"AND WHAT'S HIS TYPE?"

"Isn't he annoying[1]? From the moment he was born, he has lacked nothing."

That makes sense. On the surface, Ciel seemed to lack nothing.

A powerful father, a loving mother, three strong brothers, and a sweet sister. Great magic that he inherited from his father and the beautiful appearance he inherited from his mother.

Even Alex wouldn't have felt affection towards Ciel if he hadn't met him in person.

"It's not like that. He's pretty cute when you get to know him."

That was true, especially when he looked embarrassed. And when he's bragging about his sister with clumsy lies that clearly show his intentions.

Knowing that she was a foster daughter, Ciel's efforts to provide a way to live for his older sister were remarkable.

"I've been told that he's the most beautiful boy in the Empire. He must be quite a beauty, considering Lord Isaac's behavior."

"No, I'm not talking about looks, everything he does is cute."

"I've heard the lady likes his sister very much. Since his older sister is an adopted daughter, he might not like her, but he does, that's surprising."

"Would it feel like that if I had a sister?"

It was impressive for Sir Wilhelm to see the Crown Prince blindly liking someone. He shook his head at Alex's remark.

"Your Grace, I don't think so."

"How come?"

"Your Highness and Prince Stan don't get along very well."

When he brought up his cousin, Alex closed his mouth. Stan showed his possessive desire for Ciel, as well as an open hatred.

The moment he thought about it, an unknown emotion fluttered across Alex's mind.

"I can't let him do what he wants."

"What are you going to do?"

Ciel didn't seem to have feelings for him either. Although Alex could not approach Ciel flimsily because he is a difficult opponent, he opted to keep Ciel in mind instead of Clara, as long as he cooperates.

'And he likes me.'

Ciel didn't hide his feelings. Alex vaguely guessed when he heard him saying, not to do it, as soon as he brought up his marriage with his sister.

He probably hasn't noticed it yet, but no one has ever shown so much sincerity towards him. Seeing Ciel claiming to be on his side, Alex also changed his mind.

It will not be easy to make Valentine's favorite son a Crown Prince, but if his feelings are true, there's no reason for him to ignore Ciel's heart.

For some reason, his first marriage proposal was immediately rejected, but there won't be any obstacles as long as Ciel's heart remains unchanged.

It wasn't particularly a good thing, but an innocent smile hung around his mouth.

"Are you all right?"

"No, it's nothing. Let's go."

Wilhelm had no idea what the hell happened to him.

"I'd like to have an audience with His Majesty, so please take care of everything."

"I'll take your orders, my lord."

Wearing a black cloak stained with the blood of his enemies, Alex entered the palace where no one would welcome him.

The Emperor sat on his throne and looked down at his grown-up son.

"You're finally back, Alex."

"I greet Your Majesty."

"Get up."

Unlike Stan, who has never held a sword properly due to his overprotective mother, Queen Lotte, Alex inherited his father's outstanding sword skills.

Although he had been hiding his ability to be wary of Queen Lotte, stories about his performance on the battlefield even reached the Emperor's ears.

"Good job, my son."

"I didn't expect it to take this long."

As the Duke of Valentine openly supported the Crown Prince, Queen Lotte's plans became more discreet.

Alex was willing to take the lead because it would be difficult if there was a marriage between Stan and Ciel while he was sitting on his hands[2].

"On my way back, I stopped at the Duke's residence before entering the Palace."

"Looking at your happy expression, it seems like you've already met him."

When the Emperor shook his head, he pretended not to know what he meant and spoke again.

"Stan was there. He was threatening Ciel."

"What?"

"The Empress seems to want to connect Stan with Ciel."

Since the last incident, Queen Lotte has somehow tried to restore her relationship with the Valentines, but the anger of Duchess Eveness showed little sign of abating.

When the decision to return was made, Alex notified the Emperor of his plans in advance. He decided to take the next step after receiving assurances from the Emperor that he would allow it.

"His sister passed the pharmacist test, so I'm going to hire Lady Clara as a full-time pharmacist if she accepts it."

"What are you going to do about, Young Master Ciel?"

"Actually, I'm planning to invite him into my Palace as a valued guest."

"A valued guest?"

"Yes, if His Majesty gives me permission, the Duke of Valentine will not oppose the decision."

A valued guest.

The fact that the unmarried Crown Prince invites the single, esteemed Son of Valentine into his Palace and he is merely referred to as a distinguished guest, could have just one meaning.

