I read one and missed one.
I locked the window while showering. Just in case, I just wore the ring and washed it.
I locked the window because I could clearly see what thoughts were going through the mind of the old kiwi who was staring at the ring instead of sparring. It was closed very tightly and locked tightly.
âWhy on earth are you so curious about that?â
He clearly saw with his own eyes that Kirie almost stabbed him in the heart during a sparring match, but instead of getting angry, he was upset that his younger brotherâs servant was just acting like that without even showing the slightest question as to why he attacked him.
Itâs a bit better now, but at that time, he was in a state where he had no limits to his life, so I didnât even expect him to get angry at Kirie over that. Instead, I told him that anything is fine, brother, so you too should be curious, and he became curious about something unexpected.
â So what is my name?
After fixing my weak heart, I started asking this question again.
For five days, whenever I made eye contact, he would flash his green eyes and ask me what my name meant, and I was so sick of it. In terms of persistence, it would be more, not less, than Lucy trying to catch rainwater splashing outside the window.
However, even if I tried to explain it properly, my damn mouth couldnât tell a lie, so I felt like I was going to be hit with scissors if I continued like this. I taught you curiosity, but it seems like you also learned stubbornness somewhere along the way.
âWhere on earth did you learn that in the palace?â
I just canât figure it out.
While lamenting, âWhere in this bleak royal palace did I learn such things?â
â⦠It must have been me. It must have been me. Who else but me? Is there more than me? I must have taught you. It must have been me. Yes, I did it.â
Calian, who lightly used her magic to shake off the moisture that had accumulated on her jet-black hair and put on the clothes the maids had prepared, muttered quietly.
My eyes fell on the ring that had almost been taken away.
Still, Calian, whose feelings were so complicated because he found it funny that he thought it was fortunate that he could clearly see what kind of trick he was trying to do, shook his head.
âMy brotherâs thoughts are so obvious.â
Then he said this and laughed.
Because he had not yet completed puberty, he could not even imagine what the tempestuous pea, who had never forgotten his firm determination not to listen to Calianâs words, had planned to do tomorrow.
Calian, who had read Plantzâs small plan and missed a grand plan, but had not yet realized that he had missed something, opened his mouth outside the door.
âAsk them to come in.â
âYes, my prince.â
Yanâs voice, who had been waiting outside, was immediately heard, and then the door opened with a quiet sound. And Aila came in, dressed a little more comfortably than on the first day.
âWelcome Aila.â
Clothes in a color that you probably like for the same reason as Kalyan. He was wearing matte black leather pants and a jacket, which in some ways didnât seem to match, but made me wonder if there was another color that would go better with him.
âHave you waited long?â
âlittle bit.â
âIâm sorry. I wasnât able to wash comfortably because I was worried about the person living upstairs. Did you rest well so far?â
Ayla, thinking of a lobster full of buttery flavor, answered in a light tone.
âYes. Itâs been a while.â
âOkay. Good job.â
A few simple words of greeting were exchanged, and after a while, Jan, who was not at all curious about who Aila was, came in, put down two cups of tea, and left.
After exchanging greetings, Ayla just looked down at the citrus-scented black tea and did not say another word.
âIt was like that originally.â
Aila wasnât really a talkative person. In any case, I was just being sociable âdue to the nature of my jobâ. So, it was a great pleasure for Calian to be quiet like this now.
âI guess Iâm feeling a little more comfortable. I see youâve become quieter.â
Aela, who was staring at Calian without answering, let out a short sigh and answered.
âI need time to get used to the fact that you know me so well that I wonât be surprised. Please understand if I look at you strangely sometimes.â
âI understand. Itâs been a long time.â
Now to explain, Kalian was also âcaughtâ by Eila.
Because of this, he thought for a moment of Demirea, who had promised him that he would live without any more secrets, and felt like blaming himself for breaking his promise, but Calian did not do that.
If you look at it strictly, wasnât it already a year ago that Aila caught him? It would be correct to say that this happened right after he was caught by Plantz, long before he made his promise to Demirea.
So Calian had already shaken off his conscience about Demirea five days ago. Because I didnât have a guilty personality like the person living upstairs.
âIt took me a long time to get used to it, so Iâm not surprised that Iâve changed. So itâs okay.â
In fact, it is difficult for Calian to say whether he has fully adapted or not, but in any case, he has improved a lot compared to before. Anyway, it took Kalian so long to get used to it, so I wonder if others would be surprised. Kyrie, who treats Calian as if he knows everything he knows about her, is just ignoring it.
âWhy did you call me?â
âI have something to give you. Although it took a little longer than expected.â
Calian answered briefly and pointed to something he had placed next to the table.
