Chapter 28
<30화>
“Ahem!”
Lucas, the first to open the dining room door, scanned his surroundings before taking a seat.
In his hands was a gift box almost as large as his own torso.
“Dandelion will love this, right?”
It was then.
“…What are you doing?”
Calips, entering the dining room second, frowned at the sight of his son’s massive bundle.
“It’s a gift for Dandelion. What about you, Father?”
However, Calips wasn’t the only one frowning.
Lucas shot a wary glance at the small box in his father’s hand as he subtly slid his own large box onto the table.
In terms of size, it was clear his gift was the winner.
Just as the tension between the two men reached its peak.
“Is it someone’s birthday today?”
Knox, who had followed late after finishing up Calips’s paperwork, asked.
“No.”
“It’s not.”
At their curt replies, Knox quietly took his place beside Calips.
“…….”
Then, a gift box that had been concealed behind his back slowly rose onto the table.
Calips looked at it with pure disgust.
“And what do you think you’re doing?”
“I am declaring my participation in this war.”
Thump—!
Lucas slammed his fist on the table in warning.
“Even you, Knox? This is just going to split Dandelion’s reaction!”
“One simply has to elicit a reaction through their own merit. Or perhaps, Young Lord, you lack confidence?”
At Knox’s question, Lucas crossed his arms with a huff and turned his head away.
“What could you possibly give her anyway? Probably some coloring book filled with monsters.”
“Ah, I have that as well.”
Knox adjusted his monocle.
“I prepared it as a bonus.”
“!”
A bonus.
He hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“…….”
Stunned by the aide’s unexpected tactics, both men fell silent, their faces masks of shock.
And so, before Aisha’s arrival, a chilly wind began to blow through the silent dining room.
A moment later.
“So, what is all this?”
Aisha asked as she entered the dining room, swallowing hard.
“Open them.”
“Dandelion, don’t you think it’s time to take off that scarf?”
“They are gifts, Lady.”
The three men, competing to answer first, pushed their gifts toward the table where Aisha sat.
Blinking her large eyes, Aisha began to carefully unwrap the boxes before pausing to ask a question.
“…You do know that tomorrow is the candidate exam, right?”
At that, the mouths of Calips and Lucas, who had been staring blankly at her, fell open slightly.
The only one who nodded was Knox, his monocle glinting.
* * *
And that was how the sudden gift party came to an end.
“Tomorrow is the candidate exam. Isn’t there anything you need to prepare?”
Munch, munch.
I asked just in case, but Brother Lucas and the Duke were surprisingly nonchalant.
“I’ve spent five years facing nothing but monsters day and night. No matter what beast they throw at me, I’ll pass.”
Lucas stabbed a piece of steak and chewed it leisurely.
‘Now that I think about it, he’s right.’
His words carried weight. The ability Lucas had shown at Ahili’s Circus was a combat skill honed in real battles, something that couldn’t be mastered through training alone.
“Well, if it’s you, Brother, you’ll definitely pass.”
“A-Ahem! Of course!”
At my words, Lucas’s face flushed red in a slow gradient as he boasted.
“Besides, I’ve known I had to take the successor exam since before I could even talk! Though the exam might feel meaningless now since my brother isn’t here….”
“What do you mean by that?”
Calips, who had been eating quietly, wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Since my brother is gone, aren’t I the only one taking the successor exam?”
At Lucas’s question, everyone else looked puzzled.
Knox, observing the situation, narrowed his eyes.
“Did you perhaps not tell him?”
“Ah. I’ve been so busy lately. It completely slipped my mind.”
Calips frowned at Knox’s reproach and let out a sigh.
‘You had time to buy my gift, but no time to mention something that important, Duke?’
I narrowed my eyes along with Knox, but I didn’t voice my thoughts.
It was true that he had been busy.
After finding Lucas at Ahili’s Circus, he had been simultaneously handling the cleanup of the circus, Lucas’s room assignment, and the minor administrative tasks related to the successor exam.
