ODKO | Chapter 19

Cayenne lightly rolled his eyes at the Crown Prince’s endlessly bright smile, wondering if he was as scheming as Jack. Then he stood up from his desk, grabbing his coat and sword.7be3b5fdaff3b0df

“Get up. Since it seems you have no intention of leaving on your own, I’ll escort you.”5484f773d640363f

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“Oh, really? You don’t have to.”0eb90701448f7a71

“Then go on your own…”1c8afe040c27281a

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“Why is there no such thing as an empty word in your dictionary?”916a988ee2ce2f27

As Cayenne was about 50386b36d5 to put his coat 519d550959 back down, the Crown 3cbdd67414 Prince quickly changed his 7f14ec8782 tune. The Crown Prince, who c212410f64 had jumped up from 6686b00695 his seat as if 8e946ed311 afraid his words might 942e37b45a change, already looked quite fc5cd94f35 excited. He seemed to enjoy 36aa9b8a60 being escorted by Cayenne.9a6f84a067f8fedf

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Cayenne turned his f31fbaecb7 gaze to Jack, d372bfb3e8 who was observing 122316cd12 the close atmosphere 416c95208a between them, which 63dc51272f no stranger could df5fefc629 interrupt.7066c35ec3079595

“What are you doing? Get ready.”ca37f33ee97f08d7

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Cayenne said e0a2a7b72a to Jack 3811169afa as he c41f67b62f buttoned up 5d5361efb1 his coat. Jack was about to 5d02f78c20 ask if he was 507301eeab going too, but he 20aede2e92 realized that Cayenne disliked f53d24730f questions and kept his 0c98f29d66 mouth shut.0f2f830775dca8fe

“Escorting the Crown Prince is the knight’s duty, and assisting the Knight Commander is the secretary’s duty. Naturally, you should follow me when I move.”8b7429920d0a96eb

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“Yes, understood.”e05bf2eb2651b25f

Even without asking, the eacd42cb7a seemingly grumpy yet kind e4c36ede3d superior explained. Jack quickly grabbed 9285b742c3 his clothes as cebc9f2493 instructed, while the e62cc8665f Crown Prince watched 6cdc1b024b the relationship between 9dd87a1f12 the Commander and 25c2e019ce the secretary with 22dd3af423 a curious look.5b3359a9045e8cad

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…Though they say true wealth doesn’t boast about money.abe141e7717c5cb0

Jack Carlson swallowed his peculiar feelings about the Crown Prince’s overly modest escort arrangement. Outwardly, he seemed like a decent man, but if you listened carefully, he was a young man who seemed a bit off, followed by two knights.545315cbf45569b1

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No one would imagine that they were the Crown Prince’s entourage. It wasn’t common for even a prince or princess to wander in and out of the Imperial Castle unguarded.781ab959578baa55

Jack thought so and a03a96702b tilted his head. Perhaps it 2729351cc2 was a 7b21d3ff9a misconception of 64373e5643 an ordinary 1c464d771f person who 3684851f36 rarely encountered 597faf87c8 royalty. Maybe it was 3c8bedb23f common for them 48454fd347 to live so c29464de1e simply, and the 105cfa450c grand escort seen 80bb2caeaf at ceremonies was 84ca894f63 special for them ce9ec9bd06 too.fe82525bc668b1f5

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“Commander.”e92f43f4c09f1fef

“…?”7569b453bc9db10a

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Suddenly curious, 817920a101 Jack cautiously 2e984315ff called out d3fdbfc80d to Cayenne, 611403ef83 who was 219d7ec1f6 walking ahead.0369535127f5fa96

“Is it normal for high-ranking people to wander around like this?”7aa57f5e4e00bf22

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Jack spoke 635f110c85 in the 846fff9667 smallest voice b7365da75c possible, but d1c86ee08e the Crown 8dd8c8461f Prince, who f7a3ab83e4 was walking 616533529f ahead of 8001a4c70c Cayenne, also 23e4040e3e turned his ba7882c5d4 head to 4e1e4997e8 look at 922760daa5 Jack. It seemed eae200c9f6 he had 369633748d heard everything. Jack closed his mouth ccd37500f4 with a startled expression. Before Cayenne a0b71346d8 could answer, 95ed22e1b0 the Crown 06fa824967 Prince burst 2efbcaab1a into loud 9b24a61f40 laughter.626a104a1c76327e

“Of course not. I came lightly because I wanted to see our little bird.”f9f9381f8a1d058b

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“This time, you came too lightly…”6ea904b12eca1b82

Cayenne clicked his tongue, full of reproach. The Crown Prince, who had come to the northern Red Knights’ headquarters from the Imperial Castle without even a carriage or horse, had walked all the way.b9307024b912e2b9

