His track record is as impressive as his abilities.
Not long after he came to live in a new place, he chopped off the waist of a popular margrave. After a birthday party for his biological father, who seemed to have inherited nothing from him except his hair color, he destroyed a palace. He had the Marquisâ gambling house devastated, and even cut off the lives of the Marquis and his son. Even so, he often appears in front of nobles and threatens that he will own this country.
Is it not only that?
I often complain about Sispanian. He poured out his life towards Serenti. He cut off Danuâs roots and carved deep scars on his trunk. The Arnigel, which is said to be the most feared by Secretiaâs sailors, is called the blue-backed fish. I got into a huge argument with Silestian, the crazy man crouching in the great desert.
At this point, Iâm just screwed.
He is a fool who has strayed even into the human realm.
âIâm weak-hearted again. Youâre so kind.â
Sispanian.
I can somehow stop that bastard.
Let me understand my fiancé.
â Kaaaaang!
A heavy blade full of understanding that may be narrower than that of the Sispanian, but at least wider than that of the Great Sea, struck the red sword. A dull and even sharp roar resonates throughout the training room.
But unfortunately, the sword he swung with all his might stopped without being able to block the red sword.
The person who blocked the attack without much difficulty. A rare bastard that was created by Devlan Durahan Secretia, created by Planz Rurun Kairis and Arsene Hertz, and completed by Serenti.
âWow. Youâve gotten stronger, my fiance.â
Calian Lane Kyris said with a bright smile.
â Taaat!
â Boo!
The extremely heavy silver blade swings towards that smile.
Kalian, who easily let go of the next heavy attack by crossing his dazzling sword at an angle, took a step forward. Then, Dmirea rotated her sword with her center of gravity downward and her own body, and struck her sword in a completely different direction from where she had been exchanging attacks and defense.
â Kaaaaang!
A short exclamation is heard after the roar of the blade.
This is because it was an attack that was swung knowing exactly which direction Calian, who had disappeared before his eyes, would attack.
Demirea, not concerned about such reactions, raised her sword this time. The silver sword body sparkled and reflected the light of the magic lanterns that filled the walls of the training hall.
So, of course this situation is a sparring match. One side sees it as a place to gauge the other personâs performance and provide help, while the other side seems to think that they are in a life-and-death duel with an enemy they will never meet again in their lives, but it is a sparring anyway.
â Boo! Kaang!
â Kang kagagang kwaang!
okay. Itâs definitely a sparring match. Nevertheless, there is a reason why the tip of Demireaâs sword is so different from usual.
To explain why, letâs go back in time for a moment.
Until the waning red sunlight cast its long shadow inside the wide, tall window of a villa located in Whitlin.
Exactly
â â¦â¦ Tuk.
Right around the time when a pure white rose was placed on top of a pile of documents to be handed to Hina Bern, who had replaced Dmirea, who had been representing Navia, the lord of Whitlinâs representative, Navia, who had left to visit Fabian.
-Sweet!
The person who was about to close the document that had just been signed heard the sound of a flower being placed, and before his blue-grey eyes moved toward the direction of the sound, the scent caught him first.
Between the scent of mahogany wood wafting from the desk, the scent of black ink on the paper in my hand, the scent of roasted almonds on the table, and the scent of strong coffee sitting next to it, I can feel the scent of unfamiliar flowers.
âWhat is it?â
A low, calm voice came from behind without even leaving a trace, let alone a rumor, and was directed at the person who had put down the flowers.
Only then did the visitor who walked next to the desk, making the sound of footsteps twice at the latest, much later at the latest, emit a voice that was pleasant to hear.
âPretty thing.â
Would it be fair to say that the flower, which bloomed beautifully enough to be used as a corsage to top off a stylish wedding dress, gave off the scent of the most extravagant breeze of the time?
Demirea, who had been silently looking at a white rose blooming as beautifully as its scent, raised her head. Then Kalian, who was standing there smiling brightly, added to her words.
âIâm having more fun than my brother, so Iâm asking you to hold my hand instead of my brother. Iâm the kind of person who knows how to bring things like this to my fiancé.â
âAre you here to have fun?â
âYeah. We havenât even seen the flowers yet.â
He must have picked the prettiest roses from among the roses that filled the garden of Lord Whitlin Castle. Arenât you the kind of person who does everything with sincerity?
