Chapter 76

A dark, heavy premonition settled over Isaac. The morning’s first meal had not even been a true breakfast; it was merely intended to lightly fill his empty stomach before he washed and prepared for the day. Afterward, he had been forced to suffer through a proper breakfast in the dining room. His stomach became so distended that breathing felt like a labor, yet whenever he attempted to leave anything behind, the servant pressed him to continue.

“The prince instructed us to make certain you finish everything…” the servant would say, leaving no room for argument.

Even a pig being fattened for slaughter would not eat this much. More importantly, this was not how a man increased his vitality. Whether the servant noticed Isaac forcing down each bite with the despair of a condemned man or not, he continued praising the prince with a pleased smile.

“Our prince is said to be the hero of the age, yet he also takes such excellent care of his subordinates. You are fortunate to serve under such a fine superior,” the servant chimed. “Our lord is also a generous and good master, but even he does not attend to such minute details.”

“Ah. He certainly looked kind and benevolent,” Isaac managed to reply.

The servant nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, he is a good man. He is somewhat ambitious, but he does not treat those beneath him harshly.”

He lowered his voice when he mentioned the lord’s ambition and glanced toward the windows. The reception room windows were not far away, though certainly beyond the reach of an ordinary speaking voice. The lord of Haylen had arrived at the palace with his daughter to pay his respects to the prince. It was not unusual for a territorial lord to bring his family when greeting a visiting dignitary. However, this man had dressed his daughter with exceptional care and displayed her so openly that his intentions required no explanation. Anyone could see that he had the position of princess consort in mind, and the lord showed no embarrassment about it.

Haylen’s lord did not possess an especially lofty title, but his bloodline was respectable. His daughter might fall slightly short of what some would consider ideal material for a princess consort, but the ambition was hardly unthinkable. Besides, if Kaiyan took a liking to her, no one would dare object even if he chose a common village girl from the remotest mountains. The king and queen would unquestionably tell him to do as he pleased.

Kaiyan’s continued unmarried state did not mean no one had sought the position. He was expected to become the next king, and naturally, court officials had raised the matter of marriage. The moment he returned from the frontier, ambitious ministers had approached him and carefully introduced the subject.

“Do as you like.” The prince’s cold and frightening temperament was already notorious, so though he looked faintly annoyed, his unexpected agreement brightened every minister’s face. Each immediately began listing daughters, nieces, and granddaughters in his mind.

“Then what sort of lady would satisfy Your Highness?” one minister ventured.

As the men waited for an answer, Kaiyan gazed out the window with a bored expression. Then his attention shifted to the bedwarmer standing near it. The young man approached immediately upon meeting the prince’s eyes.

“Suck me.” At Kaiyan’s single command, the bedwarmer knelt at his feet without hesitation, opened the prince’s trousers, and buried his head between Kaiyan’s thighs. The table concealed the most explicit part of the scene, and everyone in the palace already knew what sort of appetites Kaiyan possessed. Even so, the ministers fell into a stifling silence, clearing their throats awkwardly as the act unfolded in front of them. Kaiyan paid no attention to what happened beneath the table. He merely regarded the officials with indifference.

“Any woman will do. To me, the only difference is who will perform this service in the future,” Kaiyan stated flatly. “She should preferably be sturdy, however, if she is to endure for any length of time. It would be bothersome to replace the princess consort every few months.”

Silence swallowed the room.

“Well? Who were the candidates?” Kaiyan asked again.

The ministers could not answer. Even if a woman possessed a body capable of withstanding the famously large prince, she would plainly lose all dignity if expected to perform such a role without hesitation. However desirable the position of princess consort and future queen might be, no noblewoman would willingly endure that price.

“Perhaps… women are naturally prone to weakness when subjected to physical strain,” one official hedged. “Might it not be preferable to limit the consort’s duties to securing the succession, while keeping someone else to attend regularly to Your Highness’s comfort, as you do now?”

“Why would I take a woman as my consort if she cannot fulfill her role?”

The ministers fell mute. Kaiyan regarded them for a moment. “Nevertheless, if someone who appears suitable catches my eye, I will consider marriage then.” It was a reply that ended all serious discussion of the prince’s marriage.

From time to time, someone still vaguely remarked that the prince ought to take a consort, but no woman readily volunteered for the position. It was hardly surprising. What woman would agree to strip below the waist without hesitation whenever a man desired it, regardless of the time, place, or presence of onlookers? Yet the lord of Haylen had brought his daughter here despite the speed with which rumors traveled through the region. He must indeed be ambitious, and his daughter must be remarkably bold as well.

“His daughter was certainly beautiful. She also resembles the sort of woman Lord Kaiyan prefers,” Isaac noted, recalling the radiant young woman who had followed her father into the reception room.

“Is that so?” The servant looked pleased.

“People say Haylen has many beautiful women, and perhaps they are right. The lord’s wife is beautiful, and so is his daughter.”

“Oh, no, no. How could a remote region like this compare with the capital? Naturally, the capital must have far more sophisticated beauties,” the servant replied, waving a hand. “Still, I traveled quite a bit when I was younger, and I will say that Haylen’s women are lovelier on average than those of most places.”

