Chapter 035. The Crown Prince (2)

"Have you ever seen such an audacious person!"

Friedrich was furious.

This was the heavy step of the crown prince of the great empire. On the first day, he thought it was just bad luck and returned as Maria wished, but now, having been turned away by him for the second time, it was only natural for his anger to rise.

"Oh, brother! Please calm down!"

What made Friedrich even more uncomfortable was the fact that his dearly beloved younger sister, the girl named Maria Theresa, did not find this situation strange at all.

Just think about it. No one in the empire, or even the entire continent, would dare treat him this way. Yet, a mere student from the academy had turned him down twice; how was he supposed to interpret this?

"Is that bastard just sleeping all day? Does he think he's some kind of winter bear?"

"...He is a bit unique, to say the least."

"Haah, how on earth did someone like him manage to woo Maria..."

"W-woo? What do you mean by that!"

Maria squeaked in response to Friedrich's blunt voice.

Seeing Maria's fidgety demeanor, Friedrich shook his head.

"While I am indeed a brother who thinks highly of Maria, I am also the legitimate heir of the great empire. Isn't it strange that I can't even entertain such thoughts after reading your letter?"

"..."

Maria fell silent at Friedrich's explanation. She had forgotten in her flustered state, but the person standing before her was the imperial problem-solver, dealing with numerous rivals of the emperor.

Sometimes, Maria felt fortunate that he was family.

"Still, this is too much! Even if he is a student of the academy, how can a child of the imperial nobility treat me like this...!"

Friedrich trembled with rage.

This was the second visit. Of course, he had come without an appointment just after lunchtime, but was it reasonable to think that someone would take a nap at this hour for two days straight?

"Tomorrow is the last chance. If he refuses to meet again under the pretext of sleeping, I will have no choice but to take action."

At Friedrich's muttering, which was suppressing his anger, Maria kept her mouth shut.

In fact, Maria was one of the few who understood the power that Veris possessed better than anyone else.

Even if he was the crown prince of the empire, a genius who had astonished people during his time at the academy, in front of Veris, he was like a firefly in the presence of the sun...

But Maria chose not to voice that thought. Her brother Friedrich was someone who was filled with pride for the imperial family. It was fortunate that he had exceptional abilities; if he had been lacking in talent, he would have been the subject of ridicule.

'Is he tired these days?'

Since Friedrich quietly entered the academy, Maria had not met Veris even once.

If her brother had not been by her side, she would have barged into the mansion, which was truly regrettable.

* * *

"...Really?"

"Yes. He said he would come after lunch tomorrow."

"Does Maria have someone to bring along?"

Veris tilted his head at Arwen's report as he woke from a refreshing nap.

Moreover, it was not Delia, Maria's close friend, but a young man who was with her, which made him curious.

"The two of them... looked like siblings. He seemed older than Maria."

"Hm. Siblings, you say."

In that case, the answer was not difficult to find.

As the direct descendant of the reigning emperor, Maria had many siblings. Among them, the only one older than Maria was one person.

Crown Prince Friedrich of the empire.

Why would he suddenly come looking for her?

"I seem to have inadvertently committed a faux pas."

"It's not like it was a promised meeting anyway."

That was not incorrect. No matter how much of a crown prince he was, one would need to make an appointment first to prepare.

"Still, you could have woken me up, couldn't you?"

"...Veris-sama, you looked so comfortable while sleeping that I couldn't bring myself to do it."

At Arwen's calm voice, Veris smiled slightly.

"What a cute little thing."

It was truly an adorable action. The other party was a member of the imperial family, yet she felt hesitant to wake Veris, who had simply fallen into a nap.

"...Thank you for the compliment."

"Look at that?"

Veris's eyes sparkled at Arwen's strangely cheerful demeanor lately.

The elf girl, who had once completely closed her heart, seemed to have made significant progress in expressing her thoughts recently.

"Ahem. Veris-sama, what will you have for dinner?"

"Hmm... Should we eat out?"

Perhaps wanting to change the atmosphere, Arwen cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject.

That very action seemed quite cute to Veris, and he responded with a smile.

"I'm fine with that!"

Cecilia, who had been listening to Veris and Arwen's conversation for some time, burst through the door.

"Okay, then what do you want to eat?"

"Hmm... I heard there's a delicious pasta place nearby. How about that?"

"I like it. What about you, Arwen?"

"I will just follow Veris-sama."

"Then it's decided. We'll go to the pasta place Cecilia mentioned for dinner. Of course, it'll be in the southern district, right?"

"Yes! Veris-sama doesn't bother going anywhere else!"

"Sharp as ever."

Veris nodded. It seemed that, perhaps due to spending more time together, Cecilia had a better understanding of Veris than he had expected.

Time passed, and it was early evening.

Although they hadn't made a reservation, thanks to the owner's consideration upon seeing Cecilia's face, Veris, Arwen, and Cecilia were guided to the top floor reserved for VIPs.

