Chapter 32
32. Avoidance2021.12.19.
“The Crown Prince is here?”
The Marquis and Marchioness widened their eyes upon receiving the butler’s discreet report. In Marquis Julius’s reception room. It was a brief respite sandwiched between meetings with their guests. The Marquis confirmed it with the butler, pressing him as if scolding.
“It’s definitely the Crown Prince?”
Crown Prince Kyle was known to have parted ways with Arthur around last week and headed to the capital. Arthur had led the Julius army to Julius Territory, while the Crown Prince had taken the imperial army to the imperial capital. He was not someone who should have been here.
“Yes. The footmen discovered His Highness the Crown Prince in Lord Rembrandt’s quarters and reported it. He had blond hair and purple eyes, and they heard the knights addressing him as Your Highness the Crown Prince, so it’s almost certain.”
The butler’s report continued.
“They say he came secretly in hopes that you, Your Excellency, wouldn’t know. It seems he’s already met Lord Rembrandt. What shall we do?”
The Marquis gripped the armrest and rolled his eyes. The Crown Prince. The Crown Prince had come? Though he had lost face by being taken prisoner by the enemy country only to be rescued by Arthur, as long as Empress Maria’s strong support among the imperial citizens held firm, Kyle the Crown Prince had a high chance of becoming the next emperor. How many sacrifices had he made, all in pursuit of becoming an Elector and forging a special bond with the Emperor? If the man who would become the next emperor had personally set foot in Julius Territory, this was an opportunity that could not be ignored. But the Marchioness spoke up, as if reading the Marquis’s mind.
“If he came secretly hoping we wouldn’t know, then we mustn’t make a fuss about it or act like we knew of his visit—that would only displease him. He was on the battlefield with Sir Arthur, after all, so he might be aware of the supply shortfall issue and harboring some resentment over it.”
“…….”
The Marquis frowned, his mood souring. Why did she have to phrase it in such an unpleasant way?
“I know that. Stop nagging.”
“…….”
The Marquis rolled his eyes. He had already learned his lesson the hard way from Arthur and the other nobles. No matter how great the immediate gain might seem, one couldn’t rashly push forward with their own agenda or try to act overly familiar. To high nobles, such behavior could come across as vulgar and laughable. The supply issue was being handled smoothly through their discussions, but… the Crown Prince might not have heard about that yet, so he could still harbor misunderstandings about them. Should they first try to gauge the Crown Prince’s view of them and test the waters?
“…….”
After a moment of contemplation, the Marquis furrowed his brow. …Coming here in secret without announcing it—was that the answer? It would probably be hard to get a warm reception if they approached rashly now? But could they just let the Crown Prince leave like this? The future emperor? At the very least, they could claim they had known of his visit but pretended not to out of respect, and refrained from approaching him to honor his wishes…
“…….”
So in this situation, how far could House Julius maneuver? Without going against the Crown Prince’s clear intent to keep his visit hidden, but still making a show of respecting his wishes and paying attention to them… Should they play ignorant and send gifts through Lord Rembrandt? Or offer up another guest room on the pretext that it might be needed…? No, provide an entirely separate annex? Would that make it too obvious that they knew? Or would it fail to convey their goodwill? The Marquis racked his brains over how he might even manage a greeting. Next year, when he met the Crown Prince before the capital’s nobles, he wanted to greet him warmly as if they were already acquainted. Then everyone would know the Crown Prince had stopped by their territory! How could that not work? If there was someone who knew both sides, who could ask the Crown Prince’s people and make an introduction… it would be perfect. Amid his regrets, Lord Rembrandt came to mind first. He was staying at his own residence yet had been so readily amicable toward the Marquis… But the portrait sessions with Arthur and Christina had been stalled, and all the appointments he’d secured with great difficulty had been canceled, wounding his pride. In the end, the Marquis issued an order to the butler, laced with a sliver of hope.
“…For now, provide Lord Rembrandt with another new annex suitable for use as lodging. Set it up perfectly. Send more generous meals as well. And… gather up various things that might be useful for them. Then subtly wait around to see if he summons me.”
“…….”
Upon returning to the bedroom and opening the door, Arthur spotted Reina sitting on the bed and quieted his footsteps. Reina sat sideways on the bed with her legs dangling off the edge. Her face was obscured by the bed curtains, so to an outsider, it might have looked like she was simply leaning obliquely against the bed. But Arthur realized she was asleep and softened even his breathing.
“…….”
As he drew closer, he took in the sight of Reina, who had somehow dozed off with her head precariously propped against the bedpost without even lying down. Exhausted, she had fallen asleep just like that, sitting up.
“…….”
Crimson sunset light settled over her disheveled golden hair and her closed eyelashes. The room was growing dark, but no lamps had been lit yet. In the room bathed in dusky evening twilight, only the warm glow of the sunset cast a serene, elongated shadow.
“…….”
