those white and red roses (2) come from?
I quietly assessed it and closed my eyes.
In May. The month of Lemainâs birthday.
May, which includes the birthday of the current King Kairis, is the month when the continentâs grandest festivals take place. That also meant that it was a time when Bern had a lot of things to worry about. Wouldnât that month, when countless visitors from all over the world come to Kairis, be the perfect time to infiltrate Secretiaâs Sejak into Kairis?
Thatâs why I checked it thoroughly.
During the period celebrating Lemaineâs birth, what is the schedule of the Kairis royal family? What kind of guests are visiting and what happens? And whether the King of Kairis shows any behavior as if he has noticed Sejakâs infiltration. I heard and memorized as much news as I could. So much so that he was able to recall in such detail the details of when Archmage Allan Manasil visited Kairis and why he returned.
â Randel, the first prince of Kairis, suffered an accident.
So, I also knew about things related to Randel.
The accident that happened to Randel at the equestrian performance venue that he visited as an annual event. He even knew everything about the execution of Melfir Fallun, who had been falsely accused of being the mastermind behind the incident.
â Prince Randel, who was injured, visited Tensil for recuperation.
That accident.
I remembered again how Randel had left Kyris away for a while. And after recalling that incident and preventing it, I realized something I didnât know at the time when I saved Melfir.
âThere is a healer in Kairis. Moreover, the reason why Brother Randel, who is capable of healing on his own, went to Tensil to treat an injury of that magnitude isâ¦â
In the past, Randel did not receive treatment from the healer of the Kairis royal family and did not heal himself. There was no treatment either. Instead, he returned after staying at Tensil for several months for treatment.
âI guess they knew it was Brisenâs doing.â
Randel must have been avoiding Briesen. In fact, because he knew that it was Briseen, not Melfir, that he left Kyris in order to avoid Briesen and seek treatment for such a minor injury. He didnât even trust Tensilâs healer who was staying in Kairis and went to Tensil using his injury as an excuse without even being able to tell him that he could heal himself.
âI guess thatâs true.â
I went because I wanted to live.
I went there because I didnât want to die.
The reason why the prince, who had been caressing the roses with his eyes closed and his ears plugged, had to run away from such injuries. The reason why he was able to immediately connect the accident that struck him with Brissen.
It wouldnât have been the first accident that day.
He must have had his life threatened at least once more.
âolder brother.â
After thinking, the red eyes opened again.
I looked towards the light green eyes.
Without saying a single word, the light green eyes that had been looking down at my feet, which were blocked by Calian, looked directly at the red eyes. The light green eyes that were beginning to capture the world looked at the red eyes that were beginning to block the world.
âBrother Planz.â
Has it been a while?
Suddenly, that thought occurred to me.
Itâs been a while since I felt cold.
Itâs been a long time since Iâve wondered how such red eyes can become so cool. Itâs not a look I made to show off to someone, but a look that I couldnât do anything about. Itâs been a long time since Iâve seen a face like that.
Are those eyes unfamiliar?
Did it suddenly feel unfamiliar to look at you like that and call you that way?
ââ¦â¦ why.â
Has it been such a long time?
Has time passed that much?
So much so that that call seems unfamiliar.
Suddenly.
âI wish you could tell me.â
âWhat?â
âYou probably donât know what Iâm curious about, right?â
âNo. I donât know.â
âI wonder if Brother Randel knew⦠Did he know that Brother Randel knew? That.â
âSo what? What did you and I know?â
âBrother Randel also received the tea I received every morning. So me too.â
past.
Meanwhile, the lights were turned off on the 5th floor of Chermil Palace for a while.
The lights on the third floor of the Chermil Palace have disappeared forever.
The fourth floor of the Chermil Palace was left to shine alone forever.
ââ¦Me too. I would have received poisoned tea.â
âCalian.â
âDid Brother Randel know that fact? Did he know that? Now I want to know.â
Memories erased by the old Calian.
Memories left behind by the old Calian.
Calian, standing on the remnants of the old Calian, was looking for the object of his resentment with cold eyes. The resentment I have because I am now a complete Kalyan rather than a replacement for the old Kalyan. Plantz knew that those were the eyes.
Itâs so ironic.
