Chapter 59
The contained black flame looked like a tremendous power was compressed so tightly that even a flick of the finger would make it explode.
Mesmerized, Calix absentmindedly held it up, floating above his hand. Consumed by the impulse to throw it straight into Bianca’s palace, he barely managed to recall the law prohibiting harm to Guides and withdrew his power.
He then used his wind ability to blow away the steam he had created last. As the thick mist, which had made it impossible to see even a step ahead, disappeared, Calix could hear Daisy and the knights exclaiming in surprise.
Having expended a large amount of energy all at once, Calix collapsed to the ground with a thud. In his hand was the condensed crystal of fire and wind.
“So it can be made like this… Just what is this…?”
He heard Ilion mutter, but Calix himself couldn’t explain exactly what it was.
But he knew that what he was holding in his hand was dangerous.
“Ha, maybe I shouldn’t have used my power…”
His strength drained from his body, Calix couldn’t help but collapse to the ground without dignity and muttered weakly.
“Pardon me, Your Highness.”
Thinking he couldn’t leave the Crown Prince like this, Ilion lightly lifted him up. Calix didn’t want to return to the palace in the arms of another man, especially another Esper, but his exhaustion made him indifferent to everything.
Still, his heart pounded with excitement. For an Esper, witnessing his own abilities with his own eyes was an instinct.
He felt the urge to test his limits once again.
After that day, disturbing rumors began to spread about the Imperial Crown Prince’s Palace, but Calix had no way of knowing.
* * *
When Bianca belatedly found out that the Crown Prince’s Palace budget and various benefits had been restored, she couldn’t take immediate action.
It was because the merchant guild she had been secretly running was on the verge of total collapse, pushed aside by a new up-and-coming merchant guild.
To draw Bianca’s attention away from the Crown Prince’s Palace, small incidents occurred from time to time.
Behind all of them was the ‘Retrosum Merchant Guild’ operated by Derek. More precisely, it was Lea.
Lea’s days continued to pass busily. During the day, she guided and assigned tasks to Espers on her side, such as Zion, Derek, and Eric, and at night, she transformed into a fox and went to Calix.
She would have dinner with him, spend the rest of the evening listening to his relaxed voice.
Lea worked hard to treat everyone connected to her well, thinking it was a miracle that she had come back alive and could now enjoy happiness.
Thus, time passed quickly. Thanks to Lea’s tireless support behind the scenes, Calix was able to reach adulthood peacefully and smoothly, so unlike the past.
His face, once gaunt from hunger, became healthy and beautiful. Thanks to quality meals, he grew taller than before and his body became sturdy.
And with the daily, steady guiding he received, he surpassed his ability’s limits multiple times as an Esper.
Thus, the day of his twentieth birthday banquet arrived.
* * *
Bianca had begun to suspect that something was amiss these past few years. The ‘Retrosum Merchant Guild’ especially seemed suspicious.
Every time her own secret merchant guild tried to bring in popular items, they were always beaten to the punch, which was highly suspicious.
She tried to investigate the guild master and dig into their background, but all she could find was that it was run by the second son of the Felitier family, who had no connection to her.
“It seems the Retrosum Merchant Guild has nothing to do with the Felitier family. Well, I heard that the second son there was an illegitimate child and never received proper treatment in the first place.”
Of all people, it had to be someone she hadn’t interacted with who was the guild master there.
“But it’s suspicious.”
Because of this, Bianca tried to invite Derek to the Empress’s Palace separately. Each time, he slipped away so cleverly that she couldn’t catch him.
If she were to invite him openly, she couldn’t ignore the gazes of Marquis Felitier and his eldest son.
“Maybe it’s because he isn’t an Esper… Ha.”
“Your Majesty, do you have something on your mind?”
The head lady-in-waiting beside her asked cautiously. She never knew when trouble might befall her otherwise.
“What do ordinary men like, those who aren’t Espers?”
Having only ever dealt with Espers, Bianca couldn’t think of anything to use as bait other than guiding.
As for ordinary men—
“Are you probing me even though you know? You’re asking about the second son of Felitier, who is my greatest concern these days. Isn’t he not an Esper?”
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why Marquis Felitier had such a headache over him. But as a noble, he showed the virtue of taking in even a bastard.”
“I don’t need that kind of information. I just want to know what it is that he wants.”
“Yes, people like that are clear about what they desire.”
At the head lady-in-waiting’s firm tone, Bianca’s eyes sparkled and she straightened her posture.
“Isn’t he an illegitimate child, Your Majesty? He probably has resentment toward the eldest son and the marquis, or he wants to be acknowledged.”
“Oh?”
“So, why not guarantee him power? If Your Majesty the Empress offers him your backing, even that high-and-mighty attitude would soon be corrected.”
“Haha, this is why I like you. But still, it’s too soon to discard Marquis Felitier and his heir…”
Ironically, the family currently supporting her merchant guild was the Felitier Marquisate. Of all things, it had to be the eldest and second sons from that household clashing.
Narrowing her eyes, Bianca pondered how best to handle these two brothers. Perhaps it might make for an amusing scene.
“First, I need to invite him to my palace. That’s the priority.”
“Yes, I will make preparations.”
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