I held my breath, waiting only for His Majesty’s answer.
That’s why I was so startled by the sudden loud noise.
*Crash!*
Silverware and glass fell to the floor from under the table, creating a sharp sound.
“Ah! What was that sound just now…?”
I looked around in surprise and made eye contact with Regis.
He was breathing heavily, having just swept away all the dishes in front of him.
“…That was an infinitely distasteful joke.”
“Regis, calm down. We’re in front of our father.”
Nathan’s calm voice seemed to only fuel Regis’ anger.
“There are things one should never say. To even talk about the throne… Have you forgotten that you bear the curse of the royal family?”
Startled by Regis’ blatant attack, I looked over at Nathan.
To my surprise, Nathan didn’t seem fazed at all.
With his usual blank expression, he stood up and removed his gloves.
Then, he extended his bare hand towards me.
Understanding his intent, I carefully took his hand in mine.
At that moment, both His Majesty and Regis reacted with shock.
“How… How can the two of you hold hands…!”
“Nathan! What’s going on?”
Nathan lifted me up, as if to better show them our clasped hands.
“Since I met Claudia, the power of the curse has been weakening. I think this explains why I am now asking for the right of succession.”
Of course, His Majesty still looked confused.
“…I’m perplexed. The curse of the royal family has never disappeared like this before. Claudia, what exactly did you do?”
“Nothing. I just consider it a blessing from the gods.”
“Perhaps… I may even see grandchildren from the two of you. Ha, such a thing…”
Despite his confusion, a slight smile formed on His Majesty’s lips.
He had been worried about Nathan being unmarried, and now it seemed he might even have grandchildren. It was only natural for him to be happy.
But Regis, who had long held all the power, couldn’t share in that joy.
“I have spent all my time learning the virtues of a ruler, while you, Brother, wasted your time hunting monsters.”
“If no one risked their lives to hunt them, they would have threatened our people. Are you calling that a waste of time?”
Nathan, who had maintained his composure until now, seemed to be reaching his limit.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to tolerate Regis’ continuous rude remarks.
‘Oh no… this could end in an explosion.’
I could clearly see the sharp anger reflected in Nathan’s gaze.
As I anxiously worried, Nathan shot back once again.
“I have sacrificed for you, the future ruler. The only reason you didn’t need to properly learn the sword, a basic skill for royalty, is because I carried that burden for you.”
Nathan wasn’t wrong.
When monsters ravaged the villages, Regis always stayed behind.
Even though, as royalty, he should have fought for the people.
He could do so because Nathan handled it all.
With nothing left to say, Regis clenched his fists in frustration, but remained silent.
Seeing the situation escalate, His Majesty finally stepped in to stop them both.
“That’s enough. Both of you, stop.”
He looked sternly at his two sons.
“Regis, you’ve spent much time preparing to succeed me. But Nathan is also right. I remember clearly how he always threw himself into danger for the empire.”
After a brief pause, he continued.
“Both of you are worthy to succeed me.”
“Father!”
Regis immediately objected.
I hid my smile behind my glass of water.
‘Sharing the right of succession with your brother is driving you mad, isn’t it? Serves you right.’
Unlike the calm Nathan, Regis revealed his fury, breathing heavily.
Though His Majesty didn’t seem to care.
“Even so, I cannot pass the throne to both of you. Therefore, I will choose the one with the greater talent.”
A deep sigh escaped His Majesty’s lips.
Sensing something important was about to be said, I straightened my posture.
“We have received word from a spy planted in the Duchy of Espiar. The duchy’s movements have been suspicious lately.”
I was also familiar with the Duchy of Espiar.
It was the defeated nation that had bared its teeth at the empire during the youth of His Majesty and my father.
‘Are they plotting revenge?’
If that were the case, this wasn’t a matter to be taken lightly.
“What do you mean…?”
Nathan, his expression grave, trailed off, and His Majesty nodded.
“Yes. I was waiting to reveal this until I was sure, but since we’ve come this far, I’ll say it now. War could break out soon. And if it does, I want to pass the throne to the one who makes the greatest contribution.”
With that declaration, the room fell silent.
Even Regis, who had been causing a commotion, now remained quiet.
My guess was that he didn’t want to appear cowardly by objecting to a fair competition.
In the silence, Nathan tilted his head and asked, “What if war doesn’t break out?”
“Then I will find another way to test your abilities. But I have a feeling. If not this month, then by next month at the latest, we will receive bad news.”
No one spoke.
I didn’t think the duchy could cause significant damage, but… war was never something to be taken lightly.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes, Father.”
Nathan immediately responded to His Majesty’s question.
But Regis remained silent.
It was clear to anyone that his silence was a form of rebellion.
His Majesty’s stern gaze fell on Regis.
“Regis.”
“…Understood.”
Regis reluctantly answered, finally realizing that with His Majesty’s mind made up, he had no choice but to accept.
***
As soon as Nathan and I returned to our chamber, I let out a long sigh.
“Phew… things are taking an unexpected turn.”
“Yes. But why didn’t Father mention anything about the duchy until now?”
“You know what he’s like. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary worry with uncertain information.”
Still, Nathan seemed unable to shake his puzzlement, stroking his chin in thought.
I decided to help clear his mind.
“In any case, this works out well for you. You just have to make a bigger contribution in the war.”
“Hmm?”
For the first time ever, Nathan smiled—a smug grin like a cat dropping a mouse at its owner’s feet.
“You think I’ll make the greater contribution in the war, don’t you?”
“Yes, when it comes to combat, you’re definitely better than Regis… Wait, why are you coming so close all of a sudden?”
Even though we’ve been through everything, his sudden approach caught me off guard, and heat rushed to my face.
He gripped my trembling hands tightly, leaving me unable to push him away.
“Right, I’m better. I’m glad you know that.”
As he spoke, he brought my hand lower.
Startled by the warmth I felt at my fingertips, I flinched, but he pulled me into his arms to calm me.
“I like hearing you praise me. Keep it up, won’t you?”
“W-Wait a minute. Weren’t we just talking about the succession? This feels a little sudden…”
“It doesn’t matter. Physical conversation is still conversation.”
“….”
It was an absurd justification.
But there was no harm in getting close to him.
In fact, the more contact we had, the quicker the curse would fade.
So, I decided to humor his absurdity.
“Hmm, alright. Physical conversation is… Oh—”
Before I could finish, his lips pressed against mine.
In an instant, all the complicated thoughts swirling in my mind disappeared.
***
We lay side by side on the bed, resting.
The soft blanket wrapped around our sweat-drenched bodies felt nice.
I burrowed deeper under the covers.
Nathan looked at me with a dazed expression before pulling me into his arms.
‘That’s surprising. I didn’t think he’d be the type to cuddle after the deed.’
Or maybe he was just cold.
It was getting chilly around this time of year.
Since I was also getting cold as the sweat dried, I welcomed his embrace.
With my head resting against his chest, I could feel the deep rumble of his voice as he spoke.
“By the way, why didn’t you tell me? About your conversation with Regis.”
“We just happened to talk briefly in the hallway. It was such a trivial matter that I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. Regis blew it out of proportion.”
“Even so.”
Nathan pulled me closer, pressing my head firmly against his chest.
Then he gently rubbed my earlobe between his fingers.
Although I usually didn’t like anyone touching my ears, the roughness of his fingers felt nice.
“In the future, avoid being alone with Regis when I’m not around.”
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