TDKSR 02

Chapter 02

Ever since becoming a Duke, Jonathan had been lazily lying around taking naps, and to his aide, it apparently looked quite pathetic.

Well, he admitted he had been resting for quite a while.

“The sunlight is too nice to feel like working.”

“Yesterday you said the damp weather made you not want to work…”

“There’s also a capable aide. As expected, rest is important in life.”

“Your Highness, since His Majesty ascended the throne, there’s been quite a bit of work…”

Just as his aide Jason’s nagging showed signs of getting longer, Jonathan spoke up.

“Doesn’t Jonah Wesley also join as my aide soon?”

“Not yet, sir. I heard today is the academy graduation ceremony. After the ceremony, we should give him a few days of rest…”

“What? The academy graduation! You should have told me about something interesting like that sooner!”

“Pardon? What’s so interesting about Young Master Wesley’s graduation ceremony?”

Well, because Jonathan himself had never even been to an academy, let alone a graduation ceremony.

It was ironic that he had seen the depths of the imperial succession struggle but had never set foot in a place like the academy.

Besides, who was Jonah?

The third son of the Wesley family, possessing exceptional intellect and information-gathering skills—a fellow who had served as Jonathan’s subordinate even while studying at the academy.

‘I was planning to stay out of sight for a while.’

Feeling a change of heart, Jonathan decided to move around to relieve his boredom.

“Surely you’re not thinking of going to the academy?”

“Yeah.”

His aide Jason’s movements became hurried.

“If Your Highness is going to move, at least an escort… Wait a moment! You can’t just leave without preparation.”

“Jason, don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything myself.”

Jonathan patted Jason on the shoulder.

“Pardon?”

Before Jason, who was rather frightened by Jonathan’s behavior, could say anything, Jonathan headed toward the dressing room.

“W-Wait, Your Highness! What are you planning to do!”

Jason, who had followed Jonathan in, realized he had vanished.

“Your Highness? Your Highness! Huh?”

He opened the door and carefully checked even behind it, but he could not see Jonathan.

Already having turned invisible, Jonathan smirked at Jason’s reaction and opened the door. Then he used his ability differently.

The Stealth aura could make a target invisible or disguise them to appear as someone else.

This time, he decided to borrow Jason’s appearance.

Disguised as Jason, Jonathan greeted the guards and headed straight to the carriage depot.

Who would dare object when Jason, a close associate of Duke Kusakov, asked to borrow an information department carriage?

“I need to attend Young Master Jonah Wesley’s graduation ceremony. Take me to the Imperial Royal Academy.”

Resting quietly was fine, but for special events like this, it was definitely better to go in person.

—

Jonathan bought a bouquet of flowers in front of the academy. Having forgotten to bring money, he paid by removing a cufflink.

There were so many people at the graduation ceremony, and many students in uniforms, so Jonathan blended into the crowd without standing out.

Thanks to his Stealth ability, he could blur his presence and naturally merge in.

Tedious speeches from the valedictorian and the chancellor continued.

Jonathan first located Jonah’s position and slowly moved his body closer, trying to sit in an empty seat.

He had tried to act without drawing attention.

While avoiding a passing student, he briefly grabbed the chair of a female student.

“Oh, sorry.”

He reflexively spoke, then realizing his mistake, laughed awkwardly.

Since he was currently using his ability, the female student shouldn’t be able to see him.

“Huh? I think someone grabbed my chair?”

The female student looked around.

Jonathan had long since removed his hand from the chair.

“Livga, didn’t someone just pass by? I think they even apologized to me?”

The student sitting next to her, Livga, pointed at Jonathan and spoke.

“This person grabbed your chair just now and apologized.”

“!”

For a moment, Jonathan thought he had deactivated his ability.

“Huh? What are you talking about? There’s no one there.”

The female student who looked toward Jonathan quickly laughed and said.

“Livga, don’t play tricks like that.”

Livga looked at Jonathan with a frown and said,

“I’m not playing tricks.”

Jonathan realized that the girl was looking at him.

‘How…? Can she see me?’

At the same time, Livga pointed at Jonathan to the female student sitting on the other side.

“Can’t you see the person standing here?”

When Livga spoke seriously, everyone said it was scary.

In the end, only Livga and Jonathan stood there with somewhat stiff expressions, looking at each other.

Livga soon stood up from her seat and reached out to stroke Jonathan’s cheek.

“!”

It happened so quickly that Jonathan had no chance to dodge.

The girl’s hand was a bit cold but soft.

“…You can even be touched? And you’re warm.”

Jonathan took a step back.

“L-Livga? What’s wrong with you? This is really scary. Sit down quickly.”

The friends around her grabbed Livga’s sleeve and made her sit down.

Jonathan stepped back a few more paces.

Livga alternately looked at her own hand and at Jonathan, as if puzzled.

Jonathan turned his head and hurriedly left the academy hall. His plan to surprise Jonah Wesley was completely forgotten.

‘She saw me. She saw me even though I was using my ability!’

His heart pounded violently from the shock.

No one had ever perceived his aura before.

She was a slender, young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. There was no particularly emanating presence or shimmering mist around her.

She simply saw him.

