Chapter 13
Watching the battle of nerves between Charles and Blanc, Vieta fell into thought.
How could she quietly get Blanc out of that commotion?
Carrying Blanc out or throwing something to deflect the sword's path would not have been difficult for her, but the problem was the attention it would draw.
With everyone's eyes already fixed on them because of the altercation with the unruly Charles, it seemed impossible to get Blanc out quietly, no matter how she thought about it.
Even so, she could not leave Blanc there as he was.
It would have been nice if he could protect himself, but according to Fulcare, he was such a weakling that even a squire's sword could send him flying. Without someone's help, he was certain to be seriously injured.
With a short sigh, Vieta started to rise, but Fulcare caught her arm and made her sit back down.
“I'll go.”
Fulcare did not look particularly pleased to have been dragged into this mess either, but he seemed to think it would be better for him to step forward than for her.
“What a bother.”
Fulcare's hands began to gleam gold.
*
Golden ripples faintly stirred in midair before instantly swelling into a massive sphere.
The barrier distorted all five senses and drove out everyone who had not been invited.
The only ones left inside the barrier were Charles, Blanc, Fulcare, and the knight—four people in all.
Caught off guard, Charles's eyes sharpened as he half-reclined in the plush chair.
‘That bastard, Fulcare?’
Only that damnable mage could deploy such a powerful barrier at once anywhere in the Empire.
The familiar flow of mana also told Charles that Fulcare was the one who had interrupted his amusement.
But it was already too late.
The sword had already begun cleaving through the air. In another moment, the beggar would be rolling across the floor and screaming.
Golden magic circles clung to the knight's thick arms and armor, but the knight refused to release his sword to the very end, as though determined to live up to Charles's expectations.
Kaaang—!
But contrary to Charles's expectations, the sharp sword failed to touch even a single hair on the man's head and plunged straight into the marble floor.
Thud—.
Thooong.
Even his sturdy knees, which had supported him as he stood, were forced to kneel one after another.
"Ugh…."
The knight groaned, then bowed his head to the floor.
It was a series of awkward, jerky movements, as though he were being controlled by force.
What stopped the sword as it fell in a sharp arc was not Fulcare's magic.
Fulcare's magic had only bought Blanc a moment.
“!!!”
The instant Charles saw the gleam flashing from the purple eyes between the dirty brown strands of hair, he hurriedly straightened his upper body.
"W-Why…."
Charles could not bring himself to finish the rest of his sentence.
“You recognize that power too, Your Highness.”
Fulcare answered Charles on behalf of the silent man.
Fulcare kicked the back of the knight lying facedown to move him aside, then helped the man to his feet.
“…The Imperial Eye.”
It was the imperial family's power that could make attacks miss and force enemies to submit.
It could block only a single attack and required some time before it could be used again, so it had its limitations, but that was not the full extent of the Imperial Eye's value.
The Imperial Eye could be used only by the Empire's rightful heir.
Perhaps flustered by Blanc's unexpected appearance, Charles bit down on his lip.
“Fulcare Rach de Draph pays his respects to the Empire's Little Sun.”
Fulcare showed Charles due courtesy before continuing.
“I may not be in a position to say this to Your Highness, but I understood you were under disciplinary confinement. I wonder what brings you here. Have you perhaps come out for a picnic?"
As he said this, he bent at the waist with a slightly insolent air.
“…Chief!”
Seeing Fulcare whispering into his ear, Charles ground his teeth.
“If you merely came out for a picnic, then that is fortunate. You ordered your knight to harm the Empire's rightful heir. What do you think will happen if His Majesty hears about this?”
Fulcare had not stepped forward out of deep loyalty to the Empire.
He had simply been disgusted after witnessing Prince Charles's outrageous behavior during what had been an enjoyable meal.
Besides, if he left things as they were, his precious captain might cause an even bigger incident.
“Are you planning to run to that person again, as you always do?”
A gladiolus drawn from mana bloomed above Fulcare's palm, then crumbled and drifted apart.
“Chief, do you really think you will get away with this?”
Charles could not have failed to understand what it meant to see the gladiolus, the flower symbolizing the Consort, wither.
“What trouble could I possibly have? The person I serve is His Majesty, not Your Highness—at least for now. If Your Highness ascends the throne someday, I will serve you with all my heart. Just as I do now.”
“Have you gotten into bed with Roen now!”
The black eyes of Prince Charles glistened with what seemed to be immense humiliation at Fulcare's taunt that he would never ascend the imperial throne.
“Your Highness, you should use proper honorifics. He is the one who will be your sovereign one day. The Consort will be saddened.”
"Shut up!"
Clang!
Charles hurled a plate from the table at Fulcare.
But a mere plate could not pierce Fulcare's barrier.
The plate struck the barrier and crumbled into very fine powder, which sifted down through the air.
“Chief, I will speak now.”
Blanc took off the wig he was wearing and stepped forward.
At that, another spark flared in Prince Charles's eyes.
Golden hair resembling the sun, and purple eyes.
The appearance Charles wanted so desperately was right before him.
“Little brother. Is there truly nothing you wish to say to me?”
"…."
Charles stared at Roen and Fulcare for a long while without saying anything.
