Chapter 17: The Eavesdropper
Ruri and the others returned to the castle. They all landed on a terrace that was wide enough to accommodate the three gargantuan dragons. Once they did, Ruri jumped off of Kotaro’s back, and Jade, Claus, and Finn returned to human form.
In front of them was Agate, standing at the ready with a grin. “I have been awaiting your return, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, I know. Sorry for leaving you with all that work. I’ll head to the office now.”
Although they had stopped the Nadashian invasion, they still hadn’t tied up all the loose ends, and in the midst of that, Jade had left the castle for several days. He was positive that work had accumulated in the meantime.
“That isn’t what I am here for! This time I have picked out some girls I know you’ll like. And since a portrait alone isn’t the best to judge from, I’ve brought them to the castle, so come and meet them for yourself!”
“...Ah, I see.” Jade replied in a rather listless manner, a stark contrast to Agate’s overenthusiastic display. “That will have to wait for later. The war with Nadasha is our top priority right now,” he added. He didn’t seem the least bit interested as he promptly proceeded to walk in the direction of the royal office. It was as plain as day that he was planning to put the troublesome matter off for as long as possible.
“You’re just saying that so you don’t have to go see them, aren’t you?! Meet them now! Meet them right this instant!” Agate shouted, chasing after Jade.
“Agate-san doesn’t get deterred so easily, does he?” Ruri asked.
“He’s pretty much obsessed at this point. Unless Lord Agate keeps bringing the subject up, the idea of searching for a queen would be a bygone thought by now, after all. I’d say a suitable person for his majesty won’t show up for quite some time,” Claus said with a wry smile as he watched Agate chase after Jade.
Ruri suddenly felt herself being lifted. When she looked up, she saw Finn looking back at her with a warm smile. He brought his thick, hard soldier-like hand to Ruri’s head and stroked it in an unexpectedly kind and gentle manner. “Yes, especially considering His Majesty seems to find you more important, Ruri.”
“But what if I were to find a partner for myself first?”
“If that were to happen, it would surely bring tears to His Majesty’s eyes,” Finn replied with a slight smirk as he proceeded to walk toward the office with Ruri cradled in his arms.
“Oh, I can walk on my own.”
“No, I insist. I don’t get many opportunities to pet you when we’re in front of His Majesty.”
Finn saw Ruri as he would a pet. However, he wasn’t the only one who saw her in that light. Every soldier, official, and even personal attendant she passed by in the castle viewed her the same way. And since it was difficult for her to confess to being a human, Ruri was constantly at a loss as to how to react.
Ruri and the others were about to enter the royal office, where Jade was presumably already inside, but just before they could open the door, two familiar voices rang out.
“Brother!” shouted one voice, pleasantly.
“Oh, crap!” shouted the other, panicked.
When Finn turned around with Ruri still in his arms, they were met with the sight of Ewan running toward them with an ear-to-ear smile and Joshua standing behind him.
Ewan ran straight toward Finn at top speed, but as soon as he saw Ruri in his arms, he grimaced in clear discontent. “Hey, get away from Brother,” he said. The resident brother-complex boy apparently didn’t like that Ruri was being cradled in Finn’s arms.
Seeing this would cause issues, Ruri was about to jump down, but Finn strengthened his grip on her—perhaps discerning that Ruri was in harm’s way, judging from Ewan’s attitude. However, that simply added fuel to the fire.
“Brother, let go of her!”
“Ewan, enough is enough. It’s about time you grow up a little,” Finn rebuked with a sigh.
Ewan glared daggers at Ruri. “What are you trying to pull?! What are you plotting by getting close to Brother?!”
“Huh? I... don’t know what you mean by ‘plot,’ but I’m not trying to...” She had never even considered “plotting” anything against Finn. It was a completely false accusation.
However, Ewan continued on as if he wasn’t listening to Ruri’s words. “No, I get it. You’re just like the women who try to sponge off of Brother’s status. Well, I won’t stand for it! A lying woman like you isn’t fit for Brother at all. I’ll only allow for one type of woman for my Brother—one with beauty and grace, wise and willing to support him! Qualities you lack!”
“Ewan, what in the world are you talking about? Ruri is a cat,” Finn stated, holding Ruri in his arms and shooting a distressed look at his younger brother.
“...So you don’t know the truth after all, do you, Brother?” Ewan said with surety as he shot Ruri a look so sharp it could kill.
