The Imperial Crown Prince
His shadow stretched as long as his tall frame.
The breeze from the open window made Lesban's hair sway gently.
His face was as chiseled as a sculpture, and beneath his cool eyes, which sparkled like stars, there was a cold, beast-like gleam in the shadows.
Lesban furrowed his brows and slowly released the maid's waist.
The maid, unsurprised, lowered her head and spoke stiffly.
“……I'm sorry.”
Lesban remembered the maid's momentary movement when she had faced him before.
Even though her reflexes were good, she had fallen backward and hit the ground, but the maid twisted her waist like the knights who had trained for years.
She seemed about to execute a fall technique.
“……Raise your head.”
Lesban's low voice echoed.
The maid's neckline, tied with her hair, was as exquisite as her fingers.
After a moment, the maid slowly lifted her face to Lesban's.
Her forehead was smooth, her nose straight, her beautiful blue eyes like a lake, and her lips neither too thin nor too thick.
The maid was indeed a beauty.
“……”
The maid staring at him had no fear in her eyes.
The demeanor of a woman who was wary but not afraid was somewhat out of place.
Although her slender, thin body was truly ordinary,
if she had trained enough to execute a fall technique reflexively, her hands wouldn't be so delicate.
A thought naturally brushed through his mind like the wind.
“……What is your name?”
'Fitting for the nickname "War Madness," Lesban's physique was large and sturdy, and while his face was handsome like the world's greatest beauty, the killing intent wrapped around his body like clothes made women instinctively fear him.
“I'm a maid.”
However, she answered boldly without trembling.
She had asked for the maid's name, but it was a maid.
“It seems you have no intention of answering.”
Lesban's lips curved slightly.
Despite the maid's bold response, she didn't answer.
Even though he had subtly infused a threatening aura, she remained unmoved.
With such a reaction, it was all the more interesting.
“……”
He hadn't forgotten anyone he had met once.
No matter how long ago they had met,
there was a subtle sense of familiarity in the flow of thoughts.
After a moment, Lesban spoke to her.
“……Go.”
At the Duke's training ground, Lesban and Kalian stood watching the soldiers' training.
There was a unique scent that one would notice upon facing a person's face up close, not just by smell.
Some might call it atmosphere, but it was more intense than that, which is why Kalian thought.
The Crown Prince's gaze carried the faint scent of blood.
A large, sturdy man in dark uniform, broad shoulders, chiseled nose and jawline, black hair swaying in the wind.
And those cold eyes reflecting the sword that had swallowed countless enemies without explanation.
With the final scream, the lives of countless enemies who had disappeared.
“I will support the conquest war of Agripa.”
Agripa is a fertile land in the southwest of the empire.
It was the destination the Crown Prince's army would soon head to,
and cooperation from the dukes was needed for another war.
“……And I will support the Duke's five thousand cavalry and three Sword Aura knight squads for the imperial army. Although not as much as His Highness the Crown Prince's personal knight squad, it will be of great help in commanding troops.”
It was once a fiefdom of the empire, and one of the territories that led the alliance of border lords and kingdoms twenty years ago when they struck at the rear of Turesian.
In the war where more than half the empire's power was annihilated, the empress, two princesses, and three princes lost their lives, and the only survivor was the nine-year-old Crown Prince Lesban at the time.
It was the empire's tragic history and the legend that birthed the War Madness Crown Prince.
“As expected, the conversation flows well.”
Lesban's lips curved faintly, and Kalian felt a deep chill.
After all, he would bring a decree with the imperial name next time, so refusing was pointless.
Well, Agripa was a land with sufficient profitability not only for food but also for mineral mining, so the price for military support would be sweet.
“May I ask you one thing, Your Highness?”
Lesban nodded slightly, and Kalian continued.
“Are you planning to recover all the old territories of the Turesian Empire?”
'The War Madness' Crown Prince Lesban had always stood at the forefront of conquest wars.
He trampled enemies mercilessly, spilled blood, and expanded the empire.
Although there was little territory left to reclaim, he would have to spill more blood for that.
