Chapter 46
After washing up and changing into pajamas, Kyle slowly burrowed into the blankets. Somehow, the pajamas Blair had left for him seemed to smell like him. This slightly eased his disappointed feelings.
This morning, Kyle had impulsively left the Academy and traveled for a full three hours to suddenly arrive at the Monetery estate. He knew well that visiting a noble house without prior notice was impolite, but he felt he had made the right decision to come.
The hospitality of Blair and his family had been good.
He was curious about the estate Blair promised to show him tomorrow. He would surely see many interesting and new things. Though his feelings of disappointment weren’t completely gone, he was genuinely looking forward to it. Kyle slowly drifted off to sleep.
Blair, who woke up early in the morning, hurried to Theodore’s room. Theodore, who had to go to work at the Imperial Palace, would probably be awake already. He needed to speak with Theodore before Kyle woke up and came looking for him.
Knock knock—
Blair knocked on Theodore’s door. From inside came a voice saying, “Yes?” Blair carefully opened the door and entered the room.
“Brother.”
“Oh, it’s Blair. Why are you up so early during your vacation?”
“I wanted to see you briefly before the prince wakes up. Are you heading out now?”
“Yes, I should leave soon to avoid being late.”
Theodore inserted cufflinks into his shirt. Blair approached Theodore and lowered his voice.
“I’ve asked our sister to secure the account books and the doctor’s whereabouts. I told her yesterday, so all the account books should be secured within this week, or at the latest by next week.”
Theodore’s expression hardened.
“I’m not worried about Imperial Princess Adriana. She’ll handle things well, but the issue is House Spirenda. Of course, if we catch them red-handed this time, we can implicate them all and remove them. But what really concerns me is that Empress Spirenda is currently pregnant.”
“Indeed.”
“Empress Spirenda is the Emperor’s particularly beloved empress. Using her pregnancy as an excuse, she might slip away like a loach when she’s actually the most important target. So, while you’re at the palace, please look for more issues with Empress Spirenda.”
“What if we postpone the matter until after her delivery?”
“That’s not a good approach. The child in her womb will be a son. Once she gives birth to a son, they’ll only become more arrogant, not less powerful.”
The child that Empress Spirenda would give birth to was a son. Blair even knew his name. Dain.
Theodore blinked.
“A son? How do you really know that?”
Theodore questioned. By this point, it was truly surprising.
“Well, let’s just say it’s astrology this time too.”
Blair shrugged. It was a waste of energy to interrogate someone who showed no intention of talking. Theodore changed the subject.
“Right. If we thoroughly investigate, there will certainly be something to find. There has to be. Taking bribes in exchange for official positions, embezzling taxes, those kinds of things can be uncovered. I suppose bribery for official positions would be most effective.”
“Even if we can’t kill Empress Spirenda, we must completely break her power. Becoming a deposed empress would be ideal, but if not, we must ensure she never dares to be greedy again. You know this area better than I do, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
“Please prepare so we can expose everything simultaneously. Well, have a good day at work.”
Theodore was someone who knew what to do. Blair was changing the future with just a little guidance and intervention. Blair smoothed Theodore’s collar. Theodore nodded slightly and left the room.
“Will that be enough? Do you need anything else?”
“No, of course not. Breaking House Spirenda’s power is one thing, but that doesn’t mean Imperial Princess Adriana will be designated as the heir. We need a final blow that everyone can agree on, and I’m thinking about that now. I’ll identify some suitable candidates and discuss them with you when you have time.”
Blair muttered quietly while walking alongside Theodore. His voice was so low that no one could hear it. Of course, Theodore, who was right beside him, could hear every word. Theodore nodded and then put on his hat. Blair escorted Theodore to the door and then headed to his own room. As he climbed the stairs and reached the second-floor hallway, he saw someone standing obediently in front of his door. Yellow, bright, fluffy hair. It was Kyle.
Blair hurried over to Kyle and lightly touched his shoulder.
“Ah!”
Startled, Kyle turned around with wide eyes to look at Blair. Kyle had only expected Blair to come out from inside the room; he never imagined Blair would appear behind him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was just about to knock, but you were outside?”
Kyle looked at Blair with a broad smile.
“Yes. I was seeing my eldest brother off as he left for work. You must be tired, yet you woke up early. You should sleep more.”
