RODH Chapter 51
by Brie51.
When he opened the journal, he saw the pages packed with detailed class notes.
Of course, it wasn’t just simple note-taking…
Alex checked another notebook.
It turned out to be Ian’s diary.
[Imperial Year 14xx, Month x, Day x
Father granted my request.
No, to be precise, His Imperial Majesty granted my wish.
Long live the annulment, long live the annulment!]
“……”
Alex turned the page and continued reading the diary.
[Imperial Year 14xx, Month x, Day x
It’s only been a few days since the annulment, and I’m already engaged again? What kind of miserable nonsense is this….]
“Hm……”
He checked to see if there were any other diary entries, but that was all Alex could find.
The young Lord Ruben had been genuinely happy about the annulment and clearly hated this new engagement with the Dragon Crown Prince.
‘Just a typical family arrangement, huh.’
Thinking it was the usual kind of political marriage among nobles, Alex closed the book.
It was finally time to head back.
“You must’ve spent the entire day looking for the medicine?”
Leslie sneered at Alex, who had finally arrived with the asthma medication.
I raised a hand to signal her to stop.
Leslie immediately bit her tongue.
It felt strange—seeing someone who looked so much like Lucian, yet followed orders so obediently.
In any case, once Mikael took the medicine, he was coughing less than before.
“Lord Mikael, are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I wasn’t feeling well, and I insisted on following you, brother. I’ve only caused trouble.”
“Please don’t say that.”
Before Mikael could say anything else, Alex cut in to offer his thanks.
“Thank you, young lord.”
He glanced at the fierce-looking Leslie, then added with a sly smile:
“With Lady Leslie here, I suppose I don’t need to worry anymore. I’ll take my leave.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes. It wouldn’t be good to stay away from the Imperial Palace too long. Come, Mikael.”
“Thank you for today, young lord. Let’s meet again next time…”
His tidy honey-colored hair and round eyes, reminiscent of hazelnuts, curved sweetly.
Yes, let’s meet again.
I looked at the omega Seor once protected in my first life and said,
“Come visit anytime. House Ruben always welcomes House Hubert.”
As soon as all the guests left, I posted Leslie outside the room and waited for Bain.
Bain had been running errands outside all day.
It was all because of my instructions.
‘Bain, someone’s going to sneak into my room soon. You need to hide this journal well. Got it?’
Bain had answered with eyes full of determination.
‘Understood, young lord. I’ll protect this journal with my life.’
‘You don’t need to go that far—just bury it or shove it in your drawer. There’ll be intruders here all day.’
Before long, there was a knock, and Bain came in holding a wooden box.
Only after carefully placing the box on the desk did he start fussing.
“You were right, young lord! Someone really came into the room.”
Bain reported that the thin thread he’d tied to the door had been snapped.
“Well done, Bain. This confirms it—His Imperial Majesty is having me watched.”
“Why would His Majesty want to keep an eye on you?”
“Nothing good ever comes from it.”
Unlike the utterly straightforward Peter, his younger brother Alex was dark inside.
If Nevan hadn’t warned me that Peter’s injury would bring the Emperor’s lackeys sniffing around, they might’ve found Berkisto’s journal.
“That fake diary… it should be okay, right?”
I muttered to myself when suddenly—screech!
Two birds, tangled together, crashed through the window and hit the wall.
Bain’s eyes widened at the sudden appearance of wild animals.
Meanwhile, I focused on the birds locked in a frantic fight.
One was Nevan’s hawk, the other Alvis’s owl.
Screech!
The hawk, with its powerful talons, tried to slash the owl’s chest.
I immediately called out the hawk’s name.
“Calm down, Ruby!”
Thankfully, Ruby stopped at once at my command.
The owl, floundering like a drowning eagle, barely managed to perch on the sofa.
Screech!
Ruby let out another fierce cry at the white owl and smugly raised one leg.
“You want me to check yours first?”
Those stern eyes seemed to say yes.
With no reason to refuse, I pressed the magical device and checked the message.
[To Lord Ian,
The monster wave ended earlier than expected.
We are holding a meeting due to the monsters’ suspicious behavior.
Also, Sir Hubert’s wound is healing quickly, and he should be able to return to his quarters soon.
I am worried about you.
– Nevan Nik Kirias]
As soon as I finished reading the letter, I pulled out the fine stationery I had ordered recently and sat down at the desk.
“Young lord, what should I do about this owl?”
“Just leave it there. If it gets too close, Ruby will attack again.”