Demirea picked up a flawless white rose and smiled slightly. She said as she placed a flower in a new water glass that was placed along with the coffee cup.
âNext time, please cut off the thorn and bring it to me.â
âIf I bring it to you next time, will you accept it?â
âWhat should I do with the flowers that have already been picked? I have to receive them.â
The most extravagant, wind-like smile of this era spreads across the face of the prince who brought spring with him.
âNext time, Iâll remove the thorns and bring them back.â
âHow is your brother?â
âIâm fine.â
âYeongju Castle will be noisy.â
âI will always make sure my baby elephant is well, no matter what he hears. Donât worry.â
The saying that the 3 princes are fake.
It is said that he is a strange person who disguises himself as a third prince.
Such words spread widely among the people of Yeongju Castle. The story, which Whitlin believed and Navia and the nobles doubted, was not entirely believed by other people in the lordâs castle, although they thought it was interesting. How can one imitate Sispanianâs blessing? Moreover, Calian, disguised as Plants, kicked in the door of the conference room and caused such a fuss, so what more suspicion would there be?
Regardless of each personâs reaction, Yan, who inevitably heard the rumor, said he was not shocked or angry.
With a very serious face, he said, âI knew that word would eventually spread,â and he was worried about Kalian. He said he thought that one day there would be someone who would talk about why our prince has changed so much without even knowing why.
Dmirea sighed as she thought about Jan, who trusted Calian without a trace of doubt.
âI donât know if itâs right not to tell my brother the truth about the prince.â
âI donât want to be dead to Jan.â
Calian, who was looking at the soft white rose, answered.
âI donât want to be left behind as a child who died after leaving behind a will that told me not to cross the line I set. Whether itâs right or wrong in other peopleâs eyes to continue like this, I just want to live without compromising on that one thing.â
Is that the will of the old Calian or the will of the current Calian? Calian, who conveyed his sincerity, which he himself was no longer aware of, walked a few steps again. And he sat down on the sofa in the center of the study.
âIf thatâs the case, why donât you just get caught? It seems like thereâs no one in Zeon who doesnât know the truth.â
âThatâs not what caught me.â
Calian laughed brightly.
âThen. Do you know that the story about the prince has spread to the streets of Astricia without the princeâs knowledge?â
âNot about you and your brother, but about me?â
âYes. That thing about the prince being fake.â
I didnât know.
âPopularity is good. Nothing goes quietly.â
Kalian shook his head and frowned. Then Demirea, who quietly walked over and sat across from Calian, spoke.
âItâs a rumor from my father.â
ââ¦Did Lord Siegfried start a rumor that I was a fake?â
âyes.â
âWhy me⦠ah.â
Smile.
Nod.
Kalian smiled contentedly and nodded his head.
âWell, itâs better to spread rumors while they are just rumors.â
âYes. It has to be a joke that everyone already knows so Briesen and they donât try to use it as a weapon.â
Slayman actually spread the rumor that Kalian was a fake.
If itâs an absurd rumor, it has to spread widely so that Brisen or Zeon canât use it as a weapon. If it is a story that everyone has already heard and passed over, it will not receive attention and die down even if the same words come out of someoneâs mouth later.
âI donât know what your Majesty will think of the rumor. Just in case, you shouldnât believe it.â
âI believe it. Your Majesty told me to tell the prince to prepare to go to Camilon when he returns to the palace.â
Demirea took a sip of the coffee she brought from her desk and spoke calmly.
Cesarwi.
It was Lemainâs solution that would put an end to the vicious rumors spouted by Whitlin and spread by Slayman at once.
âThen⦠where should I get a great desert dogâ¦?â
Words of deep concern quietly flowed from Calianâs mouth.
âHave you finally decided what to grow?â
âThere was no need to worry. I had already thought about it since I was young.â
When was that childhood? Who was the person who wanted to raise a dog in the Great Desert? Demirea, who understood very well without saying another word, nodded her head.
âThen, think about it yourself and bring the second dog.â
Calian let out a small laugh.
