Chapter 63. Those white and red roses (5)
Wait a minute.
Let me explain.
It’s true that I was wrong. I’m not the type of person who makes excuses for things like that or makes excuses that don’t exist. Besides, I can’t lie.
Oh yeah. That was the problem.
that’s right. It’s a problem. There are limits to how perfect a person can be and how serious the problem is. right.
no no. Don’t do that. Don’t take that out. I haven’t explained it yet. Put the knife in for a moment. This is the royal palace. It’s not even a training center. Please wait a moment and give me 30 seconds. Let me explain.
It’s true that I got caught again. That’s right. That’s not what got caught this time either. It was discovered a long time ago, but neither the one who was caught nor the one who found out knew about it. I thought you knew that I had changed, but it seems like you just ignored me. Actually, that’s the way it is. Who would think that the outside is the same but the inside has changed? As much as I know nothing, I have no prejudice, so the only prejudice in life is like a pea with no more than a grain of sand in the great desert stuck between the belly of a turtle. I immediately think of people like Brother Plants and my uncle, but everyone can’t even think of them at first.
Anyway, to sum it up, I was caught a long time ago. Rather than making a promise to you, it seemed like I was caught here less than three days after I woke up before I even met you.
That’s really awesome.
no. I’m not bragging…
It’s just the truth…
But what if?
Brother Randel said to me, ‘You’re a fake, so I can’t give you the throne!’ If you kick me out, I have nowhere to go. If you don’t want to go to the tower, you really have to run away to Siegfried. It wouldn’t matter if I ended up going to the tower alone, but I have Hina who is like sunshine, Pea and Raven to take care of, and an elderly father to support… No, that’s true. Just because you might live a few hundred more years doesn’t mean you’re not old. You live forever as an old man.
Anyway, you agreed to marry me if I gave up the title of prince. Have you forgotten? Was that a lie? Is that all there is between us?
Wait a minute. This is the royal palace.
You said you would kill me if I got caught, but I didn’t say I would kill you if you proposed to me. Why do you speak so fearfully?
Strictly speaking, this isn’t something that was discovered. I was caught as soon as I opened my eyes, and it happened to jump out when the window on the 5th floor broke. So, can’t we just pretend that I didn’t break my promise? Can’t it? huh?
huh? Demirea.
“under.”
Demirea, who looked at Lucy’s round red eyes with dried chicken breast in front of her for a long time, let out a deep sigh.
“Just be careful. If things go on like this, you can live comfortably without being careful. Everyone gets caught.”
“No. I’m living very carefully. I only told people who already knew in Secretia and people who aren’t already here… Oh, that’s not it. Knife, Knife. Demirea. Knife, please.”
“What is a knife?”
“You don’t have to worry about Secretia. One is my mother and the other is my old father. You know my father.”
“…… under.”
A deep sigh escapes me again.
Whether it was because she was persuaded by Calian’s words in the end, because she was crying that didn’t suit her, or because she was wondering how old she was, only Demirea could tell. One thing is clear: I wasn’t just fooled by that face.
“So. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, well, it’s okay. Even though you said that, brother Randel isn’t really the type of person who wants to kick me out. Even if he suddenly becomes greedy for the throne, I have no intention of giving up my seat and obediently going to the tower. Just like now. …..”
“I’m asking if that’s okay.”
Demirea’s voice filled with frustration interrupted Calian’s words.
“Isn’t it just that you have decided to continue to treat yourself as an appropriate stranger, just like now? Prince Randel is the prince.”
“Ah. That…”
Calian answered with a bright smile.
“I don’t think it’s okay.”
“… For some reason, the whole time we were sparring, he looked like he was going to grow old and die.”
Demirea, who asked if he had been caught somewhere else, just in case, was there any more places he might have been caught, shook his head.
“Prince Randel or anyone else. Even if they think you are a fake, the prince has nothing to worry about. Where in the world is there a real fake? They are all alive and breathing.”
“What? Are you trying to comfort me?”
“yes.”
“It’s surprising. My fiancé said that.”
“I’m afraid that if you keep thinking like that, you’ll end up living in the duke’s mansion.”
“Don’t worry. Even if I go to the south to have fun, I won’t go there to live.”
“Do you know that instead of telling me not to worry, it’s better to just say that I understand?”
Calian, who was patting Demirea’s black horse, which was a little bigger than Raven, let out a small laugh.
