Chapter 33

“It’s been a while, Euphrasia.”

The Prince of the Kingdom of Kettlin.

Leopold, who had been staying at the Ducal residence for several days but hadn’t shown his face even once during that time, lazily leaned against the wall and waved his hand.

“Most children start walking around their first birthday. Hmm, and as for Louis’s development right now…”

Leopold, who had slowly risen from the wall he was leaning on, kindly added an explanation.

“His height should be about this much.”

He gestured to the middle of his thigh.

“It seems he’s similar to children around two years old.”

Leopold had been in that spot even before the nanny had taken Louis away. The child had grown significantly taller than when Leopold had briefly seen him in the backyard a few days ago.

Louis’s development was far from normal by anyone’s standards. However, Euphrasia seemed to feel no unease about the child who grew noticeably day by day. Perhaps she was deliberately ignoring it, pretending not to notice.

Leopold briefly wondered about this but rationalized that someone who hadn’t interacted much with children might not know any better.

Looking at her confused expression, Leopold drove the point home.

“Those who deviate far from common sense are naturally avoided by those who remain within its bounds, aren’t they?”

“Deviate from common sense, you say? Are you suggesting my child is abnormal?”

Euphrasia’s sharp reaction burst forth.

“From society’s perspective, yes. Of course, the young master is exceptionally intelligent and outstanding. But in any case, those who are different tend to evoke discomfort in most ordinary people.”

Leopold, however, remained indifferent. He even spoke with firm conviction.

“At first, people might think he’s just a slightly special child.”

“I don’t want to hear any more about Louis.”

“You need to. But as he grows and his differences become more pronounced, people’s fear and rejection of him will inevitably intensify. Ignoring it won’t solve anything.”

Leopold’s words carried no trace of provocation. His attitude was calm, as if he were generously sharing the truth.

Euphrasia felt a surge of emotion welling up from deep within her heart.

What’s wrong with growing a little faster? My child is perfectly normal. 

She wanted to protest properly.

Yet, she knew all too well that ‘being different’ made someone prone to rejection by others.

“How rude. You appear out of nowhere and start slandering my child.”

It took her several attempts to swallow dryly before she could finally speak.

“I’ve been trying to reach you for conversations, but you didn’t even show your face then. Now you come to me just to say such things—do you intend to make me upset?”

Her tone remained sharp, but her voice betrayed her frustration.

She already didn’t have a favorable impression of Leopold.

As she said, she had repeatedly requested to meet Leopold. Yet every time, he was absent from his room, always out on some errands.

After being rejected three times in a row, she began to suspect that Leopold was deliberately avoiding her.

Not only her, but Leopold also had no interaction with the owner of the Duke’s residence, Duke Herrington. She had already known that the two didn’t have a good relationship, but still.

‘Why did he even want to stay at the Duke’s residence?’

Euphrasia’s eyes narrowed.

Noticing her displeasure, Leopold quickly spoke up, his tone softer.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I’ve been busy these past few days, and I couldn’t help but be away.”

“What could keep you so busy in a foreign land?”

“Well, that’s…”

Leopold furrowed his brows, showing signs of difficulty.

In truth, he had been incredibly busy and overwhelmed lately, thanks to the secret information Clara had delivered to him a few days ago.

“Prince! There’s another Princess in the Kingdom of Kettlin that no one knows about! And she’s here, in the Empire!”

No, it wasn’t even a secret. It was already widely spread within the Kettlin delegation. He didn’t need to hear the details to know that this was undoubtedly spread by Isabella.

The delegation even had rumors about the ‘lost Princess’s’ exact whereabouts.

‘The slums?’

Leopold had instructed Clara to keep her mouth shut and ordered his loyal delegation members not to be swayed.

But personally, he felt the need to investigate why such absurd rumors were suddenly circulating.

Since then, he had been wandering through the slums, trying to gather information. Even today, before heading out to the slums, he had wanted to take a brief moment to observe his sister and adorable nephew from afar.

Seeing Euphrasia’s dejected expression, he couldn’t simply pass by.

“If my comments about the young master sounded like slander, I apologize. On the contrary, it’s not slander but praise. The young master is special. But his uniqueness is something that only you and I can understand.”

Though he couldn’t reveal everything yet, he didn’t want to ignore Euphrasia’s distress over Louis.

His nephew’s unusual growth wasn’t something to be gossiped about by ignorant servants. It was truly special and glorious.

Leopold’s crimson eyes gleamed with conviction. Finally, Euphrasia noticed the unusual undertone in his speech and stiffened.

Leopold’s lips slowly parted, then stretched into a wide smile.

“The young master is very much like me. He resembles me a lot. Perhaps…”

He looked genuinely delighted.

“Even more than his father, Duke Herrington.”

Euphrasia’s face showed confusion. Leopold quickly shifted the subject and wrapped up the conversation, clearly intending not to give her time to question him.

This should be enough, if not entirely, to console her somewhat.

“Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t seen Duke Herrington all day.”

“…I heard he went to the Imperial Palace to meet His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Although he had asked about Eric, he wasn’t particularly interested. It was time to return to the slums. Leopold nodded briefly and turned away.

“It was a pleasure speaking with you, Euphrasia. Now, I must be going…”

“Are you heading out again today? Could you tell me where you’re going?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Just enjoying the exploration of the Empire’s unfamiliar streets.”

But his steps were halted by Euphrasia’s voice.

She didn’t want to let go of the rare opportunity to converse with Leopold, especially after several days. She had so many questions and wanted to understand the peculiar tone he had used when discussing Louis.

“In that case, Prince, I’ll take on the role of your guide through the Empire’s streets. As the hostess of the Ducal residence, it’s only proper for me to ensure your comfort.”

In the end, she impulsively made the suggestion.

***

Meanwhile, Eric stood stiffly in the Imperial Palace’s audience chamber.

The atmosphere in the chamber was heavy.

Eric’s face was stern, and Carian, seated on the throne, was rubbing his forehead in frustration.

After a long silence, Carian looked at Eric and asked gravely.

“I wonder if my chamberlain properly delivered my order to you, Duke.”

Eric silently nodded.

He recalled the contents he had read over and over.

Leopold. 

That damned Prince, and the chamberlain of the Emperor himself had personally delivered the message.

「Leopold Kettlin must be closely monitored. He will undoubtedly separate himself from the other delegations and begin searching for his lost sister individually. If he shows signs of finding her, secure the Princess before he does.」

The plan to send Leopold away as soon as possible had to be postponed due to this order.

“Then why haven’t I heard any news yet?”

“According to your instructions, Your Majesty…”

Eric slowly began to speak, recalling the events of the past few days.

“I attempted to assign people to monitor Prince Leopold, but… He slips out of his room like the wind every time, making it impossible to catch him.”

“Every time?”

“Yes. He goes out almost once or twice a day, every single day. He certainly seems to be searching for something.”

Carian furrowed his brows.

“Duke, your knights aren’t capable of handling this? Aren’t they reputed to be second only to the Imperial Knights?”

The rebuke subtly suggested that perhaps Eric’s men weren’t putting in their best effort.

“Is the Prince of Kettlin truly skilled enough to evade all your soldiers?”

Eric’s expression hardened further as he responded.

“To my eyes, his combat abilities seem quite poor.”

It was common sense not to judge a royal solely by appearances.

“He must have some hidden card, surely.”

The Emperor agreed with Eric’s assessment. Carian refrained from further rebuke and instead revealed the true purpose of summoning Eric.