And then,
Thump.
He knelt in the food-stained corridor and paid his respects.
No matter how he turned things over in his head, bowing to these two was his only option for now.
“…This Charles."
His voice kept trembling.
"I… have been rude to my elder brother."
With every word he spat out, a surge of anguish rose within him as though he were swallowing poison.
"Please forgive me.”
“…Enough. Hurry back to the palace. "
Fortunately, his merciful elder brother demanded nothing more of Charles.
Nor would he run straight to the Emperor and make a major issue of this.
But that did not mean the humiliation and disgrace Charles had suffered would disappear.
His two fists trembled, and his tightly clenched molars throbbed.
"Chief, you should set aside your anger now as well.”
With a light sigh, Blanc put the brown wig back on.
"As you command. Then enjoy your picnic and return safely, Prince Charles."
When Charles rose from his seat, the barrier dividing the space disappeared.
As Roen and Fulcare moved away, Charles's eyes met those of his own party.
Their eyes widened as they waited outside the barrier, then they quietly turned their heads as though they had seen something they should not have.
When Charles lowered his head, his eyes fell on his own clothes, a complete mess stained with food.
‘I will see how long you can keep smiling.’
It really had been the worst right up to the very end.
***
“Too bad. I should have at least smacked him on the back of the neck. Should I chase after him now?”
Vieta waited for Fulcare and Blanc in the first-floor restroom.
It was only natural. The moment Fulcare's barrier went up, the customers on the second floor streamed out like the receding tide. Since the only people left were Charles's party, Vieta had hurriedly slipped away as well.
“And get chased by the imperial knights again?”
“As though this would be the first or second time. Even if they caught me, I’d be released within a day anyway.”
Vieta and Fulcare were chatting over ice cream, but Blanc's expression was far from cheerful.
“Blanc, are you feeling unwell?”
She should have called him Your Highness, but Blanc had vehemently refused. He did not seem to like being called Lord Blanc either, so Vieta had no choice but to call him Blanc.
“It’s not that….”
Fulcare reached out and placed a hand on Blanc's back.
“Since you used a great deal of mana that you do not normally use all at once, you must have overloaded yourself. Let me ease it for you.”
“Ah, thank you.”
After Fulcare examined Blanc for about ten minutes, Blanc's complexion gradually improved.
“When did you first become able to use that power?”
When Vieta reached the first-floor restroom and, unable to contain her curiosity, tore open Fulcare's barrier, she saw Charles with his head bowed.
The golden particles glittering in Blanc's purple eyes told Vieta the truth.
The prince had used the Imperial Eye.
Whenever the Imperial Eye was activated, traces like that were always left in the eyes.
“I first learned I could use it when I returned from the Kingdom of Madak.”
According to his words, he had already faced a threat to his life on his return from the Kingdom of Madak, yet Blanc's tone was calm, as though he were talking about someone else's experience.
“Fulcare, you knew too, right?”
“To some extent? His Majesty told me.”
“You should tell me about things like that too. It makes me feel like I’m the only idiot.”
Vieta had genuinely worried that Blanc might get hurt.
She had figured nothing would happen with Fulcare there, but you never knew.
“The captain hates talking about politics.”
That was true, so she had nothing to say to that…
As Vieta scratched her cheek awkwardly, she heard Blanc sigh.
“Blanc, are you still in pain?”
“It’s not that.”
Blanc smiled, but the corners of his mouth trembled so much that anyone could tell he was forcing the smile.
It had not been long since he returned to the Empire, yet he had openly caused trouble, so it was only natural for him to be troubled.
The nobles who had been watching and the Emperor himself might not make an issue of it, but the Consort might seize upon this incident.
“Let’s eat first, then think about it.”
Vieta snatched Blanc's spoon, scooped up a generous amount of ice cream, and pushed it into his mouth.
They do call it a sugar high, after all.
When you're depressed, something sweet is the best remedy.
***
“Vieta, come with me.”
“No.”
Blanc's eyes widened for an instant at Vieta's answer.
“…Why not?”
“I’ve already agreed to take on Fulcare’s commission.”
To be honest, Vieta could have broken her contract with Fulcare, but she did not particularly want to.
When the work was the same, was it not only natural to choose the client who paid more?
Besides, Fulcare was much easier to work with than Blanc.
“I’ll be joining that pilgrimage party anyway. So find someone else. For your safety, it would be better to add even one more person to our side.”
“…But….”
Blanc remained unmoved despite Vieta's persuasion.
“If you keep being stubborn, I really won’t go with you.”
In the end, Vieta even threatened him with a lie.
That was what she said, but she was not foolish enough to throw away the chance to pay off more than half of the debt she owed Theodore.
Blanc, thoroughly dejected, disappeared through the warp gate, and Vieta hurried to tidy up her office.
She had only eaten lunch and taken a short walk, yet it was already time to close the office.
-Ding.
She was absorbed in cleaning when the bell rang.
Vieta hurriedly hid her cleaning tools, then went outside.
It was time to go home, but every penny mattered to her now.
Vieta was about to greet the man standing awkwardly near the entrance, but the man spoke first.
“Please find my wife.”
The gaunt man dropped to his knees the moment he saw Vieta.