SLDS 41

“What’s wrong? Do you not like it?”

“……”

Cecil gripped the scabbard until the joints of his fingers turned white.

He had to answer, but his mouth was clamped shut and wouldn’t open. It was only right that he should be happy to receive such a precious gift, but no matter how skilled Cecil was at controlling his expression and managing his feelings, it was difficult to hide his inner thoughts this time.

Even if it was in a past life, how could he smile after receiving the very thing that had caused his death as a gift? That was too cruel.

“…No. I do… like it. I was just surprised because it’s… too extravagant a gift. I’m overwhelmed… with emotion.”

Cecil answered, struggling with all his might. But there was no way to stop the sorrow welling up inside him. Even when he bit down hard on his lower lip, tears finally burst forth.

The teardrops, falling silently, clung to the tip of Cecil’s chin before soaking the back of his hand and the dagger.

Cecil hurriedly wiped his wet cheeks.

“I’m still not feeling well. I should lie down again.”

He pulled the blanket toward him and slowly slid into bed. He placed the precious gift far away, out of arm’s reach, and buried his wet face in the soft pillowcase.

Cecil wept silently in that state. No matter how much he pretended to be asleep, he couldn’t hide his trembling shoulders and thin back as he lay face down.

“Ha.”

Alexis watched Cecil’s back and ruffled his own bangs. The unexpected reaction was simply baffling. Crying because he’s overwhelmed with emotion? It was obviously a lie, but he wondered if he should pretend to be fooled.

One thing, however, was clear: Cecil was incredibly sad. Although he was hiding his face completely, his sorrowful emotions were laid bare. Alexis could only feel helpless, with no clue as to why he was acting this way.

Alexis let out a long sigh and crossed his legs. He couldn’t bring himself to leave the bedchamber while Cecil was crying, so he too collapsed into the wing chair as if giving up.

It seemed he would have to stay up all night like this. It was a dawn in which neither could easily fall asleep.

✽ ✽ ✽

From the next day on, a truly grim atmosphere enveloped the imperial palace.

It was easy to guess what the mood was like, since the grandly prepared hunting competition had ended in disaster. It wasn’t a simple accident, but a full-blown attempted assassination of the crown prince.

Though the assassin’s target was Yuria, it was safe to say that Alexis was also a target, as the attack had occurred within the crown prince’s camp. The unprecedented incident even led to calls for the hunting competition to be banned in the future.

Most of the assassins had died on the spot, and only one had been captured. An interrogation began immediately, with Crown Prince Alexis personally questioning the culprit.

In the meantime, Knight Commander Claude Vandel and the Imperial Knights began to investigate the scene of the incident. The assassins had been so meticulous that they hadn’t left a single piece of evidence behind. The only thing uncovered was the fact that they were not citizens of the empire but foreigners from another country.

He knew Empress Elizabeth had ordered it, but without evidence, it was not easy to press the matter.

The empress maintained a front of complete ignorance, entrusting all matters to the crown prince while, behind the scenes, being kept informed of every detail of the developing situation.

In the midst of all this, an incident occurred where the assassin being interrogated in the underground prison smashed his own head against the stone wall. He died instantly, and the only suspect in the case was gone.

“This… is really getting complicated.”

Claude let out a sigh and scrubbed at his exhausted face. He had been investigating for the past few days, losing sleep at night, but the frustration was immense as he had little to show for it.

“If I had my way, I’d want to tear the empress’s palace apart like we’re hunting for rats. Is there no way? I’m sure if we search it, we’ll find at least one piece of evidence.”

“You take the empress too lightly. She isn’t the type to leave behind any evidence in the first place. Even if she were caught, she would surely have created hundreds of escape routes.”

Alexis, who was sitting on the velvet sofa opposite him, said calmly with his chin propped in his hand. Unlike Claude, who was seething with frustration, he maintained his usual composure, as if he had expected all of this.

Still, it was true that the situation had become difficult, so Alexis scanned the report once more with a sharp gaze. He was busy piecing together a complex puzzle in his mind, wondering if he had missed anything, or what he should delve into further.

“Have you investigated everyone who attended the hunting competition?”

“Yes. Every single one.”

“Why did this Baron Rowen here forfeit the competition? I understand his skills are quite outstanding.”

“They say he fell asleep on his horse and was unseated. The reason given was that he had drunk wine just before… but in any case, he was definitely injured. I saw with my own two eyes that he was bedridden with a fractured leg.”

“Isn’t that strange? Falling asleep just from drinking wine.”

“I also found that suspicious and looked into the circumstances, but…”

Claude rubbed his lips. He himself couldn’t understand it, so it was difficult to readily relay the information to the crown prince.

“I was told that the person who handed him the wine was Cecil.”

