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Chapter 9
“Brother!”
“And as Lady Apelemeon said, the one who kissed Damon Gideon was you.”
Karsiel continued coldly,
“Whether the two of you are truly lovers is none of my concern, but kissing someone and then beating them afterward is hardly gentlemanly behavior…”
“That woman pushed me first!”
“She pushed you?”
For the first time, a faint sneer appeared on Karsiel’s lips.
“So you didn’t even see properly.”
“Th-that’s…”
“During the two years I spent on the northern battlefield, have you truly failed to grow even a little? How many more years has Her Majesty the Empress’s plan to let you command reinforcements been delayed?”
“……!”
Balthazar fell silent for a moment before violently shaking off the hand gripping him.
“Stay out of this, brother.”
He growled in a low voice.
“This is my banquet, and you are merely a guest. Other than Father and Mother, no one has the right to lecture me.”
Though he emphasized every word, Balthazar’s voice trembled faintly.
He was afraid of Karsiel.
And in truth, it was only natural. Unlike Balthazar, who had remained under the Empress’s protection while holding the title of commander of the Second Imperial Knights in name only, Karsiel—just one year older—had commanded battlefields since the age of fifteen.
The pressure the two men gave off was as different as heaven and earth.
Even I, someone who could hardly be considered a warrior, could clearly feel it.
“I refuse.”
“And who are you to refuse me—?!”
“His Majesty ordered that you attend training tomorrow at the drill grounds as well.”
At Karsiel’s words, Balthazar clamped his mouth shut.
“If you want me to go easy on you even once during training…”
Karsiel’s eyes sharpened.
“…then stop this disgraceful behavior here.”
“Wh-what nonsense…!”
Balthazar tried to protest, but in the next moment Karsiel slightly twisted the wrist he was holding. Balthazar’s face immediately turned pale.
“S-Stop! I’ll stop! I said I won’t punish the lady!”
“And the apology?”
“Excuse me?”
“I told you to apologize for the disturbance you caused.”
Balthazar stubbornly resisted, as if that alone was unbearable, so Karsiel tightened his grip once more.
“Fine! I apologize! Is that enough now, Lady?”
But Karsiel did not release him until Balthazar apologized to everyone present, including Damon.
The moment Karsiel let go, Balthazar fled back to his palace as if escaping. Damon and Bartol couldn’t even stop him in time.
“…?”
As I watched Balthazar’s retreating figure, one side of my face prickled.
I turned my head.
Bluish-violet eyes were staring directly at me.
Without smiling or frowning, he studied me intently.
“I greet the Empire’s Second Sun. I am Iris of House Apelemeon.”
Only then did I realize I had been left alone with the First Prince, and I bent my knees in greeting.
Karsiel observed me thoughtfully before asking,
“Have you… perhaps seen a battlefield before?”
“Pardon?”
“No, that can’t be possible. Strange question.”
When my eyes widened in surprise, Karsiel shook his head apologetically.
“You remained calm so easily. It reminded me of veterans who have spent years on the battlefield. To ordinary noble ladies, my younger brother is quite a frightening existence.”
“It’s not that I wasn’t afraid.”
I answered honestly.
“I was simply taught that showing fear is usually unhelpful.”
Lessons from my previous life still counted as lessons.
“……”
Karsiel fixed his gaze on me once again.
At first glance, his eyes resembled Balthazar’s, but the way he looked at me was entirely different.
Balthazar’s gaze had burned with the desire to crush me.
Karsiel’s gaze, however, was cold—as though he intended to see through even my previous life.
After a long silence, Karsiel extended his arm.
“…Take it. Have you never been escorted before?”
When I placed my hand on his arm, he led me away from the staircase and toward the center of the banquet hall.
“Would you like to dance?”
As the musicians resumed playing, Karsiel offered me his other hand.
Caught off guard, I stared at him in surprise.
His eyes remained fixed on mine, and his expression was still unreadable.
“You do not seem like someone who enjoys dancing, Your Highness.”
“You’re perceptive for someone who just entered high society.”
He shrugged lightly at my words.
“Then why…?”
“Because Father ordered me to remain at the banquet for at least five minutes. If people see me participating normally in society, they’ll feel reassured about the war in the north. He probably also thought it would help spread the image that the royal brothers are close.”
He glanced toward the door Balthazar had stormed out through and gave a bitter smile.
“Of course, that calculation failed… But I can’t disobey Father’s command. If I’m going to leave an impression, I suppose I should at least dance one song.”
I stared at him for a moment before turning my gaze toward the gardens.
“…I heard that when Her Majesty renovated this banquet hall, she built the gardens along with it.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I mean that the gardens are also part of the banquet hall. If you must remain here for five minutes, then please escort me to the gardens during that time.”
Karsiel’s eyes widened slightly.
Naturally so.
For a woman to ask a man she had just met to take her into the gardens—unless she were deeply infatuated—was scandalous.
“Lady, do you realize what it means to say such a thing at a banquet? If someone overhears…”
“They’ll assume I’m in love with you, Your Highness.”
Just as Karsiel had done earlier, I shrugged and pulled him toward the gardens.
Karsiel lowered his voice in alarm.
“Lady, I don’t mind, but your reputation—!”
As he said, no ordinary noblewoman would ever use such a method.
“But I was in love with you, Your Highness.”
I knew this chance would never come again if I let it pass.
Smiling brightly, I spoke clearly enough for everyone nearby to hear.
“I came here today for the sole purpose of meeting you.”
This time, it was the truth.
“……”
Karsiel’s pupils shook violently.
Slowly, I lowered my head and kissed the back of his hand.
From the opposite side of the banquet hall came the sound of shattered glass.
Just as expected, Bartol stood there pale-faced and trembling violently.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Once we arrived in the gardens, Karsiel frowned deeply at me.
“You expect me to believe that someone who had never even met me was in love with me?”
“Your Highness.”
“If you wanted power, why not aim for Balthazar instead? If you went back and begged, you could probably seduce him. He likes women like you.”
He gestured coldly back toward the banquet hall.
“If I wanted that, I would have done it.”
“Then are you saying your claim about loving me was true?”
“Of course it was a lie.”
“What?”
His pupils shook again.
“I needed an excuse to speak with you alone. And it was also a good way for you to leave an impression on high society.”
“……”
“If I overstepped, I apologize. But even if it was His Majesty’s command, the fact that you took time to attend a banquet during wartime suggested that you did not want society to forget your existence.”
This was more than speculation.
Karsiel wanted influence, and the most important prerequisite for gaining influence was ensuring people continued to remember him.
No matter how exceptional a prince might be, if he vanished for years, neutral nobles would eventually forget him.
“Wouldn’t causing a scandal be more effective than dancing a single song?”
And if it helped shake Bartol off my back, even better.
Karsiel stared at me blankly, as though speechless.
“May I let go of your hand now?”
“I wasn’t trying to keep holding it.”
As though struck by lightning, Karsiel abruptly released the hand he had unconsciously continued holding.
I guided him to a stone bench near the fountain and took out a handkerchief, soaking it in the fountain water.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re having trouble even standing right now, aren’t you?”
As I pressed the cold, wet cloth to his forehead, I answered calmly.
“…What?”
“There were faint signs of illness. Your complexion wasn’t good, and although you tried to control your breathing, it was subtly irregular. When I checked your pulse during the escort, I became certain.”
Karsiel’s expression instantly stiffened.
“Lady.”
“If you had danced with me in the center of the ballroom…”
I smiled faintly.
“…you would have collapsed before lasting five minutes, Your Highness.”
