MBHE | Chapter 2.6

“Carpe is, of course, doing well… perhaps too healthy.”4f1808a41c661f3a

“That’s good news.”98a5e363c1d0d75f

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The soft fingertips, which had never held a sword, poked Iellon’s cheek. Iellon’s slight retreat, without any significant resistance, made Edward’s smile grow.ba023ea419c30027

“My father said that royalty is a lonely existence. He said they are so noble that they can’t help but be lonely.”0940d91edeacbb7d

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The voice, full of undeniable pretense, made him want to burst into laughter, but he had to hold back. Iellon thought he was still far from mastering Helen’s poker face, blinking with a face mixed with suspicion and hope.772214bd6ec6ea08

“Aren’t you lonely, Your Highness?”9263ed213848465f

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The fifteen-year-old noble, who seemed f1fbc993fe to have seen a lot, bf17949a3c lowered his voice and whispered eb375e999f in his ear. He was clearly just 3179fbfae1 getting a thrill from de7b01acf8 manipulating a powerful person.80ebbd8c3e4ceb24

‘As a child of a prestigious duke, life must have seemed easy.’27b5a75720cf1fee

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His olive-colored eyes gleamed with b83ae8ab91 the thrill of bringing one dee10bf1c8 of the few people above 3c8998a210 him, Iellon, down to his 3a7f5407e9 feet.2d1bb8bea7b150da

“Yes? Your Highness.”6f4b14ecf5bef254

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The forced low 11ccab749a voice gave him a48e0116a8 goosebumps. But it was too 9b174c1737 late to stop now. The time to grab the ba7d80f415 deer grazing in the snare 8eb9709402 was near.4d2b24e27afa9d92

“If Your Highness wishes to ease your loneliness, you may use me.”843f2893e902faee

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“The young master…?”1ca7f0d2ce907356

“I will be the Duke of Mendez in a few years, and being close to me will never be harmful. We can be good friends.”730abbaf3242312f

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The red eyes ea582804fe flickered with the 710e6c9935 flames of the 379b09c344 fireplace. Edward swallowed, savoring the thrill 9c40237355 of underestimating the prince while 2cd58166cc slowly admiring a face more 57d3cca399 beautiful than he had imagined.843ba09d7c96f54e

The silver hair, which flowed 5e4e470245 down as he tilted his ef5cec6cc5 head uncertainly, was charmingly disheveled, 46dfe34192 though it felt like silk a632edc8cb when touched.98b30045c774c6a9

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The fact that he had b00ccc8a0d made the prince, who had 417d11be9e been pressing his father earlier, f742b49a5b look so fragile and delicate, 94a02c6ffd only enhanced his pride.1178b34b4ff4a6c4

The exhilaration of manipulating the prince was clearly visible on Edward’s face. Though pretending to be skilled, it was evident at every moment that he was merely fifteen years old.f41365fe9d3469e8

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Edward was probably imitating his 107c7f677c father. It was obvious without seeing. Having grown up 1969a99366 watching Duke Mendez d8e59c0192 secretly pressuring nobles 725987473d in the mansion b971d3e370 to get what 3e36ba71c2 he wanted, Edward 1122bdea09 was acting the 38d309d5c3 same way.6720b3a1b868a62a

But who would have thought feb84f840b he would do that to 3b63cd593d a prince?0d5d84dcf4979b5b

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“Since friends naturally help each other, if we become friends, I will sincerely assist Your Highness.”81a443dd558cdc2d

“…Is that true?”378e564e4443b678

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Edward, thinking he had succeeded, moved closer. The hand that had somehow grasped his shoulder was now hot and tight. It hurt quite a bit, but Iellon didn’t bother to shake it off. It seemed like solid evidence would soon spill from those foolish lips.2ccf7c29640b6304

Edward thought he would 61d30b1002 be recognized by Duke 2db7c8ddb7 Mendez for coaxing the 031986d602 prince into his control, 23243ae3c8 but unfortunately, he had 71f4838a12 dug his own grave.dfed9e401fa4c1f2

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In fact, Iellon was almost excited. Should he pressure Duke Mendez for the crime of laying hands on royalty, or should he push Edward’s words to make him a firm ally?ec4b0efcf2da0f6d

While pondering how to distort the sly duke’s smile, it happened.24fe411cc1a64f14

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“With just one word of affirmation, our Mendez family will… Ugh!”abbfabae42bf6b07

