Chapter 72. It was a shame (5)


    a day ago.


    So, to be exact, it was the evening before Calian, who appeared in stylish clothes, swept the Senyu Hall conference hall. The deputymander’s office is the secondrgest in Wilhelm’s pavilion after Allen’s.


    The two royals sat facing each other on a long sofa in the middle of the office, as if to keep the desks of the two vicemanders far apart. There was a table between them that had some simple food on it.


    “older brother.”


    “why.”


    In fact, even though Calian and nz ate together, there weren’t many days when they actually ate together. Of course, conversation took ce.


    “Did you tell Marquis Briesen that you and I were going to make a hunting bet?”


    “I did it.”


    “Yes. Well done.”


    I don’t mean small talk or barking. There are a lot of things that the two of us should make time to exchange opinions on, but aren’t we both so busy that it’s not possible? Therefore, there were many days where we shared important conversations and opinions over meals.


    The day ntz, who hade to visit Calian, gave the bracelet to Jan and met Randel on his way back. The day Calian, who went to Duke Siegfried’s residence, ended the life of the white eagle. It was the same that evening. We ate and had a conversation.


    “What happened after Brother Randel became the king of Tensil. Information about the noble families that disappeared as if they were being pruned. Do you still remember it?”


    “remember.”


    “Do you remember everything, every single thing?”


    “okay.”


    There was a time when Kalian memorized and burned all the material that Chase had given him, which could have been the size of a book. ntz asked me to tell you that. There was a time when Calian, who couldn’t break his stubbornness, went all the way to the Aurors to rewrite the material and hand it to him.


    But Kalian, who was eating, suddenly mentioned the incident. Do you remember the contents of the data in detail?


    “Thank goodness. It was difficult to transcribe it, but you said there was no need to write it again. Then, do you remember the story that the King and Crown Prince of Tensil died in a carriage ident this year?”


    “Do you really need to ask a question?”


    “Yes. Since you don’t know how to forget, I think you remember. But you never know. There are so many things that have happened since then that you might have forgotten.”


    “That won’t happen.”


    “…… older brother.”


    Calian frowned slightly as if he was dissatisfied with the answer of someone who had never experienced forgetting information once put into his head, and looked at ntz with a serious face.


    “why.”


    “I sometimes think that if you get just one hit, you might be a little less smart. What do you think?”


    “I think I should tell you not to add salt to the food you eat from now on. What is your opinion?”


    “No. Stop barking and I’ll eat human food.”


    No matter how serious the conversation was, sometimes the sound of a cat barking would intervene. Because their rtionship was not good enough to enable smooth conversation without barking.


    “Anyway. Since Tensil has not had much to do with me until now, it is highly likely that the real Serzane would have died long ago in the ‘past’. So, it is likely that the King of Tensil and the fake crown prince Serzane will die in the carriage ident that will ur this year. .”


    “okay.”


    “But this time, A gave me some interesting information through Brother Chase’s telegram. I couldn’t tell you right away because I was making a hunting bet with you.”


    “What.”


    “The assants attempted to assassinate Serjane, but failed… In the end, the crown prince died. In fact, it was not a failure, but a true sess, and thanks to that, Serjane’s bodyguard continued to act as Serjane. In fact, People who don’t know will think they failed. Anyway, that happened. The funny thing is.”


    When you have to solve a mystery that seems impossible to solve. When assessing the mind of someone you are interested in. When you encounter an enemy blocking your path in a situation where it would not be strange to copse immediately. Or when nz said ‘check’ during chess.


    The smile that used to appear at just such moments appeared on my younger brother’s face.


    “They say that a month after that incident, Rashid Briesen appeared in the Marquis of Briesen.”


    “It would take about that long to get from the Tencil capital to the Marquis of Briesen.”


    “Yes, that’s right.”


    “Are you saying that after Rashid Briesen attacked Serjan, he left the Tencil capital and went to the Marquis of Briesen?”


