Wait, but was this a reward for Kir? Come to think of it, since Kir started receiving training from Father, I don’t think he ever asked me to hit him? Could it be that his secret needs were met by Father instead of me?

I got goosebumps at Kir’s cleverness. Sacrificing not only me, but also Father. he’s a scary guy.

“That’s right. What’s the point of making a fuss for something good?”

The Grand Duke sighed and sided with Father. Was Kir and the Grand Duke a polar opposite father-and-son? The Grand Duke’s mood rose as much as Kir’s mood worsened. Kir, who read that sign, expressed more displeasure.

And he glared at me again mercilessly. I raised my chin at the look in his eyes that said it was all my fault.

What? What? Whatever! In response, Kir let out a long sigh as he ruffled his hair with his hand. And he said to the Grand Duke with a humiliated expression.

“……I will go.”

“What are you talking about?”

It seems that things have changed a bit from before. The Grand Duke replied with a funny face, but responded like someone who couldn’t understand Kir. Then Kir glared at me again.

Why?? If you keep glaring at me like that, I might stab you in the eye!

With my index and middle fingers slightly bent, I didn’t lose and fired back at him, but Kir clenched his teeth.

“The Empire, I will go.”

“You say you hate the Empire?”

Was he going to follow me? I sighed reflexively in surprise, then flinched at Kir’s blade-like gaze. It was so brutal that it seemed like I could be stabbed to death with just a glance.

“Yes. Who said you didn’t want to go to the Empire?”

This time, it was the Grand Duke’s annoyed voice. Kir’s fist tightened strongly. Was the real Grand Duke making fun of Kir? Like a child? I was surprised by the Grand Duke’s actions rather than Kir suddenly saying that he would go to the empire, so I just opened my mouth.

“I said I would go.”

Kir expressed his intention. It’s a threatening posture that would have worked if it was me or someone else, but the other person was just as bad. The only person who could oppose Kir’s actions in any way was the Grand Duke.

“Oh, I thought that you think that everything in the world goes your way. Didn’t you reject it with your proud mouth?”

The Grand Duke seemed to be teasing him as if saying, ‘Didn’t I say you would regret it?’

“I know best that things don’t go my way.”

Why are you looking at me while saying that? I wanted to argue, but the atmosphere was so serious that I only kept it. At that time, a coldness appeared on the Grand Duke’s face, who had been smiling. A sense of intimidation emanated from the Grand Duke as if this had been no prank.

“How can someone change his words so easily! Too late. The envoy has already left.”

“Even now…”

“Kirsec!”

It was a loud voice that sounded like thunder. It was the first time I had seen the Grand Duke make such a loud noise, and I was nervous.

I knew that the Grand Duke was a bit blunt and inconsiderate. I knew that even when he scolded me sometimes, he wasn’t really angry, but was intentionally frightening. That’s why I was nervous at this moment when the Grand Duke seemed to be pouring out his real anger.

I was afraid that a situation would come when Kir would act on his own without knowing the situation, and the relationship between the two, who had improved after a long time, would be completely broken. It was not good to make two bad-tempered people clash together.

Kir and the Grand Duke exchanged serious glances as if they were alone in this room. The battle of nerves between the two became more tense. The Grand Duke was the first to sort out the situation. The Grand Duke, who controlled his emotions with a deep breath, cut it off with a calm, but unmistakable resoluteness.

“Stop it. It’s not the time when you can act as you like now. Didn’t I tell you to decide carefully?”

After the Grand Duke’s final declaration, Kir shot at the Grand Duke and me resentfully, then jumped up and left the dining room. Everyone knew about his rude behavior, but no one opened their mouths because of the situation.

It must have been a father-son fight at first, but why did it become a strange situation in which I got involved?

This was why I was going to talk to Kir when he was in a good mood.