How to Live as the Enemy Prince Chapter 66

Chapter 14. Long Time No See (3)

Chermil Palace remained the same as always.

Other than the changing of the seasons, nothing else had changed.

The gift boxes that were stacked up to celebrate Calian's safe return were also the same as before.

"I'm truly delighted that you've returned safely, Prince. This place felt quite lonely without you."

Not only did the taciturn Marilyn offer such a greeting, but the other maids also took turns in welcoming Calian. Calian awkwardly smiled and expressed his gratitude.

It seemed that after the brief period of his absence from the royal palace, the helping hands in dressing felt unfamiliar. It gave Calian a sense that only he had changed in Chermil.

Of course, this was Calian's new daily life that he needed to become accustomed to again.

"Don't worry. When I returned home, I felt the same way. Rest well today, and you'll get used to it quickly once you become busy again."

Yan handed Calian mint tea as he said this. It was what Calian drank the most outside, which made him smile.

When they left, it was hot and humid, but the hot winds had now turned into a cool breeze. This change was not unpleasant, so Calian took the tea and went out to the terrace, enjoying a leisurely time.

Yan, who followed Calian, sat in the chair beside him. He hadn't completely returned to his old self who lived as a complete servant to the prince. Calian had no intention of pointing that out and just quietly smiled to keep it from being obvious.

"It's quite strange," Calian said, looking at the serene artificial lake.

"We have three princes here living on the edge of a blade, but it's quieter than anywhere else outside the palace." (T/N: they are in a precarious situation)

Calian took a sip of mint tea, and the quiet morning passed with the melancholy of returning to daily life after a long time.

* * * * *

Alan was extremely busy.

He was leading Valkan and making final preparations. Alan had planned to have lunch with Calian but arrived a bit late, since he was busy working and had lost track of time, not even having a chance to check his watch.

In fact, Alan hadn't had a proper conversation with his family, Rachel and Veronica, either. They hadn't been granted permission to enter the palace yet, so they had to head straight to Alan's mansion after arriving.

"You haven't had the time to request an audience with His Majesty due to your busy schedule, I presume. My apologies for that."

"Don't worry about it. Starting tomorrow, we will be able to visit Chermil anytime."

Alan skillfully sliced a well-cooked steak while saying this.

The reason Alan had requested an audience for his family to enter the royal palace was due to the teleportation magic circle. Calian, like Arsen, was a magician, so they decided to research together how to create a ‘teleportation magic circle that only specific individuals could use’. Since Calian couldn't move around easily, he instead had to invite the researchers in his room.

Alan, who was thinking about Rachel and Veronica, looked at Calian and asked.

“Have you talked to my family?”

Calian thought about Veronica, who shared the same hair color as Alan. He didn't know much about her other than that she was a year younger than Calian and a young magician who had just made her second circle.

"I talked a bit with Rachel, but I haven't exchanged words with Veronica beyond a greeting."

"You’ll have plenty of time to talk soon."

"Yes, no need to rush."

Calian nodded, enjoying hazelnuts, which were common in Kyris but unfamiliar to him.

After finishing their meal by sharing some everyday stories and experiences, the two went for a long walk. When they reached the rose garden, Alan was the first to speak.

“Please show me.”

There was no need to ask what he meant. Alan had probably wanted to see this as soon as he could meet Calian. Calian extended his hand and concentrated his magic. A sharp and focused magical aura, as if it could cut through anything, took the form of a round sphere.

"Ah."

Seeing it, Alan reacted as if he found it truly amazing. Even the great Sispanian thought it was amazing, so why would Alan think any differently?

"Can you infuse this magic with elemental power?"

Calian nodded slightly and then concealed his magic once again.

"It's possible, but it’s not good enough to use it freely yet."

"So, you've used it as a sword and a club?"

Ah, it was indeed an exquisite club.

Calian chuckled as he recalled the events of the previous day. He couldn't even estimate how long it had been since he lost his temper and let his anger show.

“It’s an unusual power, so I’m worried that Margrave Brissen might talk about it carelessly.”

At those words, Calian shook his head as if to tell him not to worry.

“He may not have been afraid of being cut to death by a sword, but he would never have thought that he would be beaten to death. So he must be scared just by the fact that there is someone who will thrash him like that. Even if he is lucky enough to walk again and hold a sword, he will never want to be associated with me again.”

“How many times did you beat him to make the former swordmaster have that level of fear?”

Alan shook his head.

"Your Highness, in Kyris, we shouldn't create such incidents.

“I know that my actions were ruthless. It was a bold move to ensure that Grey never infiltrates the capital to threaten His Highness’s life, so there won't be any room for such actions within the capital."

Listening to this, Alan opened his mouth again.

"All right. Anyway, now the Marquis will be plagued by unfavorable rumors.”

"Yes. He treated his son very cruelly, so there will be repercussions. So, why don’t we postpone the announcement of the creation of Valkan until after those rumors have spread?”

According to what Grey’s butler said, Grey would be attacked by men sent by the Marquis two days later, seriously injure his back, and return to Brissen territory. He also had plans to spread the news of the Marquis’ outrageous actions. Evan Brissen would be tormented by rumors for a while.

"Right now, it'll be challenging to focus on dealing with the rumors because of the imminent arrival of Valkan’s magicians at His Majesty's doorstep. So, how about we delay the announcement of the Valkan Foundation and the transformation of the Pavel Knights' territory into Valkan’s domain until after that?"

Both Alan and Rumian shared the same thoughts.

