Knock knock knock.
"Count-nim, it's deputy butler Hans, here to report."
"Come in."
Click...Click.
The sound of the door opening and closing seemed to echo in the large office. Hans stepped forward to the count's desk.
"What's the report?"
It had been a few days since Hans returned from the capital with Cale. During that time, Hans' job was to record any rumors, strange behavior, or surprise events.
"Quite a few rumors about the young master are spreading. The first is about how he entered the noble party extremely late and interrupted the third prince's speech, which the young master confirmed to be true."
Deruth's expression showed he had expected something like that to happen. Hans continued.
"The second details the fight the young master started directly after the party concluded. People are saying he knocked Baron Crassterd unconscious for no reason and then beat him black and blue, and that the young master threatened the rest of the nobles who witnessed it afterwards."
"...And what did Cale say about that one?"
Deruth started silently tapping his desk as a sign of how nervous he was. He had heard a lot of murmuring around the estate recently.
"The young master mentioned how the baron deserved it, but would not tell me why. He also stated that the rumors were unfortunately exaggerated, and that he wished he could have beat him black and blue, but was sadly pulled away by me before he could do so."
Grit.
Deruth's teeth made a gritty sound as he ground them together. His only wish was that Cale would stay low and not get into any conflicts, and yet rumors had spread so quickly.
"And the others?"
"The third one... people are saying that the young master... err."
"What is it? Did he kill a person or something? How bad could it be?"
Deruth seemed more frustrated than before, which made Hans hesitate in sharing the rest of the report.
"...Ahem! The third one is about how young master Cale p, proposed to the crown prince."
"..."
"..."
"Hans, I think I'm getting old. I just heard something so unbelievable that my ears must have gone bad. Would you repeat that?"
"T, the young master allegedly proposed to his highness, Alberu Crossman, while drunk."
"Ah, I understand. He proposed a business deal, yes? Perhaps he hasn't gone dull from liquor after all. So, Hans, what were the details?"
Hans awkwardly coughed and looked to the side. He couldn't believe his ears at first either, but it was probably the largest rumor which was circling around at this time. He couldn't deny it.
"...Hans, it was a business proposal, right?"
"I, I'm afraid not. Some nobles claimed they saw the young master place a ring onto his highness' ring finger. After the young master left the party, it was observed that his highness was spacey and didn't speak smoothly like he usually does."
"..."
Deruth seemed awestruck. How could one person cause such varied rumors to spread in under 24 hours. And because of his reputation, they were definitely believable.
"T, then, what did my son say about that one?"
"I haven't had the opportunity to ask him, as he became frustrated at my questioning and retired to his room early."
"But rumors like that don't just spawn on their own. I'll have to contact the crown prince myself if I do not get a proper explanation of what happened."
"I'll inform the young master as soon as possible then, count-nim."
___
Tasha sighed. She was in Alberu's bedroom, helping sign documents as he slept. She recalled the conversation they had had before he crashed on the bed.
'Auntie, do you remember when you first told me to find a nighttime training area?'
'Yes, weren't you around fifteen?'
'Yeah. Remember when one of the younger dark elves sent me the wrong coordinates?'
'Haha~ Yes, I remember. Where are you going with this?'
'...When I tried the coordinates the first time I wound up in a noble child's room. I lost mother's ring there and had to go back the next night. The boy helped me find it.'
'Mhm, and it felt nice to have a friend without worrying about politics, right? You told me the story.'
Her nephew had remained silent and looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds at that time.
'What about it, Alberu?'
'That boy was Cale Henituse. I'm sure of it now.'
'...Really?'
'You don't seem very surprised, auntie.'
Tasha had not been surprised at all. In fact, she had known it was Cale since Alberu told her the story when he was fifteen, and she had checked the coordinates herself. Imagine her surprise when she found herself inside the count's mansion.
She had kept this secret because Alberu had seemed to forget about it entirely, and never asked or talked about the incident since it happened. She assumed he knew it was Cale.
Eventually she forgot as well, until the king ordered her to secretly alter the Henituse family's invitation. At first she thought her cover as a dark elf was blown, but Zed had only asked her since she was in charge of delivering the invites.
So she changed the name of the recipient from Basen to Cale, and delivered it like usual. Afterwards she made it up to Alberu by buying him pens and helping with his work.
Since she was also an informant of sorts for Alberu, she tended to keep her eyes and ears open. And that was how she heard about the rumor.
