On the outskirts of the Roverium Kingdom's capital city, an old and shabby three-story building caught Ferzen's attention.
Although it was a place that could only be described as dubious and certainly warranted caution.
Ferzen quietly pushed open the creaking door and entered.
Cobwebs near the window and thick layers of dust on the windowsill hinted at how long the building had been neglected.
Step-!!
Step-!!
He ascended the stairs, the sound of his footsteps echoing, and reached the third floor, the location specified on the paper.
There, he found the Second Prince of the Roverium Kingdom, Inas Del Prossiam Roverium, seated in a shabby chair.
"Are you here?"
"…It's been a long time since our last meeting."
After taking a seat in the shabby chair opposite Prince Inas, Ferzen remained silent.
"Lord Louerg."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"People say life is a series of choices."
"...Indeed."
"Doesn't that mean that the more options someone has when making a choice, the more competent they are?"
"You are not wrong."
"...If that's the case, then the person with the fewest options must be an incompetent one."
"…..?"
"Was it because my ambitions were too lofty, or perhaps because those ambitions didn't suit the circumstances? As time passes, I become increasingly bitter at my own incompetence."
"Blaming yourself will only lower your self-esteem…"
"It's not self-blame."
With a worn expression, Prince Inas offered Ferzen a bitter smile.
"I don't have a confidant by my side with whom I can freely share my inner thoughts… That's why I'm here talking to you, a foreign aristocrat."
"…?"
"It's quite ironic."
Yes, it was indeed, ironic.
After all, the Ernes Empire had held the Roverium Kingdom as its vassal state for a long time.
The choices forced upon them now were…
Would they fan the flames of war?
Or…
Would they quietly continue as the vassal state of the Ernes Empire?
"Yesterday… I had a lengthy conversation with my older brother."
"..."
"I've decided to consider your side's opinions."
"..."
"Can't I at least get… a thank you from you?"
"Thank you for making a wise choice…"
"Haha… I know you also understand that it's not a wise choice."
Prince Inas picked up an opulent glass from the worn out table nearby and sipped wine from it after speaking. He must have already consumed a fair amount before arriving, as there was a faint hint of intoxication on his complexion.
"It's said that the brightest star… is the one that has yet to be discovered."
"..."
"Using that argument, I believe I've yet to live… the best day of my life."
"..."
"What can be built upon a ruined country? That's why I chose to do something only an incompetent person would do. I knew it wasn't the best option, but I chose the next best thing to avoid the worst."
A king who couldn't share the weight he carried.
Prince Inas was clearly revealing his loneliness and anguish.
…Perhaps, if Brutein didn't exist.
The current Imperial Family of the Ernes Empire would resemble him.
"Lord Louerg..."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"In the future… a very distant future…"
"..."
"Our kingdom will thrive."
"..."
"We will free ourselves from your empire's rule. We'll become a nation that your empire is anxious to establish friendly relations with…"
"..."
"Perhaps another empire will rise!"
Despite his smiling eyes, his tone was far from cheerful. Ferzen could hear the tremors in his voice as if he was holding back tears.
Perhaps that was why Prince Inas appeared even more wretched.
The story of him burying his face in Princess Elizabeth's skirt and weeping like a child didn't seem to be a fabrication.
That's how fragile his figure looked. It seemed like he would tumble helplessly from the edge of a cliff even at the slightest of touches.
"Do you think… my dream is too grand?"
"No, Your Highness."
Ferzen replied, shaking his head.
"Dreaming means leaving your footprint in a destination where the road leading to it has not even been paved yet."
Even if one day they become a lost child.
That footprint would become a guide for them to move forward correctly.
Therefore, a dream is the primal driving force that enables a ship to leave its safe harbor and stay true to its original purpose.
"Haha… Among the words I've heard lately, your words will undoubtedly be the ones most deeply entrenched in my mind..."
As if presenting his own tragedy as a comedy, Prince Inas laughed a bit louder and turned his head toward the window.
"Lord… No, Ferzen Von Schweig Brutein."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"If I…"
"..."
"If I were the Emperor of your Empire, would your loyalty remain as unwavering as it has been throughout history?"
Sensing the sadness in his trembling voice, Ferzen remained silent for a moment before slowly rising from his seat.
"Yes. I am a Brutein. If you were the Emperor of the Ernes Empire, I would show the same unchanging loyalty."
"..."
"Inas Del Prussiam Roverium. You are a powerless vassal prince, mocked as a fool by the world."
"..."
"I don't know whether you will be consoled by my words or not, but let me say it nonetheless. You are, by no means, incompetent."
"..."
"You are... a capable prince."
Those were not empty words.
If only there had been a sturdy ship, unyielding to reefs and sailors who would brave the storms alongside him, the present Roverium Kingdom would have shone even more brilliantly.
When Ferzen saw him responding to his words with nothing but tears, he turned his back.
He left the shabby building and set foot on the street.
It seemed that he no longer needed to be by Prince Inas's side.
Of course, he could have said a few more words to him.
However, life was a place where the winner often had nothing to say to the loser.
Ferzen moved forward, gazing at the bright sunlight streaming from the sky.
...And afterward, only the mournful cry of a sorrowful prince adorned the vicinity of the crumbling building on the outskirts of the Roverium Kingdom's capital.
* * * * *
When Ferzen arrived at the base, the other delegations were already taking a brief lunch break after the morning meeting.
