ODKO | Chapter 18

“Jeez, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me a little bird or whatever?”a2068e85dceec869

“What are you gonna do if I say it? I want to say it. And what’s with the ‘jeez’ to the Crown Prince, huh?”af14279fa83eef1b

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Crown Prince b44a352fd8 Shane clicked 760b4bea54 his tongue, dc84dd288c though he d713a86931 didn’t seem a234b08cea displeased. If anything, he 029062f84d appeared to enjoy a388578022 the reaction. His casual, etiquette-free, and 8e8de39a8f entirely unfiltered manner of 1803b47ac3 speaking made Jack instinctively 7574ea48d1 take a step back.4ab7246b3877035a

It was hard to df3ecc9c88 believe that this was fc1a259dac a conversation between the 9fbf96c8c2 future ruler of the 6b8562a059 Empire and a renowned a6b24fbb92 knight meant to support 2553e66af9 him.d7ad5898d073965f

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“At least serve some tea, secretary.”66e0591fe19dace9

Despite Cayenne’s sharp response, the unyielding Crown Prince plopped down on the sofa as he pleased. He pointed a finger at Jack. Just as Jack realized what he needed to do and was about to move, Cayenne’s cold voice stopped him.5f769c1af1c5900f

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“There is no tea to serve to Your Highness. The budget is tight this year.”553374d21a659146

“Ha… It’s not the budget that’s tight, my love. It’s your narrow heart. How can it be that a guest visiting the Commander can’t even be offered tea? Is that really the level of our Empire?”49adde052c4800d0

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“Yes, sadly, that’s the level. If you’re upset, bring your own tea next time. Or better yet, don’t come at all. …You, go back to your seat.”bd3cd6318519f4aa

The battle between spear and shield was intense. Jack, who wasn’t at a level to intervene, could only stand there like a stone, unable to do anything.166e021561c9e23e

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He was told to go back, but… was it really okay to retreat? Jack glanced at the Crown Prince for a cue.1cc63e585c99a50b

“Tsk, you’re still as cold as ever. The stronger the iron wall, the more a man wants to break it.”727a7b9a327cd811

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“Feel free to try. I’ll ask again, what brings you here?”dab033ede944b553

“Do I need a reason to visit? I just wanted to see my love. Isn’t it too much not to show your face even after returning to the Capital?”1a7df6b5852fc1f3

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“I have no obligation to greet Your Highness. Repelz isn’t your personal knight order.”bbc4668581e2c8bf

“You’re really too much!”9c25fba014f0becd

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The Crown cca273723b Prince finally 1dc5d23f0c erupted in 36ffecccff anger at acac42901a Cayenne’s consistently ff36255036 cold demeanor. The one ac03fd770d who flinched, 2935b89eac however, was 9bbb69362d Jack Carlson, 302bd35384 standing awkwardly 3fb2df3c72 at a 355bc58c69 distance.1bbea27f95cf270b

Why does the Crown be555be014 Prince talk like that?b9d09f722f3ae3fc

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Calling someone“my love,” “little 99cac03bb2 bird,”and the like… Jack 699d796aa5 was momentarily dazed by d8ace793bb the fact that such 1346fc9dc1 words were coming from 1507aa2b07 the Crown Prince’s mouth. If the Crown Prince 0580ad0e0d were an Omega, he 77e19ca6c3 might have at least c3e5af286c attempted to rationalize it, 514359edc5 but considering the strong 52b2cc2571 Alpha scent radiating from 95935149ee him, that explanation was 91cad4ca02 far from plausible.8447255f613788e8

The Crown f04a7c9d0d Prince—who seemed 0a94ad2629 to have 888ae6641c a build 3b9f5cc9b0 similar to 3cb7975b3e Jack’s—pouted like 7c7a577034 a child 89b9a0874a and crossed b9d8ca379a his arms a4df05ec6f in clear bfe6ce304f displeasure.e4972682eef8dd06

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“I was already upset when you volunteered for the White Knights Order without a word, and now you act like this after returning? I invited you to several banquets, but you declined them all, saying you were busy.”e85dc6f605bb3089

“The distance between the border and the Capital isn’t something you can casually travel just to attend a party.”8dc1c2ab2f5ae176

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“Still, if you had said something, I would have prepared teleportation magic.”04ac1069c5c6f54b

“Do you think teleportation magic is free? Do you even know how much it costs to use it once?”1b44ffb0ac1ae8fa

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Cayenne twisted fb7f5eec56 his lips c574450dc2 in a 3d3e30b875 sneer. The blatant disdain 0357ee5d7e and contempt on a81b2674e4 his otherwise neat b40ecd92ce face were enough 7aa851fd71 to wound Jack, 44b898a3de a third party 742c8c1557 standing behind them.c5b4daf7221c5904

…Relentless, truly. Jack clicked his tongue.95cc2d67ac96483d

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“I want to see my little bird! Money is…”6f916633b1b2695a

