#57
“I heard you’re going on a picnic. You should have invited me too.”
“It’s a picnic with my friends. Why would you butt in?”
Enrique replied gruffly. But Anture paid no attention and turned his head to ask Julian and Kisha:
“May I join you as well?”
When Anture asked, Julian and Kisha exchanged glances and then nodded with slight smiles. They looked as if they had discovered something very interesting.
“Your friends don’t seem to mind.”
Anture said confidently. Enrique clicked his tongue softly and focused on driving the horse.
They arrived at a low hill where Anture and Enrique had previously encountered the Ruben Empire delegation.
Tables and chairs were set up around a large tree at the center of the hill, and food was laid out. Enrique watched the busy servants and soldiers while giving water to Casto. Julian and Kisha were already wandering among the servants, eagerly searching for wine.
“Did you sleep well?”
Anture asked, pressing close. The implied meaning was clear:
Did you sleep well alone after kicking me out so harshly right after sex?
“Yes, I slept very well.”
Enrique replied nonchalantly. Instead of feeling hurt, Anture smiled and kissed Enrique’s earlobe.
“But why did you follow us? Shouldn’t the Ruben side be busy with wedding preparations?”
“They’ve been nagging me to refrain from seeing you until the wedding. I got so tired of it that I ran away.”
It seemed that not only Enrique but Anture too was suffering from those superstitions and traditions.
“Speaking of which, it’s better if we restrain ourselves until the wedding. We should at least pretend to follow tradition to some extent.”
“Can you endure not seeing me?”
Anture asked with deep eyes, bringing his face close. Enrique pushed Anture’s face away with his palm.
“What’s there to endure? It’s not a big deal.”
Despite Enrique’s cold words, Anture was unfazed and caught the hand pushing his face away, kissing the palm.
The sensation was so familiar yet stimulating that it made Enrique’s hand tingle. He quickly pulled his hand away and glared at Anture. Anture just grinned charmingly, as if to say he liked that too.
Enrique wondered if he had been too lenient with Anture. There wasn’t a trace of unease in the smile directed at him.
“Anyway, don’t think about showing your face to me for a while.”
Enrique snapped curtly and then turned abruptly towards his friends.
The dinner banquet with the Ruben side was held grandly. With the wedding just around the corner, important ministers including King Shamier and a large number of Ruben officials attended. Enrique sat next to his father, savoring wine.
The atmosphere was cordial.
The agreement had been finalized years ago, and all the wedding gifts from Ruben had already arrived. Enrique felt full just thinking about the meticulously prepared wedding gifts sent by the Ruben side.
People from both countries exchanged friendly conversation. Even King Shamier wore a relaxed expression today, smiling without worry. Enrique pretended not to notice the persistent gazes from the Ruben side directed at him, just sipping his wine.
Several toasts were made.
Most were to bless the upcoming wedding. When the mood was at its peak, one of the envoys from Ruben raised his glass.
“Let’s toast to the excellent heirs of Ruben and Shamier that will be born in the future!”
Enrique just smiled faintly and raised his glass in response. And he thought to himself, “So they’re laying the groundwork.”
His prediction was correct.
The Ruben official who had just made the toast, with a face flushed from alcohol, opened his mouth.
“By the way, when the two of you marry and have two children, it’s really exciting to think about. Our prince has inherited the blood of the Ruben Emperor, and you, Prince, are a Superior. So there’s a possibility that one of them could be born a Superior, isn’t there?”
Several people nodded in agreement. All eyes turned to Enrique. To be precise, to Enrique’s belly.
In the eyes of both the Shamier and Ruben sides, obvious greed arose.
Just because a Superior Omega gives birth doesn’t guarantee that the child will be a Superior. However, the chances of one of Enrique’s future children being a Superior were quite high. The question was who would get that Superior as their heir.
“If we in Ruben receive a Superior heir, we plan to present a gift to Shamier equivalent to the wedding gifts as a token of gratitude and celebration.”
“If we’re that lucky, I suppose that’s how it will be.”
Enrique said with a slight smile. But the Ruben side didn’t let it go easily.
“Won’t one of the two children be born a Superior? How about sending the child born as a Superior to be Ruben’s heir, whether it’s the first or the second?”
It was a blatant statement.
Originally, it had been agreed that the first child would be Shamier’s heir, and the second child would be sent as Ruben’s heir. But now, with the wedding just around the corner, they were demanding the child born as a Superior, regardless of birth order.
The expressions of the Shamier side hardened. King Shamier’s face had also become rigid.
“The first child to Shamier, and the second child to Ruben. It’s clearly stated in the agreement. Are you trying to change your words now?”
A person from Shamier spoke with a slightly agitated voice. The Ruben official who had brought up the topic narrowed his eyes while holding his wine glass.
“It’s only natural to desire a Superior heir. And think about it. If a Superior heir succeeds the Ruben Empire, it’s clear they will achieve great things. Isn’t it too wasteful to confine such an excellent child to this small Shamier?”
The implication was that even if Shamier got a Superior heir, they wouldn’t be able to utilize them properly.
The previously cordial atmosphere of the banquet had completely frozen. Enrique stopped swirling his glass and turned his gaze to the Ruben official who had just spoken.
“Initially, Ruben was also just a small country, but it rose to become an empire under the Ruben Emperor. If the heir is excellent, they should be able to achieve great things anywhere, so I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“Do you think Shamier could rise to become a great nation like our Ruben just by having a Superior heir? That would only be a waste of excellent talent.”
“That remains to be seen. And above all, don’t forget that we have already drafted an agreement. The first child as Shamier’s heir, the second as Ruben’s heir. Regardless of which one is Superior, I will follow the agreement. In fact, the reason I chose the Ruben prince as my first husband was because of that promise.”
“But that would be a waste of talent…”
Enrique threw his wine glass behind him while the Ruben official was still speaking.
Crash-!
The glass shattered into pieces, making a sharp sound. The crowd fell silent. Enrique, having abruptly cut off the Ruben official’s words, glared at him with fierce eyes and said:
“This is a major transaction between countries. Everything will be carried out exactly as recorded in the agreement. If that doesn’t suit you, we can pretend this marriage never happened. After all, there are plenty of potential husbands waiting desperately to marry me.”
At Enrique’s sharp words, the Ruben official shut his mouth. Instead, an elderly official sitting next to him stood up.
“It seems this friend made a mistake due to excessive drinking. It was merely a statement made out of personal greed, so please, Prince, pretend you didn’t hear it.”
The one who spoke politely bowed his head in apology. It was a strategy of “if it works, great; if not, oh well.” It was like testing whether the fruit was soft or hard. Some noise was expected in such a major transaction between countries.
Enrique nodded without pressing further.
As everyone was skilled in politics, the atmosphere became cordial again as if nothing had happened.
Enrique sipped from a new wine glass brought by a servant. He could feel Anture’s gaze from across the table, but he pretended not to notice and didn’t look in that direction.
After the banquet ended, Enrique returned to his quarters and threw himself onto the bed after only changing his clothes. He felt a bit tipsy, perhaps from sipping too much throughout the evening. Enrique sighed heavily as he lay on the bed.
Anture had been looking at him throughout the banquet. Even after it ended, he seemed to want to approach Enrique to say something, but Enrique stopped him with a look. It was obvious what he wanted to say. Probably that today’s statements from the Ruben side had nothing to do with his own intentions.
But whether it was his intention or not, what did it matter? He was, after all, the prince of Ruben. Just as Enrique’s fate was tightly bound to his country, so was Anture’s. Whether he wanted it or not, he had to comply if his country demanded it.
