Flowers of Worship

Only a few things were known.

Judging from the way they use their swords, they are knights who have received formal training. It was high-level mana with black magic in it. In other words, they were knights who received considerable treatment. It means they belonged to either a powerful knightly order, a high noble, a high priest, or a member of the royal palace.

They may belong to the royal palace. That’s natural, but if it’s not, the case gets bigger. How much do they know about Eden’s existence? In such a case, I also need to be more thorough on my side.

Since Hastred is a knight’s castle, the bond is strong, and the security is good, so maybe the problem was that I was complacent. Should I pick out each person who knows Eden’s existence and trace them back? My mind got complicated. Few people knew of Eden’s existence, and most of them were people I trusted.

Something like this is making my heart feel heavy again.

I looked up at the sky and saw the cloudy moon. Still, it didn’t seem too difficult for Eden to return to his room. In the beginning, there were quite a few lights in the garden.

What should I say? Should I tell him to come out? But I’m not in the mood to say anything.

I thought that I had put a lot of heart into that little prince. Come to think of it; I’ve done a lot of things that aren’t like me. It was pitiful for him to be anxious about not protecting his body, yet his will to do something was extraordinary.

Especially.

I looked down at the children’s sword I had brought. This sword that I used as a child was a good gift my father gave me, and it was also something that I regarded as life when I was young. It’s a useless item now, but it’s still a memorable item for me, so do I need to give it to Eden?

… Anyway, let’s not forget that it’s something I brought with me, it’s not something I’m going to use, and no matter how he used me, his pain is real.

I put my sword in front of the pavilion where Eden was hiding and walked towards my room. I had a bitter heart and a sour taste.

✵✵✵

“You don’t stay with His Highness these days.” A few days later, Chris said. He had a tone of humility. Once again, I thought it was obvious that I cared a lot about Eden. As soon as he spoke, Sophia said as if she had been waiting.

“His Highness was sullen.”

“Okay?”

“Yes. Where did you get that awesome sword for children… Wasn’t it a gift from your Grace?”

Can I say I gave it as a present?

I remember how it felt when I left it. And I thought about how he got it. After I left, I did not want to think too much about what he must have thought when he saw the sword that had been laid after coming out of the filthy pavilion alone or how he had brought it with him. It seems that such a thing cannot be expressed in terms of a gift.

“No, it wasn’t a gift.”

“… What happened?” Sophia asked cautiously. I turned my head and looked at her, scratching her cheeks with her finger.

“I asked if he had received a present from Her Grace, and he said he did not know. Both of you are quite weird… .”

“It’s the sword I used. It’s nothing new to be called a gift.” I laughed and added,

“Ah, that’s what it meant. It’s such a good sword, but it’s not new, so it can’t be a gift!”

“It even comes with a path, so it’s a great gift!” she exclaimed. I like this about Sophia, simple and clear. Chris, on the other hand, was staring at me. He wasn’t the kind of a person to fool so easily.

“Well, from the Crown Prince’s point of view, it seems vague to call it a gift.” He said so and bit his mouth. He didn’t seem to want to ask me what was going on in front of Sophia. Maybe he thought he wouldn’t get an answer.

“More than that, the ones you dealt with at night, there is one strange thing.”

“Something strange?”

“One of them had a Yen Son pass.”

I thought they were from the capital, so it was not strange to have the capital city Yen Son pass. What is the problem? Chris lowered his voice as I looked at him.

“The seal belonged to Baron Hostino, and this baron is actually very friendly with the captain of the guard. He’s been my best friend all the days of Royal School.”

“How do you know?”

“My brother went with me to the Royal School together at the time.”

That is, he gave the pass for the Captain of the Guard? If he gives out the pass in the captain’s name, he will be conspicuous, so he asked for the seal of a close friend and elusive baron? It was a plausible story. The problem is that if all of these stories are true, the person who sent the masked person is the king, and if so.

“I must move quickly.”

