I felt something had changed in his behavior.
Thatâs what Chase thought as he watched Devlan, who had called him into the office, take a sip of tea with a nonchalant look on his face.
âYouâve changed a lot.â
But Devlan said this and looked at Chase.
Today, Devlan didnât leave Chase alone for a long time and even drank tea, which he had never used before, without hesitation. By showing such a different attitude, it seems like Chase has changed.
âI think thatâs what I have to say.â
âWould I change anything?â
âArenât you alone with me and not accompanied by an escort?â
âYou are saying something strange. A father is meeting his son, but he is an escort driver.â
Feeling like he had nothing to say in response, Chase just nodded and Devlan coughed a few times. After that, he continued talking as if nothing had happened.
âAnyway. It looks like Lord Castrin has been very busy. Heâs meeting nobles and interrogating the president of the association himself. I canât help but feel that heâs changed since heâs doing things he wouldnât have done if it were him before.â
âIt hasnât changed.â
âIf not, are you greedy for the throne?â
â⦠Since my father is on the throne, it could be seen as an eye for the throne. To be precise, rather than saying it is just the throne, it is more correct to say that it is a desire to put back all the wrong things that my father changed.â
âWhat can I do if it looks wrong to you? It wonât look that bad to those who are used to what I changed.â
Chase smiled softly.
âAre you giving an answer to the rumors that are spreading outside the royal palace? No matter what you hear, I guess I can understand this as saying that in the end, others will not believe the rumors to be true.â
âThere were rumors going around. I didnât know they were like that. No matter what the rumors are, wonât everyone eventually follow the truth?â
âAre you talking about the truth as a created image that nobles have been accustomed to for over 20 years?â
Like an ordinary father, Devlan has nothing to hide from his son. Nevertheless, his son Chase coveted his fatherâs throne. Devlan was acting like that right now.
So it was as if Devlan was giving an answer to Chaseâs actions.
No matter how much we tell the nobles about who Devlan really is, there will be no change in the deep-rooted thoughts in their hearts. He is harsh when punishing, but steadfast when awarding rewards. That is Devlanâs âtrue appearanceâ in the eyes of the nobles, so wouldnât they think that the soldiers who died, the noble forceâs affairs, Louiseâs incident, and what Chase experienced all had a justifiable reason in the end?
In a word, he is telling Chase not to waste his time since he will think that Devlan is only severely punishing him for greedy for his fatherâs position.
âIsnât that a contradiction? If you consider something full of lies to be the truth, then those lies become the truth.â
âEven if something is made up of lies, if you believe it with confidence, what else is it but the truth?â
âItâs not the truth, itâs a deception.â
âIs there a difference? I donât know.â
âThere is no evidence for deception, but there is evidence for truth.â
Chase looked at Devlan for a moment. And like Devlan, he took a sip of tea, put it down, and opened his mouth again.
âI know that my father moved a force named Zeon through the president of the association. The president of the association has all admitted it, and I also have evidence of it in my hands. Materials given to me by my mother What my mother experienced Assassination of the crown prince and prince of Kairis We also have all the evidence of what we were trying to do.â
âItâs proof. Youâve gained a lot in that time.â
âYes. I gained a lot.â
âAre you thinking that you can gain my position with just such things?â
âI feel like I donât have to endure it any longer.â
Devlan let out a laugh.
âYou were patient. Thatâs an interesting thing to say. I never specifically taught you to be patient.â
âInstead of teaching me, you tied me up with various things.â
âI thought you were a weak and gentle child, so I just protected you.â
âHe just wanted to make her a soft and gentle person. He shook the lives of the queen, her mother, the Marquis de Lynn, Lord Arianne Castrine, nobles, and countless other people, and made everyone, including me, persevere.â
âIt seems like you think thatâs wrong.â
âIt was wrong. Since I realized it too late, I plan to move without further delay.â
âItâs a shame. I never thought Iâd hear those words from someone elseâs mouth, but you.â
âThatâs not the sad part.â
Chase quietly looked down at a cornflower floating on the teacup. Soon a calm voice followed.
âEveryone except you is hoping for an end for you. I feel sad about that because I feel like that end will never be clean.â
âThe end. I donât really like that.â
âI know. I also know that my father will not like what I say until the end.â
âThatâs a good thing. I wonât be disappointed.â
âI have already been disappointed too much. Since I have no more expectations, I will no longer have to disappoint my father.â
After hearing Chaseâs answer, Devlan nodded again and coughed again.
âOkay. I donât think thereâs anything more to say, so please leave.â
âYes. Iâll see you at the celebration tonight.â
Chase, who answered as if he had nothing to regret, stood up. And after showing a mild example, he went out.
Devlan, seeing that Chaseâs attitude had clearly changed, let out a long laugh. After that, I sat back in front of the desk as if nothing had happened and picked up the document I was looking at a moment ago.
â Palak.
Devlanâs eyes stopped while he was skimming through the documents.
