The Crown Princess's Man (18)

A man approached the couple who were happily chatting together.

Unlike Kaiston, who deliberately turned his body to avoid looking that way, the Crown Princess smiled brightly and greeted him.

“Commander-in-Chief.”

“Isn’t this the Crown Princess? What a remarkable coincidence.”

Kaiston sighed once and also stood to greet Luther.

“General.”

“Kaiston, were you on a date?”

He had been following the route Luther had shown him yesterday, so of course Luther knew.

“What brings you here? Surely you’re not a fanatic who comes alone just to eat waffles.”

“Ha, why not?”

Luther shamelessly sat beside the Crown Princess, and a moment later the shop owner personally brought a large plate before him.

“If you need anything else, please let us know, General.”

“Thank you.”

Kaiston and Liris both widened their eyes at the sight of the extravagant waffle adorned with fruits and ice cream not even listed on the menu; there were more than a few varieties.

“Do you know the shop owner?”

“Of course I do. The stores on this block are all owned by Grandis.”

Luther burst into laughter at Kaiston’s very envious expression.

“What is that face about?”

“When I was a child, I once dreamed of becoming a dessert shop owner myself.”

“What?”

“You are lucky, General. You seem to have everything.”

Luther, thinking it a joke and about to laugh it off, let out a small groan. Kaiston was looking at him with the most admiring eyes he’d ever seen in his life.

“It’s not exactly like that…”

Liris scratched her cheek and looked at Kaiston.

“Shall I pay for one?”

“No, Crown Princess. Perhaps I’ll set up a shop in my later years.”

Luther clicked his tongue and pushed the large plate toward the two of them.

“Help yourselves.”

Although fairly full, neither of them declined.

“Thank you.”

Luther let out a hollow laugh as he watched Kaiston expertly cut the waffle and feed it into Liris’s mouth.

“Is it good?”

“Yes. It’s fresher with the fruit. Duke, you should try some too.”

“I am eating as well. Try it this way this time. Here, ah…”

“Ugh. It’s too big.”

“You can fit it all. You’ve eaten bigger ones before, haven’t you?”

“Th-that’s…”

They were so sweet together. Luther watched the Duke’s springlike face for a long while with curiosity; he looked much happier than when they’d met in Sinal. Luther thought the phrase “it’s already too late” wasn’t wrong. The longing in the Duke’s gaze toward the Crown Princess could melt anyone.

When they’d finished about half of the many waffles, Luther began to broach the main topic.

“A imperial family banquet will be held by the court in a week.”

The two looked at him simultaneously.

“Although a state wedding hasn’t been performed, since the Crown Princess is in seclusion, a modest ceremony will be held at the temple. A reception is planned afterward.”

“I see.”

Liris merely nodded slightly, as if she had already heard of it from the Emperor yesterday.

“Be even more careful until then. I heard you were seriously injured yesterday?”

“How did you know?”

“Millen had returned to his family home.”

He had guessed as much. At dawn, he had heard from Damon that Millen hadn’t come.

“He asked me to help him strike Raiden.”

Kaiston and Liris were taken aback.

“Millen asked you that, General?”

“Yes.”

Luther stared intently at Kaiston’s hardened face.

“I don’t understand why I should be the one to hear that from him and not you, Kaiston.”

“I don’t want to ruin my relationship with the General like that. Even if I incur a debt, I’m someone who cannot repay it.”

Luther clicked his tongue at Kaiston’s words.

“I knew long ago that you were such a tight-lipped person.”

“……”

“Anyway, be careful. Don’t cause trouble for others.”

With that, Luther rose from his seat.

“You’re leaving already?”

Luther laughed at the Crown Princess’s remark.

“We’ll see each other often, so I’ll stop being a bother for now.”

“Ahaha… Yes, Commander-in-Chief. See you later.”

Kaiston remained silently deep in thought until Luther left the shop.

As they left the shop and walked together along the edge of Jubilin Park, where the autumn foliage was at its peak, Liris suddenly asked.

“Duke. Why do you keep pushing away people who want to help?”

Kaiston sighed softly.

“Crown Princess. As you felt yesterday, His Majesty the Emperor dislikes me.”

It was a statement that couldn’t be refuted. In fact, it seemed closer to fear than mere dislike.

“Most people don’t know that. Even if they help me, there’s practically nothing I can give them in return.”

“But in any case, the child in my womb will inherit the throne. This child is your son. Helping you now will not harm them.”

“Crown Princess.”

Kaiston looked down at her with a gentle smile.

