the banquet had been a huge help.

If I make use of that, even clumsy dancing shouldn’t be a big problem.

To that end, Lucy planned to raise her affection level with Cecil and make him her dance partner.

I thought I could just keep raising affection through gifts, the same way I played before.

However, she had been crushed when she found out that giving gifts was impossible while under the Charm status effect.

But look at what was right in front of her now.

Wasn’t there Bartholomew, like a savior?

In front of Bartholomew, Lucy could freely speak and act regardless of her stats.

If Bartholomew becomes my dance partner…

Not only would she succeed in the Imperial Palace Banquet Quest, she’d also obtain the soft, squishy glutinous-rice-cake puppy.

But…

There was one thing that bothered her.

Bartholomew’s health.

I’m only planning on a simple dance, but won’t it be too hard on him?

Lucy didn’t even know his exact diagnosis.

All she knew was that his condition was poor enough to require care in a special management ward.

And on top of that, he’s coughing up blood like this…

Could it be that Bartholomew was terminally ill?

Worry quickly filled Lucy’s eyes, which had been sparkling with anticipation just moments ago.

“Of course, Bartholomew’s health comes first—”

“I refuse.”

Bartholomew cut her off sharply.

“Is it because your health condition isn’t good?”

When Lucy expressed concern for him, Bartholomew’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“It has nothing to do with my condition. I just don’t want to.”

“……”

“To begin with, attending the imperial banquet itself is impossible.”

“Impossible? Why?”

For a moment, Bartholomew was at a loss for words.

He had simply assumed it was impossible—he’d never really thought about the reason.

After all, his entire life had been spent going back and forth between his estate and the temple.

He had never once appeared at a public event.

He had been raised being told that he must not.

And he had no choice but to obediently accept that.

Bartholomew looked at Lucy.

Her eyebrows drooped slightly at the ends, giving her an oddly pitiful look.

It’s not completely impossible to attend, but…

The aftermath would be troublesome.

After a brief pause, Bartholomew spoke again.

“I am indebted to Your Highness.”

He straightened his clothes and rose from his seat.

“If you have another request, I will grant it.”

With those words, he left the library as though he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Left behind, Lucy collapsed forward, bracing herself on the floor with both hands in despair.

He just doesn’t want to…

She had never imagined she’d be rejected for such a simple reason.

Nothing ever went easily.

Just when she thought she’d finally found a dance partner, he said he simply didn’t feel like it.

How am I supposed to persuade him?

Bartholomew already didn’t seem like someone easy to deal with.

No matter how brightly Lucy smiled at him, he’d never once returned anything resembling a smile.

He looked quite stubborn, too—how was she supposed to convince him?

But is it really just that he doesn’t want to?

Something felt off to Lucy.

His words about it being impossible to attend the imperial banquet lingered in her mind.

Is there some reason he can’t go?

A family like Duke Parade’s would naturally attend such banquets.

Lucy thought it over, but nothing clear came to mind.

I guess getting closer to Bartholomew comes first.

With that thought, Lucy straightened up.

At that moment, something entered the corner of her vision.

“Huh? This is…”

Lucy picked up a small gourd-shaped bottle.

It was the emergency medicine Bartholomew had taken when his coughing had gotten severe.

He must’ve left it behind.

Thinking she should return it, Lucy suddenly recalled something and opened the lid.

“This smell…”

A sweet scent mixed with a strong floral fragrance and berry notes wafted out.

It didn’t smell like medicine at all, which was why it had caught her attention earlier.

If I find out more about this medicine, could I uncover Bartholomew’s secret too?

What kind of illness was he suffering from?

Could he really be terminally ill?

With those thoughts, Lucy tucked the medicine bottle into her clothes.

Cecil visited Lucy’s sickroom to treat her.

Since it was their first meeting since the previous commotion, Cecil felt awkward.

It’s probably because I was in the wrong.

Thinking about his own immature behavior—and how Lucy had still worried about him—made him feel like he couldn’t meet her eyes.

Still, treatment couldn’t be postponed.

Clearing his throat, Cecil entered Lucy’s room.

Lucy, who had been sitting with her back against the headboard, broke into a wide smile when she saw him.

She was clearly happy to see him.

Seeing her bright face, the tension that had stiffened Cecil’s expression eased before he realized it.

Does she always smile like that?

He found himself wondering.

Now that he thought about it, she always seemed to smile when she was with him.

…Or does she only smile when she sees me?

Shaking his head, Cecil dismissed the thought.

His thinking was going in a strange direction.

“Are you feeling any better?”

At his question, Lucy nodded cheerfully.

She still couldn’t speak properly.

To accommodate her, Cecil had brought a document with him.

It was a questionnaire he had personally prepared to accurately assess her condition.

After she had found her mother’s keepsake, his attitude toward Lucy had changed.

Instead of feeling frustrated by her inability to speak normally, he chose to be considerate.

“I’ll ask you a few questions now. Please answer by nodding or shaking your head.”

Lucy looked momentarily puzzled, but soon nodded.

“Have you ever suffered from severe, unbearable headaches?”

Lucy shook her head.

“Have you ever felt tightness in your chest?”

She shook her head again.

As Cecil continued the questions, carefully observing her reactions, he pressed his lips together.

After hesitating briefly, he finally asked:

“Princess Lucy. Why do you keep smiling?”

Lucy saw the slight crease in Cecil’s brow and felt a jolt of alarm.

She’d been maintaining a smiling expression because she wanted to look good in his eyes—but it might seem like she wasn’t taking the treatment seriously.

Did I upset him again?

Just as worry filled Lucy’s mind—

Ding!

[Affection change detected!]

[Cecil’s affection has increased.]

[Affection: ?? → Affection: ??]

…?

Why did his affection go up?

Lucy was confused.

He looked like he didn’t like it, though.

Was it really true that no one could resist a smiling face?

Thinking that, Lucy smiled even more brightly and pulled something out from her clothes.

It was a gift she’d prepared just in case, after his affection had risen when she returned his lost item.

Just like before, it was a medicinal tea blended to suit Cecil’s tastes.

Cecil quietly looked at the cloth pouch she offered with both hands.

“How did you know?”

He lifted his gaze to Lucy.

“How did you know that I enjoy this particular blend of medicinal tea?”

Lucy flinched.

How was she supposed to explain that she knew from playing in her previous life?

For once, she was grateful she couldn’t speak properly and brushed it off with a smile.

Seeing that smile, Cecil let out a small sigh and accepted the pouch.

“Thank you.”

Lucy’s eyes widened.

He’d finally accepted her gift!

Ding!

[Affection change detected!]

[Cecil’s affection has increased.]

[Affection: ?? → Affection: ??]

Lucy barely managed to suppress the urge to cheer.

Instead, she pulled out another item from her clothes.

It was the small medicine bottle Bartholomew had left behind.

“What is this?”

Frowning, Cecil opened the bottle.

As soon as he caught its scent, he fixed Lucy with a sharp gaze.

“Why are you carrying this?”

Lucy’s eyes went round.

Seeing her clearly unaware of what was wrong, Cecil said,

“This is a lethal poison.”