Chapter 287: Truly Beautiful (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 287: Truly Beautiful (5)
He will never understand.
Calian had declared it with absolute certainty. Devlan would never comprehend Franz’s true intentions.
Devlan was similar to Brissen, yet fundamentally different. Brissen saw his siblings and children as rivals. Devlan did not. He saw them as enemies. To him, there was no enemy more dangerous than one who shared his blood and his thoughts. He had murdered his own brothers and now ruled over his children with an iron fist.
Therefore, Calian was certain that while Devlan might be able to read Randel’s mind, he would never be able to understand Franz.
“I called for Dame Grace because I thought she would be of help.”
“Do we have to wait?”
“No. Though she set off later than us, she should catch up before we reach the border tomorrow. You haven’t met her, so you may not know, but Dame Grace is incredibly fast.”
Because of their sudden departure, Rachel had been unable to accompany them. Calian had contacted Alan, requesting that the mage be sent separately. A master of teleportation magic, Dame Grace was barely known in Kairis, having spent her time traveling from place to place to construct teleportation circles ever since arriving as part of Alan Manasil’s retinue.
And Devlan won’t know who Dame Grace is, either.
After all, it was Chase, not Devlan, who had managed the countless “birds” in Kairis. Until he had blocked the High Priest of Tensil, Chase had been like Devlan’s right hand. Devlan had personally managed the spies related to Tensil, like the Blue Warbler, while leaving the Kairis network to Chase, effectively using his son as a puppet.
Furthermore, while Devlan might have been curious and wary about my identity, he wouldn’t have thought deeply about you, Brother. Even I, who was in charge of Kairis's intelligence, had no interest in you before you became Crown Prince.
“…I see.”
Of course, Devlan had birds under his direct command in Kairis as well. Through them, he focused his attention on Lemain and the Valkan family. The movements of three princes, none of whom had even been named Crown Prince, were beneath his notice. He likely assumed that, in time, they would naturally be whittled down to one.
Presumably, that one would be Calian.
“So, Devlan will not understand why you came here, or what gave you the confidence to do so.”
A man who treated his own siblings as enemies. A man with scarce information on the princes of Kairis. A man who wouldn’t even grasp who Franz was protecting when he stood in Silike’s way. Such a man, Calian insisted, would never understand Franz.
“Are you saying you summoned that mage to deny him the time to understand?”
“Yes. Once we cross the mountains, I plan to arrive as quickly as possible with Dame Grace’s help. Since our goal is to catch Devlan off guard, it’s best to keep him off-balance until we arrive. That way, he won’t have time to shift his guard from me to you, or to orchestrate another scheme.”
Franz’s birthday wasn’t just a convenient excuse for Calian; it was an opportunity for Devlan as well. Devlan would try to exploit these sudden foreign guests in any way he could. His twisted perspective and limited information didn’t make him a fool.
So they hurried.
“Should we not also inform your former older brother?”
“Yes. I’ve already spoken to Brother Chase. He said he would prepare.”
“Understood.”
And so, they arrived.
That was when he realized it—the truth he had temporarily forgotten while focused on Devlan.
Only after gazing at the distant sea shimmering under the moonlight did it truly hit him. Watching it through the night, the forgotten reality struck him deep in his heart once more.
He realized where this place was.
“Ah…”
The outer castle gate, which had once been forced shut, stood wide open.
The raging flames had not yet erupted. Instead of the stinging, metallic stench of blood soaking the earth, a cool, clear breeze brushed past his cheek. He stood under a sky where white clouds drifted instead of a rain of pitch-black arrows, yet he found himself rooted to the spot, his heart too heavy to bear the weight of a single pebble beneath his feet.
Crunch.
He barely managed to dismount from Raven.
With great effort, he took a single step. And then he walked.
Truly beautiful Secritia.
A flood of images—memories, recollections, dreams—filled his mind. This beautiful land, where his eyes had touched every corner, was no longer his country. Every single spot was so precious that even the words “I tried to protect this place” felt too heavy to utter. After countless days of grief, he had finally returned.
He truly realized it now.
One step, two steps from where the mages had stood that day. Another step, two steps from where Franz had stood. He walked on in silence, half a step from where Arsen had stood. And then… on that day…
Crunch.
The spire he had yearned so much to see.
The sight he had wished to engrave in his eyes one last time but had been denied.
His red eyes, which had been fixed on the sky as if to suppress a rising tide of emotion, finally closed.
Kyrie, who had been listening to the subtle tremor in Calian’s breathing—a tremor quieter than anyone else’s—spoke softly. At this moment, he was the only one who could.
“Someone has arrived to guide us to the inner castle. The Royal Concubine of Secritia is said to be coming to greet us before the royal palace.”
“I see.”
“Prince Franz said he would handle the greetings, so Your Highness…”
“No. I will do it.”
“Yes. I will convey that.”
How did the creature know how difficult it was to retrace those steps? Raven approached of its own accord, lowered its head, and nudged Calian’s shoulder.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to support me right now.”
Soothed by the large, gentle beast, Calian looked down once more at the memories lingering beneath his feet.
Though he had already let this place go once in his heart, and sent it away once more into the blue flames of that sea, the foolish heart of a human was just that stubborn, that persistent.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment and let it go yet again. Only then, without lingering regret, did he mount Raven and ride straight toward the royal castle.
“This is Franz Rune Kairis, the Second Prince of Kairis, and Calian Rain Kairis, the Third Prince.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Royal Concubine Louise Nella. I have heard much about you from Crown Prince Chase.”
