a little before that night.
Raven, who was obviously smarter than Marquis Evan Briesen, ate the carrots that she had grown just for herself, and Lucy went to Hina and got some well-prepared dried chicken, and Kirie, who was with Hina, tried to pet Lucy and got hit by her long tail. .
Arianne, who wanted to try mint tea, frowned and got angry, asking why people would drink something like this, and Teilan, who saw this, smiled and savored the mint scent.
Just around the time when Chase entered Devlanâs office and Plantz, who had finished lunch, was working, working, working.
â Sweet.
Calian put down the teacup with a small sound and burst into laughter. The loud laughter continued for quite a while, not even paying attention to the frown of Demirea, who was sitting across from him.
âAh⦠Iâm sorry for laughing, Demirea.â
âI told you about Marquis Evan Briesenâs rude words and actions. Are you laughing?â
When Dmirea asked this with a straight face, Calian, who was barely able to calm down, laughed again. Even though I had just apologized, I continued to burst out laughing so hard that I couldnât hold back.
âPrinceâ¦â
Jan called out to Calian, who was laughing so hard that it seemed like he was out of breath.
If it had been Arsene or Planz.
Instead of asking Calian directly if he was laughing because it was fun, he would have looked at Jan. After that, he must have kept his mouth shut after seeing that Yanâs face was filled with the same worry as now.
Jan slowly shook her head towards Dmirea, who had not experienced much of Calianâs laughter. Demirea, seeing that, frowned slightly and then opened her mouth.
âI didnât tell you anything interesting. I just told you about something unpleasant that happened to me.â
Isnât this great little duke of Siegfried the kind of person who would care about the princeâs feelings or pay attention to his every move?
âOh, Iâm sorry. I laughed too hard.â
âyes.â
Moreover, as Calianâs laughter grew longer, he was not the type of person to hide the fact that he was becoming displeased.
âI laughed because it was funny that things went a little wrong.â
Demirea frowned once more.
âItâs weird that you laugh because things go wrong, but itâs also strange that you say itâs funny. I donât know how to take it.â
Dmirea was someone who seemed to give Jan everything she wanted and brought out all the bluntness that Jan lacked.
Calian, who laughed briefly once more at the thought of how a person could be so blunt, explained that Kirie, who Lucy was particularly distant from, was not this boring person.
âI donât think Iâll ever see the Marquis of Briesen act intelligently.â
Demirea asked after briefly gathering Calianâs words that flowed out in fragments.
âBecause of me, the Marquis of Briesen was no longer able to act intelligently, so the plan the prince had made went awry. Are you saying that you laughed because it was fun?â
âIf I say itâs because of you, it sounds like Iâm blaming you. Thatâs not what Iâm saying.â
Calian shook his head at Demirea, who had narrowed down his words with a skill that was almost miraculous, and added an explanation.
âIâm not blaming you for your actions in the meeting room. If I had been treated like that, I would have pulled out my sword right away, so I think you responded well and calmly. You did a good job selling my name. Itâs a name that is meant to be used, so you can sell it as much as you want if necessary. are you okay.â
At these words, Demireaâs face became as if she was saying such an obvious thing.
âI know you wonât blame me. Thatâs not what I meant.â
Calian laughed again at Demireaâs words, which did not leave anything to be desired.
âokay.â
Now, Demirea felt that Evan had expressed a desire to meet Calian, so Calian should know about it, and since Alan seemed like he was going to take out his anger on Siegfried, she went to Chermil to see how the incident was resolved. I had just visited the palace.
âBut did I repay you for all the bananas I ate that day?â
âYes. You paid for the bananas.â
And before I could resolve those two matters, I had not yet paid the full price for protecting Calian in Siegfriedâs mansion so earnestly, so what should I pay for the name I sold off while saying âa disgrace to my betrothed, Prince Calianâ? We started calculating together whether we could do it.
âThen I guess it would be okay to deduct the cost of room and board that my older brother was staying at at that time.â
âAre you saying that you will deduct all of the room and board expenses of the second prince in one name?â
âYou havenât eaten much. I heard you havenât slept properly. I think thatâs enough.â
Demirea chuckled at the attitude of calculating the cost of the banana eaten by Calian, who had woken up from a coma, similarly to the cost spent by Plantz, who had his eyes open.
