Chapter 314: Wildfire (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 314: Wildfire (4)
It wasn't quartz, glass, or diamond.
The sight was reminiscent of the jewel-dusted red cloak Calian had once worn, but this was entirely different.
A multi-layered, grapefruit-colored dress fluttered with her every step. From the waist to the hem, glitter caught the light, sparkling endlessly. Embroidered with a single strand of silver thread, the dress was elegant without being excessive, and simple without being plain.
He wasn't thrilled about the grapefruit color, but since Louise had recommended it and his Hina had chosen it, what right did he have to complain? He could only watch with a warm, proud expression, nodding in approval.
"As expected, there isn't a single thing about our Hina that isn't wonderful."
All traces of the boiling rage he'd felt toward Franz vanished. Now, Calian gazed at Hina with the pride of a father watching his grown daughter.
"She's already amazing, and she even has great taste," he added.
Standing close enough to hear every word, Franz forced himself to look away from his younger brother. Calian looked as if he were ready to retire and reminisce about his turbulent past, having cast aside all worldly attachments. Bowing slightly to Devlan, Franz spoke.
"I apologize for my rude remarks."
An apology offered without so much as a bow.
Receiving an apology from someone who didn't look the least bit sorry, Devlan's eyes narrowed. To any onlooker, it was clear that some resentment toward Hina still lingered in Franz's heart.
After a moment of glancing between Franz and Calian, Devlan's gaze landed on Chase.
"A small crown changes a person."
"Do you believe Crown Prince Franz and I have plotted something presumptuous?"
The area where the Secritian royalty sat was slightly distanced from the others, allowing for a quiet conversation inaudible to the rest of the room.
"I would like your opinion on whether I should accept that apology."
"If you are asking my thoughts on who was more at fault, I believe it would be best for you both to exchange apologies. Wouldn't that be better than you refusing Crown Prince Franz's apology and offering none of your own?"
"Do you also believe I made a mistake?"
"Disregarding our respective ranks and relations, to show so much interest in another's betrothed as to cause discomfort… surely, that must be a mistake, no?"
Meaning, it had to be unintentional.
Nodding, Devlan looked back at Chase.
"‘Surely that must be a mistake.’ An interesting choice of words."
"Because if it were not a mistake, it would be a much greater problem."
"Then did you step forward to frame my actions as a mere mistake? It sounds as if you revealed my illness to save me from an unpleasant entanglement."
"That is correct."
"How grateful I should be."
"I would prefer you weren't. Consider it repayment for having raised me."
Something unplanned.
Hina. And Franz, who had entered with her.
An event outside Devlan's expectations. A variable.
And Calian and Chase, who got along with Franz far better than expected.
Realizing he had fallen into the very trap he had so carefully prepared, the corners of Devlan's mouth curled into a deep smile.
"Very well. I shall not think of it that way."
"Yes, Father."
After a brief, thinly veiled exchange, Devlan turned to look at Franz.
"We shouldn't be exchanging apologies at a gathering meant for celebration. It would be best to clear up any misunderstandings between us."
"I understand, Your Highness."
Answering quietly, Franz went to sit down with Hina. Devlan then ordered fine liquor to be served to each table.
Even so, the banquet hall remained dead silent.
*
Hina had laid the stepping stone.
Franz had set the stage, and Calian had drawn everyone's attention.
—Is that not so, Father?
And Chase had raised the curtain on the grand finale.
What began was a brand-new play.
No one had assigned the next actor their role, yet every situation fell into place like perfectly meshed gears.
"I thought there was something unusual about the way His Majesty the King of Secritia was coughing. It seems he is suffering from an illness, is that not so, Association President?"
"Ah, it seems so. Is he very ill?"
Coco's Mom, pleased with her new acquisitions, and Coco's Dad, who found the whole affair highly entertaining, began to stir the pot.
Only then did confusion finally ripple through the guests, who had been too stunned to react.
"...Oh, Serenti."
