Chapter 267, I’m Rather Good at Setting Traps (4)

Translator: Hedge

Editor: Lizzz

 

The sound of the teacup being set down was barely audible. The habit of a servant, ingrained over many years, was not easily abandoned even in the presence of his only younger sister.

 

“It has a pretty colour. Nice scent too.”

 

The reason for bringing up such topics after drinking tea was obvious. Either the tea was truly excellent, there was not much else to say, or it was difficult to broach what he actually wanted to discuss.

 

“It’s evening primrose.”

 

A flower that kept its petals folded carefully during the day, only blooming beneath the moonlight. Even after explaining that the tea was made from those small, bright yellow flowers, Ian simply nodded.

 

In truth, he already knew. Kalian enjoyed tea so much that Ian prepared it several times a day, did he not? Since the poisoning incident, Ian had personally prepared all of Kalian’s tea without exception.

 

He did not know that the reason Kalian had begun enjoying tea so elegantly was because he had stopped drinking the alcohol he once loved, but in any case, all the flowers and fruits that could be dried and steeped were neatly stored away in Ian’s mind.

 

“It’s been a while since we’ve had flower tea, though. His Highness does enjoy tea, but lately he’s been avoiding flower teas. He’s particularly fond of mint.”

 

Dmirea was now certain. Ian had come with a story that was difficult for him to tell.

 

“Has there been no word yet from Prince Kalian?”

 

So she simply initiated the conversation herself.

 

The moment she finished speaking, those round grey-blue eyes filled with worry.

 

“Rea. I think His Highness has forgotten about me.”

 

“I think he’s too busy consuming the Elves’ lives to worry about yours, older brother.”

 

“Prince Plants told Rerik everything, but our Prince just ran away. When I checked, he had even taken money from the safe, but he did not tell me anything.”

 

Ian had clearly not heard what Dmirea had just said.

 

Dmirea calmly accepted the situation, that her fiancé had left home, and that instead of her, her older brother was the one losing sleep worrying about said runaway fiancé while she drank her tea. After that, she ate several of the caramels Ian had brought.

 

Thus, she waited for the Baby Elephant, who had been crying for quite some time, worrying about what would happen if their flower-like Prince got even a single scratch somewhere, what would happen if his tender heart heard harsh words somewhere, to finally quieten down.

 

“He’ll return safely, so please don’t worry too much.”

 

Mentioning that regardless of whether he got scratched somewhere or heard harsh words, her older brother need only prepare Arunesia for the other party would be pointless, so she simply offered some reassurance and continued eating caramels.

 

At least it would make her mouth sweet so her ears would be less bitter.

 

Looking back, he used to go out like that and return with his side torn or a hole in his stomach, so his worrying was not entirely unreasonable.

 

“Still, I feel better after talking to you.”

 

Ian finally concluded his worry with these words.

 

“Did you not speak to Knight Bern or the Second Prince’s servant about this?”

 

“They won’t listen anymore.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

Dmirea let out a small laugh, thinking how much they must have suffered from Ian’s worrying.

 

“Oh, Rea. But I didn’t come just to talk about His Highness.”

 

At these words, Dmirea looked at Ian, who drew a letter from his breast and handed it to her. As Dmirea received it and unfolded it, she saw handwriting so elegant that it was difficult to imagine the person holding the pen.

 

‘To our beloved Little Duchess.’

 

It was Sleiman’s letter.

 

As soon as she saw the first line, Dmirea immediately refolded the letter and spoke.

 

“He sent this to the Royal Palace?”

 

“Not to the palace, but to the Marquis Manasil’s residence. He really wants a reply.”

 

“I would know what to say if he asked about my change of course.”

 

Dmirea sighed.

 

“But he doesn’t ask a single word about my decision to help Prince Kalian, all while being curious about other matters. I have nothing to say to someone like him.”

 

Sleiman had asked nothing about the matter involving Evan. From the moment he had entrusted her with affairs in the Capital, he had essentially handed over all decisions regarding her conduct here, and Dmirea had not yet taken an official stance on ‘supporting’ Kalian, so he had left it alone.

 

‘I heard a daughter was born into our household, but I can’t seem to remember.’

 

Instead, he was relentlessly curious about the little girl she brought in, Ririe.

