Chapter 41
A room covered entirely in black marble.
On its solid walls were carvings of patterns so complex it was hard to believe they had been etched by human hands.
From the patterns flowed a faint light, which writhed slowly as if alive.
It was a strange place.
Only thanks to the dim glow seeping from the walls was it possible to roughly make out the objects within.
In the center of the room stood a lone figure draped in a black robe.
From the wide sleeves protruded unnaturally pale, slender fingers.
Floating before him was a black crystal orb.
Crack!
Suddenly, a fracture ran through the orb, and then it shattered into pieces. Sharp shards clattered to the floor.
“Tsk.”
The voice that came from beneath the deeply pressed hood was that of a man.
“This one’s failed.”
He clicked his tongue quietly.
“The wave of an Atteleon’s power… If it’s shadow, then it must be Arkaid Atteleon.”
Troublesome.
He had expected the Empire to intervene, since the incident involved monsters. But he thought it would go no further than dispatching some troops for a subjugation.
Benerata village was inhabited only by commoners and held no valuable resources.
Would the vast Empire so much as blink if a few peasants in a backwater village died?
That’s what he had thought.
But the Grand Duke himself stepped in?
That was entirely unexpected.
What was worse—this failure disrupted all his future plans.
If only I had held out a little longer, I could’ve used the tamed Kayak to…
Crunch.
The man crushed the crystal shards beneath his feet, then bent to pick up one of the larger pieces.
Within the fragment, a strange light still flickered.
“Yes… yes…”
His eyes were entranced, fixed not on the shard itself but on the eerie glow inside it.
Without hesitation, he clenched the fragment in his hand.
Scarlet blood dripped to the floor from cuts made by the sharp edges.
At that moment—
The drops of blood stopped midair, then were sucked back, into the black shard he held.
It drank greedily, absorbing more and more of his blood. The glow swelled, grew larger, until it fully formed into a sphere.
“Arkaid Atteleon. Since you’ve ruined my plans—”
The man’s eyes gleamed with an unnatural, eerie sheen as he gazed at the glowing orb.
“—I won’t let it pass either.”
“Hmmmmm.”
Yuren, resting his chin on the table, wrinkled his nose.
The young prince looked as if sunk in deep worry.
“Hmmmmmm.”
His mind was a tangled mess of thoughts, like a knotted ball of thread.
What could trouble the little prince so?
Because he couldn’t play with his favorite Brother Raikal, who was in class?
Because he missed his father and mother back in the palace?
Neither.
In fact, until only a few days ago, Yuren had been thoroughly enjoying life at the Grand Duke’s estate.
Because here I don’t have to study~.
Yes, he was supposed to take lessons here too, but unlike in the Imperial Palace, no one scolded him for skipping a little.
Yuren had been savoring this freedom to the fullest.
But—
What should I do…?
The garden, always filled with warm sunshine and the fragrance of flowers, was his favorite place. Yet today, it felt strangely uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable enough that he hadn’t even touched his favorite strawberry shortcake.
“Yureeeeen!”
Just then, from ahead, Lorr came running with sparkling eyes.
Yuren’s face lit up like a blooming flower.
“L-Lorr—!”
Hug!
Lorr rushed in and wrapped him in a hug.
“Hehe, good to see you~.”
“Mmhm! Me too.”
Of course, they had seen each other yesterday. And the day before that.
But friends are always nice to see, every single day!
Today, they had even promised in advance to meet in the garden.
Like grown-ups!
Lorr’s eyes sparkled twice as brightly as usual, full of excitement.
The maids, watching the two children smile at each other across the table, hurriedly brought out new desserts and drinks.
Just the sight of the cool fruit juice in the glass cups made their mouths water.
Lorr picked up his glass first, as if to set an example.
“Ahhh—!”
He downed it in one go, letting out a refreshed sigh as he wiped his lips with his sleeve.
This is the one I drank with Dad!
The fruit juice, made by mixing several kinds of fruit, was the only thing at the dessert shop that had completely won Lorr’s heart.
Ever since, he had been hooked, asking for it every single day.
“One more—”
“That will be enough.”
The firm voice came from Angelina, standing right behind him.
“Hiiing.”
Lorr pouted, but Angelina didn’t budge. She only looked down at him with a sterner face.
“Last time you drank five glasses of juice—”
“W-wahh! S-stop!”
Startled, Lorr flailed his hands.
That he had once drunk so much juice he ended up with a stomachache—was supposed to be a secret from the prince!
But after Angelina reported it, Arkaid had limited Lorr’s “happy juice time” to once a day.
He had stroked his stomach and said firmly, ‘You shouldn’t drink until it hurts.’ Just recalling his father’s face at that time made Lorr’s cheeks flush red.
Waaah! I almost became a bad kid who didn’t listen to Dad!
Shaking his head to steel his resolve, he noticed Yuren watching him curiously.
So embarrassing!
Lorr quickly cupped his reddened cheeks in both hands and mumbled seriously:
“…It’sh nothing.”
“Fruit juice?”
“S-something like that!”
Yuren tilted his head, puzzled, but Lorr tightly pursed his lips, unwilling to say more.
The maids exchanged glances and giggles at the sight.
Lorr turned toward his plate of desserts.
On it sat three baby choux pastries—his absolute favorite.
“…Choux.”
“Mm?”
“N-no, nothing!”
Something about Lorr’s demeanor seemed gloomy. Tilting his head, Yuren soon guessed the reason.
He must be missing his uncle!
When you feel down, the cure is sweets! To cheer him up, Yuren offered one of the choux.
“Lorr, let’s eat this!”
“Mmhm!”
Lorr eagerly picked up a fork and poked one of the pastries.
Yuren grinned in anticipation.
Any moment now—
Haaaa~
Lorr would close his eyes, cup his cheeks with both hands, and wiggle his fork as the sweet cream spread over his tongue.
So tasty!
The cream would melt away in his mouth, filling him with happiness, his eyes sparkling.
…At least, that’s how it was supposed to go.
But this time, though his eyes shone for a moment, Lorr merely chewed and swallowed quietly.
His eyes still lit up—so he clearly still liked them—but…
Yuren stared at him in confusion.
Lorr seems different…
Sure enough, Yuren’s expression grew complicated again. He fiddled nervously with his fork.
There was a question he had been rolling around in his head, waiting for this meeting.
Lately, Lorr had been acting strange.
Especially whenever Raikal was around.
On the first day, Lorr had looked at him with eyes full of excitement.
But ever since the day he burst into tears at the dinner table, he had started avoiding Raikal.
Why, he even ran out in the middle of a lesson Brother himself was teaching just the other day.
For Yuren, who had never even thought of leaving class midway, Lorr’s actions seemed both impressive and bewildering.
But that’s not the important part…
Setting his fork down, Yuren fidgeted with his fingers for a long moment before finally asking:
“…Lorr, do you… not like Brother?”
“H-huh?”
Suddenly Raikal?
Lorr’s eyes widened at the unexpected question. At the mention of Raikal’s name, a heaviness settled in his chest.
As expected, the moment the subject came up, Lorr’s face darkened—and Yuren’s expression dimmed with it.
“Did something happen…?”
To Yuren, Raikal was a kind, admirable brother.
A brother with endless virtues, someone he was proud of beyond words.
And he clearly remembered that when Lorr first met him, he had liked him too.
