LP 3.5 The Prince’s Rebellion

Something, a very ominous energy. He could feel it without having to look back, without having to confirm it with his eyes. Simply by existing in the same space. His skin prickled, and his shoulders grew heavy.

After receiving ‘that something’ from an attendant, Lucian bowed his waist toward Kosha once more.

Clink. Something metallic rattled in his hand with a clear, metallic sound. Kosha jumped in his seat at the sudden rush of a terrible feeling.

They were handcuffs.

Made of Idelma Gold.

No way. Surely not. Why such a heinous object? Kosha unconsciously held his breath at the sight of that vicious item, which disrupted a Mage’s mana flow just by being nearby.

“Put your arms forward.”

As the words fell exactly as expected, Kosha’s eyes were clouded with despair.

“…Are you talking to me?”

No, wait, it must be a joke. Kosha tried to laugh, “Ahaha.” But no one laughed with him. Lucian, whose expression had vanished from his face before he knew it, merely gestured with his chin as if urging him on.

“Uh… Your Highness, that, that is made of Idelma Gold. And Idelma Gold, to a Mage—”

He tried to check, just in case there had been a mistake.

“I know.”

“…….”

“Hurry.”

He was merciless.

His hands trembled, and he swallowed hard. The lizard hopped frantically on his thigh.

Looking around instinctively was useless. Mylotte had his gaze cast down from the start, and Gosrick sighed and looked away the moment their eyes met. And Eydrick…

…He looked troubled. Just as his flickering black pupils met Kosha’s and his tightly closed lips were about to part—

“Where are you looking?”

Lucian grabbed Kosha’s cheek and turned him toward himself. Those blue-gray eyes were far too close. Close enough to feel his breath.

Lucian slowly scanned the faces the Mage had been looking at. His gaze lingered a bit longer on the young knight where Kosha’s eyes had rested last. There was no expression on the knight’s straight features, but his jaw was clenched, making the muscles stand out.

Lucian watched that sight with indifference.

A lord does not need to treat his vassals emotionally.

Nor should he.

The blue-gray gaze returned to the Mage. He was pale, devoid of color, as if shocked. That was the only flaw on that face.

“…Were you hoping someone would help you?”

The Mage must also be his vassal.

Since this was a venture started to sit upon the throne, it had to be so all the more. To a king, everyone except the Queen is merely a subject.

“There is no one here who can do that. So, quietly put your hands out.”

Even while rushing about, he had been constantly worried that the Mage’s health had deteriorated; even though he had eventually sent meals to ensure he ate and slept. Even though he had ordered a thorough search of the castle the moment he realized the room was empty, pushing everything else aside.

Nothing changed.

The Mage must be his vassal, and a lord does not need to treat his vassal emotionally.

“I was only trying to help. I wanted to be of use.”

The cornered Kosha tried to protest, but it was utterly useless. Lucian urged him softly.

“Don’t make me angry.”

Don’t make him angry? If he didn’t want to be angry, couldn’t he just manage his own heart…?

It felt unfair and frustrating, but he couldn’t escape. Eventually, Kosha slowly raised his arms. Even then, as he hesitated, unable to bring himself to extend them, Lucian pulled them toward him without mercy.

The handcuffs snapped around his thin wrists.

Click.

The moment the lock engaged, the lizard climbing up his arm began to fade, starting from its tail. The handcuffs were fastened to the other wrist as well, and soon the lizard became completely transparent and vanished.

The handcuffs were only about the thickness of a finger joint, but to the Mage, it felt as if boulders had been tied to his arms. His strength drained away, and his thin body collapsed.

Lucian reflexively caught and held him. Kosha gasped for air.

“Your Highness.”

“…….”

“You’re too much…”

He had taken a risk for him. Of course, it wasn’t something he had been ordered to do, but it hadn’t resulted in a bad outcome…

“I agree.”

After staring at Kosha for a moment, Lucian replied, his brow furrowing slightly. It was a somewhat unfamiliar expression, and just as Kosha paused—

“It really is too much.”

Lucian lightly kissed Kosha’s forehead.

It was an act far too private and intimate to show in front of his vassals, but he seemed unaware of his own actions. While the vassals hurriedly looked away, he naturally lifted Kosha up, cloak and all.

Laying Kosha down on a bench in a corner, Lucian covered the pale face with the cloak.

“Rest. You must have worked hard wandering around all night.”

Kosha couldn’t answer. He could only wriggle slightly, wrapped in the cloak.

His arms were numb, and his body felt limp. The effect was violent compared to the size of the object. It seemed to be made of something nearly pure gold.

His head buzzed, and his mind was hazy. He could barely hear the conversation Lucian and the vassals were having right beside him.

If Bastian had a mistress… the contract conditions when marrying the Princess…

Then Sir Mathers that night… the relationship between Sir Mathers and Bastian…

Bastian’s current expedition… if Ollet’s army joins forces…

If the Princess bears an heir… the position…

Every word came in fragmented pieces.

