In fact, Ikshid was enjoying the current situation very much inside, he was pretending not to look at the pair when in fact he was actually savoring the Duke's expression. His keen eyes did not miss the Duke's brows, which wriggled as soon as the box was opened and the golden fabric of the dress were visible.
The fact that he presented a golden fabric, which represents the Imperial family, meant that the woman who was given that gift, would be regarded as a person of the Imperial Family. Usually, this present was given to a servant or to his wife who pledged loyalty or alliance, but it could be used similarly enough in other cases. It can also be a token of affection for your beloved woman.
In fact, there were two dresses he brought as a gift for Eleanor. One was a dinner dress made of gold cloth laid above, which she viewed just earlier, and the other was a purple violet-colored evening dress that was folded underneath.
In public, the color that women avoid was not only golden. Purple was also a colored fabric that not anyone could wear carelessly. This was because it symbolized the Duke; the pillar of the Imperial family.
As soon as he heard that the Duke had brought Miller's younger sister into his residence as a guest, Ikshid had prepared this purple dress. It was a kind of entertainment for the playful prince.
At first, he was just about to make a light joke that he would actively support the next ruling Duchess, by simply presenting a purple dress to Miller's sister. The purpose of this futile gift was to enjoy the reaction of the duke, who was sipping tea, and the poor girl he was being associated with.
'If I only gave the purple clothes as a gift, it'd become only a light joke, so I didn't know that the golden clothes I put in to break down the atmosphere would give me an unexpected delight…'
Ikshid was well aware of the Duke's habit of rejecting women. The table that should have already had nine children felt empty, since Tashian maintained his single status, even though he was past the age of marriage.
Feeling somewhat regretful, the prince often made fun of him openly in front of his ministers and enjoyed the atmosphere. He didn't care if Tashian felt bad at all by such teasing.
It didn't matter to him whether or not there was a woman who if insufficient, like a servant, was kept in his heart until now. His concern was only when, how, and in what way the duke was involved with women.
'Eureka.'
Ikshid smiled satisfactorily like a cherry blossom in full bloom, and looked at Eleanor, who calmly opened the box, and the Duke who was watching her with a gloomy energy surrounding him, as if watching a break up play.
When the box was first opened and the golden cloth was discovered, the gravity of the Duke's expression was equal to someone lifting a heavy weight, that was ready to start a rebellion.
The Duke's hands, which dared not to take the gifts given by a prince of a country, and not to mention the royal family's clothes falling in the hands of a woman who was clearly in his mind, were tapping nervously moving back and forth, as he sat on his chair.
It was only Ikshid that couldn't just pass that unpleasant appearance as nothing.
"No, Lord. Is there something bothering you? I've never seen you so distracted."
"...It's not something that His Majesty would care about. If my attitude has caused concern to His Majesty, it would be right to accuse me of profanity."
Tashian replied with a cold voice. But Ikshid was able to read the warning in his voice.
In front of him, he pretended to be decent and held a teacup, but Ikshid was not unaware of the fiery nature of the Duke. Inside of himself Tashian was probably boiling as much as a firewood-filled kiln.
Ikshid smiled satisfactorily and continued to scratch at Tashian's temper.
"Hey, you look like a stiff statue. So, why don't you kiss the woman who will later be crowned as the Duchess? You guys should be a bit wild. Isn't that right, Elli?"
Eun-woo, who was suddenly mentioned in the conversation, opened her eyes wide like a rabbit in the meadow who found a hawk in the sky.
"Yes? Uh, um…."
"Your Majesty, it's only natural that the Duke Miller is an example for his sister to be a loyal servant of yours."
The Duke grumbled as if he was chewing on his words and quickly responded to Ikshid's words.
Eun-woo thought she heard a tooth grinding through his molars with his eyes closed with a frown on his forehead.
Maybe I was just mistaken…?
"Lord. Are you threatening me?"
"That's not fair."
"Why are you holding your fist like that?"
"You're seeing it wrong, Your Highness."
Tashian responded with a voice as cold as the wind, even in Eun-woo's eyes, there were clearly blue tendons appearing on his clenched fist.
"What do you mean I saw it wrong? Do you dare to make fun of me in public now?"
"Please kill me then, Your Highness."
"If I had done so, every time you whined to kill you, you would have already died a thousand times over."
"Please forgive the lack of my vocabulary…."
"Aish*! It's not fun. Let's stop."
(TN: Aish; is a term used to express something. Usually this term is used when you're mad, like the term, 'Oh my god.')
Ikshid picked up a Blanche cookie from a refreshment plate, like a five-year-old baby whining and bit it with a crackling sound. Tashian's eyes flashed. Eun-woo doubted that Tashian might be wanting to chew Ikshid like that snack at the moment and gulped.
'I thought the prince abandoning his duties as a member of the royal family was all the reason for treason, but maybe there was something else too…'
The silence continued, with only the rattling sound of the teacup echoing.
For Eun-woo, this position could not have been anymore visible.
Caught between the next owner of the empire, the crown prince, and the villain duke, who was planning on betraying him, the Prince, she had to listen to the poignant jokes they threw at each other all this while. Her stomach, which had been unwell, was almost relieved.
