How to Live as the Enemy Prince Chapter 69

Chapter 14. Long Time No See (6)

What the hell?

Is freely stepping into an uninvited place a trait inherited from Silica?

Rather than going through the long corridor, down the stairs, and walking back through the corridor to knock on his door, the person efficiently found Calian by coming out the window and immediately entering through the window below.

It was none other than Franz, who lived in the room right above.

Even if they were brothers, how could a prince of a country intrude into someone else’s bedroom? What would he do if they immediately called the knights?

Thinking about it, Calian realized that the knights of Chermil Palace were ultimately people from the Brissen family. Therefore, Calian let out a small sigh mixed with irritation. And with a calm voice, he asked the third same question.

"Did you come to talk? Or did you come to fight?"

Franz’s answer was brief.

"To talk."

What kind of conversation needs to happen at the darkest hour when everyone is asleep? Especially between Calian and Franz.

So, Calian stared at Franz, as if trying to pierce through him. Then, he nodded, got up from his seat, lit a lamp, and put on a coat. Calian decided to have a 'talk' with Franz.

"I can't offer you tea, and there's no alcohol."

Franz chuckled at Calian's words, and Calian opened the terrace door and went outside. Although the dawn air was chilly, Calian was not affected by the temperature.

As for Franz, well, whether he catches a cold or not wasn’t Calian’s business.

Franz followed, and when they both sat on the terrace chairs, Calian recited a brief incantation.

[Silence]

The reason Calian used magic in front of Franz was not just because he was concerned that their conversation might leak into the quiet dawn, but more because he wanted Franz to stop doubting Calian's true identity.

Even after seeing the translucent barrier of [Silence], Franz remained silent. Calian, staring at Franz's face, spoke.

"Speak. I'm listening."

As Calian's words ended, Franz, surprisingly, opened his mouth.

"The rose disappeared. Must be your doing."

Calian chuckled for a moment.

It seemed the rose was quite unusual.

The flower, as Calian expected when he saw it, seemed to continue blooming rather than wilting. It seemed to have bloomed for quite some time, enough for Franz to take an interest.

Since there was no need to deny removing the rose in the courtyard, which was not even personally cultivated by Calian, he nodded slightly and replied, "Seeing it bloom alone on a day like this was fascinating, so I took a closer look."

Then, with a questioning expression, Calian turned the conversation to Franz.

"It seems like you cherished the flower quite a bit. Coming to me like this just because one flower disappeared. How impolite."

In response, Franz looked towards the distant rose garden and replied, "I don't know how you figured it out after seeing it once. But seeing you hiding like this after removing it made me think it's not just a flower."

Franz seemed to find it odd simply because the flower had been blooming for a long time. His reason for sensing something strange about it was a bit different from Calian's.

Additionally, Franz seemed to have roughly figured out why Calian was not going to breakfast. Of course, Calian didn't need to provide a detailed explanation of the reason or acknowledge Franz's observations.

Therefore, Calian responded, clarifying Franz's thoughts.

"My personal physician must have informed you. I couldn't go because the poison hasn't been fully cleared, not because of the flower."

In response, Franz nodded vaguely. Keeping his gaze directed towards the rose garden, he continued speaking.

"I asked His Highness Randell if he knew about the rose that hasn't withered for over a month in the garden. He said he didn't know."

"A month..."

Calian's eyes widened briefly, and instead of responding, Franz continued.

"Without the ability of a high priest, one cannot sustain life for such a long time. I don't understand why Prince Randell is hiding the fact that he is a high priest."

Simply revealing the truth would have sufficed, but keeping it a secret suggested there might be more to the story. Hence, Franz couldn't shake off his suspicion toward Randell.

Calian, too, suspected that Randell was the one who kept the rose alive.

The difference between the two was that Franz straightforwardly asked the questions, while Calian tried to conceal the fact that he had suspicions.

"So, you directly asked about it."

As Franz nodded in response, Calian chuckled and said, “I know, I did it. Did you ask this question expecting an answer like this?"

"Quite presumptuous of you."

In response to Calian's sarcasm, Franz lifted one corner of his mouth.

