Chapter 26
Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Crown Prince's Meticulous Plan
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It wasn't that he hadn't said anything at all......
'To be precise, I was rejected indirectly.'
Victor cleared his throat awkwardly and scratched his cheek.
"The thing is......"
He debated whether to tell the truth but ultimately shook his head firmly.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I can't help you, so handle it yourself."
"What?"
"Well...... it's just, doesn't it feel kind of bad? For a brother who never took good care of her to suddenly show up and push her to get married quickly."
"Suddenly?"
Victor flinched at the sharp gaze.
After studying his expression for a long moment, Lark spoke with a sigh.
"Look, Sir. But what I asked wasn't that. Whether she gets married later or goes to war, we need some kind of connection first to even try anything. I just told you to create a natural opportunity."
Lark rose from his seat, leaned against the desk, crossed his arms, and fixed Victor with a steady glare.
"If she refused, there's nothing to be done, but you should've at least brought it up. Your failure has thrown off my plans."
He waved the bundle of documents in his hand as he spoke.
"Two weeks for preliminary research, an hour and a half to secure the location, and a full six hours and thirty minutes just to outline the plan. Do you have any idea how much that time is worth in money?"
"......Pardon? What are you talking about?"
Victor approached with a puzzled look and took the documents from Lark's hand, starting to read.
Before long, Victor's mouth fell open in shock.
[National Wedding Preparation Plan]
▶ Contact Plan for Harmonious Relationship Building with Target
-Date: Imperial Year 1519. 07. 11.
-Location: Decarn Street 896, Fine Restaurant.
(Over 95% positive reviews from survey samples. 95% expressed intent to revisit. Most preferred by noblewomen aged 15-20.)
*Estimated Arrival: Around 6:30 p.m.
-Menu Selection
1) A Course, main: beef steak.
(Add alcohol order after inquiring about target's drinking habits. Default: Allevesan red wine 1405.)
*After introduction, assess target's personality and reactions to tailor speech, questions, etc.
**To bond quickly. Target appears nervous. Induce relaxed conversation.
Q1. Duchess, do you drink? The Allevesan red wine pairs perfectly with the beef steak here.
**Target values etiquette. Formal demeanor. Build rapport gradually.
Q2. Duchess, are you familiar with wine? If it's alright, may I recommend one? The Allevesan red has quite a fine flavor.
......
......
"W-W-Wow......"
What had he just seen?
Victor, speechless, flipped through the pages with trembling hands.
From the first meeting at the restaurant to the next location, a dessert shop (with a whopping seven options depending on the target's reactions), then a walk or carriage ride for the finale. Even up to the moment of parting......
'This is insane.'
The plan broke down post-meeting developments minute by minute, predicting dozens of scenarios based on the target's various reactions, and devising the most efficient method to maximize favor. The report was utterly perfect......!
'......Would it be?'
How was he supposed to comprehend this deranged report, so meticulously 'calculated'?
'Is this for real? He seriously put six and a half hours into this?'
Lark raised an eyebrow at Victor's horrified expression, as if asking what the problem was.
"You're not joking around for laughs, right? This is serious?"
"Joking? Why would I waste all this time on something so inefficient?"
Victor placed the absurd report on the desk and took a deep breath.
'This guy's dead serious.'
Victor Diorus, seventeen this year.
Having joined the knight order at fourteen and spent three years by his side, he had prided himself on knowing 'Lark van Rashumah Decard' better than anyone.
A man obsessively fixated on 'perfection,' and as such, flawlessly close to it.
No one who knew Lark could easily imagine him 'failing' at something, or struggling, or messing up.
But today, Victor learned something astonishing. Even this perfect man had a weakness.
"Your Highness."
"What."
Victor offered earnest advice.
"Romance isn't done like this."
Lark immediately furrowed his brow.
"What?"
"Dealing with people—more specifically, romantic pursuits—is nothing like holing up in your office studying imperial studies or economics. It's not a problem to approach so systematically."
"......? This advice from someone who's never even held a woman's hand?"
Lark shrugged and added,
"There's nothing in this world you can't learn, analyze, and master."
"Wow......"
Victor was floored.
