Apology with a Sharp Edge

Once I regained my full senses, I was overcome with anxiety. It was my first night away from home. Until yesterday, I had an unfounded confidence that my brothers would believe whatever excuse I threw at them, but that confidence evaporated the moment I woke up—perhaps it had just been the medicine talking. After feeding me breakfast, Erkel immediately called for a carriage. I slumped into the sofa. I wished I could just fuse with the furniture and stay there forever.

“Can’t I just stay a bit longer and go back after everyone has left for work?”

“Mmm. If you do that, Leo will probably come charging into the palace.”

It was too realistic a scenario to argue with. The entire carriage ride home, my heart felt heavy. I had never felt this much dread standing in front of my own front door.

Did my family really not know? My eldest brother has connections everywhere, and my second brother is incredibly sharp. It was hard to guess what they thought when they heard their youngest was suddenly spending the night at the palace. If I were them, I’d immediately assume something had happened.

Unsurprisingly, three of them were gathered there, excluding my second brother. My eldest brother, who apparently hadn’t even gone to work, ran over and hugged me, checking me over from head to toe. Thanks to the gallons of potions, the wound hadn’t left a single trace. My blood-stained shirt and soiled jacket had been replaced with clean, new ones. It seemed Erkel—or rather, Adeloa—had done a thorough job of keeping things under wraps. If even Cale didn’t know the truth, the others wouldn’t either. I made a point of acting confident. Cale let out a sigh of relief and kissed the top of my head. What started with my second brother had now become a family habit.

“When someone from the Imperial Palace suddenly arrived, I thought something terrible had happened.”

Well, something did happen. I ran off with a cat the Second Prince was trying to torture, ran into the Crown Prince, and got cut by his sword. Since I couldn’t possibly tell them the truth, I just gave a shy, embarrassed smile.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten. They said it would be better to spend the night at the palace and leave in the morning rather than taking a carriage so late…”

I had already coordinated the story with Erkel. Even if Cale ran to Erkel to ask, he’d get the same answer. It didn’t matter if the lie was transparent; my brothers wouldn’t try to dig into it.

As expected, Cale quickly regained his composure and asked if I had eaten breakfast. To avoid giving the impression that I had rushed home after an unauthorized stay, I had made sure to eat a leisurely, luxurious breakfast before leaving.

Just as I was about to slip away under the cover of that vague explanation, my second brother walked in. Do these guys not go to work? I felt a brief moment of sympathy for Cale and Leo’s superiors. I offered a silent apology to those nameless officials.

“Llewellyn.”

My second brother scooped me up and pressed his lips to the crown of my head. Eldest, third, Father, second. If my hair changed color every time someone kissed it, it would be stained pink by now.

Being carried effortlessly like a doll in my second brother’s arms, I was reminded of the cat that had burrowed into my chest yesterday. Come to think of it, did the Crown Prince take the cat? I had been so disoriented, and I certainly didn’t have the guts to claim ownership in front of him.

Still, surely someone of the Crown Prince’s status wouldn’t mistreat a speechless animal—or so I hoped. Then again, yeah, he did swing a sword at a human being without hesitation. I placed a hand on my neck, remembering eyes that were sharper than any blade.

If that sword had gone just a fraction deeper, I wouldn’t be walking around like this. I wasn’t sure if I should resent the Crown Prince for swinging his sword with intent to kill, or be grateful that he stopped in time.

Knowing that guy, he wouldn’t have even blinked if he had taken my head off right then and there. An angel’s voice whispered, “At least he stopped, isn’t that enough?” while a devil’s voice countered, “Do you really trust that lunatic?” Honestly, the roles might have been reversed.

“Did you see His Highness yesterday?”

Leo’s arms tightened around me. I flinched while leaning against his chest. As the Crown Prince’s personal guard, when he says “His Highness,” he obviously means the Crown Prince. There was no reason for him to mention Erkel, whom I see every day. But even though I knew exactly who he meant, I played dumb.

“Prince Erkel?”

“The Crown Prince.”

This was the “I have no idea what you’re talking about, big brother” strategy. I tilted my head and made sure to blink innocently. I didn’t expect to use the skill I learned from Lewis so soon.

My second brother, who took after our eldest, didn’t press me too hard.

“His Highness mentioned he had something to apologize to you for.”

…Never mind. He didn’t need to ask me; he already had proof.