    “There must be an assumption that Rashid Brissen was the one targeting the real Sergein. Considering the timing, it seems they are rted.”


    “Did he run away because he thought the assassination had failed?”


    “He’s not the kind of guy who’ll run away just because he couldn’t kill Serjane. I wouldn’t know if he attacked me again because he thought it was fun.”


    “…… then.”


    “The real crown prince suffered fatal injuries that even healers could not recover from, and the current crown prince is a fake. If you had noticed that. So, if you had left the fake behind and headed to the next target. Then, I think it would make a little more sense. Rashid Brissen “I know there is a magic tool for disguise, and I’m not a bad person.”


    ntz was silent for a moment.


    Calian continued.


    “At the time, Evan was alive and Gray Briesen was the Margrave, so if he wanted toe to Kairis, he would have definitely gone through the Marquis of Briesen. But we learned that he came to Kairis and arrived at the Marquis.”


    “I didn’t know.”


    “Yes. There was no report that someone like Rashid Briesen had crossed the border. Before we knew it, he was showing up in the Marquis’ territory.”


    “So you’re saying Gray Briesen helped you sneak into Kyris?”


    “Whether it was a deal or a request for help, it is highly likely that Gray Brissen harbored Rashid Brissen. We believe so.”


    The real Serjane was attacked and seriously injured.


    Not long after that happened, Rashid came to Kairis. Gray did not inform the royal family of his son’s arrival. And Rashid went to the Marquis of Briesen, which was Evan’s territory.


    “Evan did a good job of letting that guy in my territory.”


    “You know how naive Rashid Briesen can be. Like he didn’t know anything about the world and pretended to be with his father. He would have easily fooled Evan.”


    “Then. When did Rashid Briesen return to Kairis? How did Jeon Seo-gu know that?”


    “I’m talking about Pavel, the royal knight of the time that Evan managed. Among the knights who belonged to Pavel, aren’t there some who changed their minds to follow their brother and remain in Balkan? This is information that Jeon Seo-gu found out about them.”


    Kalian, who had picked a ripe carrot from a bowl filled with boiled meat and assorted vegetables and moved it to his te, opened his mouth again.


    “Anyway. Assuming Rashid Briesen is involved in the assassination of Serjan. If he came looking for Kairis, who do you think he would be interested in?”


    The person that False Serjane so desperately wants to meet and ask to ascend to the throne of Tensil. The person who became the king of Tensil after the death of fake Serjane. A person who acted like someone’s puppet. A person who hated Lemain so much, but ended up living a life not different from Lemain.


    “… I guess it’s my brother.”


    “Yes. Right now, the most interested person is in Brother Randel. Of course, the greatest interest would be in us. In you, to be exact.”


    nz said nothing else.


    Kalian, who enjoyed the soft carrots, spoke in a light voice as if he was talking about his daily life.


    “Anyway, he is not greedy for the crown. If he had been greedy for something like that, he would not have been in Tensil until now.”


    “then.”


    “Brisen. And the entire Kyris royal family.”


    ntz looked at Calian.


    Calian opened his mouth. He threw away the lightness he had put out on purpose and looked at nz and spoke quietly.


    “Destroy Briesen. Put brother Randel on the throne and do whatever he wants. Kill me.”


    The moment when Kalyan did not block Rashid’s sword.


    Rashid did not kill nz. I kept it alive. It’s not that they can’t kill, it’s that they have no intention of killing.


    “What will happen to my brother who is left here alone after that happens? I think he knows that very well.”


    “…… Right.”


    “The three of us are the ones who know what kind of ending each of us would be most reluctant to do. That’s how I felt. I don’t know why I figured it out or why I decided to do it that way, and I don’t know if the goal is to get it to that point or if there is something else bigger, but first of all, what I experienced was That’s right. It didn’t seem like he liked the Kairis royal family very much.”


