Chapter 207: Ghost (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 207: Ghost (2)
It was the most wondrous moment the sun created.
The light of sunset, fleeting enough to leave one yearning, was precious for its very brevity.
Arianne was someone with eyes that shone with that beautiful light—gentler than red, warmer than blue, like the setting sun.
—Are you going to keep ignoring me? Do you have all day?
Of course, that only applied to her eyes, not the words that came out of her mouth.
—Ah, are you the one my fiancé said he left behind?
—Just… Just give me a moment.
Calian, who had just been demoted to “the person my fiancé left behind,” sent a reply to Arianne as she relentlessly buzzed in his head, urging him to answer. As if she had been waiting, her next words flowed in immediately.
—Wow, it really works. Hello there, the person my fiancé left behind. This probably isn't a first for you, but it is for me, so let me introduce myself. I'm Arianne Lin. My mother is the Minister of Justice, so I somehow ended up dragged into working under her. Oh, and His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Secritia, is my fiancé.
Every country on the continent used the common tongue.
So Arianne couldn't have misunderstood when Calian asked her to wait a moment. Nevertheless, she had launched straight into her introduction.
Calian let out a soft chuckle, realizing that her personality—one that “willful” couldn’t begin to describe—hadn’t changed in the slightest. Seeing this, Yan quietly stood up and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Your Highness, I shall take my leave."
Having seen Calian suddenly fall silent whenever his ring glowed during their time in Roselita, Yan had easily deduced what was happening. He surely knew that Calian never took the ring off lately, but this must have been the first time he had actually seen it glow inside Chermil Palace.
Calian had never explained who held the bracelet connected to the ring, nor how the ring could glow while inside Chermil Palace. He hadn't used it in front of Yan since returning from Roselita.
"Yan, I'll explain later. I'm sorry."
"It is quite all right."
Yet Yan's face showed simple acceptance. It wasn't the look of someone suppressing curiosity, but rather the expression of someone who believed that Calian must have his reasons, and there was no need for him to pry.
The reason was simple.
Because Calian hadn't told him.
He was, after all, like a baby elephant—he never pried unless Calian's safety was at stake.
"Please call for me if you need anything."
With those simple words, Yan stood up and bowed slightly.
"Alright. Thank you."
Feeling even more apologetic for not telling him beforehand, Calian nodded. He wanted to explain the situation to Yan, but for now, confirming how and why Arianne had contacted him took priority.
Judging by how casually she was introducing herself, it didn't seem like an urgent emergency. Still, Chase was just like Calian—he would never take off that bracelet under any circumstances. It was best to quickly find out what reason had led Arianne to make this call.
—It is a pleasure to meet you, Arianne.
—Ah. I guess you used to call me by my name. Yes, nice to meet you too.
Arianne was a 2nd Circle mage.
It wasn't that she lacked talent; she had simply given up halfway through her training. It wasn’t because Secritia disdained mages or because her family opposed it. It was simply because Arianne herself had no great interest in being one.
In any case, from her reaction, Calian could tell that Chase had shared his secret with her as well.
This was a good thing, a relief.
To Chase, Arianne had always been like a great star shining in the sky. She would surely anchor Chase's heart in a different way than Teilan did, guiding him in the right direction.
—Then, what should I call you?
—My name is enough.
Because they had originally been close enough to call each other by name, Calian had answered instinctively, only to immediately look dismayed. He realized he had no idea which name she would use.
—Will do. Then, Calian.
Arianne immediately surprised Calian twice over.
No matter that he had given permission, and no matter that she was in a foreign country, it was still the name of royalty. He was surprised once by her unchanging boldness in calling a prince by his name without a moment's hesitation, and a second time that she had called him "Calian" instead of "Bern."
For Calian did not yet know that for someone to hold the name "Bern" in their memory, they either had to recall it themselves, like Chase, or hear it directly from Calian, like Alan or Kyrie.
—His Highness said we used to be quite close, but I don't remember. I don't think I did anything particularly wrong, so I'm not going to feel sorry. We can just become close again when we meet later, so it's best if neither of us worries about it. That's fine, right?
