RODH Chapter 78

78.

From the leather pouch Chloe drew out a potion with a faint pink hue.

“What is this?”

When Ian asked, Chloe replied with a triumphant smile.

“A special stamina enhancer.”

“A stamina enhancer?”

As expected, Ian showed interest in it.

The people of Duke Ruben’s household never spoke a word about their precious young master’s weaknesses.

That made it difficult to gather information, but the answer wasn’t far away at all.

The key was Bain.

Early that morning, Chloe had seen Ian running around the estate in light clothing and asked Bain,

‘Does the young lord run like that every day?’

‘Yes.’

‘His form is so proper—like a professional.’

She had slipped in a little praise, and Bain, the devoted servant who adored Ian, answered with pride,

‘That’s right. Since he was young, my lord has always dreamed of becoming a knight. Even now, he’s mad about any story of knights or adventurers.’

‘Oh, I see.’

From that moment, Chloe disguised the love potion as a “special stamina enhancer.”

And now, Ian was about to drink it without the slightest suspicion.

She could feel Nevan’s piercing gaze on her, but Chloe ignored it completely. She had been serving the Grand Duke for seven years.

‘It’s about time he got married!’

How could such dazzling beauty remain displayed among the brutish men of the North forever?

The North might be cold and dark, but it wasn’t such a bad place to live.

‘He’ll mostly stay indoors anyway.’

And if he was sensitive to the cold, they could always keep more fires burning.

With such simple reasoning, Chloe prepared to leave before the potion’s effects could take hold.

“Then I’ll be going—”

But at that moment—flap! A rush of wings, and Lucian appeared through a portal, snatching the bottle.

“You shouldn’t just drink anything, Ian.”

“Lord Lucian?”

“They had everything sealed off with magic stones. It took me a long time to find an opening.”

Catching his breath, Lucian’s sharp eyes quickly swept over Nevan and the unfamiliar Chloe.

He asked her,

“So what exactly is this potion?”

Chloe swallowed nervously under the slit-pupiled gaze.

“A-a special stamina enhancer.”

“Hmm—a special stamina enhancer, you say.”

Lucian’s lips curled in a sly grin.

Did he already know?

Chloe brazenly insisted that a pink-colored potion wasn’t necessarily only a love potion.

It seemed Lucian was no longer suspicious.

But then he said,

“If it’s really just a special stamina enhancer, there must be at least one more bottle. I’ll drink this first.”

“N-no, you can’t!”

Before she could stop him, Lucian downed the potion.

Chloe nearly collapsed on the spot.

Just then—

“So you were all here.”

“Seor?”

“What do you want, Crown Prince.”

“……”

It was over.

Chloe clutched her head in despair.

The love potion forced the drinker to fall in love with the first person they saw.

Which meant the dragon prince was now…

“Seor, were your eyes always this beautiful?”

…in love with the Crown Prince.

Seor frowned, as though hearing utter nonsense.

“What did you say?”

“Your eyes are like the radiant light of morning.”

“Stop talking rubbish. Why are you at the duke’s estate?”

“What if I said I came to see you?”

“I won’t tolerate this any longer.”

Shing—

Seor drew his sword.

Ian couldn’t make sense of what was happening, but he knew he had to stop them.

Lucian, however, danced lightly out of range of Seor’s blade.

Then, slipping behind him, he clasped Seor’s sword hand and murmured,

“When holding a sword, you need to relax your shoulders, Seor.”

“You bastard!”

Flushed red, Seor swung wildly, but his sword still couldn’t touch Lucian.

Lucian grinned.

“What a tantrum.”

“Shut up!”

While the two were locked in their absurd struggle, Ian turned to Chloe and demanded,

“What did you make him drink?”

“T-that…”

“Speak the truth.”

Pressed by Nevan’s stern voice, Chloe’s eyes welled with tears as she confessed.

“…His Highness the Crown Prince drank a love potion.”

“What?”

That actually existed?

Ian remembered the strange little drawings of mysterious potions in Berkisto’s journal.

And they tried to give that to him?

Why?

Surely not to tie him to Nevan… right?

Ian stifled his swelling ego with a sigh.

Nevan, however, saw straight through Chloe’s scheme and shook his head.

He couldn’t bring Ian to the North through such tricks.

Why else were there proper procedures?