“That’s precisely why one must be even more careful. The child who will become the Emperor has the duty to rule and love the millions of subjects of the Empire fairly. We must not leave a debt of favors.”

Liris felt as if she’d been struck in the head; her steps came to an abrupt halt.

“Th-that is too…”

It’s an idealistic statement.

Liris stared blankly at the Duke, who had stopped beside her and looked down at her as if asking why.

It was a natural sentiment. All royals studying statecraft were taught that. But could a ‘person’ really do that? Of course, the people do not view a king or emperor as an ordinary ‘person’—many revere them almost like gods.

Yet despite being the most noble of the imperial family family and possessing sacred power, Liris knew well that she was merely a ‘person.’ She felt emotions clearly and could be intensely selfish at times. She wished for the people’s happiness, but naturally there were people she disliked, liked, and especially cherished more than others.

The Isles’ political scene was full of factions constantly clashing over interests. Coordinating them well to stabilize imperial authority and consolidate power had been the chief concern of past Emperors.

When they placated Marquis Kyril, Liris hadn’t specified concrete rewards, but he surely understood the benefits that a certain ‘favor’ would bring.

“Duke, if you were to ascend the throne,”

Liris’s voice trembled slightly.

“Would you have the confidence to love and rule the people so impartially?”

Kaiston laughed at her question.

“Do I have such confidence? Of course not. It’s something to strive for. If you don’t give up from the start, someday you might achieve even a fraction of it.”

Liris bit her lower lip hard.

If someone truly managed that, past Emperors would certainly be re-evaluated. The difference in conduct would be stark.

Liris felt a pang of emotion that could be called jealousy or inferiority, and was startled. Wasn’t she the one who was certain she loved him more than anyone?

“Um, Duke.”

Liris hastily changed the subject.

“I haven’t yet visited your estate in the Isles.”

“Ah. Actually, I haven’t had a proper look around either. Shall we go together?”

“Yes.”

Liris pushed the darkness back deep inside her heart, smiled brightly, and linked her arm with his.

The Duke’s mansion, said to have been purchased from a distant noble relative of the imperial family who lived in the Isles, was very elegant and beautiful despite being refurbished in the short span of just one year.

“Damon must have worked very hard.”

Kaiston gave an awkward smile as he watched Liris admire the place.

“Not only Damon, but the administrators of Sinal poured their efforts into completing it. They say it’s the first step in creating the history and tradition of the Crunel Ducal Manor within the Empire.”

Though not large in scale, there was a place where knights could train, and in one corner of the garden surrounding the mansion there was a greenhouse managed by magic stones. There were separate annexes for servants and barracks for the knights on either side, and the main building had the peculiar form of two wings rising like twins.

They saw a carriage bearing the Crunel crest pass the main gate as the knights hurriedly formed ranks.

When Kaiston and Liris stepped down from the carriage, the captain of the knights, Kamel, stepped forward to greet them on behalf of the others.

“Crown Princess.”

“Sir Kamel, it’s been a while.”

“I heard you’ve returned. Congratulations. But haven’t you become too thin?”

“That wasn’t my flesh at the time, you know?”

Liris pouted, remembering how she used to wander about like a little bear back then.

“Ha ha, I was joking.”

While they conversed, the mansion’s servants had already gathered in front of the main hall to welcome their new mistress, whom they were seeing for the first time.

“Damon, the mansion is so beautiful.”

“It’s not on par with the palace, but I’m glad you think so.”

Damon smiled gently. Perhaps because the mistress was carrying his master’s child, she seemed somehow more beautiful to him.

“You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? I’ll have it prepared, so take your time looking around.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Liris smiled faintly and looked up at Kaiston. He, who had stood silently watching her, smiled back and led her along.

After touring the garden and greenhouse, the place turned out to be larger than expected, leaving Liris a bit tired. Kaiston took her to the marital bedroom to rest until dinner.

“Wow…”

“It’s sparse, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Liris chuckled. Of course, the large sturdy bed and necessary furniture were present, but they filled perhaps only one-tenth of the room.

“It’s probably because of the mistress’s taste.”

Kaiston lightly kissed her forehead.

“I piled up a bunch of catalogs; look through them and fill it with what you like.”

“Heh heh heh… Yes, I will.”

Liris, looking quite excited, rolled on the bed and began to imagine how she would decorate the room.

Kaiston perched on the bed and held her.

“Stay still. I’ll massage your legs.”

“Ah! You’re trying to do something lewd again, aren’t you!”

“You look at me so lecherously.”

“Then, aren’t you?”

Kaiston shrugged his shoulders.

“No, I saw it exactly.”