Chapter 121
For the first time since the massive lawsuit, Mehen is out and about.
“This is annoying.”
Beside him was Valar.
He stretched out his long legs with a languid expression, and for some reason, he was dressed in an impeccable three-piece suit, complete with dress shirt, vest, and frock coat.
His appearance, which was neither regalia nor Templar conquest, was stunning in its own right, and drew a lot of attention.
His obsidian cufflinks, tie pin, and even his handkerchief bore the coat of arms of Halbern, but all anyone could see was Valar’s face.
Perhaps it was the presence of such a high-profile totem next to him that made him feel less worried about the stares he was getting.
‘Which brings me to my biggest problem: the charges against this bastard.’
The Archduke of Halbern was too powerful for the tribunal to reach an easy conclusion.
Valar hadn’t said anything about it, and that was what pissed him off the most.
Their eyes met, and Valar tilted his head.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“I’m annoyed.”
Valar opened his mouth again, but Mehen quickly covered it.
It saved him from any honey-do’s.
Seeing Valar’s eyes narrow, Mehen quickly changed the subject.
“Have you thought about a birthday present?”
Valar unclenched his jaw and smiled as if Mehen had never asked.
Valar echoed, climbing into the ready carriage.
“Birthday present?”
“It’s Arellin’s birthday soon, isn’t it?”
“Ah.”
Valar sighed softly.
“Is that why she dreamed of it?”
A birthday present.
It seemed like such a long time ago that he’d ever gotten one.
When his sister was still around, when he was still young and immature.
“What do you think I should get her?”
“You’ll have to think of that for yourself, My Lord.”
“What do kids like these days?”
“Do you think I know?”
“Honey.”
“Awesome.”
“What’s my wife got for me?”
“Your head.”
Mehen snapped back murderously.
“Ho-ho.”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to inherit a title and an astronomical legacy at such a young age?”
Valar laughed.
“You’re not kidding.”
“Yeah. Try hard.”
Valar snapped his fingers in a death-defying gesture.
“So, you’re not going to tell me what it really is?”
“Yes.”
“That’s too much, Mehen.”
“You’re the one who’s being too much.”
***
The tumultuous National Day was over.
The tourists who had lined the streets of the capital were enjoying the afterglow and preparing to return to their daily lives.
The succession of events was over and the social scene was quieting down.
The last official event, an artifact auction hosted by the Imperial Family and the Dukes of Gremwat, was held today.
“What is so disturbing about His Majesty that he keeps asking me to come and go. It’s a nuisance.”
It was to this auction house that Valar and Mehen had gone on their outing.
Valar was openly annoyed. Mehen sighed.
“And then they take you away for blasphemy.”
“Take him.”
It wasn’t that he regretted returning to the capital, but Valar was sick and tired of Emperor Edward’s paranoid behavior.
Perhaps if the pact between Halbern and Allermann had been of the breakable variety, he would have gone out as an independent duke long ago.
“Maybe you should hold an auction while you’re here.”
“It’s the same item every time.”
Artifacts rarely found in ruins were already piling up in the Halbern treasury.
And the artifacts from these places were obvious.
An “artifact,” rarer than an artifact and with many secrets yet to be uncovered, would the Imperial Family be willing to give it away?
If so, it was most likely something that was deemed useless.
“The same thing every time,” he says, “the Inspiration is furious.”
The Duke of Sperom, who had arrived earlier, chided Valar.
“You’re proud to be the only one on active duty.”
“That, that spoiled brat.”
“It’s true.”
While all the other dukes were heirs, the Duke of Gremwart was still the Duke of Gazoo, in his sixties.
His heir had died in an unfortunate accident on an expedition, and he hadn’t passed on the title to his second son, which had caused a lot of internal chatter.
“Valar.”
“Why.”
Duke Sperom leaned closer to Valar and lowered his voice.
“I was wondering if you could ask Mehen if he would drop the charges against me, since he feels sorry for me. He hasn’t answered my letters, and he hasn’t given me an appointment to meet with him.”
The Duke of Sperom’s gaze flicked past Valar to Mehen. Valar glanced at Mehen, then back to the Duke of Sperom.
“Simon.”
“Eh?”
“Don’t be a dick.”
“…”
The Duke of Sperom winced, but he didn’t say anything more than that and walked away.
The Duke of Mubysk, who arrived late, witnessed the scene and was dumbfounded.
“His Majesty the Emperor and his wife are entering.”
Before the auction began, Emperor Edward and Empress Ageni entered the hall to the sound of an orchestra sponsored by the Sperom family.
Emperor Edward’s eyes widened as soon as he saw Valar.
“Where is the Archduchess, and are you alone?”
“Archduchess?”
“Mehen, you bastard.”
“Ah.”
Valar laughed briefly, then shrugged.
“Does anyone know why His Majesty is so angry?”
“Because of you!”
Emperor Edward, who had momentarily forgotten his dignity and raised his voice, coughed and lowered it.
“I wish you would have told me, you wretch. Should I know such a thing from a newspaper?”
“You’re my wife.”
“What?!”
“Mehen, come here.”
Mehen’s smile twitched as his gaze fell on the distant figure.
“So close.”
Valar frowned at the stubborn rejection in the murderous smile.
“Abandoned.”
“Good.”
Empress Ageni, who had been watching the situation, sighed and moved to take Mehen to another seat, and Emperor Edward started to follow her, but stopped.
“Where are you going?”
Valar tried to move away from his seat, but he was caught. He was about to leave when he was stopped….
“Stay where you are. You’ve missed the entire international banquet. Show your face at a time like this. Don’t you think you should show your shining face to the whole world?”
“I wear a mask anyway.”
“I can see it from my seat.”
Valar glanced down at the butterfly mask the auction house had given him.
“You’ll be at the charity dinner after the auction.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t cause any trouble.”
Tightening his grip on Valar, Emperor Edward returned to Empress Ageni’s side, where Mehen was sitting with her.
Boring.
If he had known this would happen, he would have stopped Empress Ageni from taking Mehen away.
Valar clicked his tongue, killing time pointlessly.
The auction proceeded as scheduled.
The artifacts were varied, but as Valar had expected, nothing of much use. He watched the auction with boredom.
“Ah.”
Valar’s brow furrowed as the hallucinations began again.
Unable to stay any longer, he quietly got up and slipped out into the hallway.
The deserted hallway gave Valar a breath of fresh air.
‘It seems to be getting worse…’
Valar sighed at the return of his mania, which had been quiet for a while.
Jabber.
Valar stopped in his tracks at the sound of footsteps at the end of the hallway.
Long, flowing, delicate silver hair. Intense green eyes clearly visible through a delicate butterfly mask.
“Ha.”
There was no way he didn’t recognize him.
The corners of Valar’s mouth lifted in an arc.
“I knew we’d cross paths someday, but not here.”
Regent Locke.
The man who was supposedly Arellin’s biological father turned to face Valar and smiled.