“I just happened to wake up early.”
“Was the bed uncomfortable? I’ll have them add an extra topper layer today.”
Blair’s words sounded as though Kyle could stay and sleep there tonight as well. Feeling pleased, Kyle responded energetically.
“Yes!”
“Shall we go out after breakfast? We can get some fresh air and look around various places.”
After a light meal, Blair instructed a maid to prepare a carriage. Before departing, Blair draped a cape over Kyle’s shoulders and firmly placed a hat on his head.
“Why the hat suddenly?”
“Your hair is too eye-catching. Though blonde hair isn’t particularly rare, one as bright as yours is uncommon. In any case, there are many people in the Monetery territory, including quite a few ruffians. It’s better to be cautious in advance.”
“I understand. I’ll keep it covered.”
Kyle nodded and stuck close to Blair’s side. After boarding the carriage prepared in front of the mansion, Blair asked Kyle for his opinion.
“Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to visit? Perhaps the market or a bookstore? There are quite diverse places nearby. There’s also a large downtown area.”
“Hmm, let me see. I can’t really think of any specific place.”
Kyle fell into deep thought.
“Is that so? Hmm. Then shall we go see the ocean first?”
“Really? The ocean?”
Kyle turned to look at Blair, who was sitting on his left, with round eyes. Kyle had never seen the ocean before.
“It would be a shame to visit the Monetery territory and not see the port. Ah, it will be different from the vast, wide ocean you might see in books. To be precise, this place is close to a port. There are many people and many ships anchored, so it’s difficult to feel the grandeur of nature.”
The Monetery territory was a port that extended slightly inland. Although the sea spread out much wider than most average lakes, there were so many large ships docked that the water wasn’t particularly clear. In fact, the seaside was much more boisterous than the market in the center of the Monetery estate.
“Still, I’m curious.”
Kyle’s eyes sparkled brightly.
“It would be good for Your Majesty to see it once. It’s not an easy sight to come by.”
The carriage headed toward the port. From the location of the Monetery mansion, it took about an hour by carriage to reach the sea. Gradually, salt began to mix into the air. It had been a long time since Blair had smelled the sea. Feeling pleased, Blair tapped his nose with his index finger.
“Do you smell something unfamiliar?”
“Yes. Salt?”
“Yes, that’s the smell of the sea. We must be nearly there.”
The carriage soon dropped the two off at the port. The noise of merchants assaulting the ears, large ships lined up with the Monetery family crest prominently displayed, people auctioning newly arrived fish, carts full of goods being transported, rough sailors with sun-darkened skin and bulging muscles—all these dazzling sights captivated Kyle’s attention.
From the seabirds wandering around the beach, the sea was so complex that it was hard to know where to focus one’s gaze. The sea was much noisier than expected and had the flavor of human life. Kyle walked toward the ocean as if entranced.
The summer sun blazed hotly over the surface of the water. Kyle began to trudge through the sand on the beach. Everything was fascinating, even the barnacles attached densely to the bottoms of boats pulled up onto the sandbar. Kyle crouched down and sifted through the wet sand, fiddling with shells.
A well-built man doing this might have looked quite ridiculous, but Kyle’s beauty, which harmonized well with the sea, made even this scene look like a painting. Blair, who had been standing at a slight distance, looked down at the crouching Kyle.
“I’ve never been to a place like this before. It’s been so long since I’ve gone out to play with anyone.”
A soft, yet somewhat melancholy voice flowed from Kyle’s lips.
Looking down at Kyle’s curly hair, Blair smiled gently.
“It’s definitely a place worth visiting, isn’t it?”
A voice breaking Kyle’s sea-entranced reverie was heard. Blair, who had made a visor with his hand and placed it against his eyes, was gazing at the vivid emerald-colored sea.
“Yes, it’s amazing.”
Kyle, sitting on the ground and fiddling with shells, nodded slightly. This was quite different from his appearance in the Imperial Palace, where everyone was dying and gloomy. It was also different from the Academy, which was full of hothouse flowers. People living fiercely on the front lines of life. Somehow, it made his heart swell. The power struggles and people who resented and were wary of him seemed like mere child’s play compared to this place.
“Though it’s not a place where the sea appears particularly wide, I quite like this port. It gives me a feeling of my mind opening up.”
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
