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119
“…Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
One of the knights guarding the front of the Crown Prince’s office inadvertently opened his mouth, forgetting his own duty. The face of the Crown Prince he encountered looked as if some part of his heart had been terribly broken.
The knight flinched at the sound of his own voice. The Crown Prince he knew was not someone who preferred unnecessary speech. If one spoke to him first without permission, they would usually receive a sharp glare that made their body tremble involuntarily…
“…?”
Thud.
Contrary to what he expected, the Crown Prince, Luciel, entered his office silently without scolding, as if he hadn’t even heard what the knight said. The door closing firmly behind him felt quite resolute.
Only after closing the door and realizing he was alone in his private space did Luciel’s steps falter. Even the flame on the candlestick flickered briefly, as if reflecting his confused state of mind.
“Ha… haha.”
What finally burst forth was a hollow laugh. It echoed through the empty office, sounding self-deprecating and also somewhat painful.
A voice echoed in his distant mind:
‘The poison you provided wouldn’t have worked on Arpel.’
Slowly and persistently… as if telling him not to look away. The repeatedly echoing voice made him feel nauseous. Luciel sank weakly into a chair and slowly raised his hand to cover his mouth.
It was by chance that he had overheard that conversation. He had gone to deliver his father’s message to Evelyn in person. Because her words had bothered him. Because he couldn’t ignore the papers she had thrown and read them… Because he couldn’t contain his curiosity and went to the audience chamber.
No, perhaps this too was an escape. A meaningless escape, thinking that if he hadn’t known, he wouldn’t have crumbled like this.
‘Pleased to meet you. I am Arpel.’
Suddenly, someone’s face flashed in his mind.
What emotion had he felt when he met those calm eyes that showed not a hint of agitation even upon seeing him? What did he think when Arpel casually skipped the greetings and dared to try to turn away the Crown Prince at the door?
Insolent? Impudent? To be honest, it wasn’t any of those. When recalling that moment, all that came to mind was… just his own heart beating strongly enough to be annoying and his own voice stammering.
‘Your Highness, I…’
A low voice echoed in his ears. This too was part of a not-too-distant memory.
The calm voice, still devoid of any emotion, mingles with the sound of the wind. When the rustling of grass leaves overlapped, a faint floral scent could be detected.
In none of his memories did Arpel ever give a precise answer to his confession. Nevertheless, knowing that answer wasn’t difficult. Those violet eyes, which seemed incomparable to any precious gem, always looked at him with the same gaze.
He had replayed those memories countless times, but this wasn’t lingering attachment. It wasn’t some misplaced desire to steal affection directed at another for himself.
It was true that he had felt attracted to him, so he was simply reminiscing about his encounters with Arpel. He had no intention of forcibly breaking apart an already established relationship and inviting hatred.
But now, he couldn’t shake off one thought that suddenly occurred to him.
‘Did I deceive him?’
His Majesty’s path is my path.
His Majesty’s will is my will.
This is how Luciel had been taught, how he had acted, and he had never once doubted this fact.
So if His Majesty wanted Arpel dead, then he too… As soon as the thought progressed, something welled up inside him. He felt like he might vomit at any moment. Luciel hurriedly took a breath and pressed his hand against his chest.
Now… he had come to feel disgust. Ironically.
***
It had been several days since they set out following the path Lexia had pointed out. Considering they had methodically destroyed several Salvation Church branches along the way, it had been a rather quick and smooth journey. No, perhaps… Arpel thought, gauging the path they had walked so far.
This might all have stemmed from what happened in Bemos Village.
Currently, the Salvation Church had generally halted its activities and was lying low. It wasn’t difficult to guess the reason. Probably because one of the seven officials had died.
“Arpel, shall we eat here?”
“Yes, sure.”
At the same time, the grotesque figure that could hardly be called human flashed in his mind again, but it faded with Rohan’s single question. As the warm body temperature rising through their joined hands was added, the hideous thoughts circling in his mind disappeared without a trace.
Perhaps it was because everything he brought made his heart flutter anew. A small smile naturally bloomed on Arpel’s face as he nodded. It was close to a hint of excitement that he showed without even being aware of it.