    “no.”


    ntz shook his head.


    “I guess it’s not that I don’t like it that much.”


    “Is there anything I don’t know about that would be so unpleasant?”


    ntz nodded.


    -Show an example. You have to get down on the floor, put your knees down, and lower your head.


    “There was.”


    – If it’s difficult to do because you haven’t learned it yet, it would be a good idea for your mother to teach you how to do it first. Would you like me to tell you what to do? nz my baby. Please answer me.


    A truly fragrant piece of memory resurfaces in the mind of someone who has never experienced forgetting something once.


    -…… I’ll… let you know.


    I smell it.


    – If I put my knees on the floor and bow my head in front of my mother. Because they too will learn.


    – …… ah!


    I smell it.


    – That’s really… a really good method. nz.


    It may have faded, but it will not be easily forgotten.


    It smells like Renieri.


    “There was something… that I didn’t like very much.”


    “yes.”


    – Bang!


    A sharp cracking sound rang out.


    The light green eyes that had been immersed in memories looked forward.


    He saw red eyes staring straight at him.


    A ss can be seen falling under the table.


    The smell of bloodes back instead of the scent that has already disappeared. A shattered ss is seen. You can see ss fragments scattered all over the ce. I could see the clear water contained in it flowing freely out of the ss.


    “I’m sorry. I touched you by mistake.”


    Kalian handed over an apple.


    I slowly returned my hand, which had let go of the ss I was holding, back to its original position. Without even paying attention to the broken things scattered on the floor.


    * * *


    The butterfly flew up.


    “Miyang…”


    The gray cat, which jumped as hard as it could, but could not even touch the butterfly’s wings, let out a sullen sound. A white cat bumped its head in the arms of ntz, who chuckled as he heard the sound of the animal drooping. ntz, who had patted Lucy once, lowered his hand to stroke Anne’s back and let out a low voice.


    “Anne.”


    “Niaang.”


    “You can’t catch it yet. It’s short.”


    She has shorter arms, shorter legs, and a rounder belly than Lucy.


    “Niang!”


    A dissatisfied sound came from Anne’s mouth. I didn’t know if it was because I worked with a co-worker who used the sound of a cat barking as an appetizer every day and barked a dog as if it was a waste of time, or if it was true that they actually understood each other’s meaning and talked to each other, but anyhow, Lucy and Anne We exchanged various words with this in front of us.


    Lyrie, who was looking at the scene in amazement, picked up the long grass lying on the ground that had been stepped on by Anne’s foot while she was trying to catch a butterfly. And while ntz was removing each piece of grass from Anne’s fur with his hands, he was making something out of it.


    “Lowering.”


    Just as Anne was about to remove the grass seeds from under her chin, Riri called ntz. When I turned my head, I saw something even smaller ced in my small palm.


    It was poor workmanship, but not so much that it was difficult to recognize what it was, so ntz, who was quietly looking down at it, opened his mouth.


    “Is it a boat?”


    A ship of grass with no anchor, no sails, no grand cabin, no extravagant railings. A rust-colored ship,pletely different from the one nts had only ridden once, was sitting in the palm of Lirie, who had eyes of the same color.


    “yes that’s right.”


    Lillie answered excitedly, as if it made her feel good just to be recognized. ntz, who put Lucy down for a moment and took it, thought about it for a while. This is because Calian has never taught me how to respond when I see something like this. So, after deciding what to say for a while, I asked.


    “Did the Little Duke tell you?”


    “No, my lord.”


    Then it’s either Serie or yman or Jan. It could be Siegfried’s other knights. I gave him a music box, sang him a song, and burned him antern. He said he would save me a lot.


    While I was thinking that, Lily opened her mouth again.


    “My uncle told me this before I met Dmirea.”


    But Lily gave an unexpected answer.


    Before I met Demirea, I was at Evan’s mansion. Or, it could be that he is talking about the time he spent with his biological mother before that. I’m so young that I don’t know if I still remember it.