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“So, if you had come to greet me nicely, I wouldn’t have had to wander alone. This time, it’s your fault, my love.”3a1345759c275b7c

“Yes, yes, let’s say so. There was always the option of not seeing each other at all, but since it’s your words, let’s leave it at that.”bc8ecaad486226f6

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Cayenne replied with a weary face, as if feeling disillusioned. It was unclear whether he was tired of the Crown Prince’s obsessive attitude or the repeated expressions like “little bird” and “my love.”91b920fbcc8928eb

“Again, you speak so harshly. Aren’t the Imperial family and the Madison family inseparable?”d8d7486010b0205c

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“That’s something for the family head to handle. As I mentioned earlier, since Repelz isn’t directly under the Imperial family, I have no reason to seek you out.”ee5979826e56a41e

“But there’s no particular reason not to seek me out either, right? Is it because of Dylan?”ea581cd45fb3ab45

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“If you know, please stop doing this.”c655f2ec0cc0245f

At the mention of a name from the Crown Prince’s mouth, Cayenne’s brow furrowed with displeasure. Not stopping there, Cayenne even lightly kicked the Crown Prince’s shin. Jack watched the Crown Prince hopping around, holding his kicked shin, with a slightly dazed feeling.1e082211e4407e44

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No matter how high-ranking, a knight kicking the Crown Prince’s shin…7ba8629831258627

The words that felt like a dagger in the empty conference room came to mind again. How delusional had he been, thinking he was closer to him than others just because they had been entangled a few times by chance? He suddenly felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It wasn’t even the first time he had such thoughts or feelings, yet every time he recalled it, he felt drained as if it were the first time.0a5a09af22c6b594

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“The more I think about it, the less I understand. Why should I feel uncomfortable seeing you because of the Madison family’s matters?”ccdadf4a5b624a7a

“If it weren’t for family matters, I wouldn’t have had any reason to hang around with you in the first place. Just accept it.”27ae580d8335d175

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“Can you really do that?”8fb2728b3186c8ba

“If not now, what will you do about it, Your Highness?”25ea858b83489437

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Cayenne, who had been 7014940a53 speaking in a nonchalant 013cdbc432 and high-handed manner, suddenly f5e0260e03 stopped walking. Jack, who 7a91fd550d was following 8d11b0df89 him, naturally b09e291622 had to a3948025c8 stop as fac2513c30 well.07631a9b06662ef7

“This is as far as I can escort you. Ten steps ahead is the territory of the Golden Knights Order, so we’ll take our leave here.”5572fa4c50d4269b

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“You’re too much. You might as well escort me to my bedroom…”5e9ccf5168da97cf

“Someone will devour you. Who? Your chamberlain, Lutein.”2fbe68c981d5421e

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The Crown Prince, who was about to ask who would devour him, was left speechless by Cayenne’s quick retort.1c1acc0621b8fc2a

“…You must have a hard time.”a27ebf6bc7adad64

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But unable to find a7dec46430 any words of rebuttal, a2a8a48054 the Crown Prince clicked 5755d1bf65 his tongue at the 1432033af6 innocent Jack. Jack just 0d9241d841 nodded and 864e082772 awkwardly smiled. He indeed had ae85cc4135 a hard time.065b259fa7b32264

“Alright, I’m going. But do visit sometimes! Otherwise, I’ll pop in unexpectedly and make it awkward for you.”9b8c660db269d89b

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“Yes, thank you for the advice. I’ll make sure to instruct the security department not to accept unidentified guests in the future.”81d1afb0a5595c1c

Cayenne deftly deflected the Crown Prince’s attack with a smiling face. The Crown Prince shouted “Too much!” in a nasal voice and disappeared with a swish.8e3f0274e5a2d76e

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Despite his words, Cayenne waited cautiously until the Crown Prince completely disappeared across the corridor connecting the Imperial Castle and the knights’ headquarters. Only when the Crown Prince was completely out of sight did he turn around, meet Jack’s gaze, and say, “Let’s go.”0e04fcf9bfe5a9e2

Jack replied with a 2dd17224fb “Yes.” and followed Cayenne.cf6b0cd08353209b

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It felt f325a2081f as if 27bb8306a2 a storm d536a8868a had just 011b9d76e0 passed.2c633e16113bfaae

The Imperial Castle 7c509fd43a and the headquarters 64423170e5 of the Red 6967664ced Knights, Repelz, were 06b2a362a9 connected by a ecb6482543 massive corridor, but bb5626ac4e it wasn’t close a2e5132d3c enough to traverse cbaf67b193 quickly. Both the castle 6cce358573 and the headquarters cdc7544244 were enormous, making d083a57cdb the journey between 49397b58c0 them a considerable 09a78f1ca4 walk.3d00a3bb903020ec

