Louiseâs hand holding Chase was tense.
I can see light golden eyelashes fluttering.
Chase, who had expected to be surprised, moved his eyes to take a quick look at his surroundings, and then slowly tapped the back of Louiseâs hand.
âThere are many eyes watching. Smile, Mother.â
Louise closed her eyes for a moment, let out a short sigh, and smiled awkwardly. After that, it looked like she was about to reach for the teacup, so Chase squeezed Louiseâs hand tighter and said,
âLeave the car alone. My hands are shaking.â
âChase.â
Chase let out a soft laugh.
âItâs nice to hear you call me by my name after such a long time.â
ââ¦How did the Crown Prince know about that?â
Small and trivial things.
After hearing Louiseâs question, a conversation he had with Calian a while ago came to Chaseâs mind.
â I was concerned about the fact that my father might not always be the same as he was in the past because you werenât around, but there was one thing that stuck in my mind.
â Did something different happen?
â What my mother said after visiting the villa was a little different. I didnât remember my father telling me not to wear sleeping incense. So I looked into it and it seemed like my motherâ¦
Soon Chase explained what he had found out.
Chase wasnât the only one surprised to learn what Louise had been up to. Calian continued speaking after expressing complex emotions that could not be described simply as surprise.
â Unlike in the past, this time Devlan knew what his mother was giving him, so it is likely that he told him not to put incense.
â I guess youâve already noticed.
â How did I know⦠Could it be that my mother and Marquis Lin were related? The biggest difference from the past is, of course, my absence. Marquis Linâs actions took the biggest turn.
Healer.
In the past, Marquis Lin had never stepped forward to attack a healer.
â If Marquis Lynn helped his mother, Devlan may have found out that his mother was involved when he was investigating Marquis Lynn. If that were the case, I might have paid attention to my mother.
â okay. Let me check.
After one conversation like this, Chase moved quietly. And I found out that Kalian was not wrong.
The Marquis of Lynn, who was also Arianneâs mother, helped Louise. I prepared poison to put in the sleeping scent that goes up to Devlan.
Calian said calmly after hearing what Chase had confirmed.
â Devlan must have already confirmed the villa. If Marquis Lin had been arrested, the mansion would have already been searched without even Arianne knowing. Nevertheless, if you had mentioned sleep scent, it is more likely that you have not yet found evidence.
Just as Calian once did to Count Latran.
â Waiting for them to make the first move and produce evidence.
Just like that time when he was scared and waited for someone to make a move and create evidence that he was trying to punish Lennon and Tensil, Devlan too.
â okay. I think so too. Even if I had the evidence in my hand, I wouldnât be able to do anything to my mother, who regarded it as my only weakness, so there was no need to be scared that my father knew about the scent of sleep.
â yes. youâre right.
â The only thing Iâm worried about is⦠Thatâs why Iâm worried that heâll start to pay even more attention to you.
â Iâm probably at the end of that thought by now. Because of my mother, I would have deep doubts about my identity.
Is it good or not to think of Calian as another card that can be used like Louise? To measure it.
If he found out about the relationship between Calian and Chase, and if he found out that there was another weak point that could control Chase, even if it wasnât necessarily Louise, then there would be no need to keep Louise alive, who gave him the disease.
â Thatâs why I was wondering if I should make sure they donât have any more doubts about me. Brother Planz said there was no need to worry about whether I knew or not. To be precise, I said, âI know what to do.â Isnât it a weakness to have someone who can hold you in your hand and twist your neck at any time?
The current Calian is no longer the son of Devlan, but the third prince of Kairis, who could point his sword at Secretia at any time.
Even if we found out who Calian was, wouldnât he be in a position where he couldnât be messed with?
â Even if I tried to tell His Majesty my identity in order to break the link between the Kairis royal family and me, there is no way to prove it. Although others may not know, I also plan to never admit the truth to Your Majesty.
Even if everyone in the world suspects Kalian, it still remains that there is no way to reveal the truth unless Kalian directly admits it.
â So you shouldnât be agitated. If you doubt me, let you doubt me.
Wasnât it because Calian had been caught countless times up until now because he didnât bother to hide it and just admitted it? Devlan probably knows that much, too.
â okay. However, even if there is a risk, it would be better to find and destroy the evidence.
â yes. My thoughts are the same. However, he will definitely be keeping an eye on youâ¦
â Donât worry. Iâll be careful and get rid of them all.
Beach.
That little beach hut.
Marquis Lynn and Louise know about it, and Chase and Arianne also know about it, but Devlan does not.
I decided to look for it.
Arianne, holding her breath, found the evidence and destroyed it all.
