Chapter: 25
Claude’s hand, which had been moving busily, came to a halt.
“Since our patron is visiting after so long, I thought it might be proper for you to at least see her face.”
Not knowing how that damned prince had killed Jeanne, Gaston believed it was the right thing to let Jeanne and Alexis meet.
From the tip of the pen touching the paper, a black dot slowly spread. Claude watched the widening blot of dark ink with sunken eyes. It looked like an abyss hidden beneath a sly mask.
“So that’s why I’m sending her away now.”
“Pardon?”
“There are times like that.”
He cut him off, signaling him not to ask further, and set the pen down.
“More importantly, I’ll write the reply myself. Go to the bank right now and bring back a blank check.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah.”
From the reason for sending Jeanne to Cassis at a time like this to the order to fetch a blank check, nothing made sense. Question marks practically plastered Gaston’s face. Claude let out a short laugh and added,
“I’m not going to use it for anything strange.”
He was in Loren now, but if Jeanne were to meet Alexis again, her heart might waver. The loyalty Claude remembered in her was absolute to the point of foolishness.
If the distance grew, if they did not face each other, if enough time passed, that loyalty would fade. Even if she wanted to go back after meeting him again, he had no intention of letting her.
For the sake of Jeanne’s future.
The carriage rattled violently as Alexis wandered through a dream.
[So I hear the young duke distinguished himself greatly in the subjugation of monsters in the north. Truly commendable.]
[You flatter me, Your Majesty.]
[The grand duke must be pleased. To be accomplished in both arms and letters, and to have grown so splendidly.]
[Thank you for thinking so highly of me.]
His mother’s gaze toward the man was always gentle, her expression bright, her voice lively. But Alexis alone could see the sharp thorn hidden within.
[It would be wonderful if our Alexis could follow Claude’s example and apply himself even more.]
The thorn’s name was envy.
[Isn’t the prince admirable as well? I’ve heard nothing but praise from those who teach him, saying he does his utmost in everything.]
[Doing one’s utmost is fine, but one must do well. Isn’t that right, Alexis?]
Whenever he was with the former grand duke, his mother always compared him to Claude. Given her temperament, she might have been deliberately provoking him to stir up a sense of competition.
But what burned inside Alexis each time was not a fighting spirit.
It was resentment toward his mother, who humiliated him in front of others; defiance toward the grand duke, who pretended to shield him with pity; and jealousy toward Claude, who acted indifferent, as if none of it concerned him.
He had done nothing wrong. Even basic physical training left him gasping for breath, and swinging a sword just a little raised painful blisters on his hands. Sitting at a desk for too long made his back and neck ache.
Even when he tried his hardest, his body refused to keep up like this—what was he supposed to do?
At the very least, if he had been born with golden hair like his mother’s instead of this middling orange color, he wouldn’t have lost out in appearance.
His late father, his mother, even his younger sibling—all of them had blond hair and blue eyes. Why was he the only one who looked like this…?
[About Prince Alexis—don’t you think, honestly, he doesn’t resemble either His Majesty or the late royal consort?]
Did he really have to endure such slander?
He wanted to prove it. No matter that Claude was called a child of the goddess, he was still a noble—while Alexis was royalty. Even if Loren had signed a non-aggression pact, in terms of status, Alexis stood above him.
To prove that he was of higher standing, that he could do anything Claude could, he set out to subjugate monsters in the eastern forest.
And there, he met her.
[Are you all right? Just looking at you, you seem like someone of high rank—what are you doing out here?]
“…Ha.”
The girl who had felled the monster in a single stroke sparkled as she soaked up the blue-tinged sunlight filtering through the dense leaves.
“…Please, get up—”
Her fearless eyes did not flinch even in the fierce wind. She was brave, and her slender frame did not look small at all.
“Prince Alex—”
She was a raw gem he had discovered first. He had nurtured her carefully, the harvest nearly at hand—yet that despicable Claude had taken what was his again…
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, Alexis jolted awake, seized by a convulsion. Rubbing his dry eyes, the haze in his mind vanished at once.
