Chapter 36: The Experience of Those Who Came Before
In the office of the Knight Order’s Commander, aside from the Commander Alman himself and the Deputy Commander Carly who had returned with him, the curious First Prince also followed in a carriage after noticing Alman’s unusual demeanor.
Carly diligently handled the Knight Order’s documents, while the First Prince sipped the floral tea brought by a servant, and in the center of the incident, Alman was lying on the sofa, covered by his coat, appearing as if he was in a state of “peaceful death.”
“Has he been like this the whole time?”
“Yes, Your Highness, you might as well check if he’s still breathing, so he doesn’t just die on us.”
“Hah.”
The First Prince chuckled quietly, taking a sip of the bitter floral tea, then turned towards the silent Alman who was still covered:
“Alman, are you still alive?”
“……”
Alman remained silent, but amidst the rustling of fabric, he poked out one arm from under his coat and signaled a “Yay” with two fingers to the First Prince, presumably to prove he was still “normal.”
“See, he’s still alive and well.”
The First Prince nodded in understanding.
“Alive he is, but whether he’s normal is another matter.”
Carly was quite sharp, mercilessly commenting on Alman’s current state.
“……”
On Alman’s side, he politely responded by replacing the “Yay” gesture with a middle finger directed at Carly.
“You two have a good relationship.”
“Yes, I regard him as my own little brother.”
Carly emphasized the word “brother” for the First Prince’s ears, prompting Alman, who had remained silent, to raise both hands and display a middle finger again.
“If you’re fine, stop lying around; this is work time, and there are many documents that require your signature.”
“Ah……”
At the mention of more documents needing to be handled, the Alman under the coat let out a pained groan, and even the raised middle fingers obediently went down, returning to that “peaceful” state of not knowing whether he was alive or dead.
“What a good actor…”
“What’s it about?”
The First Prince put down his teacup and walked over to Carly’s side to look at the stack of work documents that seemed to take a long time to process.
“It’s the casualty list from the Extreme North battle.” Carly raised his hand and directly handed the list to the First Prince. “The battle looked glamorous on the surface, but as you know, we lost many.”
The First Prince accepted it, carefully examining the densely printed names on the roster, including some names he had heard of. Each vibrant life could now only become marks on a monument.
“Although I couldn’t accompany Alman to the Extreme North, the brutality of the battle is clear from this list, which is why I strongly oppose turning the Pros Celebration into a ‘boring task’ for the royal family’s entertainment.”
“……”
The First Prince thoughtfully pinched his chin, holding the list in his hand while glancing at the thick stack of personnel information, subsequent welfare benefits, and family compensation mechanisms that Carly and Alman had organized earlier. From the not yet fully dried ink on the table, it was evident this was what they had rushed to complete the night before.
With the Pros Celebration approaching, everyone in the Knight Order was very busy. Alman and Carly had to formulate corresponding policies to comfort the families of the fallen soldiers while also satisfying the royal family and minimizing grievances from the nobles.
Having worked overtime the previous night, both Alman and Carly were already feeling pent-up frustration. Not only did they have to attend an early meeting early in the morning, but the Pros Celebration was also to be treated as a spectacle. Naturally, these two protective leaders could not sit idly. If it weren’t for the royal meeting hall and the provocation of the Second Prince, either Alman or Carly might have directly thrown their gloves in that person’s face and said, “Instead of saying such things, you might as well come for a duel,” or perhaps both of them might have charged together.
“I’m not saying how to celebrate; I merely want it to be more grand, just as my brother Eric said, for the triumphant Alman is most suited for this celebration.”
“I understand; we are merely Your Highness’s political tools—”
“I don’t understand.”
Suddenly, Alman, who had been playing dead, sat up.
“Uh?”
Carly looked at Almam, whose head still had the white knight uniform hanging on it, seeing his breath creating strange shapes on the fabric like a black-and-white ghost.
“What’s unclear about this? You and I—”
“I don’t understand why she’s angry with me.”
“……?”
“?”
The previously tense situation between Carly and the First Prince immediately shifted focus to Alman, who was hanging on to his clothes.
“I didn’t do anything wrong; why is she mad at me?”
“How did you transform from a foolish dog to a whipped dog in just a few days?”
“Hah?” Carly’s comment caused Alman to turn the invisible face toward him. He showed no intention of removing the clothing, swaying back and forth in the knight’s uniform, the medals clanking noisily.
“You need to explain this thoroughly for us to understand.”
Seeing Alman regain his spirit, the First Prince also became interested, returning to the sofa opposite Alman, eager to hear what problems had caused their commander to change so drastically.
“Ah—anyway, I shouldn’t have done anything wrong.”
Alman spoke, then fell silent again.
Just as he never mentioned the First Prince around Evelia, he also did not intend to bring up Evelia around the First Prince. He wouldn’t disclose any information about the First Prince to Evelia, nor would he tell the First Prince that he had a spy sent by the Second Prince by his side.
If only Evelia were not a spy…
Alman thought to himself, his face behind the clothing revealing some bitterness.
If Evelia were on his side, or just an ordinary girl, perhaps things wouldn’t be so complicated.
Although Alman seemed to be head-over-heels in love in Carly’s eyes, he always remained wary of Evelia. He interacted with her but never opened his heart to her. He wanted to know more about her but feared that she would see through him along the way, as political matters could not be ruined by emotions.
—Why does it feel like I’m being a jerk?
“If you’re unwilling to explain the reason, then forget it.” Carly approached Alman, removed the knight uniform hanging on his head, and said, “Instead of worrying about what went wrong, you might as well just apologize.”
“?” Alman received the coat Carly threw into his arms and looked at the Deputy Commander, whose daughter was now three years old. “Apologizing without knowing what I did wrong? Isn’t that more submissive than me?”
“That’s a woman for you. You’ll never know what you did wrong in her eyes.”
The First Prince, although childless, who remained loving towards his wife, fully agreed with Carly’s words.
Among the three men of similar ages, only Alman was an old bachelor with his virginity intact, while the other two were married veterans.
“Ah?” Alman raised his eyebrows, looking confused. “But I didn’t do anything wrong—”
*Smack.*
Before he could finish, Alman felt a heavy slap on his left shoulder. Carly stood to his left, pressing on Alman’s shoulder with a serious expression.
“Don’t struggle, Alman; go apologize.”
“Hah? I—”
*Smack.*
Before he could finish his second sentence, Alman felt a heavy slap on his right shoulder this time, courtesy of the First Prince, who stood to his right. Though his expression was not grave, it was still serious as he pressed on Alman’s shoulder.
“This kind of thing will only get worse the longer you put it off. A real man can bow and stretch; go apologize.”
“Are you both insane?!”
“No.”
Carly and the First Prince, who were just about to argue, now stood united against Alman, saying in unison:
“—This is the experience of those who came before.”
“You’re both so annoying…!”