Swaaaa…. A breeze slipped through the gap in the open window, making the sheer curtains flutter. Cool autumn wind entered alongside the sunset.
“…….”
Their bridal chamber faced southwest. Every evening at this hour, the sun would dip toward the right side of the window, bathing the bedroom in red twilight hues. Arthur quietly took in the scene.
“…….”
Just a little longer. How nice it would be if he could see it all clearly.
“…….”
His gaze lingered on Reina for a time. Arthur sat quietly beside her. After watching her for a while like that. Careful not to touch her, he slipped his hand beneath the headboard she was leaning against and easily extracted a small scrap of paper hidden there with his fingertips. Then he casually rubbed it between his fingers as if it were nothing.
“…….”
It was well concealed from those who ‘saw with their eyes.’ But Arthur, who perceived objects through senses beyond sight, could locate hidden items as readily as if he were staring right at them. He had a fairly good idea of what it was.
“…….”
…Has she figured out my weakness? Arthur smiled faintly as he did so, without unfolding it or even bothering to look. He simply felt it once or twice in his palm before slipping it back into place. With his vision, he couldn’t read handwriting like that anyway.
“…….”
The Crown Prince, unaware of the fraudulent marriage circumstances involving ‘Christina,’ was someone he couldn’t ask to read it for him. If he were to request someone else, it would be Tristan or Kay. But he hadn’t told them about his condition yet. It wasn’t time…
「Don’t rely too much on aura.」
「Yes. I’ll handle the eyes myself.」
“…….”
The ability passed down through the imperial family. Aura. And the vision loss that came from overusing it. It was an unavoidable side effect, one known only to the imperial family. The Crown Prince, who would one day handle imperial affairs as emperor, couldn’t afford to go blind from wielding aura, so he had deliberately refrained from training it. But Arthur had needed to master aura in order to survive. Unfortunately, he had a talent unprecedented in history, and his abilities had proven immensely useful in the war. Enough to decisively shift the tide of battle and save the life of the captive Crown Prince…
“…….”
And in doing so, Arthur had nearly gone blind. He could still make out hazy shapes, and aura substituted for his sight to some extent… Arthur gazed quietly at Reina’s sleeping face.
“…….”
The contents of the note were obviously nothing remarkable. He felt no need to verify them. He already knew her inner thoughts inside and out, as clearly as if they were laid bare in his palm—thanks to the sound of her heartbeat. There was nothing significant yet. Not yet.
“…….”
So for now, it was better to let her let her guard down. He intended to let her believe she could carry out her spying without detection. To that end, Arthur occasionally left her alone on purpose. He had given her space to read the note Doctor Lorenson had slipped her. And when it seemed she wanted to report something to the Marchioness, he provided her with time alone to write one. Once he showed her she could perform her espionage duties without issue. Arthur planned to feed her selectively false information, allowing the wrong intel to reach the Marquis’s side, or use her to keep them strung along with false hopes.
“…….”
So it was better not to intercept the note too soon and put her on alert, forcing her to devise other methods. This level was just right. Soon enough, he would have to confess his condition and find someone to serve in place of his sight.
“…….”
The sun, which had been slanting low, finally set. The sunset faded. Dusk settled over Reina’s sleeping face. Arthur closed the window, now allowing in a chill breeze, and quietly lit the fireplace. Only then did he gently draw the sheet up over her body. Sensing his presence, Reina stirred and opened her eyes in a daze.
“You were sleeping so uncomfortably. Why not rest a bit more?”
He smiled at her. · · ·
「Arthur.」
Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince.
「Don’t rely too much on aura.」
Yes. I’ll handle the eyes myself.
「Not that.」
「Don’t rely on aura. You, because you have aura, you don’t trust people and keep testing them.」
…….
「If you didn’t want to send her, you didn’t have to. Tell my wife, right here, right in front of me. You could have just said it. Why did you send her?」
…….
「You sent her on purpose to watch how she’d act, to eavesdrop on what the two of you would talk about, didn’t you?」
Kyle.
「Yeah.」
You think you know everything about me just because you know about the aura?
「…….」
· · · Arthur let out a wry, self-mocking chuckle. Yeah. Sometimes it feels like you know me better than I know myself. * * *
“……Kyle.”
Arthur sighed, pressing a hand to his throbbing head. Crown Prince Kyle rolled his eyes and abruptly thrust a ribbon-bedecked bottle of wine toward his half-brother.
“…….”
“……Wedding gift. Figured you’d forgotten.”
He offered a tentative smile, gauging Arthur’s mercy.
“…….”
Arthur’s knights might have been able to fend off the Marquis, but blocking the Crown Prince was impossible. After all, the ‘army’—even the conscripts from Julius—belonged to the Emperor, the supreme commander, and the Crown Prince was the Emperor’s official proxy, outranking Arthur in the chain of command.
“……Just put me up for one night.”
Arthur stared at the Crown Prince in disbelief.
“No.”
“Just for tonight… can’t you?”
“Would that even work?”
