The Supermarket System

Chapter 67: 67. Crown prince Alexander

The delegation from the kingdom of Valora has finally arrived. Valora is a kingdom located not far from Nagreize, still on the Green Continent but situated on a separate archipelago.

It was clear that the journey would take more than a week, even though they were using a special magic portal capable of transporting a delegation from one kingdom to another. Such magic portals do exist; they are extremely expensive, but they are already in use by kingdoms located on archipelagos separate from the main continent.

The party was small, consisting of three maids, two knights, a crown prince, and a young princess.

At that moment, they were quite perplexed, because the person they were bringing was a princess who clearly looked to be only six or seven years old.

Even the crown prince himself was only sixteen years old. Judging by the look on his face, the crown prince was absolutely not happy about the little princess being entrusted to the Duke’s family from another kingdom.

Kai, who didn’t really want to get involved, felt that everything had been settled simply by being treated to a delicious meal. Let the Duke and Duchess handle those difficult matters themselves. In fact, Duchess Nathalia was already ready to speak with the crown prince.

That was fine by Kaileon, because finally he could talk to Jessica again, picking up where they’d left off.

But what could he do? Suddenly, the crown prince named Alexander spoke up loudly.

"I’ll only approve this engagement after I’ve spoken with him alone," said Alex, pointing at Kaileon.

"Only with him," Alex added.

Kai furrowed his brow, confused by what had just happened; he thought Alex had simply pointed at the wrong person. But it turned out he was dead serious.

Within minutes, Kai found himself talking one-on-one with Alex. Well, not exactly —Justine and the little princess were sitting next to them. The two of them remained silent, so it could still be considered a private conversation.

Just then, dessert was served at the table: the cheesecake brownies, milk pudding, cupcakes, and hot chocolate.

"Please help yourselves to the desserts—all of these were made by the maids at the pavilion, who are experts at baking," said Kai.

At first, they were very hesitant about any treats offered to them. They’d even been cautious during dinner with the Duke and Duchess.

Realizing this, Kai took a piece of cake and ate it calmly. Prince Alex and his younger sister then dared to try the cheesecake brownies, Justine’s favorite.

After tasting them, their eyes widened in disbelief at what they had just eaten.

"I really love this cake—it’s so delicious!" exclaimed the little princess.

Justine, hearing this, was also delighted. "Really? That’s my favorite cake! Kaileon bought it for me, and I thought you guys would like it, so I asked Kaileon to... ahem—I guess I got a little too excited," said Justine. Realizing he’d gotten too carried away explaining, he sat back down calmly.

Alex laughed at Justine’s antics.

"At first, I thought you were the one getting engaged to my little sister, but it turns out it’s him, huh? Sorry, I’m confused, so... you’re Kaileon? And you’re Justine Arslan’s older brother?" Alex asked.

Suddenly, the little girl got up from her chair and asked Justine to bring her the cake.

"Let’s sit over there so our older siblings can talk in peace," said the little girl.

Justine simply agreed to the girl’s request; he carried the girl’s pastries and drinks to another table in the room.

There were no maids or anyone else present, per Prince Alex’s request—he didn’t want anyone to disturb them. So it was truly just the four of them in the room.

It was a reception room, or a meeting place.

"I know I don’t look like I’m older, but I’m a year older than my younger brother, Justine, and I already have a fiancé of my own," said Kaileon, answering Alex’s earlier question.

Alex nodded, "Right, I heard that too, but looking at you, I thought Justine was you."

If he hadn’t remembered that Alex was the crown prince, Kai would have smacked that blond head of his.

"But Kaileon, since you’re Justine’s older brother, may I ask about Duke Arslan’s residence? I felt terrible when I found out that my own mother was the one who suggested that my youngest sister get engaged to your younger brother, who will inherit your father’s title—oh, wait, but you’re the older brother, so why is your younger brother the one..."

Kai laughed, already knowing that Alex would ask that question.

"I am the son of a concubine, and my mother has passed away, Prince Alex," Kai said.

Alex nodded; he understood what Kai meant.

"I can understand that. So... what’s the situation here in Arslan? Do you think Arslan is a suitable place for a frail, sickly little girl like my sister? What’s the environment like here?" Alex asked. At that moment, Kai could clearly see the concern of an older brother for his younger sister on Alex’s face.

