Even in the middle of winter, the only sounds that could be heard were the chirping and crying of crickets in the garden. Ephero looked at my face, which seemed to be suppressing its shame, and scrunched up his eyebrows as if teasing me, then smiled wryly.
“Can’t you hear? Madam’s face is...”
"Your Highness."
I hardened my expression a little bit as if I was a tutor.
“Do I look like the kind of person who would just sit by and watch Your Highness be rude?"
"What?"
I straightened my posture, which had been bent over for a moment while I was observing the fireflies. Then I looked straight up at his face.
“What can you do?”
He mocked me brightly. I immediately opened my eyes and opened my mouth.
“Of course, there’s nothing I can do right now. Your Highness, I want to become close to you.”
"So?"
“That’s why I’m giving you a chance.”
“Huh, a chance?”
“Actually, you want to stay in Ronta.”
The normally confident and bright face suddenly became ashen. Ephero fluttered his long eyelashes and raised the corners of his mouth even higher than before.
“You don’t really want to go back to Elacon, do you?”
The affectionate relationship between Her Majesty the Empress and Ephero was famous. Furthermore, he couldn't come so quickly as if he had been waiting for a letter from Noevian without his own will.
“Who’s in Ronta? What do I have to gain by staying in Ronta?”
Ephero's face turned slightly red.
“Why not? Aren’t you third in line for the succession to this country? With Her Majesty the Empress firmly holding onto her position, what could you not achieve if you set your mind to it?”
“You are more innocent than you look, Ma’am.”
As I spoke, Ephero's face appeared terrified as soon as I mentioned the succession to the throne.
“No, I might be really naive. If you think about it, all the people who are involved with Madwm are the heirs to the throne. You seem to be trying to make a fresh start here and there using the small acacia estate as collateral. Wake up.”
“What can I do with a palm-sized acacia tree?”
“I don’t know that there are mines of mana stone in that land. That’s why you couldn’t even capture Noevian Trovica. Is he putting a woman on the throne of the Grand Duchess just because he dragged someone into bed? That’s ridiculous.”
The earrings dangling from Ephero’s ears jingled whenever he shook his head and spoke. I moved my gaze to the sparkling earrings and for a moment, I gasped and shut my mouth tightly. Something... I felt like I had found out something surprisingly important. If the precious mana stone mine was in the Acacia Territory, that would be truly amazing. It would be no exaggeration to say that the power of Elacon, also known as the Land of Mines, came from mana stones. Those who could freely use magic were only in legends, but mana stones could be used as an energy source to develop various industries. Even the empire of Ronta had mana stone mines in this vast land, so they were precious things that only the royal family and the Royal Academy could use.
“...You know more than I thought.”
I took his word for it, pretending I knew more about the mana stone mines.
“People like you think like this. Marrying an old man to clean up your status, stealing his title when he dies, and using that as an excuse to find a better man. Ronta is a good country to do that kind of thing right now. Coincidentally, the first time was the Grand Duke, the second time was Brother Roan and the third time... I’ll give you the Crown Prince. Oh my.”
Ephero smacked my forehead with his long hand, which was adorned with jeweled rings.
“Isn’t it the fourth time? You must have cast out several fishing rods and prayed that only one would catch them. Did you plan to send me a letter and have me guess who you are, and then entice me? What if I tell His Highness the Crown Prince that Madam sent me a letter and called me?”
I wanted to punch Ephero, who was laughing heartily. Hold back. I'm an adult, and Ephero is a minor who is just about to become an adult.
“Then I will tell that Her Majesty the Empress ordered me to do so.”
It worked. The corners of Ephero's mouth, which had been leaking breathy laughter, hardened like stone.
“Do you feel angry when I mention an innocent person who is still standing? If so, then you have understood exactly how I feel right now. Why would I call for the ‘young’ Prince Ephero, who is not even an adult yet? If Your Highness’s words are true, many people would want to be close to me and take over the Acacia Territory, even if it is not me. And His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to have me as his attendant, right?”
