Chapter 101: This Time (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 101: This Time (2)
It was an inhumane, unspeakable, and unethical act—not to mention a practically impossible one. Nevertheless, humans are deeply imperfect creatures, often swayed entirely by their hearts rather than their heads.
Barely clinging to the last threads of his reason, he would often think:
—Should I just hit him?
Just like that.
Alan’s heart was filled with a blind, violent urge directed at a single person.
Not even twice. Couldn't he just hit him once? Just once.
"Why on earth did you invite the Crown Prince of another nation to a gathering of Kairis's central nobles?"
"After speaking with him, I found the depth of his thoughts to be extraordinary. Even I couldn't help but admire him, so why would the nobles be any different?"
Lemain was clearly oblivious to the thick frost clinging to Alan’s every word. Rising from his seat to head to the banquet hall, he replied nonchalantly.
"So you invited him to a gathering of the central nobles just to show him off?"
"Indeed. He repeatedly declined the invitation, but since the princes are also attending, I insisted he come so they could broaden their horizons."
"You dragged someone here who repeatedly declined?"
Of course, Lemain knew perfectly well what Calian was hiding with magic. Despite that, he had done this anyway. In other words, he had been so focused on inviting Chase that he hadn't given a single thought to who followed in the man’s shadow.
Alan was once again reminded that Lemain could easily rival Yan in sheer obliviousness. Then again, this was a man who hadn't even realized his own son was dying, so it was par for the course.
Alan nodded as if he had reached a conclusion, then looked at Lemain and spoke.
"In any case, congratulations, Your Majesty. You will at least ease one of your worries today."
"What are you trying to say now?"
Alan had been holding back a great deal lately.
If Lemain hadn't invited Chase, Alan would have been enjoying the festival with more peace of mind than anyone. But his peace had been disturbed, and his tightly shut lips finally parted.
"It seems you're about to send one of the three princes to a very distant place today. After that, you'll only have to decide which of the remaining two to keep."
Not joking in the slightest, a genuinely furious Alan stood up. He pointed to Ren, the Commander of Kaera, and said:
"An old mage like me can't bear to enter a place where four of the world's most prominent swordsmen are gathered. Your Majesty should take that man behind you and go yourself."
With that, he stomped out of the office.
Of course, Alan figured Kyrie would have informed Calian of the situation by now, so things would likely pass without any major incidents.
He only said it because he felt it was time for Lemain—who always saw one side of an issue while missing the other—to finally wake up. If Lemain kept acting so thoughtlessly, Alan felt, he would soon find a knife in his back.
'Four of the most prominent swordsmen?'
First, Calian came to mind, followed by Suleiman and Evan. Having connected those dots, Lemain let out a long sigh. Only then did he realize why Alan was so furious.
"Bring the 3rd Prince here at once."
Lemain decided to first pull Calian out from where he was caught between Teilan and Evan.
* * *
—He knows.
The voice was so quiet that only Calian could hear it.
But to Calian, it was like a clap of thunder tearing through the heavens.
Even so, not a flicker of change crossed his face or entered his eyes.
Only the knuckles of his hands, clasped together on the table, turned white.
Calian closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again and replying simply.
"I understand."
That was all he could say. Right now, Calian was in no position to freely indulge his emotions.
'Get a grip.'
Urging himself to stay focused, Calian took a short breath and looked forward again.
Randel had not yet arrived, and Franz had just taken his seat. After exchanging greetings with a few familiar nobles at the entrance, Chase walked toward Calian with steady footsteps.
He first offered a light greeting to Franz.
To call it "light" was generous; it would be more accurate to say they merely nodded at each other.
Then, his expression softening completely from how he’d looked at Franz, he spoke to Calian.
"We meet again, Prince Calian."
Chase did not yet know what Calian had just found out.
Calian kept his mouth shut for a moment, studying the man's face. Come to think of it, he felt as if he had never properly looked at him before. After staring at Chase for a long moment, Calian spoke.
"To meet you again like this..."
He trailed off for a moment.
The gathered nobles watched him, wondering what grand pronouncement he was about to make. Soon, Calian added a short phrase.
"...is truly wonderful."
The nobles, who had no idea how much effort it took to utter those words, merely wore expressions that said, 'Of course.'
Was this not the 3rd Prince? Though articulate, he rarely said more than how pleased he was to meet someone, regardless of who they were. They simply assumed he was being a bit more verbose because he was addressing a foreign crown prince, and turned their attention away.
Chase smiled.
It was unclear whether he understood the meaning behind Calian's words, but he smiled and nodded.
"Yes. I feel the same."
And so, he replied with the same words Calian had used the day before.
Just as Chase and the two princes were about to sit down, someone entered the banquet hall. It was Lemain's chief attendant, Raul.
The gazes of the nobles, who had been waiting for Lemain's entrance, shifted once more. Raul immediately approached Calian.
"Prince Calian. His Majesty is looking for you urgently."
Then, looking out at the nobles seated in the hall, he delivered Lemain's message in a slightly louder voice.
"His Majesty will be slightly delayed, so he asks that you please converse amongst yourselves for now."
These were all central nobles.
If they had heard such a thing last year, murmurs of discontent would have rippled through the hall. They would have certainly complained about the king being late after summoning them all.
But this time, it was different.
Everyone nodded as if it were only natural and resumed their quiet conversations.
Though it seemed like a small thing, it was a massive change.
After observing the atmosphere for a moment, Raul gestured politely toward the exit. "I will guide you."
"Alright."
Since Lemain was calling, there was no way to refuse. Calian nodded and followed Raul out.
