The Emperor Is My Brother’s Best Friend

f Your Majesty is holding Rose, I will get rid of it.”

“No, that's alright.
Move carefully or Rose might wake up.”

Russell resolutely left her in his arms.
Elliot remembered Russell's title for Rose.

The way Russell called Rose's name so naturally has been bothering me.
 

He let out a sneer.

…It seems like they've gotten closer during the time Rose spent in the Imperial Palace under the pretext of serving Lady Alison.

Elliot looked at Russell's back with his eyes narrowed.

From the sight of Russell's back, he remembered the time the two danced. 

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The two danced in the Imperial Garden during the year-end banquet. 

He then recalled when Rose found Russell during their walk through the forest a while ago and ran to him.

She can't easily get along with people, yet she followed His Majesty after just a short period of time.

Well, he has always been someone who has the ability to guide people well.

Even if Russell wasn't in the position of emperor, he had an air to him that drew and commanded people.

When I first saw him, I wanted to follow him blindly, and I had feelings of longing and admiration. 

Because of that power, Elliot also served him as his master.

Perhaps, if Elliot hadn't found out the secret the Honeywell family was hiding until the end, he might have been loyal to Tristan until the day he died.

However, when he found out the identity of the monster that would destroy this world, he had no intention of quietly serving as a duke.

His family deserved to have this vast empire, and now he would find a way to repay the bitterness of having to hand it over to Tristan.

Elliot followed Russell, barely holding back a laugh .

Contrary to the expectation that wild beasts would be camped out at the entrance of the cave, it was Wells and the Imperial Knights who greeted them.

“Your Majesty! Rose!”

Three people walked out of the cave.
But Duke Honeywell only focused on the two of them. 

Wells came running in a hurry.

He quickly checked Russell's condition with his own eyes and went straight to her in Elliot's arms.

“Rose! Haa…
What the heck is this? How come in such a deep place you're—“

“She's asleep now, but since it rained a lot, it would be good to see a doctor for an examination.”

“I've brought a carriage.
Let's get Rose inside.”

Two carriages were waiting where Wells pointed.

When Rose was laid down in the carriage seat, Wells and she climbed in together and urged the coachman to descend the mountain.

After confirming that the carriage carrying Rose was pulling away, Russell put his hand on his waist while applying acupressure around his eyes in exhaustion.

“Haa.
Worst hunting festival ever.
I need to get down the mountain quickly and end this event.
The Duke must have been tired too, so let's get into the carriage together.
Leave the collection of game to the knights.”

Elliot gave instructions to the knights around him to collect the game and then climbed into the carriage as he followed Russell without another word.

I didn't notice how tired I was until I climbed into the carriage and sat down.

Elliot touched the bottle in his pocket as he watched Russell, who leaned his tired body against the backrest and leaned back to rest. 

He called out to the emperor. 

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes?”

“Please look at this.”

“Hmm?”

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Raising his head, Russell picked up what Elliot held out in his palm.

It was a bottle the size of a finger. 

The product was common, but the name attached to it was familiar to Russell.

Russell frowned.

“Isn't this a pheromone drug used for hunting? There's no way the Duke would have used it.
It must have been purchased by someone to win a hunting match.”

“Yes.
I also picked it up, so I don't know who the owner is.”

“Hmm, but why is it here? What else do you know?”

Elliot took the bottle back from Russell.

“It was scattered on the ground.”

“It's not for spraying on the ground.
It's used on personal belongings.
Telling me this…
You mean, someone might have used this for a different purpose?”

“Yes.
Rose was right there, in the contaminated area.”

Russell's expression turned cold in an instant.

“Explain in detail what the Duke saw.”

“I didn't even see it from the beginning.
This was before Rose was almost killed by a beast set free by the Imperial Family.
The place she was at had been sprayed with more than the recommended amount.”

“…”

“It can be said that Rose accidentally stepped into the place where the pheromone was at and became the target of the beast, but…
It is a question of why she was in that position because she does not hunt.”

“Someone lured Rose there.”

“I think so too.
After reporting the situation to the Duke of Honeywell, I think we should ask when Rose wakes up.”

“Then we shouldn't dismiss the people just yet.”

Russell crossed his legs and laid his arms over his chest.
He tapped his forearm with his fingers and spoke in a dry voice.

“When participating in the hunting festival, everyone must have inspected their belongings, so compare them and find them.
If the culprit deliberately harmed Rose, put him in jail.”

“All right.”

The carriage rattled down the mountain road to a halt.

The knight opened the carriage door, and Elliot got off the carriage first, followed by Russell.

With the sudden heavy rain and the disappearing emperor, everyone who participated in the hunting festival greeted Russell with worries.

They sighed in relief when their emperor returned safely.

Russell looked around at the people gathered in front of the carriage and opened his mouth.

“Due to an accident, the hunting festival will end with this.
I will finish early, but I will tell the votes to be calculated and announced in the original way for the winner.”

After a pause, everyone's focus sharpened on Russell.

Russell looked at the people with sharp eyes.

“And since another unsavory thing has happened, please stay here until the investigation is over.”