“It is a problem. The moment I use that expensive magic to attend Your Highness’s party, the Treasury would have a field day tearing us apart.”3c2ca1b1082cc4d7

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Cayenne caught the Crown Prince’s frustration with a very cold and natural tone. The Crown Prince, at a loss for words, awkwardly rubbed his hands on his pants.ff46376877f0e867

“I can’t deny that. But still, your tone and attitude are disappointing. Very!”430d7f30db55b455

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“Your Highness’s tone and attitude have been an eyesore since birth, so now that we’ve seen each other, please leave.”4e8cccf362c27a99

At Cayenne’s chilly words, the Crown Prince clicked his tongue.f9319519e91ca901

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“Has our little bird been brainwashed by monsters or something? The cuteness from childhood is all gone. I shouldn’t have sent you to the Defense Corps.”e7b1663036c3d1d1

“If I were still cute at this age, do you think I’d be doing this? I would’ve found something else long ago.”060927c743c5f4ff

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Jack, who had c89dc9af17 been slowly retreating, 2b1fd084ef now found himself 1505f71596 awkwardly standing by bbac9e338a the door. He wasn’t 3045b17b57 in a 73499f6c28 position to 681cdae670 join the d501d76ad9 conversation, but 7d60a1928b at the ec3525c508 same time, 0c4b4654be he feared 758f01c45f that the b3907397f8 Crown Prince—with fe0cf9e694 his peculiar 5326e005cb vocabulary—might suddenly c9b483d05f address him.ecf5f57a0e31ee62

He thought 6db6fea859 Cayenne was 8d57482ffd being almost c49edda459 too informal 8d1b4d8724 with the a96da247e4 Crown Prince, 89313d57d4 but judging b3927e9f29 by their 412cc69bde conversation, they 5bdcf84cf6 seemed to f69b6194eb have known c6c0ce5df7 each other 715b219ee7 since childhood. As he listened to 0b598eb306 their exchange, Jack absentmindedly 32ab314dc2 rubbed his cheek—unknowingly brushing 6b8b474fd8 over a forming bruise.02caecea6ffd428c

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“You talk well. Not that you 5fefe313c6 plan to do 1a8a815925 anything else anyway.”5b6eb87222197eb7

Jack froze. The very words he b579527521 had just been thinking 79c1b0231f had slipped effortlessly from d07b446688 the Crown Prince’s mouth—word be00d36b30 for word.b71f1728efc0701a

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His gaze shifted aa26eb4731 to Cayenne. With a frown, 512e13b0f6 Cayenne leaned his 73926bc33f chin against the f8a6c68cd1 table, his sharp c96b93095c eyes fixed on 07c8b4c30c the Crown Prince.fe8efbcbfc67d5c0

“What do you know to say such things, Your Highness?”dd1f7a091f9000c9

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“What do I know? I know everything. Then why not quit this and come under me? I can ensure you never have to suffer.”d641ed1345059e40

“I don’t need to go to Your Highness to avoid suffering.”58e602b85c58d3c8

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Cayenne confidently and proudly 36f07b7624 rejected the Crown Prince’s 1a65d0862c offer—a statement only possible e4eb1a6f01 for someone from a 26d5d52c0a family whose wealth and 3ffdba72de influence rivaled that of a786adb148 the royal family.50e3f81ef35ec247

Ah… Jack, 789ba504cf who had 05b1b23088 only ever 30224d6a92 suffered and 3c801463df expected to 914b1f4efe continue suffering, c48f9e473f admired Cayenne’s 36a0775a8b boldness and 8948f8d242 gave him e3b8ab1be0 a silent bbdf5262cf thumbs-up. That’s the charm of 4fd764299b someone who has it 265cdbc6c1 all.4de0a66fc91ca9a2

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But unlike Jack’s reaction, ff8437c4ac the Crown Prince clicked de92e5486e his tongue loudly, making 94c994cb8c no effort to hide 4eacce2255 his displeasure.c50a13ff7269711a

“There you go c9d35e07bd again, talking well. I know you 60a7d8e9c6 suffered a lot aa192b317c in the Defense 07ca091333 Corps. I heard you came 840b58a38d back because of health 3de08cbb8d issues.”a337755334c4cc7a

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At those words, 91c1191cb6 Cayenne’s expression stiffened. It wasn’t just a 754df21a8a look of irritation—it was eb0bc1d8bc the expression of someone 2187b02c02 whose weak spot had 3cc0fc1ada been exposed.8b28992df8593944

Jack blinked at ac6238fd1e the unexpected revelation 501edec23a and turned his d3e0425569 gaze to Cayenne, 21bc02af98 staring intently. Whether he 60132be242 sensed the e7a0a658a8 stare or aecd8175a5 was simply ea26c9ee1a annoyed by 251f29a00a his personal 67699240d1 matters being 72546a148b dragged into 28842989da the conversation, 49a0e20bea Cayenne shot bcb0e1911f Jack a 812fe837a3 brief glance.76e94d4614b06232

