Weeping Men: The Innocent Princess's Secret Delight - Chapter 2.8
He had made a mistake. Froyzen bit the inside of his cheek hard. He needed to smooth things over quickly.
“If it’s in service to Your Highness, any task would be an honor.”
“Is that so?”
Froyzen felt like he had aged ten years at Judith’s cool response. He thought she would keep emphasizing those words, holding a grudge.
‘…Still, I should retreat for now.’
But he couldn’t have a completely cordial conversation with the princess as he was still uneasy. He politely bowed while adjusting his appearance.
“I apologize for leaving so soon after your arrival, but I have another engagement, so I’ll take my leave first.”
“Ah! Of course. I can’t keep the busy young duke without any urgent business!”
Judith didn’t even show any sign of regret. She even waved her hand with a broad smile as Froyzen was leaving through the door.
“……”
Froyzen observed her intently for a while before bowing again and turning away completely.
‘What are you staring at? It’ll wear out.’
Judith inwardly cursed at Froyzen and took the dog from her lady-in-waiting. She then made an excuse of giving free time to ensure they were left alone.
When put down on the floor, the dog wagged its tail like a fountain and started nibbling on the jerky. Kaizen, not even glancing in that direction, asked.
“You didn’t ask me to prepare the snacks, Your Highness…? Why such a lie…?”
What a sensitive topic to choose.
“Never mind that.”
Judith quickly brushed it off, making a sad face. As expected, Kaizen’s attention was immediately diverted.
“W-why are you like this, Your Highness?”
“Don’t… don’t quit, my lord…”
“!”
She heard more than he thought. He felt dismayed, but Kaizen again couldn’t answer easily.
If earlier it was because of rising desire, now he was weighed down by the education he had received, telling him he shouldn’t dare to go against his brother. Caught between these two conflicting values, Kaizen didn’t know how to act.
Judith pulled Kaizen’s hands and held them together. Her eyes were on the verge of tears.
“I don’t like it and it’s uncomfortable if it’s not you, my lord…”
“…I…”
“…Is it very hard for you? Well, you’re already busy… I shouldn’t force you… But still…”
A single teardrop fell. Seeing this, Kaizen’s heart ached even more, and he finally promised.
“A-alright. Until Your Highness’s new guard is appointed, I will absolutely not leave your side.”
“…Really?”
Honestly, it was unclear whether he could keep this promise or not.
However, at the moment she asked if it was true, seeing the princess’s smile bloom like a flower, he couldn’t take his eyes off her…
He couldn’t bring himself to say that it might not be possible.
Kaizen clutched his chest tightly. The area was undulating, making it hard to even breathe.
‘Of course, you should. Where do you think you’re running off to?’
If he had heard the thoughts hidden behind that smile, his heart would have been pounding with shock rather than excitement.
***
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots continuously echoed through the forest on the duke’s private property. Several birds fell mid-flight.
Bullets worth a townhouse in the capital per shot were being wasted on this meaningless hunt. Yet, Froyzen didn’t stop firing.
Froyzen slowly lowered his gun. The servants who had accompanied him scattered in unison to where the birds had fallen.
“16 cartridges, 12 birds! As expected, you’re excellent, young duke!”
Those who retrieved the carcasses praised his 75% hit rate. Given that the targets weren’t fixed and were flying high in the sky, the servants’ praise of his skill wasn’t entirely empty flattery.
“Leave them and go back.”
He doesn’t get excited even though he knows. Froyzen dismissed all the servants desperately trying to please him. Only the bird carcasses remained around him. The bodies were piled up, looking like a grotesque heap with blood flowing.
He stared at it impassively, then suddenly frowned and gripped his right wrist tightly. The hand holding the gun was trembling as if in spasm.
It was a side effect of handling guns since childhood. His hand would tremble like this when he was under stress. Froyzen retrieved the gun he always carried, poured out a handful of medicine, and swallowed it dry. The shaking gradually subsided.
He waited until his hand completely stopped shaking before approaching the bloody heap. Then, he tore and broke them apart, venting his frustration and calming himself down.
His hands were soaked in blood, but his eyes remained cold.
‘That bastard, again.’
The target of his anger was, of course, his younger brother.
‘How long does he intend to keep irritating me?’
Froyzen’s black-stained eyes traced somewhere in the past.
“Kaizen can do anything, can’t he?”
The Duchess smiled as she patted Kaizen. Kaizen blushed and received the pat.
In front of Kaizen lay a straw dummy with its cross-section cleanly cut. Young children weren’t given real swords, but Kaizen had managed to raise sword energy with a wooden sword and cut the training dummy.
It was an incredible feat for a child not even ten years old to raise sword energy on his own without instruction. It was especially significant in the ducal family that valued martial arts. Even the Duke smiled contentedly while looking at Kaizen.
Then the Duke glanced briefly at Froyzen who was nearby. In an instant, his expression twisted into displeasure.
“Tsk.”
He didn’t say anything. He just clicked his tongue. But even that hit Froyzen harder than words could have.
Froyzen gripped his wooden sword so tightly that the knuckles on the back of his hand turned white.
In front of him, a straw dummy was bent at the waist, completely ruined, but no one offered praise for this meager result.
Froyzen gritted his teeth as he looked at Kaizen.
But that was a long time ago. Now, no one dared to compare him with Kaizen.
Still, the perception of “the second son better than the first” that had once taken root was not easily erased. If Froyzen made even a slight misstep, the vassals would rush in to debate whether it was right to put the first son in the position of the young duke.
‘How annoying.’
That’s why he had sent him to a place where he might die. Using the duty to protect the empire as an excuse, to the north where conflict was raging.
But that bastard came back alive. As a hero.
And it didn’t stop there,
‘Even seducing the princess.’
Moreover, he was using that honor to interfere with his future plans, the most crucial one being entry into the imperial family.
When Judith saw Froyzen off earlier, she smiled nonchalantly, but he saw through the true intentions hidden behind her smile.
Earlier, she had wanted to drive out Froyzen who was pressuring Kaizen. Though she didn’t say it, he could feel it.
‘I need to do something right away.’
Rumors have already spread. If he sits idle, Kaizen might even gain the wings of the princess.
If that happens, the family, the glory, this empire. He won’t be able to grasp any of it.
Froyzen was lost in thought for a moment.
“Jin.”
Then he called for his aide. The aide, who had been waiting nearby trembling and unable to escape, sprang out as if rolling.
