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Marquis Milon, now alone, kept furrowing and then unfurrowing his brow repeatedly.

“My lord.”

Just then, Arden, who had gone to see off the guest, returned. At least in appearance, the age difference between the two didn’t seem that great.

Arden was fifteen years old this year. In other words, it meant that he didn’t have many days left in this role. Marquis Milon had a habit of replacing his aides before they turned nineteen.

‘Arden, take this to the lab.’

Marquis Milon handed back the elixir he had received as a gift.

“Understood.”

‘From now on, if any elixirs come in, make sure to report them to me immediately.’

“Of course.”

‘Good. Dismissed!’

Marquis Milon waved his hand after finishing what he had to say.

“Um……”

‘Yes?’

“I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but my lord…… did something good happen to you today?”

Marquis Milon paused. His eyebrow twitched.

‘To me?’

“Your expressions have been much more varied than usual…… Ah, I’m sorry! That’s not my place to speak.”

As Milon’s face quickly turned blank, Arden quickly apologized. Kids were certainly quick-witted.

‘……Fine, but from now on, don’t let anyone else into the room.’

“Yes, my lord!”

Left alone again, Marquis Milon let out a deep sigh.

‘At most, I have three years left……’

That was the time Milon predicted he had left.

‘……Until then, happiness is a luxury I can’t afford.’

***

In the office of Duke Kairos.

“Your Majesty, it’s been a while.”

The communication crystal on the table emitted a bright light.

-How have you been, Duke Kairos?

“Haha, I’ve been well. The only thing sturdy about me is my body. But before I greet you properly, I must apologize.”

It wasn’t just words, Duke Kairos even bowed respectfully towards the crystal.

“I tried to have Prince Andrew, whom we are sheltering, sent over, but the opposition from other nobles was so strong that it wasn’t easy.”

-Don’t worry. If it weren’t for your help, Duke, I wouldn’t have even thought of passing through the Kingdom of Hart when I first sent him to the territory.

“Since he’s decided to go to the destination himself, leave the rest to me. It seems that meeting the people of the Meeke Principality during the diplomatic visit was a burden for him, but he’ll soon realize he’s digging his own grave.”

-Well, it is Death Valley after all.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

-No, I’m the one who’s grateful, Duke. I look forward to the day we meet in person.

As the light from the crystal faded, Duke Kairos rubbed his bald head. In truth, the Black Swan (Death Valley) was a very dangerous place.

Even a Master would find their life in danger there.

‘Marquis Foltaine might be a variable…… but the result won’t change even if I don’t do anything special.’

In any case, Marquis Foltaine must have made such a decision despite knowing the danger. It was Verdant Vale, after all.

He must want to avenge his child.

‘……Which works out well for us.’

It wasn’t just the thorn in his side, Marquis Foltaine. Considering the future relationship with the Meeke Principality, it was better if Prince Andrew died there as well.

As he was thinking this—

“Your Grace!”

A knight rushed inside.

“What is it?”

“Just now, Unit 5 made contact with Marquis Milon.”

“……Unit 5 met with Milon?”

“Yes. I confirmed it again with the palace servants on the way here.”

Unit 5 referred to Prince Andrew. Duke Kairos let out a small laugh. He could easily see what was going on in his mind.

“He really intends to go to the Black Swan.”

The uneasiness he had felt vanished. In fact, he was even pleased with the news. Wasn’t that as good as admitting that he didn’t have any other schemes planned?

“His effort is commendable, but he’s wasting his time right from the start.”

Duke Kairos shook his head.

Of all people, Andrew had chosen the one who was least likely to join his group— a reclusive loner who lacked empathy and had no interest in others.

***

When I returned to the room, Marquis Foltaine hadn’t left and was waiting for me.

“Did everything go well?”

“Thanks to you, I made a good first impression. Ah, and thank you for the elixir.”

Marquis Foltaine, who had been staring at me for a moment, spoke.

“I’m sorry. I think I was too focused on taunting you.”

“Pardon?”

I tilted my head at his sudden apology.

“I only thought about efficiency, not about the possibilities.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll consider the elixir something I used myself, so you should start looking for someone else now.”

Marquis Foltaine continued, as if making a declaration.

“Milon will never follow us.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because he’s a person who likes being alone.”

I looked at Marquis Foltaine, who was speaking in such a manner.

“Is there really anyone in the world who likes being alone? Sometimes being alone can be comfortable, but……”

“Don’t be stubborn. There’s another reason why he won’t follow you.”

“What’s that?”

Perhaps because he realized I wouldn’t give up easily, Marquis Foltaine let out a sigh, but he still answered my question.

“I mentioned before about the curse he’s suffering from, didn’t I?”

“Are you referring to dwarfism?”

“For your information, it’s a hereditary disease. His only sister is also suffering from the same curse. He’s made it his life’s mission to cure her.”