I realized that Kalyan had changed thanks to those eyes, but now I am realizing that Kalyan has not changed thanks to those eyes.
âAnyway⦠nothing will change, right? Even if I could have known in advance.â
âDo you really think that?â
âokay.â
âLie. Again.â
Calianâs urging brought a chill to Plantzâs eyes.
â Nothing will change anyway. Do you really think that way?
â Was I wrong?
â If only you hadnât closed your eyes and turned your head, everything would have been different somehow.
â okay. I guess so. At least one brother who would listen to your pointless complaints would have disappeared, so that would make a lot of difference. Are you acting like this because you regret that? Was it such a pity that your mother couldnât remove one of your stumbling blocks?
â⦠If only I knew. If I knew. If only you could know what was in the tea your servant brought with you every morning. If I knew that. If that were the case. What would be different? What would be different.â
Plantz, who had the same look in his eyes as Calian, gave the same answer as Randel in his memory. Then Calian, who had the same look in his eyes as Plants, said,
âNo matter what. It would have been different. It would have been different somehow.â
I gave the same answer as Plantz that day.
âIt should have been differentâ¦.â
Nothing had changed, but in fact, anything should have been different.
Something had to change.
But it didnât change.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
â yes. Itâs a pity.
Itâs really unfortunate.
* * *
â Dalkak.
The person who put down the teacup with a quiet movement touched his lips. However, no words escaped between them. The person who looked down at the tea, which shook for a moment and then stopped moving, ended up biting his foot without saying anything. Then, as if he couldnât help it, he took a step closer and opened his mouth with a cautious face.
âIt rained early in the morning.â
The words I chose so carefully ended up being that it rained. I didnât say that I should do something or see something because it rained, I just said that it rained.
Tick tock, tick tockâ¦â¦.
In a place where there were no white cats, gray cats, or black cats, the clock chimed quietly.
The attendant, who was supposed to just put down the tea cup and leave, spoke to him for some reason and did not leave the room after him, so the person who had turned his gaze towards the calm scent of black tea raised his head. And in response to the servantâs words, which were obviously difficult to convey, he answered in a low voice.
âYes. I heard a sound.â
âYes, my prince.â
Tick tock tick tock.
A clock chimes again instead of a human voice.
A person who kept his mouth shut without leaving his seat. Randelâs servant Den spoke up again.
âDo you mind if I open the curtains?â
Itâs raining and I wonder if itâs okay to close the curtains.
Denâs eyes were not looking out the window as he carefully said something that would be difficult to correlate. It was touching Calianâs gift that was placed on Randelâs desk, to be exact.
A gift that must have had a lot of meaning, but Den couldnât understand all of it. A colorful box containing garden shears whose value it was difficult to estimate was shining under Denâs gaze.
âLeave it.â
â⦠Itâs a nice day.â
Randel lowered the curtain after the other two brothers, who had briefly left the Chermil Palace, returned. Is it raining outside the window or is the sun setting? Is the moon rising, dawn is coming, or is the wind blowing? I ignored them all. Even though quite a few days had passed since I had been like that, I continued to be like that.
I didnât even go out to the garden.
âThatâs it. Leave it.â
Even though spring rain fell.
* * *
In the end, Plantz did not give an answer.
What Randel and Plantz knew about what they wanted to apologize to Randel for, and what on earth was exchanged between them. Nothing was told exactly.
âDonât⦠misunderstand. âI said you didnât know.â
However, I only said this.
Randel didnât know in advance what was in Calianâs car.
That soon became the answer to all my questions.
In the end, Randel was able to find out that poisoned tea was being delivered to old Calian, but he did not pay attention. Therefore, Plantz noticed a fact that was overlooked. As a result, the relationship between the two, who already seemed to have a deep rift, became completely distant, and Landel also became the Renieri of Planz. It was as if the whole thing had been discovered by Calian.
âItâs not that I didnât tell you the answer, itâs that I canât say it.â
The wise archmage who heard those words said this.
âIt must be because of me.â
âYes. Itâs because of the prince.â
âBecause itâs something Iâm involved with.â
âYes, because it involves the prince.â
Alan put down the mint tea, which is the most difficult to make because it has to be the most delicious in the world, and added with a gentle smile.
