I was afraid that the terrifyingly cold expression would truly be the last face I would see of him. Pouring out my surging emotions, I curled up and cried for a long time. The night remained simply quiet.

* * *

The new year dawned. Dunkel III, the king of Edmus, donated relief supplies for the people to Gier temples in each region, praying for the kingdom’s peace. Thanks to this, even the poor could fill their stomachs for a while.

The streets bustled with excitement for the new year. People picked hermen flowers that bloom even in winter and handed them to each other, blessing one another.

That blessing also descended upon a group of merchants entering the prince’s palace. Yanken picked up a hermen flower that people had thrown, which landed on his knee after passing through the window. The hermen flower, with yellow dots spread like a border at the edge of its red petals, was extremely beautiful.

“Everyone’s excited. At times like this, it would be nice if we could join the marketplace festival and drink to our heart’s content.”

As expected, no answer came. Yanken clicked his tongue while glancing at Lars, who seemed lost in thought. For several days, he had been very depressed, so it was better not to disturb him.

Though he couldn’t fully understand, he had a guess as to why. He had been present when Kirhin visited Nix’s merchant group and spoke with him.

‘Actually, Lucy’s words aren’t wrong. There’s no one more suitable for that job. Honestly, her calculations are ten times faster than mine, and she’s much more diligent. Besides, who else could we entrust with work where confidentiality is so important?’

Yanken didn’t like Kirhin’s whining, but he at least agreed with those words. The ledgers Lucienne organized were very easy to read. Her handwriting wasn’t neat, but Kirhin’s was even harder to decipher.

Because of this, Yanken’s feelings toward Lucienne had been gradually changing. She had transformed from a potentially troublesome kid to a fairly useful one. He basically liked people who had will and accomplished things on their own.

However, Lars had cut off Kirhin’s words sharply.

‘Find a way, whether you find a new person or replace your own head. Lucienne is completely excluded from this work from now on. I won’t say it twice.’

He couldn’t understand Lars’s decision. From what he had observed, Lars liked that kid very, very much. That was evident just from his reaction speed.

They had been able to return safely from the battlefield with Askun because Lars was an excellent commander. Lars had different eyes. Unlike them, who judged situations as they were, he had the power to read beyond the surface of situations.

This was probably due to his composure that didn’t easily get excited and his outstanding patience. Like someone trained for a long time, distance and coldness toward everything had settled in Lars’s heart.

He often appeared heartless as he tended to make rational judgments first rather than acting emotionally. Having been by Lars’s side for a long time, Yanken could confidently say that there were rarely exceptions. Except–

Except for matters related to that kid.

Of course, Lars never lost his reason, but he didn’t deliberate as thoroughly as usual either. His body would react first, as if he couldn’t stay still. It was evidence of excitement.

Moreover, Lars paid too much attention to that child. He visited her often to check on her and always listened for news about her.

At first, Yanken had accepted it as Lars being wary of the Count because Kirhin wasn’t very reliable, but he couldn’t help but be surprised when Lars calmly tolerated her behavior even when Lucienne acted unimaginably impudent. Hardy or Rafkin might have fainted if they had seen his generosity toward that child.

Usually, if he liked someone that much, the next step would be to bring them into the fold. Of course, she was still a bit young, but if they cared about age, Hardy would never have been able to call him Yanken.

What mattered was what a person could do. That was Lars’s creed when it came to using people.

Clearly, she was needed for their work and definitely quite useful, so why on earth.

Clicking his tongue, Yanken looked at the scenery outside and opened his mouth.

“We’ve arrived at the royal palace.”

“……Take out the entry pass.”

At Lars’s low voice, like someone waking from a light sleep, Yanken nodded.

They usually met Prince Pelowic once a month, joining a group of merchants who were permitted to enter the separate palace. Due to various circumstances, the prince couldn’t go outside the palace regularly, so he had personally established this procedure to meet merchants periodically and hear stories about the world.

Yanken didn’t particularly like entering the royal palace, though he wasn’t sure about Lars.

He found no sense of reality in the palace that gleamed with all sorts of luxurious things, the flowers blooming beautifully as if it were always spring, and the people who smiled like dolls wearing elegant clothes without a speck of dust, as if they had no worries.

Outside, there were still people freezing and starving to death. He himself had risked his life covered in blood almost every day just a few years ago. He had to struggle fiercely to survive each moment. All while the people in the palace were leisurely enjoying teatime under warm sunlight.

Any sense of duty about protecting the country had long since faded from his heart. He was merely moving according to the loyalty he had sworn to Lars.

From the moment Lars had reached out his hand to him when he was dying, abandoned, beaten, and treated like an animal.

His hatred for the palace was also because he worried about Lars. Though he didn’t want to show it, his insides twisted subtly whenever he saw Prince Pelowic’s carefree appearance. It was because he thought that Lars too could have lived comfortably in a place like this.

Of course, after Lars had angrily declared that he had no intention of being with someone who harbored such thoughts long ago, Yanken never mentioned it again, but that didn’t mean the thought had disappeared.

As a son who inherited the king’s blood, Lars was no different from Pelowic. In fact, he was healthier, smarter, and braver. If his mother’s status had been different, that fragile Pelowic wouldn’t have even been a match.

Knowing that Lars might swing his sword if he knew about these thoughts, Yanken clicked his tongue sourly and prepared to get out of the carriage. The hopeful new year had begun, but his mood was far from refreshed.

* * *

“Once again, every item you’ve brought is to my liking. I must compensate you very generously.”

After the customary inspection of goods, Pelowic smiled as he guided them to an outdoor tea table. The white velvet clothing, elaborately embroidered with gold thread, matched well with his soft golden hair, but his face looked somewhat gaunt. It was because he had recently recovered from a severe cold.

His drooping eyes and high-bridged, aquiline nose clearly resembled Dunkel III, but his atmosphere was completely different from his father, who exuded a fierce impression. It felt as if warm spring winds were blowing around him. His naturally timid and gentle disposition made him seem even more so.

Lars, who sat down a beat later with proper etiquette, uttered in a low voice.

“Your face has deteriorated considerably.”

“What does it matter if it’s deteriorated? It’s not like I’m a handsome man like you, so there’s no one to be disappointed anyway, L.”

Pelowic cheerfully winked one eye. Having no intention of playing along with the joke, Lars stared at him with a stern expression. Pelowic pursed his lips and turned his gaze to Yanken.

“Have you been well, Yanken? Tell your commander to visit more often. He never seems to listen to me.”

“I wish you would believe me, Your Highness, but I’m truly doing my best. Everywhere there are people who close their ears and resist no matter what you say.”

Pelowic smiled amusedly at Yanken’s words, and Lars, looking at him with narrowed eyes, spoke up.

“The wind is still cold. You should get into the habit of drinking tea inside.”

“The royal palace has many listening ears, so the open outdoors is better. You can clearly see who is nearby, right?”

Seeing Pelowic’s smiling eyes fly over his shoulder, Lars turned his head slightly. A servant was bringing tea and refreshments.

Silence descended upon the table until he filled it completely and withdrew. During that time, Lars felt Pelowic’s gaze scrutinizing his face and slightly furrowed his brow.

Pelowic would sometimes look at him like that, as he did when he was much larger in stature than Lars. Like an older brother, that is. Lars found such gazes uncomfortable. Fortunately, he didn’t do this when people were around, so Lars didn’t say anything about it.