The corners of Froch’s composed eyes twitched. His face crackled with rage, and he looked back at Cadel.

“Are you going to kill me here……?”

The entire restaurant was rented out, and Froch and Cadel were the only customers inside. The waiter and chef hadn’t been seen since they served the knights outside. The knights Froch had brought in to escort him had been drugged and there was no telling what state they were in. Froch had every reason to be worried.

But there was no fear in his eyes, even in the face of a threat to his life. He was certain that Cadel could not kill him here.

Between Cadel and himself, there was a status difference, a diplomatic position, and Lumen that could not be ignored. That was what he believed, and in places like this, Froch’s instincts tended to work pretty well for him.

“It can’t be, an Imperial Knight Commander assassinating a foreign honored guest. I can’t imagine how I’d clean up the mess. Besides, Your Grace probably has been spreading the word that he’s meeting with me today. I’m not that sloppy.”

“…….”

“I only put the knights to sleep in case Your Grace was going to act as unhinged as he is now.”

“What do you have to gain by acting like this?”

Cadel shook his head, as if he really couldn’t be talked out of it, and slowly stood up from his seat and walked over to Froch.

“Your Grace. You don’t seem to realize that you’ve been targeted by the Shadow Envoy and that you’re in danger. I don’t know if it’s because you’re strong-minded or if you haven’t gotten your bearings yet. I told you I don’t have any intention of asking him to spare your life.”

He was small for the commander of a knight order, and his demeanor was on the meek side. At first, Froch had wondered how Cadel could lead knights on the battlefield with such a body. He looked more like a strategist than a general. And that first impression hadn’t changed, even now.

“Or maybe you really believe in Lumen and have the audacity to do this? Because you think Lumen will protect you?”

Approaching Cadel, he was like a snake with fangs bared. He was also like a seasoned bartender, teasing his audience with a smile. Certainly, he was a rare breed of human being among knights whose only values were strength and loyalty.

Staring into the ashen eyes that held as much killing intent as he could, Froch realized that his powers would not work on Cadel.

“How could you think that……. Oh, have you somehow forgotten the innocent people you killed to isolate Lumen?”

“……What?”

“You killed Korver, Eric, Mary, and the merchants and servants. You abused your wife, too. Oh, and you even killed a cute little dog. Was her name…… Debbie?”

These were not things a knight commander should know. Froch’s eyes twitched hard. This was not the kind of information that could be learned by casual investigation.

“Did Lumen…… tell you the whole story?”

“No, Your Grace. In a case like this, you might as well ask if Lumen knew everything. At least give the impression that you were trying to do it secretly, because that’s the worst thing you can do.”

Cadel couldn’t kill Froch, but he had the means to do so. He also had the weakness to justify the means. He was making clear threats, and there was no way for Froch to escape from his leash.

A heavy wind blew against Froch’s back as he unconsciously tried to take a step backward. He panicked as the wind seemed to immobilize him, until Cadel, who had closed the distance, lunged at him. His ashen eyes flashed dangerously with murderous intent.

“I’ll do anything for my subordinates, they’re all I’ve got, so be careful, Marquis. If you keep messing with my temper like this, I don’t know what I’ll do to you. As if I wasn’t already unstable enough lately.”

With a shove to the shoulder, Froch slumped helplessly in his chair. Cadel looked down at his rigid face and spoke in a low voice.

“Get the hell out of my subordinate’s sight. If you stay that quiet, I’ll give you a few more years of life.”

His gaze at Froch was a dark mixture of contempt, malice, and hatred. Froch bit his lip, not daring to look him in the eye.

Cadel glanced at the silent Froch, then turned and stalked out of the restaurant.

“…….”

In front of the entrance was an unsightly jumble of sleeping escorts, clutching wine bottles and plates. Cadel watched the scene wordlessly, then stepped over them, not bothering to dodge. There was a muffled groan of sleep, but none of them awoke.

“……I think I understand Yozen’s feelings.”

Cadel muttered and strode toward the castle. He’d accomplished his goal, but he still felt like sh*t.

* * *

It was already late when he returned to the castle. Tomorrow was the banquet, and Cadel should get a good night’s sleep in case he had to deal with people.