âWhat I lost and what I gained as a result of that incident are one thing, so how can I tell the prince in detail about that?â
In the place where the old Kalyan disappeared, Kalyan took over.
Kalyan lives because the old Kalyan is gone.
What is lost and what is gained are one thing. So Plantz cannot tell Calian how the old Calian disappeared. Because the lost seat was not empty.
How can I tell my younger brother, who lives because he is no longer there, that I might have been able to save him? Those words that will not change anything even if you make them known. How can I say this?
âAre you resentful?â
âWho are you blaming against?â
âThe prince must have a grudge against everyone he thinks of. Wouldnât he have a grudge against Briesen, His Highness, you, and Prince Randel?â
âI canât say I donât have any resentment. I feel resentful toward all those who closed their eyes, blocked their ears, hurt them, and ultimately sent them away. Howeverâ¦â âDo you also understand why Prince Randel failed to come forward
? .â
â⦠Yes. If I say I feel resentful but understand it. If I say I understand but still feel resentful. Is that a deception?â
âIf I were to give you an answer, it would be a deception.â
Isnât Kalyan the only one who is allowed to hold a grudge on behalf of the old Kalyan? What can Alan say about that?
âI both resent and understand. Thatâs right. I donât know what would have happened to me if that child had been able to survive, but I am. I wonder if he could have been saved. I feel that kind of regret. Is that also a deception?â
âRather than calling it a deception⦠I should say itâs a sad thing. You live a life where you have to consider such things.â
Calian let out a small laugh.
âItâs okay. I already said I wouldnât dwell on the past anymore. I resented it for a while and then eventually understood. But I feel a little disappointed. I decided to live that way, so I will live that way again.
So, itâs okay.â Calian answered calmly and stretched out his hand. Then he picked up a tangerine handed to him by Secretia and peeled it. Calian looked down for a moment at the bright yellow and sweet tangerine kernel that appeared in the familiar touch, and then took it to his teacher. I handed it to him. It was a reward for the mint tea and words filled with affection.
âItâs just father. Rather, I came here with one concern. Iâm so worried that I have to say it out loud. âI wanted to talk to someone.â
âWhat are you so worried about?â
âWorrying about me.â
Calian answered without hiding his answer and took a sip of mint tea. Then, he put down the teacup and put his hand down for a moment. He held it and opened it and continued,
âBaron Fallun, Hina, and Eila. Everyone is doing well now. Unlike the past. The only thing that hasnât changed from the past is me.â I
wasnât talking about Bern. I wasnât talking about myself now. I was talking about the old Kalian who gave himself up to Kalian and left on the same day as the past. âThat kid
. helped me by correcting the awkward speech of a stranger who had his own body and passing on his memories. Since he understood everything about me, he even encouraged me to continue living without feeling guilty. And so I left.â
âYes. You said so.â
âSo I guess it was revenge at first. Thatâs what I thought. Although he said he was worried about the people he left behind, I thought that he might not have meant it. In my heart, I blame and curse everyone. Maybe he thought he couldnât change the future on his own and wanted revenge somehow, so he left after giving me his place and helping me. Hoping I can get revenge on them all. I believed so. I thought it would have been better if I had left like that. But I found out that I erased my memories of Brother Randel.â
Alan, who put a piece of yellow tangerine in his hand into his mouth and swallowed it, just looked at Calian without saying another word. Calianâs words continued to be heard.
âIf what you wanted was revenge. ⦠The memory that should have been erased was not Brother Randelâs indifference, but Brother Plantzâs different actions.â âThe
former prince made the current prince understand the decline of Crown Prince Plantz and take care of Prince Randel. Are you saying you wanted me not to hate you?â
âYes. Maybe they were worried that I wouldnât accept my new brothers. Maybe thatâs why those memories were hidden and erased. Thatâs what I think.â I wonder
what it would have been like if the old Calian had behaved in the opposite way.
I erased all memories of how Plantz was different when he was alone with Calian and Plantz when he treated Calian in front of others. Randel would have also drank poisoned tea. If the memory of not knowing had been left intact. If only
Randelâs indifference to the old Kalian had been kept in mind so that the current Kalian would not be able to understand Plantzâs true intentions. If so, the current Kalian would have understood the current brothers. Could he have tried? Even if he eventually understood, would he have been able to accept it as quickly as he did now?