    So, while I was wondering again whether I should ask who he was or whether it was okay to ask, I heard Riri’s words.


    “A brown-haired man simr to Demirea told me about it.”


    ntz nodded and extended his hand toward the small boat.


    No, I was going to do that.


    “But I was surprised that he had the same eye color as me.”


    Stand tall.


    ntz’s hand stopped. My gaze stopped.


    ‘…… Rashid Briesen. no way.’


    Lyrie, who couldn’t see the image that was in ntz’s mind, smiled brightly. And then I floated the boat in my hand onto theke.


    The wind blew.


    The small boat that somehow managed to float on the water moved forward little by little, riding the silvery waves. Lillieughed when she saw that, but ntz couldn’tugh.


    “Lowering.”


    Someone’s voice was heard from behind nts.


    ntz put aside his unresolved thoughts for a moment and turned his head. Relic and Demirea were standing together. Reric, who had called nz, spoke of his business.


    “Nobles havee to the pce. They say they have requested an audience.”


    nz, who looked at Demirea and Riri for a moment, answered.


    “Because of the rumors.”


    “Yes. I think I’m trying to confirm whether Your Majesty’s absence is correct due to the matter I mentioned in the morning.”


    “okay.”


    “But just now… Prince Calian went to the conference hall.”


    “Why my brother?”


    I don’t know that either.


    Relic, with this look on his face, lowered his head a little more. And he brought up the story told by another servant of nz, who was surprised to encounter Calian in front of the Chermil Pce.


    “More than that… Prince Calian’s clothes… that.”


    Reric, who was choosing his words for a moment, moved his head closer to ntz. I told them what the clothes in question were like.


    “under.”


    A short sound that could beughter, sighing, amusement, or annoyance came out of ntz’s mouth.


    Renieri scent.


    I remembered that. I recalled what happened with Silike. I remembered yesterday, when I was tired of the scent for a moment.


    okay. Because I saw that.


    Because of that, the leash came off. Breaking a ss wasn’t enough to make him angry, so I just let him off the leash. He chose now as the moment when he was quietly assessing the situation as he ascended to the throne of Crown Prince nz.


    So suddenly.


    So suddenly.


    “……You crazy bastard.”


    A curse was thrown out that Lili couldn’t hear, but Reric and Demirea could hear. ntz passed by Relic, who was very surprised at something he had never seen before, and looked at Demirea before raising his finger. He then pointed to Riri, who was watching a small boat floating on the shore of theke.


    “Little Duke. Lirie.”


    “All right.”


    Demirea, who wasughing slightly at ntz’s harsh words, understood the meaning and nodded.


    nz walked to Lirie for a moment and said he would see her again in the evening, then walked towards Chermil Pce.


    To hold on to the leash that my younger brother let off on his own again.


    * * *


    – Tap, tap, tap.


    At the very front of the conference room.


    A ce about one knee higher than the nobles. A ce that looks down on the nobles no matter what. A ce that makes you look up at the king no matter what.


    ntz’s seat was located right next to Lemain’s seat in the very center of the ce. Calian stopped for a moment in front of two seats. The end of the long red cloak was lightly draped over thergest chair. Calian tapped the armrest of the chair for the crown prince next to him and went to his seat. Then, he sat down on the chair with a more rxed face than ever before and nodded his head as he looked at the nobles.


    In the conference room, where not even a single breath can be heard, a faint sound is heard for just a moment. With movements that could not have been more careful, those sitting in their seats looked at Calian. I looked up.


    “I think I came here because I had a lot of questions.”


    An audience was requested and Kalyan came.


    So it wasn’t an audience. Nevertheless, Calian opened his mouth as he pleased. The nobles listened.


    “Actually, Your Majesty is in Shurinz right now.”


    Kalian said. The rumbling soundsts for a moment and quickly subsides. A beautiful voice flowed from between her red lips, which were slightly pulled up as if she liked the tension.


