Chapter 24. I give you snowflakes that bloom coldly. (4)
“There was no time to talk….”
“I’m too busy fighting….”
Despite their lame excuses, Cain’s face showed no signs of softening.
“Prince Cain, don’t be too upset.”
Mikel spoke softly as if to comfort Cain.
“I am…….”
Cain opened his mouth in a voice full of resentment,
“…….”
I looked around at the people and bit my lip.
A feeling of resignation crossed his cheeks, knowing full well how his words would be perceived.
“…I’m not late because I want to be late either.”
“How can I not understand that feeling?”
Mikel comforted him with a warm voice.
“I must have arrived this way because I rushed over as soon as the work was finished. I completely understand.”
“…….”
“And the last battle was completely excluded from the rankings.”
Cain’s face turned red at Mikel’s words. It seems that she remembered a past battle that she had forgotten, or was trying to forget.
“Lord Mikel, that is….”
“We count the ears of the monsters we cut off, but they came into the castle without us having time to do so. It’s not like we can go back out just to count them.”
Instead of directly reprimanding Cain, Mikel spoke politely to Cain, leading him to realize his mistake.
The final battle was actually a battle in which Cain deserved a deep apology to everyone.
“……sorry.”
Cain suddenly got up from his seat.
“I have done a great disservice to the subjugation team.”
“Hmm.”
“Kuhum.”
People looked away with uncomfortable faces. There were many members who were injured in the battle at that time.
“I was so embarrassed when it suddenly stopped….”
“I ran away, trusting only the Sud Knights.”
People’s complaints weren’t that loud. There were not many people who could openly criticize the only heir to the Ardante family.
Cain also seemed to have expected that fact, and continued speaking with a sad look on his face.
“I wasn’t in a state of panic at the time.”
The sadness of hurting someone close to me was written on my smooth face.
“There was a big accident, and I-”
And I,
“wait a minute.”
I had no intention of letting Cain get away with an unfortunate accident as an excuse.
“What happened then was not Prince Cain’s fault.”
My clear voice echoed across the table. People’s attention was focused on me due to the unexpected content contained in those words.
“……yes?”
Even Cain made a dumbfounded face as if he was extremely surprised.
“Rather, it is I who should apologize here.”
I spoke the lines I had prepared in advance in a serious tone.
❖ ❖ ❖
“I was short-thinking.”
Abel raised his hand over his chest and frowned.
“I didn’t realize that that day was only Prince Cain’s second battle.”
His tone was very dramatic,
“I think my judgment was clouded by the prolonged battle. At that time, I just believed Prince Cain’s confident words.”
A deep, earnest emotion seeped through his furrowed brow.
“And I believed in Prince Cain’s sword, the Cadenza.”
Abel’s voice became more moist and contained a strong suction power.
“Who would have known? That the sword would suddenly reveal its sharp teeth and be the sword of the devil attacking my side.”
Cain, who had been listening to Abel blankly, was shocked.
“No, the cadenza is-”
“Isn’t that right? Prince Cain couldn’t have hurt Director Hector on purpose.”
The moment I met Abel’s sparkling eyes,
“-!”
Cain realized the danger of this situation. If I were to make a mistake here, this could have been regarded as negligence rather than an accident.
“…….”
In the end, he couldn’t refute anything and kept his mouth shut.
Rather than being attacked for not being good at handling a sword, it was better for my reputation to be seen as having gone crazy with Cadenza.
But he overlooked what Abel had told me before.
‘But in the end, it was you, Cain, who held the cadenza, right?’
Even if all the fault is placed on Cadenza, the blame will ultimately be aimed at me.
“Even skilled and experienced people can have accidents in battle. We failed to consider Prince Cain, who did not yet have much experience.”
Abel’s elegant voice continued.
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“If only I had taken the lead, such a tragic incident would not have happened…”
Abel trailed off as if he felt sorry.
Although it was not specifically designated, it was not difficult for people to understand the meaning of ‘tragedy’.
“Ha, that really happened….”
“It’s so heartbreaking.”
The atmosphere of the restaurant suddenly became solemn.
“Everything is my fault. So please don’t criticize Prince Cain too much.”
As soon as Abel finished speaking, the people let out soft sighs.
“How can someone be so generous…?”
“You cover up other people’s faults like that….”
People looked at Abel’s face with admiration.
The way he comforted Cain by blaming him for everything was so generous that it seemed like the second coming of a saint.
Moreover, there was no one here who did not know that Cain had insisted and won the leading position.
Except for one person, Leah.
‘What happened?’
Leah focused on Abel’s story with her ears perked up.
“Everyone makes mistakes. Although Prince Cain made a mistake this time, he will not make the same mistake again.”
Abel looked around at the people and spoke slowly.
“Aren’t mistakes the foundation for growth?”
When he sat down, people nodded and agreed with what he said.
“But thanks to the good handling of the Ovest Knights, it didn’t turn into a big problem.”
“I’m so glad there were no deaths.”
While everyone praised Abel’s generosity,
‘You feed it effectively and well.’
Leah was praising Abel on the other side.
It was truly a clever way of speaking. Abel pretended to protect Cain, emphasizing Cain’s shortcomings without being obvious.
‘Besides, I just used the word mistake four times.’
