The inside of the temple became busy.
This was because visitors wanted to follow Chase as he started marching to the square. However, Kairisâs guests decided not to go to the square for safety reasons, so they planned to stay a little longer and then head to the royal palace.
After Chase left the temple, Calian looked around and slowly opened his mouth.
âYou really came. Here.â
A small, small voice.
Box seats opposite the VIP box seats where Kalian and Planz are seated. The words were spoken as if recited while looking at the person sitting there. Plantzâs eyes followed Calianâs gaze. I could see the royal family of Tensil looking this way without even trying to hide it.
âAre you the crown prince of Tensil?â
âItâs my first time seeing him, but I think itâs because of the way heâs dressed. I was so focused on Chase that I couldnât pay attention to anything else, so I only saw him now.â
Who was different?
Calian, of course, couldnât take his eyes off Chase, who was walking towards the crown and placing it on his head, and Plantz, like Plantz, was so confused that he couldnât look around.
Isnât this the coronation ceremony that one sees for the first time in oneâs life? When I think that Planz may have paid for it someday, I feel as if the neatly wrapped tie has become a pair of hands strangling me.
Now that I think about it, I suddenly wonder if Chase had anticipated Plantzâs condition and had gone out of his way to joke around like that. Of course, it could be that he really just wanted to hear Plantzâs respect, but he just didnât care if he wore a crown or not. I wonder if he showed that there is nothing that can change for him other than receiving respect from the crown prince of a neighboring country. On behalf of Calian, who obviously canât pay attention to Plantz right now.
Plantz, who had made what may have been an over-interpretation, chuckled. Calian, who did not see the scene, set up a small silent screen excluding the two attendants and Hina who were standing far away and then opened his mouth.
âAnyway, that guy seems really special too. I didnât know that the Crown Prince himself would actually come to this country.â
âI think itâs the best time to make a peace agreement.â
âYes. The owner of the throne has just changed. Still, it was Brother Chase, not Devlan, who threw away all of Tensilâs priests, so I thought the bad feelings would deepen. Surprisingly, the distribution seems to have been very large.â
Words that are a mix of jokes and seriousness.
The purpose of the visit, which was conveyed along with the reply that he would attend Chaseâs coronation ceremony, was very meaningful.
â Crown Prince Tensil?
â He said he would like to come and congratulate him in person, hoping that the relationship between Secretia and Tensil will develop in a more positive direction.
â A positive direction. Itâs surprising that it doesnât get worse.
â I think I also have a different ulterior motive for coming here. I keep thinking that maybe itâs because youâre here.
The two countries originally had a bad relationship. It wasnât just that there wasnât a war, but that they seemed to be enemies with each other. But wasnât the first thing Chase did while dealing with Devlan this time was to prevent Tensilâs priest from setting foot on the land of Secretia? In such a situation, when Tensil suddenly mentions friendship, one cannot help but be suspicious of its true intentions.
â So Iâd like to hear what you think. Will Crown Prince Tensilâs visit be permitted or rejected?
â I donât think there is any reason to further distance the two countries by preventing them from coming. Besides, now is the time for me to pay attention to that as well.
â okay. Then I will allow you to come in.
â yes. I will keep that in mind too.
I had heard the story like this beforehand.
Even though I knew it, it feels strange to see it face to face.
âThe Crown Prince of Tensil is interested in you. He also said that Crown Prince Planzâs ascension to the throne was a trick. He did not mention the reason why he thought so.â
Kirie, who always keeps her ears open, said this.
âSomething else.â
âThere was none. I watched the coronation ceremony without saying anything, and when His Highness Chase looked over, he said,
âCrown Prince Planzâs ascension to the crown is a trick. So, you should pay closer attention to Prince Calian.â
Thatâs all I said.â
âHe is a person who can think.â
Plantz nodded slightly.
Since he suddenly ascended to the throne after being attacked, it is not that difficult to guess the truth if you know how to properly examine the circumstances.
âAre you planning on meeting me right away?â
âWell, what should I do⦠It would be good to meet Brother Randel in order to unchain him from his heart and find out more about Zeon. Before he dies, whether in a carriage accident or something else.â
He was said to be four years older than Randel.
Blonde hair similar to Randelâs but much shorter. And the eyes are slightly different from Sionaâs, with light brownish gold eyes. The crown prince with a beautiful face that looks a lot like Queen Aisha in the portrait. After seeing it with my own eyes, I can clearly feel that Tensil royal blood flows through Randel.
For now, I only have that kind of impression. I didnât think much about the fact that the Crown Prince was showing interest in Calian, or that he had discovered the truth about Plantzâs ascension to the crown, or that he had died in a carriage accident less than a year later. Not yet.
