Ran grinned at Eustaf's question.
"Male Lead."
"...what?"
Even Eustaf can't understand what she means at the moment. Ran smiled as if she were teasing him.
"What do you mean?"
"I won't tell you."
"As expected, you're drunk."
"I'm not."
"What the hell is that ending?"
"It's a long one."
"..."
Eustaf sighed loudly and began to walk again.
"Noonim."
"Huh?"
"I'm sure you'll be embarrassed tomorrow."
"...Fact bombing."
"What?"
"No, nothing."
Eustaf took Ran to her doorstep.
"Go to sleep."
"Yes, good night, Eus."
Ran waved her hand loudly and went inside . As Eustaf breathed lightly and returned to his room, he saw Blaine standing at the entrance.
"Sir Blaine?"
"Master."
Seeing him bowing politely, Eustaf felt tired and rubbed his eyes.
Fight all day long and then dinner. Even dinner. He was quite tired now.
"what is the continuation of the story from before? Come on in."
"If you're tired, maybe next time..."
"You'll let me wait? That's not right."
"I came at will and waited."
"I know."
In response, Eustaf went inside and clapped his fingers. Blaine followed him in and closed the door.
After sitting down and dragging his legs as if he was throwing himself onto the sofa, Eustaf said with his eyes closed.
"So?"
"You have given the Lord the Viridescent shadow."
Eustaf opened his blue eyes and looked at Blaine.
"Blaine Wild."
"Yes."
"You're not saying anything presumptuous."
The Viridescent Shadow isn't your problem.
"I'm sorry."
Blaine lowered his head slightly, and Eustaf raised one palm and made a gesture to continue.
"I'd like to let Ross escort the Lord."
"Ross?"
Eustaf looked up.
"You're not doing it?"
"Because I can't always be there for her. I'm sure you know Ross's skills."
"Yes."
Blaine is the Knight Commander, and he cannot remain attached to Ran. But how arrogant Ross is to Ran-While thinking about it, Eustaf laughed.
"That would be nice. But it's better to listen to Ran's opinion."
"All right."
Blaine bowed politely and left the room.
Ran's escort was a matter of continuous discussion with Blaine after it happened. He told me to bring me a decent escort, so he picked Ross.
'Whether it's conscious or unconscious.'
Ross is a representative Eustaf faction.
Of course, the relationship between Eustaf and Ran is not bad, but Ross was the representative of the man who saw it clearly in the mansion.
Ross will be an escort to Ran. Eustaf gathered his fingertips and closed his eyes.
"I'm sure he'll do well."
Eustaf smiled, muttering words that he didn't know which side he was talking about.
As Eustaf predicted, Ran was ashamed to death and decided to drink less.
********
The duel was of course private. If you have an open duel or something, you will become a gladiator.
The duel request was made by Eustaf, and the duel was held in front of the royal womb, as Ruth thought.
Officials from both sides were here. The referee did not exist.
Either way, it was a losing game for the one who called surrender.
'It's uncivilized.'
Ran thought so and tied a handkerchief to Eustaf's wrist wishing him a victory.
"Eus."
"I'll be alright."
Eustaf whispered low, looking at her speechless. Ran bit her lips and raised her wet, green eyes and said to him.
"Don't get hurt."
Instead of answering, Eustaf smiled faintly and turned away. On the other side, Ruth was already posing as the winner.
Olivia tried to tie a handkerchief to his wrist, but Ruth shook his hand to hit it.
"I can win without this."
Olivia smiled and looked down. The smile was so fresh that it was clearly visible to Ran far away.
'Wow.'
In the past few days, there has been a further deterioration between the couple.
I wondered if there would be anything worse there, but now the atmosphere is very....
The two faced each other at the ends of the sword. There was no starting signal. They seemed to stare at each other for a while, and the duel began.
"-!"
Eustaf frowned slightly.
'Does the sword ring?'
Whenever Ruth and the sword bumped into each other, a strange vibration was delivered to the sword. It was a vibration that was hard to hold the sword with my hand. Ruth's blue eyes grinned.
'Is it magic?'
I thought it would come out cheap.
So Eustaf wasn't very embarrassed. It was a little funny that he just intended to drop the sword from his hand.
