Lark, who received the flask handed to him by the knights, wiped and shook his sweat-soaked head.
As the daylight pouring down on the gymnasium fell on him like a spotlight, a shattered light shone on his fine silver hair.
âUghâŠâ
âWhatâs so dazzling? Why is the weather like this today?â
The knights who were staring blankly at Lark all covered their eyes and frowned. It must not have been because the rain was just too strong in the sunlight.
As if taking a picture in the middle of the training ground, this man caught the eyes of all other knights.
Lark van Raschmach Descartes.
He is the most popular person in the Empire, known as a âman to be likeâ to men and a âman to want to haveâ to women.
âTake a break, Sir Victor.â
âOh, yes.â
Victor, who was looking pathetically at his fellow knights with their mouths wide open, shook his head and followed him.
âCome on, did I win?â
Lark, who sat down haphazardly in the shade, said with a grin.
âYeah, yeah.â
A gathering of talented people that no one can join, the glorious Knights of the Cartesian Empire.
Among them, Crown Prince Lark was the only competitor to Victor Diollus, the second division commander who boasts of outstanding skills.
âI trust you wonât forget our bet.â
âAh.â
At Larkâs question, Victor nodded his head.
There was a bet on todayâs match. The loser will grant a request from the winner.
âThen what is it that Your Highness wants to ask of me?â
âItâs no different, but these days, Iâm a little embarrassed every time Iâm in a nobleâs meeting. Itâs always the question of âwhen are you going to get married?â.â
âAha. Well, Your Highness is very late.â
Crown Prince Lark was still unmarried and the position of the Crown Princess was vacant.
When he thought back on the steps of the royal family, it was customary to get married at a young ageâŠ
âComing to think of it, why didnât I do it?â
It was certainly surprising that Lark, who is 19 this year, has not yet been at least engaged.
Victor asked, tilting his head.
ââŠIf I line up a line for noble ladies who want to get involved with the prince, wouldnât it be enough to fill ten laps?â
âNot anyone can just summon the rain.â (tl/n: heâs saying itâs not that easy)
Victor was startled by the unexpected answer.
âWhat? Donât tell me thereâs a commoner girl in your life who you want to promise the rest of your life passionately with?â
âMe?â
At Victorâs nonsense, Lark burst out laughing as if it was ridiculous.
âI feel like my fingers are shaking, so letâs refrain from talking about love and other childish things.â
Victor let out a deep sigh.
Crown Prince, Lark van Raschmach Descartes. He was a human being evaluated as being the most perfect among the successors of the Cartesian Imperial Family.
He excelled in politics, economics, and diplomacy. Lark was only thirteen when he negotiated friendship with the kingdom of Robben, a center of maritime trade.
What would the people want the most from the leader of a large country? Him, right?
Needless to say, Lark was also a soldier who would not dare to fight.
âAs long as there is a supreme commander, what happens after a war, there will be many victories⊠â
The spirit contracted by Lark was a land spirit belonging to the highest class. Therefore, the battlefield he went to was unconditionally a stage where the imperial army had no choice but to have an advantage.
The rugged canyon became a flat plain, so the enemy couldnât ambush them, and even if youâre on the defensive, the sand soldiers just stand up. Itâs a power without limits.
It goes without saying that everyone praises Lark, who is such perfection itself. After all, they expected his reign and the development of the empire after his accession.
And LarkâŠ
âI will live for the empire for the rest of my life.â
To live up to those expectations, he was a man with an obsession to always be perfect.
âUninteresting human.â
Victor shook his head and thought.
He slept only 4 hours a day and didnât even blink an eye despite his murderous schedule of government affairs and training!
However, this hard life was also a human being who is born as an heir and considers it his duty to have no fun!
âAh!â
For a moment, Victor exclaimed.
This is because Lark suddenly made a bet and Victor vaguely guessed what kind of request he was going to make.
âThe fact that you suddenly brought up the story of marriage to meâŠâ
Childish play of love is the most unnecessary and useless element in Larkâs criteria.
Naturally, his spouse, the Crown Princess, would be just one way to become a perfect leader for him.
