SLDS 10

“Your Highness!”

It was around the time the midday sun was lazily soaking the crown of his head that Claude Vandel burst into the crown prince’s palace.

Claude, who flung the door open despite the servants’ attempts to stop him, became severely indignant upon seeing Alexis lying idly by the window, basking in the sun.

He walked over, his feet stomping. Thump, thump. Even then, Alexis kept his arms crossed and his long legs crossed on the sofa.

His platinum blond hair, which had fallen back listlessly behind the hard wooden armrest, sparkled dazzlingly as it caught the sunlight. No matter how much he acted like a hooligan, his innate noble air never disappeared.

“Isn’t this too much? Don’t tell me you still think you’re at a banquet. What are we to do if you keep lazing about so irresponsibly?”

“Lazing about, you say. That’s quite insolent, Sir Vandel.”

Alexis pointed it out in a deliberately stern voice. However, a smile spread across his face as he looked at his old friend, and his posture, lying reclined on the long velvet sofa, was still just as relaxed.

“Because Your Highness does not show your face, the knights’ discipline keeps breaking down. I say this out of concern.”

“I was under the impression that the Knight Commander was you, not me. Did His Majesty not appoint you himself? Have you already forgotten?”

“Are you really saying you won’t come to the training grounds? Until when?”

“You are quite insistent. I believe I said I needed some time to sort out my thoughts for a while.”

“You certainly have a lot of nerve. While you’re doing this, the empress must be busy trying to usurp Your Highness’s position.”

Even at the disrespectful tone, Alexis just chuckled and let it pass. From the beginning, when it was just the two of them, they never bothered with trivial formalities. Sometimes, they would speak informally and omit titles. When Claude called him by his name, Alexis, that was the sign that he was truly furious.

Claude Vandel was the only person Alexis could confide his inner thoughts to. He was his milk brother, his long-time friend, and a comrade-in-arms who had endured the joys and sorrows of life and death with him.

“Indeed. She is so greedy. I heard she’s already teaching her son The Prince.”

“Wow, she’s really determined, isn’t she.”

Claude took it as if it were his own problem and breathed heavily. Empress Elizabeth, who was covetously eyeing the position of heir, was like a great archenemy to Claude.

“Does he even understand something that difficult?”

“Well, from what I hear, he struggles just to keep up with the basic lessons, but we’ll have to wait and see if the rumors are true. I happen to think that kid is quite smart.”

Alexis stroked the tip of his sharp chin. His long eyes narrowed for a moment as he recalled Cecil’s appearance.

The kid was smart and quick-witted, yet he acted stupid in front of others. It was clear he had a difficult personality, but in front of him, he was strangely deferential.

If he had been influenced by the empress, it was impossible for him to act like that. To find out what he was really up to, there was no choice but to watch him carefully for now.

“By the way, how is Yuria doing?”

“Yes, well. She’s doing well, spending time with my mother. My mother wants to find her some friends of a similar age, but she said the atmosphere isn’t good, as if rumors have already spread in high society. I told her not to force it.”

“There’s no need to push it.”

These days, Yuria was being called by the nickname ‘the lewd saintess’ within the capital.

Since she had spent five years in the knight order, which was teeming with only men, it was understandable what people were thinking. On top of that, rumors that Crown Prince Alexis and Knight Commander Claude Vandel especially cherished and looked after her were added, and the jealousy towards Yuria had reached its peak.

“The debutante ball will be soon, so we’ll have to use this opportunity to restore her honor.”

The debutante ball was one of the important social events where noble families presented their children who had come of age to high society. It was an opportunity to adorn oneself from head to toe and show off one’s wealth and charm, so not a few people eagerly waited for this day alone.

“This year, Cecil Adrian will also be participating, so it will be held even more grandly.”

“Is that kid an adult already?”

“You didn’t know? Aren’t you being a little too uninterested?”

“Why would I need to know his age?”

“It seems you’ve forgotten the fact that he is the benefactor who saved your mother’s life. Did you offer your thanks?”

At the mention of the series of events, Claude’s lips sealed shut. The stubborn expression characteristic of the Vandel family, which detracted from his charm, appeared on his face.

“…Well, I’ll do it when I see him later. You know how busy I am. Don’t you know I’m rolling around in the training grounds all day, smelling of sweat, doing your share of the work as well?”

“What a pathetic excuse.”

Alexis snorted. Did he really think he would believe that? It was obvious that he was being difficult because he didn’t want to bow his head to someone of the empress’s bloodline, so he didn’t say any more harsh words to Claude.

“You take care of that matter yourself, and make sure to pay special attention to Yuria’s debutante preparations. Get her a dress and jewelry of the highest quality.”

“I will do as you command.”

If they saw Yuria properly dressed up and adorned, no one would dare to act carelessly in front of her. Alexis resolved that since it was rumored she was receiving his favor anyway, he would show them what true favor was.

✽ ✽ ✽

The next morning, the elder nobles, including the imperial family, gathered in the grand assembly hall. It was for the purpose of enjoying refreshments and casually discussing the current state of the empire.

Crown Prince Alexis and Cecil were also in attendance at this gathering. Unlike the nobles gathered at the semi-circular table, they sat at the head table, which was set at a considerable height.

The fact that Alexis and Cecil were seated side by side was largely due to the empress’s will. She wanted Cecil to be seen as being on equal footing with the crown prince.

As for Cecil himself, he was just sitting there with an indifferent expression. His attention was solely directed at the dessert.