"That makes sense," Rumian agreed. "Originally, we planned to announce it today or tomorrow, but let's postpone it by about a week. By the way, I heard some ominous rumors regarding Lord Pollun’s involvement in Lennon's death, but it should fade away."

This was something that Calyan had learned after arriving at this place – that Lennon's disappearance had coincided with the rise of Melfir as the new lord of Brissen's Merchantry. Many people suspected a connection between the two events, so Melfir might have gone through some troubles of his own.

"By the way, it's rather peculiar that all the ladies are now troubled by the bad rumors," Rumian remarked.

Hearing Alan's words, Calian unconsciously frowned, thinking of Silica.

"Yesterday, Silique met separately with Prince Franz. I'm not sure about the details of their conversation, but it's the first move Silica made in five months. You should pay some attention to that side as well," Alan informed.

"Yes, I think Silica will start moving again. The more rumors spread in other places, the less she has to deal with the original rumor."

Calyan replied, his lips curving into a small smile.

"I look forward to it. I wonder how it will turn out."

* * * * *

Alan and Calyan had exchanged so many words through their rings during the past few hours, yet there were still many stories to be told. Thanks to this, Calian returned to his room after a two-hour long walk. He glanced at the gift boxes that were still occupying his room.

"Should I open those now?"

Rather than simply sending the gifts back, he felt it was time to start receiving them, especially considering this was the third set of gifts that had been sent. So, he decided to open the boxes that Yan had rated favorably.

But Yan, who had gone out for a moment, brought unexpected news.

"I think you should open the gifts tonight or tomorrow."

“Did something come up?”

"Yes, I received an abrupt message."

In response to Calyan's inquisitive look, Yan smiled awkwardly and replied, "You should take a shower, change your clothes, and have dinner. His Majesty has invited three princes for an evening meal."

"Dinner, you say?"

Upon hearing that, Calian also smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I just finished eating and went for a walk."

Although the walk was two hours long, it was still a bit perplexing to have a meal, go for a walk, and then have another meal.

However, since he couldn't refuse, Calian quickly showered and changed into clean, simple clothing. He didn't need to draw attention with extravagant attire since there were already two other princes in the group.

While getting his hair styled, Yan, who had been standing nearby, spoke up.

"Your Highness, it seemed like you rushed off to meet Lord Manasil as soon as you got off the carriage, which left His Majesty feeling quite displeased."

"Ah..."

It was indeed Calian's mistake. No matter how glad he was to see Alan, he should have greeted Rumian first. Fortunately, Rumian had generously understood, but if he hadn't, things could have taken a dire turn as soon as they arrived at the royal palace.

Nonetheless, Rumian’s invitation to dinner was something Calian couldn't refuse, and he was thankful for it rather than reluctant.

After finishing all preparations, Calian went to the small dining table set in Arpia Palace. When arriving, he noticed there was only one carriage in front of Chermil Palace which he had anticipated. Randell and Franz had already arrived. Feeling that he might have been a bit tardy, Calian greeted his two elder brothers with a hint of apology.

"I apologize for the delay. It's been a while since I've had the chance to greet both of you."

Calian had maintained sporadic communication with Randell, even before leaving Roselita. Therefore, Randell responded with a nod and offered the usual pleasantries, saying that he was glad Calian had returned without any significant issues. Franz, on the other hand, simply said, "Welcome back."

Oh my!

Calian was as astonished as he was on that day when Alan mentioned he already knew about the axis of time. Franz’s welcoming greeting was something he hadn't expected in his wildest dreams.

Of course, the voice that should convey the sincerity wasn't loud enough to be heard even if one’s aura was concentrated in the ears, it didn't seem like an unfriendly gesture. Therefore, he tried to make his thoughts regarding Franz possibly taking some form of medication not manifest outwardly.

One corner of Franz’s mouth rose as he saw Calian’s poorly hidden surprise, and Randell glanced at Franz’s face for a moment.

However immediately after that, Rumian entered and dinner began, so Calian ultimately failed to figure out Franz’s plan.

"Randell, have you finished all of Sirteya's treatises you were reading? I’m glad to see your knowledge deepening."

Rumian considerately directed more questions to the two other princes than Calian.

"You've been diligently training in swordsmanship, Franz, and it seems your physical condition is better than last time. I wonder if we can go hunting together sometime."

Calian was simply asked if he had learned much from the outside, and Calian answered quietly, knowing that Rumian was better informed about whether he had learned a lot or broken much.

Anyway, watching Randell and Franz answer Rumian’s questions without any hesitation, it seemed that they had been in such gatherings several times during Calian's absence. Alan's influence on Rumian had indeed been significant.

While the father and sons were peacefully spending their time, the door to the banquet hall was cautiously opened, and a courtier whispered something into Chamberlain Raul's ear. Raul then looked extremely flustered and conveyed some message to Rumia . Rumian’s face, which held a faint smile moments ago, froze in an eerie manner as he listened to Raul. After a brief silence, he nodded his head.

"Let them in," Rumian said.

Someone who could unsettle the court simply by their presence, even without entering the dining hall. Someone Romain would never welcome.

Calian didn't need to look to find out who had arrived.

Calian closed his eyes for a moment and took a small breath.

Thud.

Thud.

He felt as if the scent of Lurnieri was carried in the sound produced by the shoes.

What is she trying to conceal that she emits such a strong fragrance?

Calian turned his head and stared directly at her face.

Then, he smiled.

"Long time no see."

Silica.