Chapter 103: This Time (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: This Time (4)
The brilliantly beautiful Siegfried Hall.
It was the grand banquet hall of the Kairis Royal Palace, praised as the most magnificent on the continent. Within that fantastical space crafted from crystal and platinum, nobles gathered, exchanging all manner of chatter.
Words speculating on the kingdom's future, words worrying about their children, words boasting of their knowledge, words plotting for their own safety—words, words, and more words.
For this ceaseless torrent of words, which seemed unlikely to stop even if the world itself ended, to vanish in a single, unbelievable instant, there could be only one reason.
—Calian.
As always, all eyes were drawn to him.
What this third prince wore today, what accessories he chose, how he behaved, and what he said.
And above all, who he would be with.
That was exactly the situation right now.
Everyone gathered in Siegfried Hall was stunned into silence. No, it was more than that—they were all gaping at the entrance, their faces masks of shock.
It was not because of Calian's truly impressive formal attire—a dark red jacket draped with a black cloak embroidered in gold thread. Nor was it because of the ruby pendant on his shirt pin, which he wore again as if making a statement.
"Announcing the entrance of Prince Franz Rune Kairis and Prince Calian Rain Kairis."
The two of them stood on the same side once again.
Just as the nobles were struggling to process the sight of the two princes entering with such overwhelming presence, Randel, who had been watching them quietly, stood up and returned to Chermil. At that sight, the nobles began to quietly exchange opinions once more.
Yet, completely indifferent to this atmosphere, three people sat huddled together, enjoying a peaceful moment.
"Listen carefully. Focus."
In a corner of the banquet hall, which had been plunged into absolute silence, one of them whispered. It was Arsen, who had claimed a seat early on in a spot hidden from others' eyes. His words were directed at Kyrie, who sat beside Yan.
At Arsen's instruction, Kyrie, wearing an expression that said, I can’t believe this is what I’m using my ears for, gave a half-hearted nod.
Soon, as Calian and Franz took their seats, the nobles' mouths began to open little by little. After listening to the murmurs for a moment, Kyrie spoke.
"Sir Hertz."
When Kyrie called his name, Arsen, wearing a smug "I told you so" expression, held out his palm to Yan. However, Kyrie was not finished.
"…has lost."
Kyrie had not called Arsen's name because he had won, but because he had lost. Instantly changing his expression, Yan held out his hand to Arsen instead.
"See? I told you no one would dare say such a thing about our prince."
Simply put, the two of them had made a bet.
The relationships were a tangled mess. Silike had poisoned Calian's mother and tried to murder him. Calian, in turn, had driven Silike to her death. Franz had taken a blade meant for Calian, and Calian had saved the dying Franz.
At any rate, after all that, Silike was ousted, Calian had helped Franz, and they had formed an alliance. Then, as was well known, Franz stabbed Calian in the back, and they drifted apart. Yet today, they had entered together on good terms once again.
So, what would the nobles, who knew nothing of the inner workings, think of Calian for making such a decision?
Yan and Arsen had disagreed on this and wagered money on what the very first words to escape the nobles' lips would be.
"Who would be bold enough to call our prince a pushover?" Yan, the winner, said triumphantly.
At this, Arsen shot Kyrie an aggrieved, disbelieving look. "Did they really say the prince is magnanimous?"
Yan had bet that the nobles would praise Calian's magnanimity. Arsen had argued they would call him the biggest pushover on the continent for taking back the brother who had betrayed him.
But he was wrong.
Although Arsen lost the bet, his face turned quite pleased.
"Still, this is a very good thing."
Whether it was recognition of Calian's ability or simple fear, the reason didn't matter. It meant he had finally reached a position where people would no longer dare to slander him in public. This transcended mere popularity.
"It feels good to know the prince I will serve for the rest of my life is so highly regarded. In this great mood, I should do a bit more work for His Highness."
Smiling brightly, Arsen stood up and walked out without handing over the five silver coins he had wagered.
*
His sons were all exceptionally clever.
Not only were they skilled in social conduct, but they were also adept at political maneuvering.
To an ordinary parent, this would be a cause for celebration, but to Lemain, it felt like a double-edged sword.
Clack.
Lemain picked up the glass before him, drank half of it, and set it down.
Originally, Suleiman, Marquis Evan Brissen, and Alan were supposed to sit at his table. However, Suleiman simply didn't show up, and Evan stayed away because he didn't want to see Suleiman. Of course, both had announced their absence in advance.
Lemain had considered who to fill the empty seats with but ultimately ordered them to be left vacant. Even if those two didn't come, there was still one person who could fill the space.
The reason Lemain was now sitting alone, looking miserable, was Alan, who was taking his sweet time to arrive. Because of this, useless thoughts kept swirling in his head.
—I hear Prince Franz and Prince Calian entered the banquet hall together today.
Upon arriving a short while ago, Lemain had heard this news from Raul, the head chamberlain. Hearing those words, Lemain had furrowed his brow slightly.
He knew that Calian and Franz had only pretended to turn their backs on each other. Therefore, he also knew their current reversal was aimed at keeping Randel in check. He wasn't frowning because he disapproved of their actions.