Bastian, right, that was the name. Bastian wasn’t a prince whose name was as well-known to the public as Lucian’s, so it still felt unfamiliar even after hearing it a few times. Kosha thought to himself with a foggy mind.

Then was that unsettling energy spreading through the East Wing the work of Bastian’s Mage? What was the name, Alpi… something-or-other. But it was strange; the man who was Lucian’s half-brother didn’t seem like the type of person a Mage would associate with.

Mages and humans generally don’t get along, like oil and water, but rarely, a Mage decides to serve a human. Kosha hadn’t seen many humans loved by Mages, but those humans always had something in common.

Every single one of them harbored something burning inside.

Energy, momentum, passion, drive. Whatever one called it. Whether it was good or bad.

But Bastian… was not that kind of person. Although it was only a glimpse… it didn’t seem like any Mage would be drawn to him.

But Alpi… something-or-other was a very rude fellow for a Mage, so perhaps his taste was just strange. Besides, Izelant Mages might have different tendencies.

So if Al-something really is Bastian’s Mage…

Following the flow of consciousness, Kosha finally steadied his mind and raised his hand. With his strength gone, it was practically just a limp flailing. However, as he continued to wriggle persistently, Lucian eventually looked back toward where Kosha was lying. His gaze was sharp.

“What is it now?”

“I have something to say, and I was wondering if it would be alright…”

Even with his strength gone and his voice like a thin thread, Kosha politely requested the right to speak.

After all, he was in a position where he had been put in Idelma Gold handcuffs for wandering around without permission, so he feared that if he spoke without permission, he might end up in shackles.

“…It’s not asking to have the handcuffs removed; it’s something important.”

Kosha quickly added, fearing he might be misunderstood as trying to say something useless.

Lucian frowned with a look of slight annoyance for a moment, then strode over. Looking down at the hazily lying Kosha for a moment, he knelt on one knee beside him. Then he turned his cheek.

“Speak softly.”

He tapped his own ear. What a sensitive and secretive man. Kosha let out a groan and pushed himself up.

“I saw a Mage around the West Wing…”

As he pressed his lips to the ear and whispered, he felt the muscles in Lucian’s neck and shoulders tighten heavily. Is my breathing bothering him? He felt unnecessarily self-conscious while speaking…

“Why are you telling me that now?”

He abruptly turned his head mid-listen and gripped Kosha’s cheek. In an instant, his lips were pressed flat like a goldfish’s again. Kosha mumbled.

“At the time, I thought it was nothing… I told you I erased all the traces of sorcery.”

“The sorcery isn’t the problem; you’re saying you encountered them?”

“Yes, but it was very brief.”

As he answered blankly, Lucian’s mouth hung open. He looked as if he had a lot to say, but eventually, he shut his mouth tight and sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

He seemed quite shocked. Indeed, having a Mage attached to the enemy was not pleasant news. As if to encourage him, Kosha carefully took his hand and continued.

“Still, they won’t be able to invade this far. I’ve already told the geese. They might be less of a threat than you think.”

“…….”

“But since things have turned out this way, if you unlock the handcuffs, I think I could be of more help…”

He tried to slide the suggestion in while looking for an opportunity, but all that returned was a sharp gaze. He even looked somewhat resentful.

If anyone should be resentful right now, it should be Kosha, so why was he looking at him like that? Just as he felt unfairly treated again, Lucian covered Kosha’s face with the cloak once more.

“Just sleep.”

He heard the sound of footsteps walking away through the soft fabric.

I’m not even asking for praise, so if you’re going to tell me to sleep, you could at least give me a kiss before you go.

…Is it because people are around?

Still…

Pouting to himself, Kosha slightly lifted the cloak and peeked at Lucian. Surrounded by his vassals, he looked frantically busy again.

…There are humans who are rarely chosen by Mages.

But that was probably not a choice, but an irresistible attraction they couldn’t help.

He had never gone around asking Mages who chose humans one by one… but now that it had happened to him, he felt he understood.

So, even if he felt a bit disappointed, there was nothing he could do. What could he do when the man looked so radiant?

Kosha let out a deep sigh. Then he curled his body up inside the cloak.

Because of that, he didn’t see Lucian flinch and look back at the sound of that small sigh.

---

When he opened his eyes again, the surroundings were silent.

He was wrapped in a cloak, and his arms were still numb. When he tried to move a little, the metal clinked at his wrists.

He didn’t remember when he had fallen asleep, but there was no way he could have slept properly wearing such a heinous thing. He must have fainted after tossing and turning.

Still, after waking up, he felt a bit more accustomed to it—accustomed? Could one actually get accustomed to Idelma Gold?—the sense of helplessness was lessened. Just as he lifted his head to look around—

“Why do you keep wriggling?”

A low voice echoed from below. Startled, he almost rolled off, but a firm arm instantly wrapped around Kosha’s shoulder and held him in place.

“…Your Highness!”

His senses had been dull, so he hadn’t realized. He had been lying on top of Lucian.

No wonder the floor felt exceptionally hard. As Kosha calmed his racing heart, Lucian slowly unwrapped the cloak around him, like removing gift wrapping.