They finally accepted the fact that Devlan was ill. With that single truth as a foundation, every rumor that followed became absolute fact.
"Still, he's the king. Isn't it a bit much that he's sick and can't even be treated by a Tensil healer? It's not as if we're in the immediate aftermath of a war."
"After the war, things were sort of swept under the rug, so healers were allowed back in… but then, about twenty years ago, they were suddenly banned. That's why relations with Tensil are so terrible. Back then, they framed Tensil as some kind of demon-worshipping cult."
"Really? Who did? And why?"
"Well… when the late king of this country was gravely injured in an accident, that person over there… he's the one."
"He blocked the Tensil healers with his own hands, and now he was trying to bring them back?"
"That's about the size of it."
The Kairis knights kept their whispers low, but not so low that the nobles at their table couldn't hear every word.
"I heard many Tensil healers who tried to enter recently were deported, yet Tensil still sent them. Are they that generous, or are they just pushovers?"
"Keep your voice down. He must have given them something to summon them. Do you think he just asked nicely?"
Those accustomed to believing whatever they were shown had forgotten how to judge for themselves. The moment they accepted one claim as truth, everything they heard afterward became undeniable fact.
"What do you think he gave them?"
"How should I know? Money, a sacred artifact, some backroom deal. They say he's seized plenty from the nobles here."
Whether it was fact or speculation, the new rumors quietly spread, feeding on one another. As they did, the new liquor ordered by Devlan was served.
Instead of wine glasses, crystal cups the size of water tumblers were set down.
Instead of purple wine, they were filled with a clear, amber liquor.
"...Serenus."
Calian murmured the name with a delighted look. His joy was so great that he almost added, "It's been a long time."
Serenus.
This liquor, bearing the grand name "A Gift Imbued with Serenti's Blessing," was brewed in Secritia. Just as Kairis had Himolica and Sizlinu, Secritia had Basilica and Serenus.
Serenus had a deep aroma, a rich taste, and a high alcohol content.
This meant it was a drink Bern had quite enjoyed. However, Bern hadn't been able to drink it often for a simple reason: he viewed the precious liquor—hoarded by nobles and hard to find even in the capital of Secreta—as nothing more than a quick way to get drunk. Since Chase himself was quite the connoisseur, he had no choice but to confiscate it to prevent the precious Serenus from being wasted.
"Amusing."
Calian spoke in a whisper after taking a sip, not showing a single shred of doubt toward Devlan, who had ordered it.
Hearing Calian's soft murmur, Kyrie turned his head. In response to his questioning gaze, Calian explained, "Serenus on a day like this. It feels a bit strange."
"What's strange about it?"
"It was the liquor I drank on a day I can never forget."
Calian laughed, his voice dropping even lower. He then passed the bottle to Eila, who sat opposite him.
"Eila."
"Yes."
"You like this, don't you?"
It was still sometimes hard to get used to—the fact that Calian knew everything about her without her ever having to say a word. Trying once again to grow a little more accustomed to this side of him, Eila replied, "Yes. I like it."
Calian nodded and poured the liquor into her glass himself.
"Is it really all right to just drink this? It's a new liquor."
"Why? Do you think I'd give you something that would make you sick?"
"It's not you I don't trust, Prince. It's the one who owns the liquor."
Eila was worried about the new drink Devlan had brought out. Worried whether there was poison in it, whether it would cause harm.
"It's fine. He only served it to see who would doubt him and who wouldn't."
There was no way he would have poisoned it. It was merely a test to see whose loyalties among the attending nobles had shifted, in whose minds doubt toward him had begun to fester.
"We don't need to worry. Just drink."
"Yes."
Her doubts erased by Calian's reassurance, Eila downed the fine liquor in one go. With a highly satisfied expression, she savored the lingering aftertaste of the Serenus and nodded.
"It's delicious. It's been a long time."
"Indeed. It has been a long time," Calian smiled.
The day Devlan had departed from the world. The liquor he had drunk after hearing the news of Eila's death. To think Devlan himself had prepared it this time… he found it quite amusing.