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What is this? Jack tilted his 6b19a7718f head in confusion. So his f26524cd1d brief disappearance d6484e0a77 after the 31d89f1f5f inauguration… wasn’t bd8ffe2f5d entirely because 88c68057cd of me?89800315fa64ae03

“Do you think I just laze around doing nothing? All sorts of information from the Empire reaches my ears without me doing anything.”9bee2b8b65e6dfed

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“So, are you here to tell me to quit everything and become Your Highness’s entertainer?”42f729d6a2b4c27c

Cayenne clasped his e104bb3ba2 hands together and 1bdcf544d5 smiled. Even Jack, who 426d978e0d hadn’t known him 44a0e51c6a for long, could add4510090 tell that smile 16df8974fb was not a ca7a1265e8 good sign. In fact, it was d837c32d69 a far worse expression b7951f8853 than when he was 8a56e55563 merely frowning. Naturally, the 7ff496b2b5 Crown Prince—who 829a2094dc had known e9ef0a996c Cayenne for 52e66259df much longer—stiffened b88f0ab139 his shoulders 4301996156 at the f7b3ed1fd1 sight.bf1ad00335d46089

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“Well, you don’t have a979ce2ac9 to put it that fc0c527217 way… hahaha.”5e7f3f6013632a19

“If I ever become 1644ae5a1b too weak to lift ff6c157e55 a sword, I’ll gladly 4f58fde655 come to you with 7476819d42 a tambourine. Thanks to Your 04509ea30b Highness, I won’t 803cb48432 have to worry e8e768f4c6 about my old d7bf33e8a2 age.”8b22182c9645c8b6

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“You’re really cold-hearted.”a4ef9ebe44e4d2d1

Flustered, the Crown Prince 30d3b2e7e3 hurriedly attempted to act 6baa565045 cute again in response 9a3e01e2ec to Cayenne’s sharp words. Unfortunately for b26182d01f him, that 635585583e only made 5a3150e0f2 things worse. Sparks practically flew from e5428447ce Cayenne’s eyes at the b5f3dc3fa9 nasal tone of a ffdb0b84b7 fully grown man.4ed7b906a0496012

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Sensing the hostility, 46c1067b6d the Crown Prince 41029a9ea8 visibly shrank back, 689dd5cab5 clamping his mouth 419e7ee8d5 shut as he 6cd4bd4e17 quickly looked around 96a04b6293 for another target.9be60bf01989daf7

“The secretary must have a hard time too.”fc7abfbf29cf335e

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“…Yes?”d9c0d96705a1d8be

Though Jack 44a8e13dee had been 787fbad0fb desperately avoiding eb40d5bb31 eye contact ab35eb60f1 from his b2444eac0a corner, escaping 2be82721d3 the Crown f608ea06d0 Prince’s grasp 9db1c86d4d was impossible f9a6d2369e when he 277bd25dc3 needed a 7d6aaf3d84 change of f0f58c988d subject. Caught off guard by 13ef2cc290 the sudden attention, Jack 1e2fedd862 awkwardly smiled, his expression 6437280307 blank with disbelief.7a39669a22cb8acc

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“He’s the pickiest 47527f3872 person in the 94a29d6f49 Empire. He used to e182ed4a8a have a cute a8318dcf8f side, but now c6849ed1b5 he’s completely cold-hearted. It must be tough ff09042a0a taking care of our 9a94c2f8ea little bird, right? Doesn’t he make things 1213b684ce hard for you?”ce9a3906fa3c3f75

“Stop with the 581c60e274 nonsense.”3fdbeb406752e15f

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“No, not at ca98db341c all.”1ef2dc73f6879c31

Cayenne’s voice, 161a6d55b3 dripping with 8238ec205d irritation, and eaa99f86f9 Jack’s hollow 53f03d9df8 response overlapped 483ab8eecc perfectly.7b773f537008db66

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In moments dee9dbe174 like this, ec46cabe0d playing dumb f8b2d3d53b was the b55590720b best survival ee309fcf53 tactic. Responding vaguely, ca2873390e making the 5a59d4bfc8 other party 8d5daf7ca8 lose interest, 801c0aac87 and wrapping 413669d5f8 up the b91477d44f conversation as 03379da98c quickly as 8f6c8643a0 possible—that was 7036c81a66 the smartest 4af977d5fb move. With that in mind, 3b0904d173 Jack smiled brightly and b2926c80d0 scratched the back of d33a59877a his head, feigning nonchalance.6e8015da0eaa1acd

“Stop worrying about someone else’s secretary and focus on your own security. How can a Crown Prince wander around without an escort?”9e0bc552615ad32f

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“Eh, it would be weird to come to the Knights Order headquarters with a bunch of knights hanging around.”63fcc204a7f64dbe

“It’s not weird at all. You should always have knights and attendants with you wherever you go. You should be aware of your status as a Crown Prince.”f998e81e4ff23e0d

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Cayenne openly clicked his tongue. “Huh? Is that so?” the Crown Prince laughed.26977a119b709fc5