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Chaseâs face as he looked at Louise sitting in front of him and thought it was fortunate that the evidence had been destroyed.
âIn the end, no one can be pure white.â
Verne stayed in the shadows to protect Chase.
Louise put poison on her hands to erase the shadow.
In the end, no one was pure white.
Because itâs really funny.
âPlease donât ask me how I knew, but I wonder if it would be difficult.â
Louise looked at Chase for a moment and nodded as if she understood. And Chase opened his mouth again, smiling no different from usual.
âThe sleeping scent is just a sleeping scent. Whatever else was in it, it was just a sleeping scent, so you donât have to worry.â
I didnât speak quickly.
It wasnât even a nervous voice.
As always, he looked into Louiseâs eyes and continued talking to her in a voice that seemed to contain both wind and sunlight.
âYou donât have to worry about anything and you donât have to handle anything. This time, from now on, I will do it.â
Chase spoke with the same face and voice as always, but it was so different.
âLetâs count. I amâ
âMother I am.â
The wind was still blowing.
Chase, who once again pushed back Louiseâs flowing hair, intercepted Louiseâs gaze and spoke to her.
âI understand. Itâs okay if you donât explain. I know what your mother was thinking and what she was doing, so itâs okay.â
Louise, who had been trying to overcome the thought that this was not the Chase she had known, let out a dry voice.
âIt seems like His Highness noticed, but I didnât know that the Crown Prince also found out. So I was a little surprised.â
Louise made a slight smile and continued to open her mouth.
âYes. The crown princeâs opinion is correct. It is poison.â
âItâs okay if you donât have to tell us. So donât worryâ¦â
âWe lost so much because of your highness, so we did it out of resentment.â
we.
Louise felt Chaseâs hand on the back of her hand pause for a moment and nodded quietly.
âI was continuing what Queen Deanna had started. Slowly, little by little.â
This time, Chaseâs hand holding Louise gained strength.
âBut brother. âDo you remember when your mother was sick?â
After finishing speaking, Louise coughed lightly.
Chaseâs eyes closed quietly.
* * *
Devlan tried to call a healer. Chase blocked it.
I looked into the healing arts of the elves, but was rejected. Bridget asked for healing skills in exchange for keeping the elves of the forest alive, but this was also refused. Therefore, they requested the migration of some elves and an agreement between Secretia and the elves.
Afterwards, Devlan sent a letter to Lemain requesting that Hina and Kalian come together to the meeting where the agreement was made. And Lemain rejected it on the grounds that Secretiaâs count was involved in the death of Evan, who was a marquis.
And Calian went to the elf city himself.
Bridget Forestâs elves were prevented from making an agreement with Secretia on the condition that they would not be harmed by Devlan. He then had Grand Elder Narzan tell him that if he wanted to receive healing arts, he should personally visit the elf city where the Mother Tree was located.
This was around the time when the news of Narzan and the news that Calian, who had come out of the elf city, was using an aura full of red energy reached Devlan.
âCalian has some business to attend to the Duke.â
Iâm back.
I wonder if Lucy is doing well and how much Anne has grown in the meantime. This was what I was most curious and worried about, but Planz came to Arpia Palace first.
Just as Calian, whom Alan would miss the most, went to Duke Siegfriedâs residence first to send Siona to Dmirea and entrust the two swords of Planz to the blacksmith there.
âYour Highness, the meeting is not over yet, so you canât come out. If you want to run away before you get scolded, go now.â
With these words, lightly brewed strawberry tea was placed in front of me.
Plantz, who had been staring at Alanâs face, caught the familiar scent that seemed like it had been a long time since he smelled it, and his eyes fell on the teacup.
Alan also attended the meeting with Lemain, but since seeing his pretty studentâs face was the most important thing, he left the meeting. And I saw Plantz entering the office instead of Kalian.
âHow was your trip?â
However, Allen was not disappointed and welcomed Plantz.
âI heard your brother catches chickens with his hands.â
âThey said they let it go again.â
âGood luck catching the wild boar.â
âIt seemed like you caught two birds.â
One on the way, one on the way back.
Alan nodded and gave the answers as if it wasnât that surprising. Plantz, who was staring blankly at Alan, quietly opened his mouth.
ââ¦â¦Itâs my first time seeing the sea.â
Alan smiled with a soft face.
Plantz turned his head.
And then my eyes fell on the red flower pot placed by the window. Alan, who saw that, opened his mouth quietly.
âI was going to take it home and plant it, but I didnât have time, so I kept it. If itâs inconvenient, please let me know. Iâll clean it up.â
I left the flower pot as is, thinking it might be okay.
