“Ugh!”
As the wine flowed down his hat and down his shoulders and back, the large man suddenly stood up.
"Oh, Marquis. Are you okay?"
“Ha, it’s okay.”
When he took off the hat, his hair was pressed down, revealing the bare-looking top of the man's head.
“At least clean it with this.”
As people around him flustered, he seemed more concerned about the attention being drawn towards him.
“Okay, that’s it. I’ll go and change my clothes.”
Valquiterre apologized to him casually.
“My hand slipped. I’m sorry.”
"It's okay, Your Majesty. Please don’t mind.”
Valquiterre was dumbfounded when the Marquis disappeared while being attended to by servants.
'No matter how many similar trendy hats and outfits there are.'
Did he mistake someone else?
He put the empty glass down on the table.
“I guess I should take a break.”
“I will take you there, Your Majesty."
Makie, who was controlling the disorganized nobles, soon came and bowed his head.
And Kaian was looking at that with meaning.
'I don't think it was a mistake just now. What was it?'
His heart pounded and became noisy.
***
A memory from his childhood came to mind.
Although the Rowen estate is warm all year round and has no sense of season, winter was the time when the barley planted in the fall was ripening in large quantities.
When he was very young, he didn't think anything of it, but once he got older and around early winter, he would always get on his nerves.
'Mother. Is Valquiterre coming to Rowen this winter too?'
'Kaian.'
Madame Elise smiled and stroked his head.
'Maybe?'
'I don't want Valquiterre coming.'
'Why?'
Kaian hesitated without answering.
'Let's talk.'
'Valquiterre is greedy.'
The visit of his cousin, who was the same age as him, was happy.
The peers in the Rowen estate were the children of vassals.
How can a subject and a Lord get along side by side?
They couldn't be called a friend.
On the other hand, his friends who will play shoulder to shoulder with him should be like the children of other lords. The castles where the lords lived were far away from each other, so he had to take a carriage with his father for a few days to see them once a year.
Moreover, his family was Temnes, who inherited the blood of a proud general.
His father, the Duke of Temnes, never allowed them to climb.
The vassals and the children of those vassals.
They were people who believed that they should serve their master completely.
There were times when Kaian was bored, and the games played by ordinary children were childish, so he thought, 'Is that fun?'
On the other hand, his friends who will play shoulder to shoulder with him should be like the children of other lords. The castles where the lords lived were far away from each other, so he had to take a carriage with his father for a few days to see them once a year.
Moreover, his family was Temnes, who inherited the blood of a proud general.
His father, the Duke of Temnes, never allowed them to climb.
The vassals and the children of those vassals.
They were people who believed that they should serve their master completely.
There were times when Kaian was bored, and the games played by ordinary children were childish, so he thought, 'Is that fun?'
There were times when she felt pathetic.
Valquiterre was a very good companion to him, but even though he was a blood relative, there were times when he was not as good as others.
He often wanted things that Kaian had.
‘The Oberon royal family has been greedy for generations. There are many springs and many desires.'
Her mother used to say things like that.
However, she did not say this in a way that was blaming or accusing their blood, but rather that her mother was also a Princess and felt proud that she had that blood.
When Kaian heard his mother's words, he thought that he too had half of her blood in him. He felt like he could understand Oberon's deep lineage.
However, every time Valquiterre got greedy and clashed with him, Kaian was embarrassed.
When Valquiterre, the heir who was raised with great respect, appeared, he would end up in a situation worse than that of a roadside wanderer.
Even a beggar on the street does not take away what he has donated when he goes home.
Valquiterre was so greedy for everything that Kaian had and begged him to give it to him, but when he didn't get it, he begged him to tell Her Majesty, making Madame Elise scream, 'Give in.'
They were a species that could get along with each other, but they were also territorial animals.
It was nice to run through the forest together and play hunting, but it was unpleasant to find graffiti carved with the tip of a knife on the wall of the outbuilding after he returned.
He was in the middle of a game of picking and selling, and it was always annoying to fight over having the same thing because he and Valquiterre both thought it was good.
In the first place, it was not a virtue of a ruler to endure and make concessions.
After becoming the Duke of Temnes, while preparing for war against Vermont, what excited Kaian the most was that he ‘didn’t have to put up with it.’
If you set up a big game called Territory War, you can take whatever you want and the whole world will be allowed to turn into a wasteland under the name of a battlefield.