One piece of parchment and one piece of paper.
Among them, Aila picked up the paper first and quickly read the few words written on it, then let out a short laugh.
âYou know me really well.â
â The deceased was identified as Eila Verdandi.
Calian nodded and responded to Ailaâs brief impressions as she held a piece of paper with her real name and last name in her hand.
âI said I donât lie.â
âItâs a little unpleasant to be presumed dead by Evan.â
âItâs not made to make you feel good, so donât complain.â
It was literally a certificate of identification of the deceased.
It was a document stating that Ailaâs identity was confirmed among the bodies of several people who were said to have been found with Evan.
âSeeing that you are good at making forged documents⦠I thought you were an honest prince, but it seems that is not necessarily the case.â
âJust because I canât tell a lie doesnât mean I donât know how to use it.â
âThat person didnât even look at me and tried to put me on death row.â
âBecause Iâm not the type of person who embraces unnecessary cards. I am.â
âThen I donât know how you can trust me now and think of me as a necessary card.â
âIâm not a person who is so heartless as to throw away someone who I consider to be mine.â
Eila closed her mouth and frowned.
It was clear that Calian was remembering how he had introduced himself to Veronica as âthe person of the three princesâ, so he smiled brightly and opened his mouth again.
âDonât doubt Veronica. My sword that went to pick you up has sharp ears, so I just picked up things and listened.â
Ayla thought of the tall knight who came long after she said those words to Veronica, and slightly tightened her pursed lips. Iâm thinking that I should talk less in the future.
âI have no hobby of infringing on my privacy, so donât worry and check out whatâs left.â
Calian, who was still smiling and said that the scope of what was considered a subordinateâs private life was quite narrow, pointed to the parchment on the table.
Aela, who had a shocked look on her face for a moment, took out a piece of parchment and unfolded it.
â Ayla Bridget
Seeing the same name with a different last name, Ayla opened her mouth.
âI guess you could have just written it as a blue warbler.â
Calian laughed softly, as if it was amusing.
This was because they were asking how they could cover up their true identity with an identity card proving that they were a 21-year-old citizen who was born and raised in the Whitlin territory owned by Calian.
âEven if you are dead, the King of Secretia will not trust you. I will never trust you unless your body is brought in front of me. In that case, it is better to just say out loud that you are mine. Donât mess with me.â
âIf thatâs what you were thinking, then why the last name⦠no.â
Eila, who was asking a question, put her words back.
âThere is no need to continue using the castle that the King of Secretia built for us.â
âYes. I understand.â
Aila sighed briefly as she looked at the three princes, who knew nothing.
âWhat shall we do now?â
âI wonât be gone for a while. Iâve informed Master, so you can stay at the palace. And thereâs someone who will escort you for a while while you stay. There are people who used to escort you, but they seem to be too busy these days.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Calian continued with a round smile, recalling the face he had once seen looking at Ailaâs pure white electric guitar with fondness.
âAfter I come back, Iâm going to keep doing what I was doing instead of being an escort, so Iâm also thinking about what I need to bring in.â
âAre you talking about Sejak?â
âInformation rather than intelligence. Rather than picking up rumors and wasting high-quality manpower, we need proper information gathered in a more efficient way.â
Aela, who understood that Calian meant to entrust someone to escort him while he was away and have him do intelligence work upon his return, narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.
âLet me ask you one question.â
Calian nodded.
âYou didnât ask me at all about what happened in Secretia, what King Secretia ordered me to do, or if I had any other information. I was wondering why you didnât ask.â
âKing Secretiaâs bird is already dead. What should I ask you? I donât know.â
â⦠Are you saying that you trust me and treat me like this without asking anything?â
âIf I didnât believe you, you would have died the moment you set foot on my terrace. Itâs not a place for anyone to step on.â
Then he continued talking while pointing somewhere outside the window.
âAnd Iâm different from everyone else in Secretia, so I donât have the hobby of being suspicious of others.â
Aila, who had been tormented by suspicious people until now, laughed. I thought it was the best thing Iâve heard so far.
âOkay. Who can I escort?â
As he nodded and asked the question, a soft smile that he had never seen before appeared on Calianâs face.
Calian, who looked down at the teacup with a smile on his face for a while, answered quietly.
âThe person who is the reason for my life.â
Itâs like a light that is lit so that we donât forget that we have to continue living.
Thinking of Hina.
* * *
The conversation ended and Aela went outside.
The moon went down and the sun rose.
Itâs morning.
âPrince! Did you stay up all night again? Why didnât you close the window?â
Jan, who found out that I had stayed up all night sitting on the sofa with the window open so that a completely chilling breeze could fill the room, nagged me for a while again.
