When Chaseâs steps in front of Plants stopped.
Alanâs movement to enter Lemainâs office also stopped.
Alan muttered, massaging his temples.
â⦠How did they come here?â
The moment Alan realized who the other guest was coming to the luncheon, he glared at the door of Lemainâs office with a completely calm expression on his face, unlike usual. His Majesty, the dear King of Kairis, has committed the worst piece of shit in history.
Calian never said that Chase from the past had come to Kairis. If I had known it was coming, I wouldnât have been so excited and run out of the palace like an immature duckling.
Itâs natural.
During the time when Bern was there, Chase did not do anything dangerous enough to come to a foreign country as the crown prince.
âWhat effect did Verneâs absence have that Chase came here himself?â
Alan, who had no idea who Chase had come here to meet, was just devastated by this thought.
Moreover, it seemed like Chase and Plants had met. Even though neither of them had any memories of being related to Bern, the atmosphere they felt was unusual.
Alan put off going to Lemainâs office and headed outside. It was to bring Chase in before Calian saw him.
âIt will shake.â
Calian was clearly shaken.
I had to give myself time to prepare.
Attack magic or movement magic could not be used at all within the buildings of Arpia Palace. Deeply grateful for Sispanianâs insight into his concern for the kingâs safety, Alan increased his walking speed.
* * *
âNice to meet you.â
These were Chaseâs first words to Plantz.
Royalty versus royalty.
Originally, there should have been a process for Chase and Plantzâs entourage to explain to each other who they were. But Chase stepped forward too quickly.
What Chase said was a very ordinary word, nothing special.
And that was Calianâs speaking habit.
Plantz, who suddenly had this thought, once again felt a deep sense of rejection. Why do I keep smelling like my brother when Iâm dealing with someone Iâve never seen before?
Since he had never dreamed of who Calian looked like, Plantz didnât even understand why he felt so uncomfortable right now.
âI know itâs nice to see you.â
Plantz spoke in a low voice, his eyes still fixed on Chase.
Chase was clearly the crown prince of another country.
Moreover, no matter how great Kairis was, Secretia was not a subordinate country of Kairis. The relationship between the two countries was not bad.
Moreover, even if the attendants did not explain, the two already knew who each other was. So it was clearly Plantz who had to set an example first.
But Plantz continued speaking as if he did not recognize Chase at all.
âHow dare you? Itâs the etiquette of any country to shy away from its prince.â
It feels like the air around me is frozen white.
The second prince of Kairis.
It was a truly arrogant attitude that could only be seen as a Planz.
The servantâs mouth opened, knowing full well that the person under the robe was Chase. At the same time, a strong spirit emanated from the knight standing behind Chase. The only ones who were unfazed were Plantz and Chase.
Chaseâs lips, visible from under his robe, appeared in a small smile.
Damn it.
The little guy who smiles like that is just like Kalyan.
With this in mind, when Plantz was about to say something sharp again, Chase moved his hand. He bit the knight who was about to step forward, then slowly raised his hand and took off his hood.
âBecause I keep coming dressed like this.â
Long blue-silver hair swayed for a moment, and dark purple eyes turned to Plantz.
âI forgot for a moment, Prince Planz.â
He simply explained it, but there was no apology or excuse in his words.
For a moment, Plantz felt relieved that the figure under the robe was very different from Calian. Then he naturally opened his mouth as if he had finally found out.
âOh my.â
The corners of Plantzâs mouth rose as he said that.
Still, fortunately, both lips rose evenly.
Then, after lowering his head just barely enough to be polite, he asked.
âFor what reason did Crown Prince Secretia come all this far?â
Plantz also wasnât the type to say things like apologies.
There was no way he knew that he was being so perverse on purpose, but Chase took Plantzâs example with a look that didnât seem to bother him and then gave his answer.
âI have something to celebrate and someone to meet.â
After saying this, Chase turned his head for a moment.
Then, Calian looked around the huge palace, which surprised even him, and said,
âSo we end up having unexpected conversations like this, and I finally get a sense of where this place is.â
Iâm not here to talk to you, so stop being territorial.
Chaseâs words sounded like this to Plantzâs ears.
In fact, even though he didnât come to see Plants, it was Chase who spoke first. Therefore, Plantzâs answer was still not good.
âIsnât it natural that you came all the way to Kairis? Thereâs no way you wouldnât have known.â
Itâs natural to be territorial.
It was quite an aggressive statement telling me to just endure it since I knew about it.
It hadnât been that long since he came to help Plants, but Reric, a servant who had been in the palace for a long time, knew very well what happened when Plantsâ mood was upset. And Knight Teilan didnât know that Chase wasnât usually this sensitive. Because of this, these two were in a very awkward state right now.
The conversation between the two royal families could also affect the relationship between the two countries.
Therefore, mediation was necessary, but Reric could not intervene in the conversation between the prince and the crown prince, and Teilan could not go against Chaseâs wishes not to intervene.
