Chapter 21. On the other side of the abyss (2)
That evening, a representative of Tensil’s messenger group visited Lemain.
It was a little while before dinner. It was a time when Lemain had no special plans, so no matter how sudden the visit was, it was not enough to not meet him at all.
“Please go back.”
But Chamberlain Raoul said:
Lemain refused to meet with the representative of the Reaper. The reason was that he was busy with business.
The expression on Raoul’s face as he expressed his intention to refuse was clearly evident as to whether he thought anyone could come and meet him at any time.
At this moment, Raoul was the spokesperson assisting Lemain, the king of Kairis, the most powerful nation on the continent. He was not an attendant serving the king of Kairis, a friendly nation of Tensil.
The representative of Tensil’s Shinigami group’s face turned red, but he was unable to utter another rebuttal and had to retreat.
– Due to sudden circumstances in the home country, it became difficult for priests to stay in Kairis.
So they hurried out of the palace without even seeing Lemain’s face, leaving only a message asking him to convey his apology.
It was still before dinner started.
This meant that they retreated quickly.
Lemain walked to the window and watched Tensil’s carriage leaving the palace with an expressionless face.
LeMaine’s current atmosphere reminded me of him at this time last year, to the point where it seemed as if this office had gone back a year. It was cold and expressionless. In that state, I was thinking about Randel, whom I had met just three hours ago.
‘I haven’t heard anything special.’
Landel, who visited Lemain’s office in the afternoon, answered Lemain’s question about the priests as follows: He just said that with a calm face.
Afterwards, Calian met Randel and the priests left the palace. If he didn’t even know what that meant, Lemain would have to step down from the throne immediately. This means that Randel also knew well what the identities of those priests were. No, it means that they are very deeply related.
“I can’t forget Randel’s expression.”
At those words, Alan, who was sitting on the sofa, looked at Lemain.
“How did Randel become like that?”
“It’s because of your highness.”
LeMaine nodded in response to Alan’s always honest answers. Lemain knew it too. Because of this, Lemain was very angry with himself right now.
Immediately after meeting Randel, Calian came to Arpia Palace.
And they announced that their identities were sacred knights. There was only one reason why Calian reported this to Alan first. It was meant to protect Lemain in case something unexpected happened.
For that reason, Alan, who was sitting in Lemain’s office again, quietly opened his mouth.
“Have Your Highness ever met Eline’s son?”
“You mean the King of Riverne?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Eline was the King of Rivern who gifted a carriage to Alan as he left Rivern. It was a random remark, but Alan’s words are always worth listening to, so Lemain just answered calmly.
“I have met the King of Riverne, but I have never met the Prince.”
“There is no such person, not even a very person.”
A word full of sarcasm. It wasn’t a sincere compliment.
However, Lemain, who still did not understand the intention, simply waited for the next words to continue.
“I don’t know if you know, but Eline’s husband, Gukseo Teian, was executed.”
“I know.”
The execution of Teian was the execution of the king’s husband, and it was also an event in which the archmage Allan Manasil was deeply involved. Rumors could not help but spread throughout the continent.
To explain it, it was like this.
Teian, who misunderstood Eline’s love for Allen as a problem between a man and a woman, attempted to poison Allen. They couldn’t kill it with force, so they chose poison. However, by coincidence, Alan’s son, not Alan, died. After learning that Teian was behind the incident, Elin immediately sentenced Teian to death.
“From then on, Eline’s son went astray quite a bit.”
As I thought about that incident, I couldn’t help but think of my forgotten son. Because of this, Alan paused for a moment. And after a while, he continued speaking.
“Anyway, do you know what Elline did to that guy?”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“I had my daughter-in-law Rachel’s house cleaned for a month.”
“Cleaning.”
There were no other princes or princesses in Riverne.
It is said that the one and only prince was made to do the work of servants for a month.
“I personally went to the house of the person who died because of Teian and made him realize what mistake he had made. After he found out that my father had not died unjustly, he remained calm.”
“Did something like that happen?”
“No matter how hard Devlan was, he still cared about his child. So, it is probably your fault that Prince Randel turned into such a dark-hearted bastard. It is something for you to reflect on.”
I knew Lemain was blaming himself. I had already noticed that I was unable to blame Randel because I thought it was my fault.
Alan, who once again saw through Lemain’s intentions, continued.
“But a mistake is a mistake, so you have to punish them for it. You can’t punish them because there is no evidence, but as a parent, you can punish your children, right?”
Lemain still had a lot to learn from Alan.
Lemain chuckled as he looked at the wizard, who could not tell whether he was the prince’s teacher or the king’s teacher.
Soon Lemain summoned the chamberlain Raoul and had him say a few words to Randel. The message was to take time to reflect on the threat to the safety of the royal family by carelessly importing knights from other countries.
* * *
Deficiency.
What is lacking. Something that never existed from the beginning.
Or something that was lost and disappeared before you knew it.
“Raven has a stain on his ankle. My cat has no name.”
