Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lark, who received the flask handed to him by the knights, wiped and shook his sweat-soaked head.

As the daylight pouring down on the gymnasium fell on him like a spotlight, a shattered light shone on his fine silver hair.

“Ugh…”

“What’s so dazzling? Why is the weather like this today?”

The knights who were staring blankly at Lark all covered their eyes and frowned. It must not have been because the rain was just too strong in the sunlight.

As if taking a picture in the middle of the training ground, this man caught the eyes of all other knights.

Lark van Raschmach Descartes.

He is the most popular person in the Empire, known as a ‘man to be like’ to men and a ‘man to want to have’ to women.

“Take a break, Sir Victor.”

“Oh, yes.”

Victor, who was looking pathetically at his fellow knights with their mouths wide open, shook his head and followed him.

“Come on, did I win?”

Lark, who sat down haphazardly in the shade, said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah.”

A gathering of talented people that no one can join, the glorious Knights of the Cartesian Empire.

Among them, Crown Prince Lark was the only competitor to Victor Diollus, the second division commander who boasts of outstanding skills.

“I trust you won’t forget our bet.”

“Ah.”

At Lark’s question, Victor nodded his head.

There was a bet on today’s match. The loser will grant a request from the winner.

“Then what is it that Your Highness wants to ask of me?”

“It’s no different, but these days, I’m a little embarrassed every time I’m in a noble’s meeting. It’s always the question of ‘when are you going to get married?’.”

“Aha. Well, Your Highness is very late.”

Crown Prince Lark was still unmarried and the position of the Crown Princess was vacant.

When he thought back on the steps of the royal family, it was customary to get married at a young age…

‘Coming to think of it, why didn’t I do it?’

It was certainly surprising that Lark, who is 19 this year, has not yet been at least engaged.

Victor asked, tilting his head.

“…If I line up a line for noble ladies who want to get involved with the prince, wouldn’t it be enough to fill ten laps?”

“Not anyone can just summon the rain.” (tl/n: he’s saying it’s not that easy)

Victor was startled by the unexpected answer.

“What? Don’t tell me there’s a commoner girl in your life who you want to promise the rest of your life passionately with?”

“Me?”

At Victor’s nonsense, Lark burst out laughing as if it was ridiculous.

“I feel like my fingers are shaking, so let’s refrain from talking about love and other childish things.”

Victor let out a deep sigh.

Crown Prince, Lark van Raschmach Descartes. He was a human being evaluated as being the most perfect among the successors of the Cartesian Imperial Family.

He excelled in politics, economics, and diplomacy. Lark was only thirteen when he negotiated friendship with the kingdom of Robben, a center of maritime trade.

What would the people want the most from the leader of a large country? Him, right?

Needless to say, Lark was also a soldier who would not dare to fight.

‘As long as there is a supreme commander, what happens after a war, there will be many victories… ’

The spirit contracted by Lark was a land spirit belonging to the highest class. Therefore, the battlefield he went to was unconditionally a stage where the imperial army had no choice but to have an advantage.

The rugged canyon became a flat plain, so the enemy couldn’t ambush them, and even if you’re on the defensive, the sand soldiers just stand up. It’s a power without limits.

It goes without saying that everyone praises Lark, who is such perfection itself. After all, they expected his reign and the development of the empire after his accession.

And Lark…

‘I will live for the empire for the rest of my life.’

To live up to those expectations, he was a man with an obsession to always be perfect.

‘Uninteresting human.’

Victor shook his head and thought.

He slept only 4 hours a day and didn’t even blink an eye despite his murderous schedule of government affairs and training!

However, this hard life was also a human being who is born as an heir and considers it his duty to have no fun!

“Ah!”

For a moment, Victor exclaimed.

This is because Lark suddenly made a bet and Victor vaguely guessed what kind of request he was going to make.

‘The fact that you suddenly brought up the story of marriage to me…’

Childish play of love is the most unnecessary and useless element in Lark’s criteria.

