I Became a Sick Nobleman

Chapter 92: Banquet (3)

Chapter 92: Banquet (3)

—Wow, this body likes to be able to see the sky so close. It reminds this body of the Ice Castle. It was very pretty.

Leo jumped right in front of the glass, clinging to the window.

“I didn’t know a place like this existed.”

“Only the Royal Family can enter, so it’s natural that you wouldn’t know. Ah, if you’re with me, there’s no need to feel uncomfortable.”

Huan gestured to the sofa.

“Please sit down.”

Huan asked kindly as Ruel sat down.

“Is there anything you want to drink?”

“It’s alright.”

“Then let me know if you do.”

When Huan jingled the bell, the servant ran quickly.

He asked the servant for various foods and drinks, and sat down.

“The reason why I asked to see you is simply because I was curious about you.”

“Cough, cough.”

“There’s also something else I want to tell you.”

Huan crossed his legs and leaned deep into the sofa and looked down at Ruel.

‘It’s a perfect example of a cheeky attitude.’

Ruel laughed inwardly.

“Before that, I want to solve my curiosity first, is that okay?”

“Speak at ease.”

“How did you obtain the title Noble of Darkness?”

“My answer is no different than it was a while ago.”

“It’s different from what I heard.”

His mouth was already set.

He didn’t know what the Royal Knights told Huan, but in the end, the final confirmation was made by Ganien, who gave the title, and Huswen, who confirmed the title, so it was no different.

Therefore, Ruel smiled leisurely.

“I wonder what Your Highness heard.”

“I heard that you personally killed the strange monster that attacked the village.”

Ruel smiled briefly.

He slowly opened his mouth, pretending to control his emotions.

“I’m sorry. It was such an absurd rumor that I laughed. I wonder what you think of me?”

Huan just looked at himself with his mouth drawn into a thin line.

“Do you really think I can defeat that monster?”

Huan’s feet shifted slightly.

“I don’t know where you heard that rumor, but someone dared to spread false rumors and disturb Your Highness’ mind. He should pay for this sin immediately with a cut tongue.”

Ruel erased his smile from his words and looked straight at Huan.

There was a moment of silence.

Huan shook a foot and touched the back of his hand.

“I thought so.”

It was a slightly childish tone of laughter in Huan’s words, but there was no reason to waver.

“Doesn’t it have to be true as the words of the lord himself who has received that title? I will make sure to have their tongues cut according to your opinion.”

“Of course.”

“However.”

A word questioning his intentions presented itself.

“What should I do with you if you were to be lying to me now?”

It was half questioning, half threatening.

But what does it matter?

“My neck is no different from theirs.”

Huan’s expression subsided slightly.

“I am Setiria.”

Ruel just raised the corners of his mouth.

Setiria.

It didn’t make sense that the prince wouldn’t know the importance of the location that even the king couldn’t touch lightly.

No matter how much he lied or what he did, it was different because it was Setiria at his back.

Ruel could speak with confidence because he was Setiria.

“I don’t know if your curiosity has been resolved now?”

Ruel swallowed his laughter inside at the sight of Huan, who had slightly lost his composure.

“I am very glad that it has been resolved sufficiently.”

Ruel was happy because the prince understood his warning well.

It was not easy for even a prince to touch Setiria.

Ruel looked at Leo, inhaling Breath.

Leo was still hanging from the window and looking at the sky.

“What is that?”

“It’s a medical tool.”

There was no reason to elaborate.

When Huan was about to speak, the servant came inside with various foods and drinks.

Leo hurriedly ran to the empty table filled with food.

—What a soft, sweet thing full of strawberries! This body came because Ruel called this body not to eat food! Because Ruel is more important to this body!

He was glad to hear that, but it was funny being compared to strawberry cake.

“I don’t know what you like, so I ordered them to bring everything, so why don’t we eat and talk?”

“I’m very happy with your suggestion, but I can’t eat recklessly because of my health. My sincere apologies.”

“…Oh, I didn’t know that, I was being nosy for no reason.”

“No, I’m very grateful for your generosity.”

“How about drinking, is it like that too?”

“Yes, there’s a lot to watch out for except water.”

Ruel deliberately mentioned water.

Even if drinks and alcohol were poisoned, it was relatively difficult to distinguish them because of the smell and color.

Water was also relatively safer for him, and he took it out of his mouth to let him know that it was the one thing he was less wary of eating outside.

If Huan joined the Red Ash, it would certainly be information that would be leaked.

Gurgle.

He poured his glass of wine and drank it coolly.

The sound of the gulp made Ruel’s salivary glands fret.

