February 25, 2021
"What’s going to end?"
"All these tedious problems."
"Sometimes, I have no idea what you're talking about, sir."
"That makes two of us."
Cabelenus nodded lightly and turned his attention back to the documents. Mikael, faced with yet another stretch of boredom, slumped against the couch with a sulky expression.
How long had he been staring blankly at the ceiling? Outside, footsteps echoed, breaking the silence. Mikael, wasting no time, dashed toward the door like an excited puppy on guard duty.
"Sir, is it—oh."
Mikael's shoulders slumped as soon as he met an unexpected pair of green eyes. Unfortunately, the visitor was not the one he had been hoping for.
"...Uh, hello?"
Fenril, completely unaware of why Mikael looked so disappointed, cautiously greeted him.
"You’re finally here. Sit down."
"Am I allowed to?"
"Unless you’d rather stand."
"Well, no, but..."
Fenril glanced down at Mikael. Though he had no idea what had happened, the boy's expression was unmistakably gloomy.
"Your Highness, about the child—"
"My name is Mikael," the boy muttered.
"Huh?"
"You called me Mikael Nus last time."
Still looking dejected, Mikael spoke softly, his voice barely above a mumble. Fenril suddenly felt like a criminal and awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"Sorry about that."
"I’ll forgive you... but only if you get it right next time."
"Uh, sure."
Fenril wasn’t entirely sure why he was apologizing, but he nodded anyway. Mikael looked too downcast for him to argue. Meanwhile, Cabelenus remained unfazed, his focus still on the documents.
Fenril sighed and followed Mikael to the couch, sitting down beside him.
"If there’s no space, just move the stuff aside," Cabelenus said.
"Are you sure that’s okay?"
"Mikael doesn’t even play with them."
"In that case..."
Fenril reached for the toys on the table but froze. Scattered among them was an abundance of cookies.
‘Could it be... she made them?’
His throat felt dry. He had received cookies from Alicia before, but he had yet to eat them—he’d been too reluctant, as if they were too precious to consume.
"Your Highness."
"I'm listening. Just report."
"I haven’t had a meal yet, so... if it’s not rude, may I have some of these cookies?"
"Eat if you want."
Fenril had expected to be turned down, but surprisingly, Cabelenus allowed it without hesitation. He glanced at both Cabelenus and Mikael—one still buried in his papers, the other sulking—before carefully picking up a cookie.
This would be his first time tasting Alicia’s cookies.
"They’re really good," he murmured after taking a bite.
"Is that so?"
Cabelenus’s hand holding the documents lowered ever so slightly, though Fenril was too absorbed in the taste to notice.
Nobles weren’t expected to know how to cook, but that didn’t matter. Just knowing that Alicia had made these herself brought an unconscious smile to his lips.
"I don’t usually like sweets, but these are delicious."
"Good. Eat as much as you want."
"I can really have all of them?"
"Mikael’s sick of chocolate cookies. I was wondering what to do with them anyway."
"Your Highness won’t have any?"
"I don’t like sweets."
Cabelenus spoke with firm finality. In truth, Mikael wasn’t the only one tired of chocolate cookies—after tasting them over and over while making them, Cabelenus himself didn’t want to eat another bite.
"You should still appreciate the effort she put into making them. Are you sure you won’t have even one?"
"I’ve had more than enough."
"Then I’ll make sure none go to waste."
Fenril inwardly clicked his tongue. If it were me, I wouldn’t take her efforts for granted. Cabelenus’s indifference to Alicia’s care felt frustrating.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"We’ve lost contact with my unit for several days now."
"That’s not good news."
Cabelenus set the documents aside. Fenril’s elite unit had been avoiding direct clashes with the imperial forces, only spreading rumors to stir unrest. But Jerpeneus wasn’t the type to sit idly by—he had personally assembled a military force to hunt them down, and their pursuit was becoming increasingly relentless.
"What do you expect me to do? Are you asking for reinforcements?"
"No. I don’t need support."
"Then what?"
"I’m considering moving out myself."
"That doesn’t seem like a wise decision."
Cabelenus’s tone was indifferent. Even clothed, Fenril’s well-trained physique was apparent—but that alone wasn’t enough to guarantee survival.
"Are you worried about me?"
"I’m worried about our alliance."
"Heh. Not many Roakin men would put their faith in an imperial."
Fenril chuckled, shrugging nonchalantly.
"If our alliance ends and I die, it’s no—"
He stopped short.
A sharp gaze bore into him.
Turning, he found Mikael staring at him, his face pale and fearful.
"...I won’t die," he corrected hastily.
The words felt misplaced, but Mikael’s expression immediately brightened. Cabelenus exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Even his choice of words required careful consideration now.
For the first time in a long while, he found himself wishing Gajev would return quickly.
"In any case, I don’t approve. Losing an arm or a leg is one thing, but if you lose your head—hmm..."
