“Everyone gets old as they get older, Your Highness. Look at me. That doesn’t mean I’m not old.”
Franz tried to smile, but he could only wrinkle his nose slightly. He looked silently at the Duke of Vergy's face. When he was young, the young Duke of Vergy was a very handsome and popular figure in social circles.
Fine wrinkles began to appear around the eyes, and the color of the hair next to the ears began to fade, but the elegant appearance remained completely intact. Beneath the powerfully drawn dark ink eyebrows and deep-set eyes, he still looked as intelligent as a young man. His neat mouth and sharp jawline, which looks quite stern when he is not smiling, add a discreet impression to his stunning features.
Although he was old, he still looked energetic and lively. King Jedercayer was by no means shabby and ungainly old, but it was true that he looked dangerously tired compared to the Duke of Vergy.
“It is too early to say that my uncle is old.”
“Of course, Your Majesty is overworked. I will see you often and make sure you get adequate rest, so please don’t worry and do your best to prepare for the coronation ceremony.”
When he said the words 'Ignorance the Crown Prince', Franz noticed that his voice wavered a little. Perhaps the person who wished more than anyone else to be able to call Franz that way was the Duke of Vergy. Even more so than Franz himself.
“Uncle.”
“Why are you doing this, Your Highness?”
“... Thank you."
The Duke of Vergy's eyes trembled slightly at Franz's words. The Duke, who almost burst into tears in front of his nephew who had grown up and returned, bit his lip tightly and tried to hold it back. And he said.
“I should really thank you. You have grown up so well and returned safely, so now I can’t ask for anything more.”
“There is still a long way to go. You can’t say things like that until I receive everything you’ve given me.”
Even those words felt like a very extravagant luxury to the Duke. Although he did not promise a place full of gold and silver treasures or glory, the mere fact that Franz expressed his intention to 'do' something for him made the Duke's heart swell to the point where it felt like it was congested.
The two had just left the long hallway of Magnus Palace and went down to the first floor hall. A man was walking under the silk awning on the road leading to the corridor. The Duke of Vergy's eyebrows furrowed slightly when he saw the pale and smooth face whose complexion did not even change in the scorching heat that began right after the founding festival ended.
“Aren’t you the Crown Prince?”
The man was the Duke of Laetian. When he saw Franz, he bowed loudly, as if in a play, and grinned at the Duke of Vergy, who was standing next to him.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Duke.”
“It’s been a while, Duke Laetian.”
The two just looked at each other in silence for a while. Meanwhile, the Duke of Vergy was frowning as if he had stepped on something unpleasant, and the Duke of Laetian was raising the corners of his mouth as if he were wearing a mask, making it seem like a strange farce.
There was very little opportunity for the Duke of Vergy, who owned a vast territory in the provinces but never moved near the royal palace, to actually see each other face to face, and the Duke of Laetian, who stayed almost his entire life in a duchy far from the capital.
Nevertheless, the Duke of Vergy disliked the Duke of Laetian to the point of disgust. Not only did he dislike people, but he often showed raw hostility, which was unusual for someone who was very good at interpersonal relationships. For example, like now.
“I thought you would have already left for the duchy, but it was unexpected to see you here again today.”
It was an attitude that made it clear that there was nothing to hide. The moment Franz, who instantly felt the frozen atmosphere, was about to step forward, the corners of Duke Laetian's lips rose more clearly.
“I will be staying in the capital for the time being. I guess we’ll see each other more often.”
The sight of him smiling as if he was extremely happy, even though it wasn't the moment to laugh, was beyond odd and unnerving. Franz was a human being who had no idea what he was thinking now.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The moment he heard Duke Laetian's voice, Franz was startled by the feeling of something like a wet, thin snake wrapping around his ankle. As if in a crisis, the surrounding scenery became strangely clear and then began to shake dizzyingly from the edges. Duke Laetian's face, poking into the middle of it, looked as slippery as a monster jumping out of the water.
“Now that you are proudly sitting on the throne of the nation, how do you feel?”
Franz's eyes widened slightly. Is it because it was an unexpected question? He was speechless for a moment. At that moment Franz realized that Duke Laetian had underestimated himself.
When he looked to the side, he saw that the Duke of Vergy was extremely enraged. If Laetian was left to talk like this, it seemed like he would at least throw his fist. Franz slowly moved to stand in front of the Duke of Vergy and looked straight at the Duke of Laetian.
“What about you?”
“...Yes?"
