Damien had finally set foot in the palace at the Emperor's request. The room, overlooking the beautiful gardens, was filled with a calming atmosphere.
"How unexpected. You'd agree to such a request."
"Didn't Your Majesty specifically tell us to send someone to Talamand?"
"It was just a rumor. I didn't really expect you to do it. You never really cared about that kind of thing."
Their words seemed to indicate a familiarity with each other. It was understandable, as Damian and Calix had known each other for many years.
Before Calix was driven out to the battlefield, they had taken classes together and learned swordsmanship since childhood, so it would be no exaggeration to say that they were close friends.
It was from then on that Calix began to consolidate his power by aligning himself with bourgeois families rather than the traditional aristocratic power represented by Fabiana and the Duke of Devon.
"I thought so too."
Taking advantage of the silence that had fallen, Damien's gaze suddenly lingered in space.
What flashed before his eyes was the back of Odelia, holding the hand of the child who was cautiously following her. The scene they had encountered in the hallway.
Herse was looking up at her with a face he never showed to other adults. When she stopped, he followed suit and stood there, playing with her sleeve with his small hand.
"If you ask me to hug you, I will really hug you."
Just as he was recalling what his child had blurted out a while ago, the door to the reception room suddenly opened.
"Dad!"
The one who jumped in, gasping for breath, was none other than Herse.
On the way back from Talamand, he stopped by the palace for a moment, so of course Herse was with him. He had followed his father into the palace and played in the greenhouse, but couldn't stand it anymore and ran into the reception room.
A child wearing small shoes approached Damien, treading lightly on the floor, and shouted loudly.
"When are we going to see my aunt?!"
The air in the room shook.
Calix narrowed his eyes at the child. Damian remained silent for a moment, his lips pressed together. He slowly turned toward the child.
"Herse, how many times do I have to tell you to be polite? Knock on the door and listen to the answer inside before you come in."
It was certainly an unfamiliar sight to hear a child's voice echoing within the palace, but Calix didn't really pay much attention.
For those who strictly adhered to the palace etiquette, this would have been a terrifying scene, but Calix wasn't one to be meticulous about formalities. He simply raised his eyes and greeted the child.
Herse, who sensed the mood belatedly, clasped his hands and bowed his head.
"Your Majesty, I was rude. Please forgive me."
At that clumsy example, Calix chuckled and reached out to touch the child's hair.
"Is your aunt that nice?"
At Calix's low question, Herse opened his mouth with a bright expression as if he had been waiting.
"Of course! My aunt read to me and taught me how to hold a sickle. I even heard she once made a really big one! She's so cool! She always takes care of me first when we eat together, and she never gets angry when I play pranks! And, she always hugs me!"
The child's excited voice brightly filled the room.
Calix lowered his eyes for a moment, then muttered dryly.
"Yeah, she's definitely a good person."
The expression on his lips was so strange that it was hard to tell whether it was a smile or a bitter glint.
The child waved his hands and said his last words as he poured out his words without even taking a breath.
"My aunt told me to come back and play again when the tree blooms. Now the pink flowers are blooming!"
The child's voice was filled with anticipation and excitement, and his curiosity and affection for Odelia were clearly evident.
Damien stared out the window in silence. A landscape of pale pink azaleas in full bloom came into view. A gust of wind sent the petals fluttering like snowflakes, sparkling in the sunlight.
After taking a moment to admire the scenery, he suddenly raised the corners of his mouth slightly and answered the child.
"Yes, let's go see it."
At those words, Herse's eyes widened, and then he raised both arms and cheered.
"Really?! Seriously?! Dad, you're the best!"
The child's voice echoed in the room. Damien frowned slightly and cleared his throat, but didn't bother to correct himself.
Watching the scene from the side, Calix stared at Damien in disbelief before chuckling.
"You make that kind of expression too, you."
Damien lifted his teacup again, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Yes, Herse, follow her well."
"...How is Odelia doing?"
It was a question asked cautiously. Damien put down his teacup and slowly turned his head.
Before he knew it, Gallix's face had returned to its original indifferent expression.
"That's it. You can check it yourself. My brother and Odelia got married, and it seems like we're doing very well."
He took a short breath and shrugged.
"I understand why she ended up marrying a guy like Allan. Of course, she must have been in a hurry to get married. But she seems to have some unique tastes for choosing Allan. She's a woman with a personality that's more than enough for Allan."
Calix watched the scene silently, then gave a low warning to Damien, who was sitting next to him.
"Don't harbor ulterior motives."
Damien shrugged with a small laugh.
"Why? Even His Majesty couldn't approach her anyway; all you did was ask me for favors behind her back."
Calix's gaze grew cold. Damien didn't avoid it.
"I simply sent someone to Talamand as Your Majesty commanded. I also saw the damage with my own eyes. It seemed more like the traces of someone intentionally doing it than the traces of a beast. I doubt that Lady Fabiana would resort to such a childish trick."
Calix did not order him to assist Talamand or to take command there.
In fact, it was quite the opposite. The primary task was to see how much Odelia could let go and adapt on her own, and to see if Fabiana would resort to any further maneuvers to embarrass her.
Damien slowly stroked the round rim of the teacup, watching Calix's reaction for a moment.
"I don't plan on helping her until we figure out the cause. Of course, I did provide minimal support, but I don't think she'd be happy if I helped her without her asking. I told her that I would help her if I found the cause."
Calix was silent for a moment, then asked quietly.
"What if you end up in danger while trying to find the cause?"
Then Damien chuckled and said.
"Your Majesty, you seem to be quite a pampered person. I wouldn't expect you like that."
"...Don’t worry.”
"Isn't it too much to ask of me to tell me to ignore you?"
"...Because there is no one as trustworthy as you."
The voice was extremely low and cautious. It was an old gaze, steeped in regret and longing. Damien suddenly wondered what it was like to gaze at someone for so long, yet not even be able to express it. But that was only for a moment, and he returned to his usual cynical demeanor and responded.
"So, why don't you show some signs of it regularly?"
"What are you talking about?"
"If you marry another woman and help Odelia out behind the scenes like this, will she even notice?"
"It's noisy."
"If you're curious, I'll ask. Is Your Majesty still in love with Odelia or not? Isn't that why you're doing this?"
Calix was speechless for a moment at Damien's seemingly insincere words, and then shook his head.
"It's okay, whether she hates me, feels betrayed... or not, I would have done this anyway."
"You're not funny."
"Should I just do it myself?"
As Damien and Calix exchanged a few words, they stood up. Herse began to circle around Calix.
Calix raised an eyebrow at the little boy who approached without a sound.
“Why are you doing that?”
Herse, with his face as high as a clown's, fidgeted as if he were about to jump out at any moment, and pointed his finger out the window.
"The garden over there! The garden!"
"Yeah, why the garden?"
"Did Your Majesty raise that? Really?!"
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