Will Randel really back down quietly?
It was because this thought had crossed his mind.
Naturally, Lemain cherished all three of his sons. However, passing down the throne was a matter that had to be decided by a standard separate from parental love.
Therefore, it could not be Randel.
The day Randel had walked out of Wilhelm Pavilion, leaving the dying Franz behind, he had proven that he did not possess the qualities of a king in Lemain's eyes. And Lemain did not want his other two sons, who would not become king, to be locked away in a tower.
He worried that Randel might already be plotting harm against the other two, yet he could not step forward and bestow the crown prince position just like that. Thus, Lemain, who had to be both a father and a king, could only fret anxiously.
For these reasons, as he sat alone, all sorts of thoughts crowded his mind. Just as he let out a short sigh with a somewhat dark expression—
Scrape!
Someone walked up and plopped down beside him.
"It's not like the princes acting up is anything new. Are you going to look like you're on death's door every single time?"
Since the seat was assigned to Alan Manasil, the one who sat down was naturally Alan. In fact, even if it hadn't been his seat, Alan was the only one who could speak to him like that.
Although Alan had stormed out in anger earlier that afternoon, neither the one who got angry nor the one who caused the anger was the type to dwell on such things. Therefore, instead of bringing up the incident, Lemain simply offered a natural response.
"As if I can control that."
"We shouldn't be wondering how a snake like Devlan sired Crown Prince Chase. The real mystery is how a man so prone to worry, so slow-witted, short-sighted, and high-maintenance could produce such sons."
Chuckling at those words, Lemain nodded. "Even I am beginning to find it quite mysterious."
"By the way," Alan said, not bothering to mention the princes' affairs again since he had already told him multiple times not to worry. He brought up another topic instead. "I heard Crown Prince Chase saw something strange on his way here."
"Something strange?"
At Lemain's question, Alan gulped down a glass of water before speaking. "He said he saw thirty priests of Tensil. Was that also something Your Majesty permitted?"
Lemain braced himself for another lecture, but he couldn't deny what he had done. He nodded quietly and replied, "Indeed. I permitted it. Calian asked about it not too long ago, and now you are asking as well, Count."
Not knowing that Calian was already aware, Alan nodded slowly. It seemed he now understood why Calian and Franz had suddenly entered the banquet hall together.
"According to Crown Prince Chase, they are likely fake priests. He said he was worried that speaking to Your Majesty directly might be seen as meddling in this country's affairs, which is why he told me."
It was just as Alan said. Chase had immediately realized they were fakes when he saw the thirty priests on his way to Kairisis. However, because his position made it awkward to convey this directly to the king, he had asked Alan to pass on the message.
"If Prince Calian also knew about this, then Your Majesty's two sons suddenly appearing together must be related to that matter as well."
"…I see. I shall look into it as well."
Having replied, Lemain stared at Randel's empty seat for a long time.
*
The evening banquet ended, and the lights in Siegfried Hall were extinguished.
The night passed, and the next day arrived.
Just as Franz had thought, Lemain did not have the princes accompany him on his schedule with the envoys this year either. Last year it was because of Franz's drinking, and this year it was because of Calian, who had to hide his aura.
Since Chase already knew the truth, it wouldn't have mattered if Calian stepped forward, but they couldn't let Lemain know. So, Calian quietly complied with the king's decision.
'There's someone looking for you, little brother.'
And in accordance with the appointment Franz had kindly set up, Calian visited Arsen's office in Wilhelm Pavilion.
Opening the door and stepping inside, he saw a face he hadn't seen in a very long time: Count Aizen Aprin.
Perhaps having waited for Calian for quite some time, Aizen's face lit up the moment he saw him, and he bowed respectfully.
"I greet Prince Calian."
In truth, he had seen Calian at the evening banquet the day before, but because of the crowd, he hadn't even been able to greet him properly.
Returning the greeting with a light nod, Calian looked at Aizen and asked, "I heard you requested to meet with me."
Had it been Franz, he would have surely said something like "What is it?" or "Spit it out." Aizen felt immensely grateful for Calian's polite address.
"Yes, Your Highness. I wished to see you because I have something to return."
As he spoke, Aizen held out the remaining money from the funds Calian had provided previously. Seeing this, Calian let out a hollow laugh.
"Did you come all this way just to return this? If you simply wanted to return the money, sending it through Euria would have been more than enough."
"Yes, Your Highness. But I have one more thing to tell you."
Aizen raised his head and continued, "We are now prepared. I felt it was a message best delivered in person."
"Are the knights already prepared?"
"Yes. There should be enough to replace the royal palace's knight orders."
A number sufficient to replace Knight Order Karen and the Knights of Raon. Of course, Calian's ultimate goal was a far greater number of knights, but even the number Aizen spoke of was a remarkably swift achievement.
"I understand. For now, there are other matters, so I cannot summon them immediately. But I will contact you when the time comes."
"Yes. I shall await your word."
Having replied, Aizen bowed to Calian and walked out.
Watching his retreating figure, Calian lowered his eyes for a moment and began to weigh his options.
Randel and Brissen.
Which of them would be the first to face his blade?