“Wow, this is Elvares? I’ve only seen it from across the sea, so this is the first time I’ve set foot on it.”
A cheerful voice echoed through the port located at the southern tip of Elvares. His short-cropped golden hair sparkled in the sunlight.
His blue eyes were filled with excitement, like a child coming into the world for the first time.
“...The Prince is fast. You defeated us and took away all the land we had, and yet you’re still so excited?”
A man with a rather sullen expression followed behind the blond man who was looking around.
They were the Prince of the southern maritime kingdom, Radni, and his aide who had come here to celebrate the first National Foundation Day since the King of Elvares changed.
The man called the Prince and turned around at the aide’s words.
The Prince with a cool and handsome face, Trevan, clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Bourbon, if you lost, just admit it. They’re stronger than us, so what can we do? Besides, we took the land from them hundreds of years ago. It should have been Elvares’ territory, right?”
It was an extremely light-hearted remark for the successor to a country that had recently lost a war with Elvares.
Bourbon looked at Trevan like that and pounded his chest in frustration.
“You couldn’t go to war because you had an infectious disease! If you had led the soldiers...!”
“But we would have lost anyway. I could have somehow held on to the Crown Prince at the time, but if we had stalled for more time, the Duke of Belfort would have come down himself. Oh, he’s the King now, right?”
However, when Trevan mentioned the ‘Duke of Belfort,’ Bourbon instinctively flinched and shut his mouth.
The former Duke of Belfort. The current King of Elvares.
Even the most ignorant of worldly affairs could not help but know the story of his inaction.
Before the dramatic peace treaty with the demons.
The northern shield that all demons and monsters feared the most.
After the story of the former Crown Prince David, who could control the power of the demons despite being human, easily destroying the trap and stabbing his heart with a sword, the small countries or tribes surrounding Elvares became even more cautious and cautious of Elvares, just like before.
“And the Queen is a great magician, so much so that she is called the reincarnation of the great magician Alyssa?”
“That is... Yes.”
When Bourbon heard that the former Duchess of Belfort was a great magician, how bitter had his stomach been.
At this point, he thought that all the talented people in the world were flocking to Elvares.
“Anyway.”
At that moment, Trevan’s eyes changed in an instant.
The bright blue eyes that flashed sharply made even the smile on his lips look dangerous.
Although he may seem infinitely light and cheerful on the outside, that appearance was closest to Trevan’s true nature.
That was also the reason why Bourbon would not leave him no matter how much he grumbled.
Trevan looked far away in the direction of the capital of Elvares and moved his mouth.
“At least while Father and I are ruling, we cannot narrow this power gap.”
“...”
“Of course, if we make a lot of effort, we can narrow the gap to some extent. But we cannot surpass it.”
He collected a lot of data and listened to even more testimonies.
Even considering that word-of-mouth is often filled with exaggeration and distortion, it was crazy to start another war with Elvares. Elvares lost even a war in which the Duke of Belfort and his knights, the best of their forces, did not participate.
Bourbon said that if Trevan had participated, the outcome of the war would have been different, but that was a lie mixed with loyalty.
Trevan knew full well that his skills were not enough to even brush the Duke of Belfort’s lapels.
In such a situation, even if he ran wild with a sense of defeat and shame, he would only sacrifice the lives of his people.
Trevan did not want that.
To him, the people of Radni were something that could not be exchanged for any honor.
Pride was insignificant compared to human life.
“So it would be better to pretend to be doing well. There is a saying that you cannot spit in a smiling face, right?”
“...”
“If you act carelessly, you will only lose your precious life.”
Bourbon pursed his lips.
In fact, he did not want to admit Radni’s defeat, so there was nothing wrong with Trevan’s words.
Trevan glanced at Bourbon, who had lowered his head sullenly and smiled brightly.
Then, the face that had looked dangerous changed into a slightly immature one.
Trevan patted Bourbon on the shoulder, then spun around with his hands clasped behind his head.
“Well, since they helped negotiate with the Demons and reduced the damage to our people, let’s do this much. Let’s go!”
Trevan said cheerfully and took the reins from the servant, chatting with the servant.
At first glance, it seemed like he was asking about the must-see tourist attractions in Elvares.
“I told you not to.”
