“Majesty.”

Adler bowed his head and greeted Leone. Leone approached slowly. It was as if he hadn’t paid attention to Trixie or General Bede, but to have come because of the commotion itself. 

A little bit annoying, but moderately gentle. Having crafted such a perfect voice, Leone looked at General Bede, trying hard not to look at Trixie.

“It’s noisy.”

The eyes of Leone, who could only look at General Bede, were full of murderous intent. 

It’s not like the anger towards General Bede has already exceeded the limit.

“At my welcome ceremony, you made a fuss.”

He put a smile on his face that seemed to be benign. However, there was a hot flame like the scorching sun in it. A flame that could swallow people.

“You’re sure you can handle it, right?”

It was a moment. To be honest, General Bede was intimidated.

The life that Leone exhaled was completely that of a predator. No matter how rough it is, he is a general. He had a sense of being a warrior.

“Your Highness the Prince. I’m really sorry for causing a fuss. But isn’t she a lady-in-waiting for the imperial family? It seemed that she needed to be educated because she was arrogant.”

But didn’t the Archduke tell him that the prince was no big deal? General Bede trusted the Archduke completely. And to be honest, he was ashamed and embarrassed that he was caught up in the moment. He knew he was handsome and from the royal family. Anyway, he was a guy who lived like a four-legged animal. At that thought, Leone looked at General Bede, who held his chin upright, and burst into a small laugh. Previously, even if General Bede did this to the Emperor, the Emperor couldn’t do anything. The Archduke took a strong stand to block it, and other nobles also criticized the Emperor… he must have. After all, the Emperor had no heir worthy of the throne. Then, even though the successor had appeared, why was he acting so arrogantly and humiliating the imperial family?

Leone knew the answer. Leone, who had acted like a beast in the past, now appeared. Leone has yet to prove anything. Just because he could stand on his own two feet and speak, we couldn’t be sure whether he was really free from beasts or whether he was a proper heir to the imperial family. He was also unable to give anyone the assurance that he was a person capable of holding on to his position without being pushed back by the Archduke. If the weak and stupid prince who barely showed up and was pushed aside by even one general like this would be easily wiped out by the Archduke anyway, even if the legitimacy of the blood of the successor would be at stake.

The nobles watched as the Archduke crossed the line, aiming for the Emperor and the prince. No one thought of him as a traitor. When he thought of Trixie, he just wanted to drag it out and put it away. He couldn’t look so easy. This wasn’t just a battle of strength. He felt it every time, but the human fighting method was very annoying and annoying. But strangely, unexpectedly… It was cool inside.

“What is your name?”

Since he was a person who stuck close to the Archduke as he entered, Leone deliberately asked, even though he had already heard from Adler at the beginning.

“My name is General Bede of the Capital Guard.”

“Ah, okay. What day is it today, General?”

“Isn’t it a welcome ceremony to celebrate the return of His Highness the Prince?”

General Bede replied with a smile. The way to fight was very childish.

“I know. I am the owner of this banquet.”

Leone’s voice, which had been laughing at them, instantly became chilly, as if it had slipped off a cliff.

“Why couldn’t I have been greeted by the general first?”

Leone’s purple eyes were staring at the general with piercing momentum.

“Yes? Oh, that. He backed off, promising the future since His Highness was very busy.”

“Ha! Right, I’m busy.”

Leone, with a gentle face, held General Bede’s shoulder tightly with her large hand. General Bede’s physique was by no means small, but Leone easily held his shoulder with one hand.

“So what you are saying is that it is my fault that you came to my reception and did not greet me.”

Then he grabbed the general’s shoulder and pressed it. The general’s face was distorted by the strength of his grip. Surprised by that power, the general hastily made excuses.

“No! I didn’t say it was my fault, it was just a matter of consideration-”

“General.”

Leone’s hand fell off General Bed’s shoulder. It was an action that felt like treating an insect, a doctor who didn’t want to be touched.

“You, do you look at me easy?”

Leone’s arsenic-tinged bass, which seemed to come from deep inside, came heavily as if it were about to push General Bede off a precipice.

“Me, Your Highness. That is.”

General Bede was momentarily taken aback. Apparently the prince was a stupid puppet beast controlled by Adler. Wasn’t this word different? If Adler was really manipulating him, he would not have expected him to drag him down like this and hang on to each horse.

“It’s weird, it’s weird. If it’s a general of the guards, isn’t he the lord you should serve me?”

“No. How dare I!”

“No? Are you saying that at my welcome ceremony, touching my property, blaming me? General?”

General Bede finally realized his mistake.

‘It’s a big deal.’

The royal family was perishing, and General Bede was the one who tied himself with the line because he couldn’t stand the line well for the grand duke who was the opposite of them. How proud and reassuring that was until now.

“Did you think I would go over with your excuse, ‘Oh, that’s right.’”

“Ah, no…”

“You seem to have thought that I was so stupid and easygoing. Not a very pleasant attitude to encounter at my reception.”

