I gently picked up the teacup that I had set down earlier and took another sip, feeling my throat constrict.
The window in the room was open, and the cool spring breeze continued to flow in, but the heat simring inside showed no signs of subsiding. Despite my efforts to lower the temperature, Ken’s gaze, silently fixed on us, kept raising it back up as soon as I beca aware of his eyes.
Even if I wanted to say sothing, I couldn’t find the right words. No, even if I managed to say sothing, the mont Ken uttered just a few words, I would be unable to speak anymore.
Fortunately, Ken didn’t say anything to break the silence. He simply smiled contentedly and stood still, watching us with warm eyes.
As ti passed, I started to get used to it.
‘I should be thankful that Ken isn’t a talkative person.’
If the person in this situation was my father instead of Ken, he would have kept grumbling about what happened earlier, making feel even more uncomfortable. Thinking that way, I felt more at ease and even felt grateful that the person here right now was none other than Ken.
At least Ken wasn’t making fun of .
‘It is sweet.’
Initially, I thought he was teasing with that remark.
I looked up at Ken blankly, and he was smiling with an expression as if he knew nothing. Yet, it seed like his gaze subtly encouraged to do sothing. I responded to Ken’s look with a simple shake of my head and took another sip of my tea.
As the atmosphere relaxed a bit, I decided it was ti to address the main issue. Observing Ken, who was completely engrossed in watching and Elena, I eventually called out his na.
“Ken.”
“Yes, my lord. Do you need sothing? Oh, by the way, it seems you have run out of bar snacks. I’ll go back to the kitchen and get so more. Perhaps it’s not enough just to have bar snacks; it might be nice to add so whipped cream to make them ‘sweet.’”
‘No, this old man is really...’
“That’s not what I wanted to talk about. Ken, there’s sothing I need to discuss with you.”
Surely Ken wouldn’t have co to my room for no reason, and it was clear that my father had ordered Ken to call and Elena.
But still, I thought we would have more ti to enjoy the refreshnts. It didn’t take long for Ken to co after the refreshnts arrived, so perhaps my father had imdiately told him what he wanted to say.
Now that I thought about it, I had forgotten to think about why Noel and Orcus had co to Sarham.
Well, it was probably fine now. As I would soon hear the reason from my father anyway.
Though it was rely speculation, if it turned out to be true, it could be sothing of great importance. However, do we really have enough ti to discuss it leisurely now?
However, contrary to my thoughts, Ken took out a pocket watch and smiled mischievously. Then, looking at with a reassuring expression, he replied.
“You don’t need to worry too much, Young master. You’ll have plenty of ti to enjoy refreshnts with the young lady.”
“Ah, yes...”
I smiled bitterly at his answer and looked at Elena again. She chuckled lightly at Ken’s words about having enough ti, and when she noticed my gaze, she gave an enigmatic smile.
“Nyum~”
Elena’s face, which had been stained red just a few minutes ago, had returned to its original state as she was cutting the cake and putting it in her mouth, gazing at .
This situation had completely trapped.
I thought I could leave as soon as possible to escape the earlier awkwardness, but Ken left no room for escape. Elena also seed to have grasped sothing from Ken’s words, and her earlier blush had vanished.
Elena had witnessed the exchange between Ken and , so she was no longer in the sa flustered mood as before.
Rather, it seed that Elena was now happy to have acquired a good way to tease , and she was biding her ti to strike. Or perhaps she was just enjoying watching squirm.
Ken had entirely changed the dynamics.
Now, she was the one teasing, and I was the one under attack.
“Haha...”
Though Elena didn’t say anything, her eyes seed to say, “Be prepared!”
In response, I looked away slightly and sipped my tea again.
But did she know why I felt so tense right now?
I an, when have I ever been like this? Honestly, Elena’s preparation for an attack was quite cute, like that of a small animal, not a predator, more like a puppy or a cat... well, so small animal like that.
I felt sorry for Elena, but her peculiar gaze not only made uneasy but also made want to keep observing her.
If we were the only two people in this room, I might have enjoyed her gaze purely. However, the problem was that there were others present besides us.