Even as brief introductions were exchanged between Louise and Kyrie, Calian did not waver. He expertly controlled the fragile heart of her son—the boy who hadn’t lived a long life.
“I have wanted to meet you. Truly.”
Greeting Louise with a warm expression, he even managed a bright smile.
Yes. He was truly fine.
By mastering his heart time and time again, he was fine.
He was fine, but…
…How dare you.
* * *
A smile he had never faced before.
A voice he had never heard before.
—You do not have to do that.
Chase recognized it. Kyrie understood it.
And Franz comprehended it.
Calian.
He was angry.
No, to be precise…
Don’t hold back.
He had snapped.
* * *
A red cloak.
The prince’s formal attire, which he hadn’t prepared, thinking he would have no occasion to wear it.
“Prince Franz says you should wear this today.”
The red cloak that Franz had handed him through Kyrie that morning now caught the wind. His brother, far too thoughtful to make him borrow someone else’s clothes in Secritia of all places, had apparently received it from Yan in advance and packed it in his luggage.
Should he resent his brother for stamping him as a prince of Kairis even here, or should he smile at the gesture meant to ensure he never forgot he was one? Unsure which to feel, he had simply sent word of his agreement and donned the formal attire without a word.
The red cloak was wrapped around a dark blue jacket.
Now, it covered Chase’s body.
Franz had carefully chosen his younger brother’s attire, a silent message to endure. But then, he had told Calian not to hold back, rendering that careful gesture pointless. And Calian truly did not.
Crunch.
Seeing the Kairis crest embroidered on the cloak, Chase hid his startled expression and raised his head. He then witnessed a red-eyed hound, unleashed, turning its gaze upon a venomous snake. His eyes then met the light green ones of the person who had so ruthlessly let go of the leash. He was startled once more.
A smile strikingly similar to Calian’s played on Franz’s lips.
Watch closely. See how well my brother barks.
It was as if he could hear the words aloud.
Despite knowing he was in a disastrous situation, a deep sense of relief washed over Chase. He didn’t worry about how Calian had addressed him, whether Devlan understood the meaning behind the act, what the onlookers were thinking, or how Devlan would react. He pondered none of it.
For a moment, he simply leaned his heart against the comfort the cloak provided.
“It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Devlan’s gaze turned toward Calian.
Looking into the eyes of a man skilled at hiding his heart, the one who had lost all intention of hiding his own smiled.
“Yes. It is a pleasure.”
Devlan, with the eyes of a predator facing something utterly fascinating, wore an expression gentler than anyone else’s.
Calian, having just declared that he—backed by Kairis—would protect the very son Devlan sought to ruin, offered the king a smile as radiant as a freshly bloomed flower.
“I am Calian.”
* * *
Probing.
Devlan spoke, his voice quietly subdued. “I did not know the Prince of Kairis was so close with the Crown Prince of Secritia. I find this rather unexpected.”
“Is that so?”
There was nothing to be gained by pointing out the rudeness. Taken at face value, Calian had merely unfastened his own cloak and draped it over Chase. If Devlan made an issue of it now, it would expose the fact that he had left his own Crown Prince standing in the garden for an hour—a slight so great that a foreign prince had felt compelled to show him “pity.” Without Chase even needing to appeal to the Noble Council, it would lay bare how Devlan now regarded him.
So, Devlan swallowed Calian’s insolence.
“Furthermore, you keep a child I am familiar with by your side. What should I make of this?”
Of course, that didn’t mean he had forgotten the insolence.
Calian, still smiling, turned his head slightly to look at Eila standing behind him. His gaze lingered for a moment on the droplet-shaped bead at the tip of her hairpin before he spoke.
“Since you broke her wings and kept her in a cage, she may indeed seem familiar. But surely, you must be at a loss for words when facing the one who took in the bird that escaped on its own.”
“Is that so? Since the bird that left me of its own accord went to you, it is only right that I have nothing to say to you. In that case, should I speak to the bird instead?”
“It would be best if you kept the hand that broke her wings to yourself while you speak. The bird merely wished to live. And… I did mention that I have taken her in, but it seems you failed to hear me.”
Saying this, Calian turned his head back to Devlan.
“Whether she fled, flew, or was picked up by me, she is now my possession. I do not believe she is someone Your Majesty can speak with anymore. What do you think?”
“One who dares speak such words is reaching for what is mine.”
“Ah… do you mean Brother Chase?”
Calian delivered his response, his voice still gentle.
“Since you weren’t cherishing him but trying to drag him into the abyss, I decided to hold onto him instead.”
Without another word, Devlan nodded, a smile playing on his lips once more. Soon, his gaze drifted to the companions behind Calian.
He took in Franz, who stood wearing the exact same formal attire as Calian. After seeing Calian give a small nod, Kyrie spoke.
“This is Franz Rune Kairis, the Second Prince of Kairis.”
Following that, Franz spoke in a low voice.
“I greet His Majesty, the King of Secritia.”
Bowing his head slightly, he offered his greetings with proper etiquette. His face was completely expressionless.
One was polite in expression but not in word. The other was polite in word but not in expression.
What a truly amusing combination.
“Though it is a sudden visit, my welcome is sincere. I hope you stay comfortably before you return.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“However,” Devlan paused, suppressing a light cough. Then he spoke again. “I worry that your journey back, having come all this way on your own, might prove treacherous.”
“Thank you for your concern, but I am fine.”
Franz bowed his head slightly.
Before Devlan’s eyes, Franz’s fingertips, pointed toward the ground, drew a long arc. His low voice continued.
“To get what you want… shouldn’t you be willing to wager something of your own first?”
You, who are buried in suspicion of my brother and me. I will cast you into the abyss.