Bianca had said that boys, no matter how young they were, couldn't stand being treated like children. Ephero, who had been frozen stiffly and staring at my moving mouth, started to move after I continued speaking.
“Instead of insulting me with your false pretenses, how about trying to seduce me? If Your Highness’s words are true, whoever obtains the acacia estate will likely gain great benefits that others do not know about.”
"Ha."
The face of the spirited young Prince flashed with a strange light. I dared to accuse him of being rude. After all, it was Ephero who was rude first.
“Can’t you hear? Madam’s face is...”
"Your Highness."
I hardened my expression a little bit as if I was a tutor.
“Do I look like the kind of person who would just sit by and watch Your Highness be rude?"
"What?"
I straightened my posture, which had been bent over for a moment while I was observing the fireflies. Then I looked straight up at his face.
“What can you do?”
He mocked me brightly. I immediately opened my eyes and opened my mouth.
“Of course, there’s nothing I can do right now. Your Highness, I want to become close to you.”
"So?"
“That’s why I’m giving you a chance.”
“Huh, a chance?”
“Actually, you want to stay in Ronta.”
The normally confident and bright face suddenly became ashen. Ephero fluttered his long eyelashes and raised the corners of his mouth even higher than before.
“You don’t really want to go back to Elacon, do you?”
The affectionate relationship between Her Majesty the Empress and Ephero was famous. Furthermore, he couldn't come so quickly as if he had been waiting for a letter from Noevian without his own will.
“Who’s in Ronta? What do I have to gain by staying in Ronta?”
Ephero's face turned slightly red.
“Why not? Aren’t you third in line for the succession to this country? With Her Majesty the Empress firmly holding onto her position, what could you not achieve if you set your mind to it?”
“You are more innocent than you look, Ma’am.”
As I spoke, Ephero's face appeared terrified as soon as I mentioned the succession to the throne.
“No, I might be really naive. If you think about it, all the people who are involved with Madwm are the heirs to the throne. You seem to be trying to make a fresh start here and there using the small acacia estate as collateral. Wake up.”
“What can I do with a palm-sized acacia tree?”
“I don’t know that there are mines of mana stone in that land. That’s why you couldn’t even capture Noevian Trovica. Is he putting a woman on the throne of the Grand Duchess just because he dragged someone into bed? That’s ridiculous.”
The earrings dangling from Ephero’s ears jingled whenever he shook his head and spoke. I moved my gaze to the sparkling earrings and for a moment, I gasped and shut my mouth tightly. Something... I felt like I had found out something surprisingly important. If the precious mana stone mine was in the Acacia Territory, that would be truly amazing. It would be no exaggeration to say that the power of Elacon, also known as the Land of Mines, came from mana stones. Those who could freely use magic were only in legends, but mana stones could be used as an energy source to develop various industries. Even the empire of Ronta had mana stone mines in this vast land, so they were precious things that only the royal family and the Royal Academy could use.
“...You know more than I thought.”
I took his word for it, pretending I knew more about the mana stone mines.
“People like you think like this. Marrying an old man to clean up your status, stealing his title when he dies, and using that as an excuse to find a better man. Ronta is a good country to do that kind of thing right now. Coincidentally, the first time was the Grand Duke, the second time was Brother Roan and the third time... I’ll give you the Crown Prince. Oh my.”
Ephero smacked my forehead with his long hand, which was adorned with jeweled rings.
“Isn’t it the fourth time? You must have cast out several fishing rods and prayed that only one would catch them. Did you plan to send me a letter and have me guess who you are, and then entice me? What if I tell His Highness the Crown Prince that Madam sent me a letter and called me?”
I wanted to punch Ephero, who was laughing heartily. Hold back. I'm an adult, and Ephero is a minor who is just about to become an adult.
“Then I will tell that Her Majesty the Empress ordered me to do so.”
It worked. The corners of Ephero's mouth, which had been leaking breathy laughter, hardened like stone.
