After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 53

“Princess, how about a walk?”

“A walk? Yes, I’d love to!”

As the moon rose over the ridge, Isla readily accepted Leo’s offer and went outside.

While enjoying the night sky, she turned her head to see Leo walking alongside her, matching her pace.

His shirt, with a couple of buttons undone, looked relaxed.

And his forearms, three times the size of hers, beneath the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Feeling inexplicably awkward, Isla looked straight ahead and asked, “But why a walk all of a sudden?”

“Don’t you like night walks?”

“I do but I thought you might have something to say.”

“Goodness. You’re unnecessarily sharp.”

Chuckling, Leo turned to face Isla and stopped abruptly.

Isla stopped as well, looking up at him with a puzzled expression.

“There’s a conversation we didn’t finish during the day. I still haven’t heard the answer to my question.”

“Question?”

Isla asked, puzzled, then something seemed to dawn on her.

“Ah, you mean earlier, about the titles?”

“You remember.”

Leo’s lips curled up in satisfaction.

On the other hand, Isla was still bewildered by the situation and asked again, “Um… so, when did you start calling Edward by his first name?”

“Yes, that. When exactly did that start?”

“When did it start? Probably today?”

“Why?”

“Because he’s my cousin?”

“Cousin?”

“Yes.”

“I see, cousin.”

Seemingly finding her answer reasonable, Leo started walking again.

Isla, who had been watching with a bewildered expression, started walking as well, but then Leo stopped again and turned around, speaking seriously.

“We need to sort out our titles too.”

“Sort out our titles?”

“The consecration ceremony is coming up soon. We can’t keep calling each other like this in front of people.”

“Oh, well, yes, that’s true.”

Isla awkwardly agreed.

He was right, but what should she call him?

She couldn’t call an imperial prince of a nation by his first name.

“Call me by my name.”

“Pardon?”

Isla’s head snapped up.

“But Your Highness.”

“Leo. Isla.”

Leo, standing beneath the night sky, added softly, “Call me Leo. I’ll call you by your name too.”

His voice, whispering as if confiding a secret, was so sweet that Isla was momentarily speechless.

Glory Hall, only opened for important events in the Imperial Palace, showed off its grandeur under the dazzling chandeliers.

Nobles gathered in small groups between the walls with elaborate engravings and the marble pillars with artistic patterns, engaging in lively conversations.

The topic of the day was undoubtedly the Crown Prince appointment, as this banquet was to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony of the Second Prince, Edward.

“Do you think they’ll appoint him today?”

“I don’t know. I thought they might wait until the First Prince returns.”

“Her Majesty the Empress has been waiting for this day, surely they won’t postpone the Crown Prince appointment?”

“You never know. The Emperor considers the First Prince his son too. There are even rumors that His Majesty intends to pass the throne to the First Prince.”

“Come on. If that were the case, would he have sent him to the North in the first place?”

“The important thing is what’s happening now, right? He’s in the capital, and he’s even trying to marry him off to the Empire’s Blue Rose.”

“Shhh. There’s Rodrigo, the young master.”

“Those guys must be in a tough spot. I heard no family wants to marry into theirs after the engagement with Princess Everette was broken off.”

“Didn’t everyone see what happened that day? Contrary to what I’d heard, his temper was so violent.”

“And what about his private life? I’m saying this now, but Princess Isla was a hundred, a thousand times better, wasn’t she? I think it was good that the two of them broke off their engagement.”

At the end of their gaze, Rodrigo, separated from the group he was with, could be seen.

As if conscious of the nobles whispering about him, he went straight to a table inside and took a seat, and people’s attention quickly shifted elsewhere.

“I don’t think I’ve met them before, but I heard that big guy is a noble from Eisenfelt?”

“That’s right. Count Lucas Hanover and his children. I was so surprised when I first saw the Count. Oh my, look at that size.”

“Still, the Hanover young master is quite handsome. And his clothes are stylish.”

