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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Chapter 4 Behitz's Decision (3)
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It was only as he was leaving the hall that he remembered that his presence there had been thanks to Behitz's guidance. He had no choice but to ask Lucian for help.
“……”
Lucian's eyes widened in surprise at Sei-an's words that he didn't know the way back to his residence, but he quickly concluded that it was due to Sei-an's memory loss.
Of course, if one thought a little deeper, it was normal to feel a sense of bewilderment. Even if someone had lost their memory due to an accident, most people who had visited a place once should still be able to easily remember and find their way back.
“Very well, I shall take you.”
But for Lucian, the only thing that mattered was that Sei-an had approached him and asked for help for the first time.
“Thank you.”
Sei-an, on the other hand, was firmly resolved to remember the way this time, once and for all.
Though he himself knew, deep down, that it was likely impossible.
In any case, Sei-an said what he needed to say and quietly disappeared from Lucian's presence.
***
“Would you grant me a moment of your time, Count?”
“…Understood.”
After a long exchange of greetings with the other guests, Behitz seized a moment of quiet to approach Count Shurayton and quietly addressed him.
Count Shurayton looked at him with a puzzled expression, then nodded, realizing it was likely related to the real reason Behitz had visited today.
“The reason I came here today was to observe your son, Lucian, as well as the children of other noble families.”
A short while later, after the gathering ended and a private meeting was arranged, Count Shurayton heard Behitz's reason for attending today, just as he had expected.
“What is the reason for this?”
He could not easily comprehend Behitz's sudden statement that he had attended the gathering to observe the children of noble families.
Count Shurayton wondered if he had come to choose a princess consort, as the rumors suggested.
“I was here to select one person.”
“……?”
“Someone to be by His Highness, the Prince's, side.”
“……!”
At Behitz's words that he was indeed there to select someone to be by the Prince's side, just as he had predicted, Count Shurayton realized the rumors were true.
“Are you speaking of the princess consort?”
“Hmm? Princess consort?”
But a moment later, at Count Shurayton's words, Behitz looked back at him with a surprised expression.
“Ha… Hahahaha!”
Then, he burst into hearty laughter, beginning to roughly guess what the situation was.
“No wonder everyone seemed to be trying so hard to show me their daughters today… Haha!”
“Is it not?”
“It is not.”
“Then…”
At Behitz's words that he was not there to choose a princess consort, Count Shurayton's doubts deepened.
He couldn't quite understand who else Behitz would want to place by the Prince's side if not a princess consort.
“As you know, Prince Idis's qualities are more than sufficient to inherit the next imperial throne.”
“Of course. He lacks nothing, truly.”
“It's just his fiery temper that's the problem.”
“……”
At Behitz's words, Count Shurayton nodded involuntarily.
Prince Idis, who possessed outstanding qualities in every aspect—swordsmanship, scholarship, appearance, and more—was the undisputed candidate to ascend to the next imperial throne.
However, if there was one thing he lacked, it was his fiery temper, his inability to control his anger. That, and only that, was the problem.
“His Majesty is also most concerned about Prince Idis's temperament.”
This time, too, Count Shurayton nodded, agreeing with his words.
It was a very famous incident that Prince Idis had once simply beheaded a servant on the spot for gossiping about him to another noble.
“So I presented an idea.”
“What…?”
“What if we place a friend by Prince Idis's side, someone who can temper that personality of his?”
“What?”
Prince Idis was known for not wanting to keep anyone close to him personally.
While he cultivated friendships with nobles for political leverage, those were, purely speaking, political friendships—nothing more, nothing less.
A friend for him?
“Surely not…”
“Indeed, I came here to choose someone to be by His Highness's side.”
“……!”
“I thought your son, rumored to be calm and composed, would be a good match for the fiery Prince. Of course, I also wanted to see if there were any better candidates among the other noble children.”
Behitz had come to this gathering thinking that Lucian, widely rumored to handle matters with a calm demeanor, would be a very good match for Prince Idis.
Of course, he had also deliberately spread rumors about his visit so that other nobles would come, just in case there was an even more outstanding individual.
“……”
Count Shurayton fell into deep thought at Behitz's words. This was undoubtedly an exceptionally good opportunity for Lucian and for his family.
Anyone would find it impossible to refuse an opportunity to form a personal connection with Prince Idis, who is almost certainly the next in line for the throne.
‘But…’
But the problem was that Prince Idis was not an easy person to deal with.
Aside from his fiery temper, if even a small mistake occurred, there was no telling what might happen to the Count's family.
While Lucian was certainly not prone to mistakes, it didn't mean he wasn't worried.
“After observing him, your son, Lucian, is indeed an outstanding individual, just as the rumors say.”
“Thank you.”
“However, I realized I had made a mistake in my judgment.”
“What?”
At Behitz's subsequent words, Count Shurayton had to look back at him with a surprised expression once again.
“I came to think that your son, Lucian, might actually provoke anger in Prince Idis.”
“……?”
After seeing Lucian with his own eyes—calm and serene like water, yet filled with a coldness like ice beneath—Behitz realized his initial thought was mistaken.
He had initially thought that Lucian, calm like still water, could temper the fiery Prince Idis, but that wasn't the case.
“When water and fire meet, one will simply be broken.”
“Ah…”
The thought that if two extremes met, one of them would actually get hurt, struck him the moment he looked at Lucian.
“That might be true.”
At Behitz's words, Count Shurayton also nodded, acknowledging that he was right.
Though he was his own son, his character was so unyielding that if he believed something was wrong, he would never back down, even if a sword was pointed at his throat.
The mere thought of what might happen if he clashed with the fiery Prince Idis made him dizzy.
“So I chose someone else.”
“Someone else? Who are you considering?”
Count Shurayton was curious which noble's child had caught his eye if not Lucian.
While his family had lost an opportunity to gain new influence, he also felt a sense of relief.
It wasn't good for his son, Lucian, who was still politically immature, to enter the imperial palace too quickly and become the focus of public attention and a target of caution.
“This time, it's also your son.”
“What? But you just said Lucian wouldn't do…”
“The son of yours I saw today wasn't just one, was he?”
“……! S-surely not!”
But the next moment, at Behitz's subsequent words, Count Shurayton had to look at him with an even more surprised expression.
The person he was referring to was his second son, Sei-an.
“Yes, I'd like that child, Sei-an, to help with this matter. What are your thoughts?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Hmm?”
Behitz looked puzzled at Count Shurayton's hasty refusal, which came as soon as his words ended.
“That child has too many shortcomings.”
“Hmm, I think his shortcomings might actually be fine as they are.”
“…He's also currently suffering from memory loss due to a recent accident.”
“……!”
At Count Shurayton's words about Sei-an's memory loss, Behitz's eyes were filled with surprise for the first time.
“He's suffering from memory loss?”
“Yes.”
“……”
How could a child who lost his memory be so calm?
If he had lost everything about himself, he should be filled with confusion and fear, yet that child's eyes were deep and remarkably serene.
“It doesn't seem like much of a problem.”
“Lord Behitz!”
“Think about it. I'm not asking for an immediate answer.”
“……”
“I quite liked that child, you see. Haha!”
Count Shurayton could no longer say anything to Behitz, who was laughing heartily and rising from his seat.
If he spoke with such conviction, it meant he had seen something in Sei-an.
“I will… think about it.”
In the end, Count Shurayton decided to give the answer that he would consider it.
