CHAPTER 146………………………………………………..
After saying farewell to Zion and Minte,
Kallion stared blankly at the gift boxes placed in the mansion’s parlor.
He had acquired a title here.
He had also earned the trust of these nobles.
“With the patronage of the Illiod merchants, I no longer need to worry about the budget.”
He could continuously buy gifts for his beloved saint without restraint.
Yet a deep shadow fell over Kallion’s eyes.
“But these are useless.”
Because he could not surpass the name “Ares.”
No matter how luxurious the shoes or jewelry he procured, he could never have Zion’s face thinking of Ares.
…Thunk!
Silently, Kallion threw one of the boxes against the wall.
“Ha…”
His head ached from a jealousy so intense it made breathing difficult.
No, his head had been hurting for some time now.
‘Since the day I lost the necklace Zion gave me…’
A precious treasure he could not bring himself to say he had lost.
And at the end of this headache, someone always whispered to him:
“Make sure no one is beside that woman.”
He liked the word “no one.”
His saint cared for far too many people.
The people of Persen Palace, the Demon Lord, those trivial advisors—
And above all, Ares Ismenios.
“And you take the seat beside her.”
“……”
Kallion slowly lifted his head.
For a moment, a yellow light flickered in his eyes.
“…Yes. Fine.”
Now, the time had come.
The time to occupy the seat beside that woman forever.
Minte’s suggestion seemed better the more I thought about it.
Wouldn’t it be good to check in advance how prepared the summer palace was for the conference?
So, my party and I arrived in the south a little earlier than my father.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I also decided to sneak a peek at Ares and visited the Orpheum in the early evening.
But when we reached the front gate, Lethe looked concerned.
“Princess, are you sure it’s okay to go in alone?”
“It’s just a quick visit.”
I waved lightly in my transformed appearance.
Since I had changed into a student with pink hair and sky-blue eyes, no one would recognize me and hassle me.
…And, honestly, I wanted to meet him alone first.
“Everyone wait here? I’ll be right back!”
“Please come back quickly, Princess!”
“Okay!”
I crossed the familiar academy garden, having been here a few times before.
Even though I hadn’t informed him, I had an idea of what he might be doing.
‘Ares said he would be in the sparring grounds with his peers around this time.’
The training grounds were behind the building where Ares had once taken his exam.
As I got closer to the building, my heart beat faster.
Thump… thump! Thump!
Was he dueling with magic or something?
From the loud sounds echoing as I approached, my guess seemed correct.
Without realizing it, the corners of my mouth began to curl up.
‘Hmm. Let’s see if he recognizes me.’
If he didn’t, I’d scold him for it.
But when I peeked around the corner…
“Huff!”
I quickly covered my mouth with both hands and turned my body away.
The man I had just seen, with familiar dark red hair and a sword, was undoubtedly Ares.
‘W-Why is he… shirtless?’
Ares had grown a lot every year, so even from a distance…
His shoulders, arms, and other muscles I couldn’t dare mention were clearly visible.
But more than that, why were there so many people here to see him?
“Ismenios, win!”
“I bet you, Prince!”
“Eek!”
…Wait, who was squealing just now?
I cautiously peeked around the corner again.
In the training grounds, Ares was swinging a flaming sword while another student countered him.
Quite a few people watched from the stands.
Many of them were girls, too.
They all looked so excited, it made me feel strangely uneasy.
‘What’s so fun about watching this?’
Of course, Ares was very skilled, and he looked fine too…
But coming to see something I had thought of as mine, and realizing it wasn’t, left me with a strange emptiness.
Clang!
Just then, a sword snapped.
The referee shouted along with a whistle.
“Ismenios, victory!”
Wow!
The spectators clapped and cheered Ares’ name.
Even from afar, I saw Ares helping his fallen opponent to their feet and smiling.
Seeing that smile, my sense of emptiness doubled.
‘So he’s been getting along well with these people…’
He said he was too busy to contact me.
Then, a loud female voice rang from the stands.
“Hey! Areeeees!”
A girl with orange hair tied high in a single ponytail leapt over the wall and ran excitedly toward the training grounds.
Then, to my shock, she wrapped her arms around Ares’ neck from behind.
‘…Hmm?’
What am I even seeing?
‘Did a girl… call out Ares’ name?’
Well, that was believable—if they were classmates.
‘But did she just touch him?’
A more unbelievable scene followed.
Ares grabbed her wrist and pulled her away himself.
“Ah, Lunai. It’s hot, so step back.”
“Haha! Hey, thanks to you I made some gains! Ismenios, you’re the best!”
“Ugh, Lunai, are you deaf? I said it’s hot.”
…What on earth is that youngest brat saying?
‘Lunai? She’s calling him by name?’
Meanwhile, the girl smacked Ares’ back and made a ruckus.
Other people also approached Ares one by one.
The sight was both pleasant to see and bitter to taste.
‘Annoying. So irritating…’
I had come all excited to surprise him.
I even came south early while being cautious of my father.
And yet, he was getting along fine with everyone else.
I hadn’t even informed him in advance that I would come, so my frustration was pointless.
Still, I felt like I had fallen off a cliff.
‘…Let’s just go.’
I turned and slowly headed to where the Epikus sisters were waiting.
I had actually planned to meet them today and suggest staying at the summer palace together over the summer.
‘I thought we could spend time like old times once Kallion arrived.’
Later, I would just tell him to come to the summer palace himself.
‘He has two legs, so he can come on his own.’
Just then, I heard footsteps running from the training grounds.
“Zion!”
“…!”
“Zion, right?”
My heart skipped a beat at that familiar low voice.
I stiffly turned my head, and Ares came running toward me, breathing heavily.
Still, his upper body remained bare—where he had tossed his shirt was unknown.
“You’re really Zion, huh?”
“Uh… how—”
“Why did you come alone, Your Highness?”
“Y-You… how did you recognize me?”
I had even altered my features more than usual in this disguise!
Ares chuckled, as if hearing some trivial excuse.
“Your Highness. Your facial muscles haven’t changed at all. How could I not recognize you?”
“…What? My facial muscles, what about them!”
Ares moved his hands up and down along his face.
“Like this, your mature expression sometimes gets that little flare?”
“……”
I glared at him haughtily.
But Ares just crossed his arms and smiled triumphantly.
“You came because you wanted to see me? That’s why you came like this?”
“Ah… uh… no, just… on a whim…”
I muttered awkwardly, unable to meet his eyes, turning my head.
Disheveled hair, sweat still glistening on my face.
That smile, playful yet arrogant.
For a moment, I remembered the young ladies saying, “The Prince is going to grow up to be a bad boy!”
I still didn’t know what a ‘bad boy’ was.
‘Really… this is maddening.’
I pressed my lips together in frustration.
After Ares left Persen Palace, the question that had tormented me for years arose again.
‘Could it be… I really like him…?’
In that sense?
