SLDS 74

Killian was slowly approaching.

He must have just woken up, as his hair was all pressed down, and his face was full of sleepiness. The robe he had thrown on haphazardly over his half-naked body dragged on the floor with every step.

Seeing that sight, Larissa’s lips twisted. Her joyful mood had plummeted to the ground because of her brother’s disgraceful behavior.

“Why don’t you take a look at yourself first? Hah, really! Do you have to act so promiscuously even here to be satisfied?”

“What’s new? I’ve always been like this.”

Killian laughed as he firmly gripped the waist of the woman beside him. It seemed he had no intention of hiding his insolent behavior at all.

“It would not do to treat the woman sent by Her Majesty the Empress neglectfully. I loved her with all my heart to repay her.”

Cecil, who had been staring at the table ever since Killian appeared, raised his eyes upon hearing those words. The face of the woman held in his arms was strangely familiar.

“…”

When her eyes met Cecil’s, the woman flinched as if she had committed a crime and avoided his gaze.

She was undoubtedly one of the ladies-in-waiting who assisted the Empress. To think she couldn’t wait and sent someone to attend to his bed. Cecil scoffed, dumbfounded by the Empress’s swift action.

Killian told the woman to be on her way and patted her butt. Thwack. Then, he looked around. Whoosh. Unfortunately, there were no empty chairs.

“Please sit here, Your Highness Killian.”

A man who had been watching the situation rose from his seat. As it happened, it was the man who had been sitting closest to Cecil.

“Hm, I won’t refuse.”

Killian confidently took the empty seat. He sat down with a thump, then hooked his arm over the angled back of the chair and leaned his body sideways.

Thanks to this, the collar of his robe, embroidered with gold thread, gaped open dissolutely. Killian, with his dark chest fully exposed, scanned all those gathered in one place.

“Strange. How did you manage to pick out only men that Larissa would like?”

After a brief assessment, he let out a puff of laughter. Pfft.

In the awkward atmosphere, the only one laughing was Killian. Larissa glared at him fiercely in protest, but he seemed not to care in the slightest that he was ruining the pleasant mood.

Killian’s gaze wandered around before settling on the person sitting next to him. His thin lips stretched into a long smile. Cecil, who stiffened his expression into a frosty look every time he saw him, was incredibly interesting.

“I hear you like men, too.”

“…”

“Is that why you’re so well-versed in the handsome men of the Empire?”

Killian asked in a tone of genuine curiosity. To that, Cecil replied without even blinking.

“Stay out of my business.”

“So cold. Can’t you smile for me even a tiny fraction as much as you do for Larissa?”

The ridiculous words only made his irritation soar. When Cecil ignored him like a blade, Killian quietly let out a dry laugh.

“Well… a chilly demeanor does suit your face.”

Killian’s upper body gradually tilted further to the side. He rested his chin on his hand and focused his attention solely on Cecil.

Cecil was gradually reaching his limit. At this rate, he might just spew harsh words at Killian. He couldn’t ruin his own plan, so avoiding the situation was the best course of action.

“I have things left to do, so I will be leaving first. I will see you again later.”

In the end, he scraped his chair back with a screech and stood up. As he watched Cecil disappear quickly as if being chased by something, Killian smiled a meaningful smile.

He lifted a teacup to his lips. He swallowed the sweet saliva that kept pooling in his mouth along with the bitter black tea. Gulp.

After a suitable amount of time had passed, Cecil, as he had announced, sought out Princess Larissa again. Fortunately, Killian seemed to have lost interest in the meantime, and Cecil was able to carry out the rest of his plan with a peaceful mind.

The more bored the princess became, the higher the probability she would seek out Alexis. Therefore, he took meticulous care of her and made sure Larissa’s interest was directed elsewhere.

He showed her the rare and famous spots within the Imperial Palace, and also showed her the knights training. They even rode a carriage out together to tour the bustling streets of the capital.

Of course, he was always accompanied by handsome servants, and he relentlessly provided entertainment that the princess would like, leaving her no time to think. Cecil dedicated all his time solely to Larissa.

