Chapter 51
Just as the Prince rose from the small reception room heading for the door and Ja-hyun was about to stand, The Grand Duke Izatrix appeared outside. The servant inside must have sent word.
Walking in, the Grand Duke opened his pocket watch to check the time before tucking it away. With the soft click of the metal watch cover closing, his resonant, deep voice was heard.
“I see your chat has ended. Was the refreshment to your liking?”
“Yes, ah. Grand Duke Izatrix. Lord Raijin has agreed to join us at the next location.”
“What do you mean…”
Before his brother could furrow his brow and refuse, the Prince cut in first.
“Having been confined to his room every day, seeing the latest innovations from outside for one day wouldn’t be bad. Since we’re only viewing it within the mansion, not going far, Lord Raijin was delighted when I said the Grand Duke would permit it. He said his brother is kind and would grant his request.”
What? When did I ever say that? When Ja-hyun shot the Prince an incredulous look, the Prince returned it with a smug expression, as if he’d done him a huge favor. Ah… the embarrassment was entirely Ja-hyun’s to bear.
“…”
His brother silently furrowed his brow while looking at him. Ja-hyun cautiously watched his brother’s reaction. He looked distinctly displeased. Oh god, this is maddening. He tried belatedly to salvage the situation.
“Ah… no. I don’t really need to go…”
“Very well. Let’s go together. It will be a good experience for my brother.”
Cutting off Ja-hyun’s words, his brother walked naturally towards them without stopping. In the blink of an eye, he approached Ja-hyun, who was awkwardly standing by the sofa, and extended his arm.
“Come here.”
With those whispered words, Ludwig wrapped his arm around Ja-hyun’s waist as soon as he reached out and lifted him up. Ja-hyun grabbed his brother’s collar in shock.
Actually, he was a little surprised. No, very surprised… He hadn’t expected his brother to do this in front of the Prince. At most, he thought he’d offer support.
Objectively assessing his situation, Ja-hyun felt his face grow hot and covered it with his hands. They say the one who feels embarrassed loses, but he simply couldn’t win. It was a complete defeat.
After a brief silence, the Prince’s voice was heard from beside them.
“The Grand Duke really seems to cherish his brother deeply.”
His tone was gentle enough to sound like surprised praise to anyone unaware of the situation.
‘No, he’s just keeping me in check so I don’t wander off alone and cause trouble again.’
His brother’s actions weren’t incomprehensible. It was actually touching that he’d grant the request to meet the Prince despite the inconvenience to himself. Of course, he had received a few lectures about not wandering around before their tea time. Still, it was nice…. But right now it was rather embarrassing.
“He collapsed a few days ago. His health was quite poor. He hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
At those words, the Prince pressed his lips together as if stung by guilt. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Perhaps having nothing else to say, the Prince turned his attention to Ja-hyun.
“I wish you a swift recovery, Lord Raijin.”
“Thank you.”
This is torture. If those two were going to be so formal with each other, they could at least not sandwich him in between.
“Here we are.”
They had arrived at a door. This was to see the item the Prince had brought. Though he wasn’t familiar with the mansion’s layout yet, judging by the size of the door, they must have allocated quite a large room.
What kind of item requires such grand treatment?
When the servant opened the door, the interior was revealed. His brother carried him inside before setting him down near the door to stand on his own feet.
The first thing that caught his eye was the enormous, incredibly enormous steam engine part in the center.
‘A train?’
No matter how he looked at it, the object appeared to be nothing more than a component of a somewhat classic modern train.
On one wall hung a massive paper map with messy pen drawings all over it. They seemed to indicate train routes.
The Prince beside them bounced excitedly toward it. It was true. The man who had been putting on airs until just now was practically skipping inside.
With a flushed face, the Prince called them to a table on the left.
“Would you come this way for a moment? I think it’s best to show you this first.”
Following his call, Ja-hyun sat on the sofa by the table. He had been prepared to feign amazement even if the Prince showed him something strange to increase their intimacy, but these items were genuinely more interesting than expected.
What the Prince held was a magic video stone. The angular, translucent stone had a light blue tinge like a piece of glass and was secured inside a box with metal pieces. Though he’d never seen one in person, he recognized it from its description in the original work.
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