It was amazing that the word mistake was included so much in a short sentence.
As a result, in everyone’s perception, Cain became a young man full of mistakes who could not properly maintain his sword.
“…….”
Cain’s face turned red and then turned pale repeatedly.
He was busy drinking water one after another to calm his pounding stomach.
When had he, the only heir to the Ardante family, been treated like this?
This was probably the first time, Leah was sure.
‘Of course, the fox family… … .’
The title White Fox was not appropriate for Abel.
Rather, I thought it might be closer to the legendary fox ghost with many tails.
In this way, Leah clearly established her image of Abel. And he concluded that it would be very tiring for him to turn against him.
‘Are you on bad terms with Prince Cain?’
Leah’s guess was correct. But even she didn’t know this.
“ha…….”
Abel covers his mouth with his hand as if he is confused, and the corners of his mouth draw a smooth curve.
“Hmm.”
Mikel cleared his throat to get attention. After making sure that people were looking at him, he finished speaking.
“I promised a reward after the end of my subjugation war. I would like to convey this as a token of gratitude to all the families who participated, regardless of rank.”
When he gestured, Han Sen, who had been stepping back, came over and placed the box on the table.
Dalkak-
The lid opened, revealing a jewel emitting dazzling brilliance.
“Diamonds from Nord are famous for their high quality. They are worth tens of thousands of gold per carat.”
People’s wide eyes were focused on the diamond.
“I will give you diamonds mined from the node territory and a pure-blooded famous horse. In proportion to the number of knights drawn from each territory.”
Jewelry was appropriate as compensation because it required less transportation and was easy to cash out. In addition, northern horses were renowned for their pure white fur and excellent breed.
“Oh my, why are you doing all this again….”
“I didn’t necessarily participate to receive compensation, but I will accept it gratefully.”
“You are truly at peace, hehe.”
People’s faces brightened. Leah’s face, on the other hand, was somewhat clouded with worry.
‘Are you planning to take over the territory?’
Nordic diamonds accounted for a significant percentage of the estate’s income. As he was boasting about giving something like that away, one side of my heart felt cold.
“but…….”
Mikel’s voice brought the excited atmosphere to a halt.
“The problem is that monsters keep coming to the territory.”
People looked like they were thinking, “Oops.” Mikel continued in a sombre tone.
“There are disruptions in transporting the mined gems. Above all, there is a high possibility that the return of the subjugation team will be difficult.”
Mikel’s gaze turned towards Cain.
“There are some people who need to return to the capital in a hurry. Due to the vicious snowstorm, we can’t even blow away the whole city. It’s just frustrating.”
“…….”
“I also want to call for the end of the subjugation war, but…”
Mikel finished speaking with a dark face.
“I hope you understand that this is not possible.”
“What do you plan to do next?”
Cain asked back with a serious face. The others also had expressions of curiosity.
“I will try to find the cause as soon as possible. And I will do my best to find a way to help the subjugation team return.”
Everyone nodded slowly at Mikel’s declaration.
“Anyway, I have to focus on recovery for the time being…”
“If you need any help, please feel free to let me know at any time.”
Mikel smiled faintly.
“Thank you for saying that. Well, I guess I’ll just leave here. It’s late at night.”
People got up from their seats one by one. He left the restaurant with a stumbling step, smelling strongly of alcohol.
When most people were gone,
“Prince Cain.”
Mikel called out to Cain, who had just stood up.
“What is Director Hector’s condition?”
“ah…….”
Cain bit his lip and answered with difficulty.
“The wound is no longer progressing. It is thanks to the ointment given by Lord Mikel. Thank you.”
Only then did Leah understand why Cain had gone to visit her father.
“However, the melted skin is not regenerating, so I am having a very hard time.”
Cain made a painful expression, as if he was having a hard time even thinking.
“Don’t worry too much. I will find a way as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. Then…….”
As he walked out the restaurant door,
“Cain!”
Bennett Seymour, who had been waiting, approached him.
“What happened earlier….”
The two people disappeared into the hallway while talking loudly.
Then, the only people left in the restaurant were Leah and Mikel.
Sweet.
Abel was the only one drinking strong whiskey like water.
“If things continue like this, it will be difficult to open Koldeste.”
He smiled as he set down his glass of whiskey. Mikel lifted his half-filled glass and smiled.
“The situation is not favorable. It’s unfortunate. I wanted to compete with you one more time.”
Leah, who was watching the two people, tilted her head.
“Since when did you two become drinking buddies?”
“Haha, that’s right.”
Mikel smiled and opened his mouth. In this way, the events that occurred in the capital were gradually revealed.
“……Is that true?”
Leah, who heard the whole story, could not hide her embarrassment.
“You competed in whistle blows with your father? Prince Abel?”
“Maybe if my judgment is right….”
Mikel narrowed his eyes and looked at Abel.
“I even got the feeling that Prince Abel was controlling his skills.”
“well.”
Abel raised the corners of his mouth.
It was neither negative nor positive, but I felt a well-founded confidence in that smile.
‘… … ‘Really, that strong?’
Leah thought that the reason the Ovest Knights took first place on the leaderboard was because of the skills of the vice-captain and members.
But listening to what my father said, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
fantasy,
