The next day.
I dashed out of the knight’s headquarters and, while transferring instructions to Raul on horseback, somehow managed to arrive at my mansion within the royal palace on time.
My older brother had returned to his in-laws, causing a flurry of activity for security.
Why, at such a complicated time, is Vander showing up? I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
As I hurried down the corridor, the chief butler reached out to me. I handed him my riding gloves without looking and took off my cloak. I tossed it behind me, but the chief butler caught it without dropping it.
“Where’s Vander?”
When I asked, the chief butler stood at attention.
“In the guest room. He arrived on time.”
“That’s unusual,” I couldn’t help but say.
Vander and I have been tangled up together since military academy, but it’s rare for him to show up on time.
“He has brought many congratulatory gifts. You should thank him.”
“Got it. What about Lady Citroen?”
“She has already made her preparations, but it would be best for you to meet with her first before she enters.”
“Sounds good,” I nodded.
Anyway, I need to set things straight first. He’s a man who could say anything.
“Thank you for your patience, Lord Vander. It is an honor to welcome you back.”
As we approached the guest room, the chief butler handed over all of the packages to another butler nearby and stepped in front of me.
He quickly knocked and announced our visit in a voice that showed no signs of being out of breath.
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for you, my dear friend!”
I couldn’t help but grimace at the voice coming from inside the room.
“What do you mean, ‘my dear friend,’ you bastard?”
As the chief butler opened the door, Vander stood up from the sofa as soon as I entered.
He spread his arms wide in a theatrical manner, beckoning me for an embrace.
No thanks.
I decided to ignore him and tried to take a seat across from him, but he suddenly hugged me from the side.
“Get off me, you nuisance!”
I slapped the palm of my hand against his chin, but he just laughed, “Hahaha. You’re so shy,” and nuzzled my stomach. Gross. I shook Vander off and decided to sit on the opposite sofa to keep my distance.
“I never thought you’d get married before me. Life is full of surprises.”
Vander chuckled.
As always, he was tall and lanky.
He was shorter than me, but still in the tall range.
With a slender build and sharp eyes, the mole under his right eye made him somewhat alluring. He preferred to wear black, earning him the nickname “The Vampire Count.”
Despite ruling a barony in the border territories and typically keeping watch over the borders, he had a pale complexion and an eye-catching beauty. His fierce fighting style made it seem as though he had a taste for blood.
Even back in our school days, the underclassmen had already started calling him “The Vampire Count.”
“You don’t plan on getting married, do you?”
Even with plenty of options, he kept finding excuses to reject arranged marriages. I felt sorry for the women. He should consider the feelings of those being turned down.
“Oh, those are congratulatory gifts. I wasn’t sure what to get, so I picked a few things at random.”
Vander sat down and pointed to a corner of the room with his long, slender fingers.
I shifted my gaze and was astonished.
There were so many boxes piled up that I couldn’t even see the wall, and something that looked like a skeleton of an unknown creature was dangling from the ceiling.
“What is that?”
“A whale.”
“Do they give whale bones as wedding gifts in your region?”
“I haven’t heard of it, but maybe it’s common in your area?”
He was as talkative as ever.
I glared at him, and Vander brushed his black hair back and tilted his head.
“What’s wrong? Were you working?”
He pointed at my military uniform, and I nodded, agreeing that it made sense.
“I had to bring my older brother back for the engagement ceremony. Right now, I’m moving the royal guards and the knight brigade to the border.”
“How is Lord Mihaila?”
“Thanks to you, he’s fine. My father-in-law will retire in a few years… For now, he seems to be busy handing things over to his wife, who is the crown princess.”
The crown princess was a woman.
When I first met her, I was captivated by her sharp and dignified presence.
Since my brother Mihaila has a rather feminine face, I remember thinking it was like a gender-reversed doll set.
“However, to have work after the engagement ceremony… I can only imagine how tough it must have been to leave the bridal chamber.”
Vander crossed his long legs and smiled meaningfully, so I made a sulky face.
“I’ve been told not to touch anything until the wedding parade in the capital is over. For now, it’s a pure relationship.”
“Oh, how unfortunate.”
He grinned, and I nearly stood up to punch him.
“It seems there’s quite a situation in the Caravans Alliance Kingdom.”
Vander suddenly said as he slouched against the back of the sofa.
“Quite a situation?”
I blinked, surprised.
Come to think of it, I had been so caught up in my own engagement ceremony that I had forgotten about that country.
“It seems King Tania is furious with the Luminous Kingdom.”
“Well, that makes sense. That was terrible.”
Even now, it makes me feel uneasy.
“I heard that the daughter with the dragon crest was insulted, so they’ve stopped trading mineral resources with the Luminous Kingdom.”
“What?”
Of course, it’s not just the Tania Kingdom that has access to mineral resources. They could always look for resources from abroad, but with this trading stopped, it wouldn’t be easy to just ask for help from there.
Coal, steel, various ores.
Those were supposed to be shared within the alliance of the kingdoms.
“The king of Luminous Kingdom, King Norris, is apologizing profusely, and Crown Prince Arios is currently in seclusion, they say…”
“Well, it’s just confinement. I doubt they’re physically restraining him, are they?”
When I asked, Vander responded with a laugh instead of an answer.
“That king’s eyes cloud over whenever it comes to his son. I hear that the loose confinement will be lifted in a few days. The other three kingdoms are getting impatient with the leniency of the treatment. There may be a resolution to depose King Norris.”
If that happens, elections will begin again, and a new king will rise.
If that’s the case, it would be great if the five kingdoms could reunite.
“So? Where’s that beauty who brings nations to ruin?”
With a deep sigh, Vander lazily leaned back on the sofa.
I’d always thought he had a fair complexion, but today he looked even paler.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
I asked without thinking, and he grinned.
“It’s nice to be worried about by a handsome man; I just want to bite you.”
“Keep it to the ladies.”
I regretted worrying about him. Just as I turned my head away in annoyance, I heard the chief butler’s voice.
“Excuse me, I’ve brought Lady Citroen.”
After the knock, I heard the chief butler’s voice.
“Oh, finally a meeting.”
Vander smiled slyly, deliberately adjusting his cravat’s knot as he stood up.
Well, he did stand up, but…
Huh.
His eyes clearly rolled back, and his upper body leaned back.
Whoa, what’s wrong with him?
Before I knew it, I had jumped up from the sofa and was crossing the table to catch Vander.
“Hey. Are you alright?”
I shook him as I held him.
Even though he was slender, he was still a warrior. I wrapped my arms around his waist and back, but he weighed quite a bit. I needed him to regain consciousness and straighten up; otherwise, we would both fall.
“No, my bad, my bad. I probably shouldn’t have raced the horse to be the first to congratulate you.”
His face was still pale, and beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. However, when I leaned in closer, I could see the strength returning to his eyes. Our gazes met properly.
Vander let out a small sigh and lightly tapped my arms that were supporting him.
“I’m fine now. Sorry.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Besides, if we keep holding each other tightly like this in a closed room, your wife will start to have delusions, don’t you think?”
He smirked mischievously again, so I instinctively turned around.
At the door stood Lady Citroen, her eyes wide as saucers, with the head butler standing behind her.
Despair washed over me.
If I were to view this situation objectively…
It looked as if two men were embracing each other, leaning in close, about to kiss.
“Th-That’s not it, Lady Citroen!”
Creaking sounds filled the air as I tried to explain to her.
