Dear My Friend - Chapter 73

Chapter 73 – You Two Haven’t Spoken 

1. Sweet Chunks

“Your Grace, Duke Escliffe.”

Claude naturally turned in the direction of the voice as soon as he stepped out of the carriage. There stood a familiar-looking man. Claude acknowledged him with his usual warm smile.

“Sir Dilton.”

“It’s been a long time,” Dilton greeted with an elegant curve of his lips.

Claude nodded and spoke in a jovial voice. “How are you?”

“It’s been a little rough lately.”

“Oh dear.” Claude shook his head in sympathy. “Are you alright now?”

“I’ve healed a lot due to the grace of the Crown Prince.”

“I see.” Claude smiled and shook his head. “You’ve now become the Crown Prince’s man.”

“In actuality, he’s taken great care of us. Despite his appearances, he’s a very sensitive man.”

…Sure. Claude shifted the topic of conversation without denying it. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah,” Dilton said, realizing his original purpose of coming here. “I’m here to serve you.”

“Me?” Claude said with a frown. “But I already have a previous engagement.”

“Oh, I know that, Your Grace. Today I was ordered by His Majesty the Emperor.”

“The Emperor ordered you to serve in the Central Palace?”

“Who knows His Majesty’s intentions,” Dilton said with a smile.

A sliver of suspicion attached itself to Claude, but it couldn’t be helped if it was an imperial command. He gave nod to indicate he was ready to go, and Dilton took the lead.

Claude’s reason for his visit to the palace was all because of Emperor Henry XIV. He had invited Claude to meet for lunch out of the blue. Because the Emperor cared for him like a son, Claude accepted the request easily.

The place that Henry chose for the appointment was not in the dining room of the Central Palace, but the back garden. Claude couldn’t help but be puzzled, as he knew that Henry disliked eating outdoors. In any case, Claude had prepared himself to meet the Emperor.

“Greetings to His Majesty, the Great Sun of the Empire,” Claude said, then briefly swallowed before turning his head slightly to his side to give a similar greeting. “Greetings to His Highness, the Little Sun of the Empire.”

Xavier was present as well. Claude tried to hide his expression, and after a moment of silence, added a few more words.

“Peace to the Empire. Stability to the Imperial Family,” he said ceremoniously.

“It’s been a long time,” Henry said, giving a low smile and casually calling Claude by his name rather than his title.

Claude smiled awkwardly and accepted the greeting, but he could not smile at the person next to him. The atmosphere began to strain between Claude and Xavier.

It would not have gone unnoticed by a man as seasoned as Henry, but he went on as if he didn’t notice.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen both of you at once, isn’t that right, Crown Prince?”

“…Yes, Your Majesty,” Xavier replied in a quiet voice. At first glance he looked indifferent about the situation, but a closer look revealed a subtle stiffness across his face.

Henry continued casually. “You two don’t frequently interact. Won’t you be the ones who will lead Yonas in the future?

“…”

Henry’s words made both Claude and Xavier uncomfortable. It could not be denied that they would be the real powers of the Empire for the next generation. But considering the relationship between the two… If they couldn’t say yes, would they be in trouble? Henry, sly as he was, probably created this situation.

“I think of you as my son, Claude.”

That was a dangerous remark for anyone to overhear. Claude was part of the Escliffe family, a collateral line, and he and Xavier winced at the Emperor’s words. Henry remained nonchalant at the foul mood between them.

“It’s been a long time since we had lunch at the garden. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a meal with you two as well. I feel good.”

“So do I, Your Majesty,” Claude managed with a generous smile. Unlike Xavier, who was the evasive type, he liked to face things directly. Claude knew that Henry was fond of that.

“I definitely remember you two being close before you graduated from the Academy,” Henry noted.

“…”

“…”

Silence reigned over Xavier and Claude again as an unwelcome topic was broached. The graduation ceremony had been a nightmarish occasion for them both. The Emperor had to know that, so Claude couldn’t imagine why the Emperor had to bring it up.

The appetizer appeared at the perfect time, just when the awkwardness was becoming unbearable. Claude gave a mental prayer of gratitude as he took a fork to the plate of oysters on the white table. The oysters were sprinkled with lemon juice, so it didn’t taste as fishy as he expected.

To general surprise, the meal went on smoothly afterwards. The three exchanged news with each other, leading to a rather pleasant meal. Claude continued to speak, but inwardly he was amazed that he could sit like this with Xavier. No, technically, Claude didn’t feel discomfort himself. However, Xavier was clearly uncomfortable with him, and it was only afterwards that Claude began to feel discomfort.

This wasn’t the first time since graduation that the Emperor had a meal with each of the young men. However, it was just the first time for all three of them to be together, including Xavier.

In any case, if there was someone who found this arrangement unbearable, it would be Xavier and not him, Claude decided. Xavier’s expression, he noticed, looked much more vacant than usual.

Henry’s voice interrupted Claude from his thoughts. “Does the food suit your taste, Claude?”

Claude blinked into awareness and looked up to see Henry looking at him benevolently. He almost shrank as he looked into Henry’s eyes. It was much like looking at his late father. Normally, one would feel goodwill when looked at warmly, but something seemed to trip Claude up in his mind.

Claude knew what it was. His eyes naturally flickered to Xavier. “Yes, Your Majesty. It’s excellent,” Claude replied to Henry.

“I’m glad that you like it,” the Emperor answered back.

Xavier’s face remained unreadable. If someone who didn’t know him saw him right now, they would think he was chewing on grains of sand.

Claude was disturbed at the sight. Emperor Henry did not ask the same question to his son Xavier.

***

For dessert, rize tea and financier pastries were served. Claude was inwardly grateful that this long, long meal was coming to an end, and took an elegant sip of his tea. It tasted as good as tea directly imported to the Imperial Family would taste. He briefly thought that he should ask the butler to order a little of the tea leaves for himself, when Henry’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

“You two haven’t spoken to each other at all.”

Indeed. In the almost two hours of the meal, neither of them said a word to the other. Even an idiot would notice that. Claude’s face flushed with embarrassment when it was pointed out openly.

Xavier’s expression remained constant as he tacitly acknowledged Emperor Henry’s words. If anyone saw him, they would think that he had left his soul in Thurman Palace and let his body go.

“I suppose it’s hard for you two to have a deep conversation in my presence,” Henry said.

That was reasonable. What happened between the two in the first palace had a lot to do with Henry. Did Henry know and just pretended not to know, or did he really not know it? Regardless, he acted unconcerned.

“I’ll give you two space. It’s been a while since you two met privately, so I’ll leave.”

Funnily enough, no one answered back. Not even Claude.

Henry calmly excused himself from the table without showing any signs of awkwardness at the lack of response.

Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere around them remained stagnant. Neither man would open their mouths. Claude was embarrassed, and Xavier was supremely uncomfortable.

In Xavier’s case, it was a more complex emotion. Beneath his hate, he had had so many shared memories and feelings with Claude in the past. But there were two things that suppressed the confused knot of his emotions—a sense of duty, and a sense of guilt.