Probably not.
âIsnât that a contradiction, father? If that child was so worried that the person who would take over his body would hate his two brothers and seek revenge. If you were worried enough to erase your memories and leave. If that were the case, wouldnât there be a reason to give yourself up to me and help me? Wouldnât it be better not to help me? Wouldnât it be better to have them go to the tower or stand on the Renicita leaves in the square so that they canât adapt to this body and this life and their true identity is immediately discovered?â â⦠Yes
. That could be the case.â
âThatâs why Iâm worried. I was afraid it meant that the child didnât want all of this in the first place. âI was afraid it was something I was forced to do
.â âWhat does it mean that you didnât want it from the beginning?â
âMaybe you didnât want me to be in this body. I wonder if he was forced to hand over his body to me when he was so concerned. I guess I was forced to understand even though I didnât want to. Maybe thatâs why he prepared his own defenses and helped me. â
You mean Serenti?â
âIt was Serenti. Whether it was Danu. Was it Sispanian? âOr it was someone else.â
I donât know the reason, but if all of this was someoneâs plan in the end. If
the child was forced to help Bern, who would take over my body, so that he could put it to good use since his life would soon disappear anyway. Such a ridiculous demand. If the old Calian understood and accepted it,
the child
decided to comply with the pressure, but he may have been worried that Bern might harm his brothers. So he left his memories of Plantz intact and remembered Randel. âMaybe they just erased it. Maybe they put in at least some effort.
âI think it was a forced understanding. Iâm worried. If that were the case⦠whoever was leading this matter, I am.â I
was worried about that. I was so
heartbroken that I couldnât bear it unless I came to Alan and told him everything.
âI felt like I would never be able to forgive him. â
Alan let out a deep sigh.
Calianâs voice sounded so sour that even the sweet tangerines in his mouth tasted sour.
âIf what the prince said is true.â
Alan swallowed the sour taste and opened his mouth like this. . However, the afterword did not continue.
ââ¦!â
Alanâs eyes looked into the distance.
Calian quickly stood up from his seat. His eyes were also looking in the same direction as Alanâs.
âMaster.â
âYes. âThis is Chermil Palace.â
Chermil Palace.
Suddenly, a huge mana began to swirl there.
Soon, Alan looked at Calian and opened his mouth. Unlike Calian, Alan had a calm face, as if he had seen what was happening with his own eyes. â
Go and stop him. I will make sure there is no disturbance.â
Contrary to his quiet words, a strong magical energy emanates from Alanâs body. Therefore, when Calian, who had not fully assessed the situation after hearing these words, tried to ask a question â Knock!
Somewhat
. An urgent knocking sound rang in the office. After that, the door to the office was flung open without any other permission.
âIâm sorry. Disrespect will be punished later. I came to see you like this because I thought it would be better for Prince Calian to come before the matter escalates.â An
apology.
Polite but urgent words follow.
âHis Royal Highness Crown Prince Planz broke into the terrace of Prince Randelâs room. Iâm on my way after barely stopping Den from calling the escorts. Please stop the crown prince.â
Reric spoke as if he knew it was absurd. Alan, who heard that, answered in a relaxed voice.
âNo. The person you serve has already broken the upstairs window.â
âHuh? My Majesty?â
âThatâs right.â
Plantz went over to Randelâs terrace. While
Reric was unable to stop Plantz and came to Calian, Plantz lost patience and broke Randelâs window. Security magic. I donât know, since Alan will be able to prevent this from working anyway. He just received a greeting that he didnât receive, and while he was being greeted, he said he would get an apology and broke Randelâs window. Alan and himself, who had first prevented the Cispanian security magic from working
, Calian looked at Relicâs face as he came, then raised his palm to cover his face. He had completely forgotten the painful words he had shared with Alan just moments ago. ââ¦Ahâ¦â What did I teach him
wrong
? âI wonder if my older brother has grown up like that.
âIâm amazedâ¦â
Oh,
I really am.
Iâm really amazed because of the peas of the gale-and-go.