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"Ho. So that's how it was."
"...What did you just do?"
"Ah, nothing much. I just took a quick sniff of Your Highness's scent. Thanks to that, I understand perfectly now."
"Understand what, exactly?"
"The scent from the envelope was Your Highness's smell... what do you call it? Body odor? I've been dying of curiosity for the past few years, and now that curiosity has been satisfied."
"Few years?"
The man scratched his chin with a look of recollection.
"Actually, not just the Captain, but we've also received quite a bit of help from Your Highness. Whenever we felt like we were losing our minds and going crazy, smelling that scent would stabilize our minds and bodies. Haha! Of course, the Captain was dreadfully displeased by that fact as well..."
"..."
"Oops. I talked too much... Please keep what I just said a secret from the Captain... I mean, Count Nariyan. Oh, you will? Thank you. Well then, I'll be going."
After rambling about things I couldn't quite make sense of, he left the Imperial Palace of his own accord.
I didn't explicitly acknowledge it, but I knew the man's identity—he was that crazy coachman (who was also a Horgan member) who had saved me during the shooting incident. It seemed Valentin placed great trust in him.
Since they say even beasts recognize their benefactors, I asked for his name when I met the man again three days later.
"I'm Chenko Kuyev."
"Right, Chenko. You know who I am, don't you? I'm a bit late with my greetings, but thank you for helping with such a trivial matter."
"Eh? No way? Where on earth is there a matter that requires labor as high-grade as a messenger? It's not a trivial matter. Since it's a role absolutely necessary for the salvation of the nation, please continue to use me for a long time—preferably as a subordinate."
Chenko, who was dead serious about slacking off, had a looser tongue than he looked, and he readily answered the subtle questions I posed whenever we met.
"Eh, what kind of Captain is the Captain? Hmm, well, he's great... Huh? No, I mean, tsk. I'm not reading the room, I'm being sincere. Honestly, I don't even know why he's our Captain... sometimes he's just... hmm, let's just end it with saying he's a good person, shall we?"
However, he showed extreme hostility regarding the rebels.
"That piece of shit Libertan... ahem. That guy is truly malicious. There's no one more wicked than someone who plays with people's hopes and beliefs. Ptooey, it's just laughable to see a bastard whose eyes are blinded by power talking about freedom!"
He was so hostile that it was occasionally uncomfortable when his spit flew.
Still, talking with Chenko was enjoyable. He was a unique existence I hadn't encountered in my seventeen years of life, a man who smelled strongly of the harsh yet free winds of a distant world.
I thought to myself that Ivan must have hung out with people like this. I realized he must have loved people so much because he knew people like this.
After half a month of knowing Chenko, I began to look forward to meeting him as much as I did to Valentin's letters.
Perhaps that was why?
"Chenko! Today, that curry sauce you were curious about... huh?"
Upon confirming the face of the man who stepped through the door, I couldn't help but stumble over my words like a fool.
"Valentin? How are you here...?"
Valentin, who stood as if nailed to the spot for a long time even after Fedora closed the door and left, slowly parted his lips.
"You call him so affectionately."
Unlike the corners of his mouth, which curved into a familiar smile, the two eyes staring at me held not even a faint arc.
"I never imagined the name Chenko Kuyev would come out of those lips."
Never imagined? What on earth did that "never imagined" mean? Wait, could it be...
"Is Chenko's name... a-a secret?"
Come to think of it, hadn't Valentin and Ivan also hidden their affiliation with Horgan for several years? Fortunately, Valentin denied my concern.
"How could that be? Feel free to call him. Though his attitude is a bit frivolous, he is a trustworthy man."
"Ah... yeah, I know. He's the one who saved me."
"It seems you are getting along well with him."
"He's a bit peculiar, but he's fun. Even Fedora pretends not to care, but I think she waits for Chenko to arrive. It would be better if he just spat less."
I intentionally didn't add that I especially liked it because I could learn things about him that I didn't know. Because if Chenko heard a lecture from him, he might shut his mouth.
"You did well. The more allies one has by their side, the better. Speaking of which... did you reject Sergei?"
I was inwardly very surprised by the sudden mention of Sergei. Did he hear it from Vasily?
'But Vasily isn't the type of person to go around talking about such things.'
I tried to deduce the intent behind the question but quickly gave up.
"That's right. It's a bit awkward to call it a flat-out rejection, but it's similar. Why do you ask?"
Valentin gazed slowly into my face, then turned and paced by the window.
"Having people who feel affection for Your Highness by your side also means having that many shields to protect you."
The midday sunlight of April was intense enough to swallow Valentin whole. Sparkling brilliantly as if walking on fire, he stopped before a grand portrait hanging on the wall. It was a painting of me on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony.
"...In particular, Nikitin's innate status is helpful in many ways. If a similar situation arises again in the future, I hope you will consider keeping him around a bit longer."
Keeping him around. Though the expression was polite, the meaning was the exact opposite.
"Are you telling me to use the feelings of people who like me?"
"Yes. Are you perhaps angry?"
A woman frozen with an awkward expression. Beneath her, Valentin's shadow, suddenly cast, looked exceptionally dark.
Was I angry? Of course. Sergei had done nothing wrong. It's just that he likes me slightly more than I like him, so what kind of nonsense is it to tell me to exploit that admirable affection? However, more than that...
"Are you like that too?"
My heart throbbed violently at the fact that the person saying this was none other than Valentin. Because...
"No, you don't have to answer that question."
Is my affection for Valentin also purely a means of control... something like that...
'...Enough with the nonsense. Why am I digging a hole for myself? Valentin's concern for me is sincere. Doubting it even while knowing is a waste of emotion.'
But thanks to this, the thorn-like curiosity that had been poking at me for the past few days was resolved. If so, does that mean Valentin's proposal of marriage was also aimed at utilizing Oksana?
Is exploiting the goodwill of others the method Valentin discovered through the process of repeating death?
The human heart is truly fickle; the relief that marriage was merely a means to Valentin easily overcame the anxiety that my affection could be exploited.
The moment I realized that, I felt unbearably petty. To the point where I feared my inner thoughts might be exposed.
I lifted my head to swallow a sigh and saw Valentin still standing before the portrait. That face, as if waiting calmly.
Come to think of it, what were we talking about?
"...Ah, sorry. I'm not particularly angry. But what brings you all the way here?"
Valentin looked as if he had something to say, but he soon turned his back to me again.
"Must there be a specific reason for me to come?"
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