I Became the Tyrant's Servant

“Go to sleep now.”

Cardan called me, stuck on his sofa.

When I didn’t answer anything back, he came by and stole the butler’s letter that I had read a hundred times.

“There’s no answer even if you look at it all night.”

“It’s only three o’clock in the morning…”

His thick fingers rubbed my eyelids.

“You can’t even open your eyes properly.”

When I flinched for a moment, Cardan immediately withdrew his hand. It was a shame.

“But I’ll have to find a way.”

“If you’re doing this because of Sally, you can do it in moderation.”

Cardan was right.

There were plenty of ways. But even if I cleared Sally’s name, she would still be imprisoned until her death.

But I was reluctant to get up from my seat.

To be exact, I didn’t want to leave here.

The mere thought of returning back to my lonely room where no one was around made me feel suffocated.

Even now, my head is full of all kinds of thoughts. I feel like I would be weighed down by the weight of those thoughts if I was left alone.

Thus, I changed the subject in moderation.

“I can’t be beaten like this by the Empress Dowager.”

I tapped the letter.

“I can’t believe I’m helpless because of such a lie. I’m angry.”

Cardan burst into laughter.

“Lying was originally your specialty. You must be upset.”

No wonder that one word whirled around my head.

“My specialty is…”

A sudden realization struck my mind.

I jumped to my feet.

“Lying!”

Cardan looked at me with wonder as I flicked my finger.

“Whatever I say, it’ll be fine as long as the other person believes me, right?”

“It’s quite unreasonable, but it is.”

I ignored Cardan, who looked at me with an expression of wonder, and clapped my hands.

“I’ll have to go out with Janet tomorrow.”

Cardan’s face was subtly wrinkled, but I couldn’t be bothered after finding a breakthrough in the matter.

“We’ll have a fun date and talk openly. Romantically, it would be perfect to whisper a secret story away from people’s eyes under the lace gazette in the rose garden.”

I mumbled, organizing what I was going to talk to Janet tomorrow in my head tomorrow.

“That date. Do it in front of my eyes.”

Indistinctly, I blinked my swollen eyes at Cardan.

“What kind of insidious thing are you two planning to do?”

“I’ve never done anything insidious.”

Cardan sighed when I answered seriously.

“It’s insidious. You’re always insidious.”

It was quite unfair.

Cardan pressed my lips together as I was thinking hard about my counterargument.

I felt tickled by the touch of his skin on my lips, despite the fact that he was making fun of me as mischievous as ever.

In the past, I would have slapped his hand and made it look like I was offended right now.

But I just rolled my eyes.

“If you’re done with your insidious thoughts, why don’t you go to bed?”

Cardan’s words, which seemed to have looked into my mind, brought heat to my face without realizing it.

“Uh, I’ve never thought of insidious things.”

I ‘tapped’ Cardan’s hand and hurried toward the door.

“Well, I’ll go to bed now.”

Up until a while ago, I didn’t want to return to my desolate room alone, but now I felt like I had to take refuge before my face exploded.

***

“Ho……”

Cardan looked at the doorway, where Erina had fled.

“Did I tease you too much?”

Cardan clenched his fist as the sensation of her soft lips tickled his fingertips like an afterimage.

Nevertheless, the sensation did not disappear, so he opened his hands again.

“Kka! Kkak!”

Then a crow flew into the back of Cardan’s hand.

The crow, who shivered in a tree outside the window without being able to enter the office while the Duke of Baloa was inside, was in a pretty foul mood.

The Duke of Baloa suddenly took his home as she spent more time in Cardan’s office.

There should be a limit to the amount of time spent alone in Cardan’s bedroom.

The pigeons were getting more and more noble, and now they didn’t even blink when he teased them, so it wasn’t fun.

As expected, he likes his owner who gives him snacks.

His owner bastard was all over the place.

“Kaaaa!”

He pecked at Cardan’s hand and protested, saying, “Don’t you think of the poor crow who had to be out all day after losing his home to the Duke of Baloa?” but he just waved his hand.

“Just come in.”

“Kka?”

The crow, who did not fully comprehend, tilted his head.

“Whether the Duke is in or not, just come in. Shouldn’t we introduce you to her someday anyway?”

“Kak!”

The shock caused the crow to fall back.

Cardan has never told anyone about the crow.

“Kkak!”

The crow, who finally came to his senses, pecked Cardan’s hand again, asking if it was okay to reveal the identity of his secret informant so easily.

“I’m just introducing you to Erina, but what are you talking about?”

Seeing him smirking despite his desperation, he seemed too deep in to wake up from his senses.

His master seemed to be caught very firmly.

***

The next day I invited Janet to Cardan’s office.

My original plan was to chat with Janet while chewing on high-quality cookies under the lace gazette in the rose garden.

But due to Cardan’s fierce opposition, I had no choice but to designate the date at the office.

“Welcome! Welcome! You must have had a hard time coming, right?”

