Chapter 87

“Your Highness.”

The owner of the voice was Duke Tereon Dinever.

“Duke…”

Tereon bowed his head to greet Louis and stood beside him. Without speaking, they both looked at the still barren branches outside. The heavy atmosphere lingered. It was Louis who spoke first.

“I’m sorry that all I can say is sorry.”

Duke Tereon looked at Louis as if surprised that the Crown Prince knew how to apologize.

“So even someone like you, Your Highness, knows how to apologize.”

“…I’ll take it in a good way.”

Duke Tereon chuckled at Louis’s words and turned back to look out the window. The branches swaying in the wind looked precarious.

“It’s not entirely your fault, Your Highness. I promised Daisy I would keep her safe… I have no face to show Daisy either.”

Duke Tereon smiled bitterly and turned to face Louis.

“No matter what, there must be no war.”

At Duke Tereon’s words, Louis nodded and sighed. The Duke stepped closer to Louis.

“War takes everything away. Especially a war with the Mage Tower. Even if the Empire wins, everything will be set back by 50 years.”

“I’m not unaware of that.”

Louis’s words made Duke Tereon shake his head.

“No, Your Highness, you don’t know. Those who have experienced war know. Even though it was a war against barbarians, not wizards, it was horrifying. Blades cut through their flesh, pierced their hearts, and severed bones to take lives.”

Duke Tereon’s low voice was firm, but fear could be felt in his voice.

“Among them were many weak women and children who couldn’t even resist and fled desperately. Those people could be Vivian or Ian.”

“Duke.”

Louis clenched his teeth at Duke Dinever’s words.

“I wish for the children to grow up not knowing what war is.”

“I share the same thoughts as you, Duke. So we must do our best to navigate this crisis.”

Louis, clenching his fist tightly, gazed into the cold brown eyes of Duke Dinever. Without averting their gaze, Louis and Tereon exchanged sharp looks.

“Please tell His Majesty that I wish to postpone the wedding.”

Louis’s eyes widened at Duke Dinever’s request. But he quickly hid his expression and asked for the reason.

“This situation won’t be resolved quickly. You know that well, Your Highness. A wedding amidst such chaos…”

Duke Dinever was right. Louis knew it too.

In a way, it wasn’t a sudden issue. The relationship between the Mage Tower and the Empire had been gradually deteriorating, held together by a fragile bond that could break over the smallest issue.

The Empire and the Mage Tower had avoided a war that would yield nothing under the umbrella of an agreement. But now, that umbrella no longer existed.

“…I will convey your message.”

Louis passed Duke Tereon. He walked past the foolish nobles, tired from the long meeting, trying to profit from the situation, and caught up in baseless patriotism.

The last face he saw was Vivian’s pale face, overlapping with her bright smile directed at him. Then, he remembered her angry face, her embarrassed face, and finally, the face that said she wouldn’t love him.

Louis quickly walked towards the bathroom. He slammed the door shut and looked at the large mirror on the wall.

There stood a man filled with anger.

It was not the anger of someone who would become Emperor, but the anger of a man for a woman.

In an urgent situation where war might break out, Louis found himself worrying about one woman, not the many citizens of the Empire, and his golden eyes darkened.

‘Bang! Crack.’

Louis struck the mirror with all his might. The impact cracked the mirror, distorting his reflection.

As he withdrew his fist, the shattered pieces of the mirror fell to the floor. Blood from Louis’s hand began to drip onto the fragments.

“Your hand is injured.”

Louis, who had been staring intently at himself in the fallen mirror, lifted his head.

“Aitor.”

Standing at the bathroom door was Aitor, who had disappeared for two days.

As Louis approached, Aitor took a handkerchief from his pocket. He wrapped it around Louis’s bleeding hand.

“I’m sorry. I lost Tristan.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s good. We can capture Tristan slowly. I’m just glad you returned safely.”

Aitor, watching the blood soak into the handkerchief, lifted his head to meet Louis’s gaze. Louis’s face was hardened.

“The situation is not good. Do you have any news from the Mage Tower?”

Aitor lowered his gaze again and shook his head.

“I’ve heard some things, but as someone openly on the Empire’s side, I haven’t received any other information…”

Louis nodded. He slowly spoke, noticing Aitor’s unusually dark expression.

“It’s not your fault. I’ve heard he’s a cunning person. Even if a lower-level wizard was determined to create an escape route, it wouldn’t have been easy for you to catch him.”

Despite Louis’s reassurance, Aitor’s expression remained unchanged.

“Vivian is fine too. She fainted from shock, but I’ve received reports that she’s alright now.”

At the mention of Vivian, Aitor finally showed a reaction. He looked up and met Louis’s gaze, handing him something.

“The innkeeper where Vivian stayed gave this to me.”

What Louis received was a piece of cheap, poor-quality paper. As he unfolded it, Louis let out a chuckle.