Indeed, who would openly admit to something suspicious when asked so blatantly? Franz's straightforward behavior could be described as either truly characteristic or somewhat immature.

After brushing aside his disheveled hair in the morning breeze, Franz spoke again. It wasn't an answer to Calian's question but a different topic.

"I told Randell that I burned it, so I came to relay that message."

"Are you saying you came to deliver that message?"

Calian furrowed his brow.

It wasn't that he didn't understand that Franz was giving an excuse, claiming he had destroyed the rose. Calian couldn't comprehend why Franz would take such an action to prevent Rendall from knowing that he had cast doubts.

"Why?"

"To avoid being suspected, is that why you didn't show up for breakfast?"

"That's not what I meant."

Calian stared at Franz with a piercing gaze.

"I'm asking why you went out of your way to shield me from Randell’s eyes. It would be better for you to be cautious even with me. Moreover, you were suspicious of me too, weren't you?"

It didn't make sense.

Franz wasn't someone who would help Calian. He knew well how harshly Franz treated the old Calian, so he was sure that Franz would never be someone to do something good for him.

"Between you and me, there's no such relationship as far as I remember."

"I remember it at least."

Franz, after saying that, let out a brief laugh. His attitude still seemed like he was doubting Calian's true identity. It might not be suspicion but rather certainty.

Instead of answering about his memories, Calian asked again,

"I asked, why did you step forward to hide it?."

Franz remained silent for a moment in response. Calian stared at Franz. Franz's eyes turned towards the direction of Heisha Palace.

Where Silica is.

"No matter what power you have, you won’t be able to defeat Randell anyway. Like me."

"So, are you saying that Randell decided to help me because he couldn't defeat your mother?"

Calian's eyes narrowed.

It was almost as if he wished for Calian to expel Silica.

"Do you understand what you just said?"

In response to Calian's question, Franz turned his head to look at Calian.

A younger brother assassinated, an older brother fleeing to another country, and a father suspected of treason. After ascending to the vacant throne, he was called the Mad King.

Calian, who remembered all of this, silently stared into Franz's eyes and looked at what was contained within.

A moment passed.

Calian spoke in a subdued voice, "You never had any intention of going to Camillon Palace, did you?"

Franz didn’t respond.

* * * * *

The second life that Calian is now living, which he did not desire, was undoubtedly caused by the war Franz started.

The disdain and torment inflicted by Franz also played a significant role in why the former Calian lived such a life.

Because of this, Calian couldn't release all his resentment for Franz through a single conversation. He couldn't become a kind person who would feel empathy or compassion for Franz, who was treated as a tool to bring power to Silica.

However, Calian changed his mindset to some extent, deciding not to project the shadow of past unfortunate events onto Franz, as he did with Arsen Hertz. That was the biggest understanding that the current Calian could offer.

As a result of this newfound understanding of Franz, Calian changed his mind about attending breakfast, which he had initially planned to skip.

After all, what Franz wanted to convey when he visited that dawn was a message for Calian to come and have breakfast without raising suspicions unnecessarily so that Randell wouldn't doubt anything.

‘Though there were too many things attached to that message’

Upon hearing Calian's intention to attend breakfast, Yan eagerly hastened the preparations, resulting in Calian being ready a bit earlier than usual. Of course, Calian's inability to fall back asleep after Franz disappeared beyond the window also contributed to this.

In any case, with some time to spare, Calian looked at the pile of gift boxes in one corner of the room and spoke to Yan.

"Let's see the gifts now. We can check them out, then go to breakfast."

Since Calian had been immersed in thoughts for the past two days, he had postponed opening the gifts. However, inspired by the conversation with Franz, Calian added two conditions.

"Gifts from knight families, and those from reasonably trustworthy sources."

"You mean knight families, not magicians?"

Calian nodded and added an explanation.

"At the moment, magicians with abilities will be affiliated with Master's magician guild. And any future magician with potential will enter my grasp through the magic academy. In that process, their families will naturally join hands with me, so there's no need to specifically cater to them."

Would the knight’s power be unnecessary if I obtained the power of magicians?

Certainly not.

"Magicians are powerful, but they're not abundant. If, for instance, Brissen disappeared suddenly, nobles scattered throughout Kyris or conflict coming from other countries might pose a challenge that the magician guild alone couldn't handle."