“……”

“I don’t know if they’re close enough to cheer for each other, but it’s certain that Baron Rowen is on the empress’s side, so we must assume that Cecil is also entangled with him to some extent. However, the fact that Baron Rowen fell ill after drinking the wine Cecil gave him is the only suspicious point. I intend to investigate this part to ascertain the facts more clearly.”

Alexis lowered the document in his hand onto his lap. A faint smile momentarily spread across his perpetually cool eyes.

“I think I know the reason.”

“Pardon?”

“Baron Rowen must have been trying to hatch some kind of plot. Cecil must have figured it out and stopped him.”

“How so?”

“Don’t you get it? Cecil Adrian has already turned against the empress. By telling us about the plot in advance, he has completely revolted. That boy has no interest in the position of heir. On the contrary, he wants to help me.”

“Are you saying that Cecil… has truly taken Your Highness’s side?”

“I’m certain. I’ve decided to accept Cecil.”

Claude grunted and muttered.

“If what you say is true… then we’ve gained a good ally. He’s someone who can grasp the empress’s movements from the closest possible vantage point.”

“He is essential to us.”

“I don’t know if we can trust him. While what happened at the hunting competition is undoubtedly something to be grateful for… to be honest, I don’t find him very trustworthy.”

“He does have a tendency to rush in recklessly from time to time and cause trouble, but that kid is much smarter than you think. What I’m saying is that he’s not someone to be dismissed just because he’s young.”

“He is certainly someone I wouldn’t want as an enemy.”

Claude nodded his head, agreeing. There was no better news than the fact that a scion of their political rival had come over to their side.

Especially since the extremely particular Alexis had personally declared that he would accept him as one of his own, he had no choice but to acknowledge Cecil as well.

Claude gently scratched his forehead. An awkward voice followed.

“I’ll have to treat him a little better from now on. There’s the matter of him saving Yuria… I owe him in many ways.”

Unlike the now much-mellowed Claude, Alexis’s expression grew even darker than before. His head started to throb again just thinking about Cecil.

He leaned back in a crooked posture and said with a frown.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to treat him any better than this.”

“What’s the problem? Wouldn’t that kid follow Your Highness like a puppy wagging its tail?”

“That’s what I thought too, but…”

Alexis trailed off, his gaze fixed somewhere in the air. He calmly collected himself and replayed the memory from a few days ago, but it was still full of things he couldn’t understand.

Since he was a boy who had always coveted what was his, he thought a treasured sword passed down only to the heir of the empire would surely be a special gift. But far from being happy, Cecil had cried instead. And with such deep sorrow, at that.

“He’s indescribably difficult.”

Alexis let out a sigh-like laugh. He knew Cecil had a difficult personality, but he hadn’t known he would be this much trouble. At this rate, didn’t it seem like he was the one who had done something wrong?

He continued to ponder for a long time afterward. There was a mountain of urgent matters to attend to, but his thoughts about Cecil were so deep that everything else was pushed down the priority list.

Alexis continued to think deeply, then clenched and unclenched his fist as he asked.

“Usually… what do kids that age like?”

“Let’s see. Aren’t they all pretty much the same? The younger they are, the more they like to dress up… so things like stylish, high-end suits or luxury goods from abroad. The young lads who recently joined the knight order seem to be completely obsessed with perfume these days.”

“Isn’t there anything more special? He’s not an ordinary twenty-year-old, is he?”

This was Cecil Adrian. For a child who had lived his life enjoying only the most precious and finest things in the world, to offer mere suits and perfume. It was obvious he would be unimpressed.

“Then how about jewelry?”

Alexis glared at Claude, who had even less sense than him.

“Are you serious? He must have more jewelry than he knows what to do with.”

“…Ah, that’s right. But why are you trying so hard to give him something?”

“I can’t just let it go. I’m simply trying to give him a proper reward for his help.”

“In that case, Your Highness would know best, better than I. It can’t be common for something to please a member of the royal family.”

“That’s why I gave him the Sword of Luminus.”

“Pardon? You gave him what?”

Claude’s eyes flashed white. He felt like his eyeballs were going to pop out at the news that he had given away the precious sword, a treasure passed down for generations, as a gift.

“But his reaction wasn’t very good. No, I should say he seemed to dislike it, actually.”

“No way… He’s spoiled. If that’s the case, why don’t you just feed him all the dessert he can eat?”

“Dessert?”

“What’s the point of exhausting yourself trying to give him precious things when he’ll just be indifferent anyway? That kid Cecil may seem picky, but doesn’t he have the palate of a child? He’d be happy if you just pop a few sweet things in his mouth.”

Claude spoke with a measure of sarcasm, but his words were quite persuasive.

Alexis silently rubbed his lips. As if he had finally found a direction, his blue eyes shone brighter than ever.