Chapter 20: This Is Too Blatant (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: This Is Too Blatant (3)
Calian lowered his hand and raised his head, his face a mask of rigid fury. It was a convincing performance; he looked as though he were desperately struggling to contain his anger.
It was only natural. After all, Calian was the one who had the most right to be furious.
Of course, that expression was purely for the benefit of the onlookers. In truth, Calian felt the complete opposite. He wanted to bow down and thank Franz’s reckless tongue right then and there.
‘You actually came in handy for once, Franz!’
Calian glanced at Lemain.
What he wanted from the king right now was not fiery rage or a harsh punishment for Franz. On the contrary, he hoped Lemain would do absolutely nothing. That would yield the greatest benefit.
As if reading his mind, Lemain truly did nothing.
He didn’t scold Franz, mention any future punishment, or even cast a contemptuous glance in his direction. Without a word, he simply turned his gaze forward again and nodded to the chief chamberlain, signaling for the second half of the performance to begin.
Seeing this, Silike bit her lip so hard she could taste blood.
Lemain had just demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, that he expected absolutely nothing from Franz—and that he never would.
Calian suppressed another smile.
‘Silike. How far will you retreat now?’
He knew she would try to smooth this over somehow. He eagerly anticipated her next move.
With a sharp crack, the fan in Silike’s hand snapped.
‘That fool… after everything I told him!’
Lemain was well aware of Franz’s poor behavior. He had even issued a drinking ban after Franz had stumbled drunk into the public plaza; there was no way he didn’t know. Insulting Calian could have been overlooked, dismissed as just Franz being Franz.
But to make insulting remarks about the deceased royal concubine, Freya, in a public setting—and to do so right in front of Lemain, who had cherished her so deeply—was crossing a line that could never be uncrossed.
‘Franz.’
Silike’s eyes turned toward her son.
Franz was not so foolish as to be unaware of what he had just done. She hadn’t raised him to be that stupid.
When their eyes met, goosebumps broke out across her arms.
Franz did not look flustered or regretful in the slightest.
‘…You did this on purpose.’
One corner of his mouth was curled into a slight, mocking smirk.
Only then did she realize he had done it intentionally. It was a clear rebellion against the warning she had given him before they arrived.
Silike’s silent scream was directed at Franz.
‘Why today of all days, Franz! Why now!’
Alan Manasil had visited the royal palace. Calian’s name was now being whispered among the nobles as a candidate for Crown Prince. And on this very day, Franz had made an irreversible mistake.
There was no need to wonder what the nobles who had been sitting on the fence would now think of the Brissen family.
Silike bit her lip once more and forced her gaze forward. The second act of the performance was well underway, but no one in the royal box was watching. She was desperately trying to find a way to salvage the situation, while Calian was busy calculating how to best exploit it. Both spun their webs of thought with furious intensity.
And at that very moment…
Melfir, having found what he was looking for, let out a sharp sigh.
“Hah.”
It was a breath of both relief and shock. Before him lay a thick rope, cut halfway through.
“If this had fallen on His Highness’s head…!”
The mere thought was suffocating.
Melfir quickly worked to prevent the rope from fraying any further, then secured the area tightly to ensure no one could approach until the performance was over.
Catching his breath, Melfir Polun turned his head and looked down.
The black-haired prince who had warned him—and in doing so, saved his life—was sitting there with perfect composure.
He recalled the expression Calian had worn when Melfir, trusting the prince’s words, had excused himself from his seat beside Lemain. The youngest prince had looked exactly like a teacher watching a student who had successfully solved a difficult problem. More than that, he hadn’t paid this area any mind since. There was no hint of anxiety, no doubt as to whether Melfir would understand his warning and resolve the issue.
‘Even if we get through today without incident, I doubt that prince will seek me out.’
He had a feeling the prince hadn’t saved him with the expectation of a reward. As a merchant to his very bones, Melfir had never engaged in a transaction that didn’t demand something in return.
“Phew…”
Letting out another sigh, Melfir swallowed hard.
*
The performance came to an end.
No confetti fell from the ceiling.
‘Looks like he handled it well.’
Just in case, Calian lingered after standing, striking up a conversation with Yan to buy some time. He only left after Randel and Franz had already descended. As expected, no accident occurred.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Melfir was waiting for him.
Lemain looked at the merchant and said, “It was a wonderful time.”
The king didn’t say a word about Melfir abandoning his post. In fact, he was relieved that fewer nobles had been nearby to witness Franz’s outburst firsthand.
“I am glad you enjoyed it, Your Highness,” Melfir replied humbly.
Meanwhile, Calian wasn’t watching Melfir, but Silike, who was watching Melfir. A faint trace of doubt flickered in his eyes, too subtle for anyone to notice.
‘Silike isn’t reacting.’
True, Franz had caused a massive scene. But regardless of that, she wasn’t the type to overlook the failure of an accident that was supposed to happen today. She wasn’t foolish enough to be completely distracted by her son’s blunder.
‘She looks like she couldn’t care less about any accident.’
Right now, Silike was barely even paying attention to Melfir’s greeting.
‘So Silike didn’t know about it either. That means Lennon orchestrated this entirely on his own.’
His thoughts began to tangle once more.
“Then, I shall see you again at the ball,” Melfir said, his gaze sweeping over the three princes.
Though his words were directed specifically at Calian, the prince merely acknowledged the greeting without any outward reaction, walked outside, and mounted Raven.