The place they headed to was twice as crowded as other restaurants. Not only was it known for good food by word of mouth, but it also doubled as a tavern, so there was a constant stream of customers. It was a struggle just to wade through the bustling crowd from the entrance and find a seat.
Despite their efforts to secure a spot that wasn’t bad for a meal for two…
“Ugh…”
The problem was that this was a unique restaurant that showcased dishes using fresh seasonal ingredients as the main components.
The plate set down by the waiter was full of fresh orange vegetables that seemed like it had been a while since he’d seen them. The fragrant scent of carrots seemed to sting his nose at a glance.
Rohan reflexively frowned and let out a faint groan. He couldn’t hide his dislike in time.
And then he belatedly rolled his eyes, checking Arpel’s reaction. Arpel, who had been quietly observing this, almost openly twitched his lips. It was a little, no, very cute.
“Shall we go somewhere else in a bit?”
He whispered, playfully poking at the carrot dishes lined up on the narrow table with a fork. There was a faint hint of laughter in his questioning voice.
It was a gentle tone, as if soothing a child. Rohan felt a very slight dissatisfaction with this but couldn’t voice any objection. Or rather, he couldn’t.
Rohan clearly remembered the time when Arpel had once said he “didn’t know love.” But just because he didn’t know love didn’t mean Rohan couldn’t feel his affection.
Just as Arpel seemed to respond to Rohan’s emotions, there were times when Rohan was drenched in the sweet affection abundantly contained in every word Arpel uttered.
The gentle consideration that always put him first, the awkward comfort occasionally offered, the hand that reached out first without words – all of these did that. When meeting those sparkling eyes with a faint smile… it wasn’t once or twice that he had the absurd wish that this moment could last forever.
It was the same now. So despite disliking being treated like a child, all he could do was nod slowly with a slightly reddened face. The movement of continually drinking the beverage placed beside him seemed quite urgent.
“Hehe… The alcohol tastes good!”
“…Damn it. Why are things lately so-“
“I heard wild boars have been rampaging in the neighboring village these days.”
As the conversation between the two of them broke off, the voices of others chattering noisily began to fill the gap one by one. This was why they hadn’t left their seats despite completely failing in their food choice.
In case they might hear something about Leriana and Casia. If it was a place they had visited, there would have been some commotion, big or small, so they wanted to eavesdrop on the villagers’ conversations and try to guess their location.
The reason for going to such lengths was due to the recent bad weather. They had moved according to the information obtained from Lexia, but by the time they reached their final destination, Leriana and Casia had long since left the village. From then on, they had to ask around for information and follow their trail.
Taverns where many people gather are sanctuaries of all kinds of rumors and information. In fact, this method had yielded quite good results. They were able to follow the trail well without getting lost.
“Have you heard about that?”
At that moment, a man’s low voice mixed in with the many voices. As if he was about to share a very secretive and confidential story.
“I heard mercenaries have been disappearing lately. They say the Mercenary Guild is conducting a secret investigation because of it…”
“What? Disappearances?”
“Shh, be quiet! I said it’s secret, secret!”
Although they thought it would be no different from other useless conversations, the man provided quite interesting information.
Arpel, who had briefly furrowed his brow, turned to look at Rohan. He too seemed to have been listening to the conversation about the “disappearance of mercenaries,” as he nodded as soon as their eyes met.
“But you know, this is really fishy. So when an acquaintance of mine investigated privately… there’s exactly one thing in common among the disappeared mercenaries.”
“A common point? What is it?”
The voice lowered even further. Whether he was trying to set the mood or if it was really a secret story that shouldn’t be overheard.
The man sitting diagonally across, who was relaying the information, even showed the enthusiasm to look around left and right before leaning towards the person sitting opposite him.
“Remember that request from a while ago? The one the imperial palace entrusted to the Mercenary Guild.”
“Ah, I know, I know. That was quite famous. The guys who took it were bragging so much. They went around shouting all over the neighborhood about how their path to success had opened, it was such a nuisance. And then after the request was over, they all returned to the guild? Success my foot… Oh, could it be?”
“That’s exactly it. All the guys who disappeared were the ones who had taken that request. Although the imperial palace sent personnel to investigate and concluded there was no connection…”
The man took a breath and added.
“Doesn’t it seem fishy to anyone?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