“Brayton seems to be curious about it too. That kid never fears me.”
When mentioning his half-brother, the second prince who was backed by Claude, Kalian's hand trembled slightly.
The second prince Brayton was the son of the current empress, and he had just become a nineteen-year-old adult.
“He's still young.”
Lesban slowly drew the sword at his waist.
With a chillingly sharp blade clashing against the scabbard, all eyes turned to the Crown Prince.
“At first, it was just the thought of avenging my brothers.”
A low voice flowed in.
Clear Sword Aura glowed blue at the tip of the Crown Prince's sword.
“From some point on, I realized that I was born as a being who steals destinies.”
Then he swung the sword gracefully once, creating a slight crack in the air.
In an instant, dozens of meters away, the wooden doll was sliced and fell with a whoosh.
The soldiers training were far away, staring blankly at the Crown Prince.
Is this really politics of humans, or did he make a pact with a demon as the rumor goes?
Even without wind, blood scent wafted from the Crown Prince's side.
“……I will recover all territories of the Turesian Empire. And……”
His cool eyes moved gracefully, holding a cool debt.
“I will burn and destroy all the kingdoms and territories that pointed swords at Turesian twenty years ago. I will turn them into ashes, including those who cooperated with them, and the empire will swallow the consequences left by the traitors.”
“……”
“I would like to give you a chance to share in the glory of the final victory in the future. The nobles of the Torres are all cowards who tremble at the sight of a sword.”
Kalian hid his startled expression.
“Our Claude will support His Highness the Crown Prince with both heart and soul.”
“What a pleasant sound.”
Lesban slowly sheathed his sword.
Every action and word of Lesban had substance.
He was also the most knowledgeable in strategy, planned, and a man with the qualities of an emperor.
'If I let the opportunity slip, I'll have you transferred directly to the war.'
The reason he didn't call him to the palace but always came to the Duke's residence directly was to convey that the soldiers within the empire belonged to the Emperor, and the power of the Duke's residence was also the Emperor's.
“Then I'll have the servants prepare the carriage.”
When Kalian prepared to call the servant with his hesitant eyes, Lesban's voice rang out again.
“The carriage is……”
Lesban licked his lips.
The eyes like the sun flickered subtly, but no one noticed the change as if a small stone was thrown into the water surface.
“Prepare it near the lake. The scenery is quite good.”
Anyone else would have noticed before coming close.
However, Lesban was a master who habitually suppressed his presence.
Esika, who had to face him without noticing it, let out a small sigh.
And frowning her brows, she grumbled inwardly.
'Why does this Crown Prince guy ignore official duties and come to the Duke's residence every day?'
It wasn't every day, but a visit every five days, but for her, it was bound to be irritating.
Since she was wearing maid clothes and had deceived him by saying she was a maid, she shouldn't have to face him as the wife of Duke Claude.
After all, she had decided to uproot Claude completely, but it felt like an obstacle to her free movement.
Anyway, since the water was already spilled, she let out a small sigh and entered the Duke's residence's kitchen.
“This can't be called an elixir.”
“E-elixir?”
Through Sella, she had requested the chef to make the elixir according to the recipe by bribing him, but what he made was just tasteless sauce,
so she would have to tell him directly how to make the elixir.
“The little mouse hiding in my kitchen... who is it!”
When entering the kitchen's storage, a rough, thick voice came from behind.
Turning around, the short, fat, bald chef Hemos was sending a warning gaze at Esika while holding a large esophagus.
“Hoo...”
Esika let out a small sigh with her hand.
With a cracking sound, Hemos' eyebrows twitched.
Chef Hemos. The man who had prepared food for Esika's meals for days at a time to prove his loyalty to the grand duchess.
Once full of vigor under the grand duchess's prestige, but as the maid Yuli started giving jewels, the Duke's wife's interest waned, and his emotions were not good.
He was in a standoff with the new maid Yuli, and the typical small-minded person who is weak to the strong and strong to the weak.
The typical means it's easy to resolve.
Soon, a wicked light appeared in Esika's blue eyes.