TFLMLD 34

Chapter 34

The Secret of Two Men
December 29, 2020

“Long ago, in the Battle of Stace, my brother led me and my men into certain death, then betrayed us by breaking his promise.”

“……”

“That day, my men were utterly annihilated.”

My heart sank.

‘What must it feel like to lose all your people…?’

It felt like I had uncovered one of the pieces tied to his loneliness. Yet, Makaron’s expression remained calm. But… what connection did Duke Shufen have with the Battle of Stace? Makaron spoke a shocking truth as if he had read my thoughts.

“Duke Shufen was the deputy commander of the army led by your brother at that time.”

“……”

“He could not have disobeyed the orders of your brother, who was the commander.”

“Then why…?”

“But that didn’t mean he could live as if nothing had happened, especially because of my men who died that day.”

“……”

“After that, I never saw the Duke again.”

Makaron’s lips curled into a faint, bitter smile as he seemed lost in thought.

“If I had known what had happened, I wouldn’t have let him into the mansion.”

“……”

“While Kai’s sword training is important, Your Highness is more… important to me.”

Even if Kai’s education was at stake, there was no reason for him to hire someone while risking Makaron’s severe wounds. Makaron stared at me blankly, then brightened his expression as our eyes met.

“Madam, you sometimes say things I never expect… it makes my heart flutter.”

Has the Empire declared a confession day? Why does everyone talk about their hearts fluttering so casually…? A nonstop barrage of romance without a single day of rest. But today felt different from yesterday. The words were the same, but the speaker was different. Yesterday had been a shock; today… a tremor vibrated deep within. That gaze, filled with something like melo, was the real culprit. His eyes slowly curved into a crescent shape, a shy smile appearing.

“To be honest, I was certain you would not be able to persuade Duke Shufen at that time.”

“So you underestimated me.”

Makaron waved his hands and looked at me with respect.

“Underestimate? No. I just didn’t realize your incredible abilities.”

My “abilities”? Yet Duke Shufen had moved far too easily. That was still a mystery. But it was good to have Makaron recognize my ability, even if belatedly.

“If only you had told me sooner, I would have sent him away.”

“I did not want to disregard your efforts.”

“……”

Makaron set down his teacup, a dangerously beautiful smile on his face.

“Now that bastard is gone, everything is resolved.”

He smiled as if all were fine, but the pain hidden behind that smile was unimaginable. The curse of the monstrous prince was not from a wound inflicted by a monster, nor from some notorious strange curse. What allowed Makaron to survive might have been divine grace to me, yet a curse to him. The story returned to the battlefield long ago.

“So Your Highness…”

“When I woke, I found myself in the Holy Kingdom.”

That meant someone had moved the unconscious Makaron to the Holy Kingdom…

“Who saved you, Your Highness?”

Makaron’s forces had been annihilated, he had said…

“We’re still… looking.”

His expression, filled with melancholy, showed he was deeply lost in thought. I felt we both needed some time alone, so I rose. At that moment, something fell from my arms. <A knight’s sword training secretary.> I had planned to give it to Makaron today, but hearing such shocking revelations almost made me forget. Makaron’s surprise mirrored mine when I first received the secretary.

“This is…?”

“Duke Shufen left it. He also said that Kai should become the Empire’s number one swordsman.”

Favor can delight its recipient, but excessive favor can also arouse suspicion. Makaron reacted the same way I would have.

“To Kai… you say?”

I had never heard of giving a family’s personal secretary to someone from another house—it was forbidden. Naturally, Makaron eyed it carefully, still suspicious. Even as I left the room, he remained tense.

Makaron remained deep in thought long after Calypso left.

‘Shufen… gave Kai my family’s secretary? Why?’

Ordinarily, transferring a family’s secretary to another house was absurd. Even if Kai was a cherished disciple, any house would forbid it. Much less the secretary of the Empire’s top swordsmanship family. If word got out, even the head of the Knight family would not be safe.

‘And he did it for a disciple who hasn’t even been a year with him?’