Anything that belongs to Vermont can be taken away, be it land or jewels. Even their life.
That was much later, and in any case, when Valquiterre said he would come to Rowen, Kaian's job was to create a secret place and hide some of his favorite things, saying, 'This is absolutely not possible!'
Valquiterre will want it just by seeing what he has.
Then, there was one time when Kaian was so stubborn that he did not yield.
'I want that.'
Valkyterre, who had a pretty face that could be considered a girl, and his long hair tied with a blue ribbon that was as shiny as his eyes, was tied on his head, and he calmly stretched out his index finger.
'No. You have the same thing.'
Strangely enough, what Valquiterre asked for was a gift from the Grand Duke of Luxen.
It was a gift sent to the Queen on her leave to visit her sister, telling her to pass it on to her niece, Kaian. It was a small, elaborately made doll of a knight.
The delicately crafted armor could lower or raise the helmet's mask, and allow the hand to hold a sword or spear. If you stand it up and move it as if walking, it makes a clanking sound like when a knight wearing real armor walks.
He made two identical ones and gave them to his grandson, Valquiterre, and his nephew, Kaian.
‘It’s not here. So I want it.'
The Queen did not reprimand Valquiterre.
The King did it anyway.
If there was something he wanted, it was a place where he had to boldly get it.
It was obvious that in a little while, Valquiterre would be pestering the Queen, and Kaian's embarrassed mother would be telling him to give in.
However, unlike other times, there were two, so it seemed absurd to ask for one of each, so Kaian got up and ran out of the parlor with the knight doll in his arms.
'Omg. Omg.'
His heart was beating fast.
He couldn't tell if it was because he was out of breath from running, or if he was nervous because he was resisting for the first time to avoid being taken away by Valquiterre.
'It wasn't taken away.'
Kaian felt a proud sense of accomplishment.
'This is mine.'
He lifted the knight doll up the bedroom carpet and hid it under the floor. It was a secret warehouse containing items hidden to prevent them from being taken away by Valquiterre.
Afterward, throughout his stay in Rowen, Valquiterre never told him to hand it over anyway.
For a few days, they went to Prom Hunt to hunt, and for another few days, they did not even set foot in the castle but had fun eating, sleeping, and having fun in the study, which was neatly built in the forest of the back garden.
However, after Valquiterre returned to the castle, Kaian, who took out the floorboards to put his hidden things back in place, froze.
The neck of the knight doll was broken.
That wasn't something that could happen naturally.
The dented shape of his helmet and armor told him that a tiny hand had taken some action to destroy it.
At that time, he felt an unknown anger.
He has been giving up things he doesn't need to lose.
He was so considerate and agreed to everything, even though it was ridiculous and unreasonable.
Did Valq force himself to ask for the same item and then secretly break it and leave it behind?
Kaian was offended.
The knight doll was already broken, but his anger reached its peak when Madame Elise ordered him to write a thank you letter to the Grand Duke Luxen, saying, 'I have received the gift you sent me.'
Valquiterre, you bastard.
Until he got past the age of playing with knight dolls, Kaian would sometimes think about that.
However, after he grew up and became the head of the family, he was busy going to the battlefield and building the territory, so he had no time to see Valquiterre.
Ever since he ascended the throne as the king of the Kingdom of Oberon, Valquiterre has never come to Rowen.
Naturally, life moving in a different direction widened the distance between them. Kaian forgot about the resentment he felt at that time for a while.
'Why did that suddenly come to mind?'
After all, did Valquiterre notice the trendy feather hats that were so widespread in the capital that he could easily trip them while walking down the street?
If he asked him for the hat he got from his wife, Kaian wouldn't give it to him, so he tried to ruin it by pouring wine that wouldn't lose its color.
At one point, Valquiterre completely broke the knight doll Kaian said he wouldn't give to him.
Kaian, who was immersed in the following thoughts, suddenly felt dumbfounded.
‘What the hell are you thinking? That doesn't make sense.'
Valquiterre was no longer a child.
That happened before he was even ten years old, so it was already over fifteen years ago.
That didn't happen until he grew up to a certain degree, so why did he think of that?
Because when Valquiterre spills his drink, he doesn't freak out and panic like a normal person who has made a mistake?
However, Kaian also grew up being taught not to show emotional changes under any circumstances.
Sometimes even those things can become flaws and weaknesses.
