Chapter 73: Disaster?
Lucian listened to Prince Barbro's threat in silence and his expression didn't change in the slightest. The smile stayed exactly in place, as though Barbro had said nothing more significant than an offhand remark about the weather.
In truth, the Kingdom's nobles held considerable autonomy. Sending troops to help a human nation resist beastmen was entirely within a lord's prerogative. Using that as grounds to punish Lucian would unite the royalist and aristocratic factions against the attempt, every noble house closing ranks in opposition.
Barbro had no political instincts whatsoever. He read Lucian's silence as the effect of his threat landing and looked satisfied.
Then he shifted back to warmth. Or what passed for it in him. Transparent enough to see through without much effort.
"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable man."
Barbro leaned in, lowering his voice to a range only the two of them could hear.
"As long as Lord Lucian stands with me, I will see to it that you are well rewarded. I've always had a fondness for men of valor."
He paused. The curve of his mouth took on something more knowing.
"I know what Lord Lucian appreciates. An elven girl, captured by the Slane Theocracy, I can promise she won't disappoint."
He stepped back and watched Lucian's face.
Lucian's face had no expression on it.
This wasn't a deliberate performance of composure. His brain had simply, briefly, gone blank. He looked at Barbro's self-satisfied face and genuinely could not locate a response.
"Hahahahaha!" Barbro burst out laughing. The sound bounced off the corridor walls like a broken percussion instrument. "No need for embarrassment, Lord Lucian — I understand completely. Every man has his preferences. Nothing to be ashamed of."
He slapped Lucian on the shoulder again, harder than before, the way someone might greet an old friend they were letting in on a shared secret.
"Then it's settled. Take your time thinking it over, Lord Lucian. I'll be waiting for your answer."
He turned and walked off at a confident stride. His footsteps faded, the grating laugh fading alongside them, both swallowed eventually by the corridor.
Lucian stood where he was.
He watched the direction Barbro had gone, and for the first time since the conversation started, his expression changed. His brow gathered, slowly and steadily. The corners of his mouth pulled down. His eyes settled into something that was pure, unguarded exhaustion.
What an idiot.
And it was exactly people like this — this one, and all the other noblemen with heads equally full of useless material — who were dragging this Kingdom under.
Lucian thought of the rumors making the rounds in noble circles.
The ones claiming that his support for the Dragon Kingdom had nothing to do with human solidarity. That he was drawn, specifically, to Queen Draudillon's petite figure.
The suggestion being that Lucian was a lolicon. That he harbored designs on the queen's childlike appearance.
He'd heard it more than once.
He hadn't bothered clearing it up. Partly because labels like that, once attached in these circles, were nearly impossible to remove. And partly because it worked well enough as cover.
That didn't mean he wasn't irritated. He was not a lolicon.
Lucian drew a slow breath and pressed the irritation down.
Ramposa III.
He turned the name over in his mind.
The current king of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Weak-willed and largely ineffective, but at least the man had something like a conscience. Was Barbro truly his son?
The Vaiself royal family illustrated a particular rule with remarkable consistency: personality, ability, and looks — these three could never be fully satisfied at once. Second Prince Zanac had personality and ability; the looks simply weren't there. Princess Renner had ability and looks; what she had on the inside was another matter entirely. And as for Prince Barbro...
Zero out of three.
The corner of Lucian's mouth twitched faintly.
At least the king himself had managed personality.
"It must be exhausting, dealing with someone like that. Lucian."
A soft voice came from behind him. The words, though, carried a somewhat sharper edge.
Lucian turned.
Renner stood three steps away.
Her golden hair caught the magic lamplight and gave off a gentle glow. Those deep blue eyes were looking at him with a smile — pure and bright as the first flower of spring.
Lucian put the composed mask back on. Right hand to his chest, he gave the standard incline.
"Princess Renner."
His voice was smooth and respectful, as though the man who had been watching Barbro's retreating back with barely concealed contempt were a completely different person.
"Your Highness is joking. Prince Barbro has a straightforward and open nature, and is your elder brother besides — how could he possibly be a fool?"
Renner gave a soft laugh, like wind chimes touched by a light breeze, clear and pleasant.
She stepped forward, closing the distance slightly.
"No need to perform for me, Lucian." Her voice was gentle. "I want you to be able to relax in front of me."
As she spoke, she rose onto her tiptoes and reached her hand toward his cheek.
That hand, fair and slender, the tips of her fingers carrying the faintest flush of pink.
Lucian shifted to the side.
The movement was small but decisive. Renner's hand stopped in mid-air, her fingertips less than an inch from his face.
Renner withdrew her hand. Her lashes lowered, casting a small shadow on her eyelids. Her lips came together in the faintest press.
The picture of someone gently, quietly wronged. Anyone looking on would have felt an involuntary sympathy.
"Didn't Lucian once say that if I helped, he would grant me one thing?" She lifted her gaze. Those deep blue eyes held the faintest edge of grievance.
Lucian's expression didn't change.
"Your Highness, what I have promised I will honor." His tone was measured and matter-of-fact. "But is this truly how Your Highness wishes to spend it?"
Renner blinked. The grievance deepened into something harder to name.
"Won't Lucian even agree to a request as small as this?"
She looked more pitiful than before. Her lashes trembled faintly, as though she were holding something back. Her fingers twisted lightly at the hem of her skirt, the knuckles going slightly pale.
Lucian let out a quiet internal sigh.
He knew this woman was performing every second of it. But if a passing servant happened to see any of this and word got out, there was no telling what kind of rumor it would turn into.
And beyond that — she was genuinely willing to spend that promised favor on something like this.
What an extraordinary deal.
"In that case." Lucian inclined his head slightly. "As you wish, Your Highness."
Renner's eyes lit up. She rose onto her tiptoes again and reached out.
The moment her fingertip touched his cheek, it was cool and soft — like a snowflake landing on skin.
Then Lucian saw Renner's expression come apart.
The composed face cracked open into something else entirely. A smile that bore no resemblance to the one before it.
Sh... Shimatta.
Cold sweat broke out across Lucian's back in an instant.
At that exact moment, a calm voice came from the far end of the corridor.
"Elder brother. What exactly are you doing."
Lucian's body went rigid. The pressure that hit him was worse than anything he'd felt standing in front of Sebas — starting at the base of his spine and driving straight to the top of his skull.
He turned his head, one slow mechanical degree at a time.
Lakyus stood at the end of the corridor.
She was looking this way with a smile on her face.
Perfectly pleasant.