Chapter 104: This Time (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 104: This Time (5)
Calian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and propping his chin in his hand.
The long fingertips of his other hand tapped against the table.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Arsen’s office was strikingly sparse. There wasn’t a single painting or potted plant in sight—just a desk, a chair, a sofa, and a table. Despite the lack of furnishings, the office itself was quite spacious, so much that even quiet whispers echoed clearly.
Consequently, each tap sent a faint echo through the room, but Calian paid it no mind. He was alone, after all.
At that moment, Calian was waiting for Arsen.
And as he waited, his thoughts drifted to Randel.
“What made him so impatient?” Calian chuckled softly, muttering to himself.
He hadn't expected to find his thoughts so completely consumed by Randel so soon.
Then again, the reason wasn’t hard to guess. It was just that Calian hadn’t bothered to look into it deeply before.
Randel, who was three years older than Calian, was now eighteen. Not much time remained before he turned twenty, which meant a decision would have to be made before then.
He would either be pushed aside and exiled from Kairisis, or become the Crown Prince and remain in the palace.
‘Or perhaps, meet his death.’
Having reached a reluctant understanding of Randel’s actions, Calian smiled bitterly.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Arsen returned. He stepped inside and sat across from Calian, holding a few sheets of paper.
“What is that?”
“Commander Manasil asked me to deliver this to you,” Arsen replied, handing the papers to Calian. “It’s the list of priests Tensil plans to dispatch to Kairis, along with information on the priests who were stationed here before.”
“This must have come from His Majesty, not my master.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
There was no need to compare the two lists. Every single one of the previous priests was included on the new list. This meant Malcolm Chettish was also slated to visit.
“He’s on the visitor list, but he isn’t actually among them.”
The mages’ method of gathering information was surprisingly crude. To confirm that the priest named Malcolm was not present, a few mages must have hidden nearby. Whatever method they used, they would have eavesdropped as all thirty priests called out to one another, confirming that none of them went by the name Malcolm.
Which meant Euria’s information was more accurate.
“We almost let this slip by.”
Indeed, if they hadn’t sensed something was off in the first place, they would never have resorted to such measures.
Calian looked up and met Arsen’s gaze. The documents were what Alan had asked to be delivered, but Calian had given Arsen a separate task—the very reason the circles under Arsen’s eyes had darkened again.
“What about the matter I asked you to look into?”
“Yes, Your Highness. We kept watch on Marquis Brissen’s mansion all night, but no one of note entered or left.”
Since Calian had joined forces with Franz, he had wondered if Randel might try to reach out to Evan. However, because he couldn't meet Euria immediately after the banquet, he had made a hasty request to Arsen at the Wilhelm Pavilion. By now, Euria’s people would be thoroughly monitoring anyone slipping in and out of the Marquis’s mansion.
“It’s certain the priests are impostors, yet there’s no sign of them meeting with Marquis Brissen…”
Calian took a sip of his tea, organizing his thoughts before speaking again.
“Please tell His Majesty that I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, Your Highness. What should I say?”
“Ask him to find out if Brother Randel knows anything about this.”
“You mean right now?” Arsen asked, his face clouded with doubt.
Ever since he’d started bickering with Franz, Arsen’s overly formal speech had been gradually changing. In the past, that question would have been much longer and more deferential.
Come to think of it, when Arsen attacked Bern, he spoke informally. Could that also have been because of Franz? The sudden thought made Calian chuckle to himself.
Checking the time, Calian nodded and gave a slightly delayed response.
“It’s still early enough that no official duties have begun. His Majesty should have plenty of time to talk.”
“My apologies. I wasn’t asking about the time. I was concerned because Your Highness does not yet know Prince Randel’s true intentions. Isn’t it too soon to let him know that we’ve sensed something is amiss?”
“Ah, I misunderstood. You’re talking about the identity of those priests.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
A smirk much like Franz’s spread across Calian’s face—a mocking smile that implied he had already grasped Randel’s intentions.
Seeing it, Arsen grimaced. He couldn’t help but think that Franz, who had been meeting with Calian so often lately, had taught the young prince some terrible habits.
Unaware of Arsen’s inner turmoil, Calian held up three fingers. He began to fold them down one by one as he explained.
“They could, surprisingly, be real priests. Or spies. Or assassins. Or if not…”
Calian trailed off, shook his head, and said, “It’s probably better for our peace of mind to assume it’s one of those three.”
In truth, the unspoken fourth option was a bit of a stretch, so there was no need to mention it.
“In any case, I can’t narrow down what he’s planning based on my guesses alone. So, I’m just going to make him tell me himself.”
