Chapter 173: Departure Festival (11)
Velita’s appearance stirred the place like a stone cast into a still lake—strange, yet undeniably rippling.
“Hehe.”
A small laugh escaped her lips, and as always, a gentle smile rested on her face.
However, just as Harira had instinctively remained on guard, everyone present was watching her with similar wariness.
“Thank you for not forgetting to invite me. Honestly… I was a bit surprised.”
Yet Velita, unfazed by such an atmosphere, simply laughed it off lightly.
“I call you my sisters and all… but truthfully, we’re the same age, aren’t we? And since you two are twins, I always felt a little left out in some ways… So, ever since we were young, watching the two of you so close together, I’d sometimes feel jealous, even if it was for no real reason.”
At her words, Behad merely shrugged, and Mercedes continued to stare forward, her expression unchanged.
“……”
Velita paused, seemingly gauging their reactions, then lowered her head slightly toward Mercedes, her smile never fading.
“In any case, thank you for calling me here like this, Mercedes.”
“…You’ve thanked the wrong person.”
Mercedes replied flatly.
“I was summoned just like you.”
Velita’s gaze naturally shifted to Behad.
Behad smiled and glanced around at his companions.
“Sorry, brothers, could you give us a moment alone? And if possible, make sure no one approaches or listens in.”
At his polite yet firm request, Cruyak gave a silent nod.
“Gladly, brother.”
Br Riik Konafa said nothing, simply waving his hand.
At his gesture, the surrounding air shimmered faintly, forming a transparent barrier.
It was a ward that blocked sound and presence.
Harira swept the surroundings with sharp eyes, then slipped silently into the darkness, as if melting away.
He was likely taking responsibility for guarding the perimeter, just as Behad had asked.
Only after the three had disappeared did Velita murmur in admiration.
“You have good companions.”
A hint of genuine envy laced her voice.
Behad caught it immediately and grinned.
“Jealous?”
He teased playfully.
“Even if you ask, I won’t give them to you. They’re my proud brothers and sisters.”
His voice brimmed with deep trust and pride in them.
Velita simply smiled, saying nothing more.
Instead, she made a small gesture to Anette, who had been quietly standing behind her.
“Anette, it’s fine. You may return first.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Anette bowed quietly and stepped back.
Once she, too, was gone, only the three of them remained.
A heavy silence briefly settled over them.
“So.”
It was Velita who broke the silence first.
She continued to gaze at Behad, her soft smile intact.
“What brings the mediator of this meeting to gather us all here?”
“Obviously.”
Behad responded casually, as if the answer was too obvious to even ask.
“It’s about our second brother.”
“Oh my.”
At that, Velita’s brow lifted slightly.
As expected.
But surely, this meeting wasn’t arranged for something so trivial.
“In that case, before we begin… is there no proper chair, or perhaps a warm cup of tea? This kind of stiff atmosphere just isn’t my taste…”
“I didn’t think that far ahead. How about… a glass of cold water instead?”
Behad shot back playfully.
Velita continued to smile silently.
“Anyway.”
Behad shed some of the mischief from his voice and shifted into a more serious tone.
“Setting aside how absurd his behavior was during the Departure Festival… Did you two know? He’s already made a move on the young lady of the Everglenn family.”
At that moment, Mercedes’s shoulder, which hadn’t moved an inch, twitched ever so slightly.
Both Velita and Behad noticed the change but didn’t comment or glance her way.
“Oh my, really? And what happened?”
Velita asked with apparent interest.
“What do you think?”
Behad grinned as he continued.
His voice held a faint sneer, and his satisfaction was laid bare, with no effort made to conceal it.
“Seems like the knights and servants who went along got thoroughly thrashed. From what I hear, the Everglenn lady isn’t someone to take lightly. They poked the wrong person and ended up humiliated.”
He then began to comically describe the flustered retreat of the group, as if he had seen it all firsthand.
Velita chuckled appropriately, matching his energy.
“……”
Mercedes, on the other hand, continued to listen in silence.
But Behad didn’t miss how her hand, resting on her lap, clenched tightly into a fist.
She, too, seemed to be feeling a certain satisfaction.
‘Hmph.’
Behad chose not to mention it.
Over the years, he had learned that pointing it out would greatly irritate his sister—and making her angry was never a wise move.
“…Anyway.”
Behad waved his hand, as if to wrap up the topic.
“The young lady of Everglenn did nothing wrong, so hopefully our dear brother won’t be causing any more trouble.”
“Yes, just as you said. That matter should end here.”
Velita nodded softly.
Then she quietly fixed her gaze on Behad.
Her eyes now gleamed with a slightly deeper light than before.
“Well then… will you tell us the real reason you gathered us here?”
Behad grinned.
“Knew you’d catch on quick.”
He paused for a breath, then suddenly turned to Mercedes.
“Sister, sorry, but can you put up the barrier once more?”
“It’s already up.”
“I know. But just in case, please do it one more time.”
“……”
Mercedes looked at Behad for a moment but soon formed the hand seal again in silence.
Soon, an even denser aura than before enveloped the surroundings.
