Chapter 24
However, Usher did not stay long and left the Claven estate. His prior commitment was with Olivia, and neither Eleanor nor Usher had any intention of breaking that promise.
“Olivia.”
As Eleanor called out Olivia’s name and knocked twice, the door suddenly swung open. The speed reflected Olivia’s excitement, who had been eagerly waiting for Eleanor to arrive.
“Were you waiting for me?”
“Yes!”
Olivia cheerfully replied as she grabbed Eleanor’s hand and pulled her into the room. She was different from the girl who used to enjoy teasing others but avoided direct encounters.
“Hmm, where should I start?”
“Hurry, tell me everything!”
“Should I start with the train ride?”
“The train!”
Olivia shouted excitedly, almost as if steam puffed out of her nose.
“Remember the train station in the place we visited last time, Olivia?”
Olivia nodded vigorously. Eleanor began to tell her the story—slightly embellished—about taking a first-class train from Southern Station to the capital, wearing a new dress and accessories, and entering the royal banquet hall.
“And then I danced with His Grace.”
“Dance? With Logan?”
Olivia, now sleepy from the long story, tilted her head slightly and asked, her eyelids fluttering. Eleanor smiled and nodded.
“…Was it dazzling? All sparkly?”
“What was?”
Yawn. Olivia let out a small yawn.
“The lights… the dresses…”
“Shall we lie down, Olivia?”
Olivia, blinking drowsily, obediently followed Eleanor’s suggestion. Eleanor tucked her into bed and pulled the blanket over her.
“Yes, everything sparkled and shined. The chandelier glittered in the lights, and everyone’s clothes were elegant and luxurious.”
Pulling up a chair to sit at the edge of the bed, Eleanor gently patted Olivia’s chest. Then she softly whispered the kind of story Olivia wanted to hear. The child, as if dreaming, listened with a dazed expression.
“Did Logan shine too?”
Eleanor’s hand paused instinctively as she recalled that day’s Logan.
His neatly brushed hair, his long and lean body wrapped in a smooth black tailcoat, the restrained elegance of his properly buttoned sleeves, his large gloved hands that led hers with firm warmth. He didn’t speak much, but he always quietly cared for her with kindness.
It would be a lie to say her heart didn’t flutter.
“Yes. He did shine.”
If Eleanor had been a little more naive, and if Usher hadn’t been there, she might have foolishly dreamed of resting in Logan’s arms.
But Eleanor knew well that no matter how charming and kind Logan was, he could never be her man. Even setting aside their wealth, unlike Usher—who was a second son of the Fitzman family—Logan was the Duke of Claven. A dream she could never afford to dream. Literally, even thinking of him in that way was “beyond her station.”
“Olivia, are you asleep?”
Olivia, who had stirred up Logan’s memory, had fallen fast asleep after her last murmured question. Eleanor gently smoothed the child’s messy hair and quietly left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
* * *
“Now that you’re married, be faithful to your household. Don’t hold any lingering feelings for the Duke of Claven.”
“I don’t have any lingering feelings, even if you don’t say that.”
Princess Daphne responded with a sulky face. She had come to say goodbye to the King one last time before leaving on a cruise honeymoon.
“There’s nothing good about clinging to a man who has feelings for another woman.”
The King looked at Princess Daphne meaningfully.
“Did he really look like he had feelings for that partner of his?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
Princess Daphne frowned as if she’d heard something ridiculous.
“Men, honestly…”
Tsk. She clicked her tongue. Anyone else would have been scolded for speaking so casually in front of the King, but this was Princess Daphne—his only sister, who had been a wild tomboy since childhood.
“Try to watch your mouth, will you.”
The King let her impudence slide with just a mild scolding.
“Travel safely.”
“I’ll bring back a gift on the way.”
“Do that.”
The King stood up, lightly embraced his sister, and patted her back a couple of times. While others might say the King still clung to an already-marriageable princess, to him, Daphne was still just a child. So it was natural that Logan, who had hurt her heart, seemed like even more of a villain.
“Your Majesty, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is waiting. Shall we head inside?”
Of course, even if Logan had accepted Daphne’s feelings, the King wouldn’t have had a favorable opinion of him anyway.
Scrunching his nose, the King moved toward the palace, where the foreign minister awaited.