As he just toyed with it, pressing down on a raspberry with a small fork and squeezing out the juice, a sharp gaze fiercely grazed his cheek. Cecil pretended not to see the empress’s glare and took a bite of the reddened pie.

A sweet fragrance drifted through the grand assembly hall. Thanks to it, the atmosphere became much softer, and light jokes and stories about the imperial family’s recent affairs were exchanged.

“Your Majesty, shouldn’t His Highness Alexis also start choosing a partner soon?”

“It is time for him to marry. My, this will surely cause a great stir in the empire. I wonder who will ascend to the position of crown princess.”

“I hear Duke Havel’s daughter is very beautiful. She came of age this year, I believe.”

Someone brought up the daughter of Duke Havel, who was not present. At those words, the emperor showed interest, as if quite moved.

“I too have heard that the child is beautiful. Is she attending the debutante ball this time?”

“Wouldn’t that likely be the case?”

“It would be an absolutely perfect picture if His Highness the Crown Prince would serve as her partner.”

The emperor and the nobles reached an agreement amongst themselves right in front of the person concerned. Cecil’s appetite completely vanished, and he put down his fork. When he subtly shifted his gaze, he saw the side profile of Alexis, who was skillfully managing his expression.

His lips were drawn in a slight curve, but Cecil could tell. He could tell that he was currently in a very foul mood.

The empress’s expression, visible over his shoulder, was just as formidable. It was clearly visible that she was trembling while biting the inside of her lip. As expected, she was thoroughly angered.

Duke Havel’s only daughter was someone the empress had long ago marked as a match for Cecil. A fiery rage was boiling up inside her at the thought of having the child she had saved taken away by Alexis.

“Unfortunately, that will be difficult. The Duchess of Havel has already sent me a sincere request. She asked that he be partners with Cecil at the debutante ball.”

She ended up telling a lie that would be exposed in no time. Cecil sighed inwardly.

Well, he did end up becoming partners with Cornelia, but the only thing he could remember about the debutante ball was that it was terrible.

This time, he had no intention of moving according to her wishes. It was a precious moment that happened only once in a lifetime, and he couldn’t ruin Cornelia’s debutante ball as well, could he?

“I’m sorry, but I refuse. I will not be with anyone at the debutante ball.”

Cecil said it unequivocally. He then added a shocking statement.

“I like men.”

For a moment, silence descended upon the grand assembly hall. It was so quiet that the sound of an ink pen dropped by a scribe rolling across the floor—clatter, clatter—sounded exceptionally loud.

“Cecil! How dare you make such a joke!”

The empress belatedly shot up from her chair and shouted, but Cecil, as if he had expected it, just looked straight ahead with a composed expression.

“It’s not a joke. I regret having to confess my secret in a place like this.”

Yes, it was better to reveal it refreshingly. That way, he wouldn’t be misunderstood as liking Yuria. He was absolutely sick and tired of that misunderstanding.

“Since it’s come to this, it’s better that everyone knows. I will not get married, nor will I have children. The heir to the empire is His Highness the Crown Prince anyway, so there shouldn’t be a problem, right? Isn’t that so?”

The elder nobles began to murmur amongst themselves. Homosexuality was not a sin, but it was not something to be flaunted either. It was the first time a member of the imperial family had publicly revealed their sexual orientation, so everyone was at a loss as to how to react.

Among them, the Minister of Finance, who could not listen any longer, rose in opposition. He slammed the table hard enough to make the plates rattle and shouted.

“That is preposterous! For someone who should be setting an example for the citizens of the empire to be a sodomite!”

A few of the more conservative elders agreed with his words. In an instant, Cecil’s indifferent expression hardened into an icy one. The childish appearance was erased, and the original Cecil Adrian emerged.

“I didn’t expect the Marquis, of all people, to object. I’m quite disappointed. Aren’t you of the same persuasion as I am?”

“Of the same… of the same persuasion? What kind of slander is that!”

“I’m aware you’ve taken several catamites into your mansion. Those boys who are bone-thin and pretty like fairies, I mean. The one you cherish most would be the child with the curly red hair.”

Cecil silently swallowed the faint pain that was spreading through him. He could easily endure this much.

The Marquis Valery’s catamite scandal was set to break a year from now. It was an incident that had caused a great uproar in the empire at the time, so Cecil remembered the full story clearly.

As he pinpointed even the catamite’s physical appearance, the Marquis’s face turned ashen, like that of a man about to die. He forgot to even make an excuse and only let out gasping sounds, like a pig breathing.

“Marquis, is this true?”

“No, Your Majesty! It’s preposterous! It’s nonsense! I am innocent!”

“Are you saying that Cecil is lying? If so, then I can send people right now to search the inside of the Marquis’s mansion. We’ll soon find out whose words are the truth.”

The Marquis’s lips clamped shut. Just this morning, he had spent a couple of hours tumbling with the catamite with curly red hair.

If they searched the mansion, it was obvious his secret would be exposed. The trembling that began in his clenched fist spread throughout his plump body.

Silence was as good as an admission. The relaxed atmosphere of the grand assembly hall was instantly turned into a mess. Everyone was whispering to each other, making it difficult to continue the tea party any longer.

As for Cecil himself, he was completely calm after having thrown out such a shocking statement. He lifted the still-warm teacup and took a sip of black tea. His right cheek felt ticklish, and when he turned his head, his eyes met with Alexis, who was sitting right next to him.

“…”

The crown prince’s lips were split into a long grin. Unlike before, his blue eyes were twinkling as if he were genuinely amused.