Chapter 68: It Has Been a While (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: It Has Been a While (4)
The greeting, "It has been a while," was not exactly informal, but it was a far cry from respectful.
Even in front of Lemain, Randel, and Franz, Calian simply couldn't bring himself to show Silike any more respect than that.
Since everyone in the room knew why, no one blamed him. Silike, of course, was no exception.
Taking the seat an attendant pulled out for her, Silike spoke immediately.
"Yes. It has been a while."
By addressing him informally, Silike was showing him the same lack of courtesy. Calian, who hadn't expected respect in the first place, paid her no mind and continued his meal.
"What is it?" Lemain asked, his gaze fixed on Silike, who was staring at Calian. His voice was dry and flat.
Silike remained unfazed by the cold reception. She must have expected as much the moment she decided to show up to dinner uninvited. Looking at Lemain, she spoke.
"You look much better, Your Majesty."
"It's because I no longer have to look at things I used to."
Lemain nodded, replying as if there was no need to hide his feelings.
"Yet here it is, back in my sight."
It was a remarkably hostile remark, especially coming from Lemain.
Silike, the very object of his discomfort, showed little reaction to his blatant hostility. She merely nodded as if listening to a story about someone else. Then, turning her gaze to Calian, she continued.
"I came because I was curious whether the 3rd Prince had returned safely."
She offered Calian a smile.
Lemain spoke, his words intercepting the gaze Silike directed at Calian.
"Did you come all this way just to confirm that?"
"Because he was always a child prone to trouble."
Prone to trouble.
Listening quietly to the tense exchange between his father and stepmother, Calian's eyebrow twitched slightly.
It wasn't because he was offended by such a minor slander. Rather, he found it difficult to gauge whether he had caused more trouble over his entire lifetime or just during his recent excursion outside the palace.
'If you knew that the two brothers you tried to use both vanished thanks to me, could you still say that?'
While Calian was lost in thought, Lemain issued a warning in a quiet but authoritative voice.
"Silike. Mind your words regarding the prince."
Silike smiled as if it had been a mere slip of the tongue. Calian nodded casually, responding as if he had just received a routine greeting.
"As you can see, I have returned safely."
"So it seems."
"The illness I suffered before leaving was so potent that nothing outside could possibly cause me greater trouble."
At this subtle jab at Silike's poison, Lemain's expression stiffened slightly.
A brief, heavy silence fell over the table. Then, Silike spoke again.
"Well, that is indeed a relief."
"It is all thanks to you, since you care so deeply for me."
Calian nodded with a bright smile.
At Calian's response, a faint chuckle escaped Franz. Silike's smile vanished, if only for a fleeting second.
The urge to tell her to leave because he was sick of the bickering rose in Calian's throat. He picked up his glass, swallowing his words along with the water. Since Lemain was the one who had let her in, Calian had no right to dismiss her.
Whether she was oblivious to Calian's irritation or simply ignoring it, Silike turned her attention back to Lemain.
"By the way, Your Majesty."
Calian made no effort to hide his sheer exasperation.
A soft sigh drifted from Randel's direction. He, too, seemed to be reaching the limit of his patience. Naturally, Silike paid him no mind.
"I heard a wondrous event took place in the land of Siegfried. Have you heard of it?"
Lemain stared at her without offering a reply.
Silike turned to Calian, her face softening into that of a benevolent mother.
"Praise for the auspicious event has reached all the way to Heisia Palace. It is truly a wondrous and joyful occasion."
"I am glad it brought you joy."
Calian scoffed inwardly. He could easily guess what she was building up to with such grandiose praise. Silike's gaze shifted back to Lemain.
"However, there is a rumor circulating alongside it that I wished to ask you about."
There was only one rumor that could possibly be tied to the events at Sispanian's Nest. Having set the stage, Silike locked eyes with Lemain, her gaze sharp, and uttered the words she never should have spoken.