“I’m guessing you’ve kept it a secret from His Majesty, too, haven’t you? Maybe your goal is His Majesty instead?! Well? You evil floozie?!” Ewan said, implying some preposterous things.
As Finn and Claus looked on stunned, Ruri started to have a bad feeling about all this.
“Enough of this, Ewan,” said Claus. “There is nothing that could happen between Ruri and Finn. One is a dragonkin and one is an actual cat. You need to regain your composure.”
“I will not be deceived! She may have the appearance of a cat, but she is actually a human woman. This woman has been deceiving all of you this entire time!!”
“Ewan...” Claus started.
Before Claus had a chance to refute what seemed like a nonsensical argument, Ewan continued. “I am certain of it! I overheard her and Joshua talking. The chancellor knows about it, as well.”
Surprised to hear that Joshua and Euclase both knew, Finn and Claus’s eyes fell upon Ruri.
“I can’t believe it... Ruri, is what Ewan is saying true?”
“Ruri?”
“Well...” Ruri was left without much to say at the sudden disclosure she faced right before she was going to come clean to Jade.
That was when the door to the office behind them opened, revealing Euclase. “All of you, step inside,” they said, urging them into the office and into the chairs directly in front of them.
Ruri could see Jade staring at her in silence and Agate doing the same in shock. They had been causing a commotion at the foot of the office door, meaning they most likely heard the entirety of their conversation due to Ewan practically shouting his accusations.
Once Ruri stepped down from Finn’s arms, she slumped her shoulders and hopped over to Jade’s desk, sitting to face him directly. She had no idea what Jade was going to say. She didn’t intend to deceive him, but since she ultimately kept quiet about the whole matter, she pretty much did deceive him. Still, Ruri never expected that this would be the way she would be found out. The news coming by way of a third party’s angry rant was the worst way to get busted.
Like a prisoner awaiting the judge’s verdict, Ruri waited for Jade to say something.
“Is what Ewan just said back in the hall true?” Jade asked in a cool and composed tone.
“Well... um...” Ruri stammered, obliged to inform him that it was the truth but unable to form the right words.
“Well, Ruri?” Jade asked again, his voice several degrees softer than a second ago.
His gentleness helped her make up her mind. “Yes, it is true. I am so sorry for keeping it a secret, Jade-sama,” Ruri apologized, fearing Jade’s reaction so much that she couldn’t lift her head.
She wanted to be the one to tell him if at all possible, but it was her own fault for continuously putting it off. Since she did in fact deceive Jade, she couldn’t blame Ewan for what he said.
Jade was either going to be disappointed or angry for sure. Ruri was overcome with regret for not telling him sooner. She even had an opportunity to speak to him about it back at Chelsie’s house, but that was all too little, too late now. He was either going to give her a very stern or a very angry reprimanding. Either way, she braced for his response.
However, contrary to her expectations, he didn’t utter a single rebuke. Instead, he placed a warm palm on Ruri’s head.
She timidly lifted her head to see Jade’s face—not brimming with rage but beaming with a kind smile.
“I’m sorry, Ruri.” The first thing out of Jade’s mouth was neither resentment nor an accusation—it was an apology.
Ruri’s eyes shot open wide at the unexpected turn of events. “But why are you apologizing, Jade-sama? I’m in the wrong here for keeping it a secret in the first place.”
“You thought it was necessary, didn’t you? Chelsie scolded Claus for saying he was glad you weren’t a human Beloved. So I presume that is the reason why you found it difficult to speak up?” Jade explained.
As soon as Claus heard that, he made an uncomfortable grimace.
“Yes...”
“In that case, it is our responsibility for putting you in such an awkward position. There’s no need for you to apologize. You heard that it was ‘better you weren’t human’ and took the natural course of action to protect your own well-being,” said Jade, suddenly shifting his gaze to Claus.
Understanding that signal, Claus stepped forward. “Ruri, I sincerely apologize for my careless remarks being the source of your worries this entire time,” he said, bowing his head apologetically before Ruri.
Ruri frantically tried to set things straight. “No, I’m the one who came to see you while in cat form and caused this mix-up to begin with! Please, you don’t have to bow and apologize!”
“Will you ever forgive me?” Claus asked.
“Of course!” Ruri emphatically stated, nodding her head up and down.
Claus’s expression loosened. And it seemed as though that settled matters. That was until...
