When walking down the academy corridor, Cylenciel quickened his pace. The frustration and shame from his crushing defeat continued to gnaw at his highly upheld pride. However, what made his chest feel the tightest was not his failure to match his brother's strength, but the fact that Arvin Vedegra had stepped in to save his life.
You two are truly insolent! Especially you, Arvin Vedegra! I refuse to accept—
Suddenly, the Fourth Prince came to an abrupt halt. The harsh curses filled with the seething anger in his heart were instantly cut off.
His eyes widened slightly as a very specific memory forced its way into his mind. It was the story told by Delvian Mossard in the royal palace's main dining room.
At that time, Delvian vividly recounted the very beginning of Arvin and Kylen's encounter. Their first meeting took place at the border territory, right when the Flamort Kingdom's delegation was saved by Arvin from an ambush of dozens of Forest Grizzly monsters.
According to Vian's story, that heroic act was the main reason Kylen immediately fell madly in love with his savior.
Cylenciel's mind reflexively compared what Kylen had experienced back then with what he himself had just gone through in the academy corridor.
Both incidents shared the exact same pattern. Whether it was him or his twin brother, both of their lives had been saved by Arvin.
Damn you, Arvin Vedegra! Cylenciel cursed inwardly, his face flushing red from a mix of anger and the ridiculous thought that had just crossed his mind. Did you deliberately let my brother attack me, only to play the hero and save my life so you could conquer my heart just like you conquered my brother's heart?! In your dreams!
With the annoyance festering in his chest, the bluish-white-haired youth resumed his march toward the classroom. However, the shadow of the heroic tale spun by Delvian in the palace dining room clung to him like a parasite. The story kept echoing and swirling in his head, entirely messing with his mind.
And for the second time along the quiet corridor, he halted in his tracks.
This time, his frustration was unbearable. Cylenciel raised both his hands and roughly ruffled his hair. He desperately wished that every word Delvian had spoken would just vanish from his mind.
But his efforts were in vain. The story of how Kylen first fell in love with Arvin continued to rage on, taking over his thoughts.
His annoyance only escalated. He needed an outlet, and his brain quickly began looking for someone to blame.
This is all Delvian's fault! Why did he have to recount the details of Kylen and Arvin's first meeting to us?!
Having found the target of his anger, Cylenciel quickened his pace toward the classroom to confront him.
Just you wait, Delvian!
Upon arriving at the classroom, Cylenciel did not head to his own seat. His gaze instantly locked onto a single target, and he marched straight toward the chair occupied by Vian.
Seeing the Fourth Prince approaching him with an incredibly sour expression, Vian felt both slightly surprised and confused.
What is going on? Vian wondered inwardly. Why is he suddenly coming at me with such a scary face?
The moment he was within reach, without any warning, Cylenciel shot his hand out and grabbed Vian's academy uniform tightly.
He leaned down, glaring at his twin brother's childhood friend with a sharp, intimidating gaze.
Vian was at a complete loss. He had merely been sitting there calmly, yet without knowing what he had done wrong, the prince marched over and grabbed his uniform as if he had just committed a fatal crime.
The grip was so tight, nearly choked him.
"Delvian Mossard!" Cylenciel hissed, his voice low but laced with restrained anger. "Why did you have to recount the encounter between him and Arvin Vedegra to us back in the palace dining room?!"
Hearing a question so far out of left field, Vian's confusion only deepened. He genuinely could not understand the point of the question being thrown at him. He felt there was absolutely nothing wrong with the story he had told.
Despite feeling intimidated, Vian knew he had to answer immediately. He had absolutely no desire to get into a conflict with the Fourth Prince.
"Because that was exactly the information His Majesty the King needed."
Hearing the logical answer from Kylen's childhood friend, Cylenciel was instantly silenced. He could not deny that fact. What the youth in front of him said was entirely the truth.
Running out of arguments, the prince finally released his grip on Vian's collar with a rather rough motion.
"Tsk! Still, this is all your fault!" Cylenciel grumbled in annoyance, deflecting his embarrassment into baseless anger. "If only you hadn't recounted it in such detail to us back then... Damn it! It seems I really have to give you a punishment."
"W-What?" Vian replied spontaneously, thoroughly taken aback by the conclusion. His eyes widened slightly. "Why must I suddenly be punished? What fatal mistake did I even commit against you?"
"Because of you, the story of Arvin Vedegra's heroic act is now constantly echoing in my mind!" Cylenciel accused, his face dead serious as if it were a high-level crime.
Vian stared at Cylenciel blankly, completely in disbelief. His mouth fell open slightly, at a total loss for words. What the prince in front of him had just said was completely ridiculous and made absolutely no sense.
How is it possible that just because I told a story in the dining room back then solely to explain the situation to His Majesty the King, I end up being threatened with a punishment by him? What kind of logic is this?
Meanwhile, at the same time, Vian was analyzing the situation he was facing and what the prince had said to him, and a suspicion crossed his mind. He suspected that Cylenciel might be interested in Arvin.
Even so, he still did not dare to voice his thoughts directly to the Fourth Prince.
For him, it is better to remain silent than to get involved in trouble that could have been avoided.
However, right in the middle of the absurd conversation regarding this ridiculous punishment, the tension in the classroom was suddenly broken. From the doorway, an incredibly cheerful, familiar, and enthusiastic voice rang out.
"Vian!"