I didn’t know if it was because I was easily embarrassed, but I felt like I couldn’t treat Elena the way I usually do, conscious of the gazes of others.
I wasn’t the kind of person who cared about what other people thought, except for Elena. When we were alone together, I didn’t care, but the thought that soone else might be watching us made my face heat up.
The nervousness I felt now was all because of that.
Even though it was Ken standing behind , soone who knew more about the relationship between and Elena than anyone else, his gaze still weighed on .
I felt like I should sohow send Ken out of the room or leave myself, but today, since Ken was on Elena’s side, there was nothing I could do.
Feeling a bit desperate, I looked at the empty plate and asked Elena.
“Should I bring more refreshnts? It seems like we’re running out.”
“Oh, it’s okay, Damian. Soon it’ll be dinner ti, and we probably won’t need more refreshnts. Um... but if you really want sothing ‘sweet,’ I can add whipped cream to it.”
“No, it’s okay.”
‘I give up!’
***
While Elena seed to enjoy teasing , we couldn’t stay in the room forever. After a while, the ti Ken ntioned arrived, and Elena and I followed him to where my father was.
Though we hadn’t reached our usual path with Ken yet, I could guess where we were heading. As expected, we arrived at the dining room.
It was still too early for dinner, but it was clear why we were there—the table was empty, with no food prepared.
“It’s been a while since I saw all of your faces. So, did you enjoy your ti in rohim?”
As we entered, the first thing I saw was my father’s face. He seed to have let his beard grow, and it was noticeably longer than when I last saw him.
In response to my father’s question, Elena and I nodded slightly, and I answered.
“It was quite enjoyable. But I think Sarham suits better. By the way, Father, did you grow your beard? You seem to look older than before.”
“Is that so? Then it’s just as I intended. After living for so long with a youthful appearance, I wanted to experience aging a bit.”
“If any of your noble friends hear that, they’ll probably be furious, don’t you think?”
Like Duke Joachim, for instance. My father chuckled at the ntion and nodded lightly.
“Yes, that’s precisely why I’m doing it.”
Of course, it was my sa old father. He never changed.
Well, no one could change in just a week.
Father took a chair and sat down, gesturing for Elena and to do the sa.
The seat that Father always sat in, the table head, remained empty as if intentionally left vacant. The chairs were arranged in a way that everyone could face each other around the rectangular table, with two chairs visible on the opposite side of Father’s seat. I naturally sat next to my Father, and Elena took the seat next to .
There was one more chair remaining on our side, where we sat in a row. I knew it was Alphonse’s seat. Father looked at the empty chair next to for a mont, then turned back to and spoke.
“Alphonse will be joining us soon, so you don’t have to worry.”
“That’s good to hear. But there’s sothing I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind.”
As I glanced at the two chairs in front of , Father chuckled lightly in response.
“Of course, go ahead. It’s not sothing difficult to answer. But before that, let ask you sothing first. Are you okay with it?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly happened in rohim?”
For a mont, my father’s eyes glead sharply.
Those golden eyes, much like mine, resembled a dragon soaring in the sky, overseeing everything below. Yet, despite facing such a powerful gaze, I felt neither fear nor discomfort. All I saw was Father’s concerned eyes, at the center of the powerful flow shaking the world.
In response to my father’s question, I calmly recounted what had happened in rohim.
“The duke held a banquet two days after we arrived. Thanks to that, I had to receive dance practice from Elena for only two days.”
“Uh… is that so?”
“I think that’s why I danced quite well on the banquet day, right? Elena?”
“Didn’t you hug because your feet gave out at the end?”
“Let’s just consider it a part of the performance and move on.”
My father’s expression began to change oddly as he listened to my account.
Perhaps he didn’t want to hear this story. However, the events I experienced in rohim were nothing but ordinary daily life that I could have experienced in Sarham. If anything, Sarham was even more peaceful, as I had never encountered monsters here.
In any case, I shared everything I could, such as eting the Twilight magic tower master and going on a date with Elena at the rohim night market. I couldn’t ntion my encounter with Theia as it was a secret. Yet, even if my father had heard about it, my response would not be what he expected.
