CHAPTER 1.5: She, The Only Season, Spring

1. His Circumstances (1)

“Let’s begin.”

The four Dukes gathered in one place.

Originally, this should have been a meeting of five including the Emperor, but he had long been bedridden. His attendance was not possible.

Though the Empress was handling state affairs in his stead, this meeting was only for Oathkeepers. Even as Empress, without being an Oathkeeper, she was excluded.

If the Prince had obtained the Crown Prince qualification it might have been different, but as he was still merely a borrower of the four spirits who hadn’t proven his qualification, he too couldn’t attend.

“Put that brat away. It’s driving me crazy.”

However, the meeting atmosphere wasn’t particularly solemn or majestic.

“Alright. He’s been throwing a fit about wanting to go out. Tsk.”

Duke Aberdeen shook his head as he retrieved his Guardian Spirit, Erenhorn. Erenhorn disappeared while snorting in displeasure, clearly not wanting to go.

Common people imagine that dukes accompanied by Guardian Spirits would appear very dignified and awe-inspiring, but in reality, it wasn’t like that at all.

“Ah, I wonder when my son will finally grow up.”

“I just want to pass on my succession and retire soon.”

Duke Rosedale and Duke Francis, both married, lamented together.

Unlike regular nobles who only pass on their titles to successors after death or right before death, the Dukes tended to retire immediately once their sons came of age and met the conditions.

Most people don’t understand this. Titles equal power. Why retire so early from such lofty positions?

But all the gathered Dukes wore expressions of utter weariness.

“Last year and this year have been especially terrible.”

“Indeed. What sorcery is this…”

“I think I spent more nights in the barracks than my bedroom last year.”

“Haa… These d*mn bastards, I really want to kill them all…”

The complaints, sighs, and laments were endless.

Who would see them as noble dukes shouldering solemn duties? At least here among themselves, they were just four humans whose personalities had been warped by excessive obligations.

“Let’s just finish this quickly and go. It’s not like anything will change much by having this meeting anyway.”

Duke Kramer spoke up amid all this.

They had already gone through the Noble Assembly meeting, Imperial Treasury meeting, Budget Execution meeting, Settlement meeting, and more throughout the Week of Protection.

So now they just wanted to leave the meeting room.

“Hey now, friend. Let’s take a breather, eh?”

Duke Aberdeen, who was similar in age to Duke Kramer, complained while speaking casually.

“Who’s your friend?”

Among the four dukes, two were married with children, and two were single.

Since they shared similar hardships and were of similar age, Duke Aberdeen tended to act friendly and casual with Duke Kramer.

Of course, Duke Kramer’s response was consistently prickly.

“Come on, what’s wrong with being friends? You don’t have any other friends besides me anyway.”

“I don’t need someone like you even if I don’t have any.”

“Ah, so cold.”

Though Duke Aberdeen kept trying to make conversation in a drawling manner, Constantine’s wall remained as firm as ever today.

“Do you have plans afterward?”

“Kramer does?”

“Ah, speaking of Kramer. I heard you’re dating these days. Is that why? Are you going to meet your lover?”

These were the words of Rosedale, Francis, and Aberdeen in order.

“Who said such things?”

Though he had unexpectedly met some people when he directly visited the Debovs’ house, Constantine usually took extreme caution to prevent any word from getting out, so he frowned.

In truth, it wasn’t so much for his own sake as it was considering Saena’s position.

It felt unpleasant that information had leaked somewhere despite his efforts.

“Ooh, look at that glare. Could kill someone.”

“Has such a rumor spread? Who did they say it was?”

“Whoa, calm down. It’s not quite a rumor, just heard that you’ve been using the gate every week.”

“……”

“Why would you go in and out of the Imperial City weekly if not for a woman? Especially you, who never budges from your territory unless there’s a state event.”

“……”

“So… who is she? Is she pretty?”

He despised talkative people. In that sense, Lucas Aberdeen was arguably the type of person Constantine least wanted to associate with.

“Seriously… you’re as chatty as my Guardian Spirit.”

With his gloved finger, Constantine pushed away Duke Aberdeen’s face, which was peering at him with a sly expression. He wore a peculiar expressionless face that somehow managed to convey his displeasure despite appearing blank.

“What? Did you just compare me to that thing? Hey, Kramer! How could you say such…”

Duke Aberdeen clutched his chest, looking excessively shocked.

Constantine emphasized to everyone again without even looking at Duke Aberdeen.

“Let’s finish quickly and leave.”

Agreeing with Constantine’s expression of utter weariness, Duke Francis spoke up.

“Let’s do that. First, shall we finish the Hebeta matter?”

Though all were dukes, Francis and Rosedale used informal speech due to being significantly older than the other two, while Constantine and Aberdeen spoke formally, except when addressing each other.

“Hebeta?”

“The engagement cancellation resolution has been passed.”

Though the four ducal families don’t particularly involve themselves heavily in the Prince’s Hebeta candidate selection and marriage process, they had an obligation to be informed of matters related to the Covenant.

This was because the imperial family’s Covenant was related to the security of the entire empire.

“Huh, has it already been two years?”

“Indeed. Precisely two years and two months since the engagement.”

