“I am really angry.”

“I could see that.”

A light punch landed on his upper arm. Rigel pretended to wince in pain. 

“I am super angry. How could they accuse me like that? Even idiots could tell I am not the culprit!”

Cain was back to his combat training as soon as Rigel gave his approval. And now while babysitting the prince, Rigel had gotten himself another ‘angry kitten’ to take care of; Lumi Callisto. Lumi seemed to avoid the wizard headquarters after the last incident. As a result, she but in every class Cain had to attend.  

“Alan had to  talk to your majesty the king before the head wizard was willing to release me. They even locked me up for two whole days!”

Rigel was cleaning Nara’s paw with wet clothes. He rolled his eyes because Lumi’s confinement happened almost two weeks ago and yet she still held a grudge to her fellow wizard about this.

And this was already the seventh time he had to listen to her venting her anger. If Cain avoided her by training, Rigel could not really do that. After all they both seemed like parents watching over their son practicing from the side.

“Can you imagine staying in that filthy place for two whole days??”

“Missy, of course I can imagine the feeling of being confined ‘for-two-whole-days’.” Rigel laughed. “Now… your other paw, please, Mister Carbonara.”

Lumi seemed like a volcano ready to erupt. But she then realized that it was quite inappropriate for her to repeat her same complaints seven times to the same person. More than that, the said person had to buy his freedom by doing hard labor.

She sighed. “... It was insensitive of me. Sorry.”

“You are forgiven.” 

“I am just… You know… It frustrated me!” Angry Lumi put her head on the table, next to Nara. “If I am older, I’ll be the leader of the investigator group but you see? Fuck it! That useless old man accused me of wanting to hurt Cain?! Me? Of all people? Ridiculous!”

Rigel thought his ear would bleed by hearing Lumi talk in high tone with loud volume and also cursing words. He dramatically pretended to close his ears.

“You should tell them that you gain nothing by killing your fiance. Except you are already married and would inherit the throne as a queen.”

Lumi snorted. Her reaction seemed like she’s used to this kind of situation.

“What kind of rubbish rumor are you talking about? We are not engaged. Why would I date a brat like Cain?” 

Rigel agreed about the ‘brat’ part.

“Anyway…” Lumi suddenly lifted her hand and grabbed Rigel’s wrist. Nara jumped from the table and walked to Cain, leaving the two of them alone. 

Lumi pinched Rigel’s palm several times. It did not hurt anymore so Rigel did not complain. But this gesture reminded him of cats making biscuits to their humans. How funny. 

“... Now what?” 

“I just can’t understand why with your capacity, you are not a Paladin yet?” 

For Lumi, even some paladins and wizards were not as powerful as Rigel. This red haired man has so much power that is easily envied by people.

“To burn that much killer butterflies in such a short time…”

“It took an hour. Was it considered fast?”

“Do you really don’t know or do you want me to throw this vase on your palm?”

Rigel chuckled. It is fortunate that Lumi and Cain were not engaged. He suddenly couldn’t imagine how Alrauna would go with both of their rulers so temperamental. Alan would spend most of his time mediating them instead of advising them how to solve the country 's crisis. 

“Well… I used to be normal.” 

“And what kind of normal?”

“Just enough to join the paladin qualification test.” Rigel shrugged. Yeah. That was indeed normal compared to his current capacity. “Didn’t take it though. Too much hassle.” 

Rigel retracted his hand gently from Lumi. He patted her head instead, making a mess of her black hair. “I just… crossed some limitation. I can’t go back to normal since then. It’s complicated. I, myself, do not have a full understanding of this condition.”

Lumi was loud, honest, and open. But she was not stupid not to detect that Rigel wanted the conversation to end there. She sighed. 

It would be nice to know what Rigel meant as ‘limitation’. 

“What are you guys talking about?” Cain asked as he stepped closer with Nara on his shoulder. He looked at them in confusion. Since when exactly Rigel tamed Lumi just like he did with Nara?

“You being stubborn and difficult kiddo…” Lumi answered in a flat tone.

“Stop talking as if you were older than me.”

“Oh don’t be shy, Missy. We talk about your engagement. Where should we hold the banquet? Jade Palace?”

Both Lumi and Cain looked at Rigel in annoyance before replying in unison. “Bullshit.”

***

 Alan was about to leave the princess’s chamber when Estelle pulled his sleeve. The princess was not weak. But her ability to recover was somehow slow. If Cain only needs full rest for three days, she needs twice the time. This weakness made her unfit to inherit the throne and Queen Andromeda disappointed in her sometimes. After all, the son of the mistress is both a strong water elementalist and summoner, but her daughter is just a bit above average.

“My mom is arranging me to meet the heir of Duke Draco.” 

Alan knew what kind of reaction Estelle wanted. But he did not think succumbing to her wish was wise. He tried to maintain a calm facade. 

“Is it Sir Ruben Draco? Or his brother, Sir Rowan?

Seeing his face, Estelle felt sad. She now reached for Alan’s hand, softly massaged his finger. 

“Don’t know. Don’t care. I am not interested.”  

“Meeting them once won’t hurt, I think.”

Forced smile. Awkward tension. She knew how soft Alan could be and yet it still made her frustrated to some extent. This time, Estelle wished for him to forbid her to meet these spouse candidates. Just in words was fine, for Estelle also realized Andromeda Aldebaran’s order could not be defied. 

“Are you sure?” 