Before he could finish his 8d431269b9 sentence, Edward suddenly disappeared from f3b23a8697 sight. He was lying on the 4a385fa279 floor, trembling. Standing protectively in front 6ecba43b59 of Iellon was a eebc559c84 back that was too 8c07f2f28b small for an adult 27da1c1335 but too big for 2a94fd1dd2 a child.657ccb9e0d127861

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With jet-black hair and b3208ffde1 a skinny body, Lucas, a5cabc8285 or rather Noah, stood 3c0b8f3d41 with his fist raised.4a42a5433a8752e0

I didn’t know why he was here or why he had hit Edward. But there was one thing Iellon knew for sure.54a86f3108495ac2

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“Do you know what you just blew away?”5cfb1e2437af563b

The opportunity to manipulate the Mendez family, which owned mines of iron, gold, and jewels. An opportunity that couldn’t be bought with any amount of money had vanished with a dirty child’s punch.29575edc87885e40

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The emptiness outweighed the anger. It was so absurd that he couldn’t even get mad.dc3ba46bcf180c1f

Noah, who didn’t know anything, frowned slightly and approached Iellon. Then, with clumsy hands, he patted his body, as if checking if a fallen child was hurt.95b1436957e1125c

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Edward, still lying 4188c9e081 on the floor, 076c439e89 and Noah, seriously 3fa7374b7b examining Iellon. The fireplace, still burning brightly, 68f359eabc not knowing the situation. Iellon closed his eyes tightly.4a589cbb08e729f0

“Cough, cough! What is this…!”7685630e6ed4d87c

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Edward, who had probably 3979828fb8 never been hit by dcec6a67fe anyone before, turned over, 5e6c1b960e trembling. He placed his hand a36913b712 on his swollen cheek eba3c4e94d and inhaled sharply at dd506a1323 the sight of the cf4b289bf5 blood on his fingers.1f6df63e30fde835

“I apologize for my attendant’s rudeness. He’s exceptionally loyal.”2d2704de0b83bb42

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Iellon quickly interjected 0c017c13d2 with a firm 70a15a9b1c tone. Edward, who was still 2cd0305c99 lying on the floor, 3f46f901d7 alternated between looking at 73a14351f5 Iellon and Noah, his 87bca720a0 face twisting fiercely.58e4b4c297def444

“How dare an attendant…!”834e6cb53ac2e044

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“It seems even a young boy found your touch quite unpleasant. I thought you were just someone lacking a bit of etiquette, but since it’s come to this, I’ll tell Duke Mendez to put aside his affection for the young master and educate him a bit more strictly.”0673d03bb2294c7b

There was a big difference between Edward reporting to the duke that Iellon’s attendant hit him and Iellon reporting that he was harassed.7126a40ea0f54e87

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Even if the cause and effect were the same, people tend to see the information they receive first as more significant. If both are shocking, it’s always advantageous to strike first.3e4135b17f57eefd

“How heartbroken I would be if the future Duke Mendez were to be ridiculed somewhere.”9b48fcc7ff19dd6a

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Iellon, with his 20fd1dd20b hands behind his d59dcda602 back and slightly f7f06b4197 bent waist, nodded cf8b9bb77a his head and e58f3b0da6 smiled. Fragile and delicate? What stood before 7a5dc238e0 him was the 386abb68a3 top predator lurking 77a61ca897 in the grass, 7c8cce8ce5 eyeing its prey.f15896ea3d03d5cd

Underestimating a snake just because it crawled on the ground was Edward’s mistake. It was proof of his foolishness to even think that way in the first place.d6d5cc0c65ed5bf4

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♣ ♣ ♣13905b2639d1c7fc

Upon hearing the news, Duke Mendez clenched his fist and bowed his head. Even though he didn’t openly say he was harassed, he clearly understood the overall situation.043089ae29288d4d

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“…I apologize. Please don’t just overlook it because he’s young; I’ll educate him properly from now on.”b08b4a7f78db1417

“Yes, do so now.”78784f9c3621c717

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If Iellon and Carpe were truly at odds, Edward’s actions would have gone unchecked. To become emperor, or even just to survive, he needed as many allies as possible.ccf457794e4fc1a7

He would have endured a moment’s humiliation if the Mendez family would back him. In reality, the situation was a bit different, but Iellon intended to do so.068fca3cc0883e46

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However, Iellon and Carpe were not enemies. In fact, Iellon was striving to save Carpe, making Edward’s threats meaningless from the start.06e37f85b5ef9092

What remained was the crime of harassing royalty. He had planned to have some fun with that, but Noah’s sudden intervention ruined everything.26c95df9c1e0697b

