Chapter 97
His mere presence had dramatically changed the atmosphere of the meeting hall.
Additionally, with the news that he had become the Third Prince’s mentor, Duke Dearrut became even more the center of attention in the meeting hall.
Throughout the meeting, the Emperor kept glancing at Duke Dearrut with fearful eyes, and eventually, Duke Dearrut was given a new position in the meeting hall.
It was the position of head of the military, overseeing all military authority in the Empire.
As Kylus had more than enough justification to take over military authority, none of the nobles could oppose it.
Not even the Emperor.
“With Your Grace taking charge of the Empire’s military authority, I feel truly reassured.”
“Do you feel the same way, Marquis? I too feel as if the Empire’s military power has already grown stronger.”
“Isn’t Duke Dearrut’s prestige famous even in other countries? There are rumors that enemy soldiers’ morale drops just at the mention of his name. From now on, what country would dare to covet the Empire’s territory? It’s only natural to feel reassured.”
Kylus looked around at the nobles gathered around him.
As soon as the meeting ended and the Emperor left the hall, the nobles rushed to him as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Like bees waiting for honey to drip.
This was partly why he had distanced himself from politics, disgusted by such sights.
Kylus swept a cold gaze over the flatterers gathered around him.
He had been satisfied with easily obtaining what he wanted at the state council meeting. But the greedy looks in the flatterers’ eyes rapidly soured his mood.
Count Patel, Marquis Katun, Count Beyton.
Kylus recalled the status of each person who was giving him meaningless smiles.
They were from families based in the capital with considerable wealth, but to Kylus, they were insignificant houses.
“Reassured, you say… I didn’t take this position to reassure you, so would you kindly step aside.”
They were mere swarms of bees obstructing his path.
At Kylus’s blunt words, the faces of the three men turned red with shame.
“Ahem…”
“Hem…”
“Hum…”
They all let out awkward coughs, but no one dared to rebut Kylus’s rude remarks.
They quietly made way for him.
“He seems to have become even more formidable after coming back from the brink of death.”
Someone whispered from somewhere, but Kylus paid no attention.
He was used to hearing such comments about himself.
If he were to mind each and every one of them, a day wouldn’t be enough.
Ignoring the gazes and words following him, Kylus approached one person.
Towards the white-haired gentleman.
“Count Latrang.”
The white-haired gentleman stopped and turned towards Kylus.
Kylus looked at the wrinkled face that bore clear traces of difficult years, then met the blue eyes.
Though his ash-gray hair had turned completely white from the hardships he’d endured, his eyes remained unchanged. They shone more brilliantly than those of any young person.
Sebinus Latrang.
The man Kylus had approached was the Margrave who owned the largest territory in the south, and the father of the late Empress, who was the First Prince’s birth mother.
“Your Grace, Duke Dearrut.”
Count Latrang gave a nod of greeting.
“My apologies for the late greeting. It’s been a long time, Count.”
“Indeed, it’s been a very long time. When I heard the news that you had regained consciousness, I came up to the capital after a long time, just in case. And as expected, Your Grace is putting on quite a show.”
Count Latrang let out a gentle laugh.
Judging by his smiling face alone, he looked like nothing more than a kind, ordinary old gentleman, but the blue eyes looking at Kylus shone with an unusual light.
As if trying to gauge his intentions.
“I’m not sure which spectacle you’re referring to, but I would like the Margrave to take an interest in His Highness the Third Prince.”
“I heard on my way to the Imperial Palace that Your Grace had volunteered to be His Highness the Third Prince’s mentor. In fact, I had forgotten about the existence of the Third… His Highness, so I was quite surprised. But I’m not sure why I should take an interest in His Highness.”
“Margrave. I intend to support His Highness the Third Prince as the next Crown Prince. And I would like the Margrave to join me in this intention.”
Kylus didn’t beat around the bush.
The Margrave was a knight who had roamed battlefields even longer than he had.
As such, he didn’t like beating around the bush like civil officials did.
It was a habit from receiving only important and accurate reports quickly on the battlefield.
Kylus had fought on battlefields with him before, so he knew the Margrave’s temperament better than anyone. That’s why he got straight to the point.
The smile disappeared from the Margrave’s face as he looked at Kylus.
“Duke. Have you forgotten that I am the maternal grandfather of His Highness the First Prince?”
“How could I?”
“Then why are you saying such things to me? His Highness the First Prince is still alive and well.”
“You know as well as I do, Count. His Highness the First Prince won’t hold out much longer.”
“He might suddenly get up and shake it off like you did.”
Such a miracle won’t happen.
The First Prince didn’t have someone like Alice by his side who had saved him.
Since no one was taking proper care of him, his condition had probably worsened even more than when Kylus had last seen him.
But Kylus hesitated to speak the truth.
