The Crown Princess's Man (20)

Because his request for an audience with the Emperor was refused, Kaiston returned to the ducal manor before lunchtime. Even if he was denied today, he planned to request an audience every day until the wedding. They were going to hold a modest ceremony after all. Wouldn’t his mother and father want to see their only son get married?

“You troublesome brat! If you keep running wild like that, I’ll marry you off to that crying princess in the far country!”

Thinking of his old father who chased him peskily, Kaiston smiled bitterly. “I’ve really gone and married the pretty princess who cries at every little thing, Father.”

His parents’ whereabouts remained completely unknown. According to Liris, they moved residences periodically, and there was no way to find them. During the year they had been on the Isles, Damon had used every method to learn of their location but failed, so now it would be difficult to meet them without the Emperor’s help.

Pushing thoughts of his parents aside, Kaiston began to sift through the stack of documents piled on his desk.

Kaiston was quite surprised when he saw the list of co-opted nobles that Marquis Kyril had sent through Saik. The Marquis’s claim that he had devoted himself entirely to politics seemed not to be a lie. His influence was significant. Even among nobles based in the western Grima region, some had turned their backs on Raiden.

Raiden had not yet realized the Marquis’s betrayal. No matter how close someone was, they occasionally tailed him, but Ban, his guard, always noticed first and changed the route. No one would have known there was a knight on the Isles with sensitivity comparable to Ban. As Ban’s tower shield suggested, he specialized in defense, and among the captains of the Red Moon, he was the most outstanding at protecting.

When Kaiston circled the sections mentioning Ban, he found they were quite substantial.

“Is there some good news?”

Damon asked as he set a teapot on the desk.

“Hm?”

“Because you were smiling.”

“Me?”

He touched the corner of his mouth without thinking and realized he had been smiling foolishly for some time. Feeling a bit awkward, Kaiston cleared his throat.

“I was just thinking I hoped something good had happened.”

“Speaking of which, have you seen today’s newspapers?”

Kaiston looked at Damon in surprise, and as if anticipating this, Damon placed a bundle of gray papers in front of him.

“Newspapers are the easiest way to catch the general news circulating on the Isles.”

Kaiston picked up the top newspaper from the stack Damon had placed before him.

“Hm? How did they know that General Luther and I met?”

Under the large headline “Duke Crunel Flaunts Friendship with the General,” it detailed that Duke Crunel had entered Darkan and, after the palace, went to the general’s headquarters and was even invited to Grandisga. The article ended with a pointed remark that attention should be paid to the fact that General Luther accompanied him on a date with the Crown Princess yesterday and that they had met two days in a row.

Other items, like the date spots with the Crown Princess and the time he went to a tavern with Millen, were openly reported. It even recorded exactly how many cups he and Millen had drunk.

The other papers were similar. The front pages were filled almost entirely with Kaiston’s movements. Some papers even devoted space to describing his appearance and attire.

“The Isles are really not to be taken lightly.”

Kaiston uttered a small groan.

“Information is where the money is. Newspaper sales probably skyrocketed over the past day or two, thanks to Your Grace.”

“Hmm… Even if I didn’t know, there’s no way the General didn’t know…”

Kaiston put down the paper and recalled his conversation with Luther. Judging from it, Luther had already made up his mind. Kaiston knew this decision wasn’t because of Millen’s request. If Luther would act at a son’s request, he wouldn’t have left Millen so neglected until now.

For someone who knew better than anyone how the Emperor thought of him to act this way, Kaiston found it so absurd he laughed.

“Anyway, he’s really a reckless fellow.”

What Baras likely wanted wasn’t power or anything else but Kaiston himself. In this peaceful time, the only thing that could stir a warrior’s heart would be a life-or-death struggle with a trumpeter. Of course Duke Baron Luganess, commander of the Imperial First Knights, would be nearly equal to Luther in skill, but the two had tacitly avoided fighting each other. A clash between the military’s strongest and the knights’ strongest would carry tremendous risk.

In the end, Luther would enforce his will. Kaiston would meet him and ask for his support, and Luther would accept as if he’d been waiting for the chance.

And with the General moving after having remained inactive in the Millen–Raiden situation, the military would naturally come to support Kaiston.

“Raiden’s temperament will become impatient…”

At that moment, there was a knock at the office door. Damon opened it for him, and a servant stood there holding a letter.

“Is it a reply from Raiden?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Damon handed him the letter. Kaiston took it out and read it, then snorted with a wry laugh.

“What a stubborn, reckless fellow.”

“What did he say?”

“He says if I want to meet, I should come to his house tonight.”

“Ha… You’ll refuse, of course?”

Damon watched Kaiston with a worried expression as he set the letter down and closed his eyes to think. The fact that he didn’t answer immediately meant his lord was already…

“I have to go.”

As expected, that was his decision.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“If it’s dangerous, it will at least be an opportunity to deal with Raiden in self-defense.”

“But, Your Grace…”

“Besides, Damon, isn’t it proper to bring something when visiting someone’s house?”

Damon sighed and looked at Kaiston, who was changing the subject.

“You want to… show proper etiquette?”

“One must do what’s necessary.”

“Then take a bouquet of flowers.”

Kaiston looked slightly skeptical at Damon’s suggestion but soon nodded.

“Very well. Please prepare them.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare the clothes you’ll wear. Be sure to have your hair done as well.”

