At Zien’s words, Ceres’s eyes fell on the ring around his finger. The letter ‘R’ was engraved on it in a distinctive script, a mark Artia always left on the things he made.
Even without that mark, anyone with the slightest knowledge of artifacts would’ve recognized the ring.
Arti always showed off that ring.
Artia had always been proud of his creations. Even after his death, it was easy to find information about the ring with a little digging through records such as his autobiography.
So the person who kept coming to the orphanage was with the illegal auction house.
He must have noticed the ring Zien was wearing and recognized its value right away. Anyone involved in an auction house would know a valuable item when they saw one.
Ceres had a good idea of what had happened now.
“Zien.”
She called his name and looked him in the eye. His deep green eyes were unusually clear.
“What do you want to do from now on?”
“...Huh?”
Zien’s eyes widened. He didn’t understand the question.
What did she mean? Why would she ask a slave like him what he wanted to do?
“You don’t have to worry about this.”
Ceres took out the blood contract she had brought back from the auction house. The moment Zien saw it, his expression darkened. He could still vividly remember being forced to prick his finger and seal the contract with his blood.
Riiip!
“—!”
The sudden sound made Zien look up. His eyes widened as he watched Ceres tear the contract apart.
“Why are you—”
The words slipped out before he could stop himself. He quickly closed his mouth.
He had spoken without being asked. It was a mistake.
Why is she tearing it up?
The person who had stamped the contract with their blood could never tear it apart. A curse allowed only the owner of the contract to destroy it. Zien also heard how much it had sold for at the auction.
Ten million gold.
He couldn’t even imagine how much money that was. Yet, Ceres was tearing up a contract worth ten million gold without a second thought.
“So tell me. What do you want to do?”
Ceres tossed the torn contract into the fireplace and asked him again what he wanted.
Since Arti’s ring chose him...
There was nothing wrong with teaching him magic. But Ceres didn’t want to force him into it.
Should I send him to the academy first?
Even if learning magic was a choice, she should at least send him to the academy for basic training. That much was necessary.
“......”
While Ceres was lost in thought, the boy watched her anxiously, his eyes darting back and forth.
“Um... do I have to leave?”
“Hmm?”
“When...?”
When will I have to leave? Am I going back to the orphanage?
The boy’s face fell.
“What are you talking about? Do you want to leave? Do you have somewhere to go? If you do, I’ll send you there.”
“...What?”
“......?”
Ceres stared at him in confusion as his eyes widened.
“Um... can I stay here?”
Didn’t she tear up the contract because she didn’t need me anymore? Can I really stay here?
“If you want to.”
“......”
At Ceres’s calm reply, the boy’s lips parted slightly. His eyes wavered again before he hurriedly spoke.
“I’ll stay.”
It was the fastest answer he had ever given. The moment he realized what he’d said, he flinched.
“Um... I want to live here.”
But he couldn’t stop himself.
“...I want to.”
It was the first time he had ever said what he wanted.
Ceres gently stroked the boy’s head as his eyes reddened. Tears soon slipped down his cheeks. She rested a hand on his head, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.
...Yes. I think that’s the best way after all.
Even as she comforted him, she was already thinking about how to deal with someone.
***
“So this is the best you could do?”
“Y-yes?”
“Your monthly salary is 650 gold, isn’t it? That’s more than three times what an ordinary person makes. But this is the best you could come up with?”
“Th-that...”
Joel, a member of the Crown Prince’s office, swallowed nervously as he watched Aseraian smile, his chin resting on his clasped hands.
Everyone in the office knew better than to be fooled by that gentle smile. More than a few had trusted it, only to spend the next two weeks working through the night.
“I-I’ll look into it again and make sure I find something!”
“Will you? I’d appreciate that.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
“Then I’ll wait until the day after tomorrow.”
“T-the day after tomorrow?”
“Hmm? Why? Is that a problem?”
“...No. I can do it.”
Dreading another late night, Joel hurried out of the office. There was no point wasting time feeling sorry for himself when he could be gathering one more document for the investigation.
“Secretaries really are capable, aren’t they?”
Once Joel was gone, Crown Prince Aseraian smiled and glanced to the side. Cheion’s secretary, Luca, was sitting there with a look of dismay.
Luca had come to the Imperial Palace to submit the Magic Tower’s regular report and stopped by the Crown Prince’s office for a moment. As it happened, he had witnessed the whole thing.
“Lord Cheion once told me that his older brother was a very good person.”
“My Cheion always tells the truth.”
“......”
Luca stared at him in disbelief at the shameless reply.
“He was convinced his brother must have been a model student at the Academy, too.”
“He wasn’t wrong.”
“...Have you forgotten how many times I attended classes in your place, Your Highness?”
“Haha. I was quite busy back then.”
“You certainly were. Busy threatening the other students.”
“Threatening? I merely tried to reason with them. I suggested they go somewhere with good air and clean water to take a little rest.”
“...Yes, you did.”
By the time His Highness graduated, the student body had shrunk by a third. Of course, Luca knew Aseraian hadn’t driven those students away for no reason.
Some had tormented students from poor families so badly that they drove them to attempt suicide. Others had harassed female professors or students. There were even those who spread drugs around the Academy that clouded people’s minds.
Aseraian had gone after them for all sorts of reasons. In the end, every one of them fled the capital for some distant province. Some even sought refuge in other countries. Most still hadn’t dared return, knowing the Crown Prince was watching.
“He also said you were a thoughtful and understanding older brother.”
“I’m quite understanding.”
“...You just told your secretary to finish the investigation by the day after tomorrow.”
“Exactly. At least I gave him until the day after tomorrow instead of tomorrow. Aren’t I being generous?”
“......”
Let’s not even go there.
Luca shook his head. If Cheion ever found out about this, he wondered what his reaction would be. He might stop eating again and refuse to leave his room for a while, just like last time.
“That man isn’t my brother...”
Luca definitely had to keep this a secret.
“But why did you suddenly bring that up?”
“Miss Ceres asked about you, Your Highness.”
“She did?”
The Crown Prince’s smile deepened.
Is she looking into me?
“Looking into someone’s background is a kind of interest, too.”
“...Pardon?”
Luca narrowed his eyes.
What has gotten into him now? He didn’t show the slightest interest when Cheion was following her around.
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