Calian clutched his forehead and began to laugh softly.
She had just scolded him for not answering quickly, yet here she was rambling on. And saying she had no intention of feeling sorry—how very Arianne.
—Yes. That is fine. We can just become close again.
—I like that you're easy to talk to.
Of course they would get along.
After all, she had taught him so much.
—Anyway, Calian. I contacted you on my own because I have a favor to ask.
—Go ahead. I will help you with anything.
There was no reply for a long moment. Just as he was beginning to feel a sliver of anxiety, Arianne's voice came through.
—Ah, this is really weird. You talk exactly like His Highness. Teilan said you two were incredibly alike, and it seems he was right.
She had said she wouldn't feel sorry, yet she was casually poking at his sore spots. However, because it felt like the touch of a physician examining a wound that needed healing, Calian didn't feel pain. Instead, he simply smiled, as if remembering an old friend from his distant memories.
—Anyway, what I want to ask isn't a big deal…
Arianne, who claimed it was no big deal, paused for a moment before continuing.
—Could you save the Crown Prince for me?
And with that, she delivered her "minor" request.
In an utterly casual tone, as if it truly were nothing. A request that Calian could never, ever refuse.
* * *
There are three things one must absolutely avoid in Wilhelm.
First, making pointless small talk with Franz. Outside Wilhelm Hall, he is merely a bad-tempered second prince, but the moment he steps inside, he transforms into the perfect Vice-Commander. One wrong move, and you might find yourself facing that thoroughly ill-tempered Vice-Commander.
Second, carelessly bothering Hina. The healer is the symbol of Valkan, everyone's salvation, and the light of this land. Everyone except Hina knew that if you annoyed her by asking for unnecessary treatment, you would inevitably have to face the third prince smiling like a blooming flower.
And the third.
The most important and hardest rule to keep—one that every senior member of Valkan unanimously drilled into the rookies.
Never carelessly feed Lucy, the silver-white cat who roamed freely between Wilhelm and Chermil.
"Meow!"
"No."
If you were fooled by her pitiful cries—which seemed to ask why you, a mere human, were hogging that delicious-smelling food—and handed over even a single bite of white bread, you would end up facing both the second prince with his thoroughly ill-tempered Vice-Commander face and Hina. And since you had caused Hina the trouble of making a trip, you were also highly likely to meet the flower-like third prince as a bonus.
Doing so was practically equivalent to walking into the Senyu River of your own accord.
"Meeow!"
Because of this, Needlen, a 5th Circle lightning mage second in competence only to Arsen, was staring at Lucy with a deeply troubled expression. His short hair, a shade between light purple and pink that recalled the petals of an Adinia flower, fluttered in the wind.
The trouble had started when he pulled out a rye sandwich packed with thin bacon and white cheese, made by his younger brother who ran a fairly famous cafe at the end of Astrisha Street. A hungry Lucy, having just woken from a nap in Chermil Palace, had wandered over to Wilhelm and caught the delicious scent.
"No. This is mine."
"Mreeow!"
They said Calian's horse, Raven, would never touch anything but grass grown specifically for royal steeds, but this energetic cat had absolutely no standards. She tried to eat anything and everything.
Needlen, who had no way of knowing how often Franz looked at Lucy and thought she was the spitting image of her owner, grinned and pulled something wrapped in paper from his breast pocket. It was boiled chicken he had asked his brother to prepare separately, just in case he ran into Lucy.
"Eat this. You can have this."
"Meow!"
As if it didn't strictly have to be bacon, Lucy let out a pleased sound, took the chicken, and began to munch on it. Watching her, Needlen was about to take a bite of his sandwich.
"What is this?"
That is, if the terrifying Vice-Commander, the second prince, hadn't appeared right then with a sharp question.
Startled by the voice that swept in like a freezing winter wind amidst a lazy midsummer lunch, Needlen scrambled to his feet. Noticing exactly where those clear, light green eyes were directed, he quickly offered an explanation.