Bourbon shook his head and took a step forward to stop Trevan.
However, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
After many twists and turns, Trevan and Bourbon arrived at the royal palace in the capital. As soon as Trevan entered the room he was assigned, he collapsed on the bed.
“Wow, my goodness. I expected there to be a lot of people, but isn’t this too much?”
Bourbon also sighed deeply, agreeing with his thoughts without saying anything.
"Ah, are you from Radni? Wait... Wait! There! No fighting!"
"Sorry, I’ll show you around right away... Argh! What is that house-sized animal? An elephant?"
The servants who were in charge of guiding the delegation looked absolutely breathless.
It was the first national holiday since the Duke of Belfort ascended to the throne, so they had expected there to be a large number of delegations.
No, they had expected it, but when they actually arrived here and saw it with their own eyes, the number was twice that.
“How many hours does it take to assign rooms, oh dear.”
Trevan sighed and rolled over on the bed.
Immediately afterward, he blinked at Bourbon, who was hurriedly putting down his luggage and tidying up again.
“What are you going to do?”
“The Strath tribe in western Elvares has started trading with other regions besides the royal family and Count Florette. I think it would be good to open a trade with Radni as well. There’s always a shortage of herbs.”
“Anyway, you’re a hard worker... Do I have to go too?”
Trevan, who was happily rolling around on the bed, asked in an anxious tone.
Bourbon clicked his tongue and grabbed the doorknob.
“Yes. I’m enough on my own. But...”
Bourbon turned his head sharply and glared.
Even Trevan, who was usually busy teasing him, flinched for a moment.
“You absolutely must not cause trouble before you meet the King and the Queen in two days and attend the masked ball that will be held that evening. You understand that?”
“I know. Do you know what kind of child I am?”
“Put your list of potential bridesmaids and such aside when I’m not around.”
“...”
Bourbon warned sternly.
Trevan tried to look away at those words, but Bourbon threatened again.
“No answer?”
“...I got it, I got it.”
Trevan finally sighed deeply and answered.
Only then did Bourbon leave the room with a satisfied expression.
Click.
After the door rang, Trevan grumbled and remained motionless on the bed.
“I'm going to go work as a social worker, so why stop me, man, I'm going to have an awesome vacation, and you can go fuck yourself.”
Bourbon looked at Trevan like that and pounded his chest in frustration.
“You couldn’t go to war because you had an infectious disease! If you had led the soldiers...!”
“But we would have lost anyway. I could have somehow held on to the Crown Prince at the time, but if we had stalled for more time, the Duke of Belfort would have come down himself. Oh, he’s the King now, right?”
However, when Trevan mentioned the ‘Duke of Belfort,’ Bourbon instinctively flinched and shut his mouth.
The former Duke of Belfort. The current King of Elvares.
Even the most ignorant of worldly affairs could not help but know the story of his inaction.
Before the dramatic peace treaty with the demons.
The northern shield that all demons and monsters feared the most.
After the story of the former Crown Prince David, who could control the power of the demons despite being human, easily destroying the trap and stabbing his heart with a sword, the small countries or tribes surrounding Elvares became even more cautious and cautious of Elvares, just like before.
“And the Queen is a great magician, so much so that she is called the reincarnation of the great magician Alyssa?”
“That is... Yes.”
When Bourbon heard that the former Duchess of Belfort was a great magician, how bitter had his stomach been.
At this point, he thought that all the talented people in the world were flocking to Elvares.
“Anyway.”
At that moment, Trevan’s eyes changed in an instant.
The bright blue eyes that flashed sharply made even the smile on his lips look dangerous.
Although he may seem infinitely light and cheerful on the outside, that appearance was closest to Trevan’s true nature.
That was also the reason why Bourbon would not leave him no matter how much he grumbled.
Trevan looked far away in the direction of the capital of Elvares and moved his mouth.
“At least while Father and I are ruling, we cannot narrow this power gap.”
“...”
“Of course, if we make a lot of effort, we can narrow the gap to some extent. But we cannot surpass it.”
He collected a lot of data and listened to even more testimonies.
Even considering that word-of-mouth is often filled with exaggeration and distortion, it was crazy to start another war with Elvares. Elvares lost even a war in which the Duke of Belfort and his knights, the best of their forces, did not participate.