âWhat do you think, brother?â
âI heard your actions are different from the past.â
âYes. The information Siren confirmed was very different from what I remembered.â
âIf you really came here because of your brother, I would have asked you to meet me.â
âMaybe.â
âIsnât it better to wait for him to ask first?â
âDo you think so?â
âBecause I havenât really thought about the reason why my past and present actions are different. I think it would be better to look at the situation rather than hastily meet.â
âOkay, we still have time.â
There is a Lemain birthday festival in May. You only have to return to Kairis one month before the festival starts, so there is still time.
âItâs getting warmer, so Iâll leisurely eat some codfish and walk around while looking at the ocean. Letâs relax a little more.â
âokay.â
âBy the way, brother, have you ever been on a boat? Even on the Seneu River.â
âThere wasnât any.â
âItâs been a while since I thought Iâd go on a ride. Would you like to go with me?â
âI donât want to see Arnaizel.â
â⦠Where did you learn that word?â
âLord Siren.â
I get seasick when I go on a boat. My mind is spinning and I feel nauseous. The people of Secretia said that they could see the sea dragon Arnaizel, as their entire body was stretched out like a water-soaked sponge. In short, it feels like Iâm going to die from motion sickness.
And I also used that word in a slightly different sense. Even when they had a bad hangover, the Secretia people said the same thing. Euria, who heard that at the bar, taught Planz this funny saying. He said he would never see Arnaizel unless he was on a ship.
Anyway, Calian clicked his tongue for a moment and said with a smile, saying there was nothing he couldnât say to a child.
âBut if youâre lucky, you can see whales other than Arnaizel.â
Plantz blinked slowly at these words and nodded.
ââ¦â¦ okay.â
âyes.â
Calian, smiling, turned his head towards the crown prince of Tensil who was sitting far away.
Tensil Crown Prince Sergein Ariely, who had been looking at Calian without any change in expression for a while, stood up. Then he walked behind the box seat and disappeared.
* * *
There is no hesitation in nodding.
âThe boat is nice. The sea is nice too.â
The crown prince of Tensil has arrived.
The nobles of Secretia still couldnât forget how angry Calian was. As a solution to this,
âBy the way, Crown Prince Kairis, are you good at swimming?â
âNot only you, I canât swim. And Iâm not going swimming, Arianne.â
Arianne joined Kairis and his party at the coronation banquet hall. This was an action to show that Kairis did not have much support for Secretia and to prevent Tensil from plotting something hasty while the throne was being replaced.
Chase, who has completed the ritual of preserving the relic, will only be here until he and Louise come to the banquet hall, but even if the stay is short, the meaning cannot be conveyed.
âI know. Itâs dangerous. What if they mess around with Tensil or Xeon?â
âStill, I was greedy so I did. I havenât been able to ride it since I was young, but I think itâll be okay now. If I go back to Kairis, I donât think Iâll have much of a chance to go around leisurely like this. Anyway, Iâm going to talk to my teacher about going together, so Iâll take Tensil or something else. âYou canât be hasty and lay hands on us just yet⦠Brother, thatâs rabbit meat. You wonât be able to do it.â
Calian, who was continuing the conversation with Arianne on behalf of Planz, stopped Plantz from reaching for another well-cooked piece of meat, away from the spice-filled lamb steak. He concluded his speech by watching Planz move his hand to the well-cooked beef.
Ever since Devlanâs matter was resolved. Louise came to the villa several times on behalf of Calian, who could not go to the palace. Of course, it was because Louise wanted to meet and talk with Calian, but more than that, it was because she needed to receive treatment from Hina.
Chase, who was busier than anyone else, couldnât come to the villa often, so Arianne did most of the hard work. Thanks to that, I started talking to Calian again.
âIf Baron Manasil goes with you, then shall we go together? Itâs time for you to take a break, Your Highness.â
âAnyway. Thatâs fine with me. If I leave Lord Castrin at the palace, nothing will happen for a day or so.â
âIâll talk about it after the banquet is over.â
Calian nodded, taking a bite of the rabbit meat that Plants had avoided. Meanwhile, Arianne, who had poured a glass of ruby-colored wine with Euria, opened her mouth.
âWhat kind of person is your fiancé? I know the crown princeâs fiancé because Iâve seen him a lot, but Iâm suddenly curious.â
For a brief moment, Plantzâs eyes turned to Aela. Ayla, unaware of the circumstances, was having a conversation with Rachel. Planz turned his head, picked up a salad with strawberry dressing, and put it in his mouth.
