For a lifetime.
Amun, who had been repeating the words Cayden had spoken, closed his mouth. He had seemed to live without any particular thoughts, simply going with the flow. But it appeared he had been considering the possibility of leaving Helio.
Assad was waiting for time to pass.
Time, as it accumulates layer upon layer, changes many things. Eventually, even the memory of Assad Mekerius’s destined partner oracle would gradually fade from people’s memories. When that time came, Assad planned to negotiate with Cayden. It would be a negotiation weighing the position of Crown Prince Consort against the peace of his remaining life.
He thought the negotiation would proceed more smoothly than expected. If Cayden already harbored such feelings, wouldn’t he accept his proposal without resistance? He might take what he wanted and leave without complaint.
Of course, there was the possibility that his mind could change. Comfortable, even luxurious environments tended to change people. Although he pretended to have no ambitions now, who could tell what might happen.
So before the negotiation, he needed to find matters that would tempt Cayden and make appropriate offers accordingly. If that didn’t work, he would have to exploit weaknesses.
If everything went well, Cayden would stage his death and step down from the position of Crown Prince Consort. And then he would soon be reborn. With a new identity.
Cayden would live a peaceful life different from what he had known so far. His bride would leave Helio, which would only be hot for him, and return to his homeland in the north to…
No, that wouldn’t work.
Was there any need to go back to where he originally came from? If he did, in the worst case, he might encounter that inhuman madman who was called “young master” or whatever. That would be too terrible.
Come to think of it, among the stories reported to him about Cayden, there was a passage about Lord Alex Cooper, the eldest son of the count. The farm workers had apparently complained that the relationship between the viscount, the actual owner of the farm, and his bride was far too intimate.
‘Intimate? If they were intimate two more times, all the dogs in the area would die.’
They said they didn’t have much to report due to the isolated nature of the farm, but it seemed they had written a novel instead. Assad cursed inwardly.
Rather than Elba, where there were humans whose mere existence on the same land made him feel awful, it would be better to find him a new residence in the pleasant midwest. He would not spare financial support to ensure he no longer needed to engage in hard labor.
Though the framework was still loose, it wasn’t the worst plan. Since he couldn’t predict how Cayden’s heart might change, he would have to continue monitoring him in the guise of Amun.
“…Tomorrow, you will see the Crown Prince outside the separate palace.”
Amun dropped a single statement in front of Cayden.
“Outside?”
“Yes. You will be going to the training grounds you visited with Lihet, but this time with His Highness.”
Making eye contact with Cayden, whose complexion had instantly turned pale, Amun continued.
“I didn’t specifically mention the training grounds to His Highness. It just happened to be a coincidence.”
Amun added an excuse. It was amusing that he had to defend himself, claiming he wasn’t a tattletale. But he didn’t want to disappoint that foolish man. No, disappointment would be fine. He simply didn’t want to be seen as a scoundrel who didn’t keep his promises.
“His Highness said, ‘Since it’s training with warriors who will become the swords of the future Emperor and Empress, shouldn’t the Crown Prince Consort make an appearance at least once?’ and asked me to convey the message.”
Barely cutting off his rambling words, Amun gave a casual smile. Cayden wouldn’t be able to refuse Assad’s words anyway. But he was needlessly concerned about the possibility of rejection.
“Is it right for me to make an appearance?”
“His Highness judged it to be appropriate.”
Amun answered.
It was unacceptable that his one and only bride had secretly hidden under the sun to steal glances at his spouse.
What was so special about visiting the training grounds where any commoner could go? What was the big deal about showing himself before the warriors? He thought that with such a lack of confidence, how could he properly fulfill the role of Crown Prince Consort in the future?
…Even if only for a very brief time.
“You don’t need to be afraid. You won’t be watching the training all day. During your brief stay, I think you just need to focus your eyes on the Crown Prince.”
Amun said to the man who seemed to find the vitality of the training grounds difficult to handle.
He would only see Assad Mekerius anyway. Hadn’t Cayden already said so? That among the warriors gathered in the training grounds, every one of them had terrible skills and looked so horrible he couldn’t stand the sight of them, but the Crown Prince was fine. That he wasn’t frightening but beautiful. That’s what he had said.
Cayden, who was already extremely tense just from hearing that he would be going to the training grounds with Assad, looked at the dogs once, then at the dirt floor once, and finally at Amun’s face once.
“…Will you be coming too?”
More carefully than when he stroked the dogs’ heads, Cayden asked Amun.
“No.”
“Oh, I see.”
It was annoying to see Cayden trying to insert another man into the time he would spend with his husband. But it was also somewhat pleasing to think that he relied on Amun so much. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Amun had only been with Cayden for two months. In just 60 days, he had come to rely on Amun this much. It was surprising. He thought he would soon discover what carrots and sticks to use with this man.