“Phew.”
Behad let out a small sigh.
By now, all traces of his usual slyness had disappeared from his face.
In its place was a rare seriousness that was hard to find in him.
“This is… something I happened to hear by chance.”
He began speaking quietly.
“I don’t even know if it’s true. So take it with a grain of salt, but I still want you to keep it in mind.”
Though he often appeared lighthearted and mischievous, he was never one to speak nonsense.
The fact that someone like him was hesitating this much before speaking hinted to both Velita and Mercedes that what was coming next might be more serious than expected.
Behad first looked at Mercedes.
“Sister, I hope you’ll understand that I brought this up to someone other than you without your consent.”
Then he turned to Velita.
His gaze was sharp—sharper than ever.
“And you already know this, but our siblings don’t trust you much. Still, the reason I’m telling you this is… because I think the two of us might not be able to handle it alone.”
Normally, Mercedes would’ve snapped at him to get to the point, and Velita would’ve maintained her elegant smile.
But this time, both of them simply waited in silence for his next words.
Behad’s demeanor was that concerning.
After a pause, he finally opened his mouth cautiously.
“As everyone knows… the current succession situation overwhelmingly favors our second brother. His Majesty has practically named him the next emperor.”
He paused and glanced at their expressions.
“But recently, I heard that Father is reconsidering the successor.”
Behad’s voice dropped lower.
“…And the one he’s considering is none other than our youngest—whose baby teeth haven’t even all fallen out yet.”
“Auuugh…”
Lian looked at the woman covering her face with a complicated expression.
Her ears were red, and her head hung low.
‘…Someone she made a promise with for the future, huh.’
Lian muttered inwardly.
Dragons lived incomparably longer lives than humans—so long that the word “distant” hardly did it justice.
Which is why Lian had no idea just how long ago her “childhood” was, nor the weight of the promise she had made.
But one thing was certain.
This innocent-looking young lady, who perhaps knew little of the world, had come all the way to the capital of the Empire based on that one promise.
‘And…
In doing so, she would become the very person who set off a chain of events leading to the spilling of blood—not just from Lian’s past life, but from many others as well.
‘…Let’s calm her down first.’
After a moment of consideration, Lian spoke gently.
“First, could you lift your face?”
“……”
She didn’t budge.
Her face remained buried in her hands.
“I understand you’re looking for someone you made a promise with. But… do you have any information about him? A name, maybe? Or where he lives?”
At his question, she hesitated briefly, then slowly peeked through her fingers.
Her face was still flushed, but a flicker of hope sparkled in her eyes.
“…Are you going to help me?”
Her voice trembled faintly.
Lian gave a small nod.
“If I can, sure.”
“Thank… thank you! I will never forget this favor!”
She exclaimed and sniffled softly.
“Shamefully, I do not know his name, but I’m certain he’s here in the capital. Before we parted long ago, he told me so.”
“In the capital?”
“Yes, and also that he would be staying at an aca… akedami? Something like that.”
The capital was vast.
And the academy alone housed nearly ten thousand people.
Just knowing he was in the capital made the search seem impossible.
“Is there any other clue? Maybe his appearance or some distinctive feature?”
“His appearance…”
She blushed again.
This time, even more deeply than before.
She fidgeted, avoiding eye contact, and finally ducked her head again and whispered almost inaudibly.
“He… he was very handsome… the most I’ve ever seen since I was born…”
She couldn’t go on, only mouthing her words silently.
Lian let out a quiet sigh before he could stop himself.
‘This is seriously a problem.’
The only clue was “an extremely handsome man who lives in the capital.”
How could anyone find someone like that in such a huge place?
It was like looking for a needle in a desert.
And from the look of it, this lady was completely smitten with the guy.
Which meant her extremely subjective descriptions were useless.
“…Was he really that handsome?”
Cecilia asked.
She nodded.
“As much as Lian?”
“…?”
Lian tilted his head at the sudden question.
She shook her head firmly.
“…No. He was far, far more handsome.”
“……”
Cecilia tilted her head, muttering softly.
“…Just how good-looking is this guy?”
“……”
Lian pretended not to hear her and said to the young woman,
“For now, calm down. If there’s anything we can help with, we will.”
Even as he said this, his face flushed slightly.
“Thank you… truly, thank you…!”
She repeatedly bowed her head, overflowing with gratitude.
She looked like a lost child who had finally found someone to rely on—relieved and joyful.
“For now… wouldn’t it be better to talk more somewhere else?”
Allen suggested calmly.
And he was right. They couldn’t stand out here on the street forever.
“I agree.”
Lian nodded.
“If it’s alright with you, would you like to come with us? It’ll be quieter where we’re staying.”
“Oh… may I?”
She hesitated briefly, then nodded.
“Then… please allow me to impose.”
Watching her, Lian let out another internal sigh.
‘…No matter how I look at this, it’s not something I should decide on alone.’
A dragon.
Anything involving a dragon.
There was only one place he could go.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Amaruah, buried in backlog paperwork at the library, muttered as she looked at the ones who had come to find her.