Chapter 288: For Public Relations (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 288: For Public Relations (1)
A small gesture.
A quiet word.
Devlan, having seen and heard it all, showed no reaction beyond a simple nod. He then instructed that the distinguished guests, who had traveled a long way, be guided to the second annex before returning to his office.
Chase, who had witnessed the same exchange, furrowed his brow.
And Calian smiled.
Yan, who would have understood the meaning behind that smile, was not present. Franz, however, remembered the last time Calian had worn such an expression and remained utterly silent.
One thing was certain: none of this had been part of Calian’s plan. He hadn’t planned on wearing the red cloak embroidered with the royal crest that day. He hadn’t planned on arriving only to witness a scene that so closely mirrored the freezing night the former Queen Diena died. He certainly hadn’t planned on losing his mind because of it. And Franz, seeing his brother’s state, had definitely not planned on loosening ‘Calian’s’ leash just to stop him from killing Devlan on the spot.
Therefore, Franz’s small gesture and quiet word had not been part of the plan either.
“To take an opponent’s hand, you have to bet your own.”
Watching Devlan’s back disappear into the depths of the royal palace, a low voice slipped from Calian’s lips.
The long, slow smile that Franz had worn was now perfectly mirrored on Calian’s face.
* * *
Lemain once said that one must not determine hierarchy based on the size of a nation.
He hadn’t said it to Calian, but to Franz. He had told him not to look down on Chase, who was traveling all the way to Kairis, and to avoid conflict and get along well.
In truth, the three princes didn’t need Lemain’s warning. They had been taught countless times that Secritia, Tensil, and Libern were not duchies of Kairis but neighboring countries with smaller territories, by no means inferior in any other aspect.
The problem was that Lemain, who had asked Devlan to take good care of his sons, seemed to have temporarily forgotten that common sense himself. Lemain’s letter had been amusing to read and memorize, but it was certainly not pleasant.
At any rate, because he remembered that letter…
‘To get what you want… shouldn’t you bet my own first?’
“My” own.
Devlan didn’t care how the third prince—who seemed to have long ago abandoned any pretense of speaking like a civilized human—referred to himself. However, he did have to wonder if the second prince—whom he had at least thought to be polite—addressing himself as an equal was the result of Lemain failing to raise his children properly.
Then, his curiosity was piqued.
He recalled that the third prince was said to have an upright character and extraordinary dignity, while the second prince was known for a fierce temper and a foul disposition.
“An interesting pair of brothers,” Devlan remarked after a short cough.
The chief chamberlain standing beside him bowed. “Should we send a letter of protest, Your Highness?”
“A letter of protest for what?”
“For mere princes to refer to themselves in such a manner before Your Highness is a grave breach of etiquette. We should make a clear protest regarding this…”
“There’s no need. They all act like that at their age.”
Hearing Devlan’s response, the chamberlain opened his mouth to argue but quickly shut it. He knew better than anyone that Devlan never repeated himself and never reversed a decision.
‘I thought Your Highness would have felt the same, however.’
As Devlan stared down at the glass of clear water before him, Franz’s next words surfaced in his memory. The shift in address had been emphasized, as if entirely intentional. It was a trivial matter, something he could have easily dismissed as a minor unpleasantness, but Devlan could not.
—To take the opponent’s hand, you have to bet. My own.
He realized then that Franz hadn’t been viewing himself as an equal. He had simply been parroting Devlan’s own speech habit. Thus, the “my” Franz had uttered was not referring to himself.
“Truly an interesting pair of brothers.”
The third, who had suddenly become a Sword Master and used the exact swordsmanship of Secritia’s knights. The second, who mirrored Devlan’s hand gestures perfectly. The third, who dealt with his political enemies in the exact same manner as Devlan. The second, who mimicked Devlan’s speech habits to the letter. The third, who openly looked after Chase. The second, who merely watched from behind.
One was a fake.
One was the real deal.
“We shall see soon enough,” Devlan murmured.
Which of them would be more intriguing.
Which of them truly resembled me.
* * *
It was a paradox.
The one place where the three princes, men who lived on a knife’s edge, could fall asleep with the greatest peace of mind was Chermil Palace, where all the brothers lived together. Though one might be served poisoned tea, another might hide a sword beneath their pillow, and a third might wither away locked in solitude, Chermil was still the safest place.
The same applied here.
For the strangers visiting Secritia, the safest place was none other than the Secritia Royal Palace. It might even be safer than Chermil. Devlan had ordered guards to protect them, ensuring that not a single hair on anyone’s head would be harmed—from the two princes down to the lowest-ranking knight. He had also ordered their food to be thoroughly checked for poison.
If anything happened to the Kairis guests, if the safety of the two princes was threatened, then, as Lemain had put it, a “heartbroken” Valkan would set foot on this land to soothe their aching hearts.
The two nations might be equal in status, but that did not mean there was no difference in their actual power.
“Not really. I’m not worried.”
The clever Franz, who knew this all too well, went for a walk in the rear garden of the annex immediately after arriving. He did so conspicuously, without any mages or even escort knights.
“The king here isn’t a Brissen, after all.”
“I don’t know whether to call you fearless or to say your faith in my father is excessive.”
Chase, who had come looking for the young prince wandering alone, expressed his concern in his own way.
“…Those words shouldn’t be coming from your mouth.”
“I may have wandered around alone in the Kairis Royal Palace, but His Majesty there is different from my father, is he not?”
“I don’t think he’s the type to recklessly send assassins after a prince out for a walk.”
Upon hearing this, Chase’s voice echoed in Franz’s mind.
—One can never know. He is so impatient right now that it’s surprising he hasn’t thought of entrusting his heart to Zeon. He might resort to any means necessary.
—I know.