    “Even the mules carrying the burden rest one day every four days. Shouldn’t the person who carried this country also have a day of rest? So I did this so that he could rest for a while.”


    I brought my father, the king of a country, on a mere mule.


    There is a stir once again.


    I did not say that it was I who sent Lemain to Schrinz. Because Calian couldn’t lie. Nevertheless, the nobles would have no doubt that it was Calian who did it. It would not have been expected that Calian would quietly step down from the position of crown prince. It would not have been possible to insist that ntz be ced on the throne, nor could he be confident that ntz would eventually ascend to the throne as nned.


    “So, should we postpone the nobles’ meeting this time for a while? Should we reschedule the date after Your Majesty’s return? That’s what I came here thinking about.”


    Knock knock knock.


    Calian’s fingertips touched the armrest and made a small sound. Calian, who had been thinking for a while with his back straight on the chair and one arm resting on the armrest, looked up. I looked at each and every face of the nobles. Although it wasn’t the crown prince’s uniform, he was wearing clothes that were so extravagant and perfectly suited to the crown prince’s uniform.


    “I guess… it’s a shame.”


    showed a smile


    Whether you follow Kalyan or not. He had a smile that would be difficult for anyone to refuse. He smiled a smile that made you forget for a moment all formalities, pros and cons, and royalws.


    “If there is an urgent matter, let’s hold the meeting informally as is and handle the rest after His Majestyes.”


    – Suddenly!


    But then.


    The door to the conference room, where only one person’s voice rang in silence, opened. The person who opened the conference room door with his own hand stepped forward.


    – Jeopuk.


    – Jeopuk.


    Calian was silent for a moment.


    The gazes of the nobles turned to the neer.


    – Jump and jump.


    The long ck cloak repeatedly billowed and sank in the wind as he walked. A dark navy blue jacket decorated with gold, identical to Calian’s, kept appearing and hiding within it. A darker vest and ck pants were seen together. I saw a ck shirt.


    The crown prince’s conquest.


    The crown prince’s conquest is different from Calian’s only in color. It seemed like that.


    ntz, who came to the conference hall wearing his uniform, stopped in his tracks, as if to protest his younger brother who was taking his seat and to show him who the real owner of the seat was. I opened my mouth.


    “I said let’s lift it together. What was my brother so busy that he took the first step?”


    Calian’s fingertips, which were resting on the armrest, drew a long arc and stopped abruptly. Calian slowly got up and looked down at nz, who was standing one step below, and gave his answer.


    “Did you want to carry it together?”


    “I guess not. I thought so.”


    ntz looked at Calian.


    I looked into the red eyes of the man who was trying to step on the brother who had said he would not betray me. I looked into the red eyes of the person who had decided that I would never let my brother kneel before a crown, whether it was a big crown or a small crown. I looked into the red eyes of the person who decided that even though I would remain a foolish older brother who was betrayed by trusting his younger brother, I would not let go of the hand of my younger brother who helped me and make him feel like a flower that bloomed alone.


    “You said you were mistaken.”


    nz said this and raised one corner of his mouth.


    – Tak.


    And moved his hand.


    The emerald decoration that fastened the cloak was undone. put it down


    – …… Sreuk.


    A small brooch fell to the floor. The ck cloak lost its support and fell to the floor. This time, there were no hands to hold it up, so the cloak fell andnded on the floor.


    Kalian’s mouth drew a long line as he looked at it.


    Because I saw nz’s hand not stopping. Because I saw that hand with protruding bones touching the first button of a long jacket. This is because I saw red ruby cuffs hanging from the sleeves of my brother’s ck shirt, who was about to take off all of the crown prince’s uniform.


    “……under.”


    I.


    It’s been a while since I thought I’d go out on my own in a cool way.


    “You crazy bastard.”


    A very small sentiment flowed from Kalian’s mouth.