That’s how Kalian’s story began. I was sitting down on the lawn outside the training center.
A voice like an autumn wind flowed out, which was not suitable for this season when red roses bloom beautifully.
“Kiri has different eye colors and Hina can’t speak.”
Because it was such a random remark, Plantz had a look on his face as if he had no idea what my brother was talking about. But Kalian just continued talking.
“Yan… is Yan.”
Calian laughed for a moment as he brought up the name of Jan, whose shortcomings were too difficult to count.
Plantz’s face showed annoyance. Because as soon as I heard Chase’s lament, I was listening to Calian’s lament.
Calian hasn’t even talked about what happened with Randel yet. In the first place, we didn’t meet to talk about anything.
Calian stopped by Arpia Palace after meeting Randel.
Plants met Chase and got along very well with him, and we walked around Senyu Pavilion together about five times.
Just like that, Kalian and Planz came to the training center and ran into each other.
‘You must not go in. ‘Because Kirie is there.’
The training hall was large and Kirie was always there anyway. So, I looked at him with eyes asking why he was acting like this today, and Kalian explained again.
‘I feel like I shouldn’t interfere today.’
Kalian said just that. It didn’t even say what should not be interfered with. Then, he sat in front of the Dajjagojja training center and began to tell an endlessly depressing story.
Anyway, they told me not to go in, but I couldn’t go in and Kalian’s mouth was already open. So what else can I do? I need to listen.
“My master lost his son, and your majesty lost so much more.”
He doesn’t even know that he has already lost his youngest son.
Shake shake.
Calian swallowed his words and slowly moved his head from side to side and looked for a moment at his enemy-like brother sitting across from him.
“Besides… my older brother, who has never had anything and therefore has nothing to lose, is probably still unhappy.”
“… Has my brother gone crazy?”
A bruise from yesterday hurts more than a fresh cut.
That’s exactly what Calian said.
I pressed Planz with words that were just as painful.
“And I lost my whole life.”
I press on other people’s wounds and then open my own wounds. It made it impossible to say anything else anymore. There is no way to be cruel.
I wonder why the guy who used to eat poison is talking like this again this time. Plantz made an annoyed face. Calian laughed and spoke again.
“That’s right. There isn’t a single intact person anywhere in the palace.”
Then he pointed to the Chermil Palace behind him with the tip of his finger.
“Why did that person feel so wronged that he ended up like this all alone?”
The only thing behind was Chermil Palace, so Plantz knew who Calian was talking about without even having to turn his head.
“I don’t know why I’m curious about that, but I feel sad and angry. That’s just it.”
“Something happened.”
“Ah. Haven’t I explained it to you yet?”
“I didn’t.”
Since he knew that Calian had met Randel, Plantz just assumed that something bad had happened.
Calian opened his mouth again and explained what had happened a moment ago.
Plantz’s expression hardened as the story continued, but his eyes became completely sharp after hearing that Randel had dried up the rose with an unknown force.
Calian, who told everything about what happened with Randel, said with a grin.
“Would you like to go to Camilon? It’s a little scary.”
I can’t tell if it’s a joke or serious.
Plantz, wiping away his flowing hair, answered.
“no.”
“Why do you hate it? It would be different now.”
Why doesn’t he want to become king even though he doesn’t have Silike to wield Planz as he pleases?
Plantz quietly raised his head and looked around the palace.
It was quiet and desolate. I was out of breath.
Plantz immediately turned his head towards Calian and answered in a low voice.
“… Because I want to live.”
Calian, who was staring at Plantz in silence for a moment, laughed softly.
Plants wants to live.
What can be said more willingly than this?
* * *
– Prince Randel was banned from going out of Chermil for three months as punishment for absentmindedly leaving a dinner party with nobles.
This news was conveyed outside the palace with a good reason.
In fact, the reason he was trapped in Chermil was because of Tensil’s sacred knights, but he could not announce it to the outside world.
Therefore, there was a brief murmur among the nobles that it might be a bit excessive to say that it was a punishment given only for being absent from a dinner party. But it wasn’t noticed for a long time.
This was because Kalian had to work again on the last day of the festival, the last dance.
People were paying attention to whether Kalyan would come in with Plantz this time. I wanted to check again if it was really true that the two were holding hands.
The wait wasn’t long.
The door opened and the knight’s voice rang out announcing Calian’s position. At the same time, the nobles’ attention turned to Calian. And everyone opened their mouths.
Kalian did not enter alone, as if he wanted to live up to everyone’s expectations.
“Prince Calian Reyn Kairis and…”
But the person next to him was not Plants.
Of course, it wasn’t Alan Manasil either.
It was a giant among giants that no one expected.
“This is Duke Dmirea Siegfried.”
Demirea, with bronze-colored curly hair neatly braided and wearing an unadorned gray dress, was next to Calian.
It had nothing to do with an arranged marriage.
Because Demirea is a person with more power than that.
Kalyan.
It was declared that the third prince, Calian, carried Siegfried on his back.
