Chapter 29

“What is Valentin like?”

I steered the conversation in a new direction. If I brought up something entirely unrelated, it might put him on his guard, so I chose a topic with at least a tenuous connection.

“I thought perhaps you might have visited, Lord Louis.”

Since Alice had prepared to study abroad there, I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. Still, I wondered if Louis, given his acquaintance with Aaron, might know a little more than I did.

“It’s hot, and if you go at the wrong time of year, you might encounter monsters.”

But his reply was so half-hearted it could have come from a child barely old enough to speak. Nonetheless, I couldn’t fault him for it, so I added a few details of my own until he suddenly stopped walking.

“I’m a little hurt.”

Since we’d been strolling arm in arm, I had no choice but to halt as well.

“Here we are, on a rare outing together, and all you’ve done is speak of another man.”

When Louis finished, his face was almost expressionless.

A warning bell rang in my mind.

This was his way of cautioning me, telling me not to bring up this subject again.

“I see. I was being thoughtless.”

I replied, withdrawing at once. Conscious of the watching eyes around us, I slipped seamlessly into the role of a contrite lover, soothing his wounded pride.

“If I’ve upset you, I’m sorry. I offer you my sincere apology.”

I wondered if that would be enough when I heard footsteps behind us.

“Duke Louis Arvan, and Lady Leonia Bellasi.”

It was the attendant who had opened the gallery for us, now here to escort us onward.

“His Majesty is waiting for you.”

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Among the luncheon guests was someone I hadn’t expected to see.

The emperor, Diego, Prince Aaron, Louis and I, and then…

“Your Majesty, who is this?”

“I invited him. He is said to be Prince Aaron’s aide.”

The Emperor replied lightly to Louis’s inquiry.

“I heard there was some recent trouble between him and Lady Leonia, so I thought it best to summon him.”

“….”

“Today is a chance to set the past aside and make a fresh start.”

“Today is a chance to set the past aside and make a fresh start.”

It was almost laughable, speaking of burying the past when the one meant to forgive had no such intention. However, with His Majesty himself saying so, we would have to at least feign reconciliation.

“I understand.”

When Louis sat without another word, I also took the seat beside him without so much as glancing at Ren Reichsten.

[ A bitter wind indeed. I thought we’d settled all this back then. ]

Aaron murmured in a tone edged with mockery before turning to the emperor and offering an apology.

“Forgive me. I’m still not fully accustomed to the Imperial tongue.”

“It’s quite all right. At least we’ve no need for a separate interpreter.”

“You flatter me. However, since it seems everyone has arrived, should we not exchange greetings?”

“Perhaps not.”

Louis’s voice cut cleanly through Aaron’s words.

“Isn’t it an unnecessary formality? I doubt we shall be meeting again.”

Although he smiled as he spoke, his tone made it clear he was drawing a line. It seemed the two of them made a point of appearing at odds in public.

“I’d like to speak cordially, but you keep meeting me with such prickliness that I hardly know what to say. Are you always like this, Your Grace?”

“Enough.”

The Emperor’s voice cut across Aaron’s words.

“That will do, both of you. Spirit is all well and good, but remember, you are each here representing your own realm.”

His expression was one of mild exasperation, though I suspected that inwardly, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Perhaps he even meant to use their apparent discord as an excuse to urge Diego into cultivating ties with Aaron. After all, though there was already a crown princess, Aaron remained one of Valentin’s strongest contenders for the throne.

The tension between the two men threatened to dampen the atmosphere, but just then, the first dishes began to arrive, perfect timing.

Most were elaborate enough that one might have mistaken the occasion for a grand banquet rather than a simple luncheon.

For my part, after picking at the caprese salad served as the appetizer, I hardly touched the rest of the meal.

‘There’s no way I could eat in an atmosphere like this.’

Maybe it was the lack of sleep dulling my appetite, or the dryness in my throat from the tension, but nothing went down except water.

“Why not have champagne instead? It’s not very strong.”

“Leonia doesn’t care for alcohol.”

Louis, cutting off Aaron’s interference, refilled my empty glass with water himself.

“Isn’t that something you could have a waiting maid do?”

“I wanted to do it myself.”

At his gentle reply, Aaron’s expression twisted, not in feigned annoyance but with genuine irritation.

“Hey. Is there nothing else here?”

Perhaps thirsty, Aaron instructed a servant to bring him something to drink.

“I-I’ll go! The wine has just run out, so…”

Ren cut in before the servant could move, springing to his feet.

Given that he hadn’t spoken a single word until now, it seemed the weight of the occasion had driven him to flee. Whatever the reason, he remained absent longer than expected. Aside from Aaron, who kept glancing toward Ren’s empty seat, no one seemed to take much notice of his absence.

“My apologies for being gone so long. I lost my way in the middle of it.”

Ren returned much later, wheeling a rolling cart laden with assorted liquors and other refreshments.

“You could have sent a servant, but still, you’ve gone to some trouble.”

Aaron remarked, the only one to acknowledge him.