Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 509

509.

“What are you doing right now?”

“I’m bitterly realizing that there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Perfect timing. Since you’re feeling grateful to me, think of some sentences suitable for a written apology.”

“……Pardon?”

Davian was taken aback, but I was more serious than ever. I had been writing an apology letter for hours without a single break, and I still hadn’t even filled half of it. Anyway, I’m sorry. I did wrong, after all, repeating the same words over and over again. Now I had nothing more to say, and my head was about to explode.

Thanks to this, Davian joined the apology letter production (?) without knowing why. Of course, he didn’t write it himself, but he just suggested various phrases from the side, which was surprisingly helpful. Surprisingly, he was capable of expressing the same content in various ways. He was also a genius at elaborating on a sentence that could be finished in one line to more than ten lines.

“You must have written a lot of apology letters usually.”

“Originally, writing reports is a public official’s job……”

“Ah……”

Whether it’s Earth or Arkadon, civil servants all have paperwork wars. I looked at him with a pitiful heart, and Davian smiled awkwardly.

“Come to think of it, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“Yes, please tell me.”

“When you were in the Efen Kingdom, you investigated the royal family in general, right? Do you know anything about the princess?”

“Are you talking about Princess Anais?”

When I nodded, Davian began to tell me what he knew without hesitation. She was twenty-three years old. She was a princess loved by the kingdom for her innocent and carefree personality. She had been weak since she was a child, so she tended to be overprotected by those around her, and it was said that her brother, the crown prince, was especially fond of her. It was enough to know that he had followed her on her study abroad trip just to see his grown-up sister off. At first, I thought it was an excuse to cross over to the Empire, but when I saw him rush out as soon as his sister called him at the bookstore, I changed my mind. Whether he had a real purpose or not, it seemed he was a sister-fool.

“There’s no secret to her birth, is there?”

In fact, I didn’t ask with any particular expectations. The princess I saw that day resembled the crown prince so much that it would be strange if they weren’t siblings. But an unexpected answer came back.

“It’s not a secret, but she’s not the king’s biological daughter.”

“……Yes?”

“Princess Anais was adopted as an adopted daughter around the age of twelve.”

No, what is all this talk? She’s really not his biological daughter? When I raised my head in embarrassment, Davian continued to explain.

“The queen desperately wanted a daughter. But after having the crown prince, she couldn’t conceive any more children. So she brought her niece from her family and adopted her as her daughter.”

“A niece? Ah, so that’s why she looks like the crown prince.”

“Yes, the crown prince takes after his mother’s side. That silver hair and eye color are also characteristics that mainly appear on the mother’s side.”

“……Is that maternal family a count family?”

Davian nodded his head right away at my question. So this is how it connects, I swallowed a sigh of relief, first of all, that the answer was closer than I thought. Fortunately, it seems that the past has not been twisted.

‘But why didn’t he say she was a princess.’

Even if she was adopted, a princess is a princess. However, there must have been a reason why Trowell specifically called her the daughter of a count family. It wouldn’t matter if it was just an ordinary family, but the fact that the queen’s family was descended from priests who served Siren bothered me.

“Be careful of those siblings.”

Davian’s calm voice was heard at that time. I was embarrassed by the unexpected warning and looked at him.

“What do you mean?”

“The Ailbra Count family, the queen’s family, has had many strange things about it for a long time. If you have seen the data I gave you, you will have read about the genetic disease passed down in that family.”

Of course, I remember. He said that there was a unique genetic disease in the family, and it seemed that children born with it were killed and concealed. When I nodded, Davian added an explanation. He said that it was not certain whether they were really killed, but it seemed that only children born with the genetic disease could not live long and died.

“The reason I investigated it was because I suspected that a special power was flowing through that bloodline.”

“A special power?”

“First of all, men seem to have the power to seduce others.”

Even while I was hardening my face, the explanation continued. The Arca Count family is said to have a good reputation from generation to generation. They didn’t make any particular achievements, but they were trusted by those around them, and they built up excessive connections without any problems.

Even the process of the queen marrying the king was questionable in many ways. At the time, the king, who was the crown prince, had a separate betrothed. But after hanging out with Count Ailbra, he insisted on marrying the count’s younger sister and forced the breakup. Even though he had a fairly affectionate relationship with his betrothed.

It could be said to be a simple change of heart, but after that, the king’s behavior became strange. He, who had been diligent and patient, began to be capricious more often. He was usually a husband who loved the queen very much, but he suddenly became cold and acted nervous as if he was having a seizure.

