episode_0265

Snow-white skin. Transparent blond hair, like his father’s. A straight nose, long eyelashes, and a sharp jawline as if sculpted by a chisel.

First Prince, Fruin Velasquez Nifrantz, possesses undeniably beautiful features.

One doesn’t even need any further adjectives; “handsome” is enough. He is handsomeness personified. Any further description would only be superfluous.

That’s why I hate Fruin most among all my siblings.

Is it because of his handsome face? I can’t deny that. Isn’t a handsome man, by nature, the enemy of all men? I can’t exactly call myself a man now, but seeing Fruin makes me instinctively feel threatened.

And that’s not all. Fruin is not only handsome but also possesses excellent character and wisdom. When his soft voice carries sweet words, countless noble young ladies swoon. Even if he weren’t royalty, he would undoubtedly have been immensely popular.

‘Well, I know it’s all a mask.’

I didn’t realize this by investigating the underbelly of the kingdom’s nobles. I’ve known it since childhood. He used my difference to make me the common enemy of my siblings, leading the flow and securing the overwhelming top rank.

In other words, he is the picture of the kind of noble I hate. A dualistic outward appearance, political maneuvering using flattery, and selfishness fueled by all kinds of greed, exploiting others. Even if I point out his foul odor, I’m the one who gets criticized—a bizarre phenomenon.

And, most of all, the reason I hate him—

“Isn’t it proper etiquette to open your eyes when talking to someone?”

“Haha… That again? Narita always points out my small eyes.”

Long, straight eyes, with thick eyelashes conspicuously revealed.

To me, someone from outside this world, I can only see him as overtly sinister… a so-called “slit-eyed” character.

.

.

.

Fruin and I sat opposite each other at the table in the reception room.

“…….”

After the reprimand about his slit eyes—a kind of formality—we fell silent for a moment.

The first reason is simply that we weren’t close enough to exchange pleasantries. Formal greetings outnumbered private conversations.

It’s not like we frequently had business discussions either. Compared to Fruin, who actively participated in the kingdom’s legislation as the First Prince, I didn’t have much involvement in internal affairs. My siblings already held many positions in various fields.

As a result, Fruin and I had little in common. The fact that he managed to achieve a negative favorability rating from me in those few encounters is remarkable. Just sitting at the same table makes me want to confront him with a sword instead of words.

The second reason is a power struggle. A reconnaissance, one might say.

Communication usually consists of 30 percent verbal expression and 70 percent nonverbal expression. More emotion is conveyed through tone, intonation, expression, and body language than through spoken words.

Therefore, conversation often happens even without spoken words.

That’s the situation now. Fruin is sitting calmly, observing me, without arrogant posture. Outwardly, he seems to maintain the dignity befitting a First Prince.

However, underneath lies a battle of pride and subtle observation. The meaning being, since His Highness, the First Prince, has graced me with his presence, he expects me to understand his purpose.

He expects me to start a conversation with an appropriate topic, then move toward the main purpose. But he will not be involved in that process. He is conveying the extremely arrogant attitude of “You orchestrate everything, handle it yourself”.

“…….”

Knowing this, I did the opposite. Unlike Fruin, I didn’t hide my arrogance.

I sprawled back into the sofa, crossing my legs. I lifted my bare legs, resting my feet on the edge of the table, occasionally wiggling my toes to distract him.

You’re an uninvited guest, a scoundrel who visits a lady without an appointment. If you have a purpose, state it and conduct the conversation yourself. After showing such impoliteness, he dares to discuss etiquette… That was the message.

As expected, Fruin’s brows twitched first. His patience had reached its limit. Having left his home ground where things always went his way, he could no longer bear the unpleasantness of having to follow my lead.

He finally showed a weakness, slightly shifting his gaze away from me. The target was Yuri, who stood quietly behind me.

“Take your eyes off her. What right does trash like you have to look at my woman?”

“…For someone who always tells me to keep my eyes open, you certainly read my gaze accurately.”

