Chapter 44

Calian, seeing Hale’s expression, frowned as well.

“The count doesn’t look good.”

Hale, who was worried that it would be known that he had sold information to the Blue Warbler, quickly frowned. And then I started to think quickly.

‘no. Aren’t they Secretians, who are known for their harshness even if they are caught by chance? The moment I get caught, I will end my life.’

Hale, who found a safe corner, applied honey to his mouth again.

“No. My anger towards the person who attacked the prince is deep. So from today, I, Hale, will also take the lead in catching the culprit. Didn’t this happen in my territory?”

For a moment, Calian showed something on his face that he didn’t like. Hale, who was convinced that Calian was hiding something from that expression, laughed at Calian for a moment.

‘You were trying to scare me. Anyway, you’re arrogant.’

Calian slowly nodded, whether he was aware of that thought or not.

“All right.”

Calian answered briefly and continued eating without saying another word. Meanwhile, Yuran quietly came to the restaurant and said something to Yan before returning. Then Yan came up to Kalian, bowed down, and told him what Yuran had just said. One of Calian’s eyebrows was seen raising after hearing the story.

Soon Calian’s eyes turned to Hale. Hale had already been focusing on Kalian from the moment Yuran came in, so Kalian spoke right away without needing to call Hale.

“That guy named Norton. He has something to tell me directly.”

After telling the story he had heard, Kalian immediately put away his napkin and stood up. Because of this, Hale, who had not yet eaten properly, had to stand up. Calian asked as soon as Hale stood up.

“I’m thinking of going. Do you want to go with me?”

“Are you saying that the prince will go to prison himself?”

At those words, Calian looked at Hale for a while. And he asked back in a quiet voice.

“That’s right.”

“Isn’t that where the prisoners are?”

“Are you asking the obvious? It’s a prison, so there must be prisoners.”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying…”

How could he say that he would take himself to that dirty place where the prisoners were? If you want to go, you have to go alone!

Haley suppressed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

“Why don’t you bring a man named Norton and meet him?”

“You can bring me to meet you, or I can come and meet you. Is there anything I can’t do as I wish?”

“…No, prince.”

In the end, I followed Kalian with a face similar to that of a prisoner heading to prison.

Hale had visited the dungeon once out of curiosity as a child. Then, after seeing the faces of the prisoners covered in blood and gore and a swarm of centipedes swarming under the straw spread on the floor, I made my escape and never walked again.

Hale, who returned to such a place after a long time, held his nose. This was due to the unpleasant smell that had become stronger due to the unusually heavy rain. Hale walked in front of Norton, feeling lucky that he hadn’t had much to eat for breakfast.

Norton was sitting with the same expression he had shown Calian the day before. When he saw Calian and Hale come in but showed no reaction, Butler Malcolm stepped forward.

“What are you doing if you don’t stand up and show respect?”

At those words, Norton glared at Malcolm and said.

“Because of my ruined status, I am now counting the days until I die. Do I even have to show courtesy now?”

This means that if the person who crossed swords with him was not a prince but a commoner, this situation would not have happened. Hale wanted to hit this rude bastard’s head right away. However, he was someone who should be kept alive to catch the culprit who committed an even bigger mistake. Norton probably knows that too and is acting bravely like that.

Hale, who was very angry, looked at Calian’s expression for a moment, but Calian did not look particularly displeased. So how could Hale be more angry in front of him? All I could do was hold back my fever, promising myself that I would never let her die a happy death once everything was over.

After that little incident, Norton said to Calian:

“I asked you to come because something came to mind.”

Calian nodded slightly and answered.

“say.”

Norton looked at Hale and Malcolm for a moment. After that, I saw the knights and briefly saw the prison walls and fist-sized windows. After looking around, he slowly opened his mouth.

“The one called the Blue Warbler. He is the king of Secretia.”

There was thunder outside.

Lightning struck Hale’s mind.

