Hopefully, at Your Mercy - Chapter 15

Chapter 8.2

“In that case, it would be wise for you to speak with less intelligence, my lady.”

With that, Iskan turned his back on her and headed toward the duke. The sound of his measured footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Left alone, Delinda dumbly replayed his words inside her mind.

It would be wise for you to speak with less intelligence, he had said.

Could he have figured out that I’m not the real Lady Delinda? Does he think I’m even more suspicious because I don’t act as dumb as the rumors say?

Delinda shook off her worries. At least he didn’t seem interested in killing her right now, and that was a relief in itself.

* * *

Iskan stepped into his office, carelessly tossing his cloak onto the sofa.

“Carlot, you have a daughter.”

“Pardon? I do?”

Carlot, who was lounging on the sofa munching on snacks, lifted his head and blinked in confusion.

“You have a daughter with magical powers, but you’re hiding her identity from the world. Why would that be?”

“No idea, since I don’t have a daughter.”

I’ve never even dated anyone, so where’d this idea of a daughter come from? Carlot grumbled to himself in annoyance.

Sitting at his desk, Iskan began sorting through the tall stack of documents piled on his desk. They were all related to the Anagrok territory, which he governed.

“You’re a mage, so consider the possibilities.”

It had been a month since he, as the prince, grand duke, and lord, had left his territory.

Even while away, the work continued to pile up, with documents awaiting for his approval. The one he’d just picked up reported that a heavy storm had damaged the main water system.

Carlot rolled over on the sofa, and his mouth was covered in crumbs from his snacks.

“Being a mage isn’t easy. You’re holded up inside the Magic Tower, and even just thinking about marriage is tough. If someone wanted their daughter to live a normal life, it’s possible they’d hide her abilities. Having magical powers means you’ll get dragged into fighting demons and such. It’s a tragic life, not knowing when you might die.”

“I see.”

“Of course, I’m skilled enough to avoid being killed by mere demons, and I keep my abilities hidden well enough so that I can live as I please. But for someone who’s just mediocre—”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to act like a fool.”

Iskan interrupted Carlot’s self-praise with a question. Carlot just shrugged, unfazed by Iskan’s disinterest.

“Maybe they pretended to be a fool because they didn’t want to get sent to the academy? As soon as you enroll, they require that you measure your magical powers.”

“Mandatory, you say…”

“Yeah, they’re always ranking people by class over there. This guy’s a mage, that guy’s a holy knight, and that guy’s completely useless. For the record, I hid my magical powers on purpose so I could graduate as just an average mage. I was so skilled, even the professors didn’t catch on.”

Carlot launched into a long boast about himself.

Iskan leaned back lazily in his chair, ignoring Carlot’s self-praise.

The academy…

Most of the noble children of the Barkyan Empire attended the academy. Nobles who couldn’t enter were usually from families on the verge of ruin, lacking the funds for tuition, or those who, like Delinda, were simply too foolish for it to matter.

“I never attended the academy myself.”

Iskan muttered to himself, recalling the past. Carlot, always quick to pick up on his thoughts, chimed in with a smirk.

“That’s because you were the black sheep of the imperial family, Your Highness.”

“…”

“Sure, now you’ve gained prestige for eradicating those demons that were such a problem for the empire, but back then, you were just the imperial family’s outcast.”

Thump.

Iskan tossed a stack of papers onto his desk and gave Carlot a long, unamused stare.

“…”

Carlot slowly dropped dead, pretending not to notice Iskan’s glare as he busied himself with his snacks.

Just ignore him. He’s not there.

Carlot kept up the act for a while, only glancing up when Iskan finally changed the subject.

“Someone managed to break through your spatial distortion magic barrier.”

“What? That’s impossible. No one besides Your Highness can break through my magic. I have the strongest magical power in the empire.”

For once, a rare look of irritation crossed Carlot’s usually cheerful face.

“Who on earth was it? Who dared to break through my magic barrier?”

“Just a passerby.”

“What? What does that even mean?”