'I'm going crazy.'
What is she supposed to do in the awkward atmosphere?
It was the first time everyone gathered together for a meal since she woke up here, but no one was speaking.
It's astounding how this short period of time waiting for food can be so stifling.
'Phew.'
Does she have to be more attentive to that person now?
Camilla glanced over at Ludville.
He won't kill her unless commanded by the Duke of Sorpel, but she couldn't just simply ignore him.
After all, he's the most influential person in the duchy of Sorpel after the Duke.
'Argh, it's suffocating.'
Ludville is usually quiet, but today, even Ravi remained silent.
What's up with that fox? Did something happen in the meantime?
Ravi didn't seem genuinely pleased about Ludville's return to the duchy.
He is uncharacteristically wearing his emotions on his sleeve and isn't even looking in Ludville's direction, let alone engaging in a conversation.
Because of the atmosphere, it's really—
'I don't feel like eating.'
If I get an upset stomach, it's all your fault!
Subsequently, the dishes were arranged on the table. A plate of well-cooked steak was placed in front of Camilla.
Swoosh.
"…?"
But just as the plate was about to be set down, there was a hand that snatched it away.
Glancing up quickly, Camilla saw Ludville take her plate and positioned it before himself.
'…What are you doing?'
Did he just take away her food?
Camilla, who had never had a bowl of rice taken away from her in her life, could not hide her absurdity.
Even though she was abused as a child, she had never had her bowl taken away!
Thud.
A plate was once again placed in front of Camilla, who was gasping in shock. It was Ludville's portion.
'Did my meat look bigger?'
Camilla's mind became complicated as she observed Ludville swiftly swapped plates, took a seat, and continued his meal as if the previous events were of no significance.
The Duke of Sorpel and Ravi did not react much to Ludville's behavior.
For a moment, she wondered if this was another form of harassment.
"Did you do well on yesterday's presentation?"
A conversation was heard over the table.
"I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention."
The Duke of Sorpel seemed genuinely sorry that he had forgotten about Ravi's presentation.
Ravi's scowl softened when his feelings were conveyed.
"No, Father. Thanks to you, the presentation went well."
"Okay, that's a relief."
Watching the conversation between the Duke of Sorpel and Ravi, Camilla tilted her head enough to go unnoticed.
'What's going on?'
She's been at this table, the day after the presentation and the party during breakfast, countless times, but it was never like this.
Has the Duke ever apologized to Ravi about his presentation in the past?
Hasn't he always moved on as if nothing had happened, as if he couldn't care less about his presentation?
'What?'
What changed?
"Camilla."
"Yes, Father?"
Following Ravi, the Duke gave her his attention as well.
"You'll be starting school soon."
"Ah."
Come to think of it, she was still a student.
It was spring break so she was on vacation.
"Are you sure you don't want to change your major?"
Ah yes, her major.
'Ah, fu…'
She had completely forgotten about it. Even though she chose the department, she chose a shitty one at that!
'I'm not even good at it!'
However, she couldn't express her desire to alter her decision as she had a vague idea as to why Camilla, the original owner of the body, chose that department.
"I'll do the best that I can."
"Are you sure you're okay with it?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
The Duke of Sorpel refrained from protesting or questioning further, merely acknowledging her response with a slight nod.
"By the way…"
He looked at Camilla with a somewhat serious expression, as if he had something else to say.
"I was given chocolate as a gift."
"Sorry?"
What did he bring up chocolate all of a sudden? Camilla sent him a questioning look.
Duke Sorpel, who had coughed at that sight, continued speaking.
"The flowers seemed to have withered a bit…"
Oh, that's right. She was planning on changing the flowers in the office and bedroom today…
At first, she would replace the flowers on a daily basis. However, she realized that disregarding the fresh flowers everyday was a waste, so changes them every two or three days.
Today was the day she was supposed to change the flowers but an unexpected encounter led to a change in owners.
Camilla glanced at Ludville, who sat across from her, and let out a small sigh.
After that, she got busy and didn't realize that she needed to go back to pick up the flowers.
"My apologies. I was going to change the flowers tomorrow."
"Yes, yes. Chocolate would go very well with tea."
"Ah, yes."
Why did he keep mentioning chocolate when she said she was changing the flowers? She would usually have tea with him after setting the flowers…
'Hm?'
Tea?
Camilla's gaze turned back towards the Duke.
'What is it?'
Did she overlook something important?
The Duke continued to eat his meal as if nothing had happened, and Camilla's head tilted to the side in wonder.
