Chapter 59: – Public Facades and Hidden Agendas
Everything served to her tasted familiar.
Surrounded by warmth and comfort, Albertina found herself lifting her fork and teacup far more often than usual.
At her feet, Chappy was asleep on the thick carpet, making strange little snoring noises.
The sight of him lying on his back with his round belly exposed was undeniably adorable.
Yet for some reason, Kishtaria kept staring at him with a deeply conflicted expression, while Julius looked at him as though he were garbage.
It was that exact look.
The one Julius made when he discovered tea stains on the rim of a cup he was about to use.
…
So to Julius, Chappy ranked somewhere around tea residue?
Honestly!
He’s so cute!
Why does everyone treat him like that!?
Chappy wasn’t an ordinary animal.
But he was adorable and completely harmless.
In fact, he was comforting.
Though if he truly was some kind of fairy or spirit, that would explain why he occasionally vanished without warning.
Anna collected the empty cups from the table.
I ended up eating far too much.
Honestly…
Julius kept bringing out one thing after another at exactly the right moment.
I couldn’t help wanting to try everything.
Normally he would have said something cruel like, “You’ll gain weight,” or, “You’ll lose your only redeeming quality.”
Yet today he simply smiled and continued serving food.
Perhaps I ate a little too much.
I was starting to feel sleepy.
But I hadn’t seen Kishtaria and Julius in so long.
There was no way I wanted to sleep now.
Pull yourself together, Albertina!
Keep your eyes open through sheer determination!
Unfortunately, everyone seemed to notice how drowsy I was.
My swaying head earned a light flick from Julius.
Then he sighed in exasperation and pushed me onto the sofa.
“You can sleep.”
Before I knew it, a blanket had been draped over me.
The moment it settled around my body, I drifted off.
Gentle fingers stroked my head.
My hair.
The scent of tea.
The sweet aroma of pastries.
And mixed faintly within them, the fragrance of Julius’s perfume.
I could hear Anna’s footsteps moving about in the distance.
Kishtaria’s voice echoed faintly nearby.
I couldn’t make out their conversation.
Only the sound of Kishtaria’s deeper voice after puberty and Anna’s calm, steady replies.
Julius’s perfume resembles Father’s.
His footsteps are quiet but dependable, like Sebas’s.
Raven is quiet too.
But his movements remind me more of a wild animal.
Julius is always kind when I’m sleeping.
He doesn’t tease me.
Instead, he strokes my hair gently.
Adjusts my sheets and blankets.
Sometimes he takes my hand and tucks it beneath the covers.
A secret only I know.
A secret that belongs solely to me.
“Good night, Lady Albertina.”
“May you have pleasant dreams.”
A soft touch brushed against my forehead.
For the first time in a long while, I felt like I could sleep peacefully.
“It was impossible to hold any meaningful conversation with her.”
“She spent the entire time crying and asking where Father was.”
“If you truly wish for her to become Crown Princess, then it would be far safer to speak with Father first and have him persuade her himself.”
“At the very least, she would be more willing to listen.”
“I may try raising the subject once she’s calmer, but discussing her transfer to the royal family now would be far too soon.”
“If we provoke her anxiety any further, her barrier may become even stronger.”
“In any case, she needs time to regain her composure.”
Kishtaria spoke quietly with a sorrowful expression.
The duke’s son lied effortlessly.
The servant standing beside him didn’t correct a single word.
In reality, Kishtaria had thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Albertina.
He had spoiled her.
Pampered her.
And when he left the Vayu Palace, he waved cheerfully and said, “I’ll come again.”
Their interaction had crossed well beyond normal sibling boundaries.
Yet Albertina, hopelessly oblivious as ever, merely looked sad to see him leave and waved back.
Julius had been no different.
While Kishtaria questioned Anna about Albertina’s recent condition, Julius had remained by Albertina’s side the entire time.
Even while asleep, the beautiful young lady had refused to let go of his coat.
At some point she had grabbed hold of it.
Julius had worn an unusually gentle expression during that time.
Anna, meanwhile, had stared at him with eyes cold enough to freeze steel.
Kishtaria had merely looked off into the distance and muttered,
“Yeah… that really makes it impossible to move.”
It was Albertina’s special talent.
Even Duke Latitche himself had fallen victim to it.
Anna.
Sebas.
Latine.
All of them had experienced it before.
None of the powerful people gathered in the audience chamber knew any of this.
King Lauzes.
Chancellor Daren.
Duke Fortuna.
And many of Sandis Kingdom’s most influential figures all wore grave expressions as they listened to Kishtaria’s report.
