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nTwo men were facing each other in the large office on a sunny afternoon.

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nThe silver-haired man sitting at the desk had a troubled face, and the man with red curly hair standing in front of him was calming his body and mind and thought he might get sick at the situation.

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nBaron Jacqueline, the second son of Marquis Jacqueline, a prestigious family, and a senior wizard, took pride in himself as objectively a decent person.

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nHe thought his ability was adequate and his face was attractive since he became an aide to the Prince at the age of 24.

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nHaving a loving father, a strict mother, and a naughty older brother, he never doubted the greatness of his patience.

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nEven though he was a little bit nervous, his patience remained strong.

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nOf course, that’s just his opinion. But now, that thick patience was on the verge of running out.

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nEven by his master, the object of respect, love and hate.

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n“Whew!”

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nFour years ago, the young 20-year-old Baron was fascinated by the appearance of the Second Prince on the battlefield and swore allegiance to him.

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nIt was a moment when the will of his mother, who sent him to the battlefield to take care of the Prince who was five years younger than him, became his will.

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nHe served him faithfully for the next four years, and was now serving as his aide.

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n“By the way… Your Highness Prince.”

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nThe Second Prince in front of him neatly ignored Baron’s call.

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nThere’s no way a man with a body far superior to the average person wouldn’t have heard my call if he just thought about it.

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nThat blank look was just chewing his words.

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nIn other words, it meant not to interfere with his thoughts.

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nBut that’s not the case right now!

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n“Grit—” Baron gritted his teeth and once again called his master.

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nBut this time, there was no answer.

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nCallian’s straight face had a slight frown on his forehead as if he didn’t like something.

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nIt relaxed a few times earlier, but only his voice was playing with echoes.

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n‘What on earth are you thinking so hard about?’ Baron Jacqueline thought. ‘And he hasn’t slept since last night!’

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n“…Come on, Baron. You are an educated and intelligent man.” Baron tried to convince himself.

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nClearly, nothing was wrong with the location where he had gone out of the way the day before.

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nHowever, no matter how many questions he asked about what was going on, the Prince didn’t answer, so Baron only became a person who accumulated frustration.

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nEventually, Baron, who had put down his questions for a while, took a deep breath.

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nThen he screamed out. “Hey!”

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nIt’s a good thing he’s being sensitive.e

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nIt wasn’t until the noise inside the office became unbearable that the smooth face of the Prince turned towards Baron.

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nAn annoyed expression hung from Callian’s face. There was no sign of surprise, so Baron tried to swallow his frustrations even more.

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n“I’m not deaf.” Callian’s answer showed his sarcastic disgusting feeling as his expression.

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n“Well, well, well!”

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nBaron was irritated by the hostile attitude and considered shooting back for a moment.

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n‘You are not deaf, why can’t you hear my voice? You can’t hear me calling, so I guess you’re just deaf.’ Baron said to himself.

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nHe was filled with the desire to bark at him like that at any moment.

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nJust imagining it gave him a sense of fulfillment and warmed his heart.

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nFortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t forget that the man in front of him was his master.

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nIt was truly a pity that he couldn’t put his thoughts into action.

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nHe wanted to raise the climax at least once, but he knew Callian wouldn’t even blink an eye in this state.

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n“You wouldn’t even understand even if you heard about it. Don’t you know that?”

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nIt would be nice if the answer that came back wasn’t like this.

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nHis master usually had a charming smile on his face.

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nIt was a story when there was someone around.

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nCallian’s original personality was very far from pitiful. That didn’t mean his personality was rude or dirty.

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nJust like someone who’s hard to figure out.

nHe’s been with him for four years. He still couldn’t understand his master’s intentions properly.

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n“Hmm! Did you really hear what I said so far?”

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n“Yes.”

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nIn response to the short answer, Baron’s blood pressure rose again.

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nHe couldn’t help but understand if it’s hard to say those words.

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n“What did I tell you?”

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nA rude tone of voice came out of nowhere. Baron finally admitted that his patience was insufficient to stop that.

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nCallian opened his mouth with an indifferent attitude without changing his expression.

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n“The Supreme Emperor said he would announce the successor to the throne in two days.”

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nIt was the longest answer so far. His gentle tone of voice was not his usual sarcastic tone.

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nThe Baron sighed deeply and spoke again,”That’s not something you should answer so carelessly… At this rate, it will be more complicated if the Emperor puts the First Prince on the throne.”

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nOf course, some of the plans we made were in case the First Prince became the Crown Prince.