âI guess so. I guess one of them would be too bored.â
âYes. I also have two cats.â
âYes, I will, Demirea.â
âDonât tell me you brought in a black jaguar cub somewhere and found a dog that matches the personality of the prince.â
ââ¦â¦ ah.â
âItâs not possible.â
ââ¦â¦ Yes.â
âWhy did you come here?â
Demirea seemed to be unable to let go of her regrets, so she asked as if to divert her words. Then, Calian, who could not completely erase his expression of disappointment, answered.
âI met Whitlin.â
Demireaâs hand, which tried to lift the teacup again, returned empty. Dmirea, who raised her head and looked at Calian, asked softly.
âIs that why your face is like that?â
âMy face?â
âYes. The princeâs face.â
âWhy the face?â
âI thought you had a fight with me again. You looked bad.â
âI didnât fight. I got scolded. Anyway, it was because of Whitlin, because of old memories⦠and because of that. This and that.â
The thing that Kalyan himself calls âlifeâ.
Calian smiled slightly as he pointed to the clock on the wall.
âDo you not like my complexion?â
âItâs not very good.â
âFor some reason, Jan gave you honey tea and you accepted flowers without a second thought.â
âOnii-sama, I would have given you honey tea to think of the prince, but I just got the flowers. They were pretty.â
âWow. I said I wasnât pretty, but the flowers were pretty.â
âBecause a flower is a flower.â
âI am.â
âJust a prince with a bad personality.â
âWow. Thatâs too much.â
Kalian let out a small laugh and stretched out his hand.
Then, the coffee cup that had been placed in front of Demirea was brought in front of me.
Calian frowned as he stole a sip of the coffee Dmirea was drinking instead of telling him to give me some since he didnât have his own tea because he came in secretly.
âwrite.â
Because the coffee I drank after such a long time was still bitter and fragrant.
âI heard you donât drink coffee. Iâll ask you to bring tea.â
âNo. Donât drink any more. Iâll be gone soon.â
Calian waved his hand and looked at Dmirea. Without saying a word, I looked at the clock for a while, as if I was looking at the waves of Secretia.
âThey say itâs because of Devlan.â
He smiled faintly as he said what he was saying.
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âWhitlin. It was Devlanâs bird. I didnât know, but Brother Chase didnât know either.â
Demirea frowned her eyes.
âWhen I heard that Whitlin pretended to be dead in front of Kyrie. There was also a medicine that made it possible for the secretaries of Secretia, and there was already a medicine like the one I took in front of Silike, so I thought about it for a moment, but there are many similar medicines anyway. âI didnât suspect it. I didnât⦠They said it was true that Whitlin also took the same medicine I took.â
âYou have to tell me in detail so I can understand.â
âYeah. Sorry.â
Knock knock knock.
Calianâs fingertips stopped tapping the table.
âA long time ago⦠Long before I was even born, Whitlin saw Serenti waking up. I donât know if it was a premonition or a dream of the past.â
âyes.â
âUsing what he found out at that time, he went to the Serenti Temple in Secretia to see if he could get something helpful to the elves of Bridget Forest. Then, he met Devlan through the high priest there.â
âDid the late King of Secretia believe that?â
âThat canât be true. Devlan⦠my father. He doesnât trust people. Instead, he probably believed in the good abilities of an elf called Whitlin.â
âDid the late King of Secretia have Whitlin as his hand and foot?â
âhuh.â
âso.â
âHe showed no interest in Serentiâs second coming. Instead, they asked me what abilities I had and I didnât hide them.â
âDevlan must have been very greedy.â
ââ¦â¦Brigit Forestâs village was held hostage and threatened. So, at first, I had no choice but to help a few times, and as time went by, my new life got better and we continued to work together.â
âAre you saying you joined hands with Devlan?â
âyes.â
âWhat did you do?â
âWhat would you have done?â
I did some pruning.
Whitlin eliminated the forces that were interfering with Devlanâs ascension to the throne.
ââ¦â¦ so.â
âThen I got stepped on by the tail and had to take refuge in Kairis. I settled down in Kairis and lived quietly without any other work for quite some time. I got married, had children, and lived like that.â
âhowever.â
âThen I received a call from Devlan again. He said he would give me another job.â
âWhat happened.â
âKairisâ former queen Aisha.â
Rattling.