His lord, who did not properly make use of his looks, required a lot of care.

“Thank you. I feel much more at ease.”

Seeing Kaiston smile brightly, Damon sighed once more. He grew impatient to hurry off and inform the knights of the matter.

All the way to Duke Raiden Lornuz’s residence, Kaiston kept his eyes on the papers. If he didn’t, his knights riding in the same carriage would pester him relentlessly. Kamel and Saik, who usually clashed whenever they met due to opposing temperaments, seemed to have decided to keep the peace today.

With his hair neatly combed back, an elegant dark gray suit, and a bouquet at his side—plus a faint, expectant smile on his lips—anyone might think he was going to ask someone out on a date, and the knights were understandably seething.

“Reading print in a moving carriage will easily ruin your eyes, Commander.”

“That would be fine. I’ve wanted to try wearing glasses since I was a child.”

Kaiston answered without taking his eyes off the paper. Eventually Kamel pleaded.

“Your Grace, it’s not too late. Let’s turn back now.”

“Are you telling me to miss a legitimate opportunity to visit the enemy’s house?”

“What reason could Your Grace possibly have to go to that man’s house?”

Only then did Kaiston take his eyes off the paper and look at Kamel.

“There are only three ducal manors in the Empire; aren’t you curious how the others live?”

“What on earth does that matter! The Commander’s safety could be threatened!”

“Me?”

Kaiston turned his gaze back to the paper as if he’d heard every ridiculous thing imaginable.

“Unless he brings a herd of mages.”

“He might.”

“There’s no need to worry. The Mage Tower is controlled by the Emperor.”

“Even though you almost died the other day.”

“If that worried you, you shouldn’t have followed me.”

Saik scowled fiercely.

“I worry he’ll take you lightly if you go alone. High nobles always travel with attendants.”

“I didn’t know that. Thanks for worrying about me, Sir Saik.”

Although technically Kamel, who was originally noble and held a viscount title, and Saik, who had been granted an earl title upon entering the palace yesterday, were grander than mere attendants, they considered themselves simply Kaiston’s knights and had come along for that reason.

As the carriage entered the Lornuz Ducal Manor, Kaiston eagerly took in the view of the manor grounds through the window.

“Damon and Sinal’s administrators really worked hard, didn’t they?”

It was surprising that Duke Crunel’s manor wasn’t inferior in size or appearance to the historically deep-rooted Lornuz estate. Thinking he’d have to thank Damon again when they returned, Kaiston picked up the multicolored primula bouquet.

Saik and Kamel had been tense, but without incident they were escorted to the reception room. As attendants, the two knights had to wait outside the room like Raiden’s knights. At the door, Saik grabbed Kaiston’s arm.

“Commander, if he acts crazy…”

At Saik’s cautious words, Kaiston replied jokingly.

“You mean I should flip him over?”

“I don’t mean that… but don’t force yourself to simply endure it.”

Kaiston gave a short laugh, nodded, and went inside.

In the reception room saturated with the deep glow of early evening, a handsome man with dark blue hair and blue eyes stood with his back to the window, looking at him.

“Kaiston?”

He murmured the name and lifted a corner of his mouth.

“I really didn’t expect you to come. We’re acquainted, aren’t we?”

He spoke informally right away, and Kaiston watched him quietly. Now that he looked, the face was familiar.

“So you were Raiden.”

Kaiston stared at him in slight surprise. Kaiston took a few steps, and Raiden also took a few. They approached one another.

“I couldn’t come empty-handed.”

Raiden accepted the bouquet Kaiston offered with a peculiar expression.

“Still the same. Totally unpredictable.”

“I was just being polite.”

The two men stared at each other for a long time.

Fifteen years ago, when the Baras kingdom still stood, the boy had been part of the imperial delegation visiting the capital Yodam. Back then Kaiston didn’t know he was royalty; he only remembered him as a peer who had treated the crown prince without formality and with whom he had been glad to befriend.

“You… knew it was me and still sent the assassins, didn’t you?”

“Do we have need for anything between us but enmity?”

Kaiston stared at him quietly. His cold, prickly tone was unchanged, and his indifferent blue eyes were the same. Still, he hadn’t been so cruel back then. Though he seemed cold and calculating, he had let himself be swept up in Kaiston’s antics and, even while clicking his tongue in dismay, had not pretended not to notice Kaiston’s troubles.

“You were the one who coveted what was mine in the first place.”

“Even if it hadn’t been me, the Crown Princess wouldn’t have chosen you anyway.”

Raiden snorted with a laugh.

“Do you think I’m talking about that girl right now? Of course, that would also have to become mine in the end.”

Kaiston frowned.

“Don’t speak like that. To you too, she should be ‘the Crown Princess.’”

“To me, who will become the Emperor, everything in the Empire is merely my property.”

Kaiston was astonished at Raiden’s arrogant words.

“Even if you become the Emperor, how can you call the people your possessions? It is because of them that you can exist.”

“You worthless bastard. You’re still spouting that kind of talk. The Emperor must be using you.”

“Raiden.”

Kaiston gave a hollow laugh.

“You even learned how to curse now?”

“Is that the only thing you had to teach me?”

“How about your fistwork? Improved at all, you prim little twit? Still, for all your airs, you at least know the Crown Princess is pretty.”

Raiden’s brow tightened furiously.