Bourbon said that if Trevan had participated, the outcome of the war would have been different, but that was a lie mixed with loyalty.
Trevan knew full well that his skills were not enough to even brush the Duke of Belfort’s lapels.
In such a situation, even if he ran wild with a sense of defeat and shame, he would only sacrifice the lives of his people.
Trevan did not want that.
To him, the people of Radni were something that could not be exchanged for any honor.
Pride was insignificant compared to human life.
“So it would be better to pretend to be doing well. There is a saying that you cannot spit in a smiling face, right?”
“...”
“If you act carelessly, you will only lose your precious life.”
Bourbon pursed his lips.
In fact, he did not want to admit Radni’s defeat, so there was nothing wrong with Trevan’s words.
Trevan glanced at Bourbon, who had lowered his head sullenly and smiled brightly.
Then, the face that had looked dangerous changed into a slightly immature one.
Trevan patted Bourbon on the shoulder, then spun around with his hands clasped behind his head.
“Well, since they helped negotiate with the Demons and reduced the damage to our people, let’s do this much. Let’s go!”
Trevan said cheerfully and took the reins from the servant, chatting with the servant.
At first glance, it seemed like he was asking about the must-see tourist attractions in Elvares.
“I told you not to.”
Bourbon shook his head and took a step forward to stop Trevan.
However, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
***
After many twists and turns, Trevan and Bourbon arrived at the royal palace in the capital. As soon as Trevan entered the room he was assigned, he collapsed on the bed.
“Wow, my goodness. I expected there to be a lot of people, but isn’t this too much?”
Bourbon also sighed deeply, agreeing with his thoughts without saying anything.
"Ah, are you from Radni? Wait... Wait! There! No fighting!"
"Sorry, I’ll show you around right away... Argh! What is that house-sized animal? An elephant?"
The servants who were in charge of guiding the delegation looked absolutely breathless.
It was the first national holiday since the Duke of Belfort ascended to the throne, so they had expected there to be a large number of delegations.
No, they had expected it, but when they actually arrived here and saw it with their own eyes, the number was twice that.
“How many hours does it take to assign rooms, oh dear.”
Trevan sighed and rolled over on the bed.
Immediately afterward, he blinked at Bourbon, who was hurriedly putting down his luggage and tidying up again.
“What are you going to do?”
“The Strath tribe in western Elvares has started trading with other regions besides the royal family and Count Florette. I think it would be good to open a trade with Radni as well. There’s always a shortage of herbs.”
“Anyway, you’re a hard worker... Do I have to go too?”
Trevan, who was happily rolling around on the bed, asked in an anxious tone.
Bourbon clicked his tongue and grabbed the doorknob.
“Yes. I’m enough on my own. But...”
Bourbon turned his head sharply and glared.
Even Trevan, who was usually busy teasing him, flinched for a moment.
“You absolutely must not cause trouble before you meet the King and the Queen in two days and attend the masked ball that will be held that evening. You understand that?”
“I know. Do you know what kind of child I am?”
“Put your list of potential bridesmaids and such aside when I’m not around.”
“...”
Bourbon warned sternly.
Trevan tried to look away at those words, but Bourbon threatened again.
“No answer?”
“...I got it, I got it.”
Trevan finally sighed deeply and answered.
Only then did Bourbon leave the room with a satisfied expression.
Click.
After the door rang, Trevan grumbled and remained motionless on the bed.
“I'm going to go work as a social worker, so why stop me, man, I'm going to have an awesome vacation, and you can go fuck yourself.”
But resting in a foreign land was sweet at the same time...
“...Boring.”
Bored.
Trevan was always surrounded by people, so he found this silence even more unfamiliar and boring.
After Bourbon disappeared, Trevan, who had been left in perfect silence for a while, finally got up.
“I guess I’ll go for a walk. I guess I can’t help but answer if someone talks to me while I’m walking, right?”
A meaningful smile appeared on Trevan’s lips.
He quickly straightened his posture and put the small piece of paper on his bosom as he left the room.
“Hmm, let’s see... This is the delegation’s quarters. Where do you think the Elvares nobles will be staying?”
Trevan slowly left the palace assigned to the delegation’s quarters and looked around.
In fact, Trevan had two purposes for coming as a delegation.