Cold air brushed against the tip of his nose.

“Why were you sleeping here? Did I wake you?”

“I only closed my eyes for a moment, so don’t worry about it.”

He replied in a slightly husky voice.

“If I didn’t want to be woken up, I would have slept elsewhere.”

“…Still.”

Kosha mumbled. He felt a deep sense of fatigue from the man who was hugging his waist and rubbing his forehead against the nape of his neck.

No matter how good his stamina is, this is a forced march. And yet he keeps telling only me to sleep.

“Um, Your Highness.”

He couldn’t just leave him alone because he felt unsettled.

“If you unlock the handcuffs just once, I’ll use fatigue recovery magic for you.”

He made a cautious proposal, but the reaction was slightly different from what he expected. Lucian, who had been burying his face in Kosha’s chest after moving down from the nape of his neck, snapped his head up and glared fiercely.

“Are you going to keep doing that?”

“…Do… do what?”

“Keep being so gentle… No, never mind.”

He spat out the words irritably, then waved his hand. As if he didn’t want to say any more, he buried his nose back into Kosha’s embrace.

It didn’t work…

—The thought flashed by so faintly that he barely noticed it himself. To think in a Mage-like manner, Lucian was simply too close.

Feeling sorry that he looked so tired, Kosha hugged him back even with his handcuffed hands and gently stroked his back. At that, Lucian, who had been acting sharp, suddenly laughed as if he found it absurd.

“After what I did to you, you still feel like giving me fatigue recovery or whatever?”

“Uh… are you talking about the handcuffs?”

Kosha tilted his head at the unexpected question.

The handcuffs were the result of his unauthorized outing, and the recovery was because he looked tired. Were those two things supposed to be linked?

“…But if you regret putting the handcuffs on me, anytime—”

“You.”

He tried to slide in another word, thinking this might be an opportunity, but he was completely ignored.

“I’m just glad I caught your eye.”

“…….”

Glad?

Kosha tilted his head again.

As he said… rather than catching his eye, the Mage had ‘chosen’ him. And from a Mage’s perspective, a life without someone to ‘choose’ is the most ‘fortunate’ life.

Interpreting the silence in his own way, Lucian raised his head again. After studying Kosha’s ambiguous expression for a long time, he even sat up abruptly.

Consequently, Kosha, who had been on top of him, ended up sitting on his thighs. Lucian gripped Kosha’s face and forced their eyes to meet. His expression didn’t look very pleasant.

“Why, you think it’s not?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that…”

Flustered, Kosha blurted out.

“No, I mean, there are ways to not be noticed at all. If I had just kept living in that village where I originally lived…”

Remaining a gooseherd could have been one way of living. If so, while not that happy, it would have been peaceful.

But… he had caught Lucian’s eye. He had seen that radiant person. Unable to resist the pull, he kept going to see him.

Who exactly was the one who seized the ‘opportunity’? Was it Lucian, who gained a Mage, or Kosha, who threw himself toward the brilliant light?

As Kosha’s words trailed off into a mumble, Lucian’s eyes narrowed. The atmosphere sank further.

“…Of course! I think it’s a relief that it was Your Highness, if I was going to be noticed anyway.”

Still, being somewhat perceptive for a Mage, Kosha quickly added. He even showed a bright smile a beat later… but Lucian did not smile.

“That village…”

He murmured under his breath. He looked deep in thought.

“…Come to think of it, you said you met Bastian’s new mistress.”

He said they had known each other since that village—he muttered. Then he abruptly stood up.

Kosha, who had been sitting on his lap, was pushed up along with him. Lucian suddenly grabbed his handcuffs and pulled.

The expensive cloak that had been wrapped around him slid straight to the floor. It tangled around his feet as he was dragged.

“Your Highness?”

“I need to check something.”

Lucian lifted Kosha up and hung the chain of the handcuffs on a candelabra attached to one wall of the office.

In an instant, he was in a position like a child being punished, facing the wall with his arms raised. The candelabra was strangely high, so he had to stand on his tiptoes. Kosha looked back at Lucian in bewilderment.

“Huh? Check what?”

“Whether you did anything inappropriate with that woman.”

The tone was so natural that it sounded as if he were asserting a natural right.

Inappropriate…? Kosha had to struggle for a moment to interpret the meaning of those words. At the same time, the large body pressed Kosha firmly against the wall.

“No way, do you think I did something strange with Merda?”

When he turned his head in surprise, his body was already tightly wedged between the man and the wall. Lucian, however, calmly pressed his lips to his ear and asked back.

“You didn’t?”

“How on earth did you come to think that?”

“Well, thinking that if that slutty bastard could seduce a woman with his body, taking down someone like you would be a piece of cake.”

The choice of words was crude, but the voice was soft. Simultaneously, a large hand slid inside the gray robe.

All Kosha was wearing underneath was still that one-piece nightgown. He stamped his feet, feeling as though he might as well be naked, but Lucian asked in a low voice.