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Thanks to the unexpected 65046de492 escort duty for the 5488c58769 Crown Prince, the sun f8a93e3410 was already sinking in ffc2c022a8 the west, dyeing the ac15bc809c sky with deep hues bcc9f099a6 of crimson. The once warm 068b204f78 breeze now carried 24f126a4e2 a lingering chill, de4638fcfc cool against his c958d8a9d7 skin. The corridor, usually bustling c9eef842be during the day with 13a815a660 people going about their 4d514882b0 business, was now unusually 6f8772dd29 quiet due to the 4b274fcf29 late hour. The only c49927c5bd sound filling c8fe94f93d the passage bc0eb6e6b2 was the 402f76b353 rhythmic echo 6a07d715f2 of Cayenne’s 073e49c1d9 and Jack’s 5f62a8cc85 footsteps.7559d74fee32b112

Since his superior, 5c4c75dc33 Cayenne, remained silent, e6bd400580 Jack followed suit, 02e58394fb walking wordlessly beside 1079b0613f him. Yet, for 4090ffd47f some reason, ac0527917d the air b4fe5655cb brushing against bd8cd25fa3 his cheeks 7d18831e6a felt strangely 58b89a7144 ticklish.9f9912d66559767f

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Listening to the steady c2ae137b2d rhythm of their footsteps, 3bd7502adb Jack swallowed a quiet 74abfa42c9 exclamation. The feeling creeping 392ff0d730 up on him 2998021646 wasn’t unease—it was 5aae2dabe3 excitement.99befe1376768455

Come to think of f1d7e796af it, this was his d86b6d28c8 first official outing since 6d4a462031 becoming a secretary. And yet, f419b2748d for some eb4acd4fa5 inexplicable reason, 128584ee0c his heart 1fa50c534f fluttered at 8a59e98492 this outing f02416aa22 that wasn’t 314a553c76 even his 067e52e7fc first ever. Perhaps it was 595e791263 the glow of 6630d7a26d the setting sun. Or maybe, ea865d70b9 it was 81aa5b5755 the uniquely 72b4941e95 crisp breeze f7f8b16ef8 signaling the 7526aee36b change of 540eac9fe9 seasons.7e53744ea9a4060e

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“…The Crown Prince.”29b1c92b8a077e85

Jack was perfectly content 9897925986 walking in silence, but e0da87cdff it seemed Cayenne—whose expression c389cf61c0 he couldn’t see as 5e5883ea3f he walked ahead—felt differently.a934b4767d7caac7

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Hearing the unexpected sound 8e92138e57 of his voice, Jack f544e67d47 quickened his pace to 8f9addf8a9 walk alongside him. Though Cayenne flinched slightly, b75fc93bc0 as if the proximity 080baba5bd was a bit burdensome, 8bfd53fa5b he didn’t pull away.5b19cd56a918d700

Soon, in b615085797 a calm bb441d9b4d voice, Cayenne b70a8fd8d9 continued speaking.3a200835c8462ffe

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“Doesn’t he seem a bit crazy?”e2335245b4f0d011

“……Uh…”fcad3fc41f8012cd

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Caught off guard by a95a6d0e85 the sudden and straightforward fa13cda69b question, Jack stammered.4b4ba5f2d4068476

A question about whether aeea00b953 the Crown Prince seemed 705bdd425a crazy—asked in such a 2ef0fca7fe sweet atmosphere, with the 079587990e leisurely sunset, the gentle 2718e899d8 breeze, and the soft bd3a71cd6a sound of footsteps.4860984402fd1739

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The honest 01a2657120 answer would 412a6b8d06 be “Yes.” 59ad78ccdd But as 6db5ddbd9a a knight 1be100d41f sworn to 68a7fe86dc loyalty to 3222ce85b3 the royal d24e8e7fc4 family, he dc7bcc4b3c didn’t have c174de414d the courage b4ee11a827 to say 2b82ed8da0 it outright.73812d53f9886b57

Moreover, there was a70b11ef9a Cayenne—who, though not a74dd511df entirely certain, very 06c76f6f7f likely had a 506fa8790b vicious side that efdb931f6a might unleash a 65c553751c beast just to b8d5b563a9 silence him. No matter how tempting d80eada387 it was to answer, cf59181504 this could easily be 25839b8bce a trap. The moment he 45da5198ec agreed, Cayenne could 0a79e30b62 just as easily 1aa590601a twist his words dcd63b4ec3 and accuse him 45b267f6e8 of disloyalty to b0317759e0 the royal family.5bfdb8fd9f2e9f5d

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