There is news that a sudden cold wave has struck a region named Nedzen in the northwest of Secretia, causing all crops to be harvested the following spring to freeze. There was a request at the end asking for permission to postpone the taxes in the affected area for three months and pay them with interest instead.
The generous King Devlan has always been generous with such matters, so it would be easy to allow it. However, Devlan picked up another document without signing that he would allow it.
â Palak.
â Tick tock tick tock.
As I pursed my lips and turned over a new document, I heard the sound of paper fluttering. Suddenly, as I listened to the sound, I heard the sound of a clock ticking.
Three months of spring tax following cold wave crops.
I opened a new document, but my thoughts stopped. The sound of the second hand passes through my mind, one word at a time. A deep smile appears on Devlanâs lips as he quietly reflects on it.
-Tap!
In the end, Devlan turned over the stack of paper he was looking at and turned his gaze towards the clock. My brown eyes landed on the silver second hand that moved steadily, rather than the luxurious clock decorated with platinum and sapphires.
The flow of thoughts is like a fire spreading on the wind blowing across a field, and its spread is difficult to change or stop. Even in Devlanâs head, thoughts that are difficult to change or stop continue to flow.
âThe coronation ceremony of the new King Secretia will be held in February next year.â
yes.
I heard that. I.
Memories of what he had done when the late King of Secretia died came to mind.
The kingâs coronation ceremony is not held on the day of the previous kingâs death or the day after. It takes time from immediately after the death of the previous king for an event called the coronation ceremony to be held, apart from naming the successor of the previous king as the new âkingâ.
The same goes for Devlan.
Devlan also ascended to the throne immediately after the death of the previous king. Then, they informed the nobles and the royal families of each country that the owner of the throne had changed and prepared a coronation ceremony. It took just two months for the coronation ceremony to take place after ascending to the throne.
Two months.
okay. It took two months.
â Tick tock tick tock.
Time passes.
Devlan no longer falls asleep under the influence of poisonous scents. So, the rate of development of the disease will probably be slower than in the past. maybe.
maybe.
maybe.
How long will it be delayed?
Come to think of it, NedGen asked me to postpone taxes.
âEveryone is hoping for the end of their father.â
Am I the one receiving the taxes paid three months later? or not.
â Tick tock tickâ¦â¦.
Is it Chase?
* * *
The strong and the weak.
If someone asks Kalian, âAre you strong?â Kalyan will of course answer yes.
Calian would be said to be strong, not only with Alan and Teilan, but also with many wizards including Arsene and several knights including Kyrie. but.
âThe knife used to cut meat is so weak⦠It must have been made by Tensil.â
A high-quality knife made for cutting meat.
However, he said that it was extremely weak.
Calian raised his head with a relaxed face and blinked. I did it because I was wondering if I was seeing something wrong again, but unfortunately, everything was true.
âPrince.â
Calian quietly lowered his eyes and thought, ignoring Kyrieâs voice coming from beside him. No matter what anyone says, Calian is a reasonably reasonable adult.
That bastard, who is almost weaker than a knife, is like a foxtail stalk, no, he is not a scoundrel, he is not my brother, I canât cut his plump waist in pieces, so letâs pretend that I have replaced him with this, and I, a generous and rational person, should put up with it. Why should I put up with this now?
âPrince Calian.â
Our Hina, who should be with her mother, who is being escorted by Teilan, dressed very nicely today. No, thatâs not it. Why is our Hina over there?
Even when the sun sets and the moon shatters, the whole world is bright as long as there is Hina, who is the brightest person in the world. But now, until this day, until this day, my brother, you bastard, you wait a minute.
âBreathe, prince.â
âIâm fine. Iâm fine. Just wait a moment.â
I made just one mistake.
Iâm going to make a mistake just once in the blink of an eye.
As people live, they make some mistakes, and when they do, they end up screwing someone over, but I guess itâs okay because I have a lot of older brothers anyway.
âNot now.â
Of course, Kirie wasnât doing this because she was feeling fine right now. Itâs just that he had a little more sense than Calian, and Calian was stopping Kyrie because he didnât give any other orders.
Seeing this, Rachel was taken aback, Euria watched with interest, and Aila took a sip of the wine in front of her. And Arsene gently picked up the knife that had been sliced into smooth pieces and put it in the wizardâs pocket. I have a second favorite item.
Anyway, that was it.
Kirie stopped our Hina, who was shining brightly like a morning star next to the crown prince with foxtail-colored hair, and Kalian, who had not a drop of blood in his blood. Let me point out once again that he is Hinaâs older brother.
Anyway, the good news is that thanks to Arseneâs silence, which was quickly realized as soon as Plants introduced Hina, Calianâs voice did not reach the ears of anyone other than the group present. Calianâs words and thoughts were by no means clean, but he still had a flawless smile on his face. And one more thing.
âThere was more than one thing to celebrate.â
Kalian was trying to find the broken knife, but couldnât find it, and was trying to pick up the fork that was next to him, when a miraculous voice that brought him back to his senses, which he had left home alone, fell into his ears.