âYes. I will calculate it to that extent.â
There are still a lot of things left to collect from Calian, such as the cost of the shield he raised that day, the knights who are watching on behalf of Calian, the search for a margrave candidate to replace Gray Brisen, and the price of the tiara he wore this time. It was a generosity that came from the thought that it would be okay to overlook it.
As always, when Demirea came, Jan, who had been sitting with her at a distance and saying nothing, sighed with an expression of disbelief. It didnât seem right for our flower-like prince to make a deal like this when he couldnât even give everything he needed, but he didnât seem to have any intention of getting involved in their conversation.
âOkay, then the calculation is complete.â
Calian smiled at Yan and then got to the point again.
âYou mean I donât know what the Marquis Briesen will say to me?â
âYes. I just asked you to tell me that I would like to meet you.â
Meeting Evan wasnât that difficult. The problem was that Evanâs snout, which was lighter than a ravenâs mane fur, caused him to make a mistake while speaking at the meeting.
âI am very grateful that Your Majesty thought of meâ¦but this.â
If Evan was trying to get rid of Calian somehow, he would use that as an excuse to use the knife, but didnât Lemain come out too strong?
âIt looks like the Marquis is trying to save himself again without even scratching the surface.â
Like a mole in spring, glancing here and there on the ground before disappearing.
After taking a sip of sparkling water with a slice of lime and mint leaves, Kalyan lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. Then he opened his mouth to Jan.
âJan. I want something sweet.â
Jan smiled and stood up.
âThe raspberry fruit came in. Would you like me to bring it to you?â
âNo, I just want to drink honey tea. Add a lot of honey.â
When he was with Dmirea, Calian tried not to have Jan as his attendant as much as possible. I have never had to ask for something else to be served instead of the tea I was drinking.
âYes. I will bring it to you.â
Jan nodded willingly and went out without asking why.
Calian watched the scene behind him for a while and turned his head towards Demirea long after the door had closed.
âShall we spar tomorrow? If time permits. I think I need to tell my brother something this evening, but for that, I need to save my Aurors for today, so maybe tomorrow.â
There was still a lot of time left for the originally promised date.
âNo. I think Iâll have to see Brother Randel and visit the Margrave tomorrow. How about the day after tomorrow? Demirea, Iâll tell you a lot of things.â
âWhat are you thinking?â
Demirea asked, frowning slightly.
This was because I was suspicious of Calianâs attitude when he suddenly mentioned sparring first.
âYou deliberately let your brother go out, but then you changed your mind midway and decided on a hasty schedule. You say that without even organizing your thoughts.â
Calian just smiled without saying anything and then told another story.
âOh, and. Could you please find someone to replace Margrave Briesen as soon as possible?â
âPrince.â
Instead of answering, Demirea, who called Calian, took something out of her arms and put it down.
-Tap!
It was a beautiful tiara decorated with rubies and diamonds that made quite a noise. Of course, Calian gave Demirea away to be seen as the âCrownâs fiancé.â
âHmm. Demirea.â
Calian, looking down at the tiara, said something playful.
âAre we breaking off the engagement already?â
âI am not interested in being the fiancé of the person who digs the grave.â
Dmirea, who had finally figured out why Jan was trying to stop Calian from being offended by his smile, answered like this and continued.
âAfter meeting the Margrave and deciding on a new Margrave, he suddenly tells me about the swordâ¦â
Demirea said as she raised her finger and pointed out the window.
âIt looks like youâre planning on hitting Evan Briesen in the neck yourself. Isnât it too early yet?â
âItâs hard to tell you in detail, but things got a little messy, Demirea. I tried to wait for the Marquis of Briesen to dig the grave, but that doesnât seem to work. If I just wait, something happens and I have to go hunting for a big snake.â
I didnât tell you that I asked your father for help, but he refused.