Apparently Cale had proposed to her nephew. It was amusing to think about, but Alberu's ranting about how the rumors were false forced her to believe him. However, his explanation of why the rumor started was equally amusing.
Tasha turned around and observed her nephew's sleeping face.
"Tch. All the good genes went to you, didn't they? Even asleep, you look just as handsome. Where's my beauty, huh?"
Although her words were not the kindest, Tasha had a gentle smile on her face.
___
The next morning, Cale avoided all members of his family and headed off to the Wheelsman's manor with only Hans to accompany him. Hans was sadly stuck handling the horses, so he couldn't question Cale about the proposal rumor like he wanted.
They were using a shabbier carriage which didn't have the Henituse crest on it specifically because of the rumors.
This routine was implemented by Cale like clockwork whenever a mass of rumors was floating around with his name at the center. It was just easier to move around this way. Almost always, his destination was the Wheelsman estate.
Eventually they arrived, and Eric welcomed him like usual, making an effort to avoid the topic of rumors or the party like a good friend.
Cale had other plans, however.
"Hyung. You left the party early, didn't you?"
"...Yes, Vinny's feet were getting sore and the room was a bit too stuffy. It felt like nobles rubbed shoulders with us constantly."
Cale took a moment to respond with a strange look on his face. "Those nobles were all older men, weren't they?"
"Uh? Probably, there were a lot of them attending. Why does it matter?"
"...You've heard the rumor that I beat a baron black and blue, right?"
Eric was confused at the constant topic changes, but answered him anyway.
"I have."
"Hmm. Hyung, do you want to know why I knocked that bastard unconscious?"
Sip.
Cale paused his conversation to drink some of his tea.
Eric watched him with confusion and intrigue. "I can't say I'm not curious. If you'll answer me, I want to know why."
Cale blinked and made eye contact with Eric as he answered with a completely straight face and almost bored complexion.
"That grimey bastard was talking about Vinny in an I-want-to-get-a-broken-nose-immediately sort of way, if you know what I mean."
Siiiiip.
Eric was stuck buffering in place as Cale's words registered in his mind. The second they did however, it was obvious.
Clunk!
Eric suddenly stood up, accidentally pushing the coffee table back a bit as he did so.
"THAT BASTARD."
"Hyung, sit down for a minute."
"BUT, I-"
"Baron Crassterd. That's his full title."
Eric hesitantly sat down again. His full attention was directed at Cale.
"I heard him talking with his followers about Vinny, specifically about how absurd your father was for prohibiting marriage proposals for her. At one point the bastard suggested that if you weren't there to protect her, he would have tried something. I assume the older men you kept bumping into were him and his subordinates trying to get a better glimpse of Vinny."
At every new sentence that Cale uttered, Eric's expression grew more and more menacing. His hyung was known as a cheery and almost puppydog-like person who could be stubborn and stuck up from time to time.
What they didn't know was that if Eric really wanted to, he could probably become one of the scariest nobles. Especially when it came to his close family, and especially his younger sister.
"So, hyung. Make sure to keep her safe."
"I absolutely will. I'll also tell my parents about this. Thank you, Cale. Thank you for telling me and thank you for breaking that bastard's nose. If I'm not careful I might do the same the second I see him."
"Sure."
To Cale, Vinny was one of the few people who did not mind his reputation. She was someone who he cared about, no matter what he told himself. If she were to get hurt, he would probably kill the attacker with Eric in tow.
In a way, Cale saw her as his little sister too. That was why he had no issue with temporarily letting his persona fade to help keep her safe. He would do the same if someone was talking about Lily or Basen in that way as well.
"Then, I'm sure my father wants to talk with me, and you will have some things to get done as well. I'll see you later, hyung."
Eric stood up and shook hands with Cale. "Yes, have a safe trip."
"Of course. I'll message you again once I get back home. By that time you should've settled on what to do. Anyway, I'll make sure to have a safe trip."
Cale then opened the door and shortly greeted Hans, who Cale had stationed right outside the door on purpose. He had eavesdropped on the entire conversation as expected.
Hans clenched his fist silently. 'So that was the reason why... The count-nim will need to hear about this immediately.'
Cale spoke up at that moment. "Hans, let's leave now. Father wants to talk to me, yes?"
"That's correct, young master. He is most likely waiting in his office for you to return."
"Then let's hurry, I want to get past the boring lectures as quickly as possible."
"Of course, young master Cale."
He looked forward to the safe trip.
A/n: Welcome back. Most future chapters are going to be longer than already existing ones.
Thx for reading.