âItâs been a long time since I last saw you, Chase. And good morning, Prince Plants.â
So the two of them felt like their world became brighter when they heard the voice.
* * *
There was someone else who noticed this situation outside Arpia Palace.
It was Duke Sleiman Hon Siegfried, who had come to the palace to show his face to Lemain.
âHuh⦠Lemain. You invited someone really great.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Even though Slayman called him by name and treated him comfortably, Lemain, who was sitting across from him, did not look very upset.
In fact, the two had a pretty close relationship.
To be precise, not only Lemain and Slayman, but Lemainâs older brother Asnan and Slayman were extremely close friends. As a result, I became out of touch with Lemain, and we always talked like this when we were alone together. So, perhaps the only person in this world who can call Lemain by his name in front of him is Slayman.
Lemain, who was sitting across from Sleiman, asked as he spoke as if he had discovered an interesting fact.
âCrown Prince Secretia?â
After hearing that, Slayman laughed for a while.
LeMaineâs office, which was always quiet, was buzzing with noise.
Even though he knew that Lemaineâs son Kalian had hidden it, Slayman did not pay much attention to it.
Is it not only that? Even when his friend tried to ascend to the throne but failed and was imprisoned in a tower, he did not forget his duty as an elephant.
Would such a Slayman be interested in Crown Prince Secretia?
âWhen have I ever been surprised by a royal person? Of course itâs a sword.â
A sword with the crown prince.
The continentâs first sword, Tailan Castrin. It was said that he had arrived.
âWhen the King of Secretia gave his son the title of Crown Prince, he gave him Teilan along with him. I guess he came here with him.â
âIsnât this a well-known fact?â
Lemain, who was responding appropriately to Slaymanâs admiration, opened his mouth with a look on his face as he realized something.
âBut how did you know that Lord Castrin was here?â
âOh, I didnât feel his aura, but I only noticed it because he was emitting anger. I donât know if I will ever die after seeing that personâs aura, Castrin.â
âWhy is Sir Castrin so speculative here?â
âI wonder if Crown Prince Secretia is fighting with one of the princes here.â
As soon as he heard those words, Lemain stood up.
Slaymanâs large hand grabbed Lemainâs arm and made him sit down.
âItâs because Your Majestyâs ass is so light. The wizard is out, so it will take care of itself.â
âThere shouldnât be a quarrel between the prince and Crown Prince Secretia.â
After responding like this, Lemain stood up again.
Still, he listened to Slaymanâs words and did not go outside directly, but instead walked to the window and started watching the group in the distance.
Alan, who approached the group, was seen entering Arpia Palace with Chase. Before long, Plantz could be seen leaving.
âThe speculation has subsided. Even though it doesnât seem like a big deal.â
Lemain, who had been watching the scene for a while, returned to his seat. I was so focused on seeing Chase coming in that I skimmed through Sleimanâs words, so I didnât see anyone else outside the window.
The entrance to the royal palace in the distance.
A black horse that seemed to be nailed in place.
* * *
Calian laughed quietly.
ââ¦â¦So thatâs why.â
I was so excited from the morning.
It was so frustrating that I couldnât make up my mind at all.
It wasnât because of the sword.
Calian lowered his gaze.
The hand holding Ravenâs reins had turned pale.
Raven kept trying to run forward.
I dried it.
I tried my best to stop him.
* * *
Jan was very worried because Kalianâs complexion was so bad as he prepared for luncheon that day.
âAnyway, how about having lunch and taking a break?â
Calian, who normally would have responded with a smile, just shook his head with a cold expression on his face. And he spoke in a quiet voice.
âIâll take Kyrie with me. I heard that Duke Siegfried is at the palace, so come meet him.â
I tried to answer that it wasnât necessary, but the face made it difficult for me to refuse. Therefore, Jan answered that he would do so and then called Kirie over.
Kirie didnât say anything as we walked to the luncheon location. He was just looking at Calian with a more worried face than Yan.
This was because the person Alan had sent a little while ago had delivered a short message.
â The crown prince of Secretia visited Kairis.
No further explanation was needed.
I could immediately understand why Calianâs smiling face was like that.
Calian got off the carriage and entered the Senyu Pavilion. Then, I walked down the hallway for a while and stood at the entrance to the banquet hall.
Kirie blocked the knightâs hand as he tried to open the door.
This was because I knew that the sound of Calianâs footsteps as he walked all the way here was never constant.
âPlease come back in a moment.â
A long breath came out of Calianâs mouth. Then, he said something I donât know if he was saying it to himself or to Kirie.
ââ¦You wonât know anyway.â
Chase doesnât know who Calian is.
Even if you act a little awkwardly, Chase wonât know anyway. Alan would understand, and Plantz would notice the awkwardness, but he wouldnât be too interested. So it was okay, Calian thought.
Soon Calianâs eyes turned to the knights standing in front of the door.
The door opened, announcing Calianâs entrance.
Step by step, Kalian entered inside.
And then I finally faced that face.
â¦â¦ older brother.