"There is no salt in it, Your Highness."
Since he meant that the chicken Lucy had nearly finished eating hadn't come from his sandwich, Franz finally turned his gaze to Needlen.
"Why are you…"
"I eat salted food, though."
Franz let out a short sigh at the answer. He had been about to ask, Why are you eating bread alone here, letting Lucy steal your chicken, instead of eating with the other mages? but Needlen had answered a different, unvoiced question.
Right. Franz knew that Calian, who could actually understand such fragmented speech, was the weird one.
It wasn't something he was curious enough about to bother correcting his question and asking again. Franz simply nodded once and scooped Lucy into his arms. He briefly debated whether to praise Needlen for preparing Lucy's snack or thank him, but in the end, he said nothing.
"Prince Franz."
Needlen spoke up cautiously to the departing prince. Hesitating for a moment, he continued.
"I feel as though I spoke out of turn yesterday…"
He had heard a rumor from his brother that was spreading wildly through Astrisha Street, one that seemed connected to Franz. Then, seeing Franz returning to Wilhelm Hall alone during Calian's birthday banquet, the thought had crossed his mind, and he had remarked that it was a relief Lennon was safe.
Afterward, as he pondered whether that event was truly a relief for Franz, he concluded that he had been meddling. Even if Franz had outwardly aligned himself with Marquis Evan Brissen, the family dynamics of royalty were vastly different from those of ordinary people. After all, Calian also seemed to have no contact with Royal Concubine Freya's younger brother.
"I wanted to offer my apologies."
When Needlen had said it the previous day, Franz had merely nodded with an indifferent face and walked past. Still, feeling that he had made a slip of the tongue, Needlen felt compelled to apologize.
"I didn't hear anything. I don't know what you're referring to."
Franz stared at Needlen for a moment before replying, then turned and walked away with steady strides.
Whether or not he realized that Franz was pretending to have heard nothing to spare him—lest the source of the rumor be revealed and Needlen's thoughtful but terribly short-tempered brother came rushing over—Needlen smiled faintly. He sat back down and took another bite of his delicious sandwich.
* * *
No big deal, she had said.
Was asking a prince of another nation to save the life of a crown prince really "no big deal"? If she wanted to ask for something truly special, would she ask him to conquer the world?
Barely managing to rein in the flurry of thoughts, Calian was about to ask for details when Arianne spoke again.
—His Highness is looking for a healer. As you know, it's illegal for a Tensil healer to enter this country. So we've been capturing and deporting every healer who crosses the border, and soon, Marquis Lin might be framed and arrested.
Calian's gaze sank, staring down at his mint tea.
It was a brief summary, omitting the deeper details, but the underlying implications were far from simple.
Devlan was looking for a healer from Tensil.
Calian didn't know whether Devlan had tried to summon a Tensil healer in the "past" and failed, or if he was seeking one now because the current situation differed from that past.
But he knew exactly what it meant to stop it.
—This is dangerous.
Marquis Lin was Arianne's mother. This meant she was on the verge of suffering harm for opposing Devlan's power. Of course, her faction was formidable, so Devlan wouldn't recklessly try to prune them away, but Devlan was a man whose boundaries were highly unpredictable. There was no telling when he might change his mind and send assassins to Arianne's home.
—Teilan is staying at our house. A while ago, I ran into some bad guys on my way home after having a few drinks. So, the Crown Prince, unable to sleep at night out of worry for his fiancée, sent his personal guard to protect me.
It was undoubtedly a performance.
Chase had played the role of a crown prince blinded by love to evade Devlan's watchful eyes, using it as a pretext to station Sir Teilan at Arianne's estate.
But why go to such lengths?
—Why is Crown Prince Chase risking a civil war? In the past, he would have…
—Because that past wasn't something that just "would have happened."
Because he wasn't someone who would have died anyway, regardless of whether a healer was summoned.
Realizing that both Chase and Bern had been hiding a piece of darkness from each other, Calian's eyes narrowed.