If the Duchess had been here, she would have managed Lucas’s room and the setup of the Training Ground for the exam.
‘But since she’s gone, he has to do it all himself.’
Furthermore, Calips, who had lived alone for five years, suddenly had both Lucas and me to look after.
It was bound to be overwhelming.
“Lucas.”
The Duke took a sip of water before speaking.
“The successor exam will proceed as scheduled. Of course, in practice, you are the only candidate. Aisha is of the direct line, but she has no ability.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“An ability user has emerged from a branch family.”
“…What?”
Lucas stopped mid-bite, his eyes widening. His reaction made it clear he was hearing this for the very first time.
Since the Duke hadn’t told him, it was only natural.
Unlike Lucas, the Duke looked indifferent.
“No matter what anyone says, you are the only one of the direct line, and you are the only true candidate for the succession. That is why I didn’t feel the need to mention it. However, we cannot let an ability user go to waste, so we will hold a formal exam.”
“Oh, uh. Right, I guess.”
Lucas shrugged.
“Still, since another ability user has appeared, they’ll be a big help in guarding the Ice Wall. By the way, which family are they from?”
“The Marquisate of Lillis.”
“…….”
The smooth flow of conversation came to a grinding halt.
Lucas, who looked like he was about to continue speaking, suddenly clamped his mouth shut.
“…Brother?”
When I turned to look at him, Lucas had even stopped using his fork and was staring at his steak as if lost in thought.
I leaned in slightly to check on him.
Up close, Lucas’s complexion looked a bit pale.
He looked like someone who couldn’t catch their breath.
“That,”
Lucas’s voice dropped, actually stuttering slightly.
“About the successor exam. Isn’t it a bit much to have it on the same day and at the same place as someone from a branch family?”
The words that finally came out were unexpected.
He was changing his tune so suddenly?
Feeling a bit suspicious, I kept my mouth shut and listened intently to their conversation.
“They are an ability user, so you’ll be seeing them often anyway. It’s good to get acquainted tomorrow while you’re at it.”
“Uh, well…. Then, since I’m just taking the exam, I can come back right after mine is over, right?”
“It doesn’t matter. If you aren’t curious, you can see the branch family member later.”
“Great!”
At those words, Lucas’s face brightened slightly.
“However, I imagine the Lillis family will certainly want to watch your exam.”
His face darkened again at the Duke’s words.
“Father.”
“What is it?”
“Then why don’t we just postpone the successor exam?”
At that question, both Knox’s and my eyes widened.
That was an absurd suggestion. The Crost family, having lost all their children, had already postponed the successor exam for years.
Calips frowned and raised his voice slightly as he asked back.
“What are you talking about?”
“I mean, I’m the only successor now anyway. There aren’t even any other candidates, so doesn’t it not matter if we push it back a little?”
“This is an exam that has been delayed for years. If we postpone it any further, the backlash from the family heads will grow.”
Lucas stopped as if choked up, then blurted out.
“You’re the Duke, Father.”
“And?”
“If you just order the exam to be postponed, shouldn’t the family heads just have to say ‘yes’ and follow along?”
As his words became increasingly stubborn, Calips sent him a sharp, warning look.
“Lucas.”
“What?”
“You know that makes no sense. Stop being petulant.”
“I’m the only candidate for the succession, and I’m saying I want to change the date. Why isn’t that allowed?”
Calips sighed and muttered.
“…If your dream is to be a tyrant, then it would be better to postpone the successor exam forever.”
“A tyrant?”
At those words, Lucas let out a hollow laugh as if he found the situation absurd.
Then.
“I was stuck in a cage until just a few days ago! I’m saying I want to rest a bit, and as the Duke, you can’t even do that much for me? !”
Crash—!
He flipped over his plate of steak and bolted out of the dining room before Calips could even stand up.
“……?”
Wait a minute.
What on earth just happened?