“Duke Laetian, I asked you how you felt about me becoming Crown Prince.”
Duke Laetian's pale face turned bluish. His face was originally bloodless, but as his complexion changed, he no longer felt like a living person. Duke Laetian, with his slitted eyes wide open, shrugged his shoulders and laughed lowly. Franz deliberately made an unpleasant expression.
“I think my question is funny.”
"No. No way... It’s not funny, it’s a smile of pride.”
“You feel proud?”
“Of course, I’m proud. Wasn't His Highness the Crown Prince a very gentle person when you was young? The rumor spread even to my humble land. So... I was very worried.”
“Duke Laetian, you should refrain from speaking in front of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Duke of Vergy stepped forward again and warned in a harsh voice. However, Duke Laetian quietly walked away, still without a smile on his face.
“If you ask me how I feel, the answer of course is that I am happy.”
At least among the three people present, not a single one believed that Duke Laetian's words were true. Duke Laetian himself must have known that what he said was a lie that was obvious in his eyes.
Franz waited quietly and patiently until the giggling Duke of Laetian shut his mouth. When the Duke's eyes finally turned to him again, he looked down at him with a deliberately malicious snort.
“I am very proud that the Duke, and not anyone else, is happy.”
"Ah...”
“I hope you keep doing that.”
Franz concluded his remarks with a sneer, bowed slightly to the Duke of Vergy, then turned and left the Magnus Palace. Duke Vergy, who had lowered his gaze until his back was no longer visible, glared at Duke Raetian with murderous eyes.
“If you are even thinking of daring to surpass the Crown Prince, it would be better to stop early.”
“Won, you’re saying all these sad things. On what basis are you criticizing me, Duke of Vergy?”
Duke Laetian laughed and scoffed. However, the Duke of Vergy stared at him with an even darker expression.
“You’d better mark my words.”
“Even so, what will you do if the Duke’s suspicions are proven to be groundless?”
The corners of the Duke of Vergy's mouth twisted up as if he were bitter.
“I will at least kneel at your feet.”
***
“Your Highness, what on earth are all these things?”
Anne Mille clicked her tongue as she looked at the mountain of boxes piled up in front of Flavia's bedroom since morning.
Merchants who had not seen each other for a while came and went from Serene Palace from time to time. The whispering maids agreed that it was clear that Libencia was scattering bags of gold coins again, but surprisingly, it was Flavia, not Libencia, who called them.
There were everything from fabric to shoes, perfume, accessories, and all kinds of items that could be used to decorate a room. Considering that Flavia was unable to waste the money given to her due to the Queen's tact, it was a completely incomprehensible act.
“Well, what... I bought it all for my own use.”
“Your Highness? You don’t often use fabrics of this color, right? Plus this perfume.”
Flavia glanced harshly at Anne Mille, who was carelessly opening the box and meddling with various things, but then immediately changed her expression. The hostility that had been sharp like poisonous thorns disappeared everywhere, and her face became perplexed as if she was in trouble. That was the kind of expression Flavia would normally make, so Anne Mille had no suspicions.
"Actually...”
Flavia, who was fiddling with the end of the ribbon tied to the box, glanced at Anne Mille.
“W-who do you ask for a favor... I got it.”
"Yes? What request?”
“Uh, um, you know. I... I want to give a gift, but that person, no, she... He said she wasn't sure which product she liked... He asks me to save it for him...I did it.”
Anne Mille, who was fiddling with a new perfume bottle with a beautiful label, looked up.
“At whose request, and to whom is this gift? If you look closely, these are all expensive things. There are a lot of new things that have come out.”
“Umm... Is it okay to say this...”
When Flavia deliberately lengthened her speech, Anne Mille immediately looked frustrated. In the past, even her expression would have been burdensome and scary, but not now. Flavia had a hard time suppressing her laughter as she realized that things were going her way.
“What are you saying you can’t say to me? I am your closest maid. Please tell me, okay? I won’t tell anyone.”
It would be a lie. Anne Mille was already famous among her peers for her soft-spoken nature. Flavia had also been subjected to that act several times. If she was just being thoughtless, she would have warned her and prevented her from doing so, but Anne Mille knew that she was doing it on purpose, so it was better for her not to talk about secrets as much as possible.
Flavia took a long pause as if she was having trouble, and then opened her mouth in a very cautious manner.
"That is... You know, Prince Rogero. He, he... He wants to give a gift to the Crown Princess.”
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