Because for the first time, he saw the Margrave’s eyes waver.
Even when his life was in danger, cornered on the battlefield, or when he heard the news of the late Empress’s death, he had never shown any sign of wavering.
But… losing a grandson after losing a daughter was not an easy thing to accept, even for a knight who had roamed battlefields for many years.
“…If His Highness the First Prince could wake up, it would truly be a joyous thing.”
“…”
Kylus, somehow understanding the Margrave’s feelings reflected in his wavering gaze, took a step back.
“When are you planning to return to the south, Margrave?”
“…I think I’ll go down after the hunting competition and His Majesty’s birthday celebration are over.”
“I see. Then I’ll see you at the hunting competition.”
“Is that… all?”
The Margrave raised one eyebrow as he looked at Kylus.
A look that asked if this was really all he had to say.
It was understandable.
Once Kylus drew his sword, he would see things through to the end, no matter what stood in his way.
It was unlike him to back down just because the Margrave showed a moment of sadness.
If he had acted according to his usual nature, he would have pushed the reality of the situation regardless of the Margrave’s feelings.
There was no possibility of the First Prince recovering, and once the First Prince died, it was obvious that the Second Prince’s faction and the Emperor would rush to appoint the Second Prince as Crown Prince.
They would be afraid that Kylus might make the Third Prince the Crown Prince if time was wasted.
So considering the current situation, it would have been right to put personal emotions aside and drive the point home to the Margrave.
But… for some reason, he didn’t want to do that.
Because Kylus now understood the desperate feeling of worrying about someone and not wanting to lose them.
“Yes.”
“…They say you came back from the dead. Did you perhaps injure your head?”
Kylus let out a light laugh at the Margrave’s blunt question.
“I wasn’t injured, but I have changed a bit from before. Let’s say I’ve found something precious that I want to protect.”
“Hmm, that’s unexpected. I thought you would live your whole life without knowing such emotions. I’m not sure whether to say it’s fortunate or not… Well, I’m not sure yet, but if you’ve learned what’s precious, I hope you protect it well. Don’t regret it after losing it, like this old man.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind, Count.”
“Then I’ll see you at the hunting competition.”
The Margrave showed a bitter smile and got into his carriage first.
Kylus watched the Margrave leave and then headed towards the Dearrut family’s carriage.
Tessiri, who had been waiting for him, approached.
“Your Grace, did the meeting conclude well?”
“It concluded well. I’m now in charge of military authority.”
“Congratulations.”
“What congratulations for something so obvious.”
Tessiri let out a low laugh at Kylus’s indifferent response.
“Still, things seem to be going well. His Highness the Third Prince is also focusing on his studies, and you’ve gained military authority. Now the neutral nobles who haven’t picked a side will gather under Your Grace.”
“Are His Highness’s lessons progressing well?”
Kylus was only directly teaching the Third Prince swordsmanship, while proper teachers had been hired for other subjects.
And with the hunting competition approaching soon, the lesson schedule was tight. The Third Prince was moving without rest.
“He’s doing well. Despite it being quite difficult, he hasn’t complained once. Rather, he’s approaching it even more actively.”
Kylus had been worried that the Third Prince might not be able to handle it, but it seemed he was doing well, true to his determination to become stronger.
“Is Sienna still acting as his partner for dance lessons?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And the Duchess is still watching over him?”
“Yes.”
Kylus smirked at Tessiri’s answer.
For whatever reason, Alice wanted to pair Sienna with the Third Prince.
And it seemed that things weren’t going as well as she had hoped.
Sienna was stepping on the Third Prince’s feet so much that they were bruised.
It probably happened today too.
For some reason, Sienna couldn’t control her emotions well when it came to the Third Prince.
Why was she being so spiteful towards the Third Prince?
In fact, Kylus didn’t understand Sienna either.
So how much worse must it be for Alice?
Alice’s insides must be boiling quite a bit.
Kylus smiled as he could almost picture Alice sighing while watching the two of them.
She must be in quite a bad mood, so it would be good to give her a small gift.
He hadn’t been able to see her properly for days due to being busy, so he wanted to see her, even if he had to use a gift as an excuse.
But what should he give her that she would like?
The image of Alice smiling brightly at flashy accessories or clothes… didn’t quite fit.
She wasn’t a person with much material desire.
Kylus pondered for a moment.
Just then, he overheard the voice of a passing nobleman.
“Take care on your way. I need to stop by the Mont Blanc Bakery. My daughter loves their chocolate tart.”
“Chocolate tart…”
Her favorite dessert.
This time, he could clearly picture Alice’s smiling face.
“Tessiri, we need to stop by Vicente Street before returning to the mansion.”
“The shopping street…”
“Mont Blanc Bakery, let’s go there.”
Kylus got into the carriage with a smooth smile.
