Chapter 65

After receiving the king's advice, I was seen off by Lord Melvin and headed towards the carriage.

"Lord Melvin, thank you very much for today."

"………I don't think I did anything particularly worthy of your gratitude?"

Lord Melvin tilted his head.

Was he acting?

In any case, I decided to explain the reason and express my gratitude.

"Lord Melvin, wasn't it you who suggested that I offer sandwiches to His Majesty today? Thanks to you, I was able to learn about His Majesty's food preferences."

It seemed as if he had anticipated this outcome from the beginning and suggested the offering of sandwiches.

Lord Melvin had only seen sandwiches for the first time yesterday.

Yet, it was a bit mysterious why he had recommended them, but it made sense if it was to inform me of His Majesty's preferences.

Lord Melvin had grasped the nature of sandwiches, which can be filled with various ingredients, at first glance and immediately put it to use.

When I conveyed my respect and gratitude, Lord Melvin smiled.

"Perhaps that is one way to interpret it. However, it was Lady Letitia's character and ingenuity that seized this opportunity. I feel that your words of gratitude are misplaced."

Lord Melvin continued to speak smoothly, as if deflecting.

It was a beautiful but elusive smile.

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Glenreid, seated in his office chair, gazed into the void.

'His Majesty is a very perceptive and observant person, isn't he?'

He recalled the look of admiration on Letitia's face.

Being praised by the intelligent Letitia felt good, but it also made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"I am not such a great person……"

Glenreid murmured.

It was not out of self-deprecation or modesty; for Glenreid, it was simply a fact.

Seeing through Sienna's true nature with just a brief interaction.

Noticing the 'lie' that the seasoned I Reina had uttered.

These might be praiseworthy, but in Glenreid's case, the situation was different.

He had noticed them thanks to a 'scent' that only he could perceive.

"It's not a matter of observation or insight; I just have a good nose……"

Glenreid is a throwback to the wolf spirit ancestor of the royal family.

He possesses several abilities that ordinary people do not, including a special sense of smell.

To confirm this, Glenreid took a deep breath.

A foreign scent mixed with the familiar smell of his room.

The source was the basket of sandwiches that Letitia had left as a gift.

"Still, it has a strange smell……"

It was a scent he had never smelled before.

It was not Letitia's perfume or body odor.

Glenreid himself did not fully understand it, but it seemed to be something intangible.

Something formless.

Something related to a person's mind, spirit, or perhaps soul, which Glenreid's nose could detect.

This mysterious sense, which is closest to the sense of smell, is why he refers to it as a 'scent.'

In the royal family, throwbacks were occasionally born.

Most of these throwbacks became kings, and their reigns were generally prosperous.

"Perhaps that is only natural……"

No matter how carefully a person controlled their words and expressions, Glenreid could see through their lies and true nature with his 'scent.'

While his ability to detect 'scents' was not infallible and he often could not detect lies, when the 'scent' did reveal a lie or betrayal, his predictions were never wrong.

For the royal family, this ability was incredibly useful.

Glenreid, who ascended the throne at a young age, had greatly benefited from this ability.

Given the responsibility of a nation's fate, he had no hesitation in using his 'scent'—but—

"In a sense, it feels like cheating……"

This special sense of smell was something Glenreid was born with.

While he believed it was natural to use his innate talent, there was a small part of him that felt a bit guilty and carried the scars of past wounds.

"Perhaps being a throwback is a blessing and a curse……"

If he had not been a throwback, what kind of life would he have led?

His relationship with his parents and the fate of the crown after his father's death might have been different.

The fate of his half-brother, who was excellent and cared for him, would have been different as well.

Regret, sorrow, and sentimentality.

Emotions that he had long sealed away began to stir in the depths of his heart.

As Glenreid was about to be consumed by the past, a scent brushed past his nose.

Stimulated by the scent, the image of golden hair and amethyst eyes came to mind, pulling Glenreid's thoughts back to the present.

She had already left, but her lingering scent was still on the sandwiches.

It seemed she had made the sandwiches herself, rather than leaving it to her subordinates.

That was why, even without her presence, the sandwiches still carried her scent.

"She made them for me……"

Saying this, his heart felt strangely at ease.

As he wondered why, a familiar scent approached.

It seemed that Melvin, who had seen Letitia off, had returned.

Melvin entered the office and noticed the sandwiches.

"Is this Lady Letitia's gift? I'll have a piece—"

"Denied."

Before Melvin's hand could reach, Glenreid pulled the basket of sandwiches closer.

"These are my midnight snacks."

"………Your Majesty, aren't you a bit too hungry? I welcome it, though."

"Don't say such things. You, on the other hand, ate several pieces under the guise of testing for poison, didn't you?"

Given Letitia's position and character, it was unlikely that she would poison him.

However, to be safe, a simple poison test was conducted before the sandwiches reached Glenreid.

Melvin, who usually did not take on such roles, had volunteered today.

Letitia had been instructed to prepare two of each type of sandwich.

Before meeting Glenreid, one of each type was randomly selected, and Melvin performed a simple poison test.

"Did you suggest that Letitia bring sandwiches so that you could eat them under the guise of a poison test?"

"Of course not, that's ridiculous."

Melvin's ambiguous smile did not fool Glenreid's nose.

He seemed to be lying.

"Really. Perhaps that's not the only reason?"

………It didn't seem like a lie, but Glenreid couldn't read his true intentions.

The limitations of Glenreid's nose, which is useful but has its limits.

"………Fine. These sandwiches are mine."

Declaring this to his long-time confidant, whose inner thoughts he could never fully grasp, Glenreid monopolized the sandwiches.