Chapter 76
***
“I didn’t expect to see you two appear together.”
Aiden alternately looked at the pair with slightly narrowed eyes as they entered the dining room together.
“I greet the Empire’s Little Sun again.”
“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
Angelina and Blake greeted him in turn.
“It’s been a while, Blake.”
Aiden first addressed Blake, setting aside Angelina, with whom he had been conversing until just now.
“Have you been well?”
“I’m not His Majesty the Emperor, why so formal? Be casual, like in the old days. This just makes things awkward.”
Aiden acted friendly, seemingly displeased with Blake’s attempt to maintain distance.
“I was quite young then and I believe I committed many discourtesies. Her Majesty the Empress would be pleased to see me correcting this now.”
However, Blake didn’t reduce the distance. Moreover, when the Empress was mentioned, Aiden closed his mouth. He glared at Blake with a slightly frowning face before clicking his tongue inaudibly.
“I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.”
“Neither did I. What brings you to such a distant place?”
“I had some business with Lady Flaubert.”
His smiling face seemed to warn that it was none of Blake’s business.
“I should thank the Lady. I was wondering how you were doing since it’s been so long since I last saw you, Blake.”
Though Angelina couldn’t tell exactly what he meant, she felt he was trying to give indirect criticism.
At least, that’s how the Crown Prince was in the original story.
“It’s an honor.”
So Angelina chose the easiest response that wouldn’t create responsibility or questions, then turned toward the dining table.
“Shall we continue our conversation while seated?”
The three followed Angelina and took their seats. Naturally, Aiden took the head seat.
“The villa’s chef is quite skilled. The way they fry, grill, and steam seafood is so remarkable that I need to be careful not to overeat.”
Perhaps because the situation felt awkward, Angelina made boasts she normally wouldn’t.
“That sounds promising. But if I remember correctly, Blake can’t eat seafood, or am I wrong?”
Hearing this for the first time, Angelina turned her gaze to Blake. If he really had a seafood allergy, she would need to quickly change the menu.
However, Blake shook his head.
“Your Highness seems to remember my embarrassing childhood habit of being a picky eater.”
“Was it just picky eating?”
When Aiden asked once more, Blake’s brows furrowed slightly. His feelings could be glimpsed in that barely visible wrinkle.
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Though he answered promptly, it was clearly an unwilling response.
This concerned Angelina.
Should she change the menu?
“Our chef makes excellent steak, too. I can promise it’s as good as the restaurant Your Highness recommended.”
She tried to naturally change the menu while praising the chef. But Blake, noticing her intention, interrupted.
“I enjoy seafood. I just… haven’t had many opportunities.”
As if saying not to change it.
It didn’t seem like he was being stubborn or forcing himself.
Afterward, Angelina noticed Blake glaring at Aiden with eyes barely concealing his displeasure.
‘Is he saying he couldn’t eat it often because of money?’
Given the duchy’s poor financial state, it seemed plausible.
However, the duchy has a large river flowing through it and well-maintained reservoirs, making fishing as developed as agriculture.
Unlike the capital, where seafood is considered a luxury due to its inland location and high prices, seafood shouldn’t be such an expensive ingredient in the duchy.
At that moment, Aiden spoke up.
“This is the first time we’ve dined together since we were little, so I must have been mistaken.”
His light tone suggested he didn’t mean it in a bad way, but something flashed through Angelina’s mind.
‘Childhood meals… That’s where it comes from.’
The Empress, while pretending to take care of the young Blake, who had lost his father, continuously inflicted inconspicuous abuse.
Bringing him to the Imperial Palace to dine with Aiden was one of those instances.
As if trying to imprint that only Aiden, as a member of the imperial family, could eat expensive seafood, their menus were always different.
In this way, she tried to undermine Blake’s self-esteem.
It was meant to instill a deep inferiority complex in Blake so that he wouldn’t dare think of surpassing Aiden.
Though it was all futile in the end.
‘Aiden seems to remember it simply as Blake being unable to eat seafood, like a fool.’
Once she understood the situation, her mind was at ease again.
“The seafood around here all comes from the ocean, so it probably tastes different from the fish in the reservoirs.”
“Indeed, the seaside seems to have fresher and better-tasting food than inland.”
Though the words were directed at Blake, it was Aiden who responded.
“I hope it suits your taste.”
Angelina smiled sweetly, thinking she might need digestive medicine after this meal.
***
Throughout the meal, the three continued with superficial conversation devoid of any significant content.
The tension between Blake and Aiden was particularly palpable.
Why they were here, what relationship they had with Flaubert, whether the Marquis know about this situation.
Additionally, what the unusually inactive Empress was thinking these days, and what Blake was plotting with his frequent visits to the Magic Tower and other subtle movements.
Though they must have had mountains of questions for each other, both circled around the main points, merely observing each other.
Knowing that the initial atmosphere could either lead or follow the conversation, they carefully timed their words and packaged them with subtle provocations.
Before they knew it, dessert was being served.
Angelina sensed it. One of them would break the ice. And it would be the one who was more pressed for time.
The arrival of dessert meant time was running out. Therefore, they needed to strike quickly and deeply before time ran out.
Social conversations were like fencing. Not just at dinner parties, but at all social events.
Prodding and timing, then suddenly striking. However, one had to consider that such an attack could be blocked and even countered.
Yet being too defensive out of fear of counterattacks made it difficult to score points. Sometimes, one deliberately showed openings to invite attacks.
But unlike fencing, social conversations always had time limits.
They could end in a draw with no points scored, or quickly conclude with one side’s complete victory.
Above all, as the timeout approached, the more desperate side would become anxious. Usually, this was the side that was behind in points, or even if this round was a draw, the side that was losing in the bigger picture.
And Angelina could guess who that was here.
‘The more curious one.’
Her gaze fell on one man.
‘The one desperate to find the other’s weakness would naturally be more anxious.’
After all, the thirsty one digs the well.
“I heard you went to the Magic Tower.”
As expected, just as Angelina predicted, Aiden initiated the first attack.
“I heard the path was treacherous. Were you injured anywhere?”
Though his eyes were on the raspberry tart, it was clear all his attention was directed toward Blake.
“The Magic Tower had maintained the tower path well, so I returned without any issues.”
“Is that so?”
Aiden already knew that Blake’s initial entry point wasn’t the tower path but the forest itself. After all, the person he had following Blake had to give up the pursuit.
However, he played along with Blake’s casual explanation that omitted this detail.
But his slightly raised eyebrow subtly indicated that he knew everything.
He pressed with silence as if asking for more, but Blake’s lips wouldn’t easily part.
Aiden didn’t waste time.
“The Tower Master is quite thorough.”
Perhaps because he had been severely outmaneuvered by Angelina before, he quickly realized this method wouldn’t work on Blake either.
Instead, he pretended to be well-acquainted with the Tower Master himself.
“Working with such a person must be very reassuring. Isn’t that right?”
He was trying to probe whether Blake had met the Tower Master or not.
The question ‘Did you meet?’ would be easy to answer with ‘yes’ or ‘no’, making it equally easy to fabricate a lie, so he set up a kind of trap.
But Blake wasn’t one to fall easily into such traps.
“Getting help from the Magic Tower is everyone’s dream.”
He vaguely dodged the question of whether he had met the Tower Master by agreeing with Aiden’s statement.
It could be interpreted as either him achieving what everyone dreams of or as acknowledging how difficult such a task would be, implying failure.
It would have been good if that defensive move had been enough to move on, but Aiden wouldn’t let it end there.
“How was Miss Flaubert? You must have seen her since you visited the Magic Tower around the same time.”
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