SLDS 72

After the meeting ended, only Cecil and the Empress remained in the reception room, which everyone else had left.

As soon as the guests disappeared, the Empress wiped the smile from her face. Unable to erase her anxiety, she repeatedly bit her well-manicured nails.

“To think that Princess Larissa has her heart set on the Crown Prince. We must prevent a marriage between the two of them. The Kazalujan Kingdom must not become Alexis’s backer.”

Cecil, on the other hand, was composed.

“Mother, please do not get involved.”

At that, the Empress’s distrustful gaze shot toward him.

“Not get involved, you say? Why?”

Cecil slowly savored the black tea before him and replied calmly.

“The same words can be received differently depending on who says them. If you interfere, Mother, the princess will feel as though not only she but Kazalujan itself is being rejected. I will try to persuade Princess Larissa instead.”

The Empress chewed on her nails as she fell into thought. Cecil had a point. Their counterpart was a royal of Kazalujan. The Empress deeply agreed that she was not someone to be treated lightly.

Seeing the Empress waver, Cecil leaned back comfortably in his chair and drove the point home once more.

“You know very well that nothing good will come from creating friction with the Kazalujan Kingdom. I will do my best to handle this so that their feelings are not hurt as much as possible.”

“Very well, since you’ve put it that way, I will trust you with it. Ah, Cecil. One more thing.”

The Empress’s eyes flashed as if a good idea had just occurred to her.

“You should build a friendship with Killian. He is the one who will become the king of Kazalujan in the future, so winning his favor will surely be of help.”

He knew she would say that. At the Empress’s greed, which did not deviate one bit from his expectations, Cecil lowered his head and scoffed. Pretending to vaguely accept her wishes, he let out an indifferent reply.

“I will try to do so if I have the time.”

“This is a very good opportunity. Besides, he just happened to mention that he doesn’t care about gender, so if you actively…”

Cecil paused in the middle of running a hand through his hair. He looked straight up at Empress Elizabeth.

“Are you telling me to seduce Killian right now?”

For a moment, Elizabeth realized she had misspoken. She regretted it, but the words were already out. Instead, Elizabeth maintained an arrogant attitude.

“What is the problem?”

“That is not something the person who was so ashamed of my preference for men should say.”

“He is not just anyone, but the heir of Kazalujan. He is worth it. I am saying all this for your own good.”

“Hah, be honest. You are not doing this for me, Mother, but to satisfy your own greed. Do you really want to go so far as to sell your own son?”

Cecil retorted without yielding a single point. He then pushed the sofa and stood up. The sound of the sofa legs scraping against the floor was quite irritable.

“I will not be seducing Killian. I will handle it myself. As I said, do not interfere.”

“Cecil!”

Despite the Empress’s shrill call, Cecil kicked open the door and left. Revulsion welled up at the demand that defied common sense.

It was for the better, actually. This way, he could finally sever even the little bit of familial affection he had left.

After leaving the Empress’s Palace, Cecil moved busily. He first returned to the Peridot Palace and headed for the study.

Who would be suitable? He held an ink pen and fell into thought for a moment.

In that short time, several faces flashed through his mind, and soon, Cecil dipped the sharp nib of the pen deep into the ink and began to write.

Cecil handed the paper to a servant and gave a firm order.

“Bring everyone listed here. It is an important matter.”

“Yes, Mr. Cecil.”

His loyal servants tucked the paper into their clothes and departed busily. Next, Cecil took another clean sheet of paper from the drawer. Unlike before, he wrote with great care.

Before long, the palm-sized paper was filled with neat handwriting. After letting the ink dry, he crumpled it into a ball and hid it in his palm.

Cecil immediately shot up from his seat. It was already nearing midnight, but he could not go to bed with a peaceful mind. There was still someone he had to meet.

He carefully made his way to the Saint Palace, avoiding the eyes of others.

“I need to see His Highness.”

“I will escort you immediately.”

Despite the sudden visit, the head servant of the Saint Palace greeted the guest composedly. For him, too, Cecil’s abrupt appearances had become a rather natural part of daily life.

He made his way through the maze-like corridors and arrived in front of the office. The head servant dismissed all the guards and stood in front of the door, intending to stand watch himself. Following his guidance, Cecil secretly knocked on the office door.

