Kalian opened his mouth with a slightly stiff expression.
âWhy are you saying that now?â
Kirie told her that Arsene swore at her only when she passed the walkway surrounding the Senyu Pavilion. Therefore, Kyrie answered Calian in a quiet but clear voice when he asked this question.
âLord Hertz is a capable man, my prince.â
âAre you saying that I couldnât tell you on the spot because I was afraid I would send a talented person I didnât like to the other side of the Seneu River?â
âYes, thatâs right.â
âItâs a bit unfair. Itâs just that I canât retrieve the sword I threw away, but itâs not like I know when it will disappear.â
It was unfair for Kalian.
âI wonder if I threw it without knowing how to do it.â
Calian, who attacked after making sure the distance was exactly enough to give Arsene, who seemed to have blind faith in the shield, an appropriate warning, grunted like this.
But at that moment, Yan, who had been walking silently until now, suddenly opened his mouth with an expression on his face that said something had occurred to him.
âBy the way. I heard that Prince Randel has a lot on his schedule today. The time is a bit vague, so I think you two may run into each other on the way back and forth.â
Hearing those words, Calianâs feet stopped for a moment.
Calian scratched his cheek and spoke to Jan.
âWhy are you saying that now?â
Then, Yanâs face became as if he was sorry, but I guess I had my own reasons. So, when I looked at him to ask what the reason was, Yan confidently gave a truly Yan-like answer.
âYou should have had time to think about other things. Do you know how surprised I was to see Lord Hertz training so hard? What if you really get hurt?â
âAccording to what Kirie said, let alone whether Iâm really hurt, shouldnât you be worried about whether Iâm really going to kill Lord Hertz?â
really. This guy or that guy.
One person looks at me too harshly and the other looks at me too soft, what should I do?
Anyway, if you say you forgot because you were so surprised, what else can you say?
âI understand. As long as we donât run into each other, itâs okay.â
In the end, Calian could not say anything more to Kirie or Jan and just answered like this.
âItâs Brother Randel.â
After Silike became like that, Randel never came to breakfast. He seemed very uncomfortable with the fact that his true feelings were revealed at the spot where Plantz was injured and that Calian joined hands with Plantz.
Therefore, we did not meet by chance at Chermil Palace.
The only way Randel would normally go out was to go to the rose garden, so Calian just avoided it. When we went to other events together, we didnât say a single word. He said he was uncomfortable, but he didnât have any intention of getting close to him.
âPrince Planz doesnât seem to think anything of you just leaving like that that day, but I wonder why Prince Randel is like that.â
So, in front of Calian, Jan, who did not particularly gossip about other princes, said this.
âBrother Planz, who is so annoying about everything in this world, itâs not that he doesnât care. He just doesnât have any thoughts.â
Calian answered and entered the Senyu Pavilion where Evan was waiting.
* * *
Margrave Gray Brisen was the Third Sword of the Continent.
Marquis Evan Briesen entered the path of the sword before him.
So Evan, who became a sword master at a time when he was at least within three fingers, raised his eyes. I had just seen Calian come in.
âHow did this happen?â
Evan even closed the front door and practiced all winter.
Thinking that this was enough, I opened the door and came out.
However, Calian still could not sense the power of the Auror.
He was a young boy who had only been on the path of the sword for less than a year, but on the outside, he was nothing more than an ordinary person. As Slayman said, he was like a quiet prince who couldnât even go near a sword.
Even though I was very prepared, it was not easy to keep my facial expression from distorting.
Of course, Evanâs true intentions were all revealed to Calian. Since this was the intended situation, Calian was not embarrassed and quietly walked to stand in front of Evan.
Even then, Evan was deep in thought. Therefore, Jan, who was standing behind Calian, opened his mouth.
âMarquis Briesen. Stand up and show an example.â
It must be something that runs in the family.
First of all, I have never seen anyone show any courtesy.
Kalian, who greeted Evan by bowing down like that, sat down. And as soon as Evan placed his butt on the chair across from him, he opened his mouth.
âWhy did you ask to see me and not my brother?â
Evanâs eyebrows twitched at the words he said without taking a sip of tea.
It was no different from when Calian and Evan met for the first time. However, during the process of ousting Silike, we had contact through Arsene. Therefore, Evan had come to the palace using that incident as an excuse to talk about Calian and Brisen joining hands.
However, Calian was clearly showing that time was a waste.
However, the person in front of him was not someone who could lose his temper like Allen did. Thatâs why Evan said with a sad expression on his face.
âCongratulations on entering the path of the sword, prince.â
âThank you.â
Calian answered briefly.
Then I looked intently at Evanâs face.
Calian was still unable to feel Evanâs aura, so he was seeing it that way, but how could Evan know? It was only taken as an encouragement to quickly say the next thing and break up.
âI came here for no reason.â
In the end, Evan put aside the story of the âalliance between Calian and Briesenâ, which was clearly going to be a loss, and came up with a plausible reason for his visit.
âActually, I wanted to check how Prince Planz is doing. I thought he might be reluctant to see me in person.â
Calian, who heard those words, let out a short laugh.
He openly laughed at it.
Evanâs eyebrows twitched again when he saw that, and Calian opened his mouth in a cold voice.
âThe sound of the river that freezes and thaws for a season can be heard in my ears.â
It was a reprimand that he asked about Plantzâs well-being only after enough time had passed for the Seigne River to freeze and thaw, and it was also a remark that he was watching Evanâs every scheming move.