I grabbed Janet’s hand, making a fuss.

As the dating environment was very unfortunate, I wanted to make up for it with kind hospitality.

“What’s the trouble? We’re in the same palace.”

Meanwhile, Cardan stared at our hands holding each other, wondering what was so unpleasant.

Fortunately, Janet seemed to have learned to listen to Cardan’s words in moderation.

“Hehe, it’s my first time in the Emperor’s office, and thank you for inviting me.”

She smiled brightly and settled down at the tea table I had prepared.

I sat across from her and waved my hands.

“Come at any time, any time.”

Cardan’s snort was heard from behind, but I patted Janet’s hand with moderate disregard.

Janet, who was smiling, wiggled her fingers and barely opened her mouth.

“……Have you heard from Peter yet?”

I shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Ah……I’m sorry.”

I hastened to reassure Janet when she was visibly disappointed.

“But I’m looking into it really thoroughly, so there will be good news soon.”

It will depend on Janet’s performance today, but I didn’t bother to say it.

“Let’s drink tea first and talk”.

As soon as I suggested it, someone burst open the office door.

“Duke!”

It was Knoxus. He called me urgently according to the script we had practiced, but his steps into the office creaked awkwardly.

“Urgent! No, urgently! Look! Take a look! There it is!”

I almost hit my head when I saw his suspicious performance.

Fortunately, Janet was frozen with her eyes wide open.

She was pure enough to fall for the rotten acting of Knoxus.

“What an urgent report! Are these about the assassins?”

Knoxus even saluted stiffly.

“Yes! I found the last piece of information!”

I jumped out of my seat.

“I’m sorry, my madam. Would you excuse me for a moment? It’s such an urgent matter…….”

Janet, who still had rabbit eyes, nodded.

“Yes, yes! Of course!”

I beckoned Knoxus to come closer.

“Tell me the details.”

“The maid named Sally! Her letter! I asked an expert to examine the handwriting! Turns out it’s a fake!”

Knoxus, who had been spouting his lines as he memorized, suddenly froze as if he had forgotten his lines.

I stepped in skillfully and responded enthusiastically.

“As expected, Sally was just a bait!”

Then Knoxus wriggled his hands and glanced at the letters written on his palm.

“The expert said that the original handwriting of the person who imitated the handwriting can also be distinguished!”

“Oh! I can’t believe they can tell the original handwriting. We have solid evidence.”

When I responded, Knoxus peeped at his palm again, sweating.

“More evidence! There is! The results of the expert’s examination! Found matching handwriting in royal documents! To find out who forged the letter! It’s only a matter of time!”

I flicked my finger.

“There will also be statements from the captured assassins. There’s also handwriting evidence. The perpetrators have been confirmed, and the only thing left is for them to be put on trial.”

“Yes!”

Knoxus slipped up his sleeve. Now that I look at it, his writing was up to his forearms.

“The day after tomorrow! We’re going to arrest the culprit!”

“Yes, you did a great job. You may leave now.”

When I signaled that the play was over, Knoxus let out a huge sigh of relief.

I sat at the tea table again after sending Knoxus who finished his role.

“I’m sorry, my madam. We were having a pleasant conversation for the first time in a while, but I—”

Janet shook her hands in a hurry.

“No! It seemed urgent, so of course that’s more important.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

I sighed deeply.

“To be honest, this is my concern these days.”

When I smiled pitifully, Janet immediately had worried eyes and dragged a chair toward me.

“What concerns?”

“Even though I’m always buried in work, people don’t recognize me……. For some reason, I have a reputation for only playing tricks.”

As I sighed deeply and squeezed out fake tears, Janet hugged me tightly.

“Who else works as hard for the Empire as you do, Duke? Even if everyone else says otherwise, I know.”

Hugging Janet’s soft shoulders, I tried to drive the last wedge with a crafty whisper in her ear, but someone pulled me back.

“What?”

I lost Janet in an instant.

Cardan, who simply took us off, put his arm on my shoulder and looked at Janet.

“The princess can spread the word. The Duke of Baloa is working so hard that she finished her investigation in a matter of days.”

Cardan pulled me closer as I wiggled from his arms in vain.

It seemed like a threat when he smiled dangerously perfect at me.

“Oh, really.…! If someone as popular as the madam tells people about this, people’s thoughts will definitely change!”

As I spoke, Janet took my hand again.

“Then I’ll let people around me know!”

Cardan snapped off Janet’s hand and added strangely.

“Yes. It would be faster to inform the Empress Dowager, who is no different from the source of information of the palace.”

Looking at my hands moving away, Janet wriggled her fingers uncomfortably, but soon she shook her head with a determined expression.

“Yes. I’m supposed to have dinner with the Empress Dowager today, so I’ll make sure to inform her of this! No one works as hard as the Duke!”

Janet clenched her fists and glistened her eyes.

It was very commendable to see her full of determination to help revamp my image.