âA strong person. A cool person who is good at using a sword.â
Calian made a face as if he knew why Arianne said such a thing. And he spoke in a low voice that could not be heard by others, drowned out by the sound of music and other conversations.
âWe fought a lot and we made up right away every time. Sometimes you apologized and sometimes Chase apologized first. And then we got along well again. We continued to do so forever.â
âItâs no different from now.â
âItâs no different.â
âBut my mom said that it might have been okay at the time, but wouldnât it be different this time? Thatâs what I think too. Shouldnât we have a civil wedding this time?â
Since he received a lot of help from Marquis Lei Jian Lin until he ascended to the throne, too much attention from nobles was focused on Lei Jian. In order to avoid any problems, the best way was for Chase and Arianne to have a civil marriage as arranged.
âIn the past, there were a lot of people around me telling me to have a civil marriage. However, Brother Chase knew that you didnât want it, so he never brought up the topic of a civil marriage with you. Not once. The situation is different this time, but if you say you donât want it, it will still be the same.â
Arianne let out a short sigh.
âYou can do whatever you want. If you donât want to do it, you donât have to do it, Arianne.â
âHow can you say that? I know Iâm a self-indulgent person, but itâs not to that extent.â
âWhy are you trying to fit in? Itâs okay if you donât.â
Calian, who thought about his wonderful fiancé for a moment, opened his mouth.
âMy fiancé says he wonât marry me.â
An amused sound came from Arianneâs mouth.
âDid you ask that?â
âI asked you if you would marry me. What do you think I said?â
âwell. âI donât know.â
âHe said he would marry me if I gave up my title as prince. Because my fiancé is going to be a duke.â
Arianne smiled and drank wine again and said,
âThatâs cool. âI miss you.â
âI told you. Heâs a cool guy. If we get a chance, we can meet later. Anyway, you are the same. Either bring your sister to the capital and become queen, or you can just become a marquis. Do whatever you want. You donât have to feel like you have to force yourself to do it. You can always find ways to keep getting along well with nobles. Because Brother Chase is a capable king.â
Arianne nodded.
âYes. âThank you.â
As the conversation with Arianne came to an end, the knights guarding the entrance to the banquet hall announced the entrance of the Crown Prince of Tensil. It was unknown whether he had been staying at the Temple of Serenti or somewhere else, but Chase was about to enter. It was time to go in.
Calian, who had been looking at the entrance to the banquet hall for a moment, turned his head. Then, passing by Planz, he began to explain to Hina how big the whale was. It was the largest in the world, and it was quieter than anything else, but it was more beautiful than anything else. â Then what about
the dragon?
And Hina said that it would be a big problem.
âThat one is not an animal, so please exclude it, Hina.â
He said it was a joke. Hina smiled as if it would light up the entire banquet hall. The whole world. Calian smiled at the brightening feeling. But thenâ¦
â
A shadow appeared in the banquet hall that Hina had worked hard to brighten. Someone had walked behind Calian and blocked the bright light of the chandelier. Who it was was obvious even without looking, so Callie didnât know who it was. Ahn looked towards Planz with an expression of surprise. Then, the person who approached Calian spoke.
âIt feels like Iâm seeing you for the first time, Prince Calian.â
Arsene, who was raising a glass of water, frowned. Not only Reric, but even Yan frowned. To be precise, everyoneâs expressions except Calian and Plantz became stiff.
Plantz lowered his eyes as if nothing was wrong. And Calian made a face as if nothing was wrong. Like a flower that blooms in the early season. It means that he smiled cutely.
Knock knock
knock. Calian, who had been tapping the table for a moment and trying to understand the situation, turned his head.
âThey said Tensil joined hands with the wolves of the Great Desert.â
Calianâs mouth opened.
âYouâve been hanging out with wolves to the point where youâve forgotten the order in which peopleâs eyes should touch you.â
Even though my brother here is covered in nature-friendly colors, heâs not so naturally out of sight. Somehow, knowingly or unknowingly, you smell like grapefruit, you bastard has no manners. Why did you come here and say hello to me first instead of your brother?
I tried to say it, but I ended up saying it every other time.
I can feel Planz sighing silently.
Itâs obvious that Arseneâs eyes will sparkle. As the Kalianâs mouth began to open, one of them looked at the time to stop him, and the other, not knowing anything about that, got ready to have fun watching.
Either way.
Calian didnât care.
â Itâs a little strange. A caring prince.
But from Hina.
â That person is not a man.
Incomprehensible words were said about Serjan, who was known to be a man.
â Itâs a woman.
Kalianâs fingertips drew a long arc.
âIf you need to say hello, apologize first.â
Either way.
Calian didnât care.
âTo Crown Prince Planz.â
for now.