 

He knew which Family’s bloodline Ririe hailed from, but he was not concerned about that. He was genuinely curious when she would bring her to show him, was the child going to be his daughter or her daughter, if she was his daughter then she would become puppy Ian’s younger sister. This seemed rather odd so what should be done about it? And such was the issue he had been losing sleep over. Also, was there anything she needed, should he send clothes, should he send biscuits, should he send a teacher, and so forth.

 

“Rea.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Ian, who had called to Dmirea as she skimmed through the letter containing the same content once more, looked back and forth between Dmirea’s eyes and the letter.

 

The mansion’s butler, Knights Yuran and Ronankite, Arsene; all had expressed concern about the matter of Ririe. Thus Dmirea, thinking Ian would say the same, looked at him with a weary expression.

 

“Thank you.”

 

But Ian said this instead.

 

“Thank you for growing up to be someone who looks after a young child without thinking about anything else. While I just stayed here.”

 

Setting aside Kalian’s position for a moment, speaking simply as the eldest son of the Siegfried Family and as Dmirea’s older brother, who had once been someone’s younger sibling himself, he merely expressed his gratitude.

 

Dmirea smiled silently and nodded.

 

And she decided to write a reply saying, ‘Ririe isn’t father’s daughter, she’s just going to be my younger sister, so you need not worry. She likes walnut and almond biscuits, so you might as well send those.’

 

* * *

 

A path walked without forgetting for even a single moment.

 

[It is now merely a tale from long ago.]

 

A path that he himself had continued to revisit without forgetting for even an instant, while telling others to set it aside and move forward.

 

Kalian raised his head at the words of the Mother Tree, which had created that path and laid it before his eyes, adding one aspect he had not been able to see.

 

A quiet smile appeared on Kalian’s lips. He could understand everything else, but the Elves were still beyond his comprehension, so he simply smiled.

 

“If you’re going to worry, at least do it properly…”

 

The red gemstone dust floating in the sky trembled.

 

It was becoming red flames like sparks from a bonfire, disappearing one by one.

 

Sparks flew even at the end of that long road Kalian had walked. As if burning everything away, little by little from far away, yet without stopping, all became small flames heading towards the sky.

 

Bern from long ago. Kalian from long ago. The painful things they could not forget all rose up like that, one by one.

 

He looked again at the spire standing in the distance. He thought about climbing up, but decided against it. He gazed at the pale green eyes of the person standing before him. He thought about speaking to him briefly, but decided against it.

 

Because they too were stories from long ago, he knew they should now be left alone, so he did not do so. Instead, he watched as flames larger than anything else rose quietly from the spire and from before his eyes.

 

Kalian reached out once more. He swept away the Cinnastar placed in the remaining memories of one who should be forgotten.

 

“You’ve… worked hard.”

 

He caressed one last time the face of one who had now disappeared.

 

“You did well. You endured well. Everything’s all right now.”

 

Even though it had been a tragedy. Even though it had been a final Chapter that those who could not let go of their lingering attachments had been unable to conclude.

 

Because it had not been entirely unhappy, he could say they had lived well.

 

“Bern.”

 

He sent comfort.

 

The flames became stars. And left behind yet another star.

 

* * *

 

There had been no feared explosion, no blade fight.

 

Instead, unexpected news arrived.

 

“He went out?”

 

“Outside the city, into the forest. Just now.”

 

Plants briefly closed and opened his eyes.

 

“Stay with the Elf.”

 

Nidlen was about to ask whether the Deputy Commander meant ‘play nicely with Lady Hill and the members until Prince Kalian comes looking for you,’ but Plants walked out briskly. So Nidlen assumed that was indeed what he meant and began leading the members well. Which meant they started playing together. While drinking sparkling water.

 

In any case, Plants, having left behind Valkan, mounted his horse. And set out towards the forest where Kalian had reportedly headed.

 

Finding where he was would not be too difficult.

 

*Bang!*

 

Because one need only head towards where the explosions were sounding.

 

Plants, who had entered the dense forest as soon as he left the boundary of the Elf City, briefly adapted to the slightly lowered temperature. As he turned his head this way and that to gauge the direction Kalian had gone, he heard a loud sound of something being struck forcefully.

