“But… Lord will be angry when he finds out later.”
Buppu cautiously voiced his opinion. Anya smiled faintly as he brushed off the dirt on his knees.
“It’s, it’s all right. Lord won’t get angry over something like this.”
‘Something like this.’ The mistress of Tildyen had suddenly run out retching during a meal. It might have been poison from outside the Empire that couldn’t be detected by silver. However, Buppu couldn’t say anything more because Anya’s smile looked far too bitter.
Even so, he couldn’t help but worry. Buppu had already experienced losing a master he served once before. Though the 12th Prince had been excluded from the fight for succession to begin with, at this point when the dukes had newly gathered, someone might have done this targeting Tildyen.
“Buppu. Don’t, don’t worry. I just… must have been a bit ten-tense psychologically.”
The kind-hearted 12th Prince comforted Buppu with a dying face, saying it wasn’t something he should be concerned about. Feeling as if their roles were reversed, Buppu hastily collected himself and said.
“Yes, my lady. You must be hungry, so I’ll bring up another meal.”
“N-no. I’m done with meals.”
Even after emptying his stomach, the nausea still remained. Had the conversation he shared with Evernight yesterday been that shocking? After training desperately with Sabelli, he felt so pathetic for being shocked by just such words. He still had a long way to go.
“I… I want to go to the training grounds….”
At times like this, it might be better to overwork his body so no stray thoughts would enter. He hadn’t trained for several days now, so he suddenly felt afraid that he might lose his usefulness as a knight, as a mage. All Anya had left were these scars like medals.
“Oh my, the training grounds, my lady? Didn’t your body send you signals because you overdid it yesterday? You should go inside and rest a bit….”
“N-no, Buppu. I, I want to go to the training grounds. Will you gui-guide me?”
Anya’s attitude was quite resolute. What on earth could he do at the training grounds with that frail body? Looking at the rumors about the 12th Prince going around—half-wit, can’t do anything… they were all nothing but negative words, but the boy he actually met was very mature and kind. Buppu had no choice but to grumble inwardly that he’d have to beat up his chef friend and the bastards who spread such rumors, and guided Anya to the training grounds.
“Eos Castle has two large training grounds, to the north and south. Since this is the annex at the eastern end, the northern training ground is closer. I’ll take you there.”
Wai-wait a moment. Anya went into the bedroom and came out with Haebing. Buppu’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t expected him to bring out even a real sword. He’d thought at most it would be the level of martial arts that young princes used to practice….
‘I’ve truly missed so much while I was lost in grief and wandering.’
Buppu resolved to prepare even more thoroughly during his remaining time serving Anya so that something like today would never happen again.
Rather than moving by carriage, Anya chose to walk. Though he’d lived in Eos Castle for over ten years, this was the first time he walked freely through the castle grounds. So every single scene he saw was new. Thanks to that, in a much better mood, Anya walked along absentmindedly.
Along the path to the training grounds, artificially landscaped trees and plants stood in precise balance. In some places, they had trimmed person-height trees to create large maze-like gardens. Anya suddenly recalled Tildyen’s utterly desolate courtyard. Guilt for not fulfilling his duties as the mistress came flooding in belatedly.
“Your Highness!”
Just then. Anya stopped walking at the sound of someone calling him from beyond the maze garden. Since there were several princes in the Imperial Palace, it might not have been him. But looking around, aside from Buppu, he was the only one passing through here.
“Over here.”
The voice came from inside the maze, beyond the dense leaves. The trees that the palace landscapers had each painstakingly carved were all so uniformly shaped it was eerie, making the maze garden look even more sinister. When Anya didn’t let down his guard, a voice mixed with laughter came again from inside.
“Your Highness. It’s Bluoa Shonda.”
“L-Lord Bluoa Shonda?”
Anya recalled one by one the appearances of the dukes he’d seen at the chaotic banquet. The young duke of Runfield with the blue mullet emblem. That man of generous spirit had constantly shown friendliness toward Anya. When Anya turned the corner and entered the maze, Buppu quietly followed behind.
“Yes, Your Highness. It’s me.”
Anya lost his words at the scene before him.
“Isn’t this kind of place perfect for holding a tryst?”
Bluoa was lying sideways on white cloth spread over the bushes. The problem was that beside him, regardless of gender, half-naked people were tangled together. My lord, please try this. A brown-haired man particularly close to Bluoa affectionately fed him a grape. Bluoa crunched on the grape and grinned at Anya.
“I should make a maze like this at Runfield Castle too.”
Somehow that man looked similar to himself. What on earth am I thinking? Anya’s face flushed red at the utterly obscene sight.