Kai smiled and replied, "Don’t worry, Alex... my father, the Duke, and I are working to restore Arslan’s economy to its former glory. You know, this kingdom has just emerged from a war, right? Because of that, the city’s situation has become... um—out of control."

Kai smiled broadly as he said this, hoping Alex would let the matter drop and ask another question.

But Alex was the crown prince, raised to be meticulous about everything.

"Didn’t the Duchess not participate in the war? Then, where were you while your father was fighting? Was the Duchess not working? Or is there some kind of unpleasant political situation going on here?"

Kai laughed at Alex’s question; he didn’t answer right away, but first raised his cup, took a sip of the warm drink, and then turned back to Alex.

"Looks like I was right... there’s something my mother and Duchess Arslan are hiding, isn’t there? By the way, the mother I’m talking about is the current Queen, Quincy’s mother—not my biological mother—but I can call her ’mother.’ The Queen who just ascended the throne," said Alex.

Kai nodded in understanding. He had just learned that the little princess’s name was Quincy.

"If the Queen is Quincy’s biological mother, why did she send her daughter here?" Kai asked, confused.

Alex shrugged. "I don’t know—I’d like to find out... they must be hiding something. Especially since my mother—I mean, the Queen—was acting strangely before this. But maybe my suspicions are unfounded. After all, engagements like this are common, aren’t they? Besides, your younger brother is going to be the future Duke. Mom probably just wants what’s best for Quincy."

"So, Alex... what does your kingdom need right now?" asked Kaileon.

Alex finally sat up straight again, signaling that he was getting serious.

"Can you help my kingdom? I think I’ll just discuss this with Duke Arslan."

Kai laughed at that. "Are you sure? I have full control over everything in Arslan, you know... if you hear any trend about anything—oh, even Justine has already mentioned that I bought that cake, so I’m the only one who has access to it," Kai said, pointing to the cheesecake brownies still partially on the table—the portion Alex had barely touched.

Seeing Kaileon’s confidence, Alex began to get really serious; he leaned forward and spoke in a soft tone.

"Our kingdom, Valora, is facing an outbreak that hasn’t spread widely yet, but it’s affecting the Queen’s family’s lands. It’s reported that several members of the Queen’s family are sick from the disease. Then, when we left, the Queen instructed me to convey this to the Duchess—and only the Duchess. I don’t know if it’s the right decision to tell you this, but the kingdom is still keeping this incident a secret. The King is also asking people to investigate the outbreak and find a cure."

Kai furrowed his brow, trying not to be suspicious, but this was just too suspicious.

"Looks like you’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking, huh?" Alex added, then he laughed. He was laughing at the difficult situation in his kingdom, and also at the fact that there was nothing he could do except come here and hand over his beloved younger sister to a noble from a neighboring kingdom.

"That means the Duchess probably already knows the cure, right? And anyway, what does the Duchess stand to gain from that little princess?" asked Kai, who was beginning to seriously consider the kingdom of Valora.

Alex shook his head. "No, not her. Quincy is just a formality—a gift in exchange for medicine that will likely be handed over later if the engagement is approved by both sides. That’s why my mother told me to try to make Quincy likable to your family."

Kai snorted, leaned back in his chair, and asked, "Let me guess... does Queen Valora have some kind of ancient artifact? Or something really powerful?"

Alex thought for a moment; he only answered after remembering something.

"If I’m not mistaken, my mother has a family heirloom—or an ancient artifact. Specifically, dragon’s blood and purified dragon’s tears," Alex replied.

"Is that useful?" Kai asked.

Alex stared at Kaileon in disbelief. "Oh my gosh, both of them have incredible benefits! Dragon’s blood can be used to boost magical energy until your magic color turns red, while dragon’s tears are usually used for beauty and to stay young. It’s true that Mom’s family has only ever treated those two items as heirlooms, never actually using them. It’s possible Mom is really desperate and—oh, this is just my wild guess, Kaileon."

"Come to the pavilion later; I’ll listen to all your wild guesses. But first, try visiting the Duchess, and do exactly as your mother says," said Kai.

Alex clicked his tongue in exasperation, "That woman seems untrustworthy... and your father is intimidating, so it’s only you—"

"Alex... just trust me; I’ll help you later."

Alex looked hesitant, but he nodded in agreement.

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