One was to tell Bourbon that they should live together without unnecessary bloodshed.
The other was to find a spouse who would further solidify that peace.
‘A promise that is nothing more than a promise can be overturned at any time.’
Trevan knew well how diplomacy depended on shallow trust.
He had no intention of entrusting the lives of his people to Elvares’ favor.
So Trevan planned to marry one of Elvares’ powerful noble daughters while he was still young.
Then, when Elvares tried to invade Radni in the future, the family would oppose him to some extent.
That brief hesitation was enough.
Radni was a small island nation, so it was not a country with much influence from the royal family.
“Hmm.”
As he moved away from the delegation’s quarters, the surroundings became quiet.
Trevan, who was looking around, clicked his tongue when he noticed the guards watching him closely.
'This path is too conspicuous.'
With no one around, his tall stature and striking appearance made him stand out even more.
Trevan's goal was to catch a glimpse of the nobles of Elvares without drawing much attention, so he turned his steps toward the backyard.
"Is there no path this way?"
Trevan planned to move to the other side of the palace through a path that would not be noticeable even from the backyard.
As he was feeling his way along the wall, at one point his hand went through a thick vine, causing him to lose his balance and fall over.
"Whoa!"
A heavy thud!
A heavy sound echoed.
Trevan glanced at his cold buttocks and turned his gaze forward.
On the other side, he had not noticed it, but a small arch was hidden by the thick vines.
"Whoa, where am I?"
Trevan grumbled and sat up, looking around.
It seems to be an abandoned palace that is currently unmanaged...
“...Huh?
Trevan, who was looking around, clicked his tongue when he noticed the guards watching him closely.
'This path is too conspicuous.'
With no one around, his tall stature and striking appearance made him stand out even more.
Trevan's goal was to catch a glimpse of the nobles of Elvares without drawing much attention, so he turned his steps toward the backyard.
"Is there no path this way?"
Trevan planned to move to the other side of the palace through a path that would not be noticeable even from the backyard.
As he was feeling his way along the wall, at one point his hand went through a thick vine, causing him to lose his balance and fall over.
"Whoa!"
A heavy thud!
A heavy sound echoed.
Trevan glanced at his cold buttocks and turned his gaze forward.
On the other side, he had not noticed it, but a small arch was hidden by the thick vines.
"Whoa, where am I?"
Trevan grumbled and sat up, looking around.
It seems to be an abandoned palace that is currently unmanaged...
“...Huh?
The next moment. Trevan stopped dead in his tracks after spotting something in the middle of the small, old palace.
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped.
What came into his sight was a woman with an unrealistic appearance.
The woman, who was leaning against the steps of the old palace as if lying down, had her eyes closed and was motionless. Her long hair shone white in the afternoon sunlight.
It felt as if he was encountering something sacred that had been sealed deep in the forest.
“...Fairy?”
Trevan muttered as he stepped back involuntarily.
At that moment, the eyelids of the woman who had such a peaceful expression fluttered.
And slowly, golden eyes appeared beneath them.
“Ah.”
The moment their eyes met, Trevan sighed involuntarily.
The sound of his heart pounding rang in his ears.
However, the moment he took a step forward to speak to the woman, a white light flashed and the woman’s figure disappeared without a trace.
Trevan, embarrassed, hurriedly looked around the place where the woman had been sitting, but only a strange scent of soap remained.
“What the heck is this...”
“Hey... Prince!”
Bourbon hurriedly changed his words as he cursed at the same time and ran after Trevan.
He gasped and slapped Trevan on the back.
“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet! Stay still! And now you’re wandering around...!”
“Bourbon!”
Trevan, who had been blankly staring at the stairs, ignoring Bourbon’s fuss, suddenly turned around and grabbed both of his hands.
Goosebumps appeared on the back of Bourbon’s neck.
“What, what the heck is this?”
“I met a fairy.”
“...What?”
“And I fell in love. I have to get married.”
Trevan stared blankly into space with his face flushed red.
Bourbon smiled brightly at the sight.
'Should I just hit him?'
He didn't have the confidence to handle this crazy guy, regardless of his loyalty or anything.
I don't know who you are, but I pray for your eternal peace, Fairy.
Bourbon thought to himself.
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