#87
As soon as Ersen left, Sercil shouted.
“Shouldn’t we catch him?”
“Why?”
Theodore replied after a brief silence.
Sercil hesitated.
Then he frowned slightly and looked back at Theodore, asking.
“Your Highness. Did something happen?”
“…”
Theodore didn’t reply and just maintained silence.
Why is he acting like that?
Because his mood seemed unusual, Sercil glanced at the other two with a questioning expression.
Unlike him, Marcus and Skyle didn’t seem particularly puzzled.
“Did something happen with His Highness Prince Ersen?”
There’s something only he doesn’t know.
Sercil sensed this and slightly pursed his lips as he spoke.
“Still though, it seems dangerous…”
His innocent-seeming reaction generally had the effect of making Sercil lower his guard, but it didn’t seem to work well right now.
“This won’t do. I should go with him too.”
“Please don’t.”
When Archduke Rodias gently stopped him, Sercil hesitated.
If there was no information to gain here, it would be more beneficial to subtly follow Ersen and spy on what he discovered.
However.
“Still… Upper management. He’s going to meet high-ranking half-demons. Two would be better than one.”
“Going alone might be better. They probably wouldn’t accept anyone else anyway.”
“Huh, why?”
“He’s been saying since earlier that he has a secret route only he knows. Spying means watching one-sidedly, and since it’s possible, that’s probably why he went alone.”
As if knowing Sercil’s inner thoughts, the Archduke was sharp as a knife.
“That seal he used before was also an extraordinary item. He’s definitely not someone who would enter enemy territory empty-handed.”
With a gentle smile, the Archduke changed the topic without giving Sercil any chance to interject.
“More importantly, we have something to decide among ourselves right now, don’t we?”
“Ah…”
If it was that, Sercil had no choice.
Nullification.
Now that its effectiveness had been proven by the Crown Prince’s curse being lifted, it was a topic that couldn’t be missed.
‘Right, revenge comes second.’
When he came up to the capital, he hadn’t even thought about revenge.
Since breaking the curse was ultimately the goal, there was no need to… leave this place to stab the Prince.
No matter how much of a potential monster the Prince was.
‘First, let me think about how I can secure the next turn.’
Probably due to social status, his turn would come after the Archduke and Sir Marcus were finished.
It was the moment when Sercil sat down properly while pretending to look dejected, thinking this way.
“…I understand.”
After the Archduke smiled as if he was being kind, he immediately continued speaking.
“I think it would be good if Sercil’s curse was lifted next. What do you think?”
“What?”
Sercil’s head shot up.
What was this about?
The Archduke’s and Sir Marcus’s curses must also be terrible things.
But why?
“…I don’t mind.”
But surprisingly, even Sir Marcus lightly expressed agreement.
The Archduke smoothly rolled his eyes to look intently at Sir Marcus. But only briefly. He looked at Sercil again with a kind expression.
“What does Sercil think?”
“I…!”
He wanted to immediately say it was good, but something felt off.
Sercil reflexively looked at Theodore.
Compared to when he first saw him, he had an extremely clear complexion and was listening attentively to the three’s conversation. His attitude conveyed the silent intention that he wouldn’t interfere.
However, for just such an attitude, he also seemed a bit lost in other thoughts.
Sercil momentarily suspected something.
Wondering if there might be some side effects.
‘No, if that were the case, His Highness the Crown Prince’s turn would have been pushed back.’
He couldn’t understand it right now.
But he couldn’t not accept it either.
Sercil eventually nodded somewhat bewilderedly.
“G-good. If you two are okay with it.”
If this happened, what should he do about the matter with the half-demon elder?
If the people in this place had heard the thought that flashed through his mind at that moment, he would have been imprisoned rather than getting an opportunity, but no one knew yet.
The Archduke blinked slowly and responded gently.
“Of course it’s fine.”
Sercil failed to notice that his tone was strangely calm and gentle.
“Hmm. As I said before, I don’t mind. It’s not a curse that needs to be lifted immediately anyway.”
Only the Archduke’s two friends noticed.
“Then it’s decided that Sercil is next.”
“Thank you!”
“Will you contact Count Lindea in advance?”
“Um, no. Later. Ah, do you have anything you’d like me to convey to my mother?”
