Chapter 17. The steps (1)


    Silique.


    and Evan Briesen.


    Who is first?


    When Lemain went out of the pce with all of the knights, including Caera An, saying that he would go hunting, Silike called the leaders of the knights Raon and Karen as if he had been waiting for them.


    Of course, they both knew very well what Pavel’s knights had been through recently. Therefore, I was doing my best to avoid being noticed by Silike. However, Silike found them himself.


    In the end, the two knightmanders who could not refuse the order visited Silike’s greenhouse. And I heard what I expected.


    – The founding ceremony of the wizard group Vulkan thising Monday.


    It was said that if Silike did what he told him to do on the spot, he would be rewarded sufficiently. They did not tell us what to do or what we would bepensated for.


    The two knightmanders first responded by asking for time to think, and then left Heisia Pce. The depth of the water filled their faces.


    “This is beyond embarrassing.”


    “Me too.”


    You haven’t said what you want me to do yet. Silike simply said that it was not that difficult.


    A voice mixed with a deep sigh flowed from Director Karen’s mouth.


    “You asked for an answer by tomorrow morning. What do you n to do?”


    Being the leader of Raon was no different.


    He shook his head and said:


    “I guess it would be right to only listen to the Marquis’ orders.”


    “But isn’t this the royal pce? How can you disobey the queen’s orders?”


    They were the royal knights. So, of course, they were the ones who had to listen to Lemain’s orders. However, Lemain’s name was not mentioned anywhere in their conversation.


    Will you listen to Silike or follow Evan?


    That was all.


    In the end, the two couldn’te up with an answer and parted ways and headed to their respective offices.


    And then they both saw a letter lying on the desk. The sender was also the same.


    It was a letter delivered from Marquis Evan Briesen.


    A letter sent from the same person to the two knightmanders.


    The two leaders’ faces became equally serious as they read the contents of the letter with their eyes busy in their respective seats.


    * * *


    It was something I should never have forgotten.


    So it was clearly Calian’s mistake.


    “Aow!”


    I should have told you who the rose garden belonged to.


    No matter how busy I was attending the huntingpetition, I should have told him that much before we set off.


    “Aow aow!”


    I should have told him that the cat was not allowed to go there for whatever reason.


    so.


    Hina, who met Kalian when he had not yetpletely abandoned Bern’s appearance and came to protect him more like a younger brother than an older sister, became involved with ntz, who was nothing more or less than a scoundrel in Kalian’s eyes.


    It was all Calian’s fault.


    * * *


    It started from a conversation we had at breakfast on the day of the huntingpetition.


    Calian, who was the first to arrive at the restaurant and was sitting alone, asked this as soon as he saw nz’s face as he entered.


    “I heard you have severe body aches. Are you okay?”


    ntz was actually in better condition than any other day.


    Let alone body aches, I didn’t sneeze even once.


    However, instead of asking Calian why he was barking in the morning, nz just nodded and answered.


    “You’re in no condition to hunt.”


    They are very clearly telling people not toe hunting, so what else can they say?


    ntz had already guessed why Calian was in such a hurry to hold the huntingpetition. Therefore, he also understood to some extent why he should not go there.


    A huntingpetition created to divide the nobles into anti-Briesen and pro-Briesen factions, to appease Calian and scare Lemaine.


    However, ntz is a person closely rted to Briesen. Therefore, if this atmosphere was noticed, it was the position that had to be conveyed to Silike. There is no way not to pass on Calian’s information to Brisen, nor can it be passed on. So, what I’m saying is, don’t get caught in the middle and get hit, but just stay in your roomfortably.


    “I will also give a good word to Your Majesty, so please rest well.”


    Since the servants were paying attention, no further details were exchanged. ntz returned to his room that way.


    Thanks to this, the huntingpetition arranged by Lemain for ntz was held except for ntz, who suddenly announced his absence on the day.


    And that afternoon.


    ntz, who had been locked in his room all morning, got up. After changing into simple clothes, I came out of Chermil Pce. I was nning to go to the training center provided in Huwon. I thought it was time for others to consider me as having shaken off some of my physical aches.


    “Aow!”


    Then, in the morning, I caught a glimpse of the silver-white fur ball I had seen outside the window, running eagerly somewhere. If I had only seen it there, I wouldn’t have paid any attention, but a momentter I saw a maid with the same color hair going in that direction.


    After all, it was Randel’s time in the garden.


    “……under.”


    ntz moved his feet.


    It was to prevent an ident caused by Calian’s cat.


    Regardless of the reason, there should never have been a confrontation between Calian and Randel at this point.


    * * *


    Since it was a path for princes to walk, servants and maids could not enter and exit alone. Because of this, Hina had never been to the garden and had never really heard what the garden was like.


    When the kitten escaped from Hina’s arms and ran away, Hina did not go straight to the garden and tried to find Merlin. Then I remembered that Merlin was attending the meeting on Jan’s behalf.