Franz, who had watched Calian leave, turned his head to look at Chase sitting opposite him. With Calian gone and Lemain and Randel yet to arrive, only the two of them remained at the round table.
Feeling his gaze, Chase met it. After staring at each other in silence for a long moment, the two spoke at the same time.
"To this place..."
"Prince Franz..."
They both fell silent.
Soon, Chase made a light gesture, indicating for Franz to speak first. Franz did not decline.
"What business brings you here again?"
It was another provocation.
The spy's report had been absolutely correct: the three princes of Kairis were vastly different, and the second was the fiercest.
In any case, what Chase had been about to say could also serve as an answer to Franz's question. Therefore, he simply said what he had originally intended.
"It seems Prince Franz dislikes me quite a bit."
Chase wore a gentle expression, but a corner of Franz's mouth curled up. The hall was noisy enough that only they could hear each other, so there was no need to mince words.
"It's more that a question has arisen."
"What kind of question makes you so uncomfortable every time you see me?"
"What business would bring the Crown Prince all the way here in person? The question of whether you truly came just to see Count Manasil."
Although he claimed to have come to meet Alan Manasil, Chase had only met with Alan very briefly that morning. If he planned to stay for a fortnight, he must have had much to confirm, yet their meeting had been far too short.
"You are correct. It was merely a pretext, was it not?"
To Franz's surprise, Chase chuckled softly and readily admitted it. "The person I came to meet was someone else, and I have met them successfully."
Franz couldn't help but feel this was somehow about Calian.
He also wondered if Chase, like Calian, possessed some extraordinary memories.
As Franz stared at Chase with narrowed eyes, Chase glanced around for a moment before speaking.
"By the way, I heard that Prince Franz has recently taken quite an interest in raising the Valkan."
He truly knew everything about Kairis.
Franz replied with a different kind of displeasure. "I did not expect that so much of Kairis's information was leaking to Secritia."
"It can't be helped. His Majesty is so fond of raising birds."
Replying lightly, as if it were nothing, Chase returned to the previous topic with a knowing expression.
"This Valkan you are raising with such enthusiasm—is it Prince Franz's source of power?"
Upon hearing those words, Franz's expression froze.
This was not a topic that he and the Crown Prince of another nation could comfortably discuss.
"Why would you..."
As Franz began to speak, his eyes narrowed.
He glared at Chase in silence for a while.
A new set of words, different from what he had originally intended to say, came out of his mouth.
"I did do something. And you know it."
Both his tone and his manner of speaking had completely changed.
Could Calian have told someone about his past? The thought made Chase’s expression shift to one of slight surprise at Franz’s reaction.
"I thought you knew nothing, but it seems I was wrong."
Perhaps if Chase knew just how many things Calian had let slip, and to whom, he might not have been so relaxed. In any case, he had not yet lost his composure.
At any rate, Franz didn't ask Chase any further about what he had done. If he had been curious, he would have already asked Calian. Franz didn't even want Serenti telling him the future, so why would he care about the time before it was turned back?
Staring into Chase's eyes just as he had the day before, Franz spoke, emphasizing each and every word.
"The Valkan belongs to my younger brother. You have no need to worry."
"It must, indeed, be so, Prince Franz," Chase replied with a gentle face.
* * *
'His Majesty said to return to Chermil Palace and rest.'
That was what Raul had said.
Calian felt utterly deflated.
He had finally steeled himself to face Chase, only to be called away and told to go rest in his room. He understood what Lemain was worried about, but he couldn't help but feel drained.
If he had known what kind of psychological warfare his two older brothers were waging inside the banquet hall, he would have felt immense gratitude toward Lemain and escaped gladly—but he didn't know.
In any case, Calian decided to just walk back to Chermil.
"I am sorry for not telling you sooner about what the Crown Prince of Secritia knows."
"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."
Saying this, Calian looked around for a moment, took a deep breath, and spoke again.
"Anyway, since His Majesty has given us a good pretext,"
Since they had the whole afternoon to rest, he was going to suggest they go to the training ground together.
Then, suddenly remembering something, Calian stopped dead in his tracks.
—Pretext.
"A pretext... Right. I thought it was strange that there was no pretext."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ah. Today, Brother Randel suddenly asked to go for a walk and said something mysterious. I think I understand what he meant now."
Kyrie had also clearly heard the conversation between Calian and Randel. However, unable to see the connection between that and what Calian was saying now, he quietly held his tongue.
"The thirty priests you saw. They said Tensil sent them under the pretext of an apology and gratitude, but that's far too many. I found that strange and was wondering about it, when suddenly Brother Randel called for Margrave Brissen, and then asked about Viscount Brissen's whereabouts."
Kyrie nodded. He knew everything Calian had just mentioned.
"It seems he knew that by mentioning Margrave Brissen and then Viscount Brissen in front of me, I would naturally think of Former Queen Aisha and turn my attention there."
"Are you saying he mentioned something you're sensitive about to divert your attention from the priests?"
"Yes. He also knew that the Brissens killed Former Queen Aisha."
If Randel knew the Brissens were behind Aisha's death, he could have used words that reminded Calian of it to keep his attention fixed on Lennon.
"It seems Brother Randel used the same method on me that I used to divert Silike's attention. Unless there was a reason like that, he isn't the type to suddenly call me out during such a busy time just to ask about Viscount Brissen's whereabouts out of the blue."
So Lennon was just bait.
"And he said, 'Let's go for a walk.'"
Calian, staring blankly at the rose garden in the distance, let out a long, dry laugh.
It was the exact same laugh as when he had once peered into Randel's heart.
"Walk, my foot."