“Do you feel angry when I mention an innocent person who is still standing? If so, then you have understood exactly how I feel right now. Why would I call for the ‘young’ Prince Ephero, who is not even an adult yet? If Your Highness’s words are true, many people would want to be close to me and take over the Acacia Territory, even if it is not me. And His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to have me as his attendant, right?”
Bianca had said that boys, no matter how young they were, couldn't stand being treated like children. Ephero, who had been frozen stiffly and staring at my moving mouth, started to move after I continued speaking.
“Instead of insulting me with your false pretenses, how about trying to seduce me? If Your Highness’s words are true, whoever obtains the acacia estate will likely gain great benefits that others do not know about.”
"Ha."
The face of the spirited young Prince flashed with a strange light. I dared to accuse him of being rude. After all, it was Ephero who was rude first.
He glared at me, but the emotion in his eyes was not contempt, but interest. I was equally intrigued. There was a mana stone mine in the County of Acacia. Then it made sense why Noevian had searched so hard for the County of Acacia’s will. Couldn’t he have found the will and had Gaspard manipulate the handwriting?
I felt goosebumps, but I lifted my chin and laughed, meeting Ephero’s gaze. If he became interested in me and told me a word more about the County of Acacia, it would be great.
“Perhaps, Your Highness, if you would apologize for the rudeness you showed me and ask me to be your true friend, that would be possible.”
“...”
“Maybe I can share some of the interests of the County of Acacia with you.”
If I pressure the Crown Prince and he tries to keep me by his side to use me more, it will be the icing on the cake.
“Now, I can help you stay in Ronta, not in a foreign country.”
If I increase my power, I can use him to take down the Crown Prince when it is revealed that he is my enemy.
“Did you ask me earlier what I could do? Even though it looks like this to me, I don’t think it’s easy.”
As my voice became more and more secretive, Ephero listened and drew closer to me.
“Noevian Trovica. Do you think I lured the man who did not want to let Your Highness into Ronta, to take the position of Archduchess?”
When he bent down slightly to match my height and came closer so that our faces were less than a span apart, I said in a smiling voice.
“Not at all. I’m the one who dumped that guy in the North.”
Curly red hair. Blue eyes that had lost their light at the same time as the fireflies disappeared. Things of the exact same color as Crown Prince Bardenaldo swayed before me.
“Do you ever feel like you want to be my friend?”
I saw the shadow of desire that was being forced to hide in those blue eyes. Those who dress themselves up excessively and act brightly tend to have dark sides.
“...What do you want?”
Now a somewhat polite answer came back. I smiled compassionately, stroking his curly hair with my gaze as if praising a dog that had brought home a disc.
“It’s simple.”
And then I brought my face just two spans closer to his, put my lips close to his ear, and whispered.
“I just want to distinguish between my enemies and my allies.”
“...What is your purpose?”
Ah. What is the purpose? What I want is to distinguish between my enemies and my friends, but what is my ultimate goal in distinguishing between them?
“Perhaps, Your Highness, if you would apologize for the rudeness you showed me and ask me to be your true friend, that would be possible.”
“...”
“Maybe I can share some of the interests of the County of Acacia with you.”
If I pressure the Crown Prince and he tries to keep me by his side to use me more, it will be the icing on the cake.
“Now, I can help you stay in Ronta, not in a foreign country.”
If I increase my power, I can use him to take down the Crown Prince when it is revealed that he is my enemy.
“Did you ask me earlier what I could do? Even though it looks like this to me, I don’t think it’s easy.”
As my voice became more and more secretive, Ephero listened and drew closer to me.
“Noevian Trovica. Do you think I lured the man who did not want to let Your Highness into Ronta, to take the position of Archduchess?”
When he bent down slightly to match my height and came closer so that our faces were less than a span apart, I said in a smiling voice.
“Not at all. I’m the one who dumped that guy in the North.”
Curly red hair. Blue eyes that had lost their light at the same time as the fireflies disappeared. Things of the exact same color as Crown Prince Bardenaldo swayed before me.
