Chapter 56
Lottie and Isabel’s vacation ended before even half their plans could be fulfilled.
“That fellow actually chased her all the way to a resort! There was no point in sending her on that long trip then, was there?!”
Robert slammed his fist onto the armrest of the sofa, venting his frustration.
While the term for the deposed crown prince had shifted from ‘that person’ to ‘that fellow,’ the butler, Coleman, simply bowed his head instead of pointing it out.
After all, only the butler and his master were in the study, and the very scheme that had incited his master’s indignation had been Coleman’s own idea.
“My apologies, milord. I did not imagine he would go as far as to impersonate a member of the Count’s family to follow the young lady.”
“Strictly speaking, it wasn’t impersonation. It is true that the fellow is our family’s prospective son-in-law, so…”
Robert let out a deep sigh and clutched the back of his head. He was usually renowned as a logical and wise nobleman, but whenever it concerned his daughter, his wisdom tended to lose its luster.
“Milord. I do not know if this is out of place, but… one thing seems to have become certain.”
“What is it?”
“Kayan Stallion—it seems that man treasures the young lady more sincerely than we thought.”
Robert stared blankly as if he had heard a language from a distant land across the sea, and then, a beat late, he exploded in anger.
“Are you being serious right now? That fellow is a thief! A swindler who seduced our innocent daughter!”
“But did they not spend a night together in Hans Valley without anything happening? Whatever his intentions may be, it seems clear that as a man, he holds the young lady precious.”
Coleman was a man who had served the House of Count Ix for generations. Knowing he wasn’t the type to speak nonsense, Robert stopped throwing what was essentially a temper tantrum.
Groaning as he pondered, Robert finally let out a long sigh.
“So. Are you saying we should officially accept that fellow as our son-in-law?”
“I am saying we should respect the young lady’s will in choosing him. She is no longer a naive little girl, is she?”
“True. Lottie is a full-grown adult now. If it is her choice, I ought to respect it. However…”
Robert trailed off. His face, which had been that of a doting father fretting over his daughter, had returned to that of a dignified Count.
“Coleman. That man is a murderer. He was accused of regicide against the Late King, and now he is suspected of trying to harm the Crown Prince as well.”
“……”
“What father in the world would want to keep a murderer by his daughter’s side?”
There was nothing wrong with Robert’s point, but it felt a bit overdue.
From the moment he had personally witnessed Calyx’s clean-cut face and demeanor, Robert had completely forgotten the man’s gruesome past.
Anyone would have. Who could possibly associate that beautiful face and refined speech with a depraved son who murdered his own father?
As if Coleman shared Robert’s thoughts, he bowed his head in silence. His face, too, was tinged with the embarrassment of having forgotten the terrifying rumors surrounding the deposed prince.
The heavy silence was broken by a maid’s knock announcing a visitor.
“A visitor? No one was scheduled to visit today. Who is it?”
“It is Mr. Stallion.”
At the maid’s polite reply, Coleman and Robert looked at each other simultaneously. Speak of the devil; it seemed he had realized they were talking about him and rushed over instantly.
While Coleman checked to see if there was a shadow eavesdropping on their conversation in the study, Robert gave the order to let the guest in.
Not long after the maid disappeared, footsteps approached. Soon the tiger—no, the guest—showed himself in the study.
“Forgive me for visiting without prior notice.”
The tall man standing in the doorway offered a polite bow first. It was a humble attitude that didn’t suit royal blood at all.
While Robert and Coleman exchanged perplexed looks once more, Calyx waited awkwardly at the door. He was waiting for permission to enter.
Why do you keep acting so polite when it doesn’t suit you?! It makes me uncomfortable! …Since he couldn’t actually yell that, Robert groaned and signaled Coleman to bring tea.
“Come… in.”
As Robert awkwardly mimicked a father-in-law, Calyx also played the part of a prospective son-in-law and slowly sat in the seat Robert offered.
An awkward silence followed for a moment, continuing even until Coleman brought the tea.
“I came because I have something to tell you.”
Fortunately, Calyx was the first to break the silence. At the mention of ‘something to tell,’ Robert’s mind began to race. Just what was he going to say to act so serious?
“I am well aware that you do not trust me, Count. I also know you are trying to separate me from your daughter.”
Coleman flinched and looked around the study as he turned to leave after serving the tea. Was there really a shadow hiding somewhere?
“There is no way to undo my past mistakes. However, there is one thing I can promise you.”
“And… that is…?”
“No matter what happens, I will protect your daughter.”
Calyx’s voice was as low, firm, and serious as his gaze.
“I will take care of her and protect her so she is not hurt or harmed. By any means necessary.”
A low voice was a great weapon for instilling trust in others. Robert almost fell for those words completely before quickly steadying himself.
