Chapter 127: If Such a Day Comes (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: If Such a Day Comes (4)
Arsen’s visit was over. Put to sleep by Alan, Calian was lost in a deep, dreamless slumber.
“Meow.”
A plump-bellied cat squeezed through a crack in the door with a soft cry. It was the very cat that seemed to declare, I may be Prince Calian’s, but I like Prince Franz more. It hopped directly onto the lap of Franz, who was sitting at the table.
Seeing this, Hina, who was standing nearby, gestured.
I can hold him for you.
Curling into a ball, the cat let out a soft mewl and settled in as if to sleep, its warmth seeping through the fabric of Franz’s trousers.
“Leave it.”
Replying with a brief shake of his head, Franz picked at his salad with an expressionless face.
Hina was, in effect, forcing Franz to eat. Though he stubbornly stuck to the salad, Relic, Franz’s attendant standing beside Hina, was satisfied with even that much. It was better than him not touching his food at all.
Making it obvious he was eating against his will, Franz looked at Hina and spoke.
“Why haven’t you left?”
It was understandable for Relic to be there, as always, but Hina wasn’t his maid. He questioned her presence.
Calian was sleeping soundly, and she had nothing else to do at this hour. Hina gave him a look that told him not to worry and replied with her hands.
I want to see you finish eating before I go.
Franz, who didn't fully comprehend her sign language but got the gist of it, frowned in annoyance.
“I don’t like people meddling.”
It’s not meddling. I’m just worried about you, Hina replied immediately.
Franz pretended not to understand. He simply felt no need to respond.
Whether she noticed his pretense or not, Hina offered a bright smile.
Originally, the only ones in this palace who weren’t intimidated by Franz were Calian and Alan. Even Randel tried to avoid speaking with him as much as possible.
But now, that number had grown by two.
Arsen and Hina. If you counted the cat, it was three.
And aren’t they all here because of that younger brother of mine?
When his thoughts reached that point, Franz let out a low sigh. Then, as if he had no choice, he reached for his salad plate again.
The late afternoon sun stretched long through the window, its light reflecting off the table.
Relic, completely excluded from their silent conversation, was staring out the window and thinking he really ought to learn sign language from Yan when he spoke up.
“I will draw the curtains, Your Highness.”
At his words, Hina knit her brows, grabbed Relic’s arm, and shook her head. Relic looked bewildered, not understanding why she was gesturing for him to stop, when Franz’s voice cut through the air.
“Don’t touch it.”
The command was far more resolute than a simple “leave it.”
After that, Franz sat still for a moment, his hand frozen in place.
Clack!
In the end, he set down his fork and knife and stood up. Startled by the sudden movement of its cushion, the cat hopped off his lap and onto the floor.
“Get out.”
Having said that, Franz turned and walked toward his bedroom.
As a startled Relic stared at the plate that wasn't even half-empty, Hina pointed a finger somewhere outside the window.
Her expression said it all. How can you be so thoughtless?
‘Ah…’
It was only when Relic followed her finger and then looked back at her face that he realized the curtains on that side of the room were never drawn. His face filled with self-reproach.
He had made an assumption.
He had thought that since time had passed and Franz didn’t show it, he must be fine now.
But the passage of time and a lack of outward signs didn’t mean someone was truly all right.
The patter of tiny paws followed Franz, and the sound of the cat begging to be held echoed from the bedroom.
*
Alan, who loved sweet things, actually preferred strong, unsweetened coffee.
Calian would have been surprised to learn this, but since Alan never drank coffee in front of him, there was no way for him to know.
“I didn’t expect Sir Manasil to drink such bitter coffee,” Chase observed instead.
Although Alan had served him coffee when they first met, they had been too busy discussing Calian to drink it, which was why Chase was only mentioning it now.
“It’s become a habit,” Alan replied simply.
Chase nodded quietly. “So, what brings you to see me this time?”
“I came because there is something I must convey to His Majesty the King of Kairis in advance.”
Chase’s expression turned thoughtful as he organized his thoughts. He then relayed the conversation he had with Franz when the prince had visited him.
“So, the Vice-Commander of Valkan took it upon himself to leak classified information? That sounds just like Prince Franz,” Alan, the Commander of Valkan, chuckled softly before continuing. “Yes. I had similar thoughts. He must have worried that if Secritia couldn’t protect itself, the entire burden would fall on Calian.”
Alan recalled how Calian had recently addressed him as ‘Count Manasil’ and urged him to accompany Chase.
“If you hadn’t stepped in to help Calian—if you had just taken Sir Castrin and gone after the spy yourself—I would have accompanied Calian as planned, wouldn’t I?”
“Yes. I believe that would have been the case.”
After all, Calian was someone who believed it was perfectly fine to be a burden to Alan, and Alan alone. Had they gone together, Calian would have stood safely inside Alan’s shield without lifting a finger. If so, he wouldn’t have overexerted himself and collapsed again.
“Of course, I understand why you acted as you did, Your Royal Highness. But your concern was excessive this time.”
He understood.
Alan knew all too well the misery of watching his own flesh and blood die before his eyes.
And, of course, so did Franz.
“Franz must have guessed as much, which is why he took matters into his own hands. After all, if a similar situation arose, both Calian and you are the type to make the same reckless choice again.”
That was why Franz had sought out Chase.
“He was likely telling you that you already have enough on your plate. That you should ensure your own safety before worrying about helping Calian.”
Chase nodded. “I know. That is why I told him I would. Though it may not be in the same manner as Valkan, I have decided to build a force that is by no means weak.”
“You have made the right choice.”
“However, I came because I was concerned that Kairis might doubt our intentions if a similar military force were to be established in Secritia.”
“You can rest easy. His Majesty will harbor no such concerns.”
