Chapter 214: Be Patient, Master (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: Be Patient, Master (4)
Sometimes, the order of things gets reversed.
“Everyone is like that.”
Yan spoke brightly, looking completely unbothered as he took a bite of the cherry cake before him. While cherries lacked the sweet fragrance of strawberries, their flavor was far richer. The cake, bursting with the taste of the deep red fruit, melted softly in his mouth.
“Not many people live their lives in the order they planned.”
It’s like how you might come to love cherries not for their taste, but because the cherry blossoms are as beautiful as clouds of white sugar on a clear spring day. Or how you might come to love a sudden downpour because of the fairy-tale colors of the rainbow that follows.
“So, you don’t have to return it.”
Yan cleansed his palate with the mint tea Calian loved so much, then looked at Relic sitting across from him.
Relic’s eyes, the color of ripe blueberries, drooped pathetically. With the corners turned down so far one might wonder how it was even possible, he spoke.
“Every time I see His Highness, I’m just so overwhelmed with guilt…”
“Relic, no one enters the royal palace without some ulterior motive. I was the same.”
Yan’s gaze briefly fell on the money pouch Relic had offered before he continued.
“Is there really anyone who comes to the palace with the pure intention of cleaning up after royalty?”
It was a surprisingly blunt remark from Yan, who served Calian more diligently and perfectly than anyone else. Relic’s head snapped up, and he quickly scanned their surroundings. Seeing that they were the only two in the servants’ lounge, he let out a small sigh of relief.
After watching the anxious man—older than him but with far less experience—Yan spoke again.
“Everyone enters with their own reasons. What’s so wrong with that reason being money?”
When the Second Prince, who had been raised entirely under Silike’s thumb, made a desperate bid for freedom only to fall back into her clutches before finally escaping.
When that ordeal left him wounded, unable to properly wake for days on end. When Lemain expelled every servant and maid who had served as Silike’s eyes and ears from the palace.
No one.
Absolutely no one stepped forward to serve as the Second Prince’s hands and feet, fearing they would be caught between Brissen and the other nobles. The servants who had been assigned to the Second Prince all quit and fled.
For a long time, Calian’s own servants and maids had to care for Franz as well.
— We just need one person to step forward. After that, it will be easier to find more. So, just find me one person.
Yan had been worrying about how to resolve the situation. Calian’s staff was struggling under the doubled workload, yet still, no one was willing to become Franz’s servant. That was when Calian had given him that answer.
He had then suggested that if it was truly difficult, he should use the easiest means to sway a person’s heart. When Yan hesitated, Calian had added nonchalantly:
— The order of things doesn’t matter.
At the time, Yan hadn’t fully understood what he meant.
But after hearing that Merlin, who had pushed herself the hardest, had suffered a nosebleed from exhaustion, Yan simply did as Calian instructed without another thought.
The person he found was Relic.
He was reasonably quick-witted, seemed kind, appeared tight-lipped, and had a mountain of debt.
“I think it’s amazing that you stepped forward when no one else would. Sincerely.”
Yan pushed the pouch—which contained every coin secretly taken from Calian’s safe—back toward Relic. It was his reward for becoming Franz’s senior servant, and Yan was telling him to accept it.
“But…”
“If we’re looking at it that way, I was far worse. I volunteered to be our Prince’s servant for a truly terrible reason.”
After meeting a red-eyed child with a withered soul, Yan had learned who he was. It was simply fascinating to him that there was someone more pitiful than himself.
“Somehow, I felt that if I watched over our Prince, I could believe that I wasn’t the most miserable person in the world. That’s why I came to this palace.”
Suleiman and Serie, whom Yan had expected to object, did not oppose him. He wasn’t sure if they thought he would tire himself out and return quickly or if they were just grateful he was finally focusing his energy on something.
“The order of things got reversed. I came here to save myself, but now, everything has changed.”
Yan spoke with a gentle smile, as if recalling a distant past.
He had learned that cherries were as delicious as their blossoms were beautiful, and that a sudden shower was as refreshing as a rainbow was lovely.
The reason Yan could stand tall, despite having started watching over Calian for the cruelest of reasons, was because at some point, he had completely forgotten that initial motive and come to care for Calian alone.
“Even if our Prince heard this, he would probably just say, ‘Is that so?’ and move on. He knows that regardless of the order, the present and the future are what matter most. I don’t think Prince Franz is any different.”
Although Yan still disliked Franz and doubted he would ever look upon him warmly, he had no intention of hating the fact that Relic had come to sincerely follow him. In fact, it was a welcome development.
Given Franz’s incredible perceptiveness, he might already know the truth. But Yan was certain Franz wouldn’t hold the real reason Relic had sought him out to heart or be disappointed by it.