âIâm a little surprised because I havenât heard any news about him. Iâm sorry I didnât know about him beforehand.â
âItâs okay. I would be grateful if you could congratulate me.â
Calianâs heart melted from sorrow. The noble crown prince, who knew but probably didnât care as much as Coco poop, answered calmly.
The nobles looked at Planz with unfamiliar eyes in a calm atmosphere, wondering if the Crown Prince who had been causing such a fuss by asking why he didnât wish me a happy birthday was right.
âIt is right to congratulate you, so I should say hello. I sincerely congratulate you. By the way, you are Viscount Bernâ¦â As
that name came out of Devlanâs mouth, Calian, who had completely come to his senses, took a breath once again. While enduring and enduring, Devlanâs words continued.
âYou donât look familiar. Itâs a face Iâve never seen before.â
A deep smile appeared on Devlanâs lips.
â I have a favor to ask you.
â say.
â Would it be difficult for you to pretend to be my fiancé just for a moment while you are in Secretia? I think His Majesty the King here will somehow summon me and ask for treatment.
â Anyway, the crown prince and my brother will take care of it myself, so why?
â There are not many people in the world who only act righteously. Even in other countries, it is not easy to refuse the kingâs request on behalf of the person involved. Even if they are crown princes or princes.
â so.
â If you are in a position of great influence, you will experience a lot of things, but other people will not be able to mess with you. And since this happened because I followed my own will, I want to resolve it well.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
It wasnât because of you that your identity was discovered, but even if it was your fault, I wanted to ask why you were using it when you said you would solve your problem. But surprisingly, the gentle crown prince just nodded instead of weighing the pros and cons.
â okay. sun.
â thank you. Instead, I will not receive any medical expenses during that time.
I now know that, like Demireaâs bananas, debt was piling up for Hinaâs treatment. To be precise, I thought it was being paid with the enormous salary of the Balkans.
â¦â¦ I guess not.
The salary was a salary, and the treatment costs for the two brothers must have been separate expenses. I was about to ask why he was telling me that only now, but surprisingly, the really gentle crown prince just nodded his head again.
â okay.
If the cost of Plantzâs treatment is worth the crown princeâs name, I think Calian will have to sell Kairis to pay off his debt. So now Iâm wondering where I can raise a cat.
Kalian didnât know that by taking Hina and Kirie out of the gambling house, he was already paying for their lifelong medical treatment in advance.
Anyway, Hina proposed and Plantz accepted.
Kalian succeeded in using a lifetime of patience.
âBecause he was a man of rare ability, he accompanied me unnoticed.â
âIs he a person whose abilities are precious?â
âThatâs right.â
Kalian held back.
While Devlan and Planz were talking, I saw Hinaâs strong face and vaguely understood that the current situation was the result of Hinaâs efforts to âavoid harmâ. So I didnât make a mistake. This time too.
âNow that you say that, Iâm curious. Can I ask what kind of ability he had that allowed him to cross the border by hiding it so much?â
ââ¦â¦ majesty.â
Light green eyes turned to Devlan.
âWhy are you showing so much interest in the person who will become my wife? Isnât that rude?â
Plantz couldnât stand it.
For a moment, silence filled the banquet hall once again. The crown princeâs answer, which seemed calmer than expected, was so rude that everyone was left speechless.
At that time, Calian called out to Plantz with a stiff expression on his face.
âBrother⦠Your Majesty Plantz.â
The gazes of the nobles, Hina of the Kairis people, Chase of the Plants, and Devlan all turned towards Calian. Calian spoke in a low voice just enough for everyone to hear.
âPlease be careful with your words and actions, even just here.â
One corner of Planzâs mouth rose.
Plantz, who looked like he had no idea who was talking about who was talking about who just saw his weak brother cut into pieces with a knife, opened his mouth.
âMy brother is trying to teach me again.â
âIsnât His Majesty the King here just showing interest in the healer of Kairis? Reacting too sensitively could actually be a great disrespect.â
Devlanâs ruling style, which took root for over 20 years, brought the noblesâ thinking to a halt. I lived with such silence that it was difficult to easily reveal my suspicions about Devlan based on a single rumor. I was so scared that I couldnât think of moving easily and believed that only what was shown was the truth. I built a wall in my heart.
The more people like that, the more likely they are to break down in front of new things they have never seen before.
âIs this my rudeness?â
âYes. Brother, your Majesty was rude.â
âokay.â
For example, a crown prince who casually mentions the rudeness of another countryâs king, or the crown princeâs younger brother who does not hesitate to point out the crown princeâs rudeness.
âI was wrong. I should reflect on it.â
âThank you for listening.â
âYou should listen carefully. My brother is always right.â
And itâs like nodding your head to a subordinateâs admonition without saying anything.
âCrown Prince Planz. Your Majesty is seriously ill. I hope you do not misunderstand that I am only showing interest because of that. In the end, this is an event prepared for the amicable relationship between the two countries, so it would be better for us to forget about each other and move on.â
The words I heard when the wall that had filled my heart so tightly collapsed.
âIsnât that right, father?â
It becomes truth.