“In the end, I returned ho after sparring with the knights of Edelweiss. It seems Wilhelm’s training was highly effective; everyone’s skills were remarkable.”
“If it’s that old wolf from the northern region, no wonder. Even when I was young, he was a figure who undoubtedly ranked among the Empire’s strongest knights. Of course, your grandfather too... Never mind. Is this truly the end?”
“Yes. After that, just like when the Duke went back, he sent us back using teleportation magic.”
“Hah…”
After hearing my story, Father made a sound that seed like a sigh of relief. Elena nodded, affirming the truth of my words.
“Well, I have nothing to say, but suddenly the world feels so unfair.”
“To say sothing like that out of the blue... Are you feeling guilty, father?”
“That’s not sothing you should say, you brat! You haven’t even turned 20 yet, and you are already on the verge of becoming a Sword Master... I couldn’t understand why my father used to look at that way when I was young, but seeing your talent, I sympathize with him now!”
Father laughed heartily, eventually proclaiming it was Kraus’ victory this ti as well.
However, I didn’t respond to Father’s words. Well, that was because I knew who would eventually surpass him and beco the youngest Sword Master on the continent.
Of course, that person’s journey to becoming a Sword Master would take ti and be part of a story unfolding in the future.
Perhaps that individual was now gazing at the sa goal as I was.
Reinhard Crol, the current Sword Master of Crol and the future top-ranked swordsman on the continent... Wasn’t that person the epito of irrationality? He wasn’t even like , yet he reached the level of a Master just after turning 20 with the help of a single talent.
Did Father ignore the information about him?
Just thinking about that guy made uneasy.
When I didn’t consider him a rival before, it didn’t bother , but now he might beco an unpredictable variable. He could be an ally, but he could also be an enemy. The re thought that Reinhard might be looking at the sa goal as I was suddenly made the world feel unfair.
No, I’d prefer to think it that way.
Otherwise, how would he beco a Master at such an age if it wasn’t his goal?
It’s not like he was the protagonist of a novel, smoothly leaping over stages—like a snake jumping over a wall*.
“Hah! How does it feel to suddenly itch all over? It’s been a while since I had a chat with my son. I heard you already competed and defeated Gwen, that guy.”
“Um...that’s...”
I wondered if Father’s eyes now glead with a different aning, as if he had sowhat organized his thoughts. I turned my head slightly to look at Elena, and she was giving the sa expression as she did at the training ground earlier.
That ant it was a refusal. I had to reject Father’s suggestion, disappointing him.
“I’m sorry, Father. I will practice a little more and then take on the challenge.”
“Fine, I guess... I understand.”
Father’s disappointnt made feel guilty, but at the sa ti, it motivated to push forward. Now that I had made so progress, I might be able to see things I couldn’t before.
Still, this opportunity wasn’t going anywhere, so I decided to follow Elena’s advice and take a rest. Rest was also essential.
As the conversation seed to be coming to an end, I turned my gaze forward again and decided to ask a question.
“Well, Father. Can I ask a question now?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Your Highness the Princess and Prince, did they co here for any particular reason? Did sothing happen while I was away?”
It was the question I wanted to ask from the beginning.
Why exactly did the Empire’s only prince and princess visit Sarham? They were royalty, but they were also the first in line for the succession.
There must have been so reason for their visit without any explanation. I initially thought it might be a military issue, but the knights’ calm deanor suggested otherwise.
Father answered with a very casual tone, just like at the beginning.
“It’s nothing. The two of them ca here to congratulate your engagent. There’s no other particular reason.”
“Really?”
Was that the correct answer?
As I looked at Father with an incredulous expression, he scratched his head and continued.
“Well, that’s just the surface reason.”
Of course, there had to be more to it. I imdiately pricked up my ears, eager to catch every detail of Father’s words.
“It seems like His Majesty is concerned that the Princess and the Prince have been confined to the palace all the ti. Their visit is not just a congratulatory one; it’s also a ssage for you and Elena. He wants both of them to make so friends.”
‘Huh?’
[TL: * is an idiom that ans smoothly going over a wall(a hurdle, challenge, etc.). ]
--- END OF CHAPTER ---
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