He had openly revealed his status to them around the time Prince Ersen was practically confined to the Crown Prince’s palace.
Something about how despite appearances, he was a Prince with succession rights, and to serve such royalty, one needed to go through the formal process of entering the palace?
‘That will probably become a meaningless reason soon too. …Will they really strip his succession rights? Then His Highness Prince Ersen will… No. Why am I worrying about that?’
Anyway, since then, the Crown Prince had asked about the border situation through Sercil to confirm with Count Lindea about twice.
“No, not particularly.”
“Ah, yes!”
Sercil closed his eyes and hid his slightly cooled gaze.
It wasn’t that he had any particular complaints.
The Crown Prince, Archduke, and Sir Marcus were all at the pinnacle of power at the center of the capital, unlike him, so it wouldn’t be strange if there were things they knew among themselves that he didn’t.
‘However, that atmosphere is a bit concerning.’
It was fine that Sercil’s own harmless atmosphere was gradually becoming ineffective.
But the Crown Prince’s favor suddenly becoming thin was a different problem.
The Crown Prince, who was more affectionate than he appeared, had opened his heart to Sercil and trusted him to some extent just because they shared the same type of curse. He had even made him an attendant, and even when this situation arose where Sercil would have his curse lifted before the other friends, he showed no negative signs.
That was quite a source of strength for Sercil, so it was good to maintain it at least until he lifted the curse and gave that monster Prince Ersen a blow.
While thinking such thoughts, Sercil suppressed his joy and blushed as he exclaimed.
“Then I’ll go prepare so Your Highness can rest immediately when you return!”
“You’re really diligent, Sercil.”
The Archduke said while muttering quietly that there was probably no need to go that far.
Sercil quickly nodded.
“I have to be diligent. Unlike the other people here, I can’t help His Highness Prince Ersen in any other way.”
“Oh my. Did His Highness say that?”
“Not exactly, but… At the last ball, he didn’t designate only me as a partner either…”
“At that time, His Highness probably didn’t know Sercil’s status, so that’s why.”
“This time too. Even if something happens, I don’t have the ability to evacuate His Highness… It would be nice if I had some ability too. At times like this, I feel regretful.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. He’s not someone who would mind such things.”
The Archduke said with a light laugh.
“He’s also someone you won’t need to see again once the curse is lifted.”
At first hearing, it seemed to show courtesy while encompassing both Ersen and Sercil, but the Archduke’s words had meaningful implications.
Not denying that Sercil was incompetent, and that Ersen not minding it wasn’t because he was generous but because he had other purposes.
Something like that meaning was contained in it.
Plus the pressure to leave the capital once the curse was lifted.
Sercil finally realized that it wasn’t just the Crown Prince who was acting strange.
The Archduke was wary of him.
And even Sir Marcus, who unlike usual wasn’t interjecting with his characteristic rough manner of speaking.
Sir Marcus was lost in thought with the most indifferent expression he had ever seen.
Like Crown Prince Theodore, he too seemed to have his mind half elsewhere.
“That’s true.”
Sercil decided to withdraw obediently for now.
“Still, I think I’ll feel more at ease if I do what I can when I can.”
“Sercil really.”
“Then I’ll take my leave first!”
The Archduke nodded slightly.
It seemed the three of them had something to discuss privately about the Prince’s succession rights issue.
Whether it was just that, or if there would be separate discussions about Sercil himself, he didn’t know.
* * *
Sercil’s prediction was almost accurate.
“So, what’s this about?”
Theodore asked with cold eyes shining.
“What do you mean?”
“The reason you’re being so calm.”
“You speak as if I should be greatly agitated.”
“It would be less suspicious if you were agitated instead.”
“…I was just organizing my thoughts.”
“About what?”
“About His Highness Prince Ersen.”
Theodore tilted his head slightly.
“Why that guy.”
That guy.
Skyle slightly raised and lowered his eyebrows at the sudden distance.
He knew why he was acting like that.
It could be summarized as being rejected after approaching with sincerity.
However, perhaps because of that, it was impressive that he seemed to be consciously ‘trying’ to maintain distance.
Skyle considered pointing out that part, then decided to just let it pass with a smile.
There was a more important matter right now.
“You saw that His Highness Prince Ersen wasn’t particularly agitated either.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