"Who courts a woman like this? Everyone has different tastes, ways of expressing themselves, and things that make their heart flutter."
"That's why I've predicted every possible scenario and prepared choice options for the most efficient outcome."
"Are you studying right now? Solving problems?"
"It's not that different."
"Hah......"
Lark swept back his hair with a weary look as Victor stared in disbelief.
"And you're misunderstanding something. I'm not trying to fall in love."
"Then what?"
"Duchess Rubette is currently my most ideal marriage candidate. I can't just bluntly ask if she'll be my queen. She needs to at least know who I am and have some fondness built up before I propose. This is just part of that plan."
"Your Highness."
"Yeah, I'm listening."
"I told you clearly. Rubette has liked Cedric Raizer for seven years. She's a hopeless romantic."
"Yes."
"Rubette's different from you, Your Highness. She values emotions like genuinely liking someone as a person—seeing them human to human."
"So?"
"But you're saying, 'Let's get married for the empire's bright future, even if it's not love!' You think she'd go for that?"
"Are you an idiot? Would I say something so blatant?"
Lark scowled and continued.
"Of course, at first, I'll act like a man interested in her romantically. We'll grow close, I'll properly gauge her, and refine myself to perfectly match her tastes. That's all."
"......So you'll succeed in marriage like that and spend your life acting forever?"
"If it's the image she wants, I'm willing to keep adapting."
"......"
After staring at Lark in stunned silence for a long while, Victor shook his head firmly.
"If you're going to do it that way, find another woman."
"Why the sudden change? You were all, 'Even without a bet, I'll help—as long as it's not Cedric Raizer by her side, anyone would do.'"
"Yes, I did say that, but no. I've changed my mind."
Victor's eyes sharpened as he added,
"Do you think a happy marriage is possible with a husband pretending to like her forever? I'm Ruby's brother, and I want her to be happy, so I'll stand in your way."
"Ah."
Lark raised both hands in surrender at Victor's menacing aura.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to deceive or treat the duchess falsely."
"What's the difference?"
"Hm."
Lark stroked his chin thoughtfully before nodding readily.
"You're right. On second thought, it's the same."
"Sigh."
"But......"
It's difficult. Lark rubbed his forehead, lost in thought.
"I've never learned about romance or love."
"No, listen! That's not something you learn!"
"I get what you mean. But I've never experienced it, so I don't know right now. To even understand it, don't I need a teacher to guide me?"
"......"
Victor's jaw dropped at the incomprehensible logic, and Lark smiled faintly.
"So, if you're worried I won't treat the duchess sincerely, at least give me a chance to try being sincere."
"What......"
"I have to meet a woman to know, don't I?"
Lark said shamelessly. Victor could tell his intentions were still calculated.
Victor let out a hollow laugh before shaking his head.
"Fine, do as you like. But I won't help, so handle it yourself, Your Highness. Go ask Ruby out directly or whatever."
"So uncooperative?"
"Ahem."
"You said the duchess holes up at home and rarely goes out. If it were easy to meet her, I wouldn't have asked you in the first place."
"......"
Lark sighed deeply, looking weary and a bit pitiful.
In the end, Victor relented and blurted it out.
"Ruby's been going out every day lately. They say she exercises every evening in the open lot on the outskirts of Serben Street."
* * *
Serben Street.
On the outskirts of the capital, Serben was an area under heavy development, with old buildings cleared to create vast open lots.
A perfect spot for jogging morning and evening without prying eyes.
Today, as always, I was jogging alone in the evening when Wishit spoke to me via telepathy in my mind.
[Where are you? What're you doing? Exercising?]
[Yeah.]
[Hey, but that was a great chance to meet the crown prince. Is it okay to kick it away so easily?]
[Oh, that? Yeah, I have to kick it away even if it's a shame.]
The moment Victor suddenly suggested dinner with the crown prince, a forgotten memory resurfaced.
'Right, yeah. Victor coming home today was scheduled.'
I'd wondered why he showed up out of the blue, but on reflection, he was just following the original timeline.
The Victor who had come home on this day originally......
'Was trying to introduce someone.'
Recalling the memory, it had been the worst day.