“The Hanover young lady too. I heard the northern nobles are old-fashioned, but I guess that’s a thing of the past.”

“I went to say hello, and I found out that their outfits were made by Dior’s Jan. I didn’t know Jan was such a talented designer, I was surprised.”

“Oh my, really? I should go to Jan’s atelier too.”

“Shhh. Everyone, pay attention. His Majesty is coming out.”

At the gesture of a lady, the nobles who had been talking closed their mouths and focused their attention.

Emperor Friedrich was slowly ascending the platform with a dignified posture.

Stopping at the top, Friedrich looked around at the people gathered in the banquet hall.

Then, as if to announce the start of the banquet, he raised a champagne glass in one hand.

“As everyone knows, today is the eighteenth birthday of my second son, Edward Zigranta. I express my gratitude to those of you who have come to grace this meaningful occasion.”

Friedrich paused briefly, his gaze passing over Edward and Tatiana, who were standing side by side below the platform, and reaching Leo.

For a moment, a face he missed even in his dreams flickered over Leo and then disappeared.

Suppressing a sudden surge of emotion, Friedrich gave strength to his voice at the end of his gaze turned to the audience and shouted.

“In that sense, I would like to make an important announcement at this event today.”

At Friedrich’s declaration, the air in the banquet hall stirred.

In an atmosphere fraught with tension, Friedrich continued firmly.

“Now that both princes have passed the age of eighteen, I can no longer postpone the appointment of the Crown Prince, can I?”

As expected, when the appointment of the Crown Prince became the topic, most of the attention was focused on Edward.

In an atmosphere where it was taken for granted that he would be appointed, even Edward had a faint smile on his lips.

However, with the Emperor’s subsequent announcement, the air in Glory Hall rapidly froze.

“Therefore, this Emperor will hold a Crown Prince competition between the First Prince Leomond and the Second Prince Edward, and appoint the Crown Prince according to the results of that competition.”

As soon as Friedrich’s words were finished, people’s gazes turned to the two princes.

Edward, unable to hide his shock as if he hadn’t expected it, and Leomond, whose expression was indifferent to the point of being apathetic, came into view at once.

The nobles also did not say a word first, but shock and confusion were felt intact in the eyes looking at each other.

“The First Prince has made remarkable contributions to the extermination of monsters in the North and South, and the Second Prince is popular with the people of the Empire due to his systematic education and gentle nature, so I think it is worth competing.”

As if trying to ease the coldly frozen atmosphere, Friedrich laughed heartily and concluded.

“Whoever it is, the upcoming Crown Prince appointment will be a great strength to our Empire. I hope everyone will grace this occasion with a supportive heart.”

Tatiana confronted Friedrich, who had come down from the platform after making the bombshell announcement.

“Did it have to be at this event?”

“What does it matter which event? It’s something that had to be done anyway.”

“It’s Edward’s birthday, of all days. His coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Empress.”

Friedrich looked intently at Tatiana and said, “I haven’t been able to celebrate Leo’s birthday or his coming-of-age ceremony for over ten years.”

“……”

“Can’t you understand me?”

“Of course, that is unfortunate, but I don’t see how that is a reason to ruin Edward’s coming-of-age ceremony.”

“I thought it would be too late if it wasn’t today.”

“You just wanted to announce it as soon as possible, didn’t you.”

At Tatiana’s cold rebuke, Friedrich sighed instead of answering.

He couldn’t argue with the Empress at an official event.

Above all, Edward was approaching with a face that hadn’t yet hidden his shock.

“Father.”

“Edward. Congratulations on becoming an adult.”

“Thank you, Father. But, a Crown Prince competition. I wish you had given me some advance notice.”

“Were you surprised?”

“Yes, a little.”

Edward, still with a confused expression, glanced at Leo, who was standing a little further away.

Judging from his relaxed attitude as he talked with the nobles who had come to him, one thing was certain.

“Brother seems to have known in advance.”

Edward’s eyes, taking in Leo, became endlessly complicated.

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