“It seems she got along well with the local kids in the meantime.”

“I heard Vivian donated the emergency medicine she had to that village. Although it wasn’t the innkeeper’s fault, he felt very sorry.”

“You should deliver it yourself.”

Louis returned the letter with its scribbled writing and strange drawings to Aitor. Aitor shook his head, looking at the letter with an expression devoid of emotion.

“I’m leaving for the Mage Tower immediately.”

“Right away?”

If Aitor left for the Mage Tower immediately to assess the situation and report back, it would be a great help. However, a part of Louis felt uneasy about letting him go just like that.

“Does the situation look that bad to you?”

At Louis’s question, Aitor clenched his fist tightly and then slowly opened his hand.

“According to a colleague at the Mage Tower, the anti-Empire wizards are moving suspiciously. Except for the head of the Mage Tower, the high-ranking members are neutral, so it’s uncertain how things will turn out…”

Louis nodded, exhaling deeply.

“Still, meet Vivian before you go. She must be very worried.”

Aitor avoided Louis’s gaze to hide his wavering eyes.

“I think it’s better to leave immediately. And…”

Aitor trailed off, hesitating for a moment.

“I have something I need to do.”

Seeing Aitor’s different demeanor, Louis observed him for a moment. There was an inexplicable sense of distance.

Louis put the letter Aitor handed him into his jacket pocket and stepped closer to Aitor.

“Alright. I’ll make sure to convey it to Vivian.”

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

“Wait.”

Louis stopped Aitor, who was about to turn and leave.

“If the situation turns for the worst, come back here immediately.”

“What do you mean…”

“We must prevent it at all costs, but if war breaks out, they’ll target you first. So don’t hesitate to come back here.”

Aitor’s blue eyes wavered violently. Louis took another step forward and patted Aitor on the shoulder.

“You are my man. So I will protect you. No matter what happens. So don’t think about anything else and come back. That’s an order.”

Aitor shifted his eyes to look at the hand on his shoulder. It was a rough, large hand that didn’t seem like it belonged to the Crown Prince.

The hand, full of scars and calluses, weighed heavily on Aitor’s shoulder.

“I’ll be going.”

Aitor bowed his head in greeting and turned around. Where Aitor had stood, there was a magical tool that Louis had provided, allowing access to the royal palace.

* * *

Vivian began unpacking the luggage she had packed to go down to Raspol.

Although Louis frequently sent people to check on Vivian’s condition, he couldn’t come himself. Duke Dinever, Vivian’s father, also came home briefly before heading back to the palace.

Vivian tried to coax and threaten Rayden, who came to visit her briefly, to find out what was going on, but he just smiled awkwardly and kept his mouth shut.

Even the letter from the Empress, filled with concern for Vivian, contained no information.

“It’s strange.”

“Pardon?”

Tia, who was organizing the luggage, looked up and tilted her head.

“It seems like something has happened… But there’s no word from Aitor.”

As Vivian paced the room with her arms crossed, Tia shook her head and continued taking clothes out of the luggage box.

“What big thing could have happened? They’re all very busy people, and Aitor is probably busy catching that bad guy.”

At Tia’s carefree words, Vivian sighed and went to the window, opening it wide. The cold wind tousled Vivian’s hair as it rushed into the warm room.

“Ah! Young Lady!”

In the sudden strong wind, the paper on Vivian’s desk fluttered into the air.

“Oh! I’m sorry!”

Vivian turned to close the window in surprise.

“Oh? A carriage is coming in?”

Vivian stuck her head out the window to see the large carriage approaching the mansion. As it drew closer, Vivian’s eyes widened.

“Oh? It looks like it’s from the royal family?”

Tia, who had come to stand beside Vivian, peered out the window and said. Vivian quickly closed the window and left the room.

Holding her dress, Vivian hurriedly descended the stairs and met the head butler who was waiting for the guest.

“Young Lady, why are you in such a hurry…”

Before Vivian could respond, the butler quickly opened the door at the servant’s announcement of the guest’s arrival. The person who stepped out of the carriage was none other than Louis.

“Greetings to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

As Vivian and the butler bowed politely, Louis nodded and approached Vivian.

“How are you?”

“I’m fine. But how did you…”

Despite receiving reports regularly, he asked about Vivian’s well-being as soon as he greeted her. Seeing that Vivian seemed alright, the slight tension on Louis’s face eased.

“Louis?”

Louis had come without notice. Vivian began to worry, wondering if he had heard something from Aitor.

“Young Lady, let’s move to the drawing room.”

The butler, who had been watching from the side, suggested to Vivian, who was standing in the lobby asking blunt questions about the purpose of the visit. The butler, smiling kindly at Vivian’s awkward smile, led them to the drawing room.

As soon as the butler left to prepare tea, Vivian leaned forward, fidgeting.

“By any chance, did Aitor…”

Louis, who had been observing Vivian, took something out of his jacket and handed it to her.