How to Live as the Enemy Prince

It was cloudy all day that day and the next day it was pouring rain.

Calian woke up early in the morning due to the sound of the raindrops and wind beating against the window panes. When Yan came into Calian’s room to give him his morning greetings, Calian, leaning back against the bed frame, waved at Yan.

“Did you have good dreams?”

Calian greeted Yan with the same question he asked every morning, Yan answered with an awkward smile. 

“Yes. Did you sleep well too?”

Calian nodded and stretched out his hand. He wanted tea. Yan, keeping a straight face, handed Calian his morning tea. Calian sipped the tea. Then suddenly, he took his mouth away from the teacup.

‘It's different.’

It was just a nuance, but still a difference. If his attention hadn’t been sharp, he wouldn’t have noticed.

He soon realised the cause of the difference – which wasn’t hard to find. Silica had increased the poison.

Calian put his lips on the teacup again and smiled.

“Oh, Silica…”

Silica seemed to have lost her patience since the nobles’ reactions to Calian were too good.

So, was it going to be that he would drink it while pretending to not know it this time too?

After thinking for a split second, Calian drank all the tea and gave Yan the empty cup. If the dosage wasn’t increased to an amount that Calian would die straight away then, it would be alright until Tuesday.

Yan, not knowing this, sent the maids back after they were done preparing breakfast. Then, Calian said.

“Two people will come on Wednesday. They are half-elves so don’t be surprised.”

Yan happily asked, 

“Are they the escorts you spoke of?”

“Yes, the elder brother is Kiriye, the younger sister is Hina. Kiriye is the escort, but I couldn’t get a profile check on them. I don’t even know their last names. That’s why I want to ask you for a favour.”

Yan, having realised what Calian meant, smiled. In order to work in the palace, one needed to go through a profile check and have relevant identification papers but the two couldn’t do that. Therefore, Calian was asking Yan to stand witness that their identities were clean.

"Are you talking about identity assurance?"

However, Yan shook his head.

“In that case, it would be more preferable to have Sir Manasil stand as a witness. If Sir Manasil says those were people he brought from Rivern, there would be no problem at all, even if they don’t have last names. If people take problems with the fact that they are from a different place, my family will also stand witness. In that way, nobody will be able to say anything.”

Calian ‘Hmmed’ and tilted his head as he looked at Yan.

“You looked like somebody with a lot of power just now.”

A smiling Yan bashfully cleared his throat. Then, he fixed Calian’s shirt pin which was out of place, and moved a few steps back and asked.

“I have heard elves use another kind of power to heal. Do they also have the power to do that?”

Calian patted his chest a few times and said.

“Even though they have the power to heal, it won’t be much of a help to me. I’ve never heard that before either,”

“I guess so.”

Suddenly, lightning struck from the sky. The rain was pounding heavier. Calian, looking out the window, said.

“I only have hunting on my agenda today, right?”

“Yes, there is a hunting tournament after breakfast…”

Yan, having said that, also looked outside.

“…I presume that it will be cancelled though,”

Calian was a bit sad to hear that. He hadn’t been seen to the nobles other than the first date of the festival. He planned to meet them before too much time passed, but that plan was clearly off the menu.

Since there was no other choice, Calian tore his gaze away from the window and said,

“Go and visit Teacher today, it doesn’t matter when you go,” 

“Yes your highness, What would you like me to tell him?”

“Please tell him to ask the king to delay the meeting on Tuesday for about 10 minutes.”

Although Calian’s intentions were not clear to Yan, Yan didn’t ask for an explanation.

“Yes. I will promptly go right after breakfast.”

Calian responded by nodding and didn’t say much more. He got ready for breakfast and set out for the dining room.

—

Franz didn’t show up for breakfast. Calian had heard how after the festival, he didn’t come to breakfast once.

It was better off, Calian thought. From today until Tuesday, Franz shouldn’t mess up breakfast.

Calian, looking at the rain drizzling on the window panes, heard Randall getting up after he was done with his breakfast.

Calian, still looking outside, spoke.

“The roses will soon bloom.”

That was definitely a first.

It was a first that there was a normal talk going on at breakfast. It was also a first for Calian to start a conversation with Randall.

Which is why Randall froze, and then slowly turned. He looked at Calian with those deep eyes. Feeling his gaze, Calian glanced up to meet it head on.

It somehow felt as if Calian looked at Randall’s eyes for the first time. It was a different feeling than when the two met each other at the rose garden.

The pair of eyes that looked as if it was looking not at you, but at the soul. Those blue eyes.

Calian thought he knew why Randel was staring at him like that, smiled, and opened his mouth again.

“I took a walk yesterday and saw the roses, and thought of how you cared for them. There’s no other meaning to my words than that.”

Well, of course, those words weren’t completely without reason.

Those words were to make Randall look at him, it was only then that Randall would be able to help Calian on Tuesday. 

There wasn’t much of a response from Randall.

“… alright.”

Like he had done at the rose garden, only short conversations were exchanged.

Calian could hear Yan breathing. When Calian looked back, Yan looked as if he was in shock. Yan then talked to Calian when he was leaving the dining hall.

“Roses…?”

Calian replied as if he was innocent.

“What about roses?”

“You’ve talked to Randel for the first time in 14 years! And you talked about how roses will bloom. Why would you talk about things that mean less than dog shit?”

“dog…?”

Calian’s face hardened. Yan hurriedly covered his mouth. Calian’s eyes moved to Yan.

“You’re getting more and more defiant of me these days.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Calin couldn’t help but wonder why a person like Yan (Straightforward, feelings on his face and heart on his sleeve type of person) was in a place like this? 

Then, he suddenly coughed.

– Cough!

At that sound, Yan’s sad face turned into one with concern.

“Your highness…”

Calian replied as if he was alright.

“I slept with the window open last night. Didn’t know it would rain…”

It was a lie. At the pungent scent coming up his throat, Calian closed his eyes.