“You really do prefer the Grand Duke’s letters, don’t you?”
I didn’t answer.
I did like Nevan’s letters, but I could already guess what Alvis’s letter contained.
It would be a Samhain invitation.
I quickly reread the reply I had just written.
[To my dear Nevan,
I’m relieved to hear the monster wave ended early.
Are you hurt at all?
As you said, Sir Alex stopped by.
Thanks to your warning, I was able to protect something important.
As much as you worry for me, I worry for you as well.
– Ian Pearl Ruben]
The final sentence left a ticklish feeling in my chest.
Was this really turning into a love letter, just like Bain had said?
Bain tried to sneak a glance at the letter’s contents, but I slipped it into Ruby’s leg pouch right away.
“It’s time to go home.”
The moment I sent Ruby off, a familiar hole opened in the ceiling.
It was a portal.
“Ian!”
Before I could even plant my feet on the floor, Lucian clung to my side like a clingy cat.
Alvis gave a disapproving cough, “Ahem!” but Lucian only snuggled in closer.
Since I needed to read the letter Alvis’s owl had brought, I tried to push Lucian off.
“Please keep your distance.”
“That’s harsh, especially since you’re the crown princess-to-be.”
“I already told you—it’s a political engagement.”
When I opened the magical device attached to the owl’s leg, just as expected, it was an invitation to Samhain—the Tower’s grandest festival.
Alvis said,
“Seems I arrived too early.”
“Not at all. I’ve confirmed the invitation. I’ll prepare since it’s tonight.”
“Can I come too?” Lucian asked.
Alvis denied him flatly.
“Dragons are not allowed.”
“Why not?”
“Have you forgotten ‘that incident’?”
“Oh.”
That incident?
I narrowed my eyes at the story only the two of them seemed to know.
Lucian, quick to read the room, explained,
“A while back, a dragon came to Samhain and got drunk, then summoned their true form by accident. Nearly destroyed the entire Tower. Since then, no one invites dragons to Samhain anymore. If someone did, they’d be seen as a lunatic.”
“I see.”
Apparently, well-mannered dragons like Leslie were rare.
In any case, since I had to attend the party, I asked Bain to help me get ready. Bain had clearly been waiting for this day—he pulled out an outfit immediately.
It was a black shirt with sheer sleeves.
“What is this, Bain?”
“Samhain is a night for ghosts and spirits, right? So we should dress up a little more.”
“Still, this is a bit…”
As I hesitated, Lucian subtly stepped in to take my side.
“If your master doesn’t like it, why force it? There are other clothes. Here, try this.”
“That one’s way too warm for tonight. And besides, young lord should try wearing something a bit more revealing for once…”
“Bain, can we talk privately?”
“Eep.”
Just then, Alvis solemnly stepped in to resolve everything.
“Please wear that outfit.”
In keeping with the Samhain theme, blue-flamed skulls floated through the air.
Pointing to a drink that was steaming endlessly, Bain said,
“I’ll go get it.”
“I don’t drink.”
“I think it’s juice.”
“All right, go ahead.”
Bain practically had to swim through the crowd of werewolves, vampires, ghost brides, and skeletal soldiers, all dressed to match the night’s theme.
Even though this was the kind of party I usually liked, I wasn’t feeling it at all.
I turned to Alvis, who had dressed to match me, and asked,
“Are there always this many people at Samhain?”
“Yes. Even the ones who usually do nothing but work need a day to come out and enjoy themselves.”
“Even workaholics come out today, huh?”
“Exactly.”
Alvis went on to explain that each mage was allowed to send out three invitations, and each engineer one.
“How many mages are there in the Tower?”
I asked because the number of people at the party felt unexpectedly high. Alvis gave me a look like he didn’t understand why I’d be curious about that.
“It seems like there are more outsiders here.”
“There are close to eighty mages.”
“That’s a lot more than I expected.”
“Still nothing compared to the number of mages in the Empire.”
“Even so, that’s enough to build a whole village.”
At my remark, Alvis let out a soft laugh.
After that, I lingered in one corner of the party hall, quietly watching people come and go.
Just as that same emptiness I’d felt during the coming-of-age ceremony began creeping in, I heard Alvis’s voice.
“Lord Ian, is something troubling you?”
I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to answer, but then nodded.
Alvis gently led me somewhere.
We arrived at a room surrounded by curtains, where a crystal orb sat on a table at the center.
“If something is weighing on your mind, speak it to this orb. It’s a magical crystal ball that guarantees your anonymity.”