"…"
Ravi, who had been watching the two of them, gave them a look of disbelief.
* * *
As soon as the meal was over, Ludville went straight to the Duke of Sorpel's office. There was much to report.
His eyes naturally fell on a piece of paper on his desk.
U̶m̶b̶r̶a̶l̶ C̶h̶o̶c̶o̶l̶a̶t̶e̶:̶ B̶l̶a̶c̶k̶
Silver Moon Desserts
Twin Cakes & Moon Tarts
The Second Moonlight Macaron
…
The chocolate shop's name was crossed out at the top of the list of 30 or so store names. Presumably, it was checked off as having made a purchase.
Scritch.
With a quick stroke of his pen, Ludville crossed out a few of the shops on the list.
"What are you doing?"
"That child doesn't like apples."
What he was crossing out were apple-based dessert shops.
"How do you know that?"
Ludville closed his mouth at the Duke of Sorpel's question before quickly changing the subject.
"I heard that some people have been messing around with the food Camilla has been eating."
"Who did you hear it from?"
"I just heard about it."
Duke Sorpel let out a small sigh.
The food that Camilla ate, and the ring that was stolen from the child…
He felt uneasy just thinking about the things Camilla had been through here.
"What did you do with them?"
"It's not going to be easy to set foot anywhere else, let alone on our territory."
He's banned them from working for the aristocracy ever again.
"…"
Ludville frowned slightly, as if he didn't like the idea of ending their disposition by merely kicking them off the estate.
But, he, too, understood that it was for the best.
They worked at the duchy and nowhere else.
The Sorpel's reputation would be tarnished if it became known that their employees had been pilfering their guests' belongings and messing with their food.
"More than that, was it another failure?"
"Yes."
With a curt reply, Ludville took something out from his bosom and placed it on the table.
What he took out was a pendant studded with white jewels in the middle.
"Sigh."
A long sigh escaped the Duke of Sorpel's lips as he looked at the pendant.
"It's a failure this time."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
The Duke of Sorpel picked up the pendant with very careful hands.
"I couldn't find the Divine Beast this time…"
There were three ducal families in the Fabler Empire.
However, people used the title of "The Three Great Guardians of the Empire" more often than they used "The Three Great Ducal Families".
The Three Great Guardians of the Divine Beasts.
All the ducal families were blessed with the protection of the Divine Beasts. The same applies to the Sorpel Dukedom.
Well, not anymore.
Up until a few generations ago, the Sorpel duchy was also under the protection of the Divine Beast; it was always by the head of the family's side.
However…
A long time ago, while the head of the Sorpel family was attending an imperial party, he was assassinated by poisoning.
It was so sudden. He took one sip and he died on the spot.
The problem was the Divine Beast was bound to the head of the family for life. If the head of the family dies, the Divine Beast disappears.
Before he died, the next in line was supposed to be told where the next Divine Beast would be born.
It's only the head of the family who can hear the Divine Beast's voice.
The Dukes of Sorpel consider it their last duty to pass it on to their descendants.
However, the Duke of Sorpel, who died of poisoning, was unable to tell his descendants where the new Divine Beast was to be born. His death was too sudden.
In the end, the Sorpel Dukedom, one of the Three Great Guardian families, had a succession of heads who no longer had a Divine Beast.
This was true for the current Duke of Sorpel, as was his father.
Fortunately, the wealth of the Dukes of Sorpel and their long history as defenders of the empire meant that they had great prestige and power.
No one could ignore the Duke of Sorpel just because he lost his credentials.
However, it was hard to see how they could continue to be on an equal footing with the other two families who still had their Divine Beasts.
It doesn't imply that the Sorpels had been sitting idly though. Numerous efforts have been made to find the Divine Beast.
A pendant studded with white jewels.
The jewelry was the key to awakening the Divine Beast. When the Divine Beast is nearby, it responds by pulling the pendant towards itself.
For a long time, he traveled with this pendant in search of the Divine Beast. He traveled across the empire, waiting for the pendant to respond.
The current Duke of Sorpel did the same, as did his father, and Ludville, as well, took the pendant with him whenever he went to a new place.
But after all that time, the pendant hasn't responded once.
"Phew."
A short sigh escaped the Duke of Sorpel's mouth.
Should he give up now? It's as if he's been searching for a needle in a haystack for dozens of years.
'Damn it!'
Just when he thought about the other two Dukes, one in particular, he just couldn't give up.
He never said it out loud but the Duke couldn't stand the look on that man as he summons his Divine Beast in front of him, as if to invoke him.