“It’s been a while since I saw Valquiterre, and he’s thinking about all kinds of things.”
Holderley Round, his first visit since his parents passed away, seemed to bring back old memories.
“I need to quit hunting rabbits.”
Kaia was planning on catching a few fish out of courtesy, but for some reason, his excitement waned.
Unlike the bustling city, night came early at the quiet rural hunting ground.
As soon as the sun set, it became pitch black everywhere.
Thanks to this, the stars in the night sky looked dazzlingly beautiful, so Hannah, Claudel, and Madame Marcel opened the bedroom window, wrapped themselves in blankets and cloaks, and watched and chatted for a while.
“Stop looking now, Lady."
Hannah closed the window, saying Claudel's hands were cold.
“I want to see more.”
“You can see it again tomorrow.”
Claudel didn't say anything, but she thought that even though the sky was the same, the tastes of seeing it in Valmonde, in the capital, and in Rowan were all different.
While Hannah put some more wood into the fireplace, Madame Marcel took her nightgown and changed her clothes.
“Thank you. Everyone must be tired. Go away and rest.”
As Hannah and Madame Marcel left, the room became quiet.
Claudel was staring blankly at the fire burning in the fireplace.
Knock knock.
At the sound of a knock on the door, I quickly went over and opened it without realizing it.
As soon as I opened the door to the room, I made eye contact with Kaian.
“This spell works here too. I saw the Duchess open the door herself.”
Valquiterre was a very good companion to him, but even though he was a blood relative, there were times when he was not as good as others.
He often wanted things that Kaian had.
‘The Oberon royal family has been greedy for generations. There are many springs and many desires.'
Her mother used to say things like that.
However, she did not say this in a way that was blaming or accusing their blood, but rather that her mother was also a Princess and felt proud that she had that blood.
When Kaian heard his mother's words, he thought that he too had half of her blood in him. He felt like he could understand Oberon's deep lineage.
However, every time Valquiterre got greedy and clashed with him, Kaian was embarrassed.
When Valquiterre, the heir who was raised with great respect, appeared, he would end up in a situation worse than that of a roadside wanderer.
Even a beggar on the street does not take away what he has donated when he goes home.
Valquiterre was so greedy for everything that Kaian had and begged him to give it to him, but when he didn't get it, he begged him to tell Her Majesty, making Madame Elise scream, 'Give in.'
They were a species that could get along with each other, but they were also territorial animals.
It was nice to run through the forest together and play hunting, but it was unpleasant to find graffiti carved with the tip of a knife on the wall of the outbuilding after he returned.
He was in the middle of a game of picking and selling, and it was always annoying to fight over having the same thing because he and Valquiterre both thought it was good.
In the first place, it was not a virtue of a ruler to endure and make concessions.
After becoming the Duke of Temnes, while preparing for war against Vermont, what excited Kaian the most was that he ‘didn’t have to put up with it.’
If you set up a big game called Territory War, you can take whatever you want and the whole world will be allowed to turn into a wasteland under the name of a battlefield.
Anything that belongs to Vermont can be taken away, be it land or jewels. Even their life.
That was much later, and in any case, when Valquiterre said he would come to Rowen, Kaian's job was to create a secret place and hide some of his favorite things, saying, 'This is absolutely not possible!'
Valquiterre will want it just by seeing what he has.
Then, there was one time when Kaian was so stubborn that he did not yield.
'I want that.'
Valkyterre, who had a pretty face that could be considered a girl, and his long hair tied with a blue ribbon that was as shiny as his eyes, was tied on his head, and he calmly stretched out his index finger.
'No. You have the same thing.'
Strangely enough, what Valquiterre asked for was a gift from the Grand Duke of Luxen.
It was a gift sent to the Queen on her leave to visit her sister, telling her to pass it on to her niece, Kaian. It was a small, elaborately made doll of a knight.
The delicately crafted armor could lower or raise the helmet's mask, and allow the hand to hold a sword or spear. If you stand it up and move it as if walking, it makes a clanking sound like when a knight wearing real armor walks.
He made two identical ones and gave them to his grandson, Valquiterre, and his nephew, Kaian.
‘It’s not here. So I want it.'
The Queen did not reprimand Valquiterre.
The King did it anyway.
If there was something he wanted, it was a place where he had to boldly get it.
It was obvious that in a little while, Valquiterre would be pestering the Queen, and Kaian's embarrassed mother would be telling him to give in.
