“For Pipi-nim…”
“To Pipi-nim…”
Serdin’s eyebrows twitched as he looked at the gift boxes and invitations that had arrived for Formo. So many boxes and invitations that he couldn’t count them with his eyes were waiting in front of Sotes Palace for Serdin’s permission, though he had no idea how they knew to send them. Serdin swept his hair back with a hollow laugh.
He had absolutely no intention of letting into Sotes Palace things that were obviously sent by beastmen curious about Formo.
Just then, a cat beastman got out of a carriage and approached Serdin. He watched Serdin’s mood cautiously for a moment from nearby, then carefully opened his mouth.
“His Majesty is waiting for you in the meeting hall.”
At the cat beastman’s words, Serdin clicked his tongue and was about to head straight to the meeting hall when he hesitated. It seemed he would have to deal with those things first before he could go to the meeting hall or do anything else. If he left them as they were, they would catch the eye of Formo, who liked to peek around here and there in Sotes Palace.
Naive Formo would just happily accept gifts without a second thought. Right. After receiving gifts, his heart would soften and he would want to accept all the invitations. There was no way that long-tailed tit, who couldn’t hide the smile that leaked out when he received gifts, would refuse them. Sighing, Serdin called a maid who was on fairly good terms with Formo.
The maid, hearing Serdin’s call, came running in one breath.
“Clean it up before Pipi sees it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Only after the maid bowed deeply and said she would do so could Serdin relax his hardened expression and move his feet. He got into the carriage the cat beastman had prepared and furrowed his brow.
Everything was annoying because of those Chaimb bastards. Having to go to the meeting hall every day to exchange nothing but tedious talk with the Emperor and bureaucrats, and even having to return hastily from the detached palace—wasn’t it all because of them? If not for the matter with Chaimb, he would have rested for the full vacation and returned leisurely later.
The slowly moving carriage stopped at Karta Palace where the meeting hall was located. Serdin got out of the carriage and strode toward the meeting hall. His mind was full of thoughts of ending the meeting quickly and returning to his palace where Formo was waiting.
“Crown Prince Serdin Belius has arrived!”
The guards who spotted Serdin shouted this and flung open the heavy doors. Serdin leisurely stepped into the meeting hall.
“You’re here.”
“Yes.”
“You’re late. Come, sit down quickly.”
Serdin sat down without even the common courtesy of apologizing for being late, then rested his chin on his hand with an indifferent expression and looked around the meeting hall. Aside from Serdin and Harold, nearly twenty bureaucrats were sitting around the large table. Serdin’s eyes were cold as he gazed at them.
Surely one of them must have sent gifts. Who exactly had sent gifts to Formo? When Serdin suddenly looked at them with cold eyes, the bureaucrats flinched and cleared their throats.
In the subtle atmosphere, Harold opened his mouth.
“Chaimb says they’ll send an envoy for fact-finding and a more amicable resolution. They should arrive in at least three days, so what does everyone think about this?”
A moment of silence passed.
“If they’re sending an envoy, that means beastmen who will represent the empire’s will are coming, but… is Chaimb’s Crown Prince also included in the envoy?”
A leopard beastman asked. At his question, Harold nodded and replied.
“They said they’re sending the Crown Prince in place of the Emperor, so he’ll definitely be coming along.”
“Huh… Then we’ll get to see the rumored Crown Prince in person.”
“If he’s as eccentric and has as strange a personality as the rumors say about that wolf, resolving this matter could become difficult.”
The bureaucrats subtly revealed their discomfort. In Tersium, the perception of Chaimb’s beastmen wasn’t very good. They thought of Chaimb’s beastmen as dirty and excessively aggressive troublesome types in all matters.
With such perception prevalent, they couldn’t help but react lukewarmly to the news that Chaimb’s Crown Prince was coming. Moreover, didn’t even Chaimb’s Crown Prince have a terrible reputation even in his own country of Chaimb? He was said to be not only eccentric but also cruel.
“Can we really trust that Chaimb is sending their Crown Prince to resolve this matter amicably…”
The lion beastman tried to figure out Chaimb’s intentions, then soon squinted his eyes and groaned. How could they fathom what those canine beasts were thinking? Their way of thinking was completely different from theirs.
“They must be sending an envoy because they intend to resolve it well. Even if they come with different intentions, we can just solve it our way.”
When Harold spoke in his usual voice, the bureaucrats nodded. Even if it turned into a violent fight, it wouldn’t be much of a problem for them. They could just think of it as loosening up their itching bodies.