Naturally, his spouse, the Crown Princess, would be just one way to become a perfect leader for him.

What are the most ideal conditions for the crown prince that Lark wants?

‘Of course, it must be a woman who helps build his power.’

A woman from the Diollus family, comparable to the imperial family, would be what would stimulate Lark’s taste.

“Are you asking me to introduce you to my sister?”

“Oh, I like that you’re quick-witted.”

Lark smiled brightly.

“I can no longer leave the Crown Princess seat vacant. These days, I don’t even notice Nathan…”

“Is it about Nathan, the second prince? Why? No, do you really need to ask me this? What about Lilia, it’s easy to meet others through her, right? Oh my gosh, it’s normal to visit nobles’ tea parties every day…”

Lilia was, to be exact, Victor’s aunt, but she was three years younger than him, so he would treat her as a sister for convenience.

She is the youngest of the Diollus family, called the ‘swan’.

Despite her young age, she was already well known in the social world.

She resembled her mother, Molga, who had won the position of Duchess with only her beauty, and was incredibly beautiful.

‘Certainly, Lilia has a sense of the Crown Princess to light his eyes.’

But for some reason, contrary to Victor’s expectations, Lark frowned and shook his head.

“No? Not that one.”

“…What?”

“Isn’t Princess Lilia your aunt? I’m talking about your sister.”

For a moment, Victor took a deep breath.

Speaking of ‘his sister’, it’s true…

There was one more.

“…No way? Are you talking about Rubetria?”

Lark immediately nodded his head in response to Victor’s question, which was taken by surprise.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

~*~

“Why, what’s wrong?”

Casting the crown prince, who is the most famous celebrity in the empire at the moment, as a model.

As the first step towards accomplishing that great task, I took the pretty good advice of Wisht to use Victor, my second brother, who is close to the Crown Prince and made a rough plan…

“Is there a problem?”

For some reason, Wisht, who made the comment, had a shaky look on his face.

“No problem. Remember when you were Juliet Karenina? If the owner of a new clothing store comes to you and asks you to serve as a model, would you do that?”

“If the conditions are right? What does that have to do with getting sponsors?”

I drew a money shape with my thumb.

“Because it’s money.”

“Oh yeah. Sponsor. So you’re paying money to dress up a model to promote it?”

“That’s it.”

“So there is a weak point in that sponsorship.”

“What?”

“The Crown Prince doesn’t need money.”

“Ah!”

Was that a concern?

Looking at me, who burst into exclamations like a fool, Wisht clicked his tongue.

“You must have all the memories of Rubette, but don’t you know much about the Crown Prince? This guy…”

Wisht pointed to my face, and I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Is so boring who only cares about the prosperity of the empire. His image is the image of the imperial family, and his every move is censored terribly. In fact, I felt it every time I saw him, but he has a personality that takes people’s breath away.”

“So, if I ask him to be a model, he would do that, right?”

When I asked the question after cutting off his lengthy words, Wisht looked at me as if he was saying something natural.

“But you can’t pay money to ask for a sponsorship from him.”

“What?”

“Of course, money cannot move the Crown Prince. Didn’t you think of that?”

“Then what, do you have any other ideas? Something to make the Crown Prince move?”

Position, wealth, connections… The Crown Prince, who already has everything, cannot be moved by money, nor can he be moved by power.

However,

“If it can save lives, wouldn’t it be natural for a model to stand?”

Wisht paused, then asked with sharp eyes.

“…To save, you mean? The Prince?”

“Not bad. Save the Crown Prince and save the model. Won’t that kill two birds in one stone?”

I looked at Wisht with the Crown Prince’s face for a moment with pity.

“Honestly, it is a national loss to not live for a few more years with a face like that.”

That was because the Crown Prince, Lark van Raschmach Descartes, unfortunately, was going to die soon.

The imperial court of the Cartesian Empire, the center of a bloody power struggle.

This was because the second prince, Nathan van Raschmach Descartes, who was aiming for the successor position, succeeded in the assassination of the Crown Prince.