That one remark was enough.
The three men glanced back and forth between me and the captain of the Imperial Guard before retreating with flushed faces.
Lucky bastards. Off you go.
Having already gotten more than enough out of them, I smiled and waved at the three men as they hurried away as though fleeing for their lives.
Heron then looked at me with a furrowed brow.
“Miss Brynn, don’t you think you’re receiving more affection from His Highness the Crown Prince than you deserve?”
He asked with a look that mixed wariness and displeasure.
“……?”
What was he talking about now?
“Since you have His Highness’s affection, you should conduct yourself properly.”
Ah. So this was a warning.
I shrugged.
I was just about to ask him what it had to do with him when an idea suddenly occurred to me.
“You serve His Highness the Crown Prince at close range, don’t you, Captain?”
If he was willing to show such personal feelings, he must be one of the Crown Prince’s closest aides.
If so, he probably knew quite a bit about him.
“If I wanted to make a good impression on His Highness, what should I do?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“You said I’m receiving more affection from His Highness than I deserve.”
I smiled calmly.
“Doesn’t that mean I should make him happy?”
A brief silence followed.
“His Highness values absolute loyalty.”
Ugh….
That sounded exactly like something a rigid-minded knight commander would say.
“Then what does he dislike?”
“Doubt and deception.”
His answer was brief.
“He despises those who doubt His Highness’s intentions or attempt to deceive him.”
I laughed inwardly.
He probably had every reason to be suspicious.
Besides, the Crown Prince himself was deceiving everyone.
“Then what are His Highness’s hobbies? I’m curious about what he’s usually interested in.”
After hesitating for a moment, Heron seemed to decide it was nothing particularly secret and answered.
“His Highness enjoys collecting ancient relics and magical artifacts.”
Magical artifacts.
That was useful information.
“And….”
Heron lowered his voice.
“He finds people who aren’t afraid of him interesting.”
I tilted my head.
“That sounds exactly like me.”
He did not answer.
Instead, he changed direction and said,
“Follow me.”
What was this all of a sudden?
I followed him and asked,
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll understand faster if you see it for yourself.”
He led me to the training grounds attached to the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Even though most of the Imperial Palace was bustling with preparations for the banquet, the atmosphere here was different.
It was calm, but not quiet.
The clash of swords and the sound of feet striking the ground.
Short, clipped breaths, followed by battle cries.
The Crown Prince stood in the middle of the training grounds.
His opponent was an Imperial Guard knight.
He had a sturdy build and seemed reasonably skilled, but his balance was already broken after only a few exchanges.
The Crown Prince’s swordsmanship contained no unnecessary movements.
Short, fast, precise.
When he stepped forward with his left foot, he subtly shifted its angle to block his opponent’s vision, then twisted his wrist to alter the trajectory of his sword tip.
Just before thrusting his sword forward, the Crown Prince shifted his stance for the briefest moment.
The final strike that followed sent the knight’s sword flying, leaving him helplessly dropping to one knee.
I narrowed my eyes and watched the flow of mana circulating through the Crown Prince’s movements.
His body looks perfectly human on the outside, but the flow of his mana is subtly different.
The Crown Prince’s sword stopped with its tip pointed at the knight’s neck.
“That’s enough.”
He calmly lowered his sword.
“Thank you for the match!”
The knight sprang to his feet and saluted the Crown Prince.
After giving a brief nod, the Crown Prince turned away without interest—only for his gaze to stop on me standing at the edge of the training grounds.
His expression changed immediately.
His previously impassive face softened in an instant.
“Ser.”
He tossed his sword aside and walked toward me.
A stir ran through the knights.
It seemed this was the first time they had ever seen the Crown Prince so openly pleased to see someone.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
I shifted my gaze to his sword.
“Was that just now the Cradion Imperial Family’s swordsmanship?”
The air instantly grew strangely tense.
The knights stiffened one after another, clearly watching each other’s reactions.
The Crown Prince let out a short laugh.
“It resembles the swordsmanship of the Bardia royal family, doesn’t it? That is the original form of this technique.”
“You’re not even hiding it.”
“There’s no reason to. Especially not from you, Ser.”
It sounded as though he was saying that Bardia would soon be subjugated.
“I’m trying to incorporate it into the Cradion Imperial Family’s swordsmanship, but it’s still incomplete.”
He added casually,
“I’ll show you properly next time.”
Incomplete.
His movements just now had already seemed thoroughly refined.
Regardless of how he had acquired Bardia’s royal swordsmanship….
I nodded.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
He gazed at me for a moment before extending his hand.
“Your timing is perfect. I had something to give you.”
“A gift…?”
“Come with me to the Crown Prince’s Palace.”
Another stir spread among the knights.
During such a busy time with the banquet preparations, it certainly wasn’t an ordinary sight for the Crown Prince to bring a woman into his palace under the pretext of giving her a gift.
What is he plotting this time?
I looked at his hand for a moment before lightly placing mine in it.
“It won’t take long, right?”
“Of course.”
Satisfaction gleamed in the Crown Prince’s eyes.
I thought I had already seen quite a bit of the Crown Prince’s Palace during my last visit, but the place he led me today was an area I had never set foot in before.
We passed the first floor, climbed the stairs to the second, then went through another separate door before finally reaching the third floor.
If I hadn’t had the holy relic Carthaeus had given me, I would have been reluctant to follow him inside.
“Come in.”
I followed him inside and looked around.
It seems the entire third floor is the Crown Prince’s private quarters.
The place was completely cut off from the outside world, and its eerie silence made it feel as though the entire space were holding its breath.
I scanned the expensive paintings covering one wall and the ancient relics displayed throughout the room.
Inside glass display cases, all kinds of magical artifacts were neatly arranged.
Heron said his hobby was collecting relics and magical artifacts.
I recalled his words.
The Crown Prince stopped in front of one of the display cases.
He opened the glass door and took out an earring set with a red gemstone.
“This was kept in the Imperial Family’s treasure vault.”
He explained.
“It has the ability to store mana.”
I glanced at the object in his hand.
“Did you set this aside specifically to give to me?”
“Yes.”
He smiled gently.
“You may need it when you’re with me. My mana cultivation technique has a tendency to absorb all the mana in the surrounding area.”
It was a thoughtful gift, given with genuine consideration.
But its meaning was clear.
He was certain I would choose to remain by his side.
“With this, you won’t feel uncomfortable.”
He slowly approached me and tilted his head toward mine.
“You haven’t pierced your ears. Is there a particular reason?”
“No, nothing in particular.”
As soon as I answered, the Crown Prince lightly rubbed my earlobe between his thumb and forefinger.
I disliked the fact that he touched me without even asking permission, but I endured it and let him.
“Hmm… then.”
Cold metal touched my earlobe before piercing straight through the flesh.
The brief sting soon turned into a burning sensation.
I could feel the mana within me flowing into the gemstone hanging from my ear.
He wiped away a drop of blood from my earlobe with his thumb.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he brought his finger to his mouth.
His tongue slowly traced the red smear, deliberately making sure I saw it.
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