Isn't it more moderate than you think?
'I don't think a wizard around you will cast a spell in real time. If it's a magical object, it doesn't last that long.'
Magic is instantaneous.
It took that much mana to maintain it for a long time, so it had to continue to consume mana.
So, the magic lasted about a minute at the longest. But a minute in a duel is big.
Eustaf breathed a long sigh and laughed.
"Is that all the in the cards?"
Ruth's face was distorted by the whispering question.
"You bastard!"
Angrily, he swung the sword wide. The next moment, Eustaf kicked his hand with his foot. The sword slipped out of Ruth's hand and fell to the floor.
Silence enveloped the garden.
"You..."
Eustaf said softly to Ruth, who trembled with anger or fear.
"Let's go pick it up."
"It's a sword fight!"
"No, it's a duel."
Ruth gritted his teeth and bent down to pick up the sword. He had to bend his back himself because he could not get help from his servant during the battle.
In shame and anger, Ruth immediately rushed to Eustaf without preparation as soon as he caught the sword.
Eustaf bumped into a sword. Another strange vibration came from earlier.
Ruth smiled as if he were showing his teeth. If you don't hit this baby's neck today, his anger will not be relieved.
I put pressure on the wizard and put magic on the sword. If you hit the sword a few more times, Eustaf's sword will be shattered, and if you stab yourself in the neck in the meantime, you're done.
It was a clean victory.
However, I really wanted to see Eustaf eyes filled with fear, but I didn't like the calm view of yourself as if you were insignificant.
'A hole in your throat will change your mind! You're giving me this shame?'
Every time he hit the sword, Ruth counted the numbers in his heart.
Now, three times, two times--
"Yaap!!"
While he shouts, Ruth hit the sword one last time.
Bang-!
With a burst of sound, Eustaf's sword exploded into pieces.
Ruth grinned, and something hit his face hard. A tremendous pain came to his face with a sprinkling unpleasant sound.
"Ugh-!!"
Covering his face with one hand, Ruth stepped back. He couldn't figure out what happened. It was painful and hard to breathe.
Then a second blow hit him, and Ruth reached the spot like a frog.
While looking at the fallen crown prince, Eustaf threw his sword on the floor with only the handle left.
Eustaf greeted the crown prince's observer lightly, and Olivia stood up from her seat, holding back from clapping without realizing it.
"Call the palace!"
When Eustaf returned to his place, Ran rose from her seat and hugged him tightly.
"I'm so surprised..."
Eustaf said with a relaxed look at the whispering words, hugging and letting go for a long time.
"It's a cheap villain's idea."
I knew that the vibration of the sword wasn't all about letting it go. I have also heard that the blade is broken by vibration.
So as soon as the sword was shattered, Eustaf slapped the prince in the face.
It was a blow to the point where the nose bone was crushed. The prince turned his head and kicked him to the end.
It was like a standard of clean fighting.
When the sword popped, Ran's heart seemed to sink. Unknowingly, her whole body flinched and trembled.
I hated the sensation of that moment even now.
And a clean shot, as if he had predicted Ruth's behavior, avoiding the sword that was poking straight. The ending.
However, Ran mumbled like a joke to calm down her nervousness.
"I've never heard of winning a duel with a kick."
"Because the sword is broken."
"Sword."
No matter how hard it is, the sword can't naturally break into pieces like that. Eustaf whispered as he looked at the prince being carried by the courtiers.
"Let's go back."
Ran nodded at his words.
"Yes, let's go back."
********
The story of Eustaf's victory was first known when he left the palace intact, followed by rumors of how he won quickly.
It was because everyone was waiting for the news, stamping their feet. Countless invitations arrived in front of the people who were there as observers, and everyone tried to hear the story somehow.
"The sword exploded suddenly."
"Oh, my God, can he do that?"
"It must be magic."
"It's disgraceful that he did it in a sacred duel."
"I can't believe he kicked it."
"I can't help it because he didn't have a sword."
"I heard a fist flattened the crown prince's nose."
"That's what it really is, right?"
"Yes"
The story of the prince's nose spread through laughter.
The palace and the wizards worked hard, but it was rumored that his nose would not be returned to their original state.
"It's a flat nose."