He couldn’t understand why this man, of all people and at this specific time, was saying exactly what he wanted to hear most.
“Why? Why would you go to such lengths for our daughter?”
Robert forgot his role-play and addressed Calyx with formal respect. His green eyes were filled with confusion and suspicion.
Looking quietly into those trembling eyes, Calyx smiled softly. It was a noble and solemn smile, as if he had never even killed an ant.
“Because she is the most precious person to me.”
In that moment, Robert read his own past in the reddish-brown eyes he met.
He saw the young Robert Evanshire, who had knelt before a woman’s parents and made a vow to take the woman he loved as his wife.
“So, I hope you will treat me comfortably from now on. I am merely Kayan Stallion, from a merchant family.”
Calyx, casting off his serious expression, gave a playful grin. When a stunned Robert failed to respond properly, Calyx took the silence as he pleased and added:
“I’ll take that as an agreement. Then, may I call you Father from now on?”
“You may n— No. It’s too early.”
When Mikhail found his master, he was sitting casually in the garden outside the castle, enjoying the breeze.
He said he was going to settle something once and for all regarding this sluggish romance, and he’s back sooner than I thought.
Assuming things must have gone wrong, Mikhail approached Calyx.
“Well done, Your Highness. It looks much better to just face it head-on, doesn’t it?”
Mikhail sat down beside him, but Calyx didn’t even look his way. His entire focus was consumed by something he was doing.
“Now that you’ve been soundly rejected, let’s let her go gracefully. Don’t be too heartbroken. You still have us by your side, don’t you?”
“Who faced what head-on, and who was rejected?”
When Calyx asked indifferently, only then did Mikhail realize what his master was engrossed in. In his master’s hands were a palm-sized piece of wood and a pocketknife.
“Eh? I mean, well… didn’t Your Highness confess to that lady and get dumped?”
“Who said that?”
“Sasha did.”
Mikhail answered and then looked at Calyx’s carving. It was a love spoon, a tradition of Dempis.
“It’s a good thing we kept that fellow Sasha with us. Otherwise, he would’ve become a legendary swindler who’d sell out the kingdom.”
Calyx gave a short laugh and continued carving the wood. He blew on it, and the sawdust fluttered away.
“What is it, then? It’s a fact that Your Highness visited the Count’s estate this morning.”
“I went to see Count Ix. Since he kept doubting me, I went to tell him he needn’t do so.”
“So you went to score some points with your father-in-law, is that it?”
Mikhail muttered with a disappointed face. After a light laugh, Calyx focused on his carving again.
Mikhail glanced at the unfinished love spoon and spoke casually.
“Surely you aren’t going to offer that to your father-in-law too? That’s a token given between lovers.”
“Since I know that if I say nothing, you’ll spend your time fretting and coming up with all sorts of delusions, I’m not going to say a word.”
“Then I shall firmly believe you’re making it for me.”
“I was thinking of dumping it on you if I mess up, so you’re not entirely wrong.”
He really won’t back down even an inch. Mikhail surrendered.
Even though Calyx was dodging the subject, that love spoon was ultimately intended for only one person.
“What kind of pattern are you going to carve into the handle?”
Mikhail asked after a short pause, referring to the unfinished handle section.
“A pattern?”
“I heard that each pattern has a different symbolic meaning. Like, a bell means you want to marry them, a ball means you want to have this many children together, or a wheel means you support and stand by them.”
He’d asked in passing, but he was curious. What kind of meaning would the Prince carve into the pattern to gift that woman?
Calyx’s hand, which had paused for a moment, slowly moved over the carving. As Mikhail watched with eyes dying of curiosity, Calyx spoke with a faint smile on his lips.
“I am…”
Despite the brief peace, a crisis was approaching from quite close by.
“She had the audacity to go on and on about having fifty stallions brought from the Capital or some such appalling nonsense. And all the while, she looked at me with a gaze that suggested I fell far short of her standards…”
“Oh dear, I had no idea such a thing happened. I truly didn’t know…”
It began after Mary and Ron Garnet became acquainted at a ball.
The two had no previous connection, but they shared several things in common. One was that both were unmarried and of marriageable age, and the other was that both were desperate for marriage.
“Still, because of the loyalty between families, I suppressed my humiliation as much as possible and pleaded with the young lady. ‘My Lady, please promise me that if we marry, you will break off your relations with those stallions.’ To which she replied that I should bring fifty mistresses so we could enjoy the nights together!”
This was the reason Ron Garnet was exaggerating with a clever mix of truth and lies. It was to disparage the only daughter of the Count who had rejected him, while simultaneously flattering Mary.
Mary, also wanting to find a new marriage prospect as quickly as possible, played along appropriately even though she knew her friend was not that kind of person.
“And at that moment, that man appeared.”