At least, as long as Alan led Valkan, no army Chase built could ever defeat it. Besides, Lemain was as stubborn and simple-minded as an ox. He wasn’t the type to worry about or rashly suspect Chase’s intentions.
Since the purpose of Chase’s visit had been addressed, Alan fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“However, there is one thing I am curious about, Your Royal Highness.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“I would like to know why the previous Prince Calian gave up the throne. Would you be willing to tell me?”
“The reason…”
“Calian told me he gave up the throne because he believed you would be a better ruler. He said he went so far as to accept a knighthood from you just to renounce his claim.”
“Yes. That is correct. That is the reason he gave.”
Alan nodded, his gaze fixed on Chase. “If that were the whole story, it would be incomprehensible. I don’t mean his intentions, but yours for agreeing to it. Looking at you now, you don’t seem like the type who would ever agree to his younger brother taking up a sword.”
It was not a difficult thing to share.
Not difficult, but painful.
“He persuaded me that it was the only way.”
Sifting through his memories, Chase quietly closed his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was as heavy as his gaze.
The nobles had supported Bern.
Bern was the Queen’s son; Chase was not.
Because of this, the Bern of that time—unlike the man he is now—hid his talents. Except for swordsmanship, he always stood behind Chase and kept his words sparse. He never stood alone before the public. He always acted so that Chase could shine.
“If I didn’t become the Crown Prince… the nobles of Secritia wouldn’t have left any lingering embers.”
The nobles of Secritia thought just as Devlan did when he threw Bern into the sea to test Chase’s intentions. They would have doubted whether Chase, who was superior to Bern in many ways, would harbor other ambitions once Bern took the throne. Bern knew they would try to sever Chase’s lifeline to nip that suspicion in the bud.
“Are you saying he gave up the throne to save you, Your Royal Highness?”
“It would be more accurate to say he gave it up so we both could live. But even if his own death had been the only way for me to survive, he would have made the exact same choice. Without a single moment of hesitation.”
Alan massaged his temples.
“Then it’s the same this time as well.”
Calian had said he wanted to become the Crown Prince because he needed the power to deal with what was to come. Alan had harbored doubts about those words.
While becoming the Crown Prince would grant him power, wouldn’t it also restrict his actions?
Though his relationship with Franz had been terrible at first, that was no longer the case. It would be better to resolve the issue with Randel, place Franz on the path to the crown, and then leave the capital to build his own power. Given Franz’s personality, he would never try to keep Calian in check.
“I found it strange that he insisted on becoming Crown Prince. I wondered why he wanted a position he had no greed for, but now I understand.”
Unlike Bern, Calian didn’t hide.
He had stepped forward, distinguished himself, and shone brightly. He received attention and praise. Just like Chase.
If such a Calian were to give up the position of Crown Prince, and Franz were to ascend to it instead…
Whether in Secritia or Kairis, people would inevitably wonder if the extraordinary Calian would harbor other ambitions after being distanced from the throne. The only difference was that, unlike with Chase, assassinating Calian would be far from easy.
If so, the situation could be reversed.
The factions supporting Calian might target the life of Franz, who would be sitting in the position of Crown Prince. And since Franz didn’t want the throne either, Calian had decided to take that position himself.
To save Franz.
And the clever Franz, who couldn’t possibly be ignorant of this, was helping Calian in return.
“What a touching display of brotherly love,” Alan said, draining his coffee in a single gulp.
It was by no means a compliment.
*
He had spent an entire day asleep.
Chuckling dryly at how the days flew by every time he slept, Calian quickly washed and changed. He was eager to get to the work he’d missed.
“Call Sir Hertz for me.”
Seeing Calian speak like this, Yan quietly looked at Kyrie.
If he tries to work the moment he opens his eyes, just knock him out, Yan had told Kyrie before Calian woke up.
Kyrie had firmly shaken his head.
It was an impossible task, whether Kyrie wanted to do it or not. To Yan, the prince seemed fragile enough to collapse at the slightest touch. But if Kyrie actually tried to knock him out, an unconscious counterattack from Calian might just slice his arm off.
“Don’t get any strange ideas.”
Seeing the sheer determination written all over Yan’s face, Calian spoke with a wary look. At this, Yan grumbled in response.
“I’ve prepared your meal, so please eat first.”
Since his stomach was indeed empty after sleeping all day, Calian obediently sat down as Yan instructed and picked up his fork and knife.
Calian was different from Franz.
He never skipped a meal. After all, wasn’t food the best medicine?
Watching Calian devour his food with great gusto, Yan spoke.
“Still, I’m glad to see you eating. Relic has been deeply worried because Prince Franz keeps skipping his meals.”
“He’s still not eating?”
Calian knew Franz hadn’t been eating well since the incident with Silike, but he hadn’t realized it was still happening.
Calian raised his head and looked out the window.
Though the height differed due to the floor level, the tables in Calian’s room and Franz’s room were positioned in the exact same spot. And from there, something was very clearly visible.
Heisia Palace.
The place where Silike used to reside.
Due to its exceptionally high roof, it was visible even from here, despite being located behind Arpia Palace, Lemain’s office.
“It would be strange to have an appetite with a view like that.”
Calian, who knew exactly why his brother wasn’t eating, nodded and muttered to himself. He then set down his fork and knife and tapped his fingers, lost in thought for a brief moment.
He wondered if he could take responsibility for what he was about to do.
Having quickly made up his mind, Calian spoke to Yan.
“Tell Sir Hertz to do something for me on his way here.”
“Yes, Your Highness. What should I tell him to do?”
A deep smile spread across Calian’s face.
He then pointed toward Heisia Palace outside the window.
“Tell him to blow that roof away.”
Since I’m confined anyway, what’s the harm in being confined a little longer? My dear brother needs to eat his meals on time, after all.