“Why are you all apologizing?! She deceived you! She should be the one to apologize!” Ewan shouted, pointing at Ruri.
His sudden outburst made Euclase furrow their brow in displeasure. However, the one to come to Ruri’s defense first was Joshua.
“Okay, been meaning to say this, but what’s been your deal?” Joshua said. His quiet yet deep voice, filled with frustration, echoed through the room. “Blabbing other people’s secrets like that? You don’t know the first thing about Ruri’s situation. So what makes you so fit to mouth off about her?” In stark contrast to his normal playful tone, Joshua’s voice was filled with real anger and his eyes formed a piercing glare.
Faced with that, Ewan faltered for a second, but he stood by his convictions and lashed back at Joshua, regardless. “Hmph, I simply told the truth behind a rebel with designs on His Majesty. And you’re just as guilty! You’re an intelligence operative, but you kept silent that she was human this entire time!”
Hearing that Joshua was “just as guilty,” Ruri panicked. Even she knew that an intelligence operative shouldn’t be keeping secrets from the very king he was sworn to serve. She had casually asked him to keep a secret, but this seemed like a far bigger problem than she bargained for...
Ignoring Ruri’s flustered state, Joshua laughed scornfully without showing any signs of being perturbed. “In that case, why did you decide to withhold your report until now? Just because you’re barred from entering sector one, Finn could have easily reported that to His Majesty at any time.”
“Okay, well...”
“You simply dislike Ruri, and you say that now as a means to attack her. It’s all been for your own benefit! Don’t go saying it was for His Majesty or Finn just because it’s a convenient excuse, kid!” Joshua shouted in a rage.
Ewan was left speechless. He had no rebuttal.
“Finn,” called Jade.
“Sir!” Finn replied, kneeling before Jade.
“This is the third time that Ewan has shown hostility toward Ruri. The importance of a Beloved is something that even an infant knows. Banning him from sector one was sufficient enough up until now, but he has been swept up in his impulses and has attacked a Beloved thrice already. This is a result of your mismanagement as his superior.”
“I have no words, Your Majesty.”
“Therefore, Finn, you shall be demoted by three ranks and are hereby banned from entering sector one for the time being. I expect you to re-discipline yourself as a soldier.”
Ruri had no idea how much of a penalty being demoted by three ranks was, but being denied entry into sector one meant that he was being removed as a royal guard.
“As you wish,” Finn replied, solemnly receiving his punishment without objection.
Ewan watched with his mouth agape, unable to understand why Finn was being punished, but once he came back to his senses, he took a step forward. “P-Please, wait, Your Majesty! Why is it that Brother has to be punished?!” Ewan asked, nothing about this sitting right with him.
Finn was about to reproach Ewan for speaking out against the king’s decision without considering the circumstances, but Jade raised his hand to stop him. “I made myself clear just now. Hostility toward a Beloved is detrimental for the state. What you have attempted is tantamount to inciting harm toward the kingdom thrice. And that is naturally the fault of your superior for not properly reprimanding you. You asked me ‘why,’ but it is your fault and your fault alone as to why Finn must be held responsible and punished.”
“This can’t be... But I did that because this girl and Joshua were plotting against you, Your Majesty...!”
“The Dragon King is replaceable. A Beloved is not. So which of those do you think we’d prioritize for the benefit of the nation? Ruri wanting to keep her being a human secret is not something that would harm the nation. Given that, there is no reason to blame Joshua for keeping a secret at the request of a Beloved. The entire reason that Ruri kept it from us in the first place was because of an error on our part.”
“Yes, but, Sire...!”
“Enough of this foolishness!” Euclase thunderously roared, interrupting Ewan before he could argue further in spite of Jade’s elaboration. “Can you assume the responsibility if your personal outbursts rile the spirits any further? Or do you intend on tarnishing Finn’s reputation even more?”
“...Grk,” Ewan grunted, scrunching his face up in utter frustration.
“Even if Ruri wasn’t a Beloved, your words and actions thus far have been completely baseless. Ruri has done absolutely nothing to you. And even after you came after her, she ‘plotted’ nothing—in fact, she convinced the spirits not to strike back,” Euclase added.
“I am placing you under probation for a few days. Calm down and don’t show yourself until you’ve realized the error of your ways. You’re dismissed,” Jade said in a stern voice.
Ruri watched Ewan’s face as Jade said that. It looked as if he was about to burst into tears.
Without uttering another word, Ewan bowed and took his leave.
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