He thought about it, but didn’t act on it.

“Leader.”

Cadel looked up at Lumen, who stood in the doorway blocking his way to me. He had been waiting for quite some time, and his face showed an unusual combination of fatigue and impatience. Cadel was about to ask what was wrong, but then he closed his mouth, the reason for his visit obvious.

“You said you wanted to see my father. What have you come…… to see him for?”

“……My legs hurt.”

Instead of answering, he jerked at the door that Lumen was blocking, and with a sigh, Lumen opened it. Once inside, Lumen’s impatient questioning continued.

“Did my father say anything weird? If so, just ignore it, he’s just the way he is.”

“…….”

“I didn’t expect to see him again like this either. I thought we were completely done with him……. He’s leaving on his own in a couple of days, don’t worry about it. I’ll keep him tied up until after the banquet.”

He didn’t stop talking as he cleared his dry throat and shrugged out of his uncomfortable coat. Lumen seemed to be trying to hide it, but there was a thick layer of anxiety in his every inhale and exhale.

Cadel eased himself onto the bed and gestured to Lumen, who still stood in the doorway. Lumen didn’t say anything in response, just stared at Cadel’s calm expression, then lowered his head and swept his hand across his face.

He paused for a moment, as if to reassure himself, then walked over to Cadel.

“It’s just that we don’t get along that well. I wanted to avoid any contact with him, so I told him not to come until after the summit―”

“There is no way Froch Dominic is coming to the banquet tomorrow.”

Cadel cut off Lumen’s near-panicked anxiety simply. He looked straight at Lumen, who seemed to be mulling over what he’d heard, unable to comprehend it, and continued.

“He’s not going to be in your life anymore, so you’re the one who shouldn’t care, Lumen.”

“……What in the world did you do?”

“I just blackmailed him.”

“Blackmail?”

For what reason had Cadel come to see his father, a man he’d never met, and blackmailed him? Several theories flashed through Lumen’s mind in that brief moment, none of them involving Cadel doing anything wrong, so instead of trying to dig deeper, Lumen let out a sharp intake of breath.

“At least you didn’t get yourself killed.”

“Me? You think I’m a victim?”

“……My father is worse than you think, Leader.”

“Well, I knew it when I saw him. He’s a world of difference from you.”

Cadel patted the seat next to him, his voice husky. Lumen stiffened and plopped down on the bed.

Lumen, who had imagined all sorts of horrible things while he waited, seemed relieved to hear Cadel’s comment that nothing bad had happened to him.

Cadel’s sideways glance at Lumen made him chuckle softly. Then he turned to the blue eyes looking back at him and said.

“No matter how much of a scumbag he is, he’s still your father. Why don’t you ask me what I did? I could have hurt him badly.”

“He’s a scumbag before he’s a father, and I welcome Leader to kill him. …… The question is, what the hell did my father say that made Leader make that choice?”

The reasons were many. Froch had tried to lure Lumen back into his clutches; he had tried to turn Lumen into a soulless sword after he had narrowly escaped in search of his dreams; he had tried to manipulate Lumen; he had tried to dodge paying for ruining Lumen’s life. There was plenty more to pay for, but Cadel had taken out one of the many reasons.

“He’s trying to take you away from me.”

Lumen’s anguish, Lumen’s careful choices, Lumen’s disregard for the presence of a valued comrade, and the fact that Froch was trying to take Lumen away from him. That was probably the biggest reason Cadel had dared to meet with Froch and threaten him.

As he thought about it, Lumen’s eyes twitched slightly. His lips twitched, about to say something, but then he averted his gaze. His usual relaxed, stoic demeanor was long gone.

“How hard did I work to get you? I wouldn’t give you to the Emperor even if he came and held a sword to my throat demanding you.”

Lumen didn’t know that Cadel knew the whole of his past, so it was better to keep it that way.

Not noticing Lumen’s ears, which were now red as if they’d been dipped in fire, Cadel playfully touched Lumen’s forearm with a playful look on his face. Lumen ducked his head as if to hide from Cadel and mumbled, covering his face with his hands.

“For the first time ever, I want to thank my father…….”