In any case, it was clear that Evanâs true intentions were discovered, and Evanâs face froze like the Seneu River in the middle of winter.
* * *
Same time.
Alan, who visited Lemain to report on the evaluation results of the 20 newly added Vulcan members, held up a letter and said.
âIt came out of the palace, stopped by Ratran, and then came back to the palace. It looks like there are still people left.â
This was because the letter for Alan had to be received after returning to the royal palace via the County of Latran.
Lemain, who was looking at the report handed to him by Alan, looked up and saw the letter. And then he gave an answer that was a little better than telling us how many people would be working at Kyris.
âIt looks like the shipment has been completed. I see that it has reached the Count.â
Alan, who was now somewhat accustomed to the new title, nodded without much resistance. Then he looked back at the letter he was holding and opened his mouth.
âThis is my second invitation. Itâs amazing how quickly time passes.â
The letter, richly decorated with gold leaf, included an invitation to a festival to celebrate Lemainâs 39th birthday, along with all kinds of rhetoric.
Lemainâs birthday was in May. Therefore, invitations to Secretia and Riverne Tensil were already sent out at the beginning of the new year. Next, it was sent to the nobles of Cairis living in distant places, and finally to the nobles staying in the vicinity of Cairis.
So, it could be considered that Alan received the invitation that was sent last.
âThis time, donât throw it away like last year.â
A smile came to Alanâs lips as he pointed out something he had been trying to find fault with. This is because it reminded me of Calianâs bold appearance, who had made Alan his teacher when he asked for a new invitation.
âDonât worry. I canât throw away the invitation I received even if Sispanian comes and tells me to throw it away.â
After saying that, Alan picked up a chocolate bar from the box on the table and put it in his mouth. Then, an unfamiliar yet familiar sweet and sour taste spread in my mouth.
âI think itâs tangerine jam. It wonât be easy to come across tangerines in Kairisis. Is it from Rivern?â
âSecritia.â
Lemain responded by shaking his head and pushed the box of chocolates towards Alan.
âThe count likes sweets, so take them and eat them. The newly sealed baron sent me some, saying he got them from Secretia, but heâs not very good at it.â
After hearing those words, Alan smiled a strange smile that Lemain couldnât see.
Secretiaâs tangerines.
Isnât there just one person who will like you several times more than Alan?
Lemaine, I know that Calian only had the memories of the Secretia knight, so he wouldnât have remembered it, but it wasnât Alan. Therefore, without eating any more, Alan picked up the box and asked, with the intention of handing it over to his pretty student.
âHas there been any reply as to who is coming from Secretia to Your Highnessâs birthday celebration?â
âNot yet. It will take some time to get an answer.â
Will someone as welcome as Tangerine come to Kalian?
Alan nodded with expectant eyes.
* * *
Is there anything more embarrassing than encountering someone you are reluctant to meet?
On my way back to Chermil after a short conversation with Evan, I ended up running into Randel.
Across the three stairs leading to Chermil, Calian bowed his head towards Randel, who was standing on the stairs.
âSee you, Brother Randel.â
In the past, Randel would have passed by with the words âOkayâ but stopped and looked down at Calian.
If it had been Planz, he would have said hello and left, saying he had nothing to say and would go first. However, Calian, who could not bear to follow such a plan, could only hope that the mysterious first prince would quickly stop paying attention to him and go his own way.
âIâm sorry I didnât respond to you that day.â
Only after a really long time had passed did Randel say these words while still standing on the stairs.
There is only one day that Randel, who is indifferent to everything, remembers and refers to as âthat dayâ. The day I last met Randel. It was the very day that Silike was driven out.
Randel sensed that Calian knew that he could use healing powers. In that situation where Plantz was bleeding, rather than looking for a healer, he called Randel, so if you donât notice, itâs literally Jan.
Calian frowned.
Before Hina came, I remembered Kalian, who was looking for a healer, making eye contact, then getting up and leaving. I also understood that he was now apologizing for not responding to his request for help that day.
However, Calian did not make that expression because he was uneasy about the incident.
âOn the stairs⦠itâs rude.â
Standing on the stairs and looking down at a prince of the same rank was something Calian should not have done, even if Randel was the eldest son.
Calian glanced up at his eldest brother, who was apologizing but showing the exact opposite. Randel was looking at Calian with the same face and expression.
The blue eyes are still deep and dark.
Calian laughed, feeling as if he had stuck his head into the mouth of a blue beast.
âAre you showing your true feelings with only three stairs?â
Calian, who was still standing below, looked up at Randel and opened his mouth. After that, I slowly walked up the stairs. The sound of steps on the stairs and Calianâs voice rang out in the quiet Chermil Palace.
âThat little rose that had bloomed for a long time. Now I understand what it meant.â
âDid you see that?â
â Ta-bak-ta-bak.
âYes. I saw it. However, I didnât know why he took it out like that, but I guess he meant to make it bloom properly and look good instead of drying out and wilting. Itâs just that it looks good.â
â Bruises.
ââ¦â¦Under Brother Randelâs feet.â
Calian, who had climbed the last stairs, looked into the eyes of Randel, who was at the same level. Randel looked into Calianâs gaze. A voice with no pitch was heard quietly.
âYeah, thatâs what I was thinking.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âI am.â
A voice full of hostility flowed from Calianâs mouth.
âI donât like it.â
Bern was already a capable and obedient kind brother once.
So Kalyan wonât do it.