Perhaps thanks to his fervent efforts, the frequency of her interest in the Crown Prince decreased sharply. Although she sometimes brought him up first, it was at a minimal level compared to the beginning.

Cecil’s plan continued smoothly until the day before the birthday festival.

On a night with a round full moon, Princess Larissa, who was enjoying a dinner banquet with the handsome men, suddenly seemed to have a thought and tapped the table. Thump.

“Come to think of it, there’s a festival eve celebration today, isn’t there? I heard there’s some kind of concert.”

“…Yes. There is an opera performance.”

Cecil replied, his eyelids heavy with fatigue drooping.

“An opera? I’m curious! Can we go see it?”

“…Um.”

Cecil pondered for a moment. He was certain that Alexis would also make an appearance. He agonized over how to avoid a meeting and spoke evasively.

“Even if we go now, the performance will have already started, so we won’t be able to enter the main hall. If you wish, we could probably watch from the second-floor box seats… but wouldn’t it be a bit difficult to see?”

“Not at all, I think it would be a rather unique experience. Oh, and we can drink wine while we watch, right?”

Princess Larissa seemed to have taken quite a liking to the high-quality wine, a specialty of the Verca Empire. She had already finished two large decanters. At her extraordinary tolerance for alcohol and her willful decision, Cecil let out a troubled sigh.

Just one more day, he thought, if I can just endure this nonsense for one more day, it’ll be over.

As expected, the opera was in full swing in the opera hall.

The audience, already seated, was engrossed in the enchanting voice of the soprano singing on stage. The song, which enveloped the space, resonated for a long time. The opera was reaching its climax.

Amidst the darkness, with velvet curtains draped on all sides, only soft candlelight illuminated the passageway. Cecil, who was standing at the front and leading the way, stopped in his tracks when he spotted someone already present in the second-floor box.

The person sitting in the plush-looking gold chair was clearly Alexis. Alexis, who had been enjoying the opera with his long legs crossed and his upper body buried in the backrest, turned his head when he sensed their presence. His bright hair shimmered even in the pitch-black darkness and fell softly.

The moment his gaze met those blue eyes, Cecil clenched his fists tightly. This was bad. He absolutely could not let her see Alexis looking like that.

However, contrary to Cecil’s wish, Alexis was slowly rising to his feet. Now that he had spotted guests, it was something he could not ignore.

“Oh my!”

Larissa, who was following behind, also spotted Alexis and let out a short cry. She hurriedly covered her mouth at the gasp of admiration that had escaped her, but her eyes were already wide as saucers.

All this time, Larissa had been soaked in the sweet pleasures provided by Cecil and had forgotten a very important fact. That no handsome man, no matter who, could compare to the Crown Prince of the Empire.

Now that she had met him in person, she felt as if she had woken from a dream and realized reality. Princess Larissa briskly walked over and approached Alexis.

“It’s been a while, Alexis. Have you been busy? I was so disappointed that I couldn’t see you all this time.”

“It has been a while, Princess Larissa Ortega. I did not expect to see you here.”

Alexis, conscious that the performance was still ongoing, greeted her in a low tone. His deep voice, almost a whisper, was low and gentle, tickling the listener’s ear.

As expected, Princess Larissa was completely captivated by the Crown Prince’s charm and could not come to her senses. She practically clung to him as if to embrace him, showering him with aggressive displays of affection.

Seeing all his efforts become useless in an instant, Cecil let out a long sigh in disbelief.

“Princess Larissa, why don’t we postpone our conversation for a moment and enjoy the performance first?”

Cecil discreetly approached and tried to pull Larissa away. However, the willful Princess Larissa would not listen at all. She hugged Alexis’s arm even tighter and glared at Cecil.

“Does the opera matter right now? I want to talk with Alexis more than watch a performance. Why are you so clueless?”

Cecil clenched his teeth tightly. Harsh words rose to his throat, but he couldn’t possibly raise his voice, so he had to grit his teeth and endure it. However, he could not tolerate Larissa’s behavior, and his eyes grew even fiercer.

Alexis watched Cecil and smiled secretly. It was obvious what he was thinking right now.

Seeing him hold back with that temper of his was just pitiful and cute. So much so that he wanted to call him over separately to soothe and placate him.