‘Randel, the Brissen Trading Company, the Polun Trading Company. What’s the connection? Could Tensil be involved as well?’
In his past life as Bern, he had never paid much attention to the Holy Kingdom of Tensil, which bordered Kairis. He didn’t know what events had transpired there during this period.
Calian furrowed his brow, racking his brain to recall anything he knew about Tensil from this time.
‘If it’s related to trading companies, it must be a commodity. If they’re willing to target royalty to secure a profit, it must be something of extraordinary value… Ah!’
A commodity of extraordinary value.
Once his thoughts reached that point, the answer finally presented itself.
A subtle, knowing smile played on Calian’s lips.
‘Diamonds. A diamond mine.’
Now that he had found the missing link, all the puzzle pieces fell into place. He recalled a brief conversation he’d had with Chase back when he was Bern, discussing the news of an accident.
– It seems too clumsy to be called a terrorist attack.
– Do you truly believe it was a simple attack on royalty?
– Well, a prince was injured. Is there something more to it, brother?
– Perhaps. Why don’t you try thinking about it?
An accident that was far too blatant, almost childishly simple. An incident so foolish it seemed desperate to make it obvious that royalty had been targeted.
‘The priests of the Holy Kingdom have no need for large quantities of diamonds. They would have tried to sell most of them to Kairis. Since the trading companies in Tensil would have been wary of Randel, they would have preferred Polun over Brissen.’
Only now, as Calian, did he finally understand the root of the issue—something Chase would have deduced instantly.
‘Brissen framed Polun to seize the diamond trade. After all, besides Polun, there is no other large-scale trading company capable of handling transactions of that size.’
The reason they targeted Randel also became clear.
‘If Randel was injured, the King of Tensil would intervene, and they hoped the matter would be wrapped up quickly before anyone could investigate the truth. Lennon, you actually have a bit of a brain on you.’
Having sorted out his thoughts, Calian turned his gaze back toward Melfir. The merchant would undoubtedly want to meet with him immediately, but Calian had no intention of letting him have his way. Now that he knew just how valuable this matter was, he had changed his mind. He was going to extract a proper price for saving Melfir’s life.
“Inform the event coordinator that I won’t be attending the ball tonight.”
At Calian’s quiet command, Yan looked at him in surprise. But then he saw Calian’s sorrowful expression—a perfect imitation of someone deeply wounded by Franz’s actions—and let out a pitying sigh.
“Understood. I will do so.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not at all, Your Highness.”
Yan nodded, his face looking even more depressed than Calian’s own, completely oblivious to the immense guilt his prince was feeling at that moment.
*
Having returned from the performance, Lemain sat at his desk and stared blankly at his visitor. He took off his glasses, set them down, and said, “How unexpected.”
The visitor stood in silence for a moment before walking over to the sofa. The sharp click-clack of her heels echoed through the quiet office. Lemain watched her silently.
Only after a long pause did Lemain rise from his seat. He began opening the windows, one by one, as if trying to chase away the heavy scent of Renieri that was filling the room.
Just as he was opening the last one…
Knock, knock.
The chief chamberlain entered carrying a tray with tea. Lemain waved a hand dismissively.
“It is not needed.”
The corners of Silike’s eyes twitched. He was treating her like a complete nuisance.
After sending the chamberlain out, Lemain walked over and sat across from Silike. His eyes were utterly devoid of emotion.
In truth, Silike was already accustomed to this. It had been this way ever since Freya died.
“What is it?” Lemain asked, his voice as emotionless as his gaze.
“He is only a child. Please forgive his mistake. The Brissen family will bear the punishment,” Silike said, clenching her teeth. She had never imagined she would ever have to speak such words to Lemain.
Lemain raised an eyebrow.
No matter what Franz had done in the past, Silike had never come to him personally like this. She had certainly never uttered such words before. Although this incident was a grave mistake, in the past, she would never have humbled herself to this extent.
“Forgiveness? What is there to forgive?”
Of course, Lemain knew the reason for her change in attitude.
Calian.
More precisely, it was because of Calian, who now had Alan Manasil backing him.
Thinking of Calian made him realize what Silike was trying to do. He could guess why she was so willing to have the Brissen family take responsibility.
‘She believes it’s more important to keep the nobles from turning their backs on Franz. That way, once Calian is gone, the stray nobles won’t flock to Randel.’
No matter what she lost under the guise of punishment, she was confident she could reclaim it all once Calian was dead.
—Pretend you know nothing, just for this once.
Recalling Alan’s words, Lemain let out a soft chuckle. He laughed to suppress the raw urge to wring the slender neck of the woman sitting before him.
‘He laughed?’
Unaware of his thoughts, Silike looked slightly startled. Lemain never showed emotion in front of others. Yet here he was, chuckling so blatantly.
She tightened her grip on her new fan as Lemain spoke.
“Very well. What punishment will you accept?”
Naturally, she had no intention of giving up the Royal Knights. She wasn’t that desperate. Composing herself, Silike spoke, her words exactly what Lemain had anticipated.
“Since it was such an impressive performance, I believe it would be fitting to bestow a reward.”
“Ah.”
It was indeed an impressive performance. Silike’s words meant she would yield a portion of Brissen’s commercial rights to the Polun Trading Company. Lemain would determine the scope of the concession based on the gravity of the offense, and the Brissen family would accept it.
“It would be best for Franz to return with me today.”
He accepted the deal.
After all, Calian’s death was never going to happen.