Chapter 74

His words became lighter, and Adrian replied with the same attitude.

“If so, we’ll walk the same path.”

“I’d like it to be shoulder-to-shoulder if possible.”

Naff didn’t know how things were going to unfold, but he smiled as much as he could and looked like he knew everything would be well.

“Then I’ll be going, Duke. And······.”

Faradiv glanced at Nina, and she made a face saying that she wouldn’t guess it if he didn’t say it out loud.

“Would you spare a moment?”

“Yes, sir.”

The two stood three or four steps away from the party. Faradiv coughed in vain.

“I was too sudden earlier, I’m sorry to have embarrassed you.”

“No, it was a fun experience.”

Nina’s answer gave him a relieved expression.

“I hope the lady won’t think I’m someone who does something like that all the time.”

Nina replied, “Yes.” and the prince went on to say.

“And please don’t think of it lightly because it’s just a simple confession like this.”

Nina answered the words with a straight serious face and a deliberate tone.

“I’m not taking your feelings lightly just because you fall in love at a glance. But please don’t also think that it was a playful rejection just because I answered immediately.”

Faradiv smiled slightly.

“When I heard your answer, I thought there was still a chance. Dame Nina’s reputation would go up even higher, and the time would come to overtake me.”

Nina opened her eyes in a circle, and Faradiv asked carefully.

“May I kiss you farewell?”

“That’s a bit······.”

When Nina made an awkward face, Faradiv stepped down.

“I see. I’ve had enough fun just talking to you.”

After greeting, Faradiv left the Duke’s residence with Naff.

Naff raised his voice as he climbed into the carriage.

“What the hell are you doing? Do you really want your head to fall?”

“Don’t ask. I’m reflecting on it now.”

Covering his face with both hands, he curled up. Even in the dim light of the carriage, Faradiv’s ears were red.

Naff stuttered in embarrassment.

“We-Well, do you really like her?”

“Well, yes? She’s totally my cup of tea. Why didn’t you tell me beforehand? Then I would have prepared myself better.”

“What do I care about your taste? I tried so hard just to meet the Duke of the Luverne, but that was the only thing you could talk about? What’s going on? You didn’t bluff just because you wanted to look cool to the woman you had a crush on, right?”

Sweeping his face with both hands, Faradiv said.

“We’ve said all the important things. I didn’t have anything to say there anymore. And if I were to bluff, I wouldn’t have confessed like that.”

When he thought about it again, his face heated up, and Faradiv waved his hand, Naff condemned.

“Said all the important things? You’ve only asked what he talked about with the princess, and what he was going to do.”

Faradiv looked at Naff with a trembling face.

“Are you sure you don’t understand? Or do you just want your interpretation confirmed?”

This time, Naff’s face turned red. As he mumbled, Faradiv smiled and said.

“In the beginning, he said that Vialentel asked for patriotism. A heart that loves the empire. But does loyalty to the Empire and loyalty to the Imperial Family mean the same thing?”

Naff answered in a smooth tone while agonizing over it.

“Vialentel’s case would be the latter.”

“Yes, but in her case, she thinks loyalty to herself is loyalty to the Empire. So I asked him what he was going to do.”

“And he said he would do what he had to do as the Duke.”

“No. He said, ‘I’m going to do what I have to do as the Head of the Luverne Family’ in front of us. In short, they’re not going to go down the same path as Vialentel.”

He’s more likely to be hostile. Considering what the Luverne family has been subjected to by the imperial family until now.

Faradiv, who swallowed the rest of the explanation, watched his brother chew over the conversation again.

He recalled the Duke of Luverne.

‘He was cool.’

Perhaps, his answer was already decided.

The Duke of Luverne, who could be a little younger than him, looked quite different against his high notoriety.

‘Is he dangerous?’

His light pink eyes were supposed to give off a weak impression since they were transparent, but rather, there was a deep bottomless darkness inside them. It was not like a human’s eyes.

As if the darkness was under his control.

‘But humans will always have their limits in the end.’

Even emotions will not be in your control.

He himself also thinks that the precepts given to the royal family were so fucking disgusting.

Then, unconsciously, he thought of Nina.

Bright golden eyes, a cheerful voice, and lively gestures.

A smile that seems to accept anything lightly, but without neglect.

“Oh, damn.”

He spat out and Naff looked up. Faradiv waved as if it was nothing.

‘Isn’t my rival scarier than what I think?’

He doesn’t want to be the Duke’s enemy if possible. However, considering Vialentel, it was highly likely that they would eventually walk the same path.

Furthermore, he also doesn’t think that Vialentel’s plan is completely wrong.

It accelerates centralization and brings the country together by concentrating everything on the Imperial Family.

Vialentel wanted to paint the empire with one color.

However, it wasn’t the path that Faradiv wanted to take.

Of course, the system must be unified, but the empire is wide, and its subordinate countries have their own structures. He respects it and wants to implement an engagement policy instead.

This may be because his mother was not originally a citizen of the empire.

‘Besides, if I suddenly change my course of direction, there will be a lot of opposition.’

How could he have such confidence?

That’s what Faradiv was most concerned about.

He doesn’t think the temple alone is enough.

‘I have to get more information.’

Then Faradiv closed his eyes.

────── •❆• ──────

Jean was full of discontent.

He has been like that ever since they met the Prince.

Nina said, ‘What’s wrong?’ several times, but Jean only said, ‘Forget it.’ or ‘Nothing.’

Eventually, Nina stood side by side with her mouth sticking out, saying, ‘Fine.’ Then she left the room at break time.

When only Adrian and the two were left, Jean’s mouth became itchy, but he held it in.

‘Lord Louis, let’s wait for Lord Louis.’

He was the only one he could talk about this, but Louis, who was busy as the general manager, could not come up to the capital.

After finishing work on the Black Shield Castle and stopping by the Silver Lake Castle, he was expected to arrive at the capital.

‘But how could this happen!’

He couldn’t believe Nina’s attitude.

‘Lover.’

In his view, she had to be ten years older than now to have a lover.

If he said this, Nina would definitely glare at him while saying, ‘What the hell do you mean?’ but that’s what sincerely Jean thought.

Besides······.

‘How can you say that in front of him?’

No, honestly, if you look at the relationship between Nina and Adrian, who could imagine such a thing was going to come out?

They’ve been sticking around each other since they were young.

Adrian looked back and said to Jean, who was struggling alone.

“Vice Commander, say it if you have something to say.”

Jean hesitatingly replies.

“······There’s nothing.”

“Then be quiet.”

“I was quiet.”

“Jean.”

When Adrian called in a low voice, Jean glanced down his eyes and replied.

“Yes, sir.”

Only then did Adrian relax, as the place seemed to have lost signs of Jean’s fidgety presence.

He lifted the glass of water next to him, and suddenly looked at the water in it. The water he drank from the tap tasted strangely fishy.

He remembered when Nina noticed that he didn’t like the water in the territory, and made a simple water purifier using charcoal and cotton, and floated herbs in a bucket.

Finally, whenever she looked at the bucket, she used the spirit of frost, so the water he was drinking since then was always as cold and as fresh as pulled groundwater.

Every time, Nina would always feel if anything was wrong around him. She always gives him room to breathe as much as he wants.

He also tries to do so with her, but somehow, he always feels that it is still lacking.