"Lord. Elli is scared because you're frowning so much. The tea cup in her hand is shaking right now, can't you see?"
"Your Highness, my expression is the same as usual. I suspect that it is someone other than me whom the Miss found so uncomfortable that her hand trembles."
"In other words, you're implying it is me."
"I didn't say anything of the sort."
"The only people here are her and me. If it's not you, the Duke, then it's me!"
Ikshid slammed and hit the table with his eyes. Tashian did not even cast a glance at him, but only sipped the tea with thinly-lidded eyes and replied with a sigh.
"… If you have conceived it that way in your mind then this Duke has no way to prove wrong the intentions of Your Highness that have flowed in such a way."
The invisible war of nerves between the crown prince and the duke made the air buzz as if the atmosphere had been struck by lightning.
Looking at the two men growling at each other in such a way that even monkeys and dogs could not growl, Eun-woo realized that the description of relationship between the two in the novel was only the tip of the iceberg.
The novel described both of them as Hellasium's golden hawk and black leopard. Even if you look at them one by one, they would be spectacular, but the bigger attraction was when the two gathered in one place to reveal their teeth and claws and fight.
The attendants brought by Ikshid looked comfortable without any wavering in their demeanor, as if they were already familiar with such a scene.
Only Eun-Woo, who knew the ending, was scared to death of the current situation. She tried hard to stop her head from exploding right away.
"Oh my, the weather is so nice. Look at the blue sky."
"How can I look at the sky in front of my eyes when I see that Duke Verk sees me as inferior to a weightlifter?"
Ikshid spat out a sigh with complaints. Eun-woo turned blue at the word 'weightlifting' that popped out of his mouth. But Tashian was also amazing.
He made another quick attack. Attacks which seemed to improve more and more as this verbal war went on..
"Just as a famous pen does not blame the brush, a gentleman does not judge the incision of a subordinate who has achieved success."
"In other words, I am not a wise Prince?"
"The interpretation depends on the listener's mindset. Think as you wish, Your Highness."
Eun-woo just wanted to die.
How on earth can one prevent a war of nerves with these two?
As she seemed to be sitting, carrying the scary weight of the uncomfortable atmosphere created by the two of them,. The touching bridge, which represents the two men's relationship, fell to the ground, and he held his hands over his face on the table. A serious expression, she saw for the first time, rose on his face.
"Now, let's stop warming up and get to the point."
Seeing the rapid change in this attitude, Eun-woo doubted what was the matter, as the prince seemed to have changed into another person.
No, does that mean everything has been just a joke so far?
Tashian maintained a consistent expression like a stone statue as if he was used to it happening.
"I was waiting for you to open your mouth. What are you going to do this time?"
"You must have received a letter from His Majesty earlier concerning the current situation with Marquis Miller. I have come here to give you a brief overview of the progress of the matter."
Eun-woo pricked up her ears. If it's about Miller, then isn't it about her brother? Ikshid hesitated when he noticed her sensitive reaction.
"…. I tried to call Eleanor separately to deliver the news, but this is what happened. Forgive this bad Brother for not delivering it earlier."
"Dear Crown Prince brother… Did something happen?"
Eun-woo pressed down on what she wanted and stamped her feet on the ground, and tried to ask calmly.
If Marquis Miller comes to pick her up as soon as possible, wouldn't she be able to get out of this suffocating duke's manor?
Ikshid, who had been silent for a while, soon confessed in a mixed tone of voice as if apologizing.
"Elli, my mouth has nothing to say to you. You are well aware that your brother left for Australch last month to carry out the orders of His Majesty. However, from the vicinity of the hazard council, your brother and all of his subordinates have fallen into a state of unknown identity, a place whose whereabouts cannot be confirmed."
Eun-woo looked up at the serious prince's face in a dark mood.
"According to the investigation team sent by the Imperial Kingdom, it was predicted that it might be due to a group of pirates in control of the strait."
Eun-woo asked back, interlocking her sweaty fingers .
"Warawi pirates?"
Ikshid grumbled as he touched his forehead.
"That's what happened. I've already recognized that your brother is not an ordinary person, but I didn't expect even the notorious bullies of the Warawi Strait to recognize him."
"Are you kidding me now… ?! If they are pirates, my brother's life is in danger!"
Eun-woo jumped up with both hands on the table. With the force of her hands, her teacup rolled over and fell to the floor with a gurgling sound.
However, the reaction of the two men was far beyond her expectations.
They answered immediately and casually.
"No, that's not true."
"Eleanor, that won't happen."
It sounded cold as if there was nothing funnier than that in the world.
Ikshid shook his head and said.
"That won't happen even if the sky splits into two sides. Maybe I'll see it once before I die."
"Don't worry. Whatever he does, he's the one who will live the longest among us four."
Ikshid briefly hardened his face as if seeing Diego Miller and imagining the sight of his death, and soon shook his head as if he had failed to do so. Tashian doesn't seem surprised by the news.
It was a weird attitude.
Eun-woo hesitated to say anything, left in a daze.
Obviously, in the novel, I think these three were once described as 'friends who will never die'…?