* * *
“My lord…”
“As a fellow second son, I understand how it feels. My own brother may have shared power with me, but… yes, I imagine your brother won’t be so generous.”
“…Duke.”
“Though my relationship with my father is… distant, I’ve always admired the long-standing traditions and beauty of Fetchwig.”
Before leaving, Chester murmured softly:
“I do hope we can be good friends, Lord Bellick.”
Left alone, Bellick couldn’t hide his joy.
He’d been acknowledged—by no less than Chester Carlisle!
The man his father would destroy if he could.
And that man wanted to be his friend.
“Hehehe, see? Do you know who I am?”
Chester’s gaze lingered on Bellick’s back as the man failed to contain his laughter.
Gone was the angelic kindness—his face was now bored, almost cold.
His eyes were flat as he let out a small chuckle.
“Harry.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Speaking to the man following him, Chester said calmly,
“When we return to the estate, look into that seminary. I doubt it’s for any pure purpose. At the very least, it’s probably being used to funnel money under the table.”
“Understood. I’ll make preparations.”
“Good.”
A slow smile tugged at Chester’s lips.
“That flustered face of his—it was like he was admitting right then and there that he’s hiding something in that school. Old man Gordon really botched raising his son.”
With that, Chester finished the rest of his water.
The cool liquid washed down his throat, refreshing him. He handed the bottle to Harry with a bright smile.
“Now, let’s keep playing along with this dull, tedious little game.”
Three days of the hunting game came to an end.
Afterward, Gordon hosted a grand banquet.
The stag hunted by the Emperor was used for a sacred offering, and the rest were turned into pies and roasts. People feasted and drank with joy.
“My word.”
The Emperor let out a groan and dropped his cards.
“I can’t beat you, uncle. How could you deceive me so perfectly?”
“Deceive you?”
Gordon chuckled, shaking his head.
He swept the pile of gold coins from the center of the table toward himself—he had just won the game.
“I never deceived you, Your Majesty. I even told you my hand.”
“You did say it, but of course I assumed it was a bluff.”
The Emperor gave a wry smile and glanced around.
The attendants and maids laughed along with him.
Amidst the warm atmosphere, Gordon spoke up.
“This card game, doesn’t it remind you of life itself? Sometimes it teaches the lesson that one must trust the other.”
The Emperor was still exchanging friendly glances with those around him.
Smiling, he slowly turned back toward the duke.
His hands tightened on the table, though his face remained calm.
“You should have trusted me, Your Majesty.”
The words carried weight.
“Mistrusting someone, you see, can sometimes be a grave poison. Look at this—the seed of suspicion has brought this result. What a pity.”
“…”
“Well, this is only a game, of course. In reality, Your Majesty trusts me deeply, does he not?”
Clink.
A gold coin rolled across the table, stopping in the center, glowing in the warm orange light.
“Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
The Emperor’s lips parted.
He opened and closed his mouth several times as if to speak, then decided against it.
Gordon took the silence as a victory, smiling in satisfaction.
“Wait.”
All eyes turned toward the voice.
It was Chester.
He began placing his own cards on the table, one by one.
As his hand was revealed, Gordon’s expression grew darker.
“Ohhh!”
The Emperor leapt to his feet.
Upon seeing Chester’s hand, he clapped like an excited child.
“This! Chester, you kept this hidden all along?!”
The Emperor even called him by name, grinning from ear to ear, while Gordon’s face grew stiffer and stiffer.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I have a rather suspicious nature—I couldn’t help myself.”
Chester looked straight at Gordon, his eyes curved like a crescent moon.
“I thought it best not to let my guard down. Not until the very end.”
Realizing the remark was aimed at him, Gordon’s eyebrow twitched.
“Just as you said, Duke—this game truly is like life. See? A man boasts, then gets stabbed in the back. It’s something one might experience now and then.”
What was that?
The blatant mockery made Gordon’s blood boil.
Chester stood with a playful smile, while the Emperor bit his lip to keep from bursting into laughter.
“Your Majesty, may I take my leave?”
“What, without giving us the chance for revenge? How disappointing.”
But despite his words, the Emperor readily gave permission—he wanted Gordon’s pride crushed completely.
Gordon seethed inside, but there was no overturning the Emperor’s word.
“Uncle, let’s play again.”
The Emperor sat back down, his excitement plain to see.
Leaving behind the noisy reception room, Chester continued walking.
People were dancing, drinking, and enjoying themselves.
As he passed a table, he picked up a glass of wine.
The liquid rippled with each step.
Boring.
The moment he stepped onto an empty balcony, Chester took in a deep breath.
The smile was gone, his face cold. His eyes were icy as he tipped the glass to his lips.
The thrill of toying with an opponent had long since faded.
Now, the urge to return to the estate was strong.
‘You’ve grown impatient, Chester. You used to savor it for longer.’
He made a quiet, thoughtful hum and looked straight ahead.
A breeze carried with it the scent of flowers, sweet and fragrant, and it made him think of someone.
Slowly, the corners of his mouth curved upward.
He thought of that boy—the one who loved flowers.
The one with an omega scent, like the fragrance of blooms.
“I’m going to miss you a lot.”
That fresh, earnest voice came back to him.
Chester thought back to what he had said in return at the time.
“It’s going to be a short hunt, so you don’t need to pine too much.”
How ridiculous.
For someone who’d said that, here he was, aching to see Adam.
Chester drained the rest of his drink.
He couldn’t tell if it was because he wasn’t in the mood, but not even the alcohol was giving him a buzz.
“What’s on your mind?”
“You’re here, brother.”
Hearing the voice from behind, Chester greeted him casually.
Isaac stood to the side, scanning his younger brother’s face.
“Bored?”
“As expected of you, brother. You read me instantly.”
“It’s written all over your face. Clear as day.”
“Haha.”
Chester shook his empty glass with a wry smile.
“It’s too obvious, you know? The flattery and flirting from those trying to get in my good graces, the digs from those wanting to bring me down. It’s all so predictable that it’s dull.”
“…”
“Or maybe… maybe I’ve just gotten to know someone who isn’t predictable, and now everything else feels even more tedious.”
“You mean Adam?”
Chester smiled faintly.
Isaac took that as confirmation.
“He’s not predictable, that’s for sure. Doesn’t give you a chance to get bored.”
“Why is that, I wonder? Why doesn’t Adam ever feel predictable?”
Isaac kept silent at that.
He didn’t know the reason either.
The brothers let the silence linger, the only sound around them being the laughter of others.
“By tomorrow, we can go back.”
“We can, yes. It’ll just take a while to get there.”
“Still, it’ll be a breath of fresh air compared to being here.”
“True enough. You’re right.”
Leaning against the wall, Chester tilted his head back.
* * *