Franz had noticed that Chase had also learned to manipulate mana, but he showed no reaction, replying casually.
—If you are harmed, a war may break out, but a healer will also come. He might fixate on that. I hope you haven’t forgotten that what my father needs most right now is not smooth relations between our countries, but a healer.
—My little brother will make sure I stay alive. Your father, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have anyone who would do the same for him. Isn’t that enough? If he thought it was dangerous, he would have followed me out. My little brother, that is.
If someone were to attack Franz, it would only give Calian an excuse to take down Devlan. It meant Franz would not suffer any real harm.
—You seem to trust my brother a great deal. I hope you aren’t planning to act as bait with that in mind.
—I’m not.
Already displeased by the floral scent filling the garden—so unsuited for winter—and now annoyed by the long lecture, Franz gave a curt reply and took a step forward. Then, he stopped, turned back to Chase, and spoke aloud.
“Hina is never coming. Not until I start speaking formally to you.”
His words were spoken as if he didn’t care who heard them. It was a declaration that until Devlan was dead, no matter what happened, there would be no reason to summon a healer.
Letting out a soft chuckle, Chase replied. “Where is Prince Calian?”
“Why?”
—I thought you two would be together. This is unexpected. Is something the matter?
—No. Nothing.
With those words, Chase handed over what he was holding to Franz.
“I wanted to return this in person and have a brief chat, but it seems that will be difficult. Would you mind delivering it for me, Prince Franz?”
It was the red cloak Calian had given him.
Franz nodded and took it.
After watching Franz for a moment, Chase spoke silently once more.
—Still, I didn’t expect you to actually come here. Other than my brother, I never imagined Prince Franz and even that mage from Valkan would come.
There are some things that even insight cannot grasp. Calian’s aberrant thoughts, which even Franz found impossible to guess, were one of them.
—My little brother is just that generous.
A gentle smile appeared on Chase’s lips. It reminded Franz so strongly of Alan’s face that he frowned.
“Enough of that. Why did you come?”
“To return the cloak.”
“Other than that.”
—When he is deep in thought, he sometimes casts his eyes down. He taps his fingertips on the table. If there is no table, then on his knee.
—…What else?
—He likes betting. He never seeks only a single gain from a single matter. Even if prey appears, he tends not to move until he has thoroughly probed and understood his opponent. He slowly pushes them into a trap, step by step, but if his mood sours, he is also quick to bite them to death.
It was a description of Devlan, and all of it was information Franz already knew. The only difference was that these were also Calian’s traits.
“They resemble each other far too much,” Franz said.
“Yes. Amusingly so.”
Having said this, Chase stared at Franz for a while before continuing.
—It seems you are trying to meddle in something dangerous, Prince Franz.
—I don’t like it when people ask questions they already know the answer to.
—There is no need for you to step forward.
—That’s rich, coming from the person who just listed all his habits for me.
—Even if it is dangerous, I cannot pretend not to notice when you are trying to help my brother. I am simply asking because I do not know the reason. Why are you trying to make my father direct his attention toward you as well?
Franz let out a dry chuckle at the honest reply.
—My little brother made such a fuss. I have to clean up after him.
It was something not in the plan. Rather than just stopping Calian from killing Devlan, it was an action taken to prevent Devlan’s attention from focusing too heavily on Calian.
Watching Franz, who had drawn Devlan’s attention and firmly grasped Calian’s leash again with just a single finger and a single word, Chase spoke.
—It seems you are suffering a great deal because of me.
—Forget it. I didn’t come for you. I came to wake my brother from his nightmare.
With that, Franz looked down at the cloak he was meant to deliver to Calian and suddenly spoke aloud.
“My errand fee.”
Nothing in this world was free. Calian wasn’t the only one who taught Franz things; Franz had also learned a truth of life from the relationship between his harsh brother and his brother’s fiancée.
“He seemed to want to go there.”
Turning his gaze to where Franz pointed, Chase smiled, his expression like a face sinking into the deep sea. “It will be difficult during the day, but at night, I will arrange for him to go up.”
“Fine.”
The spire.
Calian, standing before the castle gate, had stared endlessly at it. Franz felt he knew what Calian had experienced there and what he had been trying to see.
—Today does not seem like a good day for me to go with him. Instead, there is a decent bottle of Basilica among the strong liquors in the cellar. I will send that. If you tell him to take it up with Kyrie, Calian will like it.
—…Not that.
Because there was no way to explain that his younger brother was no longer the same as before, Franz spoke with a slightly complicated expression.
—The one with the lowest alcohol content.
No way, Chase thought, stopping himself mid-thought. With a face more serious than it had been all day, he slowly nodded.
* * *
A soft knock.
At the sound of Kyrie’s knock, Calian, who had been sitting quietly with his eyes cast down, turned his gaze toward the door.
“You have a visitor, Prince,” Kyrie’s voice followed.
After a brief silence, Calian stood up. “Let them in.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Soon, the door opened silently. Someone stepped inside, and the door closed once more.
Click. Click.
As the quiet sound of footsteps approached, the hem of a slender, pale beige dress brushed against the floor.
Her visit was unexpected, but she was a truly welcome sight. A gentle smile graced Calian’s face as he bowed in greeting.
“What brings you all the way here?”
Hearing Calian’s question, Royal Concubine Louise spoke, a smile that closely resembled Chase’s spreading across her face.
“I know it is rude of me, but I came because I wanted to sincerely thank you for what happened today.”
“Rude? Not at all. And it is nothing you need to thank me for.”
Seeing a face and hearing a voice completely different from the ones he had used with Devlan, Louise nodded and walked toward Calian, who was gesturing for her to sit.
And then, she pulled him into a tight embrace.
Into the ears of a stunned Calian, a voice like a whisper drifted.
“I missed you.”
My child.