PRKE 37

CHAPTER 37………………………………………………….

“Isn’t it rare for the prince to pretend he knows something first?”

“……”

“And what was that about polishing my shoes?”

Kichev frowned as if this was the main point.

“I was surprised. You usually don’t care even if something gets on your hands, let alone your shoes.”

Giovanni’s expression grew strange as he heard the grumbling.

“Well, I don’t even know why I did it. It just caught my eye.”

“Please, don’t ever do that again. It makes us look incredibly close.”

Close?

Giovanni recalled Egrain in his mind. Her expression, frozen as she looked down at him, was vivid as a painting.

His throat inexplicably tightened, and he absentmindedly cleared it a couple of times while muttering:

“We’re not close.”

“Ha, so I was worrying for nothing after all.”

“Still, she’s an interesting woman.”

Kichev stared at him, bewildered.

‘Interesting? In what way?’

Recalling her eccentric antics, Kichev found Giovanni even more incomprehensible.

After all, she wasn’t some bland, feeble person from the kingdom carrying a hidden cunning snake within.

‘Does she change when they’re alone? Or maybe she knows some incredible joke?’

Kichev’s gaze suddenly shifted to one of suspicion.

‘She’s not using some wicked magic, is she?’

In the empire, there were occasional charlatans pretending to be sorcerers who sold untrustworthy love potions; perhaps the kingdom had something similar.

“May I ask what you mean?”

“She’s surprisingly capable for her small stature.”

“Excuse me?”

“Have you seen her pickpocket?”

“No.”

“Neither have I. If she can avoid my eyes, that’s truly remarkable skill. Just for that alone, she’s worth keeping close.”

Seeing him genuinely admire her, Kichev felt her tense heart relax.

Giovanni appointed talent regardless of status. It was unexpected that a seemingly crazy woman would be so skilled, but that level of competence was reassuring.

Giovanni looked up at the sky.

“The sun has already risen that far. Let’s hurry. It will take quite some time to reach the western lands where the temple has been discovered.”

The two men from the desert widened their steps and strode forward briskly.

That evening, a thunderous voice echoed through the king’s study.

“What did you just say?”

“Could you stop arranging dates between Egrain and the prince?”

“What? Why?”

Startled by the king’s direct question, Princess Laratou replied vaguely.

“Just… because!”

“What was that?”

Under the king’s sharp gaze, the princess shrank her shoulders in fear.

“You! I ignored the rumors I heard, but do you really have feelings for the imperial prince?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

The princess’s flustered eyes suddenly hardened.

“No, is that not allowed?”

“……”

“He’s the prince of the empire. Who else could possibly be a suitable match for me! And that day, he helped me! Other men were too scared to even move, but he actually acted for me!”

“……”

“But he’s different. Though I haven’t known him long, I’m certain I can trust and rely on him…”

“Nonsense!”

The princess flinched at the king’s thunderous voice.

“Do you not understand how dangerous that man’s position is? Above all, he comes from the desert. The bloodline of the desert! He can never coexist with us, a nation of water!”

After the initial shock, the princess’s eyes shook relentlessly.

“How can you shout at me like that… Father, you’re too closed-minded! He’s a good person, leaving aside the fact he’s from the empire!”

Tears streaming, she stormed out.

“That reckless girl…”

“Your Majesty!”

The king leapt to his feet, and as expected, a subordinate quickly held him back and helped him sit again.

“Calm yourself.”

“When did that girl start having feelings for the prince?”

The king’s eyes flared with anger after a brief moment of daze.

“Absolutely! Absolutely unacceptable!”

“Your Majesty?”

The subordinate’s voice trembled at the extreme reaction, but the king ignored him and gritted his teeth.

“Magic is destroyed if our blood mixes.”

The chilling words made the subordinate flinch.

“The bloodline of a people exiled to the desert will ruin the princess, and by extension, our kingdom.”

The king glared sharply at his subordinate.

“From now on, monitor the princess thoroughly.”

“Leave it to me, Your Majesty.”

The subordinate, flat on the floor, replied with conviction. The king, finally calming down, sighed with a face aged several more years.

