Chapter 119
Calian’s maid, Marilyn, opened the door and said,
“Please enter,”
It was Alan, who stepped inside Calian’s empty room. As soon as he was inside, Marilyn silently closed the door behind him.
Alan, walked to the safe next to the bedroom, and with practised ease, opened the door. He noted that due to the business regarding Lennon, the safe was emptier than before.
He placed so cheques and docunts inside the safe – it was part of the profits from the forr Brissen rchantry – now of course, part of the Pollun rchantry.
Although lfir Pollun’s na had been used to purchase the rchantry, the actual funds for it had co from this safe – therefore, lfir, who was reluctant to receive things without paying the appropriate price from them, decided to send a portion of the revenue from the rchantry to Calian of his own will.
Since he was also soone who understood the art of the trade, Alan felt that Calian wouldn’t refuse lfir’s idea and so had co to deliver the the money to the prince’s safe himself.
“Our prince never seems to be short of money.” he murmured to himself.
Alan smirked, thinking back to how surprised he had been when he had looked into this safe for the first ti.
It wasn’t the kind of surprise that could be compared to how he had felt seeing the bathtub made of onyx stone.
Having concluded his business with Calian’s safe, Alan ca out of his room and and headed to the stairs – it was just as Marilyn had finished locking up the room behind him that Alan bumped into soone walking up the stairs at the sa ti.
At the very sa mont as Calian spoke the words back at Reddington Castle, Alan bit his tongue on a similar sentint,
‘Can there be such coincidences?’
Light green hair could be seen erging from the stair railings followed by teal eyes. It was Franz.
Franz, who had been climbing the stairs, paused when he noticed soone stood at the top of the stairs, following the legs up, his gaze landed on Alan.
Although the other person was the second prince, he wasn’t exactly soone Alan found difficult to deal with, so he smiled and greeted him leisurely.
“It has been so ti, your highness, Prince Franz.”
Franz did not respond, staring straight up at Alan without a shift in expression – despite only a few seconds passing, it was quite a long ti to be staring at each other silently.
Even though Franz was a prince, the person stood before him Alan Manasil. He was soone that even the Marquis of Brissen – no even, the King could not treat carelessly. So just as the attendant that had been following Franz began getting anxious that Franz wasn’t greeting Alan –
“Mage. Did he change because he t you? Or did you et you because he changed?”
Franz finally opened his mouth.
But what had co out was not a polite greeting.
Before Calian had left for Roselita, he had ntioned to Alan that Franz was suspicious of his identity. Thus, Alan imdiately understood that Franz’s question was related to Calian, however whether he was being vague on purpose because he was conscious of the ears around them or whether this was simply the way he normally spoke – he was cryptic enough, that Alan could smile and ask him,
“Change? I wonder what you an by that?”
Looking at Alan, who seed determined to act ignorant, Franz said,
“It seems my dear little brother has changed a lot. Since I haven’t been able to hear about how this change ca about, I wondered if you might know,”
If he had really intended to answer, Alan would have said ‘Callian changed and so was able to et ’ – however Alan had no intention of making things so straightforward for the little prince. Instead, he smiled gently,
“Are you thinking too much because you stepped away from alcohol, or perhaps did you step away from alcohol because you had so many thoughts, your highness?”
For the second prince of the kingdom, the only people who had even comnted on his drinking habits were Ruin and Silica – and only once, Randell.
That was just was rude Alan was, to say sothing like that.
Of course, if it had been Ruin, he would have simply sighed and accepted Alan’s comnts as part of his sowhat aggravating personality but Alan’s attendant stared at Ruin in warning.
However Alan’s gaze did not move from where it was fixed on Franz.
Franz, who understood Alan’s gaze, raised a corner of his lip in a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes and said,
“…So there is another person here who is disappointed.”
The only other person who would be disappointed that Franz had quit drinking and acting like a scoundrel was Randell, who Alan understood that Randell too must have made a comnt about Franz’s drinking habits at so point.
And so he gave an answer to Franz’s first question.
“Everyone changes eventually, your highness.”
Franz gazed up at Alan in silence again. There was still doubt in his eyes.
“Whether the changes is to stop drinking alcohol, or to stop fearing the elder’s brother’s madness – is there a difference?”
Another long mont of silence passed between them due to Alan’s unexpected vitriol
“Ha.” Franz let out a false laugh.
Alan continued to look down at Franz from where he stood, with his eyes narrowed and sharpness in his gaze.
“Since anyone can change – that is all there is to it.”
With those words, Alan bent his neck towards Franz in what just about passed as a bow and continued on his way down the stairs.
Instead of getting angry, Franz stared after Alan, and continued to stand there for a long ti after the clicking of sound of Alan’s shoes as he walked away had faded.
And he reflected on Alan’s vicious words once again,
“Madness you say…”
For a long ti, Franz did not move.
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