Chapter 235: You Won't Be Able to Handle It (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 235: You Won't Be Able to Handle It (5)
After sparring with Demirea, I met with Alan and Franz.
I had only gone to Alan with a single favor to ask, but after our conversation turned to Zeon, I ended up asking him to do something I wished he could have forgotten and lived without. I knew that searching for Elinne again was a sour tangerine for Alan, but a father’s desperate wish for his son to live without guilt was so poignant that I managed to see the conversation through, pretending nothing was amiss.
After that, I finally confirmed what I already knew: Franz had no interest in the crown prince’s throne, and that would never change.
"But I still haven't decided. Whether to raise a big dog or a small dog. A black dog or a white dog."
In the end, it was as if I had received his blessing. He would be the one to go to Camillon and raise dogs, and I would be the one to succeed Lemain and protect Kairis. Permission granted by the man who had long since turned his back on the throne to the one who had guarded the seat until he’d finally gone mad.
How ironic.
"Did you stay up all night agonizing over what kind of dog to raise?"
"Of course not. I'm not that strange."
"Then why didn't you sleep? You could have called for me, and I would have warmed some milk for you, but you didn't even do that."
His words, a mix of worry and gentle scolding, were warmer than any heated milk.
"I just… had a lot on my mind."
The day before.
I had dined with Demirea, who had visited again after finishing her treatment. From her, I received recommendations for four nobles fit to become the new Margrave in Gray Brissen’s place.
‘Thank you. I’ll speak with His Majesty and decide on one of the four.’
After that, we discussed the knights being secretly sheltered at the Siegfried mansion. They were to enter the royal palace all at once on the day the restriction on Franz’s heart was lifted. They were a crucial force, capable of keeping the Valkan knights in check should they run wild, and would assist the Valkan mages, including Arsen, in securing Lemain and Franz’s positions.
Therefore, I shared a part of my current plan with Demirea and, though it was shameless, asked for her help once more.
‘Once the Seal of Oath is gone, my brother will be able to handle matters within the palace on his own, so Siegfried won't need to get involved. But I might be away at that time. If I’m not here, could I ask you to at least deliver the message I just gave you to my brother?’
I couldn't tell Franz about the plan to drive out Evan Brissen just yet. Demirea had already agreed to hand over the hidden knights to Franz when the time came, and passing along a simple message wouldn't conflict with Siegfried's principles. Demirea nodded, allowing me to owe her one more debt.
After our conversation ended and I saw Demirea off, I had been thinking. I remained lost in thought, completely unaware that the dark window had brightened and the birds had begun to chirp once more.
"Please rest, even if just for a little while. You overexerted yourself yesterday."
"A single sparring match is hardly overexertion, and staying up all night is nothing to me."
Having seen Suleiman, Yan surely knew the extent of a Sword Master's stamina. Yet he still urged me to rest, his eyes scanning every detail of my face. It was obvious he was worried about whatever was weighing so heavily on my mind.
"No major problems have arisen, so you don't have to worry so much."
"I wouldn't worry if you gave me no reason to. Do you realize that hearing you say 'don't worry' is what worries me the most?"
Answering again with that familiar mix of worry and scolding, Yan let out a soft sigh as he looked at my smiling face. He then dismissed the maids, who had finished arranging my attire and hair.
Once everyone had left and the door was closed, Yan spoke in a quiet voice.
"Prince Randel's attendant came by."
"He's a bit late."
Finally, a reply from Randel.
"The only message was 'Tuesday morning'."
It was a brief reply, just like Randel himself. Seeing this, it seemed Randel truly was a descendant of Sispanian.
"If you need to confirm the details, I can ask again."
"I know what it means. No need to double-check."
Though the message was delivered without explanation, it wasn't hard to understand. It meant he would meet Gray Brissen before the memorial event for Concubine Freya began.
"He chose a good date."
I offered my own brief, cryptic comment.
Since many nobles would be visiting the palace for the memorial anyway, Gray Brissen’s presence wouldn’t seem strange. It was the perfect day for them to feign a natural encounter, away from prying eyes.
There could be no better day to make Evan—who was sure to be scheming—misunderstand and believe Gray was attempting to secretly meet Randel.
I silently praised Randel once more for choosing a date that perfectly aligned with my intentions without needing any explanation.
"I think I need to see His Majesty today," I said.
"Yes. I will send someone to Arpia Palace to check."
"Thank you."
Nodding, I spoke again. "Also, bring me every single rumor circulating on Astrisha Street that is related to me. Not just summaries like before, but everything."
"Among the rumors spread by the nobles, I doubt there are any that aren't related to you, Your Highness. I'll report them as soon as they're gathered."
"Yes. Thank you."
Yan stared at me blankly as I thanked him again. When he met my questioning gaze, he said, "Please stop saying things like that now."
"What things?"
"Saying 'thank you' or 'I'm sorry.'"
I smiled.
A king must not feel gratitude or offer apologies. He must take everything for granted and stand proud in all things. Just as Lemain used to.
Yan’s words were advice: since the path to succeeding Lemain was becoming clear, I should start reining in my expressions of gratitude and apology.
"I don't want to."
Perhaps I had caught the habit from that light-green fellow, as the answer slipped out so naturally.
Yan smiled faintly.
It was likely because he had fulfilled his duty as the prince's attendant, yet received an answer that pleased him as Calian's man.
"If I were to change like that," I said, "no one would be able to handle it."
"Yes, yes. Do as you please, then."
I nodded and smiled back.
After that, I once again began to seriously contemplate what kind of dog I should raise.
* * *
The blacksmith Giggs chuckled.