She did not wait for Alan to answer. She pulled him quite hard, made him lose balance and fell to the soft mattress. She trapped Alan’s underneath and asked in a cold tone. 

Alan was surprised. Not by the way Estelle acted, but more because he looked into her eyes and found no trace of the lady he had known for a long time. 

“You know you are allowed to be more selfish, right?” She asked while caressing Alan’s hair. Her index finger brushed against his short bang. “You are allowed to want me, Alan.”

Alan smiled a little. “How could I dare?” 

At that time, the desire to corner Alan and make him be honest took control over Estelle. The princess leaned down and sealed his lip with hers. Alan was caught off guard. But the gentle advisor still responded to her kiss.

Estelle bit his bottom lip, acting like she wanted to swallow him. But when she seemed to grow bolder, caressing the skin under the collar, Alan slowly changed their position and released himself. He hugged Estelle instead. 

Estelle enjoyed the first few minutes of his embrace. But then soft knocks on the door came. It must be one of Estelle’s maids. 

“Estelle, we… “

Estelle knew and she released Alan. But for the last time she landed a soft kiss on Alan’s eyelid. 

“You know I always get what I want since I was a kid, Alan.”

Alan was the one who opened the door and welcomed the maids in. He bowed for the last time before leaving the princess’s chamber. He did not need to see that Estelle was observing himself in such a possessive manner. 

He walked through the corridor, deep in thought. 

This is weird, he thought. The Estelle that he knows is a warm princess. Polite and obedient. For her to show such desire openly and even asking him if she should join in the battle for the throne like before was quite unlikely. Before, Alan thought that her unusual attitude came from liquor. Just a moment of drunkenness. But today, Estelle felt like a different person. 

“This is not good.” He murmured. Estelle was not supposed to take the throne. His gray eyes darkened. The shadow of Estelle’s mother appeared on his mind. That cruel, heartless, and egoist woman. 

“Andromeda Aldebaran should not be given more power…”

Alan walked quicker to his office. He really needed to rest and think about the next plan before the king's succession. 

Alan pushed the door to his office slowly. To his surprise, someone was already waiting for him. And the palace steward was also in his office to serve his guest with a cup of coffee. 

“Oh here he comes.” The old steward smiled so wide, making the fine lines and wrinkles on his face more evident. “The general had been waiting, sir. But I’ve told him that you were tending the princess.”

General Phoenix is an old man in his early fifty. He had started to grow some white wisdom hair but his overall appearance still shows strength and vitality. Aside from the gray eyes, there were no other similarities between the two. 

“Hello, son…” He greeted Alan warmly. 

Alan was surprised but he hid it very well. He closed the door behind him and said with a smile. “Please drop all the formalities… Father.”

The steward smiled warmly at both of them. He thought that it would be nice for Alan to have an understanding father like Corvus Phoenix. For a general whose title is war hero, he accepted his son's choice to be palace advisor. The other generals had mocked him for this, but he never seemed to care. Alan is the son he’s proud of. 

“Should I bring you another cup of coffee, Sir?”

“No need. But thank you.”

After the steward left, the atmosphere changed in an instant. Alan no longer acted like he walked on eggshells. Corvus’s affectionate eyes also turned serious. He bowed a little to Alan. 

“Andromeda is going to form a stronger alliance through the princess’s engagement. Have you heard about this?” Corvus asked. His tone was flat as if he’s asking about the weather, but Alan still could detect a sheer curiosity from him. 

After all, it was not so secret anymore that the princess liked Alan. The news absolutely had reached the queen and this old man too. That’s why she arranged the engagement hastily. 

“I have.” Alan nodded slowly. His finger lightly tapped the armrest. “The house of Draco is powerful. Quite an interesting choice, I must say.”

Corvus snorted. “The Phoenix are higher in rank. And more honorable.” 

“Phoenix was one of the founding generals, I know.” Alan smiled. He stared outside the window, to the blue and clear sky. “Aldebaran, Phoenix, Lynx, Capella, and Cygnus. Aside from Aldebaran, there are four founding houses and yet Andromeda chooses Draco. We both know the reason, don’t we?”

“...Prince…”

“Sssh…” Alan chuckled. “If you don’t want people to catch you calling me that, we better stay in our respective roles, Father…”

Corvus sipped his coffee slowly, trying to cover his awkwardness. He realized that as he grew older, Alan was also growing harder to deal with. He had surpassed what he expected him to be. And while as his caretaker, he was glad of this development, from time to time he would see the side of Alan that terrifies him. 

“I mean to ask about Prince Cain. How is he doing?”

“Hm…” Alan recalled his memories about the young prince. “He’s good. He’s getting stronger day by day. And Andromeda's hatred for him  grows at the same pace as his improvement.”

“Blood will never tell lies, right?” Corvus laughed. “The blood of Andromeda Lacerta is dirty. No wonder that Estelle…”

Corvus did not finish his sentence when his cup of coffee broke. The black liquid spilled onto the thick carpet, leaving a big stain.

Confusion in his eyes, the old general threw an unspeakable question with his expression and gaze toward Alan.

Alan smiled sweetly to his ‘father’. “I have already arranged your suits and Mother’s dress for the banquet. Should we check it right now?”

If Alan had turned the conversation this way, Corvus knew that he better not force him further. There would be no point pushing this guy into things he did not want to. 

“Do as you please.” Corvus cleaned his hands with a handkerchief.