The next day.
I burst out of the Knights' barracks and, even while riding, managed to hand over my duties to Raoul. I somehow made it to my own mansion within the Royal Palace just in time.
My second elder brother had returned to his in-laws' home, so there was a lot of commotion with his security.
"Why does Vandel have to come at such an inconvenient time?" I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
As I hurried down the corridor, the head butler extended his hand. Without looking, I handed him my riding gloves and he took my cloak. I tossed them behind me, but the head butler caught them all without dropping a single thing.
"Vandel?" I asked.
The head butler respectfully replied,
"In the drawing-room. He arrived precisely on time."
"That's unusual," I blurted out.
Vandel and I have been stuck together since military cadet school, but it's rare for him to ever be on time.
"He has brought many congratulatory gifts. He's hoping for your thanks, young master."
"Understood. And Miss Citoyen?"
"She is already prepared, but it might be better if you meet with him first, young master, before she enters the room."
"Right," I nodded.
Anyway, I need to make some things clear to him first. There's no telling what that man might say.
"Thank you for waiting, Lord Vandel. The young master has returned."
As I approached the drawing-room, the head butler handed all the luggage to a nearby servant and positioned himself in front of me.
He quickly knocked and announced my arrival in a voice that showed no signs of breathlessness.
"Oh, I've been waiting for you, my dear friend!" a voice from inside called out, making my face twist.
"What do you mean, 'dear friend,' you bastard?"
The head butler opened the door, and as soon as I stepped inside, Vandel, who had been sitting on the sofa, stood up.
With an exaggerated gesture, he spread his arms wide, urging, "Come on, come on!" for a hug.
No way.
I decided to ignore him and tried to sit in the seat opposite, but he suddenly lunged and hugged me from the side.
"Get off me, you annoying pest!"
I slammed the heel of my palm into his chin, but he just laughed, "Hahaha, you're so shy!" and rubbed his cheek against my stomach. Gross. I shook Vandel off and quickly sat on the opposite sofa to create some distance.
"I can't believe you're getting married before me. Well, life's full of surprises, isn't it?"
Vandel chuckled.
He was still gangly as ever. Though shorter than me, he was still considered tall.
With a slender build and almond-shaped eyes. The mole under his right eye gave him a somewhat seductive look, and the nickname given to this man, who preferred to wear black, was 'Count Vampire.'
He ruled a frontier domain and presumably usually guarded the borders, yet his skin was pale, and despite his eye-catching beauty, his fierce combat style seemed to indicate a fondness for blood.
Even as a student, the younger cadets already called him 'Count Vampire.'
"You probably have no intention of getting married, do you?"
He has endless choices, yet he finds fault with everything and constantly rejects marriage proposals. It makes me feel sorry for the women. He should try being the one who gets rejected for once.
"Oh, those are gifts to celebrate. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just picked out a few things at random."
Vandel sat down and pointed to a corner of the room with a long, slender finger.
I shifted my gaze and was astonished.
The wall was practically invisible, piled high with various boxes, and some kind of unknown exoskeleton was hanging from the ceiling.
"What is that?"
"It's a whale."
"Do people in your region give whale bones as wedding gifts?"
"I haven't heard of it, but maybe they do in yours?"
He's still a smart-mouthed man.
I glared at him, and Vandel raked a hand through his black hair, tilting his head slightly.
"What? Were you in the middle of work?"
He gestured to my military uniform, and I nodded, saying, "Of course."
"My second elder brother returned for the engagement ceremony. We're currently moving the Royal Guard and Knightage to the border."
"Is Lady Mihaela well?"
"Yes, thank you. Her father-in-law will likely retire in a few years... It seems she's currently busy with the handover alongside her wife, who is the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince there is female.
The first time I met her, I was so captivated by her sharp and dignified presence.
My second elder brother, Mihaela, has quite a feminine face, so I remember thinking they looked like a gender-reversed pair of dolls.
"But to be working right after your engagement ceremony... It must have been difficult to leave the bedroom, wasn't it?"
Vandel crossed his long legs and smiled meaningfully, so I made a sour face.
"I've been told not to lay a hand on her until the wedding parade in the capital is over. Until then, it's a pure relationship."
"Oh. How regrettable."
He was grinning, and I was about to get up to punch him when he suddenly said, in a sloppy posture with his upper body leaning back against the sofa, "The Kingdom of Karaban Allied Nations seems to be in a real mess."
"A mess?"
I blinked. Come to think of it, I had been so busy with my own engagement ceremony that I'd forgotten about that country.
"King Tania is apparently furious with the Kingdom of Luminas regarding the daughter with the Dragon Crest, and has halted the sale of mining resources to them."
"Well, of course, they would be. That was terrible."
Even now, remembering it makes me feel unpleasant.
"They say that because the daughter with the Dragon Crest was insulted, King Tania stopped selling mining resources to the Kingdom of Luminas."
"What?!"
Of course, the Kingdom of Tania isn't the only place where mining resources can be found. They could seek resources from other countries, but it's not easy to just say, "Since this supply is stopped, please help us out here."
Coal, steel, various ores.
Those were supposed to be shared among the allied nations within their union.
"King Neue of the Kingdom of Luminas is apologizing profusely, and Crown Prince Arios is currently under house arrest, but..."
"Well, he's probably just confined. They wouldn't have physically restrained him, would they?" I asked.
Vandel responded with a laugh instead of an answer.
"That king, when it comes to his son, his judgment is clouded. That lenient house arrest will reportedly be lifted in a few days. The other three nations are irritated by the leniency of the punishment. There might even be a resolution to depose King Neue."
If that happens, another election will begin, and a new elected king will rise.
It would be good if the five nations could unite again on that occasion, but.
"So? Where is this femme fatale?"
With a deep sigh, Vandel leaned back on the sofa again in a slovenly manner. I'd always thought his skin was pale, but today it seemed even paler.
"Are you feeling unwell?" I asked instinctively, and he smirked.
"Oh, how delightful. When a handsome man worries about me, I just want to bite him."
"Save that for the ladies."
I regretted worrying about him. Just as I turned away in annoyance,
"Excuse me, I have brought Miss Citoyen," the head butler's voice came after a knock.
"Oh! A meeting at last!"
Vandel smirked, conspicuously adjusted the knot of his cravat, and stood up.
No, he stood up, but then...
Thud.
His eyes clearly started to roll back, and his upper body lurched backward.
Whoa, what the hell is wrong with this guy?!
Before I knew it, I had sprung from the sofa and was across the table, catching Vandel in my arms.
"Hey! Are you alright?"
I held him, shaking him. Even though he's slender, he's a warrior. Even with my arms around his waist and back, he was quite heavy. If he didn't regain consciousness and straighten himself, we'd both collapse.
"No, my bad, my bad. I guess it was my fault for rushing here on horseback, trying to be the first to congratulate you."
His face was still pale, and cold sweat
beaded on his forehead. But as I leaned closer, the strength returned to his eyes. Our gazes met properly.
Vandel let out a small breath and lightly patted my arms that were supporting him.
"I'm fine now. Sorry."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Besides, if we keep embracing in a private room like this, your wife might start having some unseemly fantasies, right?"
He smirked mischievously again, and I instinctively spun around.
Standing at the doorway, with the head butler behind her, was Miss Citoyen, her eyes wide with shock, and I despaired.
If one were to objectively view this current situation.
Two men, embracing, faces close, looking as if they're about to kiss.
"TH-THAT'S NOT IT, MISS CITOYEN!"
With a creaking sound, I spoke to her.