Chapter 21

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

Alois II looked around the conference room and gave a generous word of praise.

As the King rose from his seat, all attendees stood as well.

“Especially you, Ian. You’ve worked hard today, as always.”

“It was nothing.”

“With praise like this from the King, even the council can’t help but acknowledge you.”

There was a certain weight to the King’s gentle compliment.

Ian bowed his head humbly in gratitude.

“Please, make your rounds, everyone.”

The King left the conference room with a smiling face.

Only then did the other attendees, finally able to breathe, exchange a few words and leave the room themselves.

Ian deliberately took his time gathering his materials. By the time the room had thinned out, a familiar face he expected to see soon approached.

“Hey. Step outside for a moment.”

Crimson-red hair cut short like a fighter, orange eyes.

A man who was often misunderstood as scowling due to the slight bend at his nose.

But more striking than these features was the sword at his waist.

“Jin.”

“Dragging your feet, huh? I thought I’d missed you.”

Only the Grand Knight Commander had permission to carry a sword in the same space as the King.

“I thought you’d be busy with the knights. What brings you here?”

“What brings me? You really don’t know why I’m here?”

Jin’s eyebrows rose like a volcano.

“You asked to increase the summer budget, yet they cut it instead, and you don’t know?”

“If that’s the matter, it was already passed along to Lord Kassen. There’s no additional budget. We can discuss it again in winter.”

“Are you serious? I’m running around all day because of Her Highness the Princess, and you can’t even help?”

“Do you think you’re the only one pestering me for extra budget?”

Ian checked his wristwatch and walked slowly.

Twenty minutes from the conference room to his office at a leisurely pace.

Considering they’d part ways midway…

“I can spare about fifteen minutes for you.”

“You’re going to try to persuade me in fifteen minutes? Does anyone even exist who could do that?”

Jin criticized bluntly.

It was a fair complaint—after all, they had known each other for quite some time—but Ian smiled, amused.

“Surprisingly, yes. Someone did manage to change my mind in just fifteen minutes.”

“What?”

Jin’s expression twisted in shock, but only briefly.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Where’s this lie coming from?”

“Ha ha, it’s true.”

“If you’re going to say it was the King, stop right there.”

He openly treated Ian like a liar.

Ian didn’t feel wronged, but he pretended to be slightly hurt in response.

“Not lying. It’s true. No matter what I said, they responded perfectly and in the end, succeeded in changing my mind.”

“A real person? You mean someone actually exists like that?”

“Yes.”

“Hah!”

Jin snorted, his suspicions only growing.

Even if he met Diana in person, he would still view her with doubt.

‘It makes sense,’ Ian thought.

He recalled Diana silently staring at him from the carriage.

Introduced only as a beauty, the woman had far more remarkable traits than golden hair or translucent skin.

But he was the only one who needed to know that.

“It was my first time with such an experience, so I found it rather enjoyable.”

“Can’t believe it.”

“Believe it or not, your choice. But it’s already been three minutes.”

“You’ve been timing this?”

Jin groaned but continued to make his case.

The Princess’ official activities hadn’t increased as expected. More personnel were needed. Weapons and armor were growing more expensive while declining in quality. Using last year’s budget would be impossible…

As the conversation dragged on, Jin’s expression grew puzzled.

Normally, Ian would have dismissed such excuses, but today he just listened silently.

He realized something.

“…You seem unusually cheerful today.”

“Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

“You’re not interrupting me, just letting me ramble—and even laughing quietly to yourself.”

Ian and Jin weren’t close enough to be called true friends.

But they shared the common connection of Crown Prince Cedric from early childhood.

Being of the same age and having entered the palace around the same time, there were things they naturally confided in each other.

Time had taught him this intuitively.

“Did something good happen?”

“You’re the one overthinking today.”

“Overthinking? My eyes don’t lie.”

That was true.

Commander Jin Rotmeyer possessed an innate sense.

If Ian’s insight was a cultivated skill from experience and study, Jin’s was instinctive.

Raised in the Rotmeyer family, trained physically and mentally, he could quickly reach accurate conclusions.

Where Ian would meticulously analyze with a magnifying glass and mental encyclopedia, Jin could glance once and instantly know, “That’s a deadly mushroom,” then walk away casually.

His ability to skip logic and land on the conclusion directly was something Ian often envied.

“Did you have a good meeting?”

“Something similar.”

“What? I was just joking, but it really happened? Who was it?”

“What would it matter if you knew? If you met her in person, she’d be so beautiful you couldn’t even speak.”

“Beautiful?”

Jin’s face crumpled like a towel shoved into his military coat pocket.

“…Ian. I heard a strange rumor about you recently.”

“Five minutes left.”

“Something about you going to a salon, causing a scene, and flirting with women?”

“Flirt…?”

“Pretending to be on leave when you weren’t, and then flirting. Then you came in late to work and stayed up all night? Is that true?”

“Ha ha ha. Interesting. Who spread that rumor?”

The question was less about flattery and more about investigation.

“Introduce me. I want to meet them and clear the misunderstanding myself.”

“Or you could just deny it—why a face-to-face? Anyway, was it true or not?”

“Well… rumors spread easily. Ha ha ha.”

The minor duke remained calm even when a scandal could ruin his reputation.

“Do you think Cedric and I wouldn’t know you laugh ‘ha ha ha’ every time you want to scold someone for talking nonsense?”

“Fifteen minutes are up. I’m heading that way.”

“You always laugh like that when you want to fudge the truth? We know!”

“Then I’ll take my leave. A face-to-face is always welcome.”

Ian waved and walked off briskly.

Even as he disappeared, his posture remained tall and steady.

“…That guy must really be in a good mood.”

He wasn’t the type to react to every baseless rumor.

But he wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate the damage of irresponsible slander.

Normally, he would have made sure to identify the source—but today, he was unusually tolerant.

Jin couldn’t help but watch Ian disappear with an expression of mild amazement.

Just as rainy days follow sunny ones, people have their ups and downs.

Sometimes nothing goes right, yet at other times, everything flows effortlessly.

These days, Ian Crawford was in the latter state. He was enjoying a day without worry for the first time in a long while.

When his mentor collapsed, nothing had gone well.

Problems, both large and small, popped up as if on cue, constantly tugging at his feet.

When he began handling ministerial duties in his stead, the council would summon him every other day to pick at him, as if to break the young Marquis Crawford.

The prevailing opinion was that he was too young for such important positions, prompting the King to begin looking for a replacement.

The casino began causing noise around the same time.

Compared to back then, everything was different now.