Calian was right.

Brissen’s knights threatened Rumian while simultaneously safeguarding Kyris and its royal family. Thus, if they were to vanish overnight, the threat to the royalty and their protection would disappear simultaneously. It was an ironic circumstance.

This was why Calian couldn't simply take up arms and assassinate Silica and the Marquis of Briarsen immediately. It was different from dealing with Gray, which was a necessary evil.

"To eliminate the necessity for such actions, there must be a knight force to substitute for Brissen’s knights. I can't drag elephants into my own battles. Instead, I need to collaborate with knight families that seem favorable to me."

Just as Slayman told his daughter, Demirea, Siegfried wasn't one of those who aimed to become a king. Therefore, they couldn't be referred to as part of Kyris.

Listening to Calian's explanation, Yan nodded and selected a few gifts from the many, placing them in front of Calian. These were gifts from small to mid-sized knight families. Since the number was more than expected, Calian, who was briefly contemplating the gift boxes, spoke.

"It might be difficult to meet them one by one."

Calian, who had memorized their names well, stood up from his seat. As he headed to the dining hall, he began to contemplate how to meet them without attracting Brissen's attention.

* * * * *

Oatmeal cookies.

Count Eiprin, the head of a knightly family whose power was said to have been significantly influenced by Brissen, sent oatmeal cookies that were made by the Countess herself. They were different from the gifts of various gems or precious leather, which was why Calian liked them the most.

Alan, who picked up one of the cookies and put it in his mouth, asked, “Do you plan to investigate Prince Randell? If necessary, I can call the head of the association.'"

Upon hearing this, Calian, who had finished breakfast without any issues, returned, sat facing Alan, and burst into laughter. This was because he thought of Euria, the head of the Kyris Sorcerer's Association and the principal of Polun Magic Academy, who also served as the boss of Calian's exclusive information organization.

"No need for the head of the association to come. Don't you know it's useless? Randell is in a similar situation as me right now. Unless he personally admits and reveals what power he's hiding, you won't find anything even if you investigate."

In order for someone to find out that Calian is actually Bern, Calian would have to admit it himself. Until then, there would be no way to expose what Calian was hiding.

The same applied to Randell. It would be impossible to find out unless he told them that he could use the power of the divine.

"One thing I'm curious about is why he grew that rose in the garden where everyone could see it. Thanks to that, everyone started suspecting Randell."

In response, Alan answered with a gentle smile.

"If it's a secret that won't be revealed anyway, you might have thought it was okay to reveal it once. Our thoughtful prince has also acted as if he were living only for today, saying he would save Kyrie, didn't he?"

He was referring to the day when they went to the gambling den and caused a commotion. Mentioning that day, Alan's words made Calian blush with embarrassment.

Actually, Alan's words were correct.

When Randell heard the news of Calian expelling Lennon and went to the garden, he grew a rose that resembled him. Calian, who didn't know about it, felt like he had gained one unsolvable mystery.

Soon, Calian took the black pebble from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"In any case, to find out why this and Randell’s power reacted, we need to make Randell move. By doing that, he will reveal why he grew flowers in the garden and what he has been hiding. But there is only one way to make Randell move, isn't there?"

As Calian said this, Alan, looking at him, smiled meaningfully. There was a time when Alan told Rumian that if Calian sent Silica away, Randell would move too.

"Getting rid of Silica. When only Randell and I are left, we’ll have no choice but to reveal what we've been hiding."

Calian, echoing Alan's words from that time, continued.

"Of course, I’m in the same situation."

What will be greater: what the priest, who uses the power of the divine, is hiding, or what the magician with the memories of a Swordmaster is hiding?

Open it, and you'll know.

TN: this means that you’ll know what is greater once you reveal the secrets

"So, I have one request."

"Speak."

Calian, with a smile resembling Alan's, opened his mouth again.

"I want to have a private conversation with His Majesty. Without anyone knowing."

At the request of a son to secretly meet with his father, Alan smiled amusedly, nodded, and took another bite of an oatmeal cookie that would hardly suit the tastes of nobles.