‘…I’m so jealous of that.’

Certain people couldn’t even drink because drinking itself is directly related to health risks.

Ruel squeezed his knees.

Tak.

Huan put down his glass and spoke.

“I needed a drink because I couldn’t bring up this next story soberly, I apologize in advance.”

“It’s alright.”

“You…”

Huan stopped talking, hesitated, and blurred the end of his speech.

Soon he drank again.

‘What are you going to talk about?’

Ruel looked at the dwindling alcohol with disapproval.

“…I know you’re being attacked by a strange group called the Red Ash, even the youngest is running around to prevent it.”

‘Ha.’

Ruel sighed deeply inside.

What is this?

‘Huan knew about Banios?’

“Cough, cough.”

Immediately, with a stressed look on his face Ruel coughed out.

As his stomach lurched, his back naturally bent forward.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s…okay.”

Even after taking two painkillers, it still hurt.

—Does it hurt a lot?

Leo came running and sat next to Ruel.

Ruel inhaled Breath and shook his head slightly.

‘Let’s focus.’

Ruel got a chance to delay answering because of a cough.

It wasn’t that there was no possibility that Banios, who had no power, would be caught by Huan.

However, the lack of power was the same for Huan.

Huan was the firstborn, but he was a prince who had already given up the throne.

He was the lowest of the princes in terms of strength.

Ruel tapped his thigh and stopped.

It was a trap.

No matter how hard he thought about it, it was a given conclusion.

‘Yes, you are a part of the Red Ash, too.’

Because Huan was also under Red Ash, he knew the truth behind earning the title of Noble of Darkness.

The fact that Banios was chasing the Red Ash was only a natural guess after seeing him with Ruel a moment ago.

‘Do you want to see if Banios is really chasing the Red Ash or if I think you’re a Red Ash?’

If Ruel answered yes to his question, it will be revealed that Banios is after the Red Ash.

In return, Ruel might get a chance to get close to Huan.

On the contrary, if he answered otherwise, Huan could not get the answer he wanted, and at the same time, he also lost the opportunity to approach Huan.

‘What else is there to worry about here?’

You lose the opportunity to approach right now, but it was not a big opportunity to give him false information.

Ruel asked, with a look on his face as if he really knew nothing.

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s no need to be so wary, I…”

Soon Ruel frowned and showed his displeasure.

“Are you making fun of me? No matter how noble Your Highness may be, I can’t listen to you any more.”

“Don’t you need help?”

Huan asked urgently.

“I don’t know what kind of help you are talking about.”

“Since you are being attacked by the Red Ash, I will protect you… ”

“Who are you saying I’m being attacked by in the first place?”

The displeasure on his face soon turned into coldness.

“My name is Setiria. Attacking me is like attacking this country, Leponia. Do you know what Your Highness is saying to me now?”

“No wonder you don’t trust me, it’s your first time seeing me. But I want to protect this country…”

“Stop it, brother.”

The curtain was opened and Adoris came in.

The clicking of his shoe heels echoed loudly.

‘Why is the Second Prince here…’

Ruel was slightly embarrassed.

It must have been hard to get rid of the crowd surrounding him.

Gulp.

Ruel heard Huan swallowing saliva in embarrassment.

“Your recent statement was extremely dangerous, brother. Setiria is the gatekeeper of this country. Saying that someone attacked the gatekeeper is essentially saying that they are declaring war against our nation, Leponia. Can you please tell us who and for what reason someone would attack Setiria?”

As soon as he received Adoris’ gaze, Huan closed his mouth.

Then Adoris looked at Ruel and bowed his head lightly.

“I will apologize on his behalf. He seems to have misunderstood something because his love for this country is so deep, isn’t it, brother?”

Only then did Huan bring it up.

“I’m not good at drinking. I made a mistake. I’m sorry if I surprised you, Lord Setiria.”

The difference in power between the first and second prince was clearly visible.

Seeing Huan so flustered when Adoris came in, it seemed Huan was trying to use himself to attack Adoris.

“It’s okay. Mistakes can come out when alcohol goes in. But I don’t think it’s something that can be forgiven with a light apology.”

Huan’s face hardened in an instant.

He was still a prince.

An aristocrat demands an apology from the prince.

‘If you really want to use me, you will apologize.’

Adoris apologized to him, so it was okay for Ruel to lift his neck high now.

Huan alternately looked at Adoris and Ruel, clenching his fists.

There was no change in their expressions.

Huan soon released his fist and looked at Ruel.

However, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, he could see the rage burning in his eyes.