Nevan thought of all the other things that had to be considered and stayed silent.

Ian might have received Anna Tuatla’s blessing, but it was far too soon.

If the Emperor or others learned of it now, nothing good would come of it. And so Nevan kept delaying.

Because he feared Ian might not adapt to the North.

No matter that he was the one foretold to bring spring—he was still, after all, a man of the central and southern lands.

And what if someday he said he wanted to return home for good?

Nevan worried about a future that had not yet come.

Ian spoke.

“Nevan.”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t we stop those two first?”

Ian looked with a sour face at Seor and Lucian, who were beginning to fight in earnest.

Lucian seemed to be thoroughly enjoying provoking Seor.

“A little more! Yes, like that!”

“You bat-like bastard. If I catch you, you’ll be executed without trial!”

“As long as it’s by your hand, I’d welcome anything.”

“Shut up!”

“Both of you, stop.”

Without even drawing a weapon, Nevan easily restrained the two.

To be precise, he prevented them from fighting at all.

Seor’s wrist was seized, keeping him from swinging his sword forward, while Lucian’s tail was caught in some way and forced him back to the ground.

Lucian grumbled in displeasure.

“Don’t interfere with my courtship.”

“Courtship? You really have gone mad.”

“Both of you, calm yourselves.”

“Do you think I can be calm? This disgusting lizard is claiming to court me!”

Ian nearly burst out laughing.

But seeing how genuinely appalled Seor looked, he barely held it in for Seor’s dignity’s sake.

If he laughed here, Nevan, who was trying to keep the peace, would only be put in a difficult position.

With a steady voice, Nevan explained.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince has drunk a love potion.”

“What?”

“Me?”

Seor and Lucian blinked stupidly in unison.

Lucian muttered to himself,

“No wonder… I thought these sudden rising feelings were strange.”

Though he looked as if he was regaining reason, his expression still shifted oddly whenever his eyes landed on Seor.

Seor answered that burdensome gaze with fury.

“Who is responsible for this? Who gave him such a potion?”

“Are you worried for me?”

“Shut your mouth!”

While the two quarreled, Ian asked Chloe if there was an antidote.

Chloe hesitated, then shook her head.

“It’s a special potion I made… so there is no antidote.”

“Then those two have to remain like this?”

“That’s not it! Usually after two or three days, the effect fades and things return to normal.”

But the risk of something happening before then was high.

Chloe mumbled that part quietly.

For now, the two needed to be separated.

Pressing a hand to his forehead, Ian spoke.

“Lord Lucian, return to your dragon lair. And Your Highness Seor, please go back to the palace.”

“Why should I?”

Seor growled that he had come with proper business to discuss.

Lucian nodded, doing his best not to look at Seor.

“Before I develop any stranger urges, I’ll head back to the lair. Thank you, Ian.”

“Go.”

“Mm.”

Only after Lucian disappeared into a small portal did Seor finally sheath his sword.

“Annoying bastard.”

He didn’t forget to leave behind a curse as a parting shot.

Ian just felt exhausted and wanted to rest.

But Seor’s expression was filled with determination.

Clutching his aching head, Ian asked him,

“What business brought you here?”

Surely Bain or the butler must have tried to block him, but it was obvious he had forced his way in under some pretext of royal duty.

Seor said,

“So the Grand Duke is allowed, but I am not?”

“That’s not it… ha, I only just recovered my health.”

Chloe stepped in to support Ian’s words.

“That’s right. The young lord suffered severe mana loss that day and is still receiving treatment—”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

The cold rebuke silenced her.

“I know you were sick. Sick enough to miss my birthday celebration. That, I understand, Ian. But…”

“But what?”

“With the northern bombing case still unresolved, is it right for the Grand Duke to remain by your side?”

Seor’s eyes flashed with jealousy.

It was clear he was implying that if he himself could not stay, then Nevan should leave as well.

Ian considered telling him the truth—that the culprit was Alex—but Nevan stepped forward.

“May I speak with you for a moment, Your Highness.”

He even asked Ian to step aside.

Though puzzled, Ian nodded at Nevan’s request.

“Then I’ll see you at luncheon.”

“Yes.”

Once even Chloe was dismissed, only Seor and Nevan remained.

Without waiting for Seor to ask why, Nevan spoke directly.

“Do you love Ian?”