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nBut it was definitely more complicated than the other plans.

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n“The Emperor can’t do that.”

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nUnlike the impatient Baron, Callian’s response was completely unconcerned.

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nIt seemed as if the tone of his voice was mixed with some laughter or ridicule.

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n“…He will die as an Emperor even if the sky falls.”

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nThe tone of his grumpy voice fell low. He would not easily give up what he owns, regardless of bloodline.

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nBecause his endless greed won’t allow it. Didn’t even the one you loved die so easily?

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nHe was a person who watched even though he knew someone he loved was dying.

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nWhile Callian had a moment of unpleasant thought, Baron looked seriously worried.

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n“It’s customary to make an announcement on National Day, but why the sudden pull?”

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n“Hmm…”

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n“And you know that Lenosen’s movements are unusual these days. I heard that the Emperor often visits the Empress.”

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nAll nobles were aware that the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress was strained.

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nMeanwhile, Baron had no choice but to be optimistic after learning that the Emperor paid frequent visits to the Empress.

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nSince then, Baron has kept track of the latest developments of Lenosen and its sectarian families.

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nHe certainly has the aura of something suspicious.

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nOf course, He do not agree with Baron’s concerns, but he has heard detailed reports of the current situation.

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nAt that moment, Callian changed his posture a little and sat down.

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nHe was still crooked, but unlike before, he was at least willing to talk.

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n“Keep talking.”

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n“The First Prince was contacting the families that advocated him for the throne.”

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n“We already knew that.”

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n“No, they say the pressure was stronger than before. They say that in a little bit more time, we’ll be in action.”

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nBaron blurted out the ending.

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nCallian tapped the edge of his desk slowly and silently. For a moment a small tapping sound rang at regular intervals.

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nMost Imperial people know that the two Emperors of the Empire are confronting each other over the throne.

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nIt was also apparent that its center was clearly tilted toward the First Prince.

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n“…The Duke of Lenosen.”

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nA relative of the Empress, the family with the largest power behind the First Prince and the most powerful among the Capital aristocrats.

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nClearly, the force supporting the Empress and the First Prince who united around Lenosen was great.

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nDivided by numbers alone, more than 50% of the aristocrats involved in politics were the First Prince faction.

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nAnd the neutral force was 30%, and Callian’s force was about 20%.

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nOf course, the number of supporters did not represent a measure of power, but it was also true that the First Prince prevailed.

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n“How many of the places you’ve approached have been identified?”

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n“It’s fourteen.”

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n“On our side.”

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n“Seven.”

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n“Hmm…”

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nCallian, who pulled up his fingers that were tapping on the desk at Baron’s quick answer, said softly.

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nCurrently, only a little less than 20 of the influential aristocrats are neutral.

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n“I’ll have to pretend to bend about two or three.”

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nCallian muttered in a low-pitched voice, as if talking to himself.

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nThen he picked up the fountain pen laying beside him.

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nThe fingers of the black fountain pen were beautiful, but the calluses peculiar to those wielding swords were engraved.

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nScratch—

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nCallian, in front of Baron, wrote the letter in elegant handwriting. He had no hesitation in that hand. The completed letter was one page.

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n“Give it to Kayden.”

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n“Should I get a reply?”

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n“No. Only when a report comes up later.”

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n“I see.”

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n“Then go.”

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nBaron nodded with a much better expression than before, although he still feels anxious.

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nThud—

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nBaron disappeared through the closed door with a small sound.

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nSigh~

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nCallian sighed and swept his face after staring at the door for a while. The figure of the person who had turned his back on him the night before was always visible.

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n—’Sir Lian… Your Highness the Crown Prince.’

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nBut the voice calling him after he revealed his identity was trembling and murky.

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nThe friendly purple eyes swept away, as if turning away from him, and her pale face no longer appeared friendly.

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nFirst and foremost, he became nervous when he saw the appearance of the subject who approached after concealing his identity.

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nCallian couldn’t stop himself from exhaling, knowing it was pointless to regret now.

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nHe knew it was selfish and pathetic.

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nHowever, the fragments of the emotions navigating between his words kept clearing his mind.

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nCallian unbuttoned a couple of shirt buttons on his tight chest.

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nHe did, even though he knew it wasn’t his shirt that caused his neck to tighten.

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nA faint glimmer of surprise and betrayal on his face.

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n‘…A face as if she had seen a person she shouldn’t have seen.’

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nThere was a clear fear written on her face.

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