Episode 97. Kalin's Two Legs
After showing 'Red Tears' to Orl, a palace servant appeared in front of Kalin as she was walking to the carriage to leave the palace.
"Please follow me for a moment."
"I've just finished an audience and am on my way."
"I have orders to go to the other palace."
Kalin immediately realized who was calling her.
Second Prince Grayon.
She followed him silently. It was impossible to refuse anyway.
Kalin thought that the atmosphere was completely different when she first entered the Second Prince's Palace.
The First Prince's Palace was splendid and bright, and everything looked new. However, the Second Prince's Palace showed the age of the Tagar Palace.
Instead of buying new and decorating it, it was a building that had been well-polished and made to shine.
She thought quickly.
'Would His Highness Grayon be angry that I met His Highness Orl?'
If so, she was now in a corner.
'No. This could be an opportunity. It means my price has gone up.'
Kalin carefully considered several alternatives in her head that could turn the situation to her advantage.
Grayon might make a quicker decision in this situation, where she might be taken away by her brother. The sooner he made a decision, the more likely he would be to accept her offer.
But even then, she needed a way to avoid Orl's wrath. The Ankarts were not yet powerful enough to turn Orl into an enemy.
Kalin Ankart felt even more excited amid tension and fear.
The possibility of going back and forth between these two palaces, of not begging for power but creating it with her own hands.
That possibility was stirring up great excitement inside her.
Kalin took a deep breath in front of Grayon's reception room and went inside.
"Kalin Ankart meets Your Highness Grayon, the Second Prince of the little sun of Tagar. Great light to Tagar."
Grayon had no answer. He just watched her politely with a cold and sharp smile on his face.
“You’ve entered the palace.”
“I’m on my way back from seeing His Highness the First Prince.”
When Kalin answered without the slightest embarrassment, he muttered softly. “Oh.”
“Her Majesty the Empress wanted to see the ‘Red Tears’. Isn’t it natural for women to be drawn to jewels?”
Grayon stared at Kalin’s thin lips as she talked about her mother’s instincts and smiled.
Where, how softly do liars play with their lips?
Grayon had only just begun to see that after meeting so many people during the war.
“I’m grateful that you’ve made my mother happy. What did she say?”
Kalin stared at him straight as she opened the box and placed it in front of Grayon.
“‘Red Tears’ is a jewel fit for a great woman.”
“...”
“Her Majesty the Empress said exactly that. What do you think, Your Highness?”
Grayon groaned instead of answering. He rested his temples on his elbows on the armrests of his chair.
“Are you judging me now, Kalin Ankart? A servant who chooses his master? I’ve never heard of this before.”
But Kalin’s expression did not change.
“I courted Your Highness and waited for you to make a choice. However, Your Highness hesitated, and His Highness Orl did not.”
“How dare you...”
“Where is Your Highness’s servant now?”
“Kalin.”
“Prince Locard Kydel is currently intoxicated with his victory. He is intoxicated with the reputation of a lion cub that His Majesty bestowed upon him, and is playing with the illegitimate child in the palace. Do you know that rumors are spreading throughout the empire?”
“...”
“Perhaps Your Highness needs someone who longs for you, not someone who wants you.”
After showing 'Red Tears' to Orl, a palace servant appeared in front of Kalin as she was walking to the carriage to leave the palace.
"Please follow me for a moment."
"I've just finished an audience and am on my way."
"I have orders to go to the other palace."
Kalin immediately realized who was calling her.
Second Prince Grayon.
She followed him silently. It was impossible to refuse anyway.
Kalin thought that the atmosphere was completely different when she first entered the Second Prince's Palace.
The First Prince's Palace was splendid and bright, and everything looked new. However, the Second Prince's Palace showed the age of the Tagar Palace.
Instead of buying new and decorating it, it was a building that had been well-polished and made to shine.
She thought quickly.
'Would His Highness Grayon be angry that I met His Highness Orl?'
If so, she was now in a corner.
'No. This could be an opportunity. It means my price has gone up.'
Kalin carefully considered several alternatives in her head that could turn the situation to her advantage.
Grayon might make a quicker decision in this situation, where she might be taken away by her brother. The sooner he made a decision, the more likely he would be to accept her offer.
But even then, she needed a way to avoid Orl's wrath. The Ankarts were not yet powerful enough to turn Orl into an enemy.
Kalin Ankart felt even more excited amid tension and fear.
The possibility of going back and forth between these two palaces, of not begging for power but creating it with her own hands.
That possibility was stirring up great excitement inside her.
Kalin took a deep breath in front of Grayon's reception room and went inside.
"Kalin Ankart meets Your Highness Grayon, the Second Prince of the little sun of Tagar. Great light to Tagar."
Grayon had no answer. He just watched her politely with a cold and sharp smile on his face.
“You’ve entered the palace.”
“I’m on my way back from seeing His Highness the First Prince.”
When Kalin answered without the slightest embarrassment, he muttered softly. “Oh.”
“Her Majesty the Empress wanted to see the ‘Red Tears’. Isn’t it natural for women to be drawn to jewels?”
Grayon stared at Kalin’s thin lips as she talked about her mother’s instincts and smiled.
Where, how softly do liars play with their lips?
Grayon had only just begun to see that after meeting so many people during the war.
“I’m grateful that you’ve made my mother happy. What did she say?”
Kalin stared at him straight as she opened the box and placed it in front of Grayon.
“‘Red Tears’ is a jewel fit for a great woman.”
“...”