"My goodness, Young Duchess! What sort of fight did you get into? For your sword to be this damaged after just one day…"
True to his affable nature, he had grown much more comfortable around Demirea over time.
"It ended up like this from parrying the Third Prince's sword."
"Oh my."
Letting out an exclamation loaded with meaning, Giggs chuckled again and rolled up his sleeves. After carefully examining the sword to see what repairs were needed, he spoke.
"I'll have it completely fixed and delivered to you by this evening."
"No, that's fine. I will come back for it."
A corner of the mansion. The sound of hammering iron and the deep red glow of the forge made it a place she quite liked. It was no trouble to come back later to look around.
Besides, Giggs was incredibly busy managing the swords of so many knights.
"You must be busy, yet you come in person every time, Young Duchess."
"It's fine. I plan to put everything aside and rest today anyway."
Just as she said, she intended to spend a leisurely day drinking tea and reading. Although she had already enjoyed a peaceful time yesterday thanks to Hina, her mind had become complicated again after meeting Calian.
"Was yesterday's sparring with the Third Prince very tiring?"
"Rather than tiring…"
— I might be away at that time.
"It's just that I have a lot on my mind."
Overhearing words not meant for him, Giggs interpreted Demirea's response in his own way.
"It's only natural you have more to think about. I don't know the first thing about swordsmanship, but even I know he is a truly remarkable person. To think that someone who lost all his muscles to poison overcame it all and reached such a high level in just a year. Sparring with someone like that would give anyone a lot to think about."
Lost his muscles to poison?
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're his fiancée and you didn't know? I'm talking about Silike's poison. Shortly before he coughed up blood and collapsed, the Prince came to my shop for the first time. Even then, he was in a state where he couldn't even lift a sword properly. Yet his eyes as he examined the swords were incredibly meticulous. Anyway, about a year after that whole incident, he became a Sword Master and visited my shop again. He told me himself that he hadn't been able to lift a sword because of Silike's poison. Isn't that truly grasping the essence of swordsmanship and overcoming adversity? Goodness, for someone who must have handled swords so much to have his body damaged to the point where he couldn't even lift a thin sword… I can't even begin to imagine how terrible that poison must have been."
Demirea stared at Giggs's face without a word. Giggs, too busy reminiscing about the great Prince Calian to notice her expression, continued.
"So, imagine how much the Prince must have suffered. But now he's established himself so splendidly, and they say Concubine Freya is being elevated to Queen this time. Surely, Serenti is rewarding him for all the hardships he endured, don't you think?"
"…Perhaps so."
She had known about the poisoning, of course. Who in Kairis didn't?
But something felt off.
"Have you mentioned this story to anyone else?"
"Oh, heavens no. Who would I dare speak to about the Third Prince's affairs? I only mentioned it because you are his fiancée, Young Duchess."
"I would prefer if you didn't speak of this elsewhere in the future, either. It involves the royal succession struggle."
"Of course. Don't worry, Young Duchess."
Unaware that Demirea's thoughts had multiplied even further, Giggs nodded with a bright smile.
* * *
Franz furrowed his brow.
His thoughts grew complicated as he sat before his younger brother, who had been barking strangely yesterday and was now barking pointlessly again today.
Franz briefly blamed himself, wondering if all his talk about barking had actually taught his brother to do nothing else. He then spoke.
"I'm busy."
It was his way of saying that while his younger brother seemed to have so much on his mind that he had temporarily forgotten such trivialities, Franz himself was too busy to waste time on nonsense.
This was because Calian—who had just finished clearing a large portion of meat-heavy dishes and had even devoured an ear of corn roasted golden-brown with butter—had asked him a question. In contrast, Franz had only eaten half his mushroom oatmeal and a slice of fragrant bread before setting down his spoon. It was then that Calian had asked, with a face so serious it was as if he were facing the greatest dilemma of his life:
"What kind of dog should I raise when I go to Camillon?"
Soon, the table was cleared and two glasses of juice were set down. Franz spoke.
"You could just let that crazy blue-haired mage loose. He barks pretty well too."
"Ah. That is an unexpected solution."
In the end, despite being busy, he had actually given thought to Calian's dilemma. Whatever the content, the important thing was that he had offered a solution.
Watching Calian, whose face briefly showed genuine consideration before he burst into laughter, Franz took a sip of his deep purple grape juice. He then leaned back in his chair and asked, "What is it now?"
He had already received the documents with Euria's investigation results, though he hadn't examined them yet. Despite that, seeing Calian spouting nonsense made it obvious another worry was on his mind.
"Is it that obvious?"
"My little brother has no talent for hiding things."
Having said that, Franz gestured with his chin. "I said I'm busy."
He had already taken the entire previous day off, after all. At the demand to speak quickly and leave, Calian, looking resigned, spoke.
"Are you really planning to keep sharing this sour tangerine with me? You might not be able to handle it."
"I told you. Already."
Calian chuckled softly, then pulled a rolled-up piece of paper from his breast pocket and handed it to Franz.
"Since you plan to keep sharing it, I wanted to set up a safety measure for your heart, brother. Well, I don't really know if it will work as a safety measure, but if it does, great. If not, so be it. You won't lose anything either way."
Franz's eyes narrowed as he untied the thin leather cord binding the paper and checked its contents. Without waiting for a reply, Calian continued.
"So, since you've already done it once, why not do one more? With me."
Calian smiled brightly as he spoke. Hearing proper human words for the first time in a long while, Franz allowed the corners of his lips to curl into a smirk.
"Do it."
The Seal of Oath.
He looked down at the paper, at a contract for yet another one.