The servant looked so proud that Isaac could think of no reason to contradict him, nor did he particularly wish to. Perhaps it was the fertile soil and pure air, but the people generally appeared healthy and warm-natured. Even those whose individual features were not especially beautiful somehow gave an attractive overall impression.

The lord’s wife and daughter possessed that quality, as did the maid accompanying the daughter. If one examined each feature separately, calling the maid a great beauty might seem excessive, yet something about her continually drew the eye and made her seem beautiful.

“The maid accompanying the lord’s daughter was pretty too. Not only her face. Perhaps she is what people call an atmospheric beauty.”

“There must be many women like that in Haylen.”

“You mean Elli. Elli is very popular.” The servant nodded, giving Isaac a peculiar look before lowering his voice. “A person’s preferences are their own affair, of course, but you seem rather gentle, so I will give you some advice. You should not become too serious about Elli; she has four lovers that I personally know of. However, if you only want a little casual fun, that is another matter.”

Isaac fell silent. Four at once. The young woman is certainly talented.

A maid poked her head through a wooden doorway on the far side of the palace, calling the servant away. He began to leave, then turned back toward Isaac. Still smiling brightly, he looked pointedly between Isaac and the green juice resting beside him. Under that silent pressure, Isaac reluctantly poured the entire drink into his stomach.

The servant collected the empty glass. “Lunch will be ready in approximately one hour,” he said, and then he disappeared.

Those words alone nearly brought everything in Isaac’s stomach back up. Urgh… He pressed one hand over his mouth, wondering what he was supposed to do. Only one mouthful of stew remained, but he could not possibly eat it, not even if someone beat him to death. Isaac stared at the bowl with eyes full of anguish before furtively looking around. He dug into the grass behind him, poured the remaining stew into the hole, and covered it with soil.

「Why are you burying stew before you finish eating it?」

「Is he saving it for later? Tsk, tsk. Stew barely costs anything. Why would he need to save it?」

「What are we going to do with Muddlehead when he is this poor? At least he is thrifty. He should make a good husband.」

「Oh dear. We need to get Muddlehead married before he grows any older.」

“Perhaps my chances of marriage would improve if I could dispose of three freeloaders first,” Isaac muttered.

「Now, now. What is the point of marriage? It is the graveyard of life.」

「Exactly. Once you marry, all your days of freedom are over. Why would anyone do that?」

Isaac turned a bleak stare toward the voices behind him. He had no memory whatsoever of bringing the cats from the capital, yet all three were now lounging in the grass at Haylen. Their presence no longer surprised him, though he found himself yearning once again for the silver cages he had returned to the temple.

“You little bastards. What did you steal that left your mouths shining with grease?” he scolded. “If someone catches you stealing palace food, you will be in serious trouble.”

The three cats were licking their mouths contentedly, evidently having eaten somewhere. Isaac clicked his tongue. At Blue Shadow Palace, people had overlooked their behavior because everyone assumed they belonged to him, but that would not happen here. What if someone discovered stray cats sneaking through the palace and beat them with a fire poker?

「We did not steal anything. They gave it to us.」

“What? Why?”

「Why?」

「Because we are cute.」

「Lovely.」

「Beautiful.」

Isaac looked suspiciously at the three creatures. What blind fool decided that?

The cats returned his suspicion. 「Now that we have watched since morning, why is that handsome one trying so desperately to feed you?」

“Maybe because I am cute, lovely, and beautiful too.”

「Is Muddlehead ill?」

The three began whispering among themselves with genuinely concerned expressions. One extended its tail and pressed the tip against Isaac’s forehead. Before Isaac could swat it away, the cat withdrew with supernatural speed. They truly were no ordinary beasts.

“Does eating a lot and building physical stamina also increase vitality?” Isaac hunched over, resting his chin in one hand.

The cats shook their heads. 「Probably not. The two have almost nothing to do with each other.」

“Please explain that to our prince.”

「We could, but he would need to understand us.」

「His face is presentable, but he cannot understand a word. Tsk, tsk. A handsome face is useless after all.」

It was probably fortunate Kaiyan could not understand them; if he did, the cats would immediately lose their heads for insulting royalty.

“Why did you follow us all the way here? You could have stayed in the capital.”

「We did not follow you. We were already planning to take a nostalgic little trip to Haylen.」

「Exactly. We came somewhere we had always intended to visit. You two followed us.」

They had watched Isaac prepare throughout the night, their enormous eyes tracking his every movement, and now they lied shamelessly. Isaac snorted.

The cats must have felt some guilt, because they widened their eyes and insisted, 「It is true. Haylen has fine water, fresh air, and excellent energy. It is the perfect place to recuperate.」

「Vitality practically drifts through the air.」

「Indeed. Places like this are pleasant for humans, fairies, and monsters alike. That is why many of our companions have lived in Haylen since ancient times.」

「When witches were more numerous, we stayed here for quite a long while ourselves. Ah, how I miss the youth that has flowed away.」

“Go ahead. Say whatever you like.” Isaac watched with his chin propped in one hand, then asked abruptly, “When did you live here?”

「Who knows?」

「It was not so long ago. Perhaps three hundred years?」

「Was it only three hundred? Surely it was longer.」

The cats pressed their heads together and began arguing. Isaac stared at them with unfocused eyes. How old are these things? He decided not to ask; he had no desire to start addressing them respectfully.

“So witches lived here that long ago?”