TMST 26

Chapter 26

“As I mentioned earlier, this is actually a very simple issue. If you look at the other clauses of the Ancient Law, it states that the Ancient Law applies to people who are standing on the land of Esmeril. Therefore, since Duke Trisia and Viscount Plang were not directly standing on the land of Esmeril at the time of the wager, the Ancient Law does not apply to this case.”

“……”

“That is all.”

Oh-ho. So there was a provision like that in the Ancient Law. If Arken was telling the truth, then Mustache had practically dug his own grave.

Just as Karin had angrily shouted earlier, White Beard suddenly jumped to his feet and cried out.

“What nonsense is that! Obviously, when it says standing on the land, it doesn’t mean that literally—”

“Earlier, you said that the ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ could be a secret meeting room or a tavern. If that is the case, then saying someone is standing on the land can also mean literally standing on the land.”

Arken shot back coldly.

Exactly. Since they had started making absurd arguments first, the only option was to repay them in kind.

Just as Karin had been left speechless earlier, White Beard collapsed back into his seat with a look of disbelief.

Beside him, Mustache looked increasingly anxious.

“Was there really something like that in the Ancient Law? Can’t we apply another statute?”

“The thing is, Ancient Language is so difficult that it takes about a week just to interpret a single sentence… We simply haven’t managed to translate all of it.”

Hearing White Beard’s explanation, Karin finally understood why she hadn’t heard from Arken.

He had been busy deciphering the Ancient Language.

“Would you like to discuss with me exactly how the Ancient Law might apply to this matter? From beginning to end, I don’t mind.”

After overhearing the conversation between Mustache and White Beard, Arken casually added that.

Even though he was on their side, he was unbelievably irritating.

Watching him from behind, Karin beamed.

Mustache continued pressing White Beard for answers, but when White Beard shook his head helplessly, Mustache exploded.

“You can’t even manage that much?!”

His face cycled between red and blue as he pointed furiously at White Beard.

The spectators began adding their own comments one after another, and before long the once-quiet courtroom resembled a bustling marketplace.

“Enough!”

A king truly was a king.

With just a single word, the noisy hall fell silent.

“Viscount Plang, that is enough. I thought this was ridiculous from the very beginning.”

Apparently, the king wasn’t a fool either.

“B-But…!”

Mustache turned toward the king with a devastated expression.

The king paid him no mind and struck the gavel firmly.

“I shall deliver the verdict. Duke Trisia has no obligation to pay Viscount Plang ten billion gold. The duke is to be released.”

“Yes!”

Karin let out a joyous shout and practically sprang out of her seat.

The king cleared his throat and stepped down from the platform, while the audience broke into small groups and began discussing the outcome.

“You incompetent fool…”

Unable to direct his anger at the king, Mustache instead vented it all on White Beard.

As if he could have done any better himself.

Watching Mustache fume only amused Karin briefly before another thought overtook her.

The realization that she could remain a princess felt like a dream.

‘A soft bed! Warm tea!’

If she could have, she would have danced right then and there.

“Karin, that’s wonderful!”

Iris approached with a bright smile and congratulated her.

Standing beside Iris was Duke Trisia, who was bouncing excitedly in place despite how unsuited the behavior was for him.

His round belly wobbled with every jump.

He looked so happy that he was almost adorable.

Karin felt like she could hug him tightly.

So she did.

But…

‘Huh? Was Duke Trisia always this thin?’

“…Young Lady?”

When she looked up, Arken was staring down at her with a startled expression.

He stood stiffly with his arms raised awkwardly, as if he had no idea where to put them.

His earlobes had turned bright red.

Good heavens.

What had she just done to the man who had saved her?

Like a stretched spring suddenly released, Karin instantly jumped back.

“Ah! S-S-Sorry!”

She had hugged him with all her strength.

It almost felt as if she could still feel the contours of his body on her arms.

The moment she realized what she had done, her face burned hot.

She let her hair fall forward to hide her expression.

“I-I made a mistake! I thought you were Duke Trisia—no, my father!”

His chest visibly rose and fell.

As though trying to calm his racing heart, he remained frozen for a long moment.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

After her flushed cheeks had cooled somewhat, Karin forced an awkward smile.

“Anyway, thank you so much. You really saved me.”

Only then did Arken finally relax his shoulders and breathe normally.

Seeing that he seemed less tense, Karin continued talking.

“You must have worked really hard because of me. Did you actually translate the entire Ancient Law? That white-bearded old man said it takes a whole week to interpret a single sentence.”

Arken fiddled with his glasses and stared at her face for several seconds.

Like a machine taking time to reboot, he seemed to need a moment to return to his usual self.

“…You don’t need to worry so much. Fortunately, I found the answer as soon as I translated the very first sentence.”

Finally regaining his normal composure, he replied quietly.

If that was true, then he had translated a single sentence in just three days.

That was still incredible.

‘Wait a second. Then what Arken said earlier…’

If he had only translated the first sentence, then his earlier claim about discussing the Ancient Law from beginning to end had been a bluff.

He had simply seen through the fact that Mustache knew nothing about the Ancient Law.

As expected.

A truly intelligent person.

Karin gave him a thumbs-up.

“Oh, I see. That’s still amazing. I guess nobody becomes the top student at the Academy for no reason!”

At her words, Arken smiled faintly.

The fact that she had made him smile filled her with satisfaction.

Karin smiled brightly as well, but then noticed the dark shadows beneath his eyes and quickly added,

“Now that everything’s over, you should hurry and get some sleep.”

“Duke Lucas will be arriving soon. I have to go.”