At the moment, he was so flustered that he ran out, but upon reflection, the likelihood that she was a Star Seeker was high.

It felt like just yesterday that his father had brought him to that blind old man, saying that the Star Seekers had been massacred by the previous emperor Udonan, leaving only one.

‘I need to investigate that girl as soon as the graduation ceremony ends.’

The name her friends had called out was vivid in his mind.

‘Was it Livga.’

It was a name he had never heard before.

She couldn’t be a high-ranking noble—likely a commoner or a fallen noble.

Academy uniforms usually had names embroidered on the chest, so he could have been more certain if he’d checked, but he had been so flustered that he’d fled like that.

He must have grown complacent after the succession struggle ended. Such a basic mistake.

What particularly stood out in his memory was how her blue eyes felt as if they could suck in one’s very soul.

Despite her appearance being much smaller and seemingly weaker than him, she had remarkably striking eyes.

She had a rather youthful look for a graduate.

‘Still, since I remember her face and name, I’ll find her soon enough.’

Jonathan looked back at the academy building where the graduation ceremony was in full swing.

“Livga?”

Not long after graduating, Jonah joined the information department.

“Yes. A female student with blonde hair and blue eyes…”

“Are you referring to Livga Wilton?”

“…Huh?”

“She will be a second-year student in the new semester, and I believe it’s been about four years since she came to the capital from the provinces. Her family is a Viscount house—though it’s a title of honor, so the status isn’t as high as the title suggests…”

“How do you know all that? I only mentioned the name and appearance!”

“She was quite a famous figure at the academy.”

“What?”

Jonah had a somewhat obsessive hobby of collecting information about people. Jonathan already knew that fact.

But there was surprisingly too much information—even before he’d had time to investigate.

“She was the most beautiful student among last year’s freshmen.”

“What?”

“Blonde hair, which is typically called the imperial color, large blue eyes, and with that slender figure and clear skin—it’s not easy to be born with such traits. Even the placement of her eyes, nose, and mouth is aesthetically outstanding.”

“Right. The beautiful part is whatever…”

Jonathan tried to recall whether one of the reasons he had been so overly shocked at the time was because she was a slender and beautiful girl.

Her blue eyes were indeed very pretty.

“Is this Your Highness’s type?”

Jonathan was flustered by Jonah’s question.

“What?”

“Her grades are excellent too. Her career aspiration is to be an imperial civil servant, so it wouldn’t be difficult to bring her into the information department after graduation. If you wish, even now Your Highness’s aide…”

“Are you insane? What kind of thoughts are you having about a minor?”

“I was a minor until a few days ago, and Your Highness hasn’t been an adult for that long either. Livga Wilton will also become an adult in a few years…”

Only then did Jonathan shake his head.

You can’t think of Jonah Wesley as normal. He’s a man who only thinks in terms of being a tool—there’s no point explaining anything to someone like that.

“That’s not it. I went to the academy graduation ceremony and she saw me.”

“You went? What about your escort?”

“I was just going to tease you a bit, there was no need for that.”

“Your Highness.”

Jonah’s eyes held reproach. Anyway, that wasn’t the important part.

“Anyway, I manifested my aura, and while others couldn’t perceive me at all, that student saw me.”

“I see.”

Jonah was one of the few close aides who knew about Jonathan’s aura.

“So the shock of Livga Wilton’s reaction was enough to make Your Highness turn back without seeing me.”

“I was just, deflated, that’s all.”

“I hadn’t thought of it because Your Highness is usually so sharp about romance-related matters, but it seems your taste in women is quite conventional.”

“What taste? She’s a child…”

Jonathan glared at Jonah with annoyed eyes.

“Unless Your Highness was unusually flustered, you would have met me at the graduation ceremony before returning. But you came straight back. That’s strange.”

“I told you, I was shocked because she might be a Star Seeker.”

“Hmm, I’ll keep both suspicions in mind.”

“Ah, really. You insufferable bastard.”

Even with the cursing, Jonah’s expression didn’t change. It was hard to believe this was the reaction of someone who had just become an adult.

Was he born with something missing?

“Taking interest in all the desires of the one I serve is an aide’s duty.”

Jonah said with an impassive face and bowed his head.

“I’ll contact the academy. Let’s confirm it.”

“Fine.”

Jonathan waited for the student in the academy chancellor’s office with Ronan.

He had disguised his subordinate Ronan as himself, the Duke of Kusakov.

Since Ronan imitated Jonathan’s mannerisms impeccably, he was perfect for posing as the Duke of Kusakov.

Perhaps because they were related through a collateral line, their jawlines looked quite similar, and with a half-mask on, the resemblance was uncanny.

And Jonathan himself stood beside him, using Stealth to remain invisible and inconspicuous.

Jonathan felt relieved that he wasn’t the one who had to deal with the sycophantic chancellor, and gazed out the window.

He saw the person he had sent on an errand and a female student entering the building.

Soon, the female student who opened the door to the chancellor’s office had the same face as the girl Jonathan remembered.

Livga Wilton.

Livga didn’t look at Ronan—who was adorned most splendidly, even wearing a mask, and whom the chancellor was focusing on—but looked at Jonathan first.

‘She sees me? Truly?’