Of all the many birds, why does that bird come out of that mouth?

Norton looked back and forth between Calian and Hale. Then he opened his mouth again, lowering his voice as if he were telling a very big secret.

“He said he was going to sell something to someone here. He said he had a relationship with him for a long time.”

Norton grinned.

Looking at Hale’s face, it was quite a sight. Norton continued without stopping, wondering whether he would be able to corner someone as big as an earl if not today, when.

“But isn’t that a bit strange? You’ve been in a relationship with Sejak for a long time. What can you possibly do by being in a relationship with Sejak?”

So far.

Norton deftly carried out what Calian had asked him to do the night before.

– Confess a few more things. Just as I tell you.

– Are you telling me to lie?

– It’s not false. I’m just borrowing your mouth.

– How can you not take your mouth from someone who took your arm? I understand.

Calian, who was recalling the conversation he had with Norton the night before, looked at Hale with a scowl in his eyes and said,

“Nothing but three strokes.”

Then he asked with an expression of curiosity about Hale’s reaction.

“Isn’t that so, Count Ratran?”

Hale nodded, wondering if he could hear a creaking sound. Calian asked Norton.

“Have you ever heard his name?”

“I think I heard it. I don’t really remember.”

“You will be escorted to Kyrisis soon. Just make sure to think of that name before you arrive. It won’t hurt you if it helps.”

“I understand.”

Hale, who realized that Calian was not just there to show off, looked around without realizing it. Smell That unpleasant smell stirred my mind. It feels like a swarm of centipedes under the straw is crawling all over my body. I felt like there was blood pus hanging from my limbs. I could endlessly imagine myself being trapped in this prison.

Even though it was a commoner’s testimony, I was anxious that Lemain might cut off Hale’s head if he was unlucky enough to believe that testimony at face value.

Hale suddenly said he had a headache and hurried back to his room. I had to ask the Marquis of Briesen for help. right now!

Calian, who was looking at Hale’s back, muttered quietly.

“Hurry up and get moving.”

So, please produce some proper evidence.

* * *

Kalian, who had come out of prison and stopped by somewhere else for a while, entered his room and found two guests where no one should have been. It was Sia and Hina.

Sia looked at Calian blankly, and Hina bowed in surprise. Looking at what he was doing, it seemed like he was watching birds instead of cleaning.

“Hina came to clean. I followed. There was a bird here. Hina said I shouldn’t come.”

Calian said with a strange look on his face. Of course, Sia’s answer came first.

“I know. I told you not to scold Hina.”

“I didn’t mean to ask why you came.”

I needed Arsene, the person in charge of conversation, but he wasn’t there.

Not only had he been running around catching birds, but he had been staying by Sia’s side all night, so he must have fallen asleep not long ago.

The blue warbler said he would let go of Sia, but Kalian could not drive Sia out that way. Therefore, there was an implicit conclusion that we would accompany them to the vicinity, even if it was not in front of Hiriska Forest.

Will I be able to get used to this conversation by the time I break up with Sia? Kalian laughed. I thought it probably wouldn’t work.

Then, Calian remembered what the blue warbler had said, ‘the path in the forest,’ and looked at Sia. He clearly said he couldn’t follow the elf running away through the forest path.

As soon as I started talking about ‘forest’, Sia answered on her own.

“That’s right. I know a little about the forest path. It’s faster than the path humans travel.”

Calian’s face lit up. I was hoping that I could quickly get to Siegfried’s territory using that road. But Sia spoke first.

“The mother tree does not open the forest to humans, so humans cannot go there.”

behave shamefully.

Calian tried hard to erase the desire to suggest to Lemaine that the elves should not be allowed to use the royal capital.

At that time, Hina looked at Sia from the side. Thanks to this very strange and amazing ability, Sia answered Hina’s words without having to look at the sign language.

“okay.”

Then he looked at Calian and said.

“He said he was sorry. He said he would go out. He said he would come back and do the cleaning later when the captain is away.”