Karin stared at him in shock.

“Don’t tell me you’re going straight back to work?”

“Supporting the duke is my job.”

“But…”

Who would make someone with dark circles that severe continue working?

Duke Lucas, you evil employer.

Karin ground her teeth.

Maybe she should make her offer one more time.

Speaking gently, she tried to persuade him.

“Even so, isn’t he working you too hard? Listen, since you saved our duchy, my offer still stands.”

At that moment, Duke Lucas could be seen approaching from the distance.

Speak of the devil.

Karin rose onto her tiptoes and whispered into Arken’s ear.

“The Second Duchy will always welcome you, so if things ever become unbearable, just run away and come to us.”

“……”

“Forget all that nonsense about a secretary’s grave. Now that I’m here, the Second Duchy is going to become a secretary’s paradise.”

Karin studied his face to see if her proposal had worked.

Instead, he looked puzzled.

“Weren’t you originally from the Second Duchy, Young Lady?”

Oops.

Karin instantly realized her mistake and slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Ah, r-right. That just slipped out. What’s wrong with me today? Anyway, remember it! If things get bad, pack your bags and come running to the Second Duchy!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She had only been rambling out of embarrassment, but surprisingly, he responded while lifting the corners of his mouth.

This wasn’t a faint or subtle smile.

Anyone would have recognized it as a genuine smile.

Karin was so moved that she could not speak.

Like savoring a cup of warm tea, she slowly took in his bright expression.

‘How many legendary moments am I getting in a single day…?’

Had Duke Lucas not arrived, she might have stood there staring until sunset.

The duke approached and seemed about to say something to Karin, but she was faster.

“See you next time!”

She waved enthusiastically.

Then she quickly linked arms with Iris and hurried away.

Watching Karin’s retreating figure, Duke Lucas could only smack his lips in frustration.

Once she was completely out of sight, he turned to his secretary instead.

“Did the trial conclude without issues?”

“We won.”

“Well done.”

The duke smiled with satisfaction before suddenly examining Arken’s complexion.

“You look exhausted. Can you work today?”

“I am fine.”

“Good. Then let’s head to the conference room.”

Without giving Arken another glance, Duke Lucas began walking toward the meeting room.

Arken followed without complaint.

He said he was fine, but in truth he was anything but.

His head felt filled with thick smoke, as though straw were burning inside it.

His eyelids felt as heavy as iron weights.

After sitting motionless at a desk for three straight days, his shoulders and back were screaming in protest.

Even if he collapsed on the way to the conference room, nobody would find it surprising.

This was the first time since graduating from the Academy that he had pushed himself this far.

Did he really need to go to such lengths?

He could have chosen not to help the young lady.

Even if he did help, there had been no need to stay awake for three consecutive nights.

If someone asked him why he had done it, he honestly wouldn’t know how to answer.

Had he suddenly developed an interest in Ancient Language?

No.

Was it because he finally had an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities?

Not that either.

Or perhaps…

The dazzling smile she had directed at him.

Was it because he wanted to see that smile?

Thinking of Karin’s face, so vivid it seemed almost within reach, Arken smiled faintly.

Then he suddenly realized what he was thinking and snapped back to reality.

‘This can’t happen.’

Without realizing it, he had begun entertaining a certain possibility.

It was absurd.

The odds were incredibly low.

Most likely everything was simply his misunderstanding.

Yet perhaps there was still hope.

But he could not allow himself to think that way.

What good could come from placing hope in something that would never happen?

He wanted to spend whatever time remained to him in peace.

He did not want to nurture false expectations only to watch them crumble and leave him in pain.

So before he regretted it, before things became irreversible, he needed to erase her from his thoughts.

Following behind the duke, Arken tried to push Karin from his mind.

But it was not easy.

Like dark pencil marks that only smudged when erased, her smile became clearer every time he tried to remove it.

Sharper.

More vivid.

Until it was engraved into his mind and tormented him.

In the end, he lost the battle against himself.

Even through his exhaustion, the image of the young lady remained perfectly clear, filling him with a dizzying sense of joy.

Karin would never know.

She would never know that he had translated the entire Ancient Law in order to account for every possible scenario.

That truth belonged to him alone.

“Karin, congratulations. I’m so glad everything worked out.”

Iris was genuinely delighted, as though the problem had been her own.

“Secretary Arken is truly amazing.”

As she praised Arken, Karin somehow felt as though she herself were receiving the compliments.

Stopping suddenly, Iris grabbed both of Karin’s hands and her eyes sparkled.

“Now we can prepare without any worries.”

“For what?”

“The party. The one I said I’d host.”

Ah.

That party.

The one Karin had been certain would eventually be canceled.

She nodded absentmindedly.

If expectations were too high, disappointment would only hurt more.

When the party inevitably got canceled, she would just have to comfort Iris.

“So, would you like to go shopping for dresses together?”

Huh?

“I’ll come to your house in two days!”

Karin had not expected that.

She had made absolutely no preparations for Iris’s party.

Nor had she planned to.

Yet now they were talking about dress shopping.

“I’m so excited. I’ve never gone shopping for clothes with a friend before!”

Without even waiting for Karin’s answer, Iris excitedly chattered away.

She looked just like a child who had received a promise from her mother to visit an amusement park for the first time.

…Well, clothes could be worn more than once.

“Okay,” Karin finally agreed.

Iris turned out to be surprisingly proactive.

Two days later, Karin had barely rubbed the sleep from her eyes when she saw Iris’s carriage waiting outside for her.

She was forced to hurriedly finish breakfast before setting off.