Fenril barely held back a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand.
He knew he shouldn’t, but watching Cabelenus adjust his speech just for Mikael’s sake was unexpectedly amusing.
"I understand your concerns, Your Highness."
"Then this conversation is over."
"But I didn’t bring this up without a plan."
Fenril leisurely took another bite of his cookie. Despite losing contact with his unit, he wasn’t worried.
"Every soldier in my unit was handpicked by me. They’ve all been trained to handle situations like this."
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"Do you have something in mind?"
"The one thing I can say for certain is that my unit will be safe."
Fenril wiped the cookie crumbs from his lips. In the struggle for succession, assassination had always been the preferred tactic of his foolish older brothers. Surviving the endless attempts from his five conniving siblings had sharpened his instincts—to him and his men, survival was as natural as breathing.
"Then waiting would be the better choice, wouldn’t it?"
"I don’t mind waiting. But lately, I’ve been noticing certain things... so I figured I’d leave an opening."
"An opening?"
"A word traitors love."
Fenril’s eyes curved into a sharper smile. Cabelenus exhaled briefly.
"So, there was another motive behind our alliance."
"I won’t deny that I wanted Beltain. But efficiency is important to me. If I can handle two things at once, why not?"
"What are you plotting?"
"To be honest, this [N O V E L I G H T] plan wasn’t originally meant for Your Highness. I was going to observe the situation a little longer and use it as I saw fit."
"..."
"Don’t look at me like that. It was never a plan that would have harmed you. And besides, once you hear what I have in mind, I’m sure you’ll approve."
Fenril grinned—so audacious it was almost disarming.
Even he hadn’t expected himself to go this far.
"And what made you suddenly change your mind?"
"Something unexpected happened."
Fenril rested his clasped hands on his lap. His heart pounded violently.
This was his chance.
A chance to finally let go of the guilt he had been carrying.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly opened his mouth.
"...She isn’t well, is she?"
"That’s enough," Cabelenus interrupted before he could continue.
He had caught on to Fenril’s meaning immediately. Mikael still didn’t know.
"Don’t do this. At the very least, let me make light of it."
Fenril wasn’t fazed. With practiced ease, he gave Mikael a reassuring smile.
The boy’s face brightened instantly.
Cabelenus rubbed his temple. So gullible. Mikael had completely bought into the idea that this was all just a joke.
"So, you’re saying you plan to keep up this joke?"
"I want to help Your Highness."
"You don’t have any reason to."
Gold eyes gleamed sharply between Cabelenus’s fingers. Trusting someone’s goodwill so easily would be foolish.
Even if they were allies now, their agreement could break at any time. There was no need for absolute devotion—just a practical exchange.
"I once accompanied my mentor as part of an envoy to a neighboring country. Of course, I was still just a child back then, so I wasn’t of much importance."
"...An envoy?"
"While I was there, I met a girl. She was so frail—her appearance so filthy—that I didn’t even realize who she was at first."
"..."
Cabelenus’s jaw clenched.
It wasn’t hard to guess who Fenril was talking about.
And it wasn’t Cabelenus that Fenril wanted to help.
***
"So, Mikael’s gone now?"
"I wanted to have a proper conversation."
"You don’t have to look at me like that. I might have personal feelings about this, but I don’t have any ulterior motives."
Fenril raised both hands in mock surrender.
"Even if you did, I wouldn’t give you an opening."
Cabelenus coldly crossed his legs.
"Confident, aren’t you?"
"I have every right to be. I’m the one she chose."
"Brutal, aren’t you?"
"I told you—I’m not giving you an opening."
Cabelenus locked eyes with him. Fenril, unable to withstand the pressure of his stare, let out a long sigh. Cabelenus wasn’t going to back down without an answer.
"It happened a long time ago."
"I already figured that much."
"You’re really impatient, aren’t you?"
At the curt response, Fenril scratched his head.
"I don’t like dragging things out."
Cabelenus’s tone was firm.
"There wasn’t anything significant—just a little commotion. I got bored, snuck out without the adults noticing, and happened to see her."
"That’s all?"
"That’s all."
"..."
Cabelenus’s eyes sharpened, but Fenril held his ground, smiling unfazed.
Alicia’s past was painful.
He knew that much.
And he had no right to talk about it in her absence.
"Aren’t you more curious about my plan?"
"Don’t try to change the subject."
Cabelenus’s eyes darkened.
"Can’t you just pretend you didn’t notice?"
Fenril tried again, his smile unwavering.
"Why should I?"
"Because it’s what she would want."
"..."
"I’m not hiding anything with bad intentions. I just don’t want her to be hurt."
She’s already suffered enough.
Fenril’s voice softened slightly.
Cabelenus fell silent.
He despised the thought of another man’s concern for Alicia.
But there was nothing he could say.
Because he, too, didn’t want her to be hurt.