“We’ve arrived at Loren Castle. You should wake up now.”
“I was thinking,” Alexis snapped back. “By nature, a ruler must constantly ponder what good governance truly is.”
“Ah… yes, Your Highness.”
Philip looked like he had much to say, but chose to keep his mouth shut.
In the meantime, Alexis smoothed his disheveled hair. After tidying himself, he drew the curtain aside slightly. A massive castle boasting blue roofs came into view—Loren Castle.
He had visited two or so times with Queen Marie. Every time, it left him in a foul mood. Now, thinking that that man ruled it, the nausea he had barely suppressed seemed to rise again.
He would have preferred never to see his face again for the rest of his life, but he endured with a single-minded resolve: to take Jeanne back from Claude, no matter what.
Soon after passing through the gates, the carriage came to a stop. When the door opened, light poured into the carriage.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Claude greeted Alexis with impeccable courtesy and posture. Even that was unpleasant to look at. Alexis bit down on the tender flesh inside his lower lip as he stepped out of the carriage.
Everything about him irked Alexis—the broad shoulders he carried proudly after inheriting his title, his far longer legs and greater height.
Even the black hair that young ladies and noblewomen often praised as resembling the night sky looked no different from crow feathers to him.
“Ruby-like eyes, my foot. They’re just unsettling—like a vampire out of some novel.”
Though he loathed Claude’s very existence, Alexis feigned politeness and extended his hand with a smile.
“Thank you for such a warm welcome, Grand Duke. I hope my sudden visit didn’t catch you off guard.”
Claude smiled faintly and took the offered hand.
“Not at all. Your Highness’s visit is always welcome.”
He wanted to shout, to demand that Jeanne be handed over immediately, to call him a damned thief and disgrace him in front of everyone. But for the sake of a prince’s dignity, Alexis swallowed his rage and followed Claude into the mansion.
As they headed for the reception room, they exchanged pleasantries—whether the journey had been uncomfortable, how it had been over ten years since his last visit yet the castle remained as beautiful as ever.
To onlookers, they must have appeared the very model of cordial relations between royalty and nobility.
Yet throughout the conversation, Alexis kept scanning his surroundings, wondering if Jeanne might be imprisoned somewhere within the estate.
By the time he entered the reception room and took his seat, he had not seen even a shadow of her.
Where in the world is he hiding her?
Lost in thought, Alexis was jolted when Claude, seated across from him, spoke.
“So, what brings you all the way here today?”
“Well—ah, that is… I’ll soon be holding my engagement banquet, and I was hoping the Grand Duke would grace the occasion with his presence.”
“I see. Congratulations. But did you really come all this way just for that?”
Rather than being moved by the fact that a prince had come in person, Claude’s tone was closer to why bother coming at all.
Alexis cursed his insolence inwardly, but outwardly maintained a gentle smile.
After all, he would soon get to see that bandit’s face twist.
“You’re not just anyone to me—we’ve known each other since childhood. It wouldn’t do to invite you with nothing more than a simple letter. And there’s also something I’m personally curious about.”
“Go on.”
“Not long ago, I read an article in Le Choc Journal, and there was a familiar name in it.”
For a split second, Claude’s eyes hardened. Catching this instantly, Alexis snorted inwardly.
So you do feel guilty.
Pressing his advantage, Alexis continued.
“If it’s the woman I know, it’s quite a strange matter indeed. She entered the Royal Military Academy under my patronage. After graduating, she was meant to join the Royal Guard.”
“……”
“Of course, it could just be someone else with the same name. But if it is ‘my Jeanne,’ then surely I have the right to confirm what’s going on. So, if you permit it, Grand Duke, I’d like to see her in person.”
Narrowing his eyes, Alexis waited for Claude’s response.
He wondered whether a man who had shamelessly stolen what belonged to another could possibly have anything to say.
“Philip… was it?”
Instead of bowing his head, Claude turned his gaze past Alexis with a relaxed smile.
“There’s something I’d like to discuss with His Highness in private. Would you mind stepping out for a moment with Gaston?”