However, Serdin’s thoughts were different.
“If a peaceful resolution is difficult, isn’t the right method to make it happen that way?”
Serdin, who had spoken quietly, carefully examined the bureaucrats’ faces. Most of the bureaucrats belatedly agreed with “Th-that’s right,” “Y-yes, that’s correct” whenever Serdin’s gaze reached them. Serdin shrugged, as he hadn’t looked at them with the intention of gaining their agreement.
Harold, who had a belligerent personality, valued peace but never backed down in situations where he inevitably had to step forward. Though there had been fewer occasions to step forward since making peace agreements with other countries. And unlike such a Harold, Serdin didn’t want to create a fighting situation even if it meant being bothered by it.
The reason Serdin wanted to resolve this matter peacefully if possible was none other than Formo. He didn’t want to act violently in front of the timid, standoffish Formo. Nor did he intend to show him such a side and make him frightened.
“That’s right. You’re correct, Serdin.”
Harold said this and smiled. At the Emperor’s face that looked very satisfied, the bureaucrats glanced at Serdin. His expression hadn’t changed at all from when he entered the meeting hall. They tilted their heads and brought up talk about the demands to make to Chaimb.
Contrary to Serdin’s expectations, the meeting dragged on. Even though it was a topic that should have ended quickly, they wasted over two hours with repeated deliberation and reversals. An end finally came into view even for the meeting that had been continuing for so long. Serdin tried hard to suppress his boredom and stayed in his seat.
“Then let’s conclude this meeting with this.”
The long meeting ended with Harold announcing the end of the meeting. Serdin tried to leave the meeting hall quickly together with Harold, but a cheetah beastman’s voice stopped him.
“Oh, Your Highness. I heard you returned together with a long-tailed tit.”
At the story about Formo, Serdin’s feet stopped dead.
“Is that long-tailed tit a beastman?”
“Why are you asking such a thing?”
When Serdin turned his head and asked back irritably, the cheetah beastman cleared his throat.
“Ahem! It’s not that I have any impure intentions, but I heard that recently in Chaimb there’s been a trend of training small birds and carrying them around. So I asked because I wondered if Your Highness was also trying to lead that culture in Tersium.”
“What a ridiculous culture.”
The cheetah beastman’s eyes widened when he heard Serdin muttering irritably. He had thought Serdin had also brought a long-tailed tit with similar intentions, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Ha, hahaha! That child would be angry if he heard that. Isn’t that right, Serdin?”
“Are you joking right now?”
At Harold’s question as he laughed loudly, Serdin reacted stiffly. He looked at his father, who kept bringing up Formo’s name, with very displeased eyes, then moved his feet. He was displeased that there had been a marked increase in people taking interest in Formo since coming to Tersium. He alone was enough to take interest in Formo.
Serdin’s movements as he left the meeting hall and got into the carriage were more hasty than ever before.
“Why are you in such a hurry, Serdin?”
Harold asked this as he sat across from Serdin.
“Is it because of Pipi?”
Harold’s face was full of amusement as he asked quietly.
“Must you ride in this carriage?”
“I was going to share some father-son affection after such a long time, but it’s disappointing that you say such a thing.”
Harold spoke in an upset tone and dabbed the corners of his dry eyes with the end of his sleeve. At the sly gesture as if wiping away tears, Serdin sighed.
“Serdin, do you also think Chaimb’s Crown Prince will be eccentric?”
“Even if he is eccentric, if he’s a bastard with his thoughts properly in place, he won’t come all the way here and do foolish things.”
“Right. That would be so. Actually, I’m not very worried about the matter with Chaimb.”
“Since it’s clearly their bastards’ responsibility, is there anything else to worry about?”
When Serdin replied with an indifferent expression, Harold shook his head.
“That’s not why. Serdin, this father of yours…”
Harold continued with eyes that were somehow melancholic.
“Ever since you lost something terrible as a price, I haven’t spent a single moment at ease.”
“For someone saying that, didn’t you spend too much good time with Mother?”
“Ahem. That’s a separate matter, you rascal.”
Harold, who cleared his throat as if embarrassed, was about to continue when the carriage stopped. It was in front of the palace where Harold, the Emperor, resided. Serdin gestured with his eyes, meaning to get out quickly, and Harold, who hadn’t finished his story, grumbled about why they had arrived so quickly and slowly got out of the carriage.
Thus, the carriage departed again toward Sotes Palace in the quiet atmosphere.