"Nice and tidy."

"Right? The taste is amazing too. You'll definitely be pleasantly surprised!"

"...Since Cecilia says that, I'm looking forward to it as well."

Clack, clack.

Amidst their trivial chatter, while deciding on the menu, the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs could be heard.

Even though it was a newly opened restaurant, the third floor was very quiet, likely due to the limited number of VIPs allowed. But it seemed that someone as impressive as Cecilia had arrived.

"...Huh?"

Soon, a foolish voice came from the person who had climbed the stairs.

She was not the usual brown-haired, freckled face of a country noble girl, but rather the noble princess with pink hair that she usually boasted.

"What's wrong? Maria."

And then, another man climbed the stairs.

He had pink hair just like Maria. With a sturdy build and a sword at his waist, he appeared to be someone skilled in swordsmanship, yet seeing him casually belittle Maria...

"That's the crown prince."

Veris muttered to himself. It was impossible not to recognize his status, as he was practically advertising, "I am the crown prince."

"Oh?"

But perhaps he heard Veris's muttering from afar, as Crown Prince Friedrich's eyes lit up.

He glanced at Veris once, then turned his gaze to the two women sitting beside him.

Saintess Cecilia, Elf Arwen. Both women were those he had seen at the mansion when Maria had gone to meet someone she missed.

What did that imply?

That's right. The bastard with the blue hair was the one who had turned him down twice.

"Maria, am I correct in my assumption?"

"..."

Maria quietly nodded her head.

For some reason, from the moment she laid eyes on him, Maria appeared strangely excited. Seeing his sister in such a state, Friedrich approached Veris with a stern expression.

What caught Friedrich's eye was Veris's face, which, upon closer inspection, was oddly unpleasant. The iron sword provided by the academy was carelessly propped against an empty chair, giving off an impression of someone lacking in knightly qualities.

But what was strange was the presence he felt from the person sitting in the chair.

The atmosphere he exuded was almost frivolous. Yet, his mind was sending out danger signals like crazy; what kind of harmony was this?

"Nice to meet you."

"Are you perhaps the person I think you are?"

"That could be the case. I am Friedrich von Winsburg de Vera, the crown prince of the great Vera Empire, the legitimate heir of the empire, heir to the Kingdom of Bohemia, heir to the Duchy of Ostrand, heir to the Duchy of Deitz, Duchy of Mainz, and Duchy of Holstein. And... I am also the man who will test you."

"Why?"

Veris frowned at the lengthy self-introduction.

Friedrich furrowed his brow in response. He had introduced himself according to the noble laws of the empire, yet here was this fool spouting nonsense.

Regardless of Friedrich's feelings, Veris maintained his expression.

It seemed that Maria's eloquence, which rivaled Gunther's, was indeed hereditary, as the crown prince recited that long speech without stuttering a single word.

That aside, why on earth did he have to undergo the crown prince's test?

"...Why? Did I mishear?"

"You heard correctly. Why do I have to take the test of His Highness the Crown Prince?"

The crown prince trembled at Veris's audacious response.

Why? Why, you ask?

Because that bastard seduced my cute and lovely younger sister, that's why!

...The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but Friedrich swallowed them again with superhuman patience.

He looked at Veris again, and he was indeed a strikingly handsome man to the point of making one's head spin.

"Are you going to play dumb?"

Friedrich spat out coldly.

He was an unforgivable man. Seeing him so brazenly seduce a member of the royal family, Maria, made Friedrich's head feel hot.

"Oh, brother."

Maria, who seemed to have something to say, kept tugging at her clothes.

But Friedrich paid her no mind. It was typical for girls in love to react this way. However, for the sake of his sister, Friedrich could not stop speaking now.

Whoosh!

Thud.

Friedrich threw his white glove at Veris.

The glove landed precisely on the table, right in front of Veris.

The meaning was simple. A duel, which nobles take pride in. Friedrich was challenging Veris to a duel for honor and life.

"Brother!"

Seeing this, Maria gasped in surprise.

At Maria's reaction, Friedrich merely scoffed softly. "Don't worry. I'll only hurt you enough so you don't die."

Maria's face fell at his tone.

It seemed her brother was under a grand and terrible delusion.

A duel? A duel, you say!

Her brother, who lived in a fantasy where he could single-handedly take down a dragon, was challenging a duel, and a shadow fell over Maria's face.

She was not someone who didn't know what had happened to the inquisitor from the Holy Kingdom who had come to capture Veris not long ago.

She had seen him diligently preparing food ingredients for dinner, cleaning every corner of the mansion during the day, and finally rolling around under the pretext of physical training...

"You've made a big mistake."

"Tsk. Didn't I say I wouldn't kill you?"

There's a saying that the foolish are brave.

For the brother she cared for, Maria felt a strong urge to tell him that.

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