Calian didnât say not to worry because it wasnât cold at all even when the winter wind blew in the great desert. I didnât even say that it felt good because it felt like a sea breeze.
âWhat are you going to do if you catch a cold?â
âSorry. I forgot to close the window.â
âDo you know that you really canât take your eyes off me even for a moment?â
I smiled brightly as I watched Yan calmly and hurriedly bring a blanket and wrap it around my whole body, nagging me and saying that I couldnât leave her alone.
I didnât mean to, but Jan canceled all of my morning plans.
âThe new person appointed to Margrave, where Marquis Gray Briesen was, will come to say hello after lunch, so please get some sleep until then. I donât know how you can be so upset.â
Kalian said this while bringing her lemon honey tea that should have been hot rather than warm, and Kalian laughed again. âDonât laugh because sheâs
not pretty at all.â
Thereâs no way sheâs not pretty. Calian, who was about to answer, nodded without saying a word. Then he looked up at Yan for a while and opened his mouth.
âIâm sorry.â
I apologized like this because I was planning to break away from Yan, who wouldnât take my eyes off me even for a moment, and run away again. Thatâs how I spent
the morning . After getting some sleep, I had lunch with Lemain for the first time in a while and met the new Margrave. I met Alan and told him again what I wanted him to do while I was away. I met Kyrie and asked him to watch Plantzâs sword training. He asked for more.
Another day passed and night fell.
Calian sent Jan out saying he would go to bed early, opened the safe, took out some money, put it in a palm-sized bag he had borrowed from Alan, and put it in his arms. After that, he silently looked out the window. I jumped down.
I was planning to stop by Siegfriedâs Castle anyway, and I didnât plan on staying out for a long time, so I didnât have any luggage to take with me. He said he was tired and went in without even eating dinner, and the lights on the 4th floor were already turned off. âI guess thereâs a lot of work to do
. .â
Calian muttered this with a chuckle and went to the stables.
â Tap, tap!
Raven stamped her foot as if to say hello.
After she got hurt, she met her a few times and comforted her, but she still couldnât put her mind at ease, so Raven placed her forehead on Calianâs stomach. He held it and made a purring sound.
âItâs all healed.â âItâs okay.â
After giving Raven a gentle pat, Calian jumped up and got on the saddle, and Raven sped towards the main gate of the palace as usual. Raven knew now that she had to move quickly before going outside the palace so the knights wouldnât chase her. Because.
â Tap, tap, tap!
So, he quickly passed the main gate and reached the square. When the knights who had been chasing him turned around, Raven stopped. Rather than slowing down, she stopped in place. â
â¦. .. Hmm.â
That was why Calian, facing something unexpected, spoke in a panic for the first time in a long time.
I had no taste for doubting anyone, so I trusted him too
much. I didnât have any doubts.
A pink-haired wizard wearing a pure white robe and the same clothes. Ten wizards came into view. Thirty knights in pure white uniforms were seen. Next to them stood a servant with grape-colored hair.
âMeow!â
âMeow!â
The two cats in the servantâs arms meowed prettily.
âI came to see you off, Prince Calian. Lucy and Anne have also come to see us off, so donât worry.â
Relicâs red eyes filled with a shy smile as he answered an unasked question.
And.
âIt seems like my brother forgot the order.â
âWhat order? What do you mean?â
âNegotiation first, then threats.â
ââ¦Brother.â
Donât just go to the Sword Master and threaten him, but go to the 3rd Prince Calian, who is accompanying the Vice Commander of the Balkan Corps, and start the negotiation. Dazzling
under the moonlight . Plantz, well-dressed in a shining white uniform, was riding on a silver-white, nameless horse. His white cloak was flowing beautifully in the blowing autumn wind. âMy only brother, you havenât put your name anywhere
. I have something, so Iâll come with you.â
Pea, who had come to accompany his younger brother on his short journey who was planning to go to the elves alone and threaten them, raised one corner of his mouth. A low voice pierced Calianâs ears. âSo, Vulcan, who is there
. Isnât that the title of vice-corps commander?â
How could it be that my younger brother, who doesnât have a single bit of power in his hands, wants to go off on his own to cause an accident again? My older brother, who holds power, should follow suit. âAhâ¦â Thatâs the
plan
. Calian, who had been looking at Tsu for a long time, raised his hand.
The red lips hidden under the palm under the black hood opened and a murmur like a whisper came out. â
Where on earth did you learn that?â
It must have been me.
It must have been me. Not me. Who could it be? Is there anyone else besides me? I must have taught it. It must have been me. Yes, I did it.
Ahâ¦
Iâm really amazed.