‘Why does Brother hate Logan so much?’
The King’s dislike for Logan had a long and storied history.
At age five, Logan had appeared holding the former Duke of Claven’s hand. When the then seven-year-old King mocked him for being motherless, Logan had punched him squarely in the jaw. That tiny fist had packed quite the punch. He couldn’t even get angry or throw a tantrum because he, the future King, had been hit. To make matters worse, the former king had laughed heartily, saying Logan’s fierce punch meant he’d make a fine soldier.
That was the beginning of their bad blood. The former king always kept a close eye on Logan, his distant relative. Once they started attending the same royal academy, the comparisons never stopped.
Why can’t you be more like Logan? If only Logan were my second son…
He heard such evaluations so often he was sick of them. That accumulated resentment and frustration eventually turned into deep-seated dislike for Logan. The final straw came on a particular day.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
It was the day of an official banquet and reception with Luang’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The former Duke of Claven and Logan had also been invited.
‘In this day and age, royalty is such an outdated notion—even for us.’
After the banquet, Logan left early. The head of Luang’s foreign ministry, who was smoking a cigar outside, ran into Logan and made a suggestive comment.
‘You might be right about changing times.’
‘……’
‘But that’s not the kind of thing someone invited by the royal family should say.’
Logan calmly cut him off. But to the King, it sounded like: “Royalty is outdated and useless.” Already under pressure from being constantly told he was inadequate, the King held it in to avoid creating a diplomatic scandal.
Later, when he summoned Logan to ask about it, Logan simply replied, “Isn’t it true the monarchy is outdated?” That led to a fistfight. Logan, now mature enough to hold back, didn’t land a single blow and only took the beating.
“Why did he want to see me so urgently?”
After being severely scolded by the former Duke of Claven, Logan never brought up the matter again. But the King didn’t believe it meant Logan had changed. Like himself, Logan had simply learned to hide his youthful defiance behind a mask.
Thus, the King often found himself thinking about Logan. With legitimacy, wealth, influence, and military honors, if Logan ever chose to oppose the monarchy—could the royal family, now just a shell of its former self, even resist?
“Luang’s political situation is delicate, Your Majesty.”
In Reden, all major government positions were still held by nobles. And the King retained some power thanks to the nobility’s deference to the crown.
He had used that to block Logan’s advancement at every opportunity. Discharging him from the military before he could gain further honors was one such tactic. Yet, even petty acts of revenge couldn’t extinguish his resentment toward Logan.
“Luang?”
It wasn’t the time to dwell on that, but the King shook off thoughts of Logan, still lingering from seeing Princess Daphne.
Luang had long faced internal turmoil. Unlike the stable Reden, Luang’s royal family clashed frequently with its citizens. The royal pride of Luang collided with the people’s yearning for freedom and equality. Eventually, Luang’s royal family lost many of its powers—especially control over the military, its main source of authority.
From the perspective of another royal family, it was a sad story. On the surface, it looked like a finished tale. That’s what the King had assumed as well.
“The royal family seems intent on provoking a civil war.”
“Do we really need to get involved in a civil war?”
The King asked indifferently. Of course, Reden, Luang, and three other nations had signed a peace accord requiring them to assist if war broke out—but only if the conflict involved foreign powers.
“Yes, but…”
If Luang’s royal family itself instigated a civil war, it would be an internal affair, and any outside interference would be overstepping and considered a breach of sovereignty.
A century ago, other nations might have pounced on Luang for that. But this was the age of peace. The King thought as much, even as the foreign minister hesitated.
“Keep it quiet. I’m sure the Luang royal family has its reasons.”
The foreign minister finally agreed and withdrew. He could only suppress his frustration at being unable to voice his concerns.
‘If the crown prince is seriously injured, then someone must take responsibility.’
The words of Luang’s crown prince lingered in the King’s mind. It felt like he already knew something would happen to him.
‘It’s merely a fleeting internal matter.’
And then there was that overly convenient warning not to interfere—highly suspicious. The King hadn’t planned to get involved anyway, but the clear message to stay out was troubling.
Still, if the King said to leave it alone, what choice was there? He debated whether to inform the military but ultimately decided to keep silent, as the King wished. After all, he didn’t like troublesome matters either.
Who gave the warning not to interfere ? Did I miss something?