“Her Majesty the Empress said exactly that. What do you think, Your Highness?”
Grayon groaned instead of answering. He rested his temples on his elbows on the armrests of his chair.
“Are you judging me now, Kalin Ankart? A servant who chooses his master? I’ve never heard of this before.”
But Kalin’s expression did not change.
“I courted Your Highness and waited for you to make a choice. However, Your Highness hesitated, and His Highness Orl did not.”
“How dare you...”
“Where is Your Highness’s servant now?”
“Kalin.”
“Prince Locard Kydel is currently intoxicated with his victory. He is intoxicated with the reputation of a lion cub that His Majesty bestowed upon him, and is playing with the illegitimate child in the palace. Do you know that rumors are spreading throughout the empire?”
“...”
“Perhaps Your Highness needs someone who longs for you, not someone who wants you.”
Kalin looked at Grayon with eyes filled with longing.
It was very similar to the feeling of love. The desire and obsession that would never change throughout one’s life shone so brightly in front of someone who might make it come true.
The first thing Orl did to her was to threaten her. But even if that wasn’t the case, she wanted a man she could rule over, rather than one who was already ruled by another ‘great woman’.
So Kalin was now walking the last tightrope.
Grayon looked deep into her eyes and asked,
“Locard flirting with an illegitimate child?”
She answered bitterly, not even knowing it was his order.
“Gossip and scandal are two steps apart. It’s not good news for Your Highness, who is competing.”
“Hmm.”
“From now on, use me as your hidden maid. I will definitely graduate early. After that, please accept me officially by your side. Then I will dedicate everything of the Ankart family to Your Highness. I will definitely make Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“With the future position of ‘great lady’ at stake?”
“...”
Kalin did not answer out loud. Her hot gaze directed at Grayon was her answer.
Grayon finally smiled.
“I will not refuse.”
“...!”
“It seems that you have an answer to give to my brother Orl, so I will let you go now. Kalin Ankart.”
Kalin held her breath for a moment so as not to show her emotions. Then she counted to three in her head and opened her mouth.
“May I ask why?”
“If I accept you now, how do you think my brother Orl will view me?”
“That is...”
“If I had not invited you, do you think Ankart would have been able to step foot into the welcoming party for the Agael envoy?”
“...!”
“You will also become my scandal. Are you so impatient that you rely on that humble Ankart? His Majesty will laugh at me.”
“I...!”
Grayon leaned back and looked down at her with a mean smile.
“Besides, I have already given the position as maid to someone else. To someone who will offer me a simple and upright heart. Tagar’s words should be worth a thousand gold.”
Just as knights train for years to perfect the trajectory of their swords, Kalin had practiced diligently since childhood to ingrain graceful gestures in her body.
However, Kalin’s face showed shock clearly at the moment.
“Humiliated Ankart.”
All her efforts and achievements up until now could be summarized in that one word to the royal family. And the words “someone who will offer me a simple and upright heart” seemed to pierce her heart.
Why did this burning desire mean nothing to him?
Grayon leisurely got up and returned to the inner room.
Kalin exhaled and leaned forward on the table only after he closed the door.
“Ha.”
Tears fell down her cheeks as she closed the box of ‘Red Tears.’ She braced her unsteady legs and glared at the door where Grayon had disappeared.
“You’ll regret today, Your Highness Grayon.”
***
The day after Misha’s coming-of-age ceremony, Grayon, who had not slept well all night, called Locard early in the morning. He glared at Locard, who looked just as exhausted as he was.
“What did you do at the coming-of-age ceremony to make you look so shabby? Could it be that the maid...”
Locard slumped his back and rested his neck on the back of the sofa.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“You, you punk!”
Locard realized only then that the situation Grayon described was different from his own, and raised his head to look at Grayon suspiciously. Only then did he notice how stressed Grayon was.
“What happened, Your Highness?”
“Ha! I told you to seduce her, but I never told you to enjoy it.”
“What can I do about having fun?”
Grayon gritted his teeth, and Locard also became serious.
“She has captured Her Highness Miliora more firmly than I thought. I think I’ll change my strategy. I’ll attack Her Highness Miliora directly.”
Grayon knew better than anyone how difficult it was to gain Tagar’s trust. And yet the bastard had managed it in a short time.
He stared at Locard and said,
“I’m afraid of what you’ll say now.”
“...”
Locard answered with a smile.
Grayon narrowed his eyes, wondering at the strange heat that had just passed through his eyes.
However, now was not the time to be interested in such gossip.
“Kalin Ankart has entered the First Prince’s Palace.”
“Oh. Yes.”
Grayon was displeased that Locard didn’t even pretend to be surprised.
“She’s such a womanizer.”
“Because she’s capable.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“You know that my loyalty and life are only with Your Highness. It was Your Highness’s ‘force’ that I share my affection only with Lorisha Loire.”
Grayon went to get a drink, unable to contain his irritation.
Only then did Locard stop laughing and ask calmly.
“What did she trade with Your Highness?”
“The Queen Mother said she wanted to see the ‘red tears’, so she brought them. That’s why she spent ten million gold. I didn’t ask about anything else.”
“Because if you had asked too many questions, Your Highness would have looked scared.”
“All the Academy students were here at the time of the coming-of-age ceremony of the third lion’s daughter, and she even criticized you for not protecting me and going somewhere.”
“I see.”
Kalin would not have thought that he would be nitpicked on this. Locard found that amusing.
Grayon said firmly.
“I refused. I told you not to make a scandal in front of me, on the subject of a humble Ankart.”
“...”
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