"Are you truly considering that child, Calian, as the next Crown Prince? Please, tell me."
Calian's eyes narrowed.
It was exactly what he had anticipated.
'You've truly lost all reason, Silike.'
Crown Prince.
In a room with three princes, that word was taboo. Yet Silike had dragged it out into the open—and of all things, she had used Calian to do it.
Lemain stared at Silike in silence.
What could he possibly say to that?
He could not say yes, nor could he say no. He couldn't even throw her out without answering, as his silence would be taken as confirmation.
Calian turned his head, intending to intervene and cut the questioning short. Unexpectedly, however, a calm, leisurely response flowed from Lemain.
"A while ago, Sir Manasil said something rather interesting."
'Master?'
Hearing the unexpected name, Calian held his tongue and waited for Lemain to continue.
"He told me to send the one I dislike the most to Camillon first. He said they would disappear on their own if I did. But since they are all my precious sons, I was deeply conflicted."
With those words, Lemain's eyes swept over each of the princes.
Then, his blue eyes locked onto Silike. He concluded in a voice entirely devoid of emotion.
"And now, you are trying to ease my burden. How thoughtful of you."
Silike lowered her head.
She had no fan with her to hide her contorted expression.
Calian lowered his head as well.
He simply could not hold back his laughter.
'Ah.'
'May the glory of Serenti be upon Alan Manasil's silver tongue!'
*
She had come with every intention of cornering Lemain.
If he declared Calian the Crown Prince, she would protest his blatant favoritism. If he denied it, she would demand he promise to keep his word. And if he avoided the question, she would press him about mobilizing the Royal Guard Kaera.
Yet Lemain had turned the tables, threatening Silike by implying he would simply make Franz the Crown Prince instead. What an incredibly ironic turn of events.
"If you have nothing more to say, leave. Before I make a final decision."
With that, Lemain gestured to the attendants standing by the door, who promptly opened it. Staying any longer would bring Silike no benefit. Realizing her visit had been in vain, Silike rose from her seat.
"I do not know how long your arrogance will last, but the day will come when you regret treating me this way. Mark my words."
Lemain did not bother to tell her that he had done nothing but regret since the very day he took her as his queen to secure the power of Brissen after Former Queen Aisha's death.
Leaving behind Lemain, whose cold demeanor remained unchanged, Silike clicked her heels and swept out of the room.
'It is a massive relief that I sent Margrave Brissen back.' Calian thought to himself as he watched her retreating figure.
If Gray had entered the capital under these circumstances, a civil war could have broken out at any moment.
Having dismissed Silike with a single witty remark borrowed from Alan Manasil, Lemain turned to look at Franz. He spoke in a serious tone, completely different from the one he had used with the queen.
"I did not say those words out of malice toward you. Do not misunderstand; I do not view you and the queen in the same light."
He was concerned that Franz might take his words to Silike to heart. Franz replied calmly.
"I know."
Nodding at his response, Lemain swept his gaze over the subdued atmosphere of the room.
"You all must know how your uncle is faring."
Calian's uncle—Lemain's older brother. It seemed everyone except Calian knew, judging by the grim expressions on the other two princes' faces.
In his past life, Bern had no reason to care about the fate of a foreign king's brother.
As for the original Calian, he had never dreamed of becoming king, so he had deliberately avoided learning how Lemain ascended the throne or what had become of his siblings. To him, looking into such matters would only feel like peering into his own bleak future.
'I'll have to ask Yan.'
The current Calian knew Lemain had an older brother, but he hadn't had the time to look into the man's current circumstances.
"I hope none of you will ever have to live such a life. I truly hope history does not repeat itself."
With those final words, Lemain rose and left the room. Since the atmosphere was no longer conducive to dining, the princes stood up to leave as well.
*
Yan, who had learned of Silike's intrusion while waiting outside the banquet hall, approached with a worried expression.
"Did you enjoy your dinner, Your Highness?"