“Are you setting another trap?”
“It’s what I do best.”
A look of deep interest filled Arsen’s eyes. After all, what could be more entertaining than seeing what got caught in one of Calian’s traps?
“I took good care of his grandson, bought his diamonds, and even sent him salt. How can I just stand by while he repays my kindness like this?”
Arsen looked puzzled. The person Calian was referring to was the King of Tensil, not Randel.
He asked with a hint of apprehension, “Surely, Your Highness… you aren’t planning to take down Tensil?”
Calian replied with a bright, beaming smile.
“I dislike war. That’s why, this time, I plan to avoid it if possible.”
To Arsen, those words sounded less like Calian couldn’t take down Tensil and more like he simply chose not to because he disliked war.
Well, this was Calian, after all.
Setting a massive trap might be complicated, but Arsen didn’t doubt for a second that Calian could start a war if he wanted to, even as a mere prince. Lost in these thoughts, Arsen overlooked the deeper meaning behind Calian’s words—that he would try to avoid war this time.
“I’m just giving him a warning. To make him think about what will happen to his own bloodline if he keeps overstepping.”
Seeing the expression on Calian’s face as he spoke, Arsen was reminded once again what an excellent decision it had been to spend the rest of his life as Calian’s man.
With those final words, Calian stood up. He had somewhere to be, and someone to take with him. Then, suddenly remembering something, he paused.
“Ah, right.”
“Did you forget something?”
Stopping at the door, Calian turned back to look at Arsen. His expression a mix of jest and concern, he spoke.
“Don’t break Brother Franz’s sword. It’s quite valuable.”
Arsen decided he would absolutely never mention that he had already been researching how to break the incredibly sturdy-looking blade.
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“And…” Calian grinned. “My baby elephant was whining that you still owe him something, Sir.”
…Damn it.
Arsen slowly reached for his coin purse.
* * *
Calian had always preferred black clothes.
The old Calian had disliked drawing attention, while Bern had favored them because bloodstains didn’t show easily.
Even now, Calian was the same. He enjoyed wearing black.
He couldn’t remember what Franz’s preferences used to be. There was no reason for him to know what color his sworn enemy liked. Thus, Calian hadn’t known that Franz had suddenly started wearing bright-colored clothes at some point.
But now he knew.
To be precise, he now knew the reason why.
That was why, the moment Franz’s servant, Relic, closed the door, Calian burst into laughter. After laughing for a good while, he finally spoke.
“I’ll change the name tag for you. I’ll take my name off and put yours on instead.”
He pointed at the cat cradled in Franz’s arms, which wore a tag reading, ‘I am Prince Calian’s cat.’ Franz stared back with a look that clearly asked what he was supposed to do about it.
“Stop barking,” he retorted.
Calian was likely the only person in the world who would laugh so loudly in front of Franz, and the only one who wouldn’t be bothered in the slightest by such a reply.
Setting the cat down, Franz looked at Calian. “What is it now?”
His brief question was heavy with unspoken meaning: Why are you here again? Where are your precious servants? Did you come alone just to make a scene? Stop laughing, state your business, and get lost.
“There is somewhere we need to go together.”
Franz frowned. Going to the banquet together once was enough; where else was Calian trying to drag him now?
“We are going to meet Marquis Brissen. On horseback.”
Hearing this, Franz fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, with a smirk, he saw right through Calian’s intentions.
“A trick?”
As expected, Franz was quick-witted. Calian smiled.
“Yes. Two princes going to meet Marquis Brissen. If we ride out on horseback for everyone to see, Brother Randel will surely notice. It’s a painfully obvious move.”
Seeing the blatant actions of his two younger brothers, Randel would undoubtedly think:
—They’re doing this on purpose to get on my nerves.
Once he concluded their actions were staged, he would begin to suspect that their appearance together at yesterday’s banquet was also a sham. And in the midst of his suspicion, His Majesty would summon him to ask about the priests.
This would lead Randel to believe that Calian suspected the priests’ true identities and was merely pretending to have joined hands with Franz.
“After setting the stage, I plan to visit Brother Randel’s room tonight. Since he’ll have spent the entire day thinking about me, I won’t need to explain much. I’ll just make him a single offer.”
“To join hands and strike Brissen first.”
“Exactly. I’ll propose that we join forces to target Brissen. In exchange, I’ll keep quiet about everything I’ve uncovered.”
“…He won’t refuse.”
“I believe so too.”
Because…
“He’s dying to keep me under his thumb.”
Calian concluded with a bright, cheerful smile.