Knock, knock, knock. After three short knocks, he immediately poked his head in. As expected, Alexis was still in his office late into the night, attending to state affairs.

Alexis, who already knew it was Cecil from the knock, showed no sign of surprise. On the contrary, the moment their eyes met, he stopped what he was doing and rose from his seat.

In the meantime, Cecil meticulously locked the door. By the time he had secured the door and turned around, Alexis was somehow standing right in front of him.

Perhaps because of the late hour, the buttons that choked his neck were all undone, giving Alexis a much more relaxed appearance. Cecil froze, unprepared for the sight of bare skin.

It was inevitable that his gaze would be drawn to the straight collarbones and the long line of his nape. The distance was close, far too close. Swallowing hard without realizing it, Cecil barely managed to collect himself and slowly raised his head.

“Your Highness, I just came from the Empress’s Palace…”

“I’m sure I told you not to get out of bed. It seems the people living in the Peridot Palace don’t listen to a word I say.”

Alexis, who was a head taller than Cecil, looked down as if to crush his opponent with his large frame. With one hand braced against the door, blocking the way, a dark shadow fell over Cecil’s face.

Alexis reached out his empty hand and lifted Cecil’s bangs. The knuckles of his fingers lightly touched Cecil’s round forehead. Even as he checked his temperature directly, his blue eyes remained fixed on Cecil’s face.

“How is your body?”

“I’m perfectly fine. No… I mean, I wasn’t sick enough to be bedridden in the first place.”

“I see. Judging by the way you’re talking back so sharply, you must be feeling better.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Hurry up and give it to me.”

Alexis lightly chided him and tapped Cecil’s forehead with a long finger.

Cecil frowned and handed over the note he had been clutching the whole time. As expected, his intuition was extraordinary. He had cut him off mid-sentence, yet he seemed to know exactly why he had come.

Alexis began to read the note quietly. In this moment, no trace of his playful demeanor could be found. His cool eyes scanned the note, as if dissecting Cecil’s handwriting piece by piece.

The contents within were like a type of exposé. It clearly detailed who Cecil had met at the Empress’s Palace, what they had discussed, and what the Empress had ordered.

“You talked a lot about me where I wasn’t present.”

Alexis let out a short scoff as he offered his thoughts. He walked over to the desk and held the edge of the note over the flickering candlelight.

The paper burst into flames. Fwoosh. The secret note vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a bit of soot and a burnt smell.

Alexis dusted off his hands and perched on the edge of the desk. When he motioned with his chin, Cecil slowly approached him.

To have a secret conversation, they had to stand close to each other. He unintentionally ended up between Alexis’s spread legs.

Cecil’s mouth went dry at the intimate posture. He gently bit the inside of his lip, trying to ward off any improper thoughts.

Unlike Cecil, who was acutely conscious of the situation, Alexis nonchalantly whispered in his ear.

“What do you think?”

“…Princess Larissa is sincere. It is clear that the reason she came to the Empire is because of you, Your Highness.”

“It would be best for you to handle the princess. Getting any more involved would be troublesome.”

“I was about to say the same thing. She is someone who will return home after the birthday festival is over anyway. It would be best to avoid encountering her as much as possible until then.”

Cecil also lowered his voice as much as possible. Although they were the only ones in the office, it would be extremely troublesome if their words were to leak out. Perhaps because he was very nervous, Cecil found himself unconsciously clutching the hem of Alexis’s clothes.

He suddenly raised his eyes. His cat-like eyes stared intently at Alexis.

“Even if Princess Larissa shows you any affection, please do not push her away too coldly.”

“Why is that?”

“The princess has high self-esteem. She has probably rarely experienced rejection in her life. So what do you think would happen if the person she likes puts up a wall? Her pride would not be able to stand it.”

“How can you be so sure? You couldn’t have known the princess before, so is this from personal experience?”

“…”

Cecil let out a short sigh.

In a way, it was from personal experience. He, too, had felt the exact same way as Princess Larissa, which was why he had spoken as if representing her.

“Anyone would think so. Besides, you are merciless to those who you feel have crossed a line, Your Highness. Regardless of who they are.”

“That is definitely from personal experience.”

Alexis leaned his head back and replied in a relaxed voice. Just like his voice, his expression had also softened. The eyes that now looked down at Cecil were filled only with mirth.