“In this weather, he caught a cold?”
“It happened while he was taking a cold bath.”
“Even so… he can’t come out to meet his cousin who’s visiting after three years? Then I suppose I will see him at the ball, at least.”
“I am afraid he will not be able to attend the ball either. His cold is exceptionally severe.”
“That bad?”
“…A cold caught at this time of year is always the harshest.”
Amarcus gave a shallow nod as if he understood.
Yet the moment he turned away from the Head Butler, a peculiar gleam lit his eyes.
Ever since he had received the Duke’s letter weeks ago, inviting him to spend the summer holiday at the ducal residence, Amarcus had sensed that something was amiss.
That uncle of his had never shown him any regard.
Nephew or not, he had received nothing from him but formal, frigid words, and the Duke had never once reached out to him on his own.
Yet here was the Duke, sending a handwritten letter all the way to a foreign land to invite him to the estate.
Amarcus, who had sought the Duke’s favor since childhood, was convinced that this invitation offered him an immense opportunity.
That was why, even with an entire week remaining before the holiday began, he had packed his bags in haste and returned home.
And as soon as he arrived, he heard strange news from his mother.
A rumor claiming that his cousin Callius had not left his room in months.
‘Something is going on.’
Such was Amarcus’s intuition.
He did not know the details, but he was certain that something major had occurred in the ducal household, specifically concerning his cousin.
“Right this way, please. I will show you to your room.”
The Head Butler said, overseeing the luggage being unloaded from the carriage.
Amarcus shook his head.
“No, I would like to greet my uncle first. It has been three years since we last met.”
“Is that what you prefer? Then I shall lead you to His Grace’s office first.”
Amarcus entered the estate alongside the Head Butler.
The moment he appeared, the maids in the foyer bowed in greeting.
It was a place where he used to run and play as a child, but the feeling this time was entirely different.
For a fleeting moment, a swell of pride came over him, as though he had become the master of this estate.
“Ah… he really came.”
I had gone down to the ground floor, and by chance caught the sound of Amarcus’s voice, which sent me hurrying back to the West Wing.
The moment I reached a nearly empty corridor, I stopped to catch my breath.
I hesitated over whether I should tell Callius the news I had just learned.
‘He will find out sooner or later anyway… Is it better if I just tell him right away?’
After struggling to smooth my flustered expression, I stepped into his room.
As soon as I entered, Callius asked in a suspicious tone,
“Why are you walking in with that look on your face, like a puppy about to relieve itself?”
“What? Me? No, it’s not that.”
At my reply, he muttered, “Hmph, as if you don’t know,” and turned a page of the book he was reading.
I stood before him, hesitating for a moment, before bringing it up as naturally as I could.
“Young Master… there is a guest at the estate.”
“A guest? Now? Aren’t preparations for the ball underway?”
“It’s someone named Amarcus. That’s… your cousin, right?”
When I mentioned the name, Callius did not answer right away.
Was he surprised? Or disappointed?
I couldn’t guess what he was feeling, since I couldn’t see his expression.
A moment later, however, his voice came out unexpectedly calm.
“It seems my father grew curious to know whether his nephew was still breathing.”
He murmured it as if talking to himself, then went back to flipping through the pages of his book as though nothing had happened.
Seeing him so composed, I felt my own poise return.
‘Hmm… right. As long as he stays confined to his room, they won’t cross paths much. And Amarcus will probably just attend the ball and leave soon after.’
Besides, circumstances were different from the original novel now, so events wouldn’t necessarily unfold the same way.
I felt a slight flush of embarrassment, wondering if I had worked myself up over nothing.
‘Yes, if we just live quietly as usual, nothing will happen.’
It didn’t take long, however, for me to realize that had been wishful thinking.
Come evening, Amarcus came by in person, asking to see Callius.
When the servant informed me of his arrival, I turned to Callius with a hesitant look.
“Um… what should we do?”
“Let him in.”
Callius answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Is that all right? You’ve never let outsiders visit you.”
“How could he notice my condition from a mere brief visit?”
Just as he said, Callius’s living quarters had undergone extensive renovations.
It was all so that the guests attending the ball would notice nothing suspicious.
As part of that, all the wooden boards nailed haphazardly over the windows had been taken down.
They were replaced with new windows featuring handsome coverings that aroused no suspicion in the eyes of visitors.
New lamps had also been crafted, capable of holding the defective magic stones.
These lamps were fitted with a magical device that altered the hue of the light, making the blue glow of the stones appear like daylight.
Whenever he needed deep sleep, the light could be blocked simply by turning a small lever.
Just as Callius had said, even if Amarcus roamed freely around the room, he would find nothing amiss.
“Let him in. I am curious myself to see how my cousin fares after so long.”
Despite the words, there was a crooked edge to his tone.
After a brief pause, I opened the door.
The moment the door opened, the air in the room seemed to shift.
I could not see it, but I knew. Amarcus’s gaze was fixed on me.
A faint, icy sensation crawled across my skin.
Yet he soon stopped scrutinizing me and stepped straight into the room.
A few moments later, his mocking voice cut through the stillness.
“It has been a long time, Callius. Have you been well all this while?”
As he moved, his footsteps sounded distinctly against the floor, as though on purpose.
As if flaunting his presence.
So this was the bastard who had covetously eyed Callius’s place and picked on him?
Standing in the corner, I showered him with glares, in my mind if nowhere else.
Meanwhile, Amarcus addressed Callius in a tone brimming with confidence.
“Wow, this room too… I haven’t set foot in here in ages. We used to play here so often when we were little.”
He wandered about the room as if searching for something.
He chattered on about whatever pleased him, without a pause.
“Once we grew up a bit, we didn’t have many chances to be close, which is a pity. You’ve always had a stiff personality, Callius, and you don’t have many friends, do you? That’s why I was always the one playing with you.”
Then came a faint thud, as though items on top of the cabinet had jostled together.
“And yet, you’ve always been cold to me for no reason. If only you had treated me a little nicer, we might be closer now. Perhaps we would have visited each other more often.”
At that, Callius opened his mouth for the first time and replied.
“True. Had you passed the entrance exam for the academy, we would have had far more opportunities to meet. I recall my uncle was deeply disappointed back then.”
As if those words were a trigger, Amarcus’s footsteps stopped abruptly.
He puffed out a heavy breath, visibly worked up.
In a shrill voice, he shouted, entirely losing his composure.
“And what do you know?! I never even intended to enter the Imperial Academy in the first place! I told my father as much! That place is nothing more than a club for people like you to flaunt your pedigree and network! You have nothing to your name except titles you stumbled into by accident!”
The moment he finished speaking, an icy silence settled over the room.
Wow… Callius had spoken just one sentence, and look how many words were hurled back in return.