âSomeone far away is said to be hunting snakes, but he doesnât really know what kind of snake it is. He says heâs careful, but I think he might get bitten if he peeks, so I have to step in. But to do that, I have to untie the bamboo shoots, which require a lot of work. âI have to let it go. So thatâs it. The order doesnât matter anyway and it always goes wrong, so Iâm kind of used to it now.â
Demirea, who had given up trying to understand Calianâs ambiguous words, simply said what she had to say.
âEvan Brissen is strong. Just because you can see his auror doesnât mean you have the upper hand in swordsmanship. If you touch Evan Brissen, the prince will die.â
âOh, thatâs what I always said.â
Calian laughed again.
âIâm not that weak either. And I wonât die.â
Even though he was Kalyan, he never thought of throwing himself into a blazing flame.
âI donât think the person who created me sent me to die for something like this, so heâll probably let me live this time too. If I erase it, it doesnât look like heâll let me die. Anyway, thatâs right.â
Demirea, who had been looking at Calian with a look on her face as if asking why he kept talking like a doggie brother, tried to stop Calian once more.
âEven if you donât die, you will be seriously injured. Even if you donât get hurt, you will be held responsible for the crime of murdering the Marquis.â
It was a story that Calian already knew.
I measured it, made a decision, and calculated that I could handle it.
âIf youâre not hurt, you can go catch the snake. If youâre hurt, you canât go to the snake. If youâre trapped, you can use that as an excuse not to go to the snake. Your brother will take care of the rest, so thatâs okay too.â
I know that if I ask what the hell that snake is and what it is, there is no answer. Demirea sighed, realizing that saying anything else wouldnât work. They gave up on persuasion.
â⦠I will come the day after tomorrow afternoon. Instead.â
Instead of offering more words of dissuasion that wouldnât work anyway, Demirea, with a hard expression on her face, picked up the tiara she had placed on the table and put it back in her arms. And with a murderous face, he spoke to Calian.
âIf you let the same thing happen to you again, I will kill you.â
Okay, so donât say anything scary.
Calian, waiting for the honey tea, answered softly.
âDmirea. I must live well. So donât worry.â
* * *
Sidi sour tangerine.
I thought it had that green tangerine scent that I would never forget that made me frown.
In the forest, there was a scent of green grass, and at the tip of my nose, I could smell the scent of sour tangerine.
â Pass on . Just go as far as you can. Donât be certain.
Those are the words that you remember without forgetting a single word. Those were the
words he gave you when he handed you a sour tangerine, telling you not to think any more about the time you spent alone.
â Planz. Because it had nothing to do with you.
He was exceptionally sensitive to scents, and wasnât he an unusually quick-witted person? So, when Kalian said that he was going to tell me something, but never go over the reason, the scent of sour tangerines immediately came to mind. âLike
. Is it because of the words or because of the same face?â
Planz, who was looking at Calianâs face with a frown, took a long breath. The
scent of tangerines was still there.
âI hope youâll just let it go this time.â
That crazy guy was thinking of taking on something again. He asked me to just let him go without knowing anything. As I
was contemplating whether to just listen to him or say no, Calian spoke again.
âI need a good brother who listens, not a brother who doesnât listen. Now.â
âBarking.â
Plantz, who had a habit of talking back to nonsense, frowned and looked at Calian. Instead of the mischievous smile he usually showed, he was smiling as if it were suitable only for Alan. âMy brother
. â¦â¦â
What are you thinking?
Do you have a plan?
âYour name, brother.â
Calian, who said this, grinned and added,
âCan you please call me by your name? Thatâs easier to listen to. âRight now.â
Ah.
I think heâs crazy.
Please call me by his name.
I think I know what heâs thinking, but I told him I shouldnât know, so I decided not to think about it. Anyway, I guess he went crazy again today. Thatâs why the smell of sour tangerines smells like this. I guess heâs upset.
The crazy guy is barking and barking, and heâs plotting something that will make me crazy. If thatâs the case, wouldnât it be my proper duty as an older brother to treat him like that? After thinking briefly, Plantz looked at Calian and answered
. .
âI donât like it.â
That bastardâs patience is either gone or running out.
One side of Lucyâs lips, the color of the soles of her feet, curled up.