Makaron frowned, rereading the secretary repeatedly, checking for anything suspicious, but it was plainly a secretary—yet the unease only grew.

‘Could Duke Shufen have truly been smitten with Calypso and given her the family secretary?’

Shufen had always shown exceptional care for Kai, not just for Calypso. Makaron had noticed and found it strange.

‘If all this was to win Calypso’s favor…’

Makaron clenched his fists. But he soon regained rational thought.

‘If he were infatuated with Calypso, wouldn’t he have favored Coral, not Kai?’

Everything Shufen had done had been for Kai.

‘Could he have another motive?’

Makaron found no answer throughout the night. Then, Momonte entered with a serious expression.

“What is it?”

“The Shadows’ message has arrived.”

Seeing Momonte’s face, Makaron leaned forward, sensing urgency.

“As Your Highness said, young Master Kai’s sword is indeed the Holy Sword of the Halatis Kingdom.”

He had guessed it was a holy sword due to his knowledge of Shufen’s family history. As a child, Shufen’s sister had become crown princess of Halatis and left the Empire. Shufen had cried inconsolably back then; Makaron had comforted him. Later, rebellion broke out in Halatis, leaving his sister’s fate uncertain. The sword must have come from her. Bringing it to the tournament was odd, but considering the circumstances, it must have been lent. Yet Shufen handed it to Kai and left, along with the secretary, making the situation suspicious.

‘Why did Shufen give it to Kai…?’

Seeing Makaron frown, Momonte added cautiously:

“Another report, Your Highness. Duke Shufen… is the same person as the head of the Luna Guild.”

“What?”

The head of the Empire’s top assassination and intelligence guild—the Luna Guild. We had been fooled all along. Makaron’s mind raced.

‘Why did Shufen come to the mansion?’

Now that Shufen had left, understanding his motive was even harder. But learning he was the Luna Guild head gave Makaron certainty in one thing: Shufen knew about the arranged marriage.

‘Then his flirtations with Calypso…’

Makaron’s eyes sharpened as he slammed the table.

“How dare that bastard…”

It wasn’t Shufen’s affection for Calypso that concerned him, but if Calypso had feelings for Shufen… The thought made his head spin. Even if she left the mansion, Makaron had no reason to stop her. After all, who treated the marriage as a mere contract? Punishing her, Calypso maintained only a proper distance, teasing and withdrawing repeatedly. Makaron felt like tearing his hair out.

‘If I try to rewrite the contract… would Calypso agree?’

From that day, books gradually accumulated in the East Annex. They were for investigating Makaron’s Stace battle and the Holy Kingdom.

‘Even if I do this, it might not advance much…’

Still, the investigation revealed many new facts, leading to a plausible theory. Among the main participants in the Stace War—Makaron’s brother Rainer Crade, Duke Shufen Knight, and other minor dukes—only Shufen had ties to the Holy Kingdom. His sister had been the kingdom’s former queen.

‘Could Shufen have been the one to save Makaron?’

Yet Makaron had said Shufen had led him into a death trap…

‘Impossible…’

Still, Shufen’s excessive attention to Kai, giving him the secretary, all seemed overly generous.

‘Could it have all been from guilt?’

After receiving the Knight family’s secretary, Kai’s training intensified. Even to my inexperienced eye, his swordplay had become impressive. Makaron often trained with Kai in the practice yard after Shufen left. Leaning on the window while working, I watched for a moment; Kai pointed at me, and Makaron suddenly danced with his sword even more energetically. “Sword dance” was the name I gave it—he seemed to dance mid-air with his blade. After finishing, he struck a stylish pose and saluted me, as if only then noticing me. I returned to work, pretending not to see. Thoughts of Duke Shufen flared up uncomfortably, but I had already let go of that problem. Holding on wouldn’t resolve anything, and my mind was too cluttered anyway. Immersing myself in work—making the Changer—time passed quickly. Entirely focused, the daily results grew. Hundreds of filters in the Changer, a cleansing button, improved shooting accuracy… everything progressed, reaching the final stages of completion.