    Since she couldn’t lose the cat the prince had given her as a gift in less than a day, Hina had no choice but to head to the garden. Until then, I thought all the princes had gone hunting, so I nned to go in quickly ande out looking for the cat.


    “Aow!”


    As I passed the artificialke, I heard a cat meowing.


    And as I followed the sound, I came across it.


    ‘Ah…’


    The eldest prince was sitting with his knees bent in a corner of the garden, tending the roses, and the cat that seemed to be ying in the dirt next to him. And then there was the eldest prince’s guard, who held the cat viciously and red at Hina with a wary face.


    “Who are you?”


    Hina bowed in surprise.


    ‘I’m in big trouble.’


    Randel’s senior attendant must also have attended the meeting.


    The escort attendant who was with Randel asked on his behalf. They might have met each other a few times, but they didn’t seem to recognize Hina.


    “Didn’t you ask who it was?”


    Randel’s escort was very different from Kirie’s.


    He was big, looked scary, and spoke menacingly. He urged Hina without giving her time to decide whether to use signnguage or take out the notebook in her arms and write.


    “This must be your doing too. How dare you bring up something like this about this ce?”


    The attendant who asked that question while holding up the cat took a step towards Hina. In the end, Hina tried to take out her notebook to exin the situation.


    However, the sound of someone’s newly arrived footsteps stopped Hina in her tracks.


    – Jeopuk.


    ntz walked and stood between the attendant and Hina.


    Hina, startled by the darkness in her vision, raised her head, then lowered her head again when she saw light emerald colored hair.


    ‘A really big deal…!’


    Not only did he run proudly in front of Randel, but ntz also appeared here. I was flooded with regret that I should have waited for Merlin toe out of the meeting.


    “See you again.”


    ntz, who came to the garden alone without an attendant, perhaps determined to recreate royal etiquette, bowed his head and gave Randel an arbitrarily condensed greeting. Then he looked at Randel’s attendant for a moment and opened his mouth.


    “You don’t even recognize the prince’s personal maid. Why do you have a bodyguard with you who doesn’t know if he has bad eyesight or a bad mind?”


    Even though he was talking about Randel’s servant, he had no hesitation.


    This was a reprimand for not being able to distinguish between the maids working in Chermil and the prince’s personal maids. It was clearly evident in their eyes that they did not understand how they were going to escort him like that.


    The servant bowed to nz.


    “sorry.”


    ntz did not reply further to that question. Instead, he nced at Hina standing behind him and said.


    “Put it away.”


    Of course, I’m talking about cats.


    Hina bowed in greeting, took the cat back from the servant’s hand as if snatching it, and then quickly walked out of the garden. The clueless cat made a meowing noise in Hina’s arms.


    When the sound of the cat could no longer be heard, Randel slowly stood up and opened his mouth to ntz.


    “You told me toe hunting. Why didn’t I go?”


    ntz’s rudeness did notst for a day or two, so he did not mention what he said to the servant in front of him. So, if I had the personality to improve, I would have fixed it a long time ago.


    “That’s it.”


    ntz gave only a simple answer. Randel didn’t even nod his head.


    “I didn’t know it was time for you to be here. I’ll go.”


    Soon nz turned back and said this. This is because he knows that if he talks to Randel for a long time, his true intentions will only be revealed. Randel, who was staring nkly at ntz’s back, spoke.


    “It looks like their rtionship has improved a lot.”


    ntz’s feet stopped in ce.


    Even if the escort attendant didn’t know, Randel remembered Hina. So, he realized why ntz had bothered to stop by the garden at this time. Why did ntz help Calian’s maid?


    I wonder if Calian and nz may have joined hands.


    nz closed his eyes and opened them. Anyway, once Randel started to have doubts, he could no longer be deceived. And if it were Randel, he wouldn’t have told this to Brisen.


    Therefore, instead of asking what he was talking about, nz only answered with a lot of ridicule.


    “Do you regret this too?”


    At those words, Randel sat back down. And answered in a quiet voice.


    “Is that possible?”


    Those words sounded to nz as if he was happy that he had one lesspetitor. ntz came out of the garden without another word.


    And then I saw Hina standing in front of Chermil Pce again.


    Since it looked like she had been waiting for him, ntz turned his gaze towards Hina for a moment.


    “why.”


    Then Hina handed over the notebook she was holding in her hand. When I nced at the contents, there was a short sentence written there.


    – Thank you for your help.


    ntz knew that Hina was Kalian’s maid, but he had only just realized that she could not speak. However, I had no intention of saying anything else to him, so I just nodded and went back to my room.


    That night, Kalian, who returned from the huntingpetition, also heard about the incident. However, there was no other reaction to it.


    The day passed by as if it were not so quiet.


    And Monday.


    The day when the founding ceremony of Balkan will be held.


    The day that many people have been waiting for for their own reasons has arrived.