Even though it has an overly explicit meaning, it can be said that externally, he is nothing more than a guest.

Even if he wants to enter the Palace somehow, his father knows best that Alex is not the type to go around talking nonsense.

Alex, who didn't trust anyone before meeting Ciel, has changed considerably. The Emperor simply chuckled at what his friend, the Duke of Valentine, would look like if he knew about it.

"I have no reason to disagree. Coming into this Palace means that my sweet Ciel will come to me every morning."

"Ciel doesn't belong to Father."

"How dare you[3]."

The Emperor laughed when he saw Alex fall for those words.

"I don't care as long as Ciel marries someone and joins the Imperial family."

If Valentine's Princess married into a foreign country, the dowry alone would be tremendous.

So if Alex had no intention, the Emperor was willing to grant the marriage between Ciel and Stan.

For the Emperor, who forced his younger sister to marry to gain the Winterbaum estate, it was not a losing business whether Ciel chose his nephew or his son.

"He's so cute. He's the spitting image of his mother in our childhood."

"Has he ever entered the Palace while I was away?"

"He came a few times. Still, Stan's visiting him was unexpected."

Considering the relationship between the Queen and the Duchess could be friendly again, Alex drew a clear line.

"Ciel doesn't like Stan. He hid behind me as soon as he saw me."

"Are you that happy?"

Although he tried to be serious, Alex's lips were obviously lifted. When he saw his son, who couldn't hide his genuine feelings like that, the Emperor clicked his tongue.

"I'm sorry I couldn't hold the ceremony."

"I'm fine, so please compensate the knights separately."

Perhaps Ciel kissed him, the Emperor grinned in front of his son, who appeared to be overjoyed.

"It's a little late but here's a gift."

The Emperor offered to his son a thick bundle of documents.

"What's this?"

Calling it a gift is a bit of an understatement. Alex scrutinized the contents of the document.

"Are there people who brought drugs into the capital?"

"Actually, it's a flower that hasn't been processed. It's such a tricky thing to grow, so I left it alone, but I got a report that a huge amount of supplies might be released soon."

Solving such a big case could help Alex strengthen his position.

But the thing is, it wasn't an easy case.

There was no information on where or how they were grown but only reports that the item would be released.

"Try to work it out."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

His father only gives him a chance, and whether he succeeds or not depends entirely on Alex's abilities.

He was troubled by the contents of the document. Alex decided to ask Clara for advice.

"Call Theo Valentine first thing in the morning tomorrow."

Stan's behavior was alarming.

He made an appointment with Theo because it would be better to talk to her brother than to the young lady herself.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

"THEO VALENTINE GREETS HIS HIGHNESS, THE CROWN PRINCE."

"Young Duke, please speak comfortably."

Theo was quite surprised by Alex's polite attitude. He tried to swallow the bitter feelings of the two, who had seemed unusually close since the previous ball, but he also knew about the Crown Prince exchanging letters with Clara.

Ciel said he was proposed to by him, but it hasn't been confirmed yet.

Theo bit his lips and asked bluntly.

"I've heard rumors that you favor my sister."

Alex's expression was unmoved by his blunt question.

Even though he was younger than Theo, his face showed his experience.

"If you're talking about Lady Clara, you're mistaken. We're just good friends."

It was odd that he talked about Clara on purpose, when people think of Theo's sister, they naturally think of Ciel first.

However, the Crown Prince only talked about Clara and did not say a word about Ciel.

"Come to think of it, you helped Ciel yesterday. On behalf of the Valentines, thank you."

When the name Ciel came out, a faint smile spread around Alex's mouth. Theo was relieved because of the completely different response than when talking about Clara.

"For now, the other two people are out[4], so please wait."

While talking, Theo felt an abnormal signal from the necklace. It was unusual.

"Your Grace, wait a minute, I'll be away for a moment."

Theo hurried out of the room and teleported with his two brothers following the signal from the necklace.

{Help me!}

Ciel's cry came from the necklace. The three brothers jumped into the old mansion without worrying about who got their first.

As soon as they entered the place, they found Ciel suffering from a fever surrounded by deep red flowers that were blooming.

"Ciel!"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

[1] One of the words used here (얄밉지) is kind of complicated. I'd say the closest definition is someone that is privileged and abuses that privilege.

[2] While doing nothing

[3] This is like a playful way to say it. It can also be "Cheapskate" or "How stingy"

[4] Referring to his other brothers