"No, it's a non-full nose."
The caricature of the crown prince spread rapidly, and even the commoners called him "Bifulco."
The Duke of Miro said, "No matter how hard it is, you kicked the face of the Emperor! I'll protest," but I couldn't help it because there was no sword. Because Eustaf's excuse for ' was very good - and why there was no sword, it was not beyond the expectation of the aristocrats.
The palace was strangely quiet.
So, Label felt strange when he saw a visitor without a rumor.
Eustaf was drinking tea in front of him with a calm face.
'Would you have been a nonchalant face if you'd been all over the door?'
Label thought about it for nothing. Suddenly, the chief of the palace said carefully that someone came, and someone said it was sir Lazia .
Eustaf Laban de Lazia. Lazia's next duke.
Everyone knew that Ran was a temporary duke, and he also knew that Lazia's duke changed as soon as he became an adult.
In addition, it is the center of current social rumors.
As for Label, it was not a very pleasant feeling.
"I don't like gossip."
When Label said, Eustaf put down the teacup and said,
"I don't like it either."
"Then you can't come here."
"If the story doesn't go out of the palace, there will be no gossip. Don't worry."
"huh?"
I was so full that the sound of "Oh, my gosh" popped out of my mind.
"Then what brings you here?"
"I heard you don't like being used."
"That's right."
"Then how about using it?"
A smile spread around Eustaf's mouth, giving him goose bumps on his back.
"I like to be quiet."
When Label said low, Eustaf said he beat his arm around the shoulder.
"The royal family has an obligation as a royal family. Like I have a duty as a Lazian."
"What kind of duty is it is it?"
"It's no use telling a man who doesn't know his duty, and it's a duty that doesn't need to be told if he knows."
Label peered at Eustaf. Eustaf spoke slowly.
"I don't want an answer right now. It's not like there's an answer I want. Give me the answer you want."
Label slowly opened his mouth to Eustaf's words.
"No one likes a force that's too strong. Being strong, in itself, makes enemies."
"Weakness doesn't mean you don't have enemies."
"That's true."
Label shrugged, and Eustaf got up from his seat
"This is all I need."
"I'm not going to be an actor."
Eustaf greeting without answering and left the drawing room.
Steam was still rising from the teacup where he left. Label swallowed a sigh.
'For the royal family, it is their duty.'
Label caressed the arm of the sofa where he was sitting.
Expensive armor made of black wood. A fluffy and delicately woven carpet, a glass sofa table, and a chandelier with crystal.
People who listen to cleaning and watching every day. The reason why they serve themselves.
The reason why you can live like this.
That's why it's your duty.
Duty is responsible, and power is obliged.
He has an obligation to the people of the Empire. 'You speak heavy words lightly.'
Label thought so and closed his eyes.
In other words, this is what Eustaf said.
-Do you think the Crown Prince deserves to be the Emperor? What would the Empire look like if he became emperor? Then what do you think about becoming the emperor?
Label was felt so empty and rubbed his face. It's going to be a tough road.
'And you never know, right? You might get your act together. Your father has yet to be corrected····."
And a wise brother-in-law-
While thinking about it, Label began to rub the forehead gently because it seemed to have a headache.
Surely the prisoner is wise.
A perfect partner for the Emperor.
'The problem is, you're not a good partner.'
To be honest, Label didn't like the Miro princess.
With silver hair, purple eyes, beautiful appearance, and a sense of politics, Olivia may be an ideal spouse in many ways.
But Label was strangely repulsed by her.
Is it because of the Duke of Miro unique pride?
Marriage is a political issue for nobles, especially the royal family, and spouses are political partners.
However, Label had a romantic dream that was not like an imperial family. At least I want to marry someone who has a heart.
'Maybe it's because I read too much.'
He laughed bitterly thinking so.
'Can't we just postpone our answer a little bit? He might have become humble because of this duel, right?'
No, he doesn't even want that, but he might polish himself with revenge because of his anger toward Eustaf. Taking comfort in that way, Label decided to hold back His answer.
He rose from his seat and left the drawing room. There was no window in the reception room, so he took a deep breath of fresh air as soon as he came out.
'It's cloudy.'
The outdoor ball that will be held today may have to be closed.
Label thought so.