IYAMD 124
Jaha barely held back the urge to say something to the nobles. He had already been warned that recent incidents had made their support necessary.
Serez had followed him around until the day before the tea party, pleading with him. Gerald had done the same. Even if he didn’t like the nobles, he couldn’t treat them the way he did Marsilia.
Most of their warnings boiled down to one thing—he must not say anything that would hurt their pride. Jaha didn’t quite understand, but since they knew better than he did, he had promised to be careful.
So instead of speaking, he simply listened in silence and sipped his tea. He was never one to talk much, nor did he tend to meddle in things he didn’t fully understand.
There were a few moments when he almost lost his patience, but he managed to hold back. Most of the people present had relatives in the Imperial Knights, making it all the more frustrating.
That was why it baffled him even more. Did they not realize that their sons, brothers, or relatives were risking their lives fighting monsters?
The Eastern Continent had no monsters, so people only had to focus on making a living. Back when he lived there, Jaha had never known or cared about what was happening in the capital.
But wasn’t this place different? Monsters roamed everywhere, and their families were shedding blood in battle—so how could they be so indifferent?
Every time Jaha felt a sigh creeping up, he lifted his teacup. He swallowed his frustration along with the hot tea, recalling the battlefields he had seen.
He thought back to those fierce yet glorious moments and made a quiet resolution to himself.
…
Three days later, during dinner.
For the first time in a while, Jaha sat down at a proper dining table with Marsilia. Or rather—was this really sitting together?
Jaha and Marsilia sat at opposite ends of a long table, with their respective aides seated beside them. While it was technically correct to say they were facing each other, the sheer physical distance made it feel anything but.
“Do we have to sit like this?”
Jaha grumbled sullenly, and a faint chuckle drifted from the far end of the table.
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
Marsilia wiped his hands, tossed his napkin onto the table, and stood up.
“Let’s change seats.”
“Are you sure?”
Jaha hesitated, but Marsilia grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
“The attendants will be annoyed, but this table is too long for a proper conversation.”
Following behind, Ashton added, “Why don’t we move to the garden, Lord Jaha? The cool air should be refreshing.”
Malek was already overseeing the attendants as they cleared the table, and Gerald and Serez followed along as if this were perfectly normal.
By the time they reached the back garden after a leisurely stroll, the table had already been reset, not a single gap in the arrangement. Instead of candlelight, round, glowing orbs—something Jaha had never seen before—were hanging all around, casting a soft light.
Are those Night Pearls?
Even as he took his seat, Jaha couldn’t take his eyes off the mysterious orbs. Marsilia chuckled.
“They’re enchanted artifacts imbued with lighting magic.”
Serez wrinkled his nose. “I got them from the Mage tower’s mages.”
“They’re too small to be practical as lighting, but perfect for creating an atmosphere like this.”
Serez added, “There are probably more of these stored in the royal treasury. They were left unused out of sheer pride.”
Marsilia ordered Ashton to go through and organize them, and with that, dinner began.
Lately, Jaha had regained his appetite, and his portions had increased significantly. He wasn’t picky about food, so he simply ate whatever the attendants placed before him.
At some point, he glanced over and noticed Marsilia had stopped eating.
“They say goblins have already appeared near the Doton territory.”
“Yes. That’s why Sir Brims is unable to return to the capital,” Serez responded.
Marsilia paused in thought, his gaze lowered. Seeing that, Jaha cut a larger piece of meat on his plate.
“Send Baron Hill and the knights under his command to Doton. He may not have actively participated in the rebellion, but he once swore allegiance to Exion. If he’s to remain alive, he must prove his worth.”
Jaha waited for Marsilia to finish speaking before suddenly shoving the piece of meat into his mouth.
Marsilia, caught off guard, reflexively took it in and turned to Jaha with a startled expression.
“Eat while you talk.”
Jaha muttered, making Marsilia chew and smile sheepishly.
Watching this, Serez shook his head.
“Meanwhile, some of us are too busy working overtime every day to even get a lover….”
Jaha narrowed his eyes at him.
As it was, he was already worried about how gaunt Marsilia had become lately. And now this fool was making snide remarks?
But rather than respond, Jaha silently cut another piece of meat.
Marsilia watched with curious eyes as Jaha lifted his fork toward him again.
“Are you… giving this to me—?”
Before he could finish, Jaha abruptly shoved the fork into his mouth.
Marsilia blinked, startled, and Jaha let out a quiet sigh.
“You look pale lately.”
Marsilia hadn’t lost enough weight for it to be alarming, but his jawline had grown sharper—enough to be noticeable.
With how little sleep he was getting and how much his appetite had decreased, it was starting to show.
Even before the main course had arrived, he had barely touched the food on the previous plates. And even after the main dish was served, he hardly lifted his utensils.
Marsilia, seeing Jaha’s worried frown, leaned in close with a bright smile, as if expecting to be fed again. He even opened his mouth with an exaggerated “Ah.”
Jaha shot him a glare but still cut another piece of meat and fed him. It was frustrating how easily Marsilia accepted it, making Jaha’s heart soften—only for him to open his mouth again like a spoiled child, which made Jaha feel irritated all over again.
“Ugh.”
Serez let out a small jeer and dabbed his mouth with a napkin before continuing,
“If Doton is in trouble, we’ll likely receive a request for support from Thorton soon.”
“Thorton?”
The name was familiar. As Jaha asked, Marsilia, still waiting to be fed, casually interjected,
“That’s Joshua’s family estate.”
Ah, Joshua Thornton of the Black Knights. Jaha nodded in recognition, and Marsilia rested his chin on his palm as he continued explaining.
“Their territory has vast pastures, so they raise a lot of sheep and cattle. The monsters know this, so every autumn, they launch massive raids.”
Despite having a sizable private army, Thorton struggled to fend them off in the fall. Marsilia tapped his fingers against his chin, lost in thought.
“That’s a problem.”
“Why?”
Serez answered this time,
“Because there are many vacant lands this year. The imperial palace has to dispatch officials to oversee winter preparations in lands without lords, which means we don’t have enough troops to send to Thorton.”
Most of the nobles capable of leading had either died or were awaiting execution. Jaha recalled hearing about this before and nodded.
“Then I’ll go.”
Marsilia’s eyes widened before he furrowed his brows and firmly refused.
“No.”
“Why?”
“You need to stay in the capital. There’s the national wedding to prepare for, and you have lessons to attend.”
Jaha scowled.
“I can take the lessons after I return. And the wedding isn’t until next year, anyway.”
Honestly, he was tired of studying. He had barely memorized the alphabet, still struggled to read, and writing was even harder. Now, he could barely manage their names, and even that felt more like drawing than writing.
And etiquette lessons, memorizing noble families—it was all exhausting. Soon, he’d have to learn social dancing, which already gave him a headache.
Most of all, this man was the problem.
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