He translated Hina’s words.

With those words, Sia, who was no longer interested in Kalian’s room, went out first.

And Hina hurriedly gathered cleaning tools. Meanwhile, my eyes kept falling on the cage. A smile appeared on Calian’s face when he saw this. I feel like the humidity that was so humid from being in the basement of the castle a little while ago has completely dried out.

Of course, Hina was older than Kalian, but it was a moment when I sympathized again and again with Jan’s words that he would be good to him if he had a younger sister like that.

Soon Kalyan spoke to Hina.

“I have to send the bird to you this evening.”

Instead of looking disappointed, Hina nodded. Calian opened his mouth again.

“When I get back to the palace, I’ll buy you another bird.”

Hina’s eyes widened and she immediately shook her head. A cage in the maid’s room. Merlin will be uncomfortable staying with you.

Calian looked out the window for a moment.

It was raining so hard that it was hard to tell what time it was just by looking at the color of the sky. Calian, who stood silently for a while, pointed to the window and said.

“When I go to dinner, please open the cage door and the window.”

Hina nodded as if she understood.

* * *

LeMaine seemed to welcome his visit for the first time, Alan thought. After delivering the news about Calian last night, he said he would tell the real story today, so that’s probably why he stood up as if he had been waiting for it.

Wouldn’t it be better to deliver the news as quickly as we waited?

Therefore, Allen again brought out the main point.

“Which one’s crime is more serious, the one who sold Kairis information to other countries or the one who got involved with the group that attacked the prince?”

Lemain just nodded briefly without saying a word.

Before I could figure out what the answer meant, Lemaine called out to the leader of Caera’s knights.

“Are you planning to send the knights to Latran and also Kaera?”

“I see.”

Alan quickly tried to dissuade Lemain, who was acting uncharacteristically emotional.

“It is not good for the prince if the King’s Guard is so light on foot. Don’t you know that? Kaera are the ones who should be by your highness’s side, so please call other knights.”

Lemain’s eyes twitched.

What Allen explained is a serious crime that must be condemned directly by the royal family. So it was not at all strange to send the royal knights. Moreover, there was a clear reason for trying to send Kaera.

“Are you telling me to even send Brisen’s sword to that child in the place where the traitors are gathered?”

He was saying this because he thought there was no way the knights belonging to Brisen could properly help Calian, who was alone there. Alan, who heard Lemain’s words, answered leisurely.

“One of those traitors also betrayed Brisen, so there won’t be any problem with this.”

Alan, who said that, told me who the two people who needed to be caught now were and what crime they had committed. Then Lemain answered with a deep sigh.

“I knew Count Latran was good at talking loudly, but I didn’t know it was to that extent. Moreover, he is Secretia’s third son. How on earth did that child get entangled with such dangerous people?”

“They say it happened that way.”

Alan answered with an innocent expression.

I’m not making excuses, it was the truth, so there was nothing to explain. Lemain clasped his hands and opened his mouth.

“I will send the knight Karen.”

“That would be a good idea. And could you please send someone to Count Latran’s mansion?”

Although the possibility was very small, it was possible that there might be evidence of this incident at the Kairisis Mansion.

Lemain, who was already thinking of doing so, nodded.

“I will.”

“thank you.”

After saying that, Alan looked at the lemon tea on the table. Even in the hot summer, Lemain enjoyed hot tea, and when Alan saw steam rising from the car, he shook his head. And then he tapped the teacup with his fingertip.

The rising steam died down and thin ice appeared.

We’ve already reached the point where we forget the cold and heat, but wouldn’t it be right to drink something cool in the summer?

Alan said, drinking cold lemon tea with a satisfied look on his face.

“Please ask me one more thing. I have somewhere to go today.”

Lemain looked at Alan.

Alan’s expression became very gentle.

“You say so even if my steps are a bit noisy.”

Lemain nodded. Somehow, there was a smile on his face.