 

Plants patted his horse, which pricked up its ears without being particularly startled by the loud noise, and approached the direction of the sound.

 

There was a gorge that probably connected to the waterway leading to the waterfall where they had seen the rainbow last time, and Kalian was sitting on a rock by the water’s edge.

 

“What now?”

 

Having sat on sandy beaches so many times that even large rocks now looked like chairs, Plants sat down at a spot some distance from Kalian and asked.

 

“You came.”

 

Kalian was not surprised.

 

As if he had known Plants would come, or had been waiting for him, he greeted him naturally with a bow.

 

“I came out to check something briefly.”

 

Plants frowned as he glanced at the rock fragments scattered in the distance.

 

“That looks more like venting than checking.”

 

“I’m not someone with such violent habits.”

 

Having said this, Kalian stared at the flowing stream for a long while before speaking.

 

“It was already difficult to fathom Syspanian’s will, but the Mother Tree is even more so.”

 

“What did she say this time?”

 

“Are you concerned?”

 

“No.”

 

At the immediate answer, Kalian nodded and smiled brightly.

 

“First, I’ve finished talking with the Great Elder. He agreed to stop crying about moving to Secritia, and we’ve decided to send a letter to Debeullan saying that those who wish to be treated should come directly to where the Great Elder is. He said he would let me know when a reply comes, so it seems I can just return to the Royal Palace for now.”

 

Plants looked at Kalian for a moment.

 

Knowing the reason why the title for the ‘King of Secritia’ had changed slightly, Kalian simply continued speaking as if unaware.

 

“I heard the Mother Tree didn’t open the forest path to Brigit Forest, and I think that might have been because of me. By not opening the forest path, Debeullan would demand negotiations from the Elves over that matter, and as a result, I would end up coming here. We did not have any real conversation, so I don’t know if that was truly the reason or if she saw some other causal relationship, but that’s how it felt.”

 

*Splash.*

 

A small lump of Aura entered the gorge water.

 

Kalian’s words continued to reach Plants’ ears, as he had not turned his gaze away from Kalian and thus had not seen it.

 

“In the unlikely event that Debeullan causes problems in that forest, I asked her to open the forest path without delay to evacuate the residents there, and received her agreement. That forest is a place of some concern to me, so I meddled a bit.”

 

“I see.”

 

“And…”

 

Kalian, who had been about to continue speaking, closed his mouth and held out his palm.

 

*Wooong!*

 

With a low humming sound, a small Aura sword formed above that hand, and Plants chuckled when he saw it.

 

“So the chicken-eating Elf was not wrong after all.”

 

It seemed the Mother Tree, who was said to see through many things, had looked somewhat into Kalian’s inner self.

 

Before his eyes floated a sword of transparent red light that could no longer evoke displeasure, bringing to mind something other than death.

 

“I see.”

 

Plants nodded without asking what had been cast off to make the light that colour again. After watching that light for a moment, he spoke after Kalian had dispersed the sword again.

 

“So that’s why you came out.”

 

To check whether the Aura had changed.

 

“No. I learned about that as a bonus. I was trying to check something else.”

 

“Check on what?”

 

Kalian grinned.

 

Then he pointed towards the direction connected to the Elves’ forest and spoke.

 

“The Elves calculate quite thoroughly when it comes to help received. Even if I consider it meddling, they apparently thought of it as help. They’re giving me compensation.”

 

Plants looked at Kalian.

 

Kalian briefly turned at the waist and reached his arm behind the rock he was sitting on. Then he lifted something and held it out to Plants.

 

“Stars remained where everything had disappeared. So, I accepted them.”

 

In Kalian’s hand was a cold silver sword that seemed to shimmer with a blue light.

 

Thinking for a moment of the Mother Tree, who had changed the remnants of the star that had burned in the fire back to their original form and returned them, Kalian spoke.

 

“You should use it, older brother.”

 

Again, he was offering a sword.

 

Plants’ eyes stopped at one spot as he held the unexpected gift in his hands.

 

It was Cinnastar, a sword named after a flower…

 

His finger, placed unconsciously on the black letters, did not come down for quite some time.

 

“Don’t leave it lying around this time.”

 

A low voice conveyed a request.