“I know. I also know that changing a person’s mind is not something that can be easily accepted. So, it doesn’t mean that it’s okay that Brother Randel can’t accept me as I am now. I don’t care about that. It’s natural. I will take that child’s place. “I no longer think of it as a fake that was stolen and sitting around.”
“You’ve gotten a little better. You didn’t seem to think about that when you caught me. Then, what’s the problem?”
“I think I understand why you can’t accept it. It’s bitter to see people remembering my old self after finding out that I’ve changed. There are so many things that are already too late. That’s why I feel sad. Maybe it’s because I know how it feels to be forgotten. …. I guess that’s why. Every time something like this happens, the whole world feels bitter. I can’t get used to it yet. Demirea.”
Diverse.
Raven, who was standing a little behind, squeezed in between Demirea’s horse and Calian. It seemed like he was complaining to stop petting other horses, so Calian laughed again and hugged Raven’s neck tightly. He then brushed his hand through Raven’s mane and continued to answer.
“I don’t know if I’m glad that I’m finally remembering something I forgot, or I’m sad that I’m finally remembering something I forgot. It tastes sweet, but then it tastes bitter, and then it tastes sour, but it’s bitter. It’s like a grapefruit, really.”
“Does this change into eating everything?”
“It’s good. Eating.”
Demirea smiled slightly and nodded. Then Raven stepped in and gently pulled on the reins of her horse, who had taken a step back.
“I think you said you were having dinner with His Majesty that evening, is that correct?”
“Yes. Are you worried because of your brother’s accident yesterday? He suddenly said he would come.”
“Good. Then, please take me there for a moment.”
Calian looked at Demirea. This is because he was already on his way to see Demirea off with Raven.
“I’m still going to take you to the duke.”
“I’m thinking of stopping by Banensha before I go. It’s time to get some new armor, but the blacksmith the prince introduced me to said he’s not familiar with anything other than weapons.”
Banensha, the town of blacksmiths, was quite far from the King Kairis Palace. Isn’t it a place across the Seneu River? Since the sun had already begun to set, it was clear that if I stopped by Banensha, I would not be able to attend dinner with Lemain.
“Not only weapons, but also armor. The prince will look at them much better than I can. Since I will be wearing them for quite some time, I would like you to help me make sure they fit properly. If you help me, I will not say anything else about the incident in Secretia where I was caught again. ”
Although it is not as good as Calian, Siegfried’s Dmirea does not have the insight to properly examine even a single piece of armor. Therefore, a small smile appeared on Calian’s lips as he looked at Demirea for a moment.
This is something the former Third Prince Kairis, who had never used a weapon, could not do. This is something that even Secretia’s sword master, who had nothing to do with Siegfried’s head of cattle, could do. This is something that I can help with because I am Kalyan now. It was an insignificant task that could only be helped by the sword master and prince of Kairis, who had a better eye for fitting a suit of armor than Siegfried’s fiancée, the owner of Siegfried’s cattle household.
“…… okay.”
Whether someone has forgotten or not.
Whether the way you are now is accepted or not.
Since the old Calian and Bern actually existed, isn’t the trivial thing that can be done by including both of them a proof of those two and recognition of the current Calian?
So, the two forgotten people asked that they forget about Calian for a while, put off feeling bitter among people for whom everything is already too late, and do something that they can do because they are now Calian. In fact, it wasn’t a request, it was a consolation given after I realized why my stomach was sore.
“This is why I like Demirea. Anyway, I am blessed with a fiancé.”
“You make the obvious statement.”
After giving a dry answer, Dmirea refused Calian’s hand to escort her and quickly climbed onto the back of the horse. As Calian, who was laughing and riding on Raven, took a step ahead, Demirea’s voice was heard.
“I’ll buy you some sugar cookies on the way. Forget the bitter taste.”
“It’s sweet?”
“Yes. It’s very sweet. It also smells like lavender.”
“Yeah. That’s good.”
Have you read all the books you bought last time?
When will the white roses along the way bloom?
Are you planning on wearing chain armor this time? How about stopping somewhere on the way back and having a meat-filled dinner together? By the way, Hina likes strawberries, so I wonder if that snack shop also sells strawberry-flavored sugar cookies.
Small conversation sounds. And the small sound of hooves echoed quietly.
In fact, they were both so inattentive that they completely forgot that they had to tell Lemain that they couldn’t go to dinner.
* * *
Someone who lives downstairs.
