Chapter 6

Clicking his tongue, Bertil leisurely continued.

“It was a scenery of cosmic proportions. People of all sorts gathered from every kind of nation, and among them were countless extremely beautiful and alluring women. Especially… the maids of Kepet were… wonderful. It was a very enjoyable encounter.”

“Pardon?”

Magnus’s bewildered mouth gaped open in shock.

“N-No way, Uncle, you didn’t do anything strange over there, did you?”

“I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

“Pardon?”

Fearing someone might overhear, Magnus clamped his hand tightly over his mouth before lowering his voice once more.

“B-But Uncle, you also… took the vow of chastity… didn’t you…?”

Bertil merely wore a meaningful smile and chugged his honey wine. Draining the cup in one gulp, he set it down on the table with a sharp clack and muttered even more secretively.

“Yes, yes. In our Solinar, the men take a sacred vow of purity. A holy promise to give their heart and body to a single partner for a lifetime.”

Bertil raised an eyebrow and cast his gaze into the distance. His eyes grew pleasantly nostalgic as he recalled some secret day.

“But Magnus, you must understand. Kepet’s customs are vastly different from ours…”

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about!”

Looking on the verge of tears, Magnus gripped his cup even tighter.

“Tsk! Are you pure-hearted, or just plain dense…?”

In the end, Bertil used a more direct expression.

“It means the person our prince must be most careful of at the training tournament is precisely a Kepet woman. Princesses come from other countries too, but Kepet is different. At that energetic age, they have to spend six months cooped up in that island with just a handful of people—how do you think it’ll go when an alluring princess is flitting around right before his eyes? Moreover, they don’t have to take any responsibility. They can enjoy each other’s company and simply go their separate ways when it’s over, that’s what I’m saying.”

“But our Solinar’s customs aren’t like that at all. Breaking the vow of purity means losing the dignity and honor of a Solinar man. Especially for the Prince…”

“Nothing in this world is perfect, Magnus. I was merely sharing my concerns.”

“No, absolutely not!”

Magnus cut him off with an expression of disbelief.

“This is not the time for that. The training tournament is everything to the Prince, and the Prince knows that better than anyone. You know it too, Uncle! The Prince is in a precarious state right now. He’s burning with determination that he must win this training tournament at all costs to turn the situation around!”

“Magnus.”

With a low sigh, Bertil slid a wine cup in front of Magnus and muttered.

“Shall I speak honestly? I’m not voicing these concerns without reason. Prince Arkin is already reaching his limit. He’s in a state where the slightest push could make him snap.”

“I serve the Prince at his very side, so I know his heart best of all.”

Magnus replied with a scowl.

“Deviating from his path, you say! The Prince has walked only a single path since childhood, and he has always done his utmost to live up to the expectations piled upon him. And he has always accomplished it perfectly, too.”

“That is precisely it, Magnus.”

Bertil took up the thread, swirling his cup bitterly.

“The problem is that he suppresses himself to an excessive degree!”

Magnus could not understand Uncle Bertil’s words to the end.

The virtues of patience, restraint, and modesty. In Solinar, which treasured such spiritual values above all else, where could one find a figure comparable to Prince Arkin?

“Now that we’re on the subject, how has the Prince’s sleep been lately? Is he still plagued by nightmares?”

“That is… not something I am at liberty to tell you.”

Bertil actually commended Magnus for being so careful. Smiling gently, he filled the final cup for his nephew and handed it over.

“Yes, that’s a good attitude. As a courtier, one ought to be just that way.”

Having drained his cup, Bertil looked at Magnus and added one final remark.

“Forget about what I said concerning Kepet women, as it was half a joke. The important point is that the Prince’s situation is just that precarious. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“…Yes, Uncle.”

Even the murmurous conversation faded away, leaving only silence between the two men. Fondling an innocent empty bottle, Bertil finally let out a long sigh and left his nephew with a parting plea, his face troubled.

“If the Prince achieves good results at the training tournament, there could be nothing better. But Magnus, should… should the Prince display an appearance differing from your expectations this time, do not be disappointed and continue to stand by his side. After all, there is no one else by the Prince’s side but you.”

He felt like he understood, yet wasn’t entirely sure. However, his desire to protect Prince Arkin remained unwavering, prompting Magnus to nod vigorously.

“Of course. I am always on the Prince’s side.”

Meanwhile, a tense standoff continued between Arkin and Nephitia.

Tsk, again! Arkin pushed away Nephitia’s hand as it stealthily rested upon his forearm, widening his eyes in a warning.

“Would you stop touching my body already?”

Despite incurring Arkin’s resentment, Nephitia steadfastly refused to back down from her intent.

“It’s only natural to feel a sense of rejection at first. But the only way to verify it is through that sensation. When my hand first touched your face, didn’t you feel something extremely intense? Like dizziness or shortness of breath—though they say the symptoms vary from person to person…”

Arkin unconsciously wiped his face with his hand. His cheeks had grown hot enough to make his palms feel warm since a little while ago. His head felt slightly dizzy due to his heart pounding with the stiffness of someone who had just sprinted. When he first opened his eyes and recognized Nephitia before him, that sensation had been so overwhelmingly hot and dizzying that he had almost fainted.

However, Arkin hardened his expression and shook his head.

“I told you, I didn’t feel a thing.”

Growing progressively frustrated with the uncooperative Arkin, Nephitia raised her voice as well.

“This is an extremely rare phenomenon. It’s not something just anyone can feel. Since it’s a matter of confirming whether two people are each other’s destiny, shouldn’t we be careful?”

“No matter what you… I don’t want to confirm… what?”

Arkin, who had been waving his hand dismissively, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Destiny? Each other’s what?

“I told you just a moment ago. So, a relationship where you feel such an intense sensation the moment your bodies first touch is called the ‘Blessing of Hetasept.’ The two are bound like fate, spending a lifetime bestowing pleasure upon one another. If you would just read Kepet’s ancient texts, you’d understand…”

“Heta-t…? Well, fine. Sure. Bestow what upon each other?”

Arkin’s eyes gradually narrowed as he looked at Nephitia. Destiny, you say—wondering if she had some sort of ulterior motive, he felt suspicious, yet looking at that expression, it didn’t seem possible either…

“Pleasure. And it’s not Hetat, it’s He-ta-sept.”

Perhaps because he had lived a life where he never had to bother convincing others, Nephitia increasingly felt her limits in coherently explaining this wondrous and mystical destiny. Or perhaps Prince Arkin simply possessed lower learning capabilities than his looks suggested.

“So you’re saying you and I are destined pairs? You do realize we met for the first time less than an hour ago, right?”

“I feel the same way, Arkin. I can’t believe this situation either. It feels like a dream.”

“Naturally. Because all the nonsense you’ve been enthusiastically spouting is utter gibberish… This is driving me crazy.”

As Arkin clutched his head in exasperation, Nephitia, finding it absurd, struck her own chest lightly.

“I’m the one who’s going crazy of frustration with you. By any chance, are you not very bright?”

“I didn’t feel a thing, so I suppose we aren’t that kind of relationship.”

Drawing a line, Arkin acted as though there was nothing more to hear. Deep wariness lingered in his eyes as he looked down at Nephitia as if she were a madwoman.

“Whether it was when the princess frantically pawed at my face a moment ago, or when your hand touched me just now, no particular sensation came to me. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t address my name quite so casually.”

“If it bothers you that much, Arkin can call my name too. Just call me Nephitia. It’s not a name I grant to just anyone, so consider yourself privileged.”

“Ha.”

What kind of creature was this?

Arkin’s patience had worn so thin it was on the verge of snapping.