“So that’s why he’s so obsessed with elixirs?”

Marquis Foltaine nodded.

“He’s not interested in power or position. Unlike me, there’s no benefit for him in working with you.”

After hearing the full story, my resolve became even stronger.

“He must be lonely.”

“……Lonely? Did you even listen to what I just said? That guy has no time to feel lonely……”

“He’s human, too.”

“……!”

“If he has to take care of a sick family member, he’s probably even lonelier. He’s carrying a huge burden by himself.”

Marquis Foltaine frowned as he hesitated.

“……I really don’t understand why you keep focusing on that.”

“I need to win over Marquis Milon, don’t I? Since my goal is to win his heart, I should try to stand in his shoes.”

“……”

Marquis Foltaine stared at me in silence for a long time.

“You cheeky little brat. Do you always charm people like this?”

“Can I take that to mean I’ve charmed you too, Marquis?”

“Not a chance.”

A faint smile appeared on my lips.

“In any case, I’ve been thinking from the perspective of Marquis Milon. If I were suffering from such a curse, how would I feel as time went on?”

“And?”

“I would at least want to avoid meeting the friends I had when I was young. I would feel a sense of alienation watching everyone else grow up except for me. Besides, when you’re young, people tend to make fun of you for being just a little different, don’t they?”

Even nobles have to attend the academy when they’re young. It’s not a choice but a requirement, a long-standing tradition in the Kingdom of Hart, and the same across the continent.

The purpose is to keep the children of powerful regional nobles essentially as hostages in the capital, so they can’t harbor rebellious thoughts.

Of course, you can build connections, but there are also many drawbacks.

Children learn about status at the academy, realize that they’re different, and understand the importance of belonging to a group.

At that age, they tend to flaunt themselves. Just like Jan, who used to bully Kirian.

“He might not have a single true friend.”

“You think he’s the only one? That’s life. Especially when you have a family, friends become even more meaningless. Relationships drift apart naturally, even without any disputes.”

“The problem is that the person in question doesn’t see it that way.”

“What?”

“They’ll start looking for reasons why they’re drifting away from their peers. Since they see a clear flaw in themselves, they’ll gradually talk less.”

“Friends aren’t that important to begin with……”

“They are important. How lonely would it be to go through this long life without a single friend to talk to? Even you, Marquis, have at least one drinking buddy, don’t you?”

I was referring to Duke Herman, whom I was also familiar with.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I had a friend like that too. His time also stopped around fifteen years old.”

“……The world really is vast. I can’t believe there’s someone else suffering from such a cursed condition.”

“He was just like that. Even though he did nothing wrong, he was constantly mindful of others’ opinions. ‘Do they think I’m weird?’ ‘Do they dislike me?’ He would attribute meaning to every little action of others, driving himself to the brink.”

One of the five companions I trusted most, and the only one who wasn’t a swordsman.

His name was Raven.

“In the end, he built a wall between himself and others. He thought that if he didn’t form relationships in the first place, he wouldn’t get hurt. You could say it was a kind of defense mechanism.”

Maybe because of that, he became the best poison expert thanks to the time he spent alone.

“In any case, my first impression of Marquis Milon was that he was similar to my friend.”

“……How was he similar?”

I certainly saw it. In those two eyes, I saw the same fragments of emotion that I had seen in Raven.

“It was as if he was silently screaming with his entire being, ‘Please, someone pay attention to me.’”

The name of that emotion was loneliness.

That night, I quietly went to see Marquis Milon.

“He asks, ‘What’s this? You’re here again?’”

Fortunately, I wasn’t turned away just because it was night. The young servant, who now knew my face, even greeted me politely.

Of course, interpreting was also his job.

Clink.

I shook the bottle I had prepared in advance in my hand. Marquis Milon’s face instantly brightened.

“It was the right call not to send you away. Come in! Give me that elixir……”

Arden, who had been interpreting, tilted his head in confusion. It was only then that he realized what was in the bottle he had just received.

“……My lord, that isn’t an elixir.”

“Yeah, it’s alcohol.”

“Alcohol……?”

“The night breeze is cool, and I feel like having a light drink, but I had no one to drink with.”

“……?”

Marquis Milon, who had been gaping in confusion, finally let out a small laugh.

“……Ah, interpretation! Interpretation!”

Arden quickly observed the expression on Marquis Milon’s face.

“This prince is really cheeky, huh? How old are you exactly this year?”

“Try being in my shoes. Do you think I’d be able to fall asleep without a drink?”

Marquis Milon paused and then nodded.

“But I’m sorry to say, I don’t drink with kids.”

“Ha, don’t act all high and mighty. How about we make a bet then?”

At the word ‘bet’, Marquis Milon scoffed as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“Why, so that you can ask me to join you in that land of death if you win?”

A smile slowly spread across my face.

“You scared?”

***