“So, take it. It’s money you need, isn’t it? It’s a reward you’ve earned, so you don’t need to feel guilty. Besides, our Prince is rich anyway. Returning it won’t benefit either of you.”
At Yan’s half-joking words, Relic, who looked to be on the verge of tears again, tucked the money pouch back into his shirt. But just as he was about to pull it out again, feeling he absolutely couldn’t accept it—
Slam!
The door to the servants’ lounge swung wide open. Relic shot to his feet in surprise at the sight of the person who had entered. It was someone he never expected to see here.
A deep teal jacket, a black shirt and trousers, a simple diamond brooch, and a gleaming sword that looked undeniably heavy.
The Young Duchess of Siegfried!
Since she was Calian’s fiancée, had she come looking for him? Or had she come to find Yan because Calian wasn’t around?
Just as Relic was about to brush his thoughts aside and bow—
“Brother.”
A thunderbolt of a word slipped from Demirea’s lips.
Come to think of it, Relic had just been talking to someone with the exact same curly hair and eye color as her.
That person looked slightly embarrassed for a second, then turned to Demirea.
“Lea.”
The person who had just been pushing a money pouch while talking about cherries and the order of things—no, the esteemed individual who had been speaking—replied. Or rather, the Young Duke replied. Or rather, His Lordship replied and asked:
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes. Count Manasil…”
Relic felt the ceiling spin, and he couldn’t hear another word Demirea said.
Huuuuh…
A deflating sound escaped his mouth.
*
It was a day no different from any other.
He woke up at the same time, began his daily routine, completed his scheduled training, and went out to his usual spot to shoot arrows.
He was spending an utterly ordinary day when, just as the sweltering heat reached its peak, something absolutely extraordinary happened.
He felt a faint, static-like prickle on his wrist.
It was a feature Alan had designed so that mana was transmitted before any voice could be heard—a consideration for users who couldn’t feel mana to still notice the resonance.
“Ah…”
“Is something the matter, Your Highness?”
At the single sound that escaped him as he dropped his arrow—a sound of surprise, or perhaps pleasure—Teilan immediately stepped closer, worried something had happened.
“Is something wrong?”
Arianne, whom Chase had instructed never to leave Teilan’s side, also spoke up. Waving away the surrounding servants, Chase showed his bracelet to Teilan.
“Take a look at this.”
It was the first time the other party had initiated contact, but Chase’s face remained calm as he made the request. On the outside, at least.
Arianne, who knew better than anyone how eagerly he had been waiting for Calian to contact him, approached with shared excitement. She judged it would be better for her to touch Chase’s wrist than Teilan, with so many eyes around.
— Prince Calian?
With high expectations, Chase called out to Calian, who had yet to speak.
— Wrong guess.
Click.
The moment he heard the first syllable, Chase’s expectations vanished. Before the second could even finish, he cut the communication.
There was no ulterior motive. He didn’t cut it off out of disappointment. While it was true he didn’t particularly welcome Franz, it was just an instinctive reaction, not born of any deep-seated grudge. At least, that was his story.
“What? Why did you cut it off so quickly?” Arianne asked, noticing the sudden stop in mana flow.
“My mana must have been insufficient. It disconnected on its own,” Chase lied smoothly.
Arianne retorted as if he were spouting nonsense. “Insufficient, my foot.”
Ah, caught again, Chase thought, offering a wry smile.
It was highly unlikely for anything to happen to Calian in Kairis, let alone Secritia. But even if something did, Alan would have been the one to speak, not Franz. There was no reason for Franz, who couldn’t use magic, to go through the trouble.
That was why he had simply cut the connection.
He could clearly picture the pale prince throwing a massive fit somewhere in Kairis, but it wasn’t like he had done it on purpose. What could he do?
With that thought, Chase extended his arm toward Arianne once more.
“Again, Arianne.”
Though she looked thoroughly annoyed, Arianne walked over without a word and infused mana into the bracelet. Then, she and Teilan moved a short distance away and began shooting arrows at the target.
Watching her, Chase let a faint smile play on his lips as he stepped into the shade and spoke.
— My apologies, Prince Franz. I was a bit startled.
— …As consistent as ever.
Franz, who couldn’t possibly know that Calian had never once initiated contact—and thus how high Chase’s expectations had been—replied in a voice dripping with displeasure.
Chase could easily picture the expression on his face. But whatever face Franz was making wasn’t really his concern, was it?
— I am indeed consistent. And I am doing well, without any issues.
— I don’t think so.
At those words, Chase, who had been watching Arianne, lowered his gaze to his feet. Franz’s tone sounded as if he knew exactly what was happening on his end.
Just as Chase was about to ask if Calian had told Franz about Devlan potentially summoning his healer, Franz spoke first.