What are the most ideal conditions for the crown prince that Lark wants?
âOf course, it must be a woman who helps build his power.â
A woman from the Diollus family, comparable to the imperial family, would be what would stimulate Larkâs taste.
âAre you asking me to introduce you to my sister?â
âOh, I like that youâre quick-witted.â
Lark smiled brightly.
âI can no longer leave the Crown Princess seat vacant. These days, I donât even notice NathanâŠâ
âIs it about Nathan, the second prince? Why? No, do you really need to ask me this? What about Lilia, itâs easy to meet others through her, right? Oh my gosh, itâs normal to visit noblesâ tea parties every dayâŠâ
Lilia was, to be exact, Victorâs aunt, but she was three years younger than him, so he would treat her as a sister for convenience.
She is the youngest of the Diollus family, called the âswanâ.
Despite her young age, she was already well known in the social world.
She resembled her mother, Molga, who had won the position of Duchess with only her beauty, and was incredibly beautiful.
âCertainly, Lilia has a sense of the Crown Princess to light his eyes.â
But for some reason, contrary to Victorâs expectations, Lark frowned and shook his head.
âNo? Not that one.â
ââŠWhat?â
âIsnât Princess Lilia your aunt? Iâm talking about your sister.â
For a moment, Victor took a deep breath.
Speaking of âhis sisterâ, itâs trueâŠ
There was one more.
ââŠNo way? Are you talking about Rubetria?â
Lark immediately nodded his head in response to Victorâs question, which was taken by surprise.
âWhy? Whatâs wrong?â
~*~
âWhy, whatâs wrong?â
Casting the crown prince, who is the most famous celebrity in the empire at the moment, as a model.
As the first step towards accomplishing that great task, I took the pretty good advice of Wisht to use Victor, my second brother, who is close to the Crown Prince and made a rough planâŠ
âIs there a problem?â
For some reason, Wisht, who made the comment, had a shaky look on his face.
âNo problem. Remember when you were Juliet Karenina? If the owner of a new clothing store comes to you and asks you to serve as a model, would you do that?â
âIf the conditions are right? What does that have to do with getting sponsors?â
I drew a money shape with my thumb.
âBecause itâs money.â
âOh yeah. Sponsor. So youâre paying money to dress up a model to promote it?â
âThatâs it.â
âSo there is a weak point in that sponsorship.â
âWhat?â
âThe Crown Prince doesnât need money.â
âAh!â
Was that a concern?
Looking at me, who burst into exclamations like a fool, Wisht clicked his tongue.
âYou must have all the memories of Rubette, but donât you know much about the Crown Prince? This guyâŠâ
Wisht pointed to my face, and I narrowed my eyes slightly.
âIs so boring who only cares about the prosperity of the empire. His image is the image of the imperial family, and his every move is censored terribly. In fact, I felt it every time I saw him, but he has a personality that takes peopleâs breath away.â
âSo, if I ask him to be a model, he would do that, right?â
When I asked the question after cutting off his lengthy words, Wisht looked at me as if he was saying something natural.
âBut you canât pay money to ask for a sponsorship from him.â
âWhat?â
âOf course, money cannot move the Crown Prince. Didnât you think of that?â
âThen what, do you have any other ideas? Something to make the Crown Prince move?â
Position, wealth, connections⊠The Crown Prince, who already has everything, cannot be moved by money, nor can he be moved by power.
However,
âIf it can save lives, wouldnât it be natural for a model to stand?â
Wisht paused, then asked with sharp eyes.
ââŠTo save, you mean? The Prince?â
âNot bad. Save the Crown Prince and save the model. Wonât that kill two birds in one stone?â
I looked at Wisht with the Crown Princeâs face for a moment with pity.
âHonestly, it is a national loss to not live for a few more years with a face like that.â
That was because the Crown Prince, Lark van Raschmach Descartes, unfortunately, was going to die soon.
The imperial court of the Cartesian Empire, the center of a bloody power struggle.
This was because the second prince, Nathan van Raschmach Descartes, who was aiming for the successor position, succeeded in the assassination of the Crown Prince.