“I made a mistake that I shouldn’t have because of my drunkenness, and I sincerely apologize for insulting Setiria.”

“Thank you very much for defending the honor of Setiria.”

Ruel responded with a winning smile.

This convinced Ruel that Huan wanted to use him to win the tug-of-war with Adoris.

‘Looks like Red Ash promised the position of king, how stupid.’

Huan rose from his seat first, looking at Ruel with an apologetic expression.

“It’s because of my mistake that this happened, so let’s forget and move on, Lord Setiria. Next time…”

Huan hesitated as he spoke.

It seemed that he was about to push ahead with it rather than reverse it anyway.

“Will you give me a chance to restore your honor next time?”

The prince came bowing like that, but as a noble himself, he couldn’t help but accept it.

“I have already forgotten the mistake of my Lord. It is a great honor to be given the opportunity to be with Your Highness.”

Ruel bowed slightly and accepted Huan’s offer.

“I want you to set the day when it will be convenient.”

Huan left it to Ruel to choose the date and smiled slightly at Adoris.

“Thank you.”

He was unaware of the meaning behind the prince’s words, but Huan took the chance and left.

“Your Highness, I beg for your forgiveness that I couldn’t greet you properly.”

Ruel belatedly greeted Adoris.

“No, why don’t you sit down? You don’t look very well with a cold sweat.”

Adoris offered Ruel a seat and naturally attached his butt to the seat where Huan sat.

‘You came to me on purpose.’

It was true that he wondered why he had come to visit him after being postponed by so many people.

Ruel sat down and patted Leo indistinctly.

“Did Your Highness come to see me?”

The Red Ash has arrived.

A huge beast came to visit.

A well-crafted innocent smile was painted on Ruel’s face.

“Didn’t I tell you in advance that I would see you at the banquet? I didn’t know we’d meet in this situation. Anyway, it’s nice to see you again.”

“It seems that you were very pleased. You’ve come to me after greeting all those people from before.”

Adoris smiled slightly.

“There was a lot of people, but I believe Lord Setiria is mistaken. I left from the hall for a while and when I came back, I saw Lord Kuhn surrounded by the crowd.”

Adoris put away the alcohol, chose a drink, and poured it into the glass.

Gurgle.

“What did they say? Ah, it was reported that Lord Kuhn was getting married, and it turned out to be fake. Rather than being disappointed, it was funny to see so many people happy.”

Adoris laughed at the thought of the situation. Ruel also laughed along.

“Kuhn, Prios, Lumina. Three families are on my brother’ side.”

According to Banios, Kuhn was one of the forces supporting Adoris.

In other words, the rumor meant that whether it was leaked by the Kuhn family under Adoris’ orders or leaked from Adoris’ side, it was intentionally leaked information.

Adoris set a trap because he knew Huan would approach him from the beginning.

Apparently, Huan was caught, and eventually, Adoris took a gamble and even lost a place to talk to him alone.

‘…It’s a bit creepy.’

Setting traps was not a skill where you could depend on luck, he must have some experience.

“You must have aimed to build friendships with the heads of the five families through this banquet. We will speak further, until our next meeting.”

That was enough to be expected, and it was even more obvious if he had watched himself, so Ruel inhaled Breath and waited for the next word.

Adoris, who put down his glass, spoke with caution like a dealer handing over a card.

“Now, since I’m having a private meeting with you, I’m concerned about what to discuss first.”

“Please feel free to ask me anything.”

“I don’t have much time to speak with you like this, and I have a lot to discuss.”

There was no point of contact between Adoris and himself.

It was also awkward for him to meet him separately and spread rumors that Setiria supported the Second Prince, so it was best to solve it here.

“Please set the stage and reveal your role in this performance, so that I can talk comfortably.”

Adoris let out a laugh at the remark, ‘If you reveal your identity, I will also talk comfortably.’

“That’s very bold.”

“Do not be offended, for there is no evil intent.”

“Okay, I’ll lay the ground for you because I don’t have time. You know I’m a part of the Red Ash.”

Ruel’s lips went up automatically surprised that he would outright reveal himself.

“Very well. It’s a very comfortable approach to the topic. Did they offer you the throne if you killed me?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s very bold. The throne doesn’t have just anyone’s dog’s name on it.”

Adoris’ laughter followed.

“Can you say that you revealed your identity because you were confident enough to kill me?”

“If we know each other’s identity anyway, why would we hide it? I revealed it because I only get tired hiding it.”

“It’s convenient for me, too.”

“That’s a relief.”

“So what do you want to say? Didn’t you come here because you wanted something from me?”