“You should have experienced the weight of that dirty gaze a few times.”

Hoooo-

Fruin sighed deeply and shrugged. He leaned back into his chair, sinking into it as if lying down.

Sharp, honed eyes gleamed from between his tightly closed eyelids.

“It’s best not to speak carelessly, my dear sibling. Don’t you know your violent temper is infamous?”

“What’s wrong with my temper?”

“There’s a lot of talk about your private life. For instance… that you have numerous mistresses and lead a debauched life.”

Fruin’s gaze rested on Yuri. Before I could react, Yuri’s energy surged. Yuri, skilled in controlling her emotions, only made mistakes when I was involved.

I raised my hand lightly to stop her. I’m not trying to blame her. If we’re talking about who is to blame, it’s Fruin’s fault for starting the fight.

Instead, resting my elbows on the sofa and propping up my chin, I injected venom into my voice.

“Shut up. No matter what my private life is, it’s private. It’s none of your business.”

“If it were truly private, it would have stayed private. But now you’ve dragged in the Head of the Palace Mage Corps, a Grand Mage, the next Knight Commander, and even a Saintess… it’s bound to become public knowledge.”

“So what? Is that wrong? Does the royal law prohibit me, a royal, from having many women?”

Fruin’s eyebrows twitched again. His unapologetic mention of royal law at this moment meant he wouldn’t compromise.

Fruin, who holds the kingdom’s laws yet secretly manipulates them to build his world, and I, who boldly destroyed that world.

We fought in the darkness and now meet again in the light. The purpose of today’s conversation is about that war. It could be called a negotiation.

“No matter what you do, the result won’t change. My hand reaches every corner of the kingdom. I’m the one who sets the stage, the one who opens it, and the one who controls it—I, First Prince Fruin Velasquez Nifrantz. That’s an unchanging truth.”

“You seem pretty scared for someone who said that? You’re coming here uninvited like this.”

“Don’t change the subject, sibling. No matter how much time passes, you will always be under my feet, in the palm of my hand.”

I hate nobles. I’ve butted heads countless times because I hate them, and I know more than anyone about their foul habits.

As expected, Fruin is slowly trying to encircle me. He threatens with words and overwhelms me with his gaze. In his world, he’s right, so I might not stand a chance. I’m a little scared.

But I will never yield. I’m even more greedy than the nobles I hate. I want to gain everything without losing anything.

I uncross my legs, put my hands on the table, and leaned forward. I released the emotions I had been suppressing, pouring them into the ether.

Kugugugu—

“Really… are you sure you won’t waver at all?”

The entire palace annex, including the reception room, begins to shake violently. A vibration as fierce as my temper spreads through the floor, scattering the furniture around.

Fruin fought back. He is a brilliant magician who inherited the blood of royalty. But he lacked something.

The ability to manipulate ether, the essence of this world. He didn’t inherit the blood of Leah Flora, the Grand Mage who conquered the Great Continent in a previous era.

The difference was enormous. Fruin could no longer hide behind a mask, revealing the sinister eyes he had hidden behind narrowed eyelids.

“So… you intend to go all the way, huh?”

“See? It’s obvious who’s more scared. You, who fear losing… you can’t take anything from me.”

My aura was about to engulf Fruin, filling the room. If I went just a little, a tiny bit further, I could crush him right here.

And I sincerely wanted to. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, it was too tempting to resist.

Thud-

“…What a commotion.”

A man who had just entered through the reception room’s door abruptly stilled the torrent of emotions I had been unleashing.

Fruin’s face contorted upon seeing him, suggesting a mix of complex emotions: relief at his survival, and anxiety that the newcomer wasn’t on his side.

The clash of emotions distorted Fruin’s features.

“Such a commotion… I came because of the noise and… to see my grown children fighting each other. It’s a rather unpleasant sight to this father.”

It was Fruin and my father, King Nifrantz, who had arrived at the annex, along with numerous soldiers.