However, unlike other times, there were two, so it seemed absurd to ask for one of each, so Kaian got up and ran out of the parlor with the knight doll in his arms.
'Omg. Omg.'
His heart was beating fast.
He couldn't tell if it was because he was out of breath from running, or if he was nervous because he was resisting for the first time to avoid being taken away by Valquiterre.
'It wasn't taken away.'
Kaian felt a proud sense of accomplishment.
'This is mine.'
He lifted the knight doll up the bedroom carpet and hid it under the floor. It was a secret warehouse containing items hidden to prevent them from being taken away by Valquiterre.
Afterward, throughout his stay in Rowen, Valquiterre never told him to hand it over anyway.
For a few days, they went to Prom Hunt to hunt, and for another few days, they did not even set foot in the castle but had fun eating, sleeping, and having fun in the study, which was neatly built in the forest of the back garden.
However, after Valquiterre returned to the castle, Kaian, who took out the floorboards to put his hidden things back in place, froze.
The neck of the knight doll was broken.
That wasn't something that could happen naturally.
The dented shape of his helmet and armor told him that a tiny hand had taken some action to destroy it.
At that time, he felt an unknown anger.
He has been giving up things he doesn't need to lose.
He was so considerate and agreed to everything, even though it was ridiculous and unreasonable.
Did Valq force himself to ask for the same item and then secretly break it and leave it behind?
Kaian was offended.
The knight doll was already broken, but his anger reached its peak when Madame Elise ordered him to write a thank you letter to the Grand Duke Luxen, saying, 'I have received the gift you sent me.'
Valquiterre, you bastard.
Until he got past the age of playing with knight dolls, Kaian would sometimes think about that.
However, after he grew up and became the head of the family, he was busy going to the battlefield and building the territory, so he had no time to see Valquiterre.
Ever since he ascended the throne as the king of the Kingdom of Oberon, Valquiterre has never come to Rowen.
Naturally, life moving in a different direction widened the distance between them. Kaian forgot about the resentment he felt at that time for a while.
'Why did that suddenly come to mind?'
After all, did Valquiterre notice the trendy feather hats that were so widespread in the capital that he could easily trip them while walking down the street?
If he asked him for the hat he got from his wife, Kaian wouldn't give it to him, so he tried to ruin it by pouring wine that wouldn't lose its color.
At one point, Valquiterre completely broke the knight doll Kaian said he wouldn't give to him.
Kaian, who was immersed in the following thoughts, suddenly felt dumbfounded.
‘What the hell are you thinking? That doesn't make sense.'
Valquiterre was no longer a child.
That happened before he was even ten years old, so it was already over fifteen years ago.
That didn't happen until he grew up to a certain degree, so why did he think of that?
Because when Valquiterre spills his drink, he doesn't freak out and panic like a normal person who has made a mistake?
However, Kaian also grew up being taught not to show emotional changes under any circumstances.
Sometimes even those things can become flaws and weaknesses.
“It’s been a while since I saw Valquiterre, and he’s thinking about all kinds of things.”
Holderley Round, his first visit since his parents passed away, seemed to bring back old memories.
“I need to quit hunting rabbits.”
Kaia was planning on catching a few fish out of courtesy, but for some reason, his excitement waned.
***
Unlike the bustling city, night came early at the quiet rural hunting ground.
As soon as the sun set, it became pitch black everywhere.
Thanks to this, the stars in the night sky looked dazzlingly beautiful, so Hannah, Claudel, and Madame Marcel opened the bedroom window, wrapped themselves in blankets and cloaks, and watched and chatted for a while.
“Stop looking now, Lady."
Hannah closed the window, saying Claudel's hands were cold.
“I want to see more.”
“You can see it again tomorrow.”
Claudel didn't say anything, but she thought that even though the sky was the same, the tastes of seeing it in Valmonde, in the capital, and in Rowan were all different.
While Hannah put some more wood into the fireplace, Madame Marcel took her nightgown and changed her clothes.
“Thank you. Everyone must be tired. Go away and rest.”
As Hannah and Madame Marcel left, the room became quiet.
Claudel was staring blankly at the fire burning in the fireplace.
Knock knock.
At the sound of a knock on the door, I quickly went over and opened it without realizing it.
As soon as I opened the door to the room, I made eye contact with Kaian.
“This spell works here too. I saw the Duchess open the door herself.”
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