— I don’t know what my younger brother’s former older brother said to him, but my younger brother came back looking half-dead.
The arbitrary titles were as consistent as ever, but Chase didn’t laugh. He couldn’t. Nor could he answer immediately.
He understood it was a reproach. He didn’t make excuses, like saying his fiancée had spoken out of turn after drugging him with sleeping pills.
After waiting for Chase’s response, Franz spoke again, his voice laced with annoyance.
— I need to know what was said.
The fact that Franz was asking him directly meant Calian hadn’t told him. Chase initially intended to refuse, but once again, Franz beat him to it.
— Tell me straight. Don’t beat around the bush.
It was obvious what Chase would think. Franz had assumed he wouldn’t give a straight answer, knowing that he and Calian thought exactly alike.
— Is knowing that so important?
— It is.
Chase’s expression hardened.
— What is going on?
He knew Franz wasn’t the type to snatch Calian’s ring just to demand, ‘What did you say to my brother?’ He must have asked because it was connected to something else.
— It seems the King of Secritia sent a letter, pretending to be my younger brother’s former older brother.
Though he didn’t know how far Devlan’s reach extended, Chase understood this meant Devlan had set a trap for Calian. He asked:
— What kind of letter did he send?
— Talk. First.
Franz was unyielding. A solution could only be found after both sides laid their cards on the table, and he was demanding Chase speak first to prevent him from hiding anything.
— I asked what you said to my brother.
At the demand to explain how he had shaken Calian, Chase kept his eyes lowered, silent for a moment, before letting out a quiet laugh. Franz was the one pressing him, and he was the one being interrogated, yet he couldn’t help but smile.
Because, for some reason, he felt relieved.
*
Clack, clack.
Surprisingly, it was Raven who found Calian as he emerged from Arpia Palace to look for Alan.
“How did you know?”
To follow Alan, Raven was the most necessary companion. Not only was the horse intelligent, but no other steed could outrun the royal knights.
Yan, who had arrived at Arpia Palace holding Raven’s reins, explained with a smile.
“I heard Sir Manasil visited Senyu Hall. He said it was urgent and met with Lea for a moment.”
Just as the Central Noble Council was about to begin, a note had been delivered to Lemain requesting that Demirea be temporarily excused. It was from Alan, citing an urgent matter regarding Calian. Since Alan had never made such a request, Lemain had immediately sent Demirea out.
“He asked if the knights had seen Your Highness sparring when you visited our estate. While no one saw you spar with my father, the knights and servants did see you sparring with Lea and the others.”
“That’s true.” Calian nodded, guessing what Alan was thinking.
Yan continued, “Lea told him exactly that. Then he asked where those people were now. When she replied that they were all in the duchy, he told her not to mention this to either me or Your Highness, and then vanished right before her eyes. That’s why Lea came to find me, asking where you were.”
Yan even relayed the part about Alan telling Lea to keep it a secret, a bright smile on his face. He omitted the minor detail that Relic had fainted and woken back up upon learning his true identity during their exchange.
Calian, who knew all too well how quickly a story starting with “This is a secret” could spread, let out a sigh of relief.
At least it meant Alan hadn’t blindly rushed off to Secritia.
Of course, that didn’t mean there was no need to pursue him. There had to be a reason Demirea had sought out Yan instead of heading straight to the duchy herself.
“Right, I understand.”
Alan hadn’t gone after the scheming Devlan; he had gone to squeeze answers out of Suleiman, that pure-hearted mass of muscle who believed every human was inherently good.
Chase could verify whether Devlan had regained his memories, so Alan must have felt the need to check if information about Calian had leaked from another source. If Devlan was merely testing Calian, Alan likely reasoned that the Siegfried Duchy was the most probable source of the leak. After all, it was the only place where Calian had openly used his Secritian swordsmanship in front of others.
In the end, Alan had gone to clean up after his secret-spilling disciple. Caught between feeling guilty toward Alan and wanting to offer his condolences to Suleiman, Calian mounted his horse.
“Thank you, Yan.”
It was a thank-you for letting him know Alan’s whereabouts and for quickly preparing Raven.
“I can’t imagine how I would have survived here without you.”
Taking the opportunity to express his heartfelt gratitude, Calian turned toward the teleportation magic circle leading to the Siegfried territory, where Alan would have already arrived. At that moment, Raven kicked off the ground and galloped out of the palace without hesitation.
He had to stop Alan from wringing his old friend’s neck with his own hands. He also needed to assess the situation before Alan, after wringing his friend’s neck, decided he might as well drop by nearby Secritia while he was at it.
“Wow… Today must be my birthday.”
Calian rode off, completely missing Yan’s astonished murmur at the sudden, gift-like praise.