Every one of them had their own agenda.
Yet they all shared the same problem.
Albertina’s barrier.
They wanted to make contact with her.
At the very least, they wanted confirmation that she was safe.
A new bearer of the Royal Eyes had appeared for the first time in decades.
And she was already of marriageable age.
Her family background was impeccable.
Her status unquestionable.
Her bloodline made the appearance of the Royal Eyes perfectly natural.
She possessed every qualification necessary to be welcomed into the royal family immediately.
The princes possessed only imperfect shades of green eyes.
The princess lacked any sense of royal responsibility.
There was currently no Crown Prince.
The remaining candidates were drowning in scandal.
Albertina’s existence had appeared at exactly the right moment.
The royal family wanted her desperately.
“I see…”
“If possible, I would like to welcome her into the royal family with her own consent.”
“The shortage of suitable royal heirs is the greatest problem facing this generation.”
“Albertina has been brought to the palace suddenly.”
“She’s likely exhausted in both body and mind.”
“Giving her some time may be necessary.”
“Your Majesty!”
“She is the first true bearer of the Royal Eyes to appear in ages!”
“Surely we cannot afford such delays!”
A frail old man wrapped in luxurious robes shouted hoarsely.
“If Duke Latitche returns, he will undoubtedly take the princess back to his territory!”
“You must decide immediately!”
“At the very least, her existence should be announced throughout the kingdom!”
Kishtaria maintained a solemn expression.
Internally, however, he wished the old man would burst a blood vessel and collapse.
He knew the Elder Council was obsessed with the Royal Eyes.
But watching them spit while shouting inside the audience chamber only made one phrase come to mind.
Senile old fool.
“Albertina is still a daughter of House Latitche.”
“She may eventually become part of the royal family, but ignoring the wishes of the head of one of the Four Grand Ducal Houses would be absurd.”
“I have heard that man’s obsession with his daughter is beyond reason!”
“We don’t have time for—”
“Your premise is flawed.”
“The first person whose permission should be sought is Grale.”
“Even if you exploit his absence and force Albertina into the royal family, it will accomplish nothing.”
“…What have you done, Duke Fortuna?”
“This isn’t like you.”
“Why were you so forceful in bringing Albertina here?”
At last, Duke Fortuna spoke.
His voice carried the weight of age.
“I believed she should be presented as soon as possible.”
“The previous king has passed.”
“Your siblings have passed.”
“My wife is gone.”
“My daughter is gone.”
“I had begun to believe no one remained in Sandis with eyes matching Your Majesty’s.”
“Our kingdom serves as the cornerstone that prevents war among neighboring nations.”
“If our defenses weaken due to a lack of successors, the possibility of our nation being consumed by war will only increase.”
His actions were hardly praiseworthy.
Yet as the commander of the knightly orders and a pillar of national defense, Duke Fortuna could not ignore the issue of royal succession.
Maintaining the bloodline capable of using the royal barrier magic was among the kingdom’s highest priorities.
Still, Lauzes couldn’t help pressing a hand against his forehead.
The hostility between House Latitche and House Fortuna would only worsen after this.
In Lauzes’s memory, Albertina looked almost identical to Christina.
A beautiful girl.
Gentle.
Cheerful.
Possessing an innocent smile.
The moment he saw her, he understood why Gandalf had become interested.
Especially when even her hair and eyes resembled Christina’s.
Lauzes knew the old duke had been deeply disappointed by the fact that he couldn’t enter the barrier to see her.
Gandalf was a difficult man.
Blunt.
Stubborn.
Straightforward.
And deeply affectionate.
Albertina embodied the bloodlines of two women he had loved.
Simply looking at her must have brought him joy.
Originally, he likely wanted to bring her back to Fortuna territory himself.
Yet Albertina was terrified of him.
From her perspective, she had been kidnapped by a strange old man and dragged away from home.
She had cried endlessly.
Even his son, Criftoff, had reportedly tried to stop him.
But Gandalf hadn’t listened.
He had insisted that Albertina couldn’t remain in a place that had already suffered an invasion while only a group of young people stood guard.
His forceful actions had likely damaged not only his relationship with Grale but also with Albertina herself.
Grale would undoubtedly celebrate that fact.
Meanwhile, Criftoff’s resentful looks toward his father were hardly surprising.
Neither Gandalf nor Criftoff yet knew just how thoroughly Albertina disliked them.
To Lauzes, Albertina still remained the fluffy, lovable girl he remembered.
Compared to Grale, she would be far easier to persuade.