If the king finds out about Eden’s existence, there is no room for educating Eden here and what to do. Before the king could use various means, I had to take Eden to Yen Son. Only when everyone is visible, will Eden’s life prolong.

“Tonight.” Chris and Sophia looked at me at my words. I looked at them and thought. Which of the two would have revealed Eden’s existence?

The possibility is probably…

I glanced into Chris’s dark eyes. The Chris family is famous for its spy corps. Chris can never break away from his family roots.

“We leave by boat.”

There’s nothing like a boat to go fast. And there is less chance of being attacked than by land. If I don’t plan to move the navy, I’ll have to pretend to be a pirate to conduct a surprise attack. It’s not difficult to pretend to be a bandit, but pretending to be a pirate is a lot of work. Above all, it’s knights, not the sailors, that the king uses as his hands and feet.

Contrary to me, who can come aboard my father’s ship, the king has no private ships available. I could see a look of dismay in Chris’s dark eyes. For a brief moment, I saw it clearly. Yes, it was him. We’ll announce Eden’s presence on the king on the other side and to the king. He seems to be struggling to increase his power over there.

It is heartbreaking that I can’t say anything.

If I leave this alone, it will become a habit.

Together…

“Should we drink some alcohol?”

Let’s have a drink and share our feelings. Should we do the same thing again? Ha, I sighed. I’m a smoker, but I don’t like alcohol. It is one of the characteristics of those with divine powers as the body does not take it very well. I talk frankly and roll around when I get drunk. The body rejects everything that is addictive, except at the beginning of a year. It’s probably because of magic. People with magical powers are powerful against addictive things like alcohol and tobacco and enjoy them initially.

“Alcohol?” Chris looked at me with puzzled eyes. What are you drinking? I just smiled as he asked that question.

“It’s been a while.”

“What are you doing?”

“This happens sometimes.”

“You mean the lord?”

“What.” Chris’s eyes gleamed with suspicion. It is uncomfortable to receive such a gaze from my subordinates, whether it hurts my heart or not. And so.

“Sophie,” I called her, and she looked at me with loyal eyes. I smiled at her.

“Prepare the ship. I leave everything to you.”

Chris’s gaze pierced my back. I know that excluding Chris has hurt him. However, if he continues to leak the situation, the work I can entrust to him is bound to be limited. Sophia smiled broadly.

“Yes, my lord.”

Sophia’s work is perfect and neat. If I leave it to her, it will be definite. As for the moment, I’m not as comfortable with Chris. As Sophia laughed and added, “I’ll also prepare delicious, easy-to-drink alcohol.”

Sophia went out first to get ready, and only Chris and I were left in the room. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he eventually couldn’t open his mouth. I also didn’t say anything. I haven’t found any evidence, so what can I say? Chris also knows that I excluded him, but he’ll be in trouble if he digs into why I did it.

“My lord, do you want to drink with Sophia?” Chris asked sullenly.

“Are you jealous?”

“It makes me confused.”

“You have to be nice to me. That’ll get you in, Chris.”

He laughed bitterly at my thorny words. He licked his mouth and laughed. Then he put his palm on his chest and said, “Forgive me for not understanding your heart, my lord. I am the master’s slave.” He made an exaggerated gesture.

And we didn’t say anything. I don’t know why Chris didn’t say anything. Because I was in vain, those lies were so worthless. That was it.

The night has come.

The lady-in-waiting hugged me and asked, “Are you coming back?” several times. The maids seemed to want me back. Changing owners is a huge burden for them. No matter how bad one’s personality is, a person is less afraid of the acquainted. Even if my personality is on the blunt side for an aristocrat, and even if it’s not, I’m not that bad of a master for them since I often abandon my professionalism. Therefore, it seemed that the maids wanted me to become the master, that is, to win the title.

In comparison, the servants, the men, seemed skeptical. They want me to become the owner, but if that doesn’t happen, they still seem to think that supporting me now might upset the new master.