“Are you disappointed that I won’t be joining you?”
In response to Amun’s question, who somehow looked pleased, Cayden quietly nodded.
“Yes. I think so.”
How naive. Amun mocked his bride inwardly.
Barely suppressing the grin that threatened to escape, Amun suddenly bent down. Nearly crouching, he grabbed the dog that had been sticking close to Cayden’s side. After needlessly scratching under the dog’s chin, he grabbed and kneaded its sparse cheek fat. Princess Mat’s dog gave him an annoyed look, but he couldn’t resist the strange impulse that had suddenly come over him.
Having finally calmed himself, Amun glanced up. Cayden was silently laughing, looking at the annoying dogs and himself. His face was gentle, as if he were beholding an incredibly lovely scene.
It was the first time he had sensed vitality in his bride’s pale complexion and melancholic purple eyes.
‘…Really, what a fool.’
Amun quickly turned his head away, avoiding Cayden’s eyes. His cheeks, brushed by the wind, felt strangely itchy.
* * *
Perhaps because a special guest was present? The heat that had been warming the training grounds subsided more quickly than usual. It was also because Crown Prince Assad, the main subject of the matches, had called an early end.
Cayden, who had been sitting quietly with his hands folded in a place prepared in the shade, urgently sought Assad with his eyes. It was such a desperate gaze that it almost looked as if he were searching for someone who had saved his life. This was despite the fact that his eyes hadn’t left Assad since he had set foot in the training grounds.
As had happened when he first entered the training grounds, when the training ended, almost all the warriors’ gazes fixed on Cayden.
The gazes of men and women wearing minimal clothing, or rather, mere pieces of cloth, were as hot and stinging as their heat-filled bodies. However, the heat in their eyes contained not the familiar contempt or pity, but intense curiosity.
He was reminded of a fairy tale a baroness who had volunteered at the orphanage had read to him in his childhood. It was a short story about a street child who ended up taking the place of a prince who had gone on an adventure.
And now, Cayden felt like he had become that street child from the fairy tale. He was filling in for someone else’s role that didn’t suit him, the role of the real Crown Prince Consort who had vacated the position due to being caught up in the will of the gods.
Somehow he had ended up in the absurd position of Crown Prince Consort, but he would never become Empress. He wondered if it was right to show someone like him, a fake, to those who would become the swords of the future Emperor and Empress. The heaviness in his heart made it impossible to meet their eyes.
But he couldn’t just remain stupidly frozen either. Hadn’t Amun told him that his every small action could either raise or lower Assad’s dignity? He might not be able to raise it, but he shouldn’t let it fall. Cayden forced himself to smile.
Assad was briefly exchanging words with the warriors of his age who surrounded him. Even while responding to those who had gathered around, his gaze occasionally turned toward Cayden.
It was happening now too. Assad returned a light smile to the awkwardly smiling Cayden. He seemed to be mouthing something silently, but the distracted Cayden failed to catch it properly.
Looking at Assad, Cayden fell into contemplation. In truth, the person who would be most embarrassed to show him outside would be Assad. So why had he brought him here?
Did he want him to be humiliated?
Between the strange trust he had developed toward Assad, who had become kind to him at some point, and the lessons he had learned in the past, Cayden felt confused.
Unnecessary worries arose. Was it alright to remain dazed like this? Or should he prepare his heart for what was to come? He couldn’t tell.
‘It would have been good if Amun were here. He would have told me how to look a little less foolish.’
He would have given advice not to appear ridiculous in front of His Highness’s people. Despite his expressionless face, his voice would have been gentle.
“…”
He didn’t dislike having spent time here. Rather, he enjoyed it.
The hot scenery of the outdoor training grounds was different from what he had seen from the steps. Cayden learned about the healthy fierceness, the sharp fighting spirit, and the joy spread across the faces of those holding weapons—things he hadn’t known when looking down at the training grounds from above. He felt he should tell Amun that his misunderstanding about the training grounds had been cleared up.
There was also someone who remained consistently beautiful amidst the changed scenery. But the texture of that beauty was different from before. The beautiful Crown Prince, who had only appeared like the protagonist of a painting coated in gold, transformed into a hero straight out of an ancient legend when he picked up a curved sword like a crescent moon.
‘When I had just become an adult… I was no different from a frayed sack in the storehouse.’
Watching the water flow down Assad’s chin as he moistened his throat, Cayden reflected on his unsightly past. Though he was still unsightly now. No, he might even be more shabby now than back then.
But his thoughts didn’t continue for long. A voice full of laughter struck Cayden’s ear.
“We greet the Crown Prince Consort.”
A woman and a man with identical faces bowed slightly and greeted Cayden.