If they could actually speak to her.
The real problem was Grale.
Grale was an impossible obstacle.
Lauzes understood both families’ feelings and circumstances.
At one point, he had hoped Albertina might repair the relationship between the two houses.
That hope had been thoroughly crushed.
Even Gandalf seemed aware that he had gone too far.
His usual confidence was noticeably absent.
“…House Latitche had a son.”
“But allowing that many intruders into the estate proves their immaturity.”
“I judged that Albertina could not remain there.”
“With all due respect, we handed the intruders over.”
“We were forced to eliminate those who resisted.”
“Though it seems your side allowed the mastermind to escape.”
Kishtaria’s smile never wavered.
But his eyes turned cold.
The mastermind.
Renalia.
The former Baroness Datches.
They had captured her alive and handed her over.
Only for her to escape.
Again.
Kishtaria’s blue eyes sharpened with quiet anger.
Gandalf met his gaze without flinching.
“We’ve already replaced the prison guards.”
“The palace guards.”
“The knights.”
“It appears certain fools took advantage of the devil’s absence to install incompetent people wherever they pleased.”
“How reassuring.”
“You sound very busy.”
Kishtaria smiled.
His eyes remained frozen.
What he truly wanted to say was:
Are all of your guards blind?
The sarcasm was obvious.
Yet Gandalf remained silent.
The decline among nobles, knights, and soldiers over recent years was undeniable.
Standards had fallen.
Previous kings had indulged themselves in luxury.
The Megil Fever had killed heirs throughout the kingdom.
Even royal successors had died off.
Eventually, the throne had fallen into Lauzes’s hands.
Fortunately, Grale—despite his deeply problematic personality—had remained loyal to Lauzes.
His overwhelming competence had solved countless crises.
Yet opportunists seeking power never disappeared.
They never would.
Many of today’s nobles had inherited their titles unexpectedly.
Second sons.
Third sons.
Men never intended to become heirs.
Many lacked proper education.
Corruption and collusion were natural consequences.
Grale believed such incompetent nobles should be replaced by capable individuals regardless of bloodline.
The royal family possessed hereditary magic.
Most noble houses did not.
As a result, talented newcomers had begun appearing throughout the kingdom.
One such example was apparently Kishtaria’s attendant.
Julius.
A newly elevated viscount.
The man behind the Rose Company.
A rising noble with no territory but considerable influence.
His customers ranged from commoners to nobles.
Young and old alike.
The Rose Brand stood at the forefront of fashion and technological innovation.
Its influence could not be ignored.
Cold smiles and double meanings filled the room.
Many nobles quietly reduced their presence and observed the clash between the giant bear-like duke and the young heir of the so-called Demon King.
One such observer was Duke Frings.
Though called the Four Grand Ducal Houses, House Latitche’s power far surpassed the others.
House Fortuna stood second.
And sparks constantly flew between them.
Lebrant von Frings observed everything carefully.
Grale von Latitche.
The Demon King Duke blessed with overwhelming magic and peerless beauty.
Gandalf von Fortuna.
The mighty Knight Duke whose very presence felt monstrous.
The two men were complete opposites.
Yet both were fascinating to watch.
Their conversations usually froze the air solid.
Most people felt their hearts stop.
Lebrant, however, seemed to have grown fur around his heart.
Thick fur.
Very thick fur.
Whenever those two had a major argument, they would vent their frustration through work and training afterward.
Their killing intent terrified everyone around them.
Yet the result was that palace productivity increased by thirty percent.
Wasn’t that wonderful?
Ignoring the ministers clutching their stomachs in misery, Lebrant nodded to himself.
He wished his daughter could witness such magnificent battles between men.
Unfortunately, Catherine resembled him rather than her beautiful mother.
When he once lamented this fact, she had replied:
“No thank you.”
“I’d rather blend into a crowd.”
His daughter shared his love of observing people.
Despite being Prince Leold’s fiancée, she had little interest in power.
She cared more about her hobbies than winning her fiancé’s affection.
As her father, Lebrant found that oddly admirable.
His attention returned to Kishtaria.
The young heir who refused to back down before Duke Fortuna.
Criftoff had described him as an insufferably handsome pretty boy.
Yet the boy possessed remarkable backbone.
How many young men could withstand Gandalf’s glare?
Very few.
And while the room continued to churn with schemes, ambitions, and hidden agendas, one fact remained unchanged.
The true master of the storm—
The man who should have been standing at the center of all this—
Was still absent.
And everyone was left wondering who would seize the reins before the Demon King finally returned.