"Yes. Nothing happened, so don't worry."
Calian smiled as he watched Yan finally let out a sigh of relief.
A moment later, as they walked back, Calian spoke.
"Let's walk for a bit. I'm feeling a little bloated."
Yan knew very well how much Calian had been eating and how easily he digested his food ever since his growth spurt began. Still, rather than looking at him with disbelief, Yan simply nodded and fell into step beside him.
As they strolled along the lake for the second time that day, Calian relayed what Lemain had said earlier.
"Do you happen to know what became of His Majesty's older brother?"
"Well, that is..."
With a slightly conflicted expression, Yan began to explain.
"Normally, princes who lose the struggle for the crown prince's position must leave Kairisis once they turn twenty. They are granted their own territory and live there. Aside from being forbidden from raising private armies, having their guards assigned by the royal family, and being barred from staying in Kairisis for more than five days, there are no major restrictions."
That was the case for princes who surrendered the succession without a fight.
"I know that much. But since His Majesty went out of his way to bring it up, I assume things went differently in his case."
"Yes, they did."
As expected, Yan continued his explanation.
"To be honest, even in the past, not many princes got to live out their lives so peacefully. Most of them ended up with Lenisita leaves scattered across the square after their brother ascended the throne, or..."
It meant they were executed by beheading or hanging.
Since it was a grim topic to discuss, Yan paused for a brief moment before continuing.
"...they were locked away in some remote place for the rest of their lives."
"A remote place, huh."
"They say the late king suffered from an illness that could not be cured even by Sispanian's blessing. Because of that, the Crown Prince was decided early on, and that was His Majesty."
"Right."
"Immediately after the succession was decided, His Majesty's older brother, Lord Asnan, rebelled. He is currently confined to a tower built deep within Bereka Gorge, far south of the Siegfried territory."
Calian nodded quietly at the explanation.
Perhaps thinking Calian was worrying about his own future, Yan offered a reassuring smile.
"Do not worry, Your Highness. If you cannot enter Camillon, I plan to bring you to my family's estate."
Calian burst into laughter at Yan's bold declaration.
"For that to happen, Siegfried would have to become a kingdom, not a duchy."
After all, unless they declared independence from Kairis and started a war, there was no way they could harbor a prince who had lost the succession.
"And why shouldn't we?"
"Aren't you saying that a bit too casually?"
Touched by the words spoken with such absolute sincerity and sole concern for his well-being, Calian chuckled softly.
"In any case, His Majesty was essentially telling us to get along, rather than tearing each other apart only to end up dead or locked away."
"Do you think that is possible?"
Calian considered it for a moment, then shook his head.
"Such a peaceful outcome will never happen."
Getting along with those two?
It was a pipe dream.
As Calian was lost in thought, a voice broke the silence.
"...Your Highness."
Yan's quiet voice made Calian halt.
Calian looked at Yan, whose gaze was fixed on Calian's waist.
Following Yan's gaze, Calian's eyes narrowed sharply. A crimson light was leaking from his waist—specifically, from inside his jacket pocket.
Calian knew exactly what was inside.
It was the black pebble he had received from the elf Luca. Because Sispanian had told him to keep it close, he had carried it in his pocket out of habit, but he had never once seen it glow like this.
[Shield]
Tensing at the sudden anomaly, Calian quickly cast a Shield in front of Yan, fearing a potential explosion. He reached into his pocket to carefully retrieve the pebble, but his brow furrowed once more.
His eyes caught a small flowering branch growing beneath a rose bush in a corner of the garden.
A single red rose was blooming all by itself in this chilly weather.
Had it been an ordinary flower, he would have simply found it odd and moved on.
He would have dismissed it, thinking a small flower had bloomed remarkably late.
But it was not ordinary, and a bewildered murmur escaped Calian's lips.
"...Why?"
The rose was emitting a light of the exact same color as the pebble.
A blood-red glow, identical to the color of Calian's own eyes.