“Do you ever feel like you want to be my friend?”
I saw the shadow of desire that was being forced to hide in those blue eyes. Those who dress themselves up excessively and act brightly tend to have dark sides.
“...What do you want?”
Now a somewhat polite answer came back. I smiled compassionately, stroking his curly hair with my gaze as if praising a dog that had brought home a disc.
“It’s simple.”
And then I brought my face just two spans closer to his, put my lips close to his ear, and whispered.
“I just want to distinguish between my enemies and my allies.”
“...What is your purpose?”
Ah. What is the purpose? What I want is to distinguish between my enemies and my friends, but what is my ultimate goal in distinguishing between them?
Before I knew it, I turned my head toward Rhodnes, where the sound of conversation was no longer audible. However, Rhodnes and Victor were not there.
“?”
Instead, I realized that a deep shadow had already fallen over my head. A garden in the deep night without fireflies. It was not only Ephero but also Rhodnes whose eyes had lost their light. I paused for a moment when I saw Rhodnes looking down at us from a distance with her calm eyes.
“When did you two become close?”
Victor's short Imperial speech pierced the cold silence. I glanced at Ephero.
“Ah, it’s obvious what kind of conversation you’re having with a beautiful lady in a dark place like this.”
Ephero covered up the conversation we had just had with a black cloth.
“Her face is just my style, so...”
The sparkling blue eyes relaxed as if nothing had happened and began to lie nonchalantly. The lady's face at night was so beautiful that I couldn't help but approach her. He was good at saying such cute things.
“Ephero”
But Ephero's wit in escaping the moment ended there.
“Shut up.”
It wasn't the usual caustic remarks. Rhodnes was 'ordering' Ephero to keep his mouth shut with utmost sincerity. I've seen this face before. It was the face I saw when 'Blie' cursed Adrienne. Ephero looked at Rhodnes with a bewildered face. He, who was trying to slur it like usual, opened his mouth at the more serious and stern warning than he had expected.
“She is the aide to His Highness the Crown Prince and the representative of the honorable Count Acacia. And...”
Rhodnes, who had been looking down at me with such intensity that it seemed as if he could pierce through Ephero, turned his gaze towards me. I quietly received his gaze. It was a little burdensome.
“My one and only... best friend. If you keep teasing her with such nonsense and I hear the same thing you just said, then.”
"Older brother?"
“I’ll smash your head in without warning.”
It was too brutal to be a warning to a friend. His face looked like it wouldn't even hurt if someone stabbed him with a sword. The atmosphere here, which had been warm on the outside, had become like thin ice. Victor, who couldn't keep up because he was talking too fast and was trying to figure out the situation, slowly approached me, who was relatively easygoing.
"Ma'am."
But it was Rhodnes's low, hushed voice that came first.
“It’s too late. I think it would be best to report to His Highness the Crown Prince and then retire.”
It was the words that came out just before Victor’s arm extended out to me, offering me an escort.
“?”
Instead, I realized that a deep shadow had already fallen over my head. A garden in the deep night without fireflies. It was not only Ephero but also Rhodnes whose eyes had lost their light. I paused for a moment when I saw Rhodnes looking down at us from a distance with her calm eyes.
“When did you two become close?”
Victor's short Imperial speech pierced the cold silence. I glanced at Ephero.
“Ah, it’s obvious what kind of conversation you’re having with a beautiful lady in a dark place like this.”
Ephero covered up the conversation we had just had with a black cloth.
“Her face is just my style, so...”
The sparkling blue eyes relaxed as if nothing had happened and began to lie nonchalantly. The lady's face at night was so beautiful that I couldn't help but approach her. He was good at saying such cute things.
“Ephero”
But Ephero's wit in escaping the moment ended there.
“Shut up.”