The coffee cup that Calian pushed back made a noise. It was the sound made by Demirea as she picked it up.
âIt seems like there was a rumor going around Devlan about the people who died without a word. So it seems that Devlan thought he would turn their eyes away. The best target for that isâ¦â¦.â
âIt must be an external war.â
âyes. If Tensilâs princess Aisha dies, the relationship between Kairis and Tensil, which had improved somewhat due to the marriage of Gray Brisen and Selena Heidern, will deteriorate again, and if the King of Tensil starts a war with Kairis, Tensil will ultimately be greatly shaken, so Secretiaâs position is There was nothing bad about Esau.â
âKeep talking.â
âI quietly visited Evan and got to know Silike Brissen.â
âThen perhaps it was Whitlin, not Brisen, who caused the death of Lord Verneâs father?â
âNo, thatâs not true.â
âIt was Gray Briesen who killed her husband. It is said that her husband died after Aishaâs death, but in reality it was before.â
âWhy Gray Brisen?â
âIt was to threaten me and make me stop working. It was obvious that if Aisha died, Silike would enter her royal palace. Gray thought that once Silike entered the palace, the Marquis of Briesen would finally come to an end.â
âwhy.â
ââ¦â¦My mother. âShe didnât want the Marquess of Briesen or her queen.â
âAre you saying that Silike wanted her throne?â
âhuh.â
Silike did not want blood on his hands.
He didnât even want to stay under anyone.
So she became queen. She did not become queen because she wanted to live as queen, but she did so because she thought it would be better in every way to be handed the position after putting Plants on the throne than to rebel. did.
If that happens, there will be only one her.
All I have to do is get Plantzâs blood on my hands.
â⦠So.â
âGrey interfered, but Aisha died anyway. Because of Grayâs continued interference, Whitlin could not come forward, but Sillike came forward herself.â
âAfter that happened, she became Queen Freya.â
âhuh.â
âThen no way⦠Queen Freya too.â
âNo. Her mother was not Devlanâs bird. Instead, her mother made her deal with Devlan.â
Whitlin did what Devlan told him to do and wrote a letter, making up a crisis situation. He sent it to Freya. Even if Whitlin were to fall to Gray Briesenâs side, he created evidence that Whitlin was harmed so that Gray could not use the incident as an excuse to threaten Secretia.
Freya received it.
And instead of worrying about Whitlin, Freya went to see Devlan.
âI will enter the palace first before Silike becomes queen. So, if you do something good for Secretia, I ask you not to use Whitlin any more. After that, how did your mother enter the palace? âEven Whitlin doesnât know what happened.â
âWhat happened to Whitlin?â
âAfter faking my death, I went to Tensil. I went to see King Tensil. To capture Gray Brisen.â
âthen. Why did you name Kirie and Hina like that? âAre you trying to become a priest?â
âDo you know Selena Heidern?â
âknow.â
âThe Marquis came to see me, and his husband, who was working at Briseen at the time, heard him mumbling those words. He said that he had learned a good-sounding word, so he decided to name Kirie after it and that when her second child was born, he would name her Hina. I told you.â
âWhy donât you name the children?â
âIf Serenti really opens her eyes, wouldnât she at least take care of children with that name? I thought. At least until then, I was also a mother.â
âThen the elvesâ mother tree and Zeon. How are you related to them?â
âIt is said that while Whitlin was living in Tensil, he took the side of Selena Heidern, who returned to Tensil. Rather than killing Gray Brissen right away, he thought it would be better to join hands with Selena and eliminate all of Brissen. That is how he gradually entered Xeon. âThey say I helped them create the first stone and plant it in the heart. Now, someone else is doing it, but I donât seem to know who it is.â
âAnd then you came back to Kairis?â
âI guess I found out that Freyr gathered the elves of Bridget Forest and settled in Freyjaâs territory. If there was an elf healer among them, they came to Kairis with the intention of appeasing him, but there was a conflict of opinion with Freyr, so he killed Freyr and pretended to be that person. âThatâs it. I think Selena changed her plans. I got the disguise necklace from Devlan a long time ago.â
ââ¦So, Whitlin is still related to Xeon?â
âhuh.â
âWhen Lord Hertz came looking for him, he killed Xeon.â
âIt was not Zeon, but the wolves of the Great Desert. Wolves like Siona who did not belong to Zeon. The wolves who came to assassinate Whitlin were tricked into thinking they were Zeon.â
Demirea let out her long breath.