A ripple spread through the rest of the family. It was as if a boulder—one wider than the pond itself—had been dropped into a lake that had just barely settled.

“Why the Crown Prince?”

Abel, the mage from the Magic Tower who hadn’t yet earned his title as an Imperial Mage, looked puzzled. He was the only one who hadn’t figured out the Crown Prince’s character.

“An apology? For what…?”

Cale’s voice was serious. He was the type who knew the Crown Prince too well. House Edwill often clashed with other families over political views—mostly with the Suenil family, the Empress’s house. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Naturally, we maintained a somewhat friendly relationship with the Crown Prince.

Only the Count, the seasoned politician, remained silent. At my father’s silent urging, my second brother explained.

“He said he wants to introduce a swordsmanship instructor to you.”

“A… swordsmanship instructor?”

I had been bracing my heart for whatever terrifying thing was about to come out, but this? This was a remarkably normal and plausible apology. Adding the fact that he took the cat to a reasonable apology, I gave him some points. The total score was still negative.

“So suddenly…”

Cale, who had initially accepted my words, began thinking again. Worried he might turn the palace upside down looking for answers, I decided to speak up first. If Cale set his mind to it, it was only a matter of time before he uncovered everything that happened yesterday. The skills of an Imperial Treasury secretary are specialized in finding errors in places that look perfectly smooth.

“I ran into him… by chance, near the library yesterday. I don’t really know what he means by an apology.”

I emphasized “by chance.” Since I had already pulled the “I don’t know anything” card once, the effect was diminished. I had no choice but to furrow my brows and look down. Aiden’s passive attitude can be frustrating sometimes, but it serves as a good model in cases like this—it makes people feel like they can’t pry any further. Eventually, everyone let it slide.

However, if I had known that the instructor the Crown Prince was introducing was Edward Spellman, I would have refused. I would have run straight to the Crown Prince and begged him to rescind the order. Thinking about it again, this was just wrong. I thought about it ten times, and it was still wrong.

Even Erkel was shocked to hear that the instructor was Spellman.

‘He… was a character meant to give Llewellyn everything. But I didn’t think he’d go that far without even being in love with you…’

The two of us racked our brains for a long time, but we couldn’t reach a conclusion. Why the hell is he doing this?

I pushed the theory that “the Crown Prince is a creep who has a thing for ten-year-olds,” but Erkel dismissed it. The author’s interpretation was that even if the Crown Prince was a total brat, he was good to the people he liked.

‘Since the Edwills are close to Annette, maybe he’s trying to keep them in check?’

That was the most plausible theory. Still, it didn’t fully clear the suspicion.

If he wanted to keep us in check, couldn’t he just invite us for tea a few times? Did he really need to go this far? The questions were endless, but the person with the answers had no intention of giving them.

Honestly, I had hoped that Spellman—who supposedly wouldn’t even teach the other princes—would refuse on his own. I was devastated to hear that he agreed the moment he heard I was Leopold’s younger brother.

Don’t expect anything from bloodlines. My second brother is brilliant because he is brilliant; I couldn’t understand why people expected great things from me just because we share a last name.

On the first day, suffocating with tension and anxiety, I expected him to show me a sword form and tell me to copy it like my brother did. Surprisingly, he brought a textbook. I agreed with his reasoning that there was no reason not to use a book filled with the accumulated wisdom and experience of generations.

‘If your body is weak, your head suffers; if your head is weak, your body suffers.’

I nodded at his philosophy that one needs a decent amount of both to avoid a miserable life. The old knight, who still had the physique of a young man, demonstrated a posture more perfect than the textbook and then told me to try. I shrank back, remembering my previous embarrassment, but he simply remarked without much emotion, “We’ll need to build your muscle strength first.”

And that is how I ended up here, suffering through laps around the training grounds.

The Crown Prince, who was “generous” enough to grant me use of the Imperial training grounds, was truly obnoxious. My only consolation was that he didn’t come to watch me practice. Imagining him mocking me as I gasped for air under the shade gave me enough strength to run another half-lap. Sir Spellman told me that the Crown Prince had personally said, “I hope he hones his talent and becomes a knight who offers his loyalty to the Imperial family.” Thinking about that gave me the strength for yet another half-lap.

Loyalty my ass, you jerk. Once I escape the original plot, I’m moving to the countryside without looking back.