Chapter 18

Third Person's Perspective

"Sorry…………"

In the office, I first apologized to Levan, who had brought me back.

I slumped into the chair, clasped my fingers on my knees, and pressed my forehead against them.

This was a rare blunder in recent years.

No, I was so flustered that I felt both embarrassed and frustrated……

"That, really………… I won't keep dragging my first love anymore."

"Ugh"

Levan said something unbelievable, hesitantly.

I groaned in shame.

The Luciusaria royal family paid a courtesy visit to the empire.

The king and I are cousins, and I am on friendly terms with the royal family.

When I met Diora after a long time, I was surprised.

She had always resembled her aunt, but now her orange hair had grown, and even the texture of her hair was like her grandmother, my aunt.

I felt a mix of emotion and nostalgia, and my tear ducts loosened a bit.

However, after the garden reception ended and I was talking with the king and queen, Diora blushed and said,

"I have fallen in love with someone for the first time. I never knew my heart could race like this. This must be what they call love at first sight in stories. Duke Strateg, please tell me about Asha."

Her cute voice was a plea, but the content was shocking.

And she even said she wanted to marry!

"Ugh…… Damn…… I didn't expect to be outdone by the first prince………"

"Would you like some water? Or, maybe some alcohol? I think it's too late to salvage today, so you might as well face it."

Levan moved to offer comfort, though it was hard to tell if it was genuine.

Wait, why does he know where I hide the alcohol and glasses in my office?

And why is he preparing two glasses?

"Give me one, and I'll listen too."

"W-What?"

As he handed me the drink, Levan's playful smile disappeared, and he spoke seriously.

There seemed to be a problem.

He was supposed to be on guard duty in the garden today, and I had heard there were no issues other than a lost child?

"……Because of the first prince, I probably got a lot of glares from part of the palace security."

"Why would that happen? You've always been a bit of a smart mouth, but people generally liked you because of your good nature, right?"

"That's because the first prince, for some reason, responded to Duke Yurasion in a really strange tone."

"Huh?"

"How to describe it…… It was drawn out, but there was a sense that you had to listen to it……. But when you heard it all, it was completely normal. Completely. But…… it was just so laughably weird……"

I didn't understand.

I didn't understand, but I knew what he did.

Knowing his usual self, I was surprised by the first prince's ridiculous way of speaking…… No, I laughed at it?

I returned to my desk to check today's assignments.

"Oh, I remember, the people near you are all serious."

"Yes, it completely made me look like a joke. I'd prefer not to be paired with them for a while."

That was a problem.

"From the beginning, they've said I was hired through connections and that I'm favored too much."

"That's fine. We have a long-standing relationship with Luciusaria. In fact, we've known each other since before I was born."

As he said, Levan has known me since before he was born.

When he left Luciusaria to look for a job, I was the one who called him over.

It's too late to say I shouldn't favor him because of connections.

"Is that princess really so much like the duke's first love's aunt?"

"Choke!?"

Why so suddenly and clearly!?

No, why does he know this?

"Who did you hear it from? You said something similar earlier too."

"From the king of Luciusaria."

"Who!?"

My aunt is the dowager queen of Luciusaria and the mother of the current king.

I became the adopted son of the Strateg Duke in the empire partly because of the bloodline that produced a queen.

"Yeah, before I went to the Strateg Duke's, the king told me a lot of old stories."

"W-What kind of stories? How much did you hear?"

My cousin and I were once very close.

If I hadn't become the adopted son of the Strateg Duke, I would have been supporting him as his right-hand man.

Because of that, he knows a lot about my minor failures and youthful indiscretions.

"About how the previous Strateg Duke owed your family a favor, how your first love was the then-Queen of Luciusaria, how you were so mischievous that even your real mother didn't dote on you, and how you were so infatuated with your aunt that you said you wouldn't marry anyone else if you didn't marry her."

"……Shut up for a moment."

That king is talking more than I expected……

"There's more."

"Enough, stop talking. I'll have a word with him before he leaves."

"Well, I think it's because I personally asked him to take care of me before I went to the Strateg Duke's."

Levan is really similar.

No, I won't say that.

He's just far enough away, has no desire to take the Strateg Duke's title, and can't be too forceful because of the favor.

Additionally, as a bloodline that can deter others from claiming the Strateg Duke's title, I was chosen.

There was no option to refuse.

So, I accepted it as my duty.

"So, how do you plan to make the princess give up?"

"Well, I could just say she was rejected?"

"True, she didn't seem very interested, but who knows what love can do?"

"No way! No matter how you look at it, she'll only suffer if she ends up with the first prince!"

"Wow, you're really clear about it."

Just talking to him, the first prince says, but Diora is already infatuated.

What did he do?

He has alchemy as a hobby, so I thought he might have used some strange drug, but I ended up being brought back by Levan after blurting it out.

"If you stay in the imperial family, you'll be under house arrest. Even if you leave the imperial family, you'll be under the watchful eye of Duke Lukaios and won't achieve much. You don't seem to have the determination to make a name for yourself. That would be a waste for Diora."

"I was surprised when he retaliated, but then you did nothing, right?"

I thought I would casually repay the favor, but there was nothing, no, nothing at all.

The first prince doesn't even give me a chance to repay the favor.

He hasn't pressured me to repay the favor either, and it's come to this.

Of course, if he tried to use the favor to force me to date Diora, I would firmly refuse, but it's uncomfortable to owe him indefinitely.

Yet, this time, I lost my temper and did something.

Because I was forgiven with a laugh, the debt has only increased.

"Also, if the blood of the imperial family flows into the Luciusaria royal family, there will be those who will be tempted."

"That's true for most small countries under the empire. The key is how much influence they can have in the empire. If a contemptible emperor sits on the throne, they might even consider replacing the emperor to gain more influence."

If the first prince claims the legitimacy of the emperor with the backing of the Luciusaria kingdom, a war could break out.

While some would benefit from this, it would be a loss for the entire Luciusaria kingdom.

Considering this, it was a good strategy for the palace to have Duke Lukaios and Duke Yurasion push the first prince to the side.

Because they weakened him from the start, no one is trying to loudly support him and cause trouble.

"If a marriage happens, I will do everything in my power to prevent it to protect Princess Diora!"

"It's an immature way to put it, but it's better than getting caught up in the imperial family's conflicts."

Levan understands, but the child didn't.

"Why? Asha was so kind. I just wanted to thank her, but she doesn't even want to see me. Did I do something wrong?"

In front of me, Diora shed large tears and pleaded.

It was a painful scene, and even I, a relative, felt uncomfortable. For a parent, it would be even harder.

"……Well, she's probably just busy. How about starting with letter exchanges? A sudden marriage is difficult. She might have backed off. She didn't dislike Diora, so please stop crying."

Though it was frustrating, I couldn't interfere with my cousin's mediation.

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