You can’t find politeness even if you look for it, and the person is so aggressive that fists speak louder than words, making it uncomfortable to write down your name, let alone meet face to face, and you end up breaking a good window, which is a serious problem that makes you lose your appetite. I can’t go to dinner because of something. That’s what was said.
To be precise, the letter was delivered saying, ‘For reasons that are too bad to write down, the window that was burnt out did not block the cold wind of the night, so the physical condition is not very good,’ but it was read that way in Lemain’s eyes.
Still, whatever.
Okay.
– It’s a personal matter.
At least I was less distraught than when I listened to Alan’s words, which explained the content simply and clearly, which I managed to convey using a communication device shared with my teacher because I had forgotten to convey it in person.
That’s right.
It seemed like there were a lot of sons when accidents like this happened. Why is it so empty when I ask you to have a meal with me?
Anyway, after taking out one by one of my many sons due to such miserable and personal circumstances, I
said, “I’m sorry. My arms aren’t free, so eating will be difficult.”
As it was difficult for him to have a formal meal with anyone since he couldn’t use his right arm, one son was left behind who decided to just have a cup of tea.
In fact, the wound on the second son’s right arm had already completely healed in the morning, and the second son uses two swords. Moreover, the third son who taught the second son how to use a sword said, ‘Even if a person can’t use one arm, he can still eat well.’ You must take good care of it. ‘Isn’t that why I have two arms?’ Thanks to the fact that I was taught how to use both hands well in the beginning, I have been able to use both hands freely for a long time. Above all, meat that requires the use of a fork and knife at the same time was not like that from the beginning. He didn’t eat well, so the fact that he didn’t eat and only drink tea was just a considerate excuse he came up with, saying he didn’t want to come here, but the residents of the upper and lower floors were reluctant to attend, so he had no choice but to come and show his face for a moment.
A person who was interested in his sons, but did not have the qualifications to meddle in and understand many aspects to determine whether it was true or just an excuse, asked with a face full of worry.
“You were hurt a lot?”
“it’s okay.”
LeMaine nodded, added pine needles and honey, and we took a sip of tea and set it down. Afterwards, he was about to give an answer to Plantz’s earlier request for permission to visit Crown Prince Serzane of Tensil, but Plantz moved his hand first.
– Sweet.
What was in Planz’s hand was placed on the table.
Pendant with a small locket.
It was the necklace Lemain gave me.
“I’ll just give it back.”
At Plantz’s words that followed, Lemain let out a subtle sigh. Since I was wearing it around my neck, I had a slight expectation that I might be a little closer to Plants.
“Yes. So be it.”
“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
Lemain’s hand, which was heading towards the table, stopped.
Soon Lemain nodded.
“That necklace. Isn’t there one that belongs to you and one that belongs to Calian?”
Once I drew the necklace, once I drew the pendant at the end of the necklace, once I drew the face of my second son, who had changed a lot since then, and once again I drew the necklace again.
LeMaine, who was slowly shifting his gaze and thinking about what happened while making the necklace, opened his mouth.
“Yes. I have the other two children’s as well.”
Plantz said after a moment of silence.
“I think you will. I’m giving it back because I think it would be better for you to keep it with me. I’m not giving it to you because I don’t want to keep it.”
There was no reply from Lemain.
Plantz, who had been watching Lemain for a while, spoke again.
“When I received it when they sent it to me, I wasn’t happy at all.”
“…… okay.”
“I wasn’t happy at all. I wasn’t grateful. I didn’t feel fortunate, surprised, or amazed.”
“Yes. It was like that.”
“I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t sad, I wasn’t angry.”
“Yes… that’s right.”
“I didn’t know.”
Plantz’s fingertip pointed at the pendant.
And then he moved that finger and pointed it towards himself.
“What to think of it? I didn’t know. I looked at it for a long time and thought about it for a long time, but I couldn’t come up with an answer. I didn’t know. I never learned it. I didn’t know. I couldn’t come up with an answer.”
“…You couldn’t come up with an answer?”
“…I couldn’t come up with an answer.”
Lemain nodded very slowly.
Plantz continued.
“Your Majesty was wrong.”
Familiar words.
This is something I have come to take for granted.
On days when I don’t hear the same words, I feel somewhat empty.
This is something I’ve heard so many times from Alan.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Your Highness was in the wrong.”
I heard that from Plantz.
“Father did something wrong to us.”
I heard it for the first time.
I heard it from my son’s mouth.