“How reckless she is… I’ve said many times, no imperial man. None. Even after I die.”

The king rubbed his throbbing head and waved his hand.

“Call those waiting.”

Although it was time for reports from the ministers, he had been delayed scolding the princess.

Soon, five nobles filed in and took their seats in the study.

Each noble, with important reports to give, first gauged the king’s mood.

Leaning deep in his chair, the king said,

“Report the matters I must know first.”

One of the five stepped forward and said,

“Hmm, I will go first. Sir Mihart, who governs the western plains, has requested a priest.”

“A priest? For prayers? Didn’t we send one last month?”

Nodding to the king’s reminder, the minister answered,

“Yes. Prayers were offered last quarter. This time, the land has dried.”

“Dried land?”

“Yes. The outskirts near the desert are slightly parched. It seems the farming areas suffered significant damage.”

“Hmm.”

Though the kingdom, rich in water, rarely experienced drought, unexplained dry spells did occur.

The king, not overly concerned, nodded briefly.

“Send one priest.”

One issue resolved simply.

“In my domain…”

Even during the next report, the king’s frown lingered, worried about the princess.

‘I can’t just leave her be.’

Hands must meet to make a sound.

‘Surely that man hasn’t laid a hand on the princess already.’

Anger flared, but recalling Giovanni’s stoic face, it cooled quickly.

‘Hmm. Probably not. I just can’t tell what he’s thinking.’

Since he stayed in the kingdom, he must have some purpose, but exactly what was unclear.

‘Outwardly, it seems he’s staying to improve relations between our nations, but I can’t take that at face value.’

The pretext of improving relations was just that—a pretext. The real concern was the royal marriage, yet he seemed uninterested in that.

‘The situation is complicated…’

The imperial proposal was not official, only a hint from the crown prince, not the emperor himself.

Moreover, the kingdom, unwilling to offer the legitimate princess, had sent a substitute, so the marriage negotiations stalled.

‘The barbarian is only making matters worse. I’d feel better if he simply left angrily.’

[The prince will soon be of marriageable age. Does he have someone in mind?]
[Not sure.]
[What about Egrain?]
[…]
[She’s not my blood, but I truly consider her my daughter. Her looks, her character, they match any noble family. She seems to think well of the prince…]
[That girl?]
[Yes. Didn’t you notice?]
[…]
[She just smiles, making me more curious about the prince’s feelings.]
[I have nothing to report.]
[…]
[Really?]
[I’ll need to investigate further.]

‘I can’t tell if he really wants to know more about Egrain, or if he’s saying that because he has nothing to say. He’s too simple-minded, as expected of a barbarian.’

I’d rather he leave quickly.

The kingdom must keep distance from the empire.

They could turn a blind eye to small-scale raids in the outskirts, but the real problem was that the imperial prince was on kingdom soil.

‘He seems completely unscathed.’

Observing him, the prince suffered no local diseases and was perfectly healthy.

He roamed freely, almost like he was visiting the kingdom. Of course, it would have been worrisome if he stayed only indoors.

‘But on the other hand, it’s good that the fifth prince favors the kingdom.’

The kingdom had to think ahead, after the imperial succession.

‘Lodrakki trusts only his bloodline and acts recklessly. If that barbarian becomes emperor, who knows what humiliation I’ll suffer.’

Giovanni was better, at least. Not ideal, but better.

Yet compared to Lodrakki, Giovanni was only “better”; his excessive quietness at such a young age was vexing.

‘I’ll need to coax Egrain more. Considering her background, she’ll be loyal if treated well.’

Having made these calculations, the king smiled in relief.

Only then did the ministers’ reports start to register.

“This is hopeless, no matter how hard I look.”

Leo scanned a list of likely locations and shook his head.

Now that Hubert had left the mansion, it was the perfect chance to find Leo.

He had checked all likely places: abandoned temples, the central temple, even where he first met him, yet Leo’s whereabouts remained unknown.

Returning to the mansion empty-handed, he toyed with the stone that Leo had become and thought:

This is not Leo.