Kalian, who was looking at Demirea like that, opened her mouth.
âI have a favor to ask of you, Demirea.â
âWhat are you asking?â
âI need to find an elf, but in the current situation, it is difficult to move the Vulcan or Wizard Union. Thatâs because I donât know when Brisen or Zeon will attack the capital again. So, I would like to borrow Siegfriedâs personnel.â
âIâm looking for an elf.â
âYes. Young elf.â
âIn the future I saw, there were two mother trees. With that, I helped threaten Danu into allowing him to use the forest path. And I found the mother tree, which was still young.â
â⦠I hope you donât say that I did something I donât like. Whitlin.â
âI didnât. Not yet. However, we were in constant contact. There has been no response from the young mother tree for some time now.â
âSince when.â
âEver since Rashid Briesen left here.â
âAre you asking me to find and protect a young elf in this wide land of Kairis?â
âSispanian will know. Meet Sispanian, find Sia, and protect her. If Zeon is involved, I will step forward. However, if that is not the case and there is just no response, please take charge of Siegfriedâs command for a while.â
âI am not related to Danu. Thatâs why I have to do that.â
âYouâre young. Youâre just a child, Demirea.â
It is clear that she knows that Demirea cannot refuse that one word. Isnât Kalyan really good at persuading, cajoling, and threatening?
ââ¦â¦ All right.â
Demirea finally nodded her head.
Calian smiled brightly at that and opened her mouth.
âIâll take care of you, Demirea.â
âI understand.â
âYes. That flower too. You have to take good care of it so it doesnât wither, Demirea.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âyes.â
âMe too. I also found out the secret from Adelia, but you canât kill her, Demirea.â
â Whaaah!
As soon as the last words were finished, I was in a rush to live.
Calian, smiling brightly, jumped out of the study window.
â â¦â¦ Cooung.
Demirea chased after it.
Thatâs how sparring began.
* * *
Trudging.
Ravenâs steps are heavy, as if she knew that her masterâs heart was empty.
Plantz frowned as he looked at his younger brother, Nom, who returned to the lordâs castle while riding on Ravenâs saddle.
âyou.â
âI didnât lose.â
âWhat.â
âThe scars that came from coming back alive after almost being killed by her lover alone.â
âDid she tell Adelia that she got caught?â
âHow did you know?â
âThereâs something else.â
I have nothing to say.
Thanks to that, Kalian, who smiled slightly and nodded her head, handed Ravenâs reins over to the servant. And she opened her mouth as she walked out of the rose-scented garden.
âWhy are you looking at roses?â
âIâm trying not to hate it.â
âHave you grown up?â
âI donât want to take on Renieri.â
After finishing the conversation with Whitlin, Planz asked Calian, who was worried that he might have been pickled again, to just leave.
Calian, who had a face that only reminded her of Silike, nodded her head. And she herself went to see Demi Lea to fill in her complicated feelings.
Instead of comforting her, she came back with only a long scar on her left forearm. Because I did something wrong.
âI thought that if the scent of a rose smelled like a rose, it wouldnât be the scent of Renieri.â
âSo you were with me?â
âokay.â
âWhat did it smell like?â
âBrother Randelâs scent.â
Kalian burst into laughter at her irritated words.
She opened her mouth to say something when Calian nodded again at her words, not knowing whether she was glad or not.
âI apologized.â
But Plantzâs words were heard first.
To be exact, he didnât say an apology, but he did apologize.
âI borrowed Hinaâs earrings from Brother Randel.â
âIs that so?â
âokay.â
âGood job.â
âsorry.â
I complimented her and she apologized in return.
Calian, who was blinking at the inexplicable apology, heard Randelâs unique low voice, a little heavier than Plantzâs.
âBecause Iâm angry.â
I guess heâs talking about something that made him angry during the day.
Kalian burst into laughter again.
âIâm sorry too.â
And then there was the reconciliation that was already unnecessary.
Oh, by the way, she couldnât boast that she was bigger than a pea.
While thinking like this.