Chapter 33
So the special book wasn’t just used to raise Alexander’s affection.
Lucy realized this.
She checked what book she was reading.
It was a book documenting the ancient history of the empire.
It wasn’t entirely strange that it contained stories about Cerberus.
The explanation about Cerberus wasn’t very long.
It described the legendary guardian beast, Cerberus, as one who protected its master from evil forces.
However, over time, it was said that Cerberus’ power had weakened.
“So that explains why Cerberus is now the size of a puppy.”
Its strength as a guardian beast must have weakened as well.
“Is that why my mother died?”
Cerberus was connected to a quest involving Lucy’s mother that would appear later.
In the game, Lucy knew her mother had died after being falsely accused.
The quest was to uncover what that false accusation had been, and Cerberus would be needed at that time.
Then what exactly were the evil forces?
Lucy wondered if the book would explain that too, but there was no further content.
It was then that she heard a voice.
“Your coffee’s gone cold. Shall I order a new one?”
It was Alexander speaking to her, and only then did Lucy realize she hadn’t touched her coffee at all.
That meant she had been completely absorbed in reading.
Alexander found it fascinating that the Lucy who read adult books and the Lucy before him now seemed so different.
“What part of the book caught your interest so much?”
Lucy paused for a moment, then decided to be honest.
“It’s about the guardian beast called Cerberus.”
Alexander’s eyes lit up for a moment.
“Interesting. That was the part I found most intriguing too.”
Lucy’s eyes widened.
The book’s explanation of Cerberus had been very brief.
Out of all the content in this book, Lucy had taken interest in the part about Cerberus.
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s a guardian beast no longer seen in the empire.”
No longer seen?
Then why had the emperor been raising Cerberus?
“I heard the imperial family is raising Cerberus.”
Alexander’s lips curved slightly.
He had heard the rumor that Lucy had been gifted a puppy by the emperor himself.
Even without investigating, it was easy to hear—it had been a story that caused quite a stir in high society for some time.
“They probably just gave it a special name because they were fond of it. I doubt they truly believed it was Cerberus.”
In fact, the imperial family traditionally gave their dogs the name Cerberus.
It was in the hope that, like the legendary guardian beast, the dog would protect its master from evil forces.
“Now, it’s just a guardian beast in name only.”
He genuinely felt that Lucy truly believed the puppy she raised was Cerberus.
But it wasn’t because Lucy was naïve.
In the game, Cerberus played an important role—it couldn’t possibly be fake.
“The emperor must have given it as a gift, not knowing this.”
If it were truly Cerberus, he wouldn’t have given it away as a mere gift at a royal feast.
“Then is Cerberus hiding its power?”
When would it ever show its true strength?
Then, suddenly, Lucy thought of Bartholomew.
It was because Cerberus always seemed wary of him.
“Could that evil force be connected to Bartholomew?”
If that’s why Cerberus was wary of him…
Lucy looked at Alexander.
“Do you know what that evil force is?”
Alexander’s gaze faltered slightly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he composed himself.
“I don’t know what it is, which is why it’s interesting.”
Alexander pretended to change the topic, but Lucy had no intention of letting it go.
“Then shall we find out what that power is together?”
“Why do you want to know about it?”
“You seemed curious about it too. Weren’t you?”
Alexander couldn’t deny it.
Changing his answer now would only arouse suspicion.
“I’m interested because it seems like something you can only learn about from books.”
Information that could only be discovered through historical records.
Information not easily obtained through people.
Books were the only source.
This intrigued Alexander.
“That makes sense.”
But he also knew the limits of information from records.
Ultimately, he accepted Lucy’s proposal.
“How do you plan to research together?”
“How about a weekly reading session like this?”
A faint smile appeared on Alexander’s face.
Ding!
[?? Affection change detected!]
Once again, an error window appeared, showing Alexander’s affection had changed.
“Very well. Let’s meet here at the café at this time next week.”
Lucy smiled.
She had secured an opportunity to continue interacting with Alexander.
Three days had passed since Bartholomew had last visited Lucy’s annex.
He was deliberately staying in the temple.
He assumed that the frequent visits he made would reach the ears of Duke Faraday.
His assumption was correct.
Duke Faraday came to see him.
It was a rare occurrence.
Since meeting Lucy, Duke Faraday had been paying unusually close attention to Bartholomew’s behavior.
“They say you keep going to see the abandoned princess.”
The duke immediately brought Lucy up.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“I just wanted some fresh air—the temple felt confining.”
Bartholomew’s words were sincere.
His body was already deteriorating.
Touching Cerberus seemed to help temporarily, but it was no fundamental cure.
Still, that time brought him comfort.
Spending time chatting idly with Lucy was better than wasting time lying around the temple.
“Has the abandoned princess offered you anything?”
The duke asked if Bartholomew had gained anything from Lucy.
“Nothing. As you know, Duchess Lucy is the abandoned princess.”
The duke nodded.
Lucy was royal in name only and had no real power.
Although she caught the emperor’s eye at the palace feast, her subsequent social debut had been disastrous.
The emperor’s favor had quickly turned again, leaving Lucy still powerless in her position.
What power could she have that would benefit Bartholomew?
“How is your body?”
The duke checked Bartholomew’s complexion.
“The medicine you gave me last time works well.”
“Really?”
“However, because the medicine is effective, my body has worsened at other times.”
The duke’s eyes briefly gleamed.
The time was coming.
“For now, stay in the temple. Don’t make unnecessary outings.”
The duke intended to leave it at that.
“No.”
Bartholomew’s refusal raised one of the duke’s eyebrows.
“You refuse?”
“I want to continue going out for fresh air.”
“Even so, it won’t change anything.”
“Better than doing nothing.”
The duke let out a wry laugh.
“You’ve changed.”
“……”
“You seem to have developed a will to live.”
Bartholomew flinched at the comment.
It was true.
The duke, stroking his beard as if lost in thought, said,
“I’ve changed my mind. Let’s return to the manor today.”
Bartholomew’s eyes widened slightly.
“It would be better for you to stay in the Room of Reflection for a while.”
The Room of Reflection.
A room the duke had made for Bartholomew, essentially a punishment chamber.
Once inside, all of Bartholomew’s will would break, and he would obey the duke without question.
It was that painful.
“After visiting the Room of Reflection, can I go out as I please?”
Bartholomew made a proposal.
The duke laughed as if it were amusing.
“Fine. If you can leave that room in one piece, then you may do so.”
He thought it impossible, yet willingly allowed it.
“Please keep that promise,” Bartholomew said sincerely.
The duke simply shrugged it off, barely taking it seriously.