General Bede involuntarily turned his head. His master sent him here. who always supported him. The Grand Duke stood at a distance and… He wasn’t looking at General Bede. He only took one glance at the prince while drinking champagne as if he were someone he had no relationship with.

“The offense of insulting the imperial family is not such a light crime. From now on, in a place like this- there won’t be anything to offend because of the lady-in-waiting. Rest in peace, General.”

As soon as Leone spoke coldly, Adler gave a hand signal. The knights who rushed in hurriedly grabbed General Bede’s arms and intimidated them.

“Yes, yes ?! Your Highness, this, this is not! I was wrong. what is this…!”

Everything was sudden. The prince, who looked like he would come out of a fairy tale, greeted with a stern smile, was colder than frost with a cold face. Actually, it wasn’t a big deal, considering the lukewarm attitude the Emperor had shown so far, there was no way this would happen. Even if it happened, the Emperor easily backed down because all the nobles protested when the Archduke took the lead. But why was it so big?

It was already well known that General Bede obtained the position of general under the patronage of the Archduke. There’s no way the prince wouldn’t know. He took the general away by arguing with a trivial matter, such as touching a maid. In the eyes of the nobles, the implications of this incident were clear.

‘The prince is challenging the Archduke.’

He was young and strong; as the Emperor’s successor, he ranked first in the hierarchy, and he had legitimacy that was nothing to be afraid of. If the prince himself had a weak temper and was not suited to political fights, he would of course have been pushed out quickly. He didn’t look like that at all. He seemed rather accustomed to winning fights.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!”

Standing against the background of General Bede’s desperate efforts to be dragged out, Leone was, indeed, the figure of a beast sitting at the top of the food chain.

“His Excellency the Archduke!”

It was then. General Bede suddenly shouted at the Archduke. The crowd was shocked. Calling the Archduke in this situation? In front of the prince? Did he want to die together? 

With just one cry from General Bede, the already frozen air became even more brutal.

“You said you would save me! Anything like that, can’t you solve it! You said the prince was nothing!”

It wasn’t enough to call out the Archduke, even the contents of the words he shouted. General Bede’s words and actions were quite shocking. What would the prince do? Would he decide to take General Bede as a witness and convict the Archduke for treason? Surprised, embarrassed, and afraid, everyone’s expectations gathered for Leone. All feelings go to Leone. Every look, every interest, every question, every fear. All. Gathered at Leone.

“Ouch! Your Excellency the Archduke! You’re leaving me! You! How, how about me!”

“Come to think of it, there was one more person who didn’t greet properly today.”

Leone opened his mouth. He moved on without hesitation. It was a light step, as if General Bede was frantic and didn’t care about the disclosure. The place he headed was the direction the Archduke was standing.

“Archduke. Nice to meet you.”

Soft voice, sharp eyes, charisma that shakes the crowd. The bass sound spread to every corner of the banquet hall. No one could breathe.

“…majesty.”

Even though he was an old man, the Archduke, who was about the same height as the prince, greeted him by slightly bowing his head and knees. Before him stood the new sun, young and beautiful, with his back straight.

“It’s the first time I see you.”

“I remember Your Highness’s childhood. You have grown up.”

The Archduke struggled to keep his hardened face and continued the conversation softly.

“Ah, then…”

Leone averted his gaze for a moment, as if wandering in a distant memory. It was a look as if he didn’t know what to think.

“By the way. General Bede must have been shocked, he said something strange. Wasn’t he the knight you brought?”

“He grew up before I knew it, and he started to be self-indulgent. It seems that I lacked the strength to teach the young because I was old. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

‘I didn’t teach him wrong, but I’ll apologize first.’

Understanding the meaning, Leone laughed.

“That’s right – I mean. It’s getting dark, old man. What fault do you have?”

Leone said softly. That was tantamount to saying that he did not believe General Bede’s words and that the Archduke was innocent. Of course, the curse of being an old bastard who was already going down existed. Blood may be blood, but the Archduke heard that Leone’s sarcastic remarks were quite similar to those of the Emperor. No, he was a little more annoyed than that. He was more active and fearless than the Emperor. The Grand Duke hid his heart and managed his facial expressions. Anyway, the prince was arguing right in front of him. It was not a situation to be annoyed with.

“Never mind. Unless it’s really big – I don’t believe that. It’s just that general, it seems that his life was not a waste.”

“I am just grateful.”

“And, I can’t believe that someone the size of an Archduke did such a petty, trivial thing. There’s no way the Archduke would be so nauseous. What General Bede said must be false.”

Leone’s consolation was valid to some extent, but the listeners knew it at once.

‘I’m too lazy to do small work, so if you’re going to mess with it, bring a big one.’

The Archduke was speechless. The bowed figure of an old man who wielded power without notice in the empire, and a young and blazing prince standing in front of him. It was firmly etched into everyone’s mind.

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