"Cedric, Cedric, Cedric! I'm sick of it! That pretty-faced, good-for-nothing jerk!"
"Don't badmouth Cedric! And if you're going to tell me to meet another guy, don't come home! I'm fat and ugly—who'd want to date me!"
Deeply smitten with Cedric, Rubette had flatly refused any other suitors.
In the end, Victor had stormed off without even revealing who he was trying to introduce.
'So the person he was going to introduce to Rubette originally was the crown prince.'
Realizing this, I immediately rejected Victor's dinner invitation.
"Tell His Highness the crown prince we can meet next time if there's a chance."
Why would I, who had been eagerly awaiting a chance to meet the crown prince, pass up this golden opportunity?
[It reeks of ulterior motives. The crown prince wanting to meet me.]
[What motives?]
[He's unmarried right now. He's looking for a marriage partner.]
[......Uh, the crown prince wants to marry you?]
[What's with the tone? You ignoring me? My family's pretty loaded. From the crown prince's view, I'm the perfect match.]
Think of it like arranged marriages in chaebol families.
I'm the Diorus duke's only legitimate daughter. Setting everything else aside, purely by status, I'm quite appealing to the current crown prince.
[You know what, Wishit? If the imperial family gets our house under their thumb, the empire will have an unchallenged imperial authority monopoly.]
The Decard Empire already boasts strong imperial power thanks to the spirits.
The only check on them comes from the Diorus house, another spirit user family wielding power......
'If they unite the divided bloodlines of spirit user houses, the imperial family will become truly omnipotent.'
Guessing the crown prince's scheme, I said,
[Marriage is just a tool for the crown prince. He wants to use me.]
[Well, sure. Say your guess is right. Isn't that good? He wants something from you, and you want something from him?]
[What? Ask him to make me a model in exchange for marrying him?]
[You're going to marry someone anyway, right? Born as the daughter of a high noble duke house in the empire....... Monogamy advocate or something?]
[No. If I find someone I click with, maybe. But it won't be the crown prince.]
[Why? Face and body are your type, right? Personality not so much?]
[I'd have to meet him to know his personality. It might be perfectly my type too?]
[Then what's the problem? Oh, is the crown princess position too much pressure?]
Crown princess. Who becomes empress later, the empire's highest woman, basking in everyone's praise.
I smacked my lips.
[......Tempting. Top predator in a class society. Yeah, I want it.]
[What? So pressure's not the issue? Then what is it?]
In every way, the crown prince is top-tier husband material.
Even if marrying him strengthens imperial power, it's none of my business—I'm the one getting benefits and ruling.
But......
[I can't tolerate polygamy.]
[Ah!]
Wishit exclaimed and fell silent.
The Decard Empire's emperors must produce as many spirit users as possible. Alone in this monogamous country, they are permitted multiple spouses.
Surprisingly, it's not optional. Imperial law requires an emperor to take at least five queens.
So if I marry the crown prince, I'd have to share my husband with at least four other women.
'That's a no-go.'
Coming from the 21st century, I shook my head instinctively.
[Anyway, I won't marry the crown prince, and even without marriage, there are ways to win him over, so think about it. Oh, wanna jog together for real?]
[......Too lazy.]
I'd been jogging for days now, but Wishit had never once run this lot with me.
Always stuck to me like glue otherwise, but the moment I went exercising, he'd slip into the Spirit Spring, leaving us to exchange pointless telepathy.
"Hoo, ha."
Ignoring Wishit, who'd lost interest and gone quiet, I circled the wide lot once more.
'Wishit?'
I spotted him standing in one corner of the lot, having appeared without me noticing.
"Pfft. Too lazy, huh......"
Always manifesting in his uniform as the crown prince, but now, perhaps intending to join the workout, he waited in unfamiliar casual clothes.
I slowed my run and approached Wishit.
He smirked, arms crossed, and said as I drew near,
"Hey."
A sudden, out-of-character greeting.
I glanced around, confirmed no one was there, and replied aloud instead of telepathy.
"Yeah, hey."
"......"
For some reason, Wishit—who'd been smiling—blinked blankly, his expression unchanged.