“On those days, Count Ailbra always had an audience with the king. Then he returned to his usual self.”

This situation was repeated for a while, but after the crown prince was born, the attitude of changing completely disappeared. The royal family thought that the king, who had a successor, had stabilized, but the view from the empire was different.

“You thought the crown prince had the same power as the count.”

Davian nodded.

“It was just a guess when I was investigating. But after being caught by the crown prince, I became convinced.”

“What did you find out?”

“The moment I saw his face, my strength drained from my body. I felt like I wanted to follow him. I think if you look him straight in the eye, you’ll be charmed.”

When I heard that, I remembered what the crown prince had said before. He said it was strange that I wasn’t in love with him. I just dismissed it as nonsense from someone whose prince disease had reached its peak, but that’s what it meant. A sigh of absurdity flowed out of me. Now I know why he’s so obsessed with me. He must be curious because his ability doesn’t work on me.

And now that object of curiosity will have doubled. It wouldn’t have worked on Ain Idriss either. If you’re a contractor of the Spirit King, you won’t be easily charmed by that kind of mentalism. I thought it was just to win his favor, but I don’t know if the reason why the crown prince has been hanging out with Ain Idriss recently is bigger than that. It was really fortunate for me. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be able to erase the assumption that Ain Idriss was charmed and fell in love with the princess. That would have been the worst. I’m tired enough now, and I don’t want to get more tired here.

“If men have the power to seduce, then what about the princess?”

“I haven’t figured out what kind of power women have yet. But I think it’s a more dangerous power. First of all, the genetic disease of their family seemed to only appear in women.”

“……Really?”

“Yes, all the dead children were girls. Nevertheless, the Count family had a strong tendency to be obsessed with daughters. If they don’t give birth to a daughter, they can’t become the head of the family, and they only get a son-in-law. The queen is the first to break this precedent.”

That was definitely suspicious enough. Even though there is a genetic disease that only appears in daughters, the fact that they are obsessed with it means that the disease is related to ability. I don’t know what it is, but it may be that it can only be passed on to women. Considering that they deliberately brought an adopted daughter from their family, it wouldn’t be a wrong guess. At least I knew that the Count family had already taken control of the royal family.

‘So she’s the daughter of a count family.’

I could only move my lips and sigh, feeling like I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. I felt like things were getting more and more complicated as I learned more.

* * *

After an all-night battle, the apology letter was finally filled with a hundred pages. Even I thought it was a human victory. Davian, who greeted the morning sun with hollow eyes, gave me his sincere congratulations.

“You did it. You really worked hard.”

“Davian too.”

Thanks to his tips, I was able to finish it easily. We smiled and shook hands with haggard faces. It was a moment when camaraderie sprouted from enduring the same hardship.

Eluene appeared after Davian said he couldn’t be indebted any longer and returned to his house. When I proudly handed over the completed amount, he accepted it with a sullen face. He gave me a look that said, ‘You finally did it. Did you want to protect your snacks that much?’ I countered with the meaning that it was obvious, and he shook his head and sighed.

“Good job.”

But he just accepted it. I thought he would try to check the amount right away, but he didn’t even think about picking up the paper. I carefully watched him, wondering if he was going to reject it without even checking it.

“It’s okay because you kept it, right? You’re not going to ban snacks, are you?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, it seems that it is not the ending I was worried about. I was relieved with a happy heart and looked at him again.

“But aren’t you going to check the contents?”

“I’ll leave it to your conscience.”

“……Heol [slang for ‘wow’].”

“What’s with that reaction?”

“Ahahaha! ……It’s nothing.”

Yes, the God of Punishment wouldn’t be the God of Punishment for nothing. My father knows too well how to make people grab the back of their necks. I actually filled all 100 pages, so there was nothing to be ashamed of in my conscience. But I didn’t know why I felt so wronged and empty. At least it was certain that there was only one thing to do at times like this.

‘Let’s eat something delicious.’

Sweet things make the world happy. As soon as I made up my mind, I went to the most famous confectionery in the system. When I swept away all the displayed items by type, the employees looked at me with blank expressions.

“Please pack everything.”

“All of this… you mean?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded, the hands of the embarrassed employees became busy. Since there was quite a bit of quantity, it seemed to take some time even if several people were attached to it. Normally, I wouldn’t bother packing it and just solve it in the store, but this time I had a place to go. Since I was able to enjoy snacks safely today thanks to completing 100 apology letters, I was going to share this glory with Davian, who made a great contribution. When I thought of him, the words I heard at dawn naturally came to mind.

