Chapter 3.1 - This Life Is Truly A Joke
Episode 1: This Life Is Truly A Joke – Chapter 3.1
Franz was poorly dressed. Calian could spy his brother’s bare skin beneath his untied top. A royal family member, whether from here or Secretia, should never be seen like that.
Despite Calian’s surprise at Franz’s rude behavior, he did not make the mistake of putting a knife to his brother’s neck.
He sighed briefly, taking care for it not to show.
Randall frowned at Franz’s appearance, but turned his head away as if he had seen nothing. However, Calian had not missed the scene.
The first prince cannot lay a hand on the second prince.’
It was understandable why.
All three princes were half brothers, and Queen Silica was the mother of the second prince, Franz. No matter if Randall was the heir to the throne, he could not boss around Franz.
‘The power of the Queen’s family is great.’
With that fact, the people in the room could only shut their mouths and keep their thoughts to themselves. Soon a well-made food dishes began to be placed before them one by one.
There was baked bread with a savory and fragrant soup, along with scrambled eggs and sliced ham. There were salads full of fresh vegetables and a variety of fruits. For Calian, who had suffered from war, it was a mouth-watering sight. If he was alone, he would have eaten everything.
But his hands didn’t reach out to grab any of the food.
The first reason was because he worried about Chase, and the second was because his lifelong enemy, Franz, was in front of him. The chilling atmosphere within the dining hall also played a part.
‘The situation here is like treading through thin ice.’
The three princes of the Kailis were obviously brothers, but there was no conversation among them. Though they were half brothers, that alone could not be the reason for this silence.
He knew because Chase and Bern were half brothers, too.
While the chef reheated the food, the two siblings would laugh and converse with each other. Chase had always taken care of him, and his voice seemed to echo in Bern’s mind.
– I can’t believe you’re gonna be a knight. People will depend on you.
– Bern, my brother. Don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about anything.
He remembered Chase, the king of Secretia, his brother, the one who wasn’t afraid of sacrificing his own life. However, he could not ask for news of him in this place, and he was gripped by more worry and longing. He had the impulse to run and meet with him.
At those thoughts, his anger against Franz flared up again, so he picked up a glass of water and drained it all at once. There was a voice full of laughter.
“Fool.”
It was Franz’s voice.
No matter what clothes he wore, his countenance was always the same. Franz curled his lip and spoke mockingly.
“You resemble your mother, lacking in dignity.”
It was a sneering jab about Calian’s mother, a commoner. Feeling as if his real mother had been insulted, Calian’s eyes turned sharp.
Franz saw his red eyes burning with hatred through his fringe. Franz glared in return.
Randall was concentrating on the meal without giving them a glance, the perfect bystander.
Calian turned to Randall with the same look in his eyes.
Then, Franz spoke with a threatening voice.
“You dare–”
Calian’s gaze shifted to Franz again. Their eyes locked and neither dared turn away. Only then did Randall open his mouth to speak quietly.
“Stop it.”
Franz kept his gaze fixed on Calian as he spoke.
“I’ve lost my appetite because of those cursed bloody eyes. I’ll be leaving first.”
Franz didn’t bother to ask for Randall’s permission to leave, and he stood up and went outside.
That was rather fortunate. Calian didn’t have the patience to look at his face for a long time.
“You best care of your body. The king’s birthday celebration is just around the corner.”
But with this, Calian lost even more patience when hearing this voice.
Randal had spoken with a dull expression, without even sparing a glance at Calian.
‘It’s me who’s the problem? What about that bastard who just walked out?’
The words full of blame left Calian stunned.
If it had not been for the absurdity of waking up in another body the day he died, he certainly would not have tolerated this.
Randall was completely oblivious of his brother’s murderous intent, and he stood up from his seat and left without paying attention to Calian’s reaction.
“It hasn’t even been a full day yet…”
He could hear Yan talking to himself from behind.
Calian leaned his back on the chair and exhaled to calm his anger. This was a sigh that sounded like the mournful breath of the youngest who received plenty of abuse. Yan stared at the prince with regret in his face.
After a while, Calian rose quietly from his seat. Yan came up to him to pull out his chair and straighten out his disheveled clothes, working meticulously with the details. Calian saw that the other two princes’ attendants were not as attentive to this degree.
There were deep fingernail marks imprinted on Yan’s palm. On the contrary, Yan’s eyes seemed even fiercer than Calians. At the sight, Calian’s boiling anger slowly subsided. He spoke in a low voice.
“Thank you.”
Yan’s eyes widened and he turned to look at Calian. The prince was neither weeping nor making a grim face. Not only that. He even had a small smile. Before Yan could find the words to express his gratitude for the very first time, the prince continued.
“What’s next on the schedule?”