Chapter 22

“Alex, is that your work?”

I gave Tommy an innocent look.

“Why me? I’m a good guy!”

“Because nobody else would dare to do that. Holy cow, throwing a dirty rag over a duke’s head and kicking him in the butt...”

“Did he say that himself?”

“No. But everybody else knows that already.”

I snorted.

“Tom, I am as innocent as a baby.”

“Fine, that’s what I’ll tell them.”

“Right.”

We exchanged looks. Everything was clear. The less Tommy knew, the less they could harm him.

As for Rene bringing us two bottles of almost century-old wine and inviting us to visit them at any time... Why not, really? It appeared that Richard had been severely injured.

A promptly summoned mage healer, after examining the patient, told them that the duke had to spend at least half a year in bed—otherwise, he would never walk again.

Richard was furious, Ruthina was weeping, and the royal couple was quite upset. Andre, however, behaved as if nothing had happened.

I continued to live as an ordinary courtier. Nobody tried b