Ferzen naturally took a seat beside Prince Raymond.
"Are you here?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Ferzen."
"..."
"Did he tell you which one he prefers? Is it dawn, or is it dusk?"
The question the Crown Prince posed was metaphorical, but Ferzen grasped its true meaning.
"He said he really likes… the dusk."
"Is that so..."
The prince sighed lightly, a hint of relief in his expression, before offering a wry smile and tilting his head back.
It was often said that nothing could be built on ashes. However, if there was one thing that could be constructed atop ashes, it was peace.
After all, peace without paying a price was an elusive concept.
In this world, it didn't exist.
Humans, unlike any other creature, understood this deeply.
Ironically, what followed human misfortune was the happiness they deeply yearned for.
The crucial factor was whether the subject of that misfortune was oneself or someone else.
"… The food will get cold. Let's eat."
"I understand."
The meal continued in a tranquil silence.
* * * * *
Dawn lingered as the sky glowed in a bluish hue.
The bedside clock displayed 3:00 AM.
Today, two days after Ferzen's meeting with Prince Inas, was supposed to be the day when the First Prince delivered a speech from the Royal Castle.
As long as Prince Inas delivered the agreed speech, things within the Roverium Kingdom would come to an end.
Nevertheless, Ferzen found it hard to be at ease, even though things had been proceeding smoothly.
His unease stemmed from his knowledge that Princess Elizabeth, gifted with the ability to foresee the future by the God of Wisdom, had predicted an ominous event.
Of course, that ominous event might not necessarily mean the Roverium Kingdom becoming a vassal state of the Elmark Empire.
If the form of the ill fortune had been more specific, he wouldn't be sitting by the window at dawn, consumed by tension.
'Even if I try to fall asleep again with the help of alcohol…'
The current hour was too precarious for such a remedy.
Ultimately, Ferzen decided to carefully leave the bed and sit by the window, so as not to wake the slumbering Yuriel.
The view of the darkened kingdom, bereft of lights, was so tranquil and desolate that it sent shivers down his spine.
Yet, for some reason, the stillness and desolation gradually soothed Ferzen's troubled mind.
"You can't sleep?"
"… Did I wake you up?"
"… No, I wasn't in a deep sleep either."
Yuriel, rising hesitantly from the bed, approached him and gently embraced him.
"I suppose… you can get nervous too, huh?"
"This was my own doing. It would be odd if I wasn't nervous."
"Here…"
"Is it about Roer?"
Flinch-!!
"You… are aware?"
"In the first place, all those who were attached to him were the retainers of the Alfred family. If they are not reporting to the distant Alfred family, it will be delivered to you."
"Firstly… There was nothing wrong with him."
"I am aware. If you knew that he was showing suspicious signs, you would have said something to me earlier."
"..."
"However, I can't help but wonder because he is so silent."
"There is nothing he can do in this situation."
"Just because you put shackles on his ankles and take the key away doesn't mean he will not be able to throw you off."
"..."
"If he accepts the pain of having his bones cut and his flesh being torn into chunks… It is not impossible."
Roer was someone who had enough hatred to accept that kind of trade.
"Aren't you…"
Being overly cautious of Roer?
If he was going to pay this much attention to the past.
Why did he even break Lizzy's foot so mercilessly?
A question arose in her mind, but Yuriel could not continue her speech because she had an inkling that if she delved into that point, she would surely touch his wrath.
In all honesty, she wanted to know.
The other side that Ferzen was hiding.
As well as everything that he hides.
However, contrary to such feelings, Yuriel did not wish to be hated by Ferzen.
So she buried her curiosity deeply.
"Yuriel."
"Mn…"
"Are you curious?"
"Huh?"
"About why I broke Lizzy's foot even though I pay so much attention to Roer?"
"..."
Ferzen stopped stroking Yuriel's hair and spoke in a low voice.
At that, Yuriel bit her lips tightly.
The silence that lingered in the room coupled with how desolate the outside was, made it feel like time had stopped.
Perhaps because of that, Yuriel could hear Ferzen's heartbeat vividly.
...His heart was beating quickly and irregularly.
This was undeniable proof that he was nervous.
'How petty…'
Because Ferzen was showing a weakness that he rarely showed,
Yuriel had no choice but to suppress her greed and slowly shook her head.
"It will take time for me to prepare."
"..."
"When I am ready, I will tell you."
Ferzen deliberately said 'tell you' rather than 'tell you too'.
Had he chosen the latter, It might have sounded like Euphemia had already known his secret.
He didn't need to make her jealous unnecessarily, so Ferzen just gently brushed Yuriel's hair that was in his arms again.
Even though it was not exactly a promise, when Ferzen gave a definite answer that he would tell her something he was hiding from his own mouth…
Happiness bloomed in her heart.
The moment a secret was shared with other people, there was a risk that it would not be a secret any longer.
Therefore, it was safe to say that the reason why he would tell her was because he trusted her.
He saw her as his wife, as a companion with whom he would be spending the rest of his life.
Maybe it was a sign that he was slowly acknowledging it.
…She wanted to give him all of her worth.
Yuriel laughed briskly and rubbed her cheek against Ferzen's chest.
With the silent and desolate street in the background, the two of them shared each other's warmth.
Before long they were able to watch the beautiful sun rising brilliantly, dispelling the darkness.