As he was briefly lost in that sentiment, the blue-haired mage beside him chimed in.
"Prince, it hasn't been that long since you nearly ended up in the Senyu River at the hands of an assassin, and yet you're drinking… Actually, alcohol is great. Drink to your heart's content. When the alcohol wears off, any remaining poison will flush right out with it."
Perhaps his concern for Calian had been a bit excessive.
Seeing the pout on Calian's face and the wounded look in those beautiful, ruby-like eyes, Arsen quickly grinned and changed his tune. To be precise, he had wisely extended his own lifespan.
Nodding, Calian took another leisurely sip of Serenus. Of course, he didn't forget to dispel the intoxication. He absolutely could not afford to get drunk right now.
—Over here, talk of assassins and poison has already come up. Doubts about the relationship between Devlan and Tensil have also surfaced. Therefore, brother, you must not show any sign of doubting or worrying about Devlan.
—I thought as much. I have made preparations.
—That's a relief. Well done.
He praised Hina and made idle chatter with Arsen. While deliberately putting on a leisurely air, he continued speaking to Chase in his mind.
—Drink the alcohol, drink the water. It would be best to taste every dish at least once. You must not let the smile leave your face, but do not speak to Devlan anymore. You must appear as though you neither fear nor worry about him, but are not close to him either—always on guard. Do not forget that everything you do right now will form the nobles' first impression of you.
As Calian's words reached him, Chase, sitting far away, raised his hand and took a sip of Serenus, just as Calian had. Along with the action came his reply.
—So I just need to eat and drink well without any worries?
—Yes. I won't forget.
Chase was quick to grasp a situation, but political maneuvering was another matter entirely. After all, the quickest in the room at such games was Devlan, followed closely by Calian.
Screeech!
Soon, Calian stood up.
At the loud scrape of his chair, all eyes turned toward him once more.
"I heard that while I was briefly out of my senses, my esteemed older brother, the Crown Prince, was deeply hurt."
Just how deeply hurt must our soft-hearted Crown Prince have been to throw a drunken fit in the noble district that night?
Franz, who had made good use of his "madman" persona, furrowed his brow. To others, it looked like the Crown Prince's irritation at recalling a past slight. To Calian, however, it looked a bit different.
It looked like, 'Why is my younger brother trying to sell me out again?'
Regardless of what Franz thought, Calian's beautiful voice rang out in the hall.
"Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity..."
Pausing, Calian poured liquor into his glass.
A clear, ringing sound echoed through the hall as the light from the magic lamps reflected off the perfectly filled, sparkling glass.
"To personally offer a congratulatory toast to my beloved brother, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Franz of Kairis. Would that be alright?"
Holding his glass, Calian looked around at everyone and smiled beautifully.
He played his part so convincingly that one might believe he had forgotten that proposing a toast before King Devlan was yet another act of rudeness. On his lips, reddened like pigeon's blood from the alcohol, a lovely smile formed—one that would captivate any who saw it.
Devlan's new liquor was poured into everyone's glasses.
The nobles did not object, and Devlan could not object.
As if completely forgetting the broken knife, Calian began his congratulatory speech, filled with nothing but sincerity. As he played the part of the devoted younger brother in their "truly close brotherhood," the nobles looked pleased, while Franz's face increasingly looked as though he had chewed on Coco's poop. Of course, Calian didn't care.
By the time the long, drawn-out speech came to an end, any worry about potential poison in the new liquor had been completely forgotten. Everyone raised their glasses.
"You should have a drink as well, brother. It is an auspicious day."
"...Fine."
And so, everyone drank the new liquor, making it impossible for Devlan to distinguish which nobles had had a change of heart due to the variable Franz had introduced.
Having made excellent use of his flower-like beauty for the first time in a long while, Calian looked at Devlan.
"Is it not a truly pleasant night, Your Highness?"
And then, he beamed.
After all, when it comes to beauty, they say the more excessive, the better.