‘I wonder if Lamias knows that the crown prince has such an ability.’

Davian hasn’t revealed what he found out to him yet. In the first place, he suspected that there was something, so the two secret agencies sent spies in cooperation, but there must be a difference between being sure and just guessing. I doubt it would even affect him, who is a dragon, but I think I should tell him anyway.

‘Come to think of it, I think he found more soul stones. I have to ask about that too.’

He said that if I went to explore the Demon God Temple, I would hear the news I was waiting for, so it must be something related to the soul stone. The Demon God Temple, which I was supposed to explore, disappeared, so it was canceled, but anyway, a promise is a promise, so I had to get it by other means. The problem is that he’s still not happy with me. I already felt like sighing, wondering what kind of mean tricks he would use to harass me.

Dding.

While I was thinking about this and that, a clear bell rang. It was the sound of someone entering the store. I turned around without thinking and stopped. I saw a person with blue skin and long silver hair tied down, a feature that I couldn’t miss even if I passed by. It was Sibelius.

“Uh……”

He also found me and stopped walking. Perhaps because it was an unexpected reunion, he had a very blank expression.

“What a coincidence.”

When I greeted him with an awkward smile, he nodded his head with a stiff face as if he had finally come to his senses. Then he found the cakes and breads that were being packed like a mountain in front of me and made a strange expression. It was embarrassing because it was obviously a large amount for one person to buy.

“Ahaha, did you come to buy bread too?”

“I came after seeing the job posting.”

Sibelius, who was hesitating, answered quietly. Job posting. Come to think of it, now that the Special Task Force has been disbanded, the contract period for the kitchen that was additionally supplemented would have expired. Still, I thought he would have been formally hired with that much skill, but I couldn’t believe that it just ended.

“Didn’t they catch you there? [Didn’t they try to recruit you? (catch in this context means to recruit)]”

“They did, but I refused.”

I knew they would catch him. I nodded my head and asked him why he refused, and Sibelius made an embarrassed expression.

“The military camp invests too little in food expenses. There are so many restrictions from the selection of the menu that it wasn’t the feeling I was thinking of.”

“Ah, then there was no choice.”

Anyone who cooks would want to use good and abundant ingredients. Sibelius enjoyed making a variety of dishes even for one meal, and he also liked developing new menus. Of course, that much investment was also necessary. In many ways, the conditions could not be met.

“Then are you working here now?”

“I have to pass the interview first.”

“You’ll definitely pass.”

When I laughed, saying what was obvious, the eyes of the employees who were packing widened. Sibelius’s face turned slightly red as curious gazes reached him.

“But did you meet the person you were going to meet then?”

“Ah, yes! Come to think of it, I’m too late to say hello. Thanks to you, I met him safely. Thank you so much.”

“I see. I’m glad I was helpful.”

He smiled faintly.

“……I thought that was enough. I didn’t know I’d see you here again.”

Sibelius, who swallowed a light sigh, had a slightly complicated expression. I could feel emotions that I couldn’t describe in his deepened gaze. Ah, I have a bad feeling. I have a very, very strong feeling that if I don’t handle myself well here, an unpleasant future will come.

That’s absolutely not going to happen. When I reached out and grabbed his arm, Sibelius’s body trembled. Ignoring his embarrassed gaze, I took a deep breath.

“Sibelius. This may be out of the blue, but I have something to tell you.”

“Huh?”

The eyes that were looking at me with a puzzled expression shook.

“I know what you’ll think when you hear this. But I still have to say it. It feels like there won’t be another chance if it’s not now. It’s going to be a bit random and embarrassing confession, but please listen.”

“No, wait a minute…… I……”

Sibelius’s face began to stiffen. I don’t know why, but the confectionery employees around me seemed to be nervous as well. Should I have taken him out to talk? I regretted it, but it was already spilled water [an idiom meaning it’s too late to change things]. In the gazes that seemed to pierce through me, I squeezed the hand holding him even harder. Yes, the embarrassing moment is only temporary. If we don’t want to increase each other’s dark past, we must say it this time.

“I’m a man.”

I heard someone swallowing a dry breath from somewhere. I don’t think time has ever felt this slow. I felt like the temperature around me had dropped overall. Sibelius, who had been stunned as if he had been hit, slowly blinked his eyes.

“……Huh?”

A soul-less voice scattered in vain. It was a moment that I would remember for a long time to come.