“Everyone step back. I need to have a brief conversation with His Highness.”
Then they all rose in unison, passed by Anya, and disappeared to the other side of the maze. Among them, the brown-haired man openly glared at Anya with hostile eyes as he passed.
“After meeting Your Highness yesterday, I’ve been broadening my tastes which had been so boring until now.”
It was rather rude and sexually harassing language. Buppu’s brow furrowed involuntarily. But Anya didn’t seem to care much.
‘So this much is fine? Unexpected.’
Bluoa burst into hearty laughter and invited Anya to sit beside him.
“How about resting for a bit? The sky is blue and the breeze is refreshing—perfect weather for a nap.”
Bluoa speaking like this looked like a typical idle noble who loved playing around.
“I, I have things to do. I’ll be going.”
It seemed better not to get involved with him. Anya made a quick decision. After nodding once, as he tried to quickly leave this place, Bluoa sat up and stretched.
“Your Highness, are you going to meet Duke Evernight?”
“……”
At the mention of Evernight, Anya’s steps stopped abruptly.
“Hmm, the duke was summoned by the Emperor as soon as the meeting ended. Something about showing him the armory. Lords Montrose and Usolin followed along excitedly, but I had no interest so I just came out. There hasn’t been a war in six hundred years, so what armory?”
Bluoa chattered endlessly while observing Anya’s behavior. Though his face still showed youthful traces, he certainly had the bearing to make quite a name with his looks in a few years.
‘I deliberately called that male prostitute because he looked quite similar, but he’s nothing alike. My intuition in this area has never been wrong.’
Bluoa inwardly laughed and tapped the spot beside him once more.
“By the way, have you eaten? Lord Evernight can’t be met right now anyway. It’s hard for me to eat all this food alone… Will you join me?”
“I’m, I’m fine. I’ll be go-going now.”
Looking at the well-prepared food on the makeshift table, nausea welled up again. Anya barely suppressed the urge to vomit by swallowing his dry saliva with difficulty. Just as Anya turned around and tried to leave almost at a run.
“Your Highness. Are you by any chance also interested in the red earring?”
Bluoa jumped up from his seat and grabbed Anya’s wrist. Buppu turned pale with shock and leaped up.
“…The, the red earring?”
The red earring. It wasn’t unfamiliar. He’d always only watched it dangling from Royster’s ear from a distance. In Dragcals’s illusion, he’d gotten his hands on it, but it soon disappeared like smoke.
A token that his father, Emperor Luksus, acknowledged him as a son. Though he’d always envied and longed for it, it was now a futile act.
“I’m… now a person of Til-Tildyen. I, I don’t need to have it.”
“Why not? His Majesty said it didn’t matter whether they were a commoner knight or someone who married out.”
Bluoa questioned. Anya wondered if he was mocking him, but his expression was endlessly serious. He seemed to truly, purely believe that anyone could have the red earring.
“His Majesty is a difficult person to read, but he’s not a monarch who lies. Don’t you know that?”
“…It’s a sto-story that has nothing to do with me. Please, please let go of my hand now.”
Anya unconsciously frowned, worried someone might see this scene. He didn’t want to displease Evernight further by having useless rumors spread. Ah, I’m sorry. Bluoa hastily let go. As he did, he let out a small sigh.
“That’s unfortunate. If you got your hands on the red earring, it would help Tildyen’s future development. The meaning of giving the red earring not just to a prince but also to a duke—isn’t it that the Emperor is fully backing one duke? From what I’ve heard, Tildyen is in a very desperate situation for supplies. Moving the massive merchant guild association and paving roads will take a long time even for that great Duke Evernight.”
This person who had seemed endlessly frivolous could unexpectedly read the situation. Bluoa grinned at Buppu, who was watching with particular vigilance, then leaned close to Anya and whispered in his ear.
“I heard in today’s meeting that not only Lord Evernight but all of Tildyen’s knights said they wouldn’t participate in the equestrian tournament. It’s such a good opportunity to let it go, so I found it very regrettable.”
Was it really regret? At yesterday’s banquet, he hadn’t seemed to be on good terms with not only Tildyen but the other dukes either. There was no such thing as favor without a price in this world. It was one of the principles Anya had learned living his whole life. Hadn’t he learned it painfully at Northernmost? Then he became angry at Bluoa for treating him like a half-wit. Anya firmly pushed his shoulder.
“Lord. I, I’m a married person. Don’t co-come any closer.”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
And just then. Sisou walked from between the bushes on the opposite side with a harshly hardened expression.