As Alan expected, Plantz shook his head as if he was not uncomfortable and opened his mouth.
âIsnât that flower fragrant too?â
âIt is a flower that has a sweet smell rather than nothing.â
A flower with a sweet smell rather than a scent.
âThere are many things in the world. Some flowers have a scent, some do not. Or some flowers have a sweet smell. Isnât it amazing?â
âI am who I am.â
Plantz, who had opened his mouth after staring at the flower for a moment, turned his head.
He turned his head away from the sweet flowers and took a sip of the strawberry-flavored strawberry tea that had been placed for him. And then I looked at that cup of warm tea again.
âI thought I knew a lot. Because thatâs not the case.â
There are a lot of things you donât know outside of the palace.
There are a lot of things you donât know even inside the palace.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
â⦠It was fun.â
My younger brotherâs stepdad is a person who is very good at listening, so he asked me how the trip was. He gave a late reply:
âThank goodness. You said it was fun.â
Alanâs face looked genuinely happy.
Planz, who was looking at Alan in silence again, opened his mouth quietly. Then he said something other than about this outing.
âYou donât look good . . âWizard.â
Thatâs why Alanâs face had become a bit gaunt after just a few days. People
who saw his face every day might not have known it, but Plants hadnât seen Alan in quite a while and had a very good memory.
Alan smiled quietly as he watched Plants express his concern.
âI canât tell you how sharp the prince is. âItâs because I havenât been able to sleep for the past few days due to a lot of work, so donât worry.â
Plantz, who was about to nod his head in response that it was nothing, paused for a moment.
âWhy did you just leave it at that time?â
After hearing the story about how I recognized Alanâs slightly thin face, this question suddenly occurred to me. It was
nât long after Calian changed.
I didnât notice the reason why Calian, who was drinking poisoned tea, was getting thinner. I was concerned about the problem of Calian changing. I paid more attention and vaguely thought that Kalian might be getting thinner because of the change. Moreover, around the time when Kalianâs health was seriously deteriorating, I didnât see Kalian at all because Plants didnât go out to breakfast. But Kallianâs health was seriously deteriorating
. In the past, when things hadnât changed,
was there some other reason why he wouldnât have noticed that he was drying up? Or would he have been unable to stop Silike in the end even though he knew he was drinking poison? If not that⦠would he have pretended not to
know
?
Itâs something we donât know right now.
âWhen I get my memories, will I be able to know that too?â
Plantz, who was trying to put together the various thoughts that came to his mind at the moment, opened his mouth.
âIâm thinking of going out again soon. âDid you hear that?â
âI heard. âI said I would go to Secretia in person.â
Plantz nodded.
âSo, there is something I would
like you to do for me.â He then made a request in a tone that seemed to leave it up to him.
Alan, who had heard the whole story, thought about something for a moment. He answered,
âIt is not difficult, so I will try my best. When are you planning to leave?â
âAs soon as the sword is made.â
âPrince Calian said he would leave in a month. âDid you move the schedule forward?â
âKing Secretia said he thinks the same way as my brother. Thatâs why Iâm planning to go right away.â
âBut the princeâs birthday is just around the corner. Wouldnât it be better to have a celebration and then go?â
Planz shook his head.
âItâs okay because I received a gift.â I
already received a birthday present, so there is no need for a birthday banquet.
If itâs Calian, Iâll prepare diligently and go in a month or two. It may have been so, but if Devlan had expected Calianâs visit, he would have thought about the same period of time, so he would just go right away.
Looking at Plants, Alan asked,
âI was curious why you were helping me so much. Can I ask you something?â
Planz, who was about to say he didnât want to tell me, looked at Alan for a moment.
â⦠Youâre living so hard as if every day will be your last.â
While looking at the coffee in front of Alan, he looked at the flowers placed by the window. I set my gaze on. Then I looked out the window. A large garden came into view.
â There are many places to take a breather within the palace.
The words given to Plantz on behalf of Calian as if to tell him not to feel too stuffy even if he ends up living in the palace forever. âI thought my little brother would have to live a little less hard if I helped him.â
While
remembering those words, Planz answered.
Afterwards, his expression appeared as if to say, âI thought my pretty little girl had a friend, but sheâs gained an older brother.â Looking at Alan, he made an annoyed face and then chuckled.
âWizard. I guess Iâll have to finish work early today.â
âYes, thatâs right.â
Plantz, who had told Calian to hurry up and get to work if he wanted to drink the alcohol he brought with him, didnât stay any longer and got up. He wanted to
see Lucy and Anne quickly.