It wasn't the usual caustic remarks. Rhodnes was 'ordering' Ephero to keep his mouth shut with utmost sincerity. I've seen this face before. It was the face I saw when 'Blie' cursed Adrienne. Ephero looked at Rhodnes with a bewildered face. He, who was trying to slur it like usual, opened his mouth at the more serious and stern warning than he had expected.
“She is the aide to His Highness the Crown Prince and the representative of the honorable Count Acacia. And...”
Rhodnes, who had been looking down at me with such intensity that it seemed as if he could pierce through Ephero, turned his gaze towards me. I quietly received his gaze. It was a little burdensome.
“My one and only... best friend. If you keep teasing her with such nonsense and I hear the same thing you just said, then.”
"Older brother?"
“I’ll smash your head in without warning.”
It was too brutal to be a warning to a friend. His face looked like it wouldn't even hurt if someone stabbed him with a sword. The atmosphere here, which had been warm on the outside, had become like thin ice. Victor, who couldn't keep up because he was talking too fast and was trying to figure out the situation, slowly approached me, who was relatively easygoing.
"Ma'am."
But it was Rhodnes's low, hushed voice that came first.
“It’s too late. I think it would be best to report to His Highness the Crown Prince and then retire.”
It was the words that came out just before Victor’s arm extended out to me, offering me an escort.
***
In the end, Ephero and Victor are the only ones left in the garden. Victor watched the backs of Rhodnes, who was quickly disappearing from here, and the lady, who was almost being dragged along, for a long time before turning his gaze away.
Ephero was also looking at the same place. Victor knew how much Ephero respected and admired his half-brother Rhodnes, so he understood the expression he was making. It was a dejected, bewildered kind of expression.
“More than you. Temper. Fucking annoying.”
Ephero chuckled at Victor's comforting words. He was my older brother, but he was so scary.
“When you were whispering. With Madam earlier. Your brother. Was crazy. Eyes.”
“I guess so.”
Ephero had never seen anyone who had caught his brother's attention so much, for in general Rhodnes had no interest in anyone but the Crown Prince Bardenaldo and the late Empress Letina, neither of whom were particularly pleasant to Ephero.
'Then I will tell that Her Majesty the Empress ordered me to do so.'
A woman like a Crown Prince who casually brings up other people's weaknesses. Ephero easily found commonalities between the people Rhodnes was interested in, and blew his wavy bangs with a look of frustration on his face.
“That woman. Are you in love with her?”
“What would you do if that happened?”
Although he wasn't in love at all, Ephero answered nervously. He wanted to break up with this idiot friend of his before he started to have useless feelings for her. Victor's thick eyebrows furrowed at Ephero's words as if he had already started to have feelings for her.
“You. You punk. Your brother. You crazy bastard.”
“You’re the one who’s doing that, you punk.”
Ephero didn't hesitate to swear at the stupid pink bear who didn't even know his own feelings for his friend.
“More than you. Temper. Fucking annoying.”
Ephero chuckled at Victor's comforting words. He was my older brother, but he was so scary.
“When you were whispering. With Madam earlier. Your brother. Was crazy. Eyes.”
“I guess so.”
Ephero had never seen anyone who had caught his brother's attention so much, for in general Rhodnes had no interest in anyone but the Crown Prince Bardenaldo and the late Empress Letina, neither of whom were particularly pleasant to Ephero.
'Then I will tell that Her Majesty the Empress ordered me to do so.'
A woman like a Crown Prince who casually brings up other people's weaknesses. Ephero easily found commonalities between the people Rhodnes was interested in, and blew his wavy bangs with a look of frustration on his face.
“That woman. Are you in love with her?”
“What would you do if that happened?”
Although he wasn't in love at all, Ephero answered nervously. He wanted to break up with this idiot friend of his before he started to have useless feelings for her. Victor's thick eyebrows furrowed at Ephero's words as if he had already started to have feelings for her.
“You. You punk. Your brother. You crazy bastard.”
“You’re the one who’s doing that, you punk.”
Ephero didn't hesitate to swear at the stupid pink bear who didn't even know his own feelings for his friend.
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