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But once the a693b0826c water was spilled, 1c9ee9e0dc there was no 75439c7076 gathering it back. Iellon, who had already resigned 102d32326d himself, flipped the card he 3cf5501b74 had from the start.f002de6d9fe6df68

“Still, it’s fortunate that it was me. Within the empire, everyone knows the status of the Mendez family, so it would have been overlooked, but if such disgrace had been shown to nobles from other countries, it would have been an embarrassment to the Leronan Empire.”306405126ddb2392

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What if your son acted presumptuously and was ridiculed while secretly dealing with other countries? The voice, full of mockery, echoed in Duke Mendez’s mind.2bcbdfca983d57b4

Iellon had suspicions ef141c873e but no evidence. Knowing this, Duke Mendez straightened 3835d75cdb his slightly lowered body.40f24779c6b77f5e

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If he let himself be pushed, he didn’t know what he might lose. The duke, known as a sly fox, looked at the prince with a stern face.1d16529735eb11ea

“Your Highness, even though he was rude, being struck by an attendant is a disgrace to our Mendez family. May I impose an appropriate punishment on that attendant?”00d178c6cb0b6d26

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“Hmm, imposing a punishment on someone who stood up for his master?”a40da8a52cbd7f65

“Of course, Edward will also receive a fitting punishment.”fd8e07c64074958d

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Edward, with a large de8a30be30 bandage on his cheek, 4f91a045af looked surprised. Noah remained motionless.51e3a4754be6d65d

Iellon, who was c19b918a90 still outwardly calm 7e2eef57f2 but inwardly clicked 24bb4dcd48 his tongue, tapped 542a01efec his toes as 5929af42d5 if lost in 35cdf153fb thought.8f2d98bd3be606bf

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Duke Mendez was gambling 879d918450 with Noah as the ec724a6bbb excuse. He was willing to 8e15cd1fc2 admit their fault and 0dbdd7f700 take a losing position 1ff43fca40 with Iellon, but in 1c3509e4e7 return, he intended to 786f0c70a4 kill Noah. It was the desperate act dda1f145da of a sly fox who 72831dc86c quickly realized that Noah was 8b67a0644a more than just a regular df54208e3d attendant to Iellon.8bc24a482cb479a1

The power of the duke’s family, which would be nice to have but not disastrous if lost, and Noah, who would become a hero’s companion in the future. It was a game Iellon couldn’t win.a9933b53c247f8cf

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Swallowing a sigh, 050d6fb052 Iellon deliberately showed 54c3b4f268 a hint of 7960f47476 annoyance and waved e1f5991c41 his hand dismissively.081b5096cd9ff8eb

“Seeing blood after a meal isn’t pleasant, so let’s just consider this matter as if it never happened.”b86b66022b7442b0

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Duke Mendez hid his relief and nodded, as if he had no choice but to follow the prince’s opinion.7f2719496724723c

If Iellon had dc1e3e8c20 given up Noah, f58b44b116 Edward would have 4967c7d844 lost an entire ea1cb92d18 hand and had 608c8ad2ea nothing to say.5d4a8e2a52dc3ad2

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Plus-minus zero. Iellon and Duke Mendez shared 050c67e540 the same thought, smiling without 30bfe14b9d a hint of joy.ef4557fecae5e621

♣ ♣ ♣a522031be1770af3

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Iellon staggered into the room prepared by the duke and approached the bed. As he dove into the plush bedding, it felt like he might just sink into it. After a while, he managed to turn over and saw the canopy adorned with small jewels. One of the blue sapphires slightly resembled Carpe’s eyes.652a103fcfa89479

Once he thought of him, thoughts of that child flooded in. Carpe, who made him smile without needing to control his expression. Carpe, who didn’t hide his true feelings or test others. Carpe, who wasn’t selfish.21748c96e8164c5f

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Iellon missed Carpe, who allowed him to remain just someone’s older brother.2f07d0fd68e2ed23

As he hugged c79cc2eb23 the pillow and 209f07131d rolled around the f537dd5926 wide bed, Iellon e9f7a721c2 suddenly stopped struggling.ff04289668688ba1

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The subtle power struggle with Duke Mendez had taken an unexpected turn. The outcome wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t terribly bad either.220753e40d99bd14

He didn’t have solid evidence of selling minerals to other countries, and he hadn’t expected Duke Mendez to shrink back just from suspicions.ae5a9ef18969d817

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Although they had agreed to overlook things because of Noah, Edward’s arrogant actions were a significant mistake. Even if Iellon changed his mind later and decided to give up Noah to shake Edward, Duke Mendez wouldn’t be able to act recklessly.e564783ccefbf52a