“Which Hebeta is this now?”

“Hmm. The fifth? Or sixth?”

“…This is serious. The succession needs to happen soon.”

The Emperor had been bedridden for a long time now. If the Emperor were to pass away before the Crown Prince succession was complete, what would happen to the imperial family’s Guardian Spirit?

In some sense, the Macfeyden Empire was facing an unprecedented situation.

To reiterate, the imperial family’s Covenant isn’t simply their own matter. The power of ‘Imperial Protection’ flows through their blood following the Covenant. Preserving the imperial bloodline directly connects to the empire’s stability.

“What’s the problem? At this point, isn’t there another issue beyond the matter about the Hebeta?”

“……”

No one answered Duke Aberdeen’s question.

‘Those many Hebetas can’t be the problem. It must be the Prince.’

Constantine thought this while recalling the Prince’s slick face, but he didn’t voice it. Even without saying it, the other dukes likely thought similarly.

“Is there a next Hebeta candidate?”

Duke Rosedale asked.

“Hmm. No name has come up yet, but I think it’ll be decided soon. Seeing that His Highness the Prince recently used the water basin, they must have already done the verification ceremony.”

“The water basin?”

Constantine asked sharply.

“Yes.”

His eyes narrowed.

It was like a kind of intuition.

‘Water basin. Water basin…?’

Something bothered him…

Having lived almost his entire life in a heightened state of alertness without proper sleep and fighting battles, Constantine had become extremely sensitive regarding matters of his wellbeing.

‘Is this perhaps a water basin?’

Was it because of the word ‘water basin’? Suddenly, he remembered Saena’s question from the warehouse recently.

He had just wanted to show her some artifacts rotting in the Kramer underground that he thought she might like, but she showed an odd reaction toward the end.

He couldn’t clearly understand what it was then, but thinking about it now…

‘How did she know that was a water basin?’

It wasn’t even filled with water, and it was just lying on the floor.

Though called a water basin, its concave part wasn’t very deep, so at first glance, most people would guess it was a shield or had some other purpose.

Moreover…

‘Is this also… used to discover something?’

She had asked that too.

The water basin used to discover the attributes of an Oathkeeper’s contracted Guardian Spirit, and when he was about to explain how to use it…

‘Does it use blood?’

She already knew.

Not only that,

‘If a Hebeta is chosen from the central nobility… what do you think will happen?’

Such a strange question.

‘If an imperial order comes… then we must follow it, right? Has there never been such an imperial order before?’

That face that seemed too anxious to be asking out of mere curiosity.

It all pointed to one conclusion.

‘…D*mn it.’

— Oh, master. Looks like the woman you’ve got your eye on is the next Hebeta. You look like a dog that was chasing a chicken.

Caligo’s incessantly muttering voice pierced clearly through at that moment.

“……”

— If you don’t want to lose her, go and pounce on her quickly. Hehehe.

Caligo, who had been giggling, suddenly turned serious and changed his tone.

— Huh, no! I don’t like that woman. She doesn’t suit you. Let’s just let the Prince have her. This works out well!

Was it really a coincidence that the Prince had his eye on Saena?

He recalled the Prince dancing with Saena at the Founding Festival’s closing banquet.

For unknown reasons, Prince Gillian had disliked Constantine since they were very young. Whenever he came to the Imperial City, he would pick fights with unnecessary words or mock him.

Since even the Emperor couldn’t treat the Four Dukes carelessly, Constantine hadn’t particularly minded, but Prince Gillian would get angrier at Constantine’s unresponsive reactions.

— Well, that wolf brat is annoying and that woman is annoying too. I really don’t like either of them. Let’s send her far away now. She reeks of spirit energy—she’s perfect Hebeta material!

Ha, could this really be a coincidence?

‘No, absolutely not.’

The Prince isn’t an Oathkeeper yet.

As a borrower who inherited one of the four spirits bound to the Emperor’s Guardian Spirit, his ability to detect other Oathkeepers was insufficient.

So… it made more sense to think he had started showing interest in Saena after seeing Constantine’s interest.

— For the empire’s sake too, we should send her to the Prince. Right? She might finally get pregnant with an heir this time! Hehehe. I’m telling you she was born to be a Hebeta!

“Shut that mouth.”

Constantine said while pressing his fingers against his furrowed brow.

— Master, you can’t keep such important information to yourself just for your personal greed!

“I said shut up.”

— This, this. What a bad master, huh?

“Huh. We’ll talk after the meeting.”

As Constantine crumpled up a paper from the table in irritation, Duke Aberdeen spoke.

“…You’re not talking to me, right?”

“……”

You’re included too, you bastard.

— No! What did I do? Did I say anything wrong! Master! I’m just thinking of you…

As Caligo started chattering endlessly again, his nerves began to fray.

‘Saena…’

Right now, he wanted to see Saena.

He wanted to hold that warm body, to bite those soft lips.

Though he tried not to show it, just because he pretended to be composed didn’t mean he wasn’t being clingy. He was actually extremely sensitive to her every move and action.

What if the Prince was obsessing over her the same way Constantine was?

‘Do I really have any right to speak?’

Constantine suddenly recalled when he first met her.

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