‘Hans?’

Christoph frowned suspiciously, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. He tilted his head, seemingly lost in thought with a displeased expression.

Meanwhile, the guide, realizing he might have led a suspicious stranger inside, paled and glanced at Christoph. His eyes were filled with wariness and suspicion. The furrow in Christoph’s brow deepened.

“But, he clearly stated so……”

The guide stammered, as if making excuses. The woman, looking Christoph up and down, shook her head and declared it absurd.

“How can we trust his words? Furthermore, a security guard with such a striking appearance patrolling outside, that was a suspicious claim from the start.”

Facing the woman who was staring directly at him with one eye filled with admiration and the other with suspicion, Christoph shifted his gaze to the guide and spoke in a low voice: “You.”

The guide flinched as if pricked by a needle, sneaking a look at Christoph. Christoph looked at him with an icy stare.

“Where have you brought me?”

“To……the person in charge of Tarten……”

The guide mumbled, his expression seeming to say: ‘If you’re with Tarten, shouldn’t you know?’

And this time, Christoph truly frowned. His eyes turned cold in an instant.

“What did you see when you checked the list? When did I say I was a security guard for Tarten?”

“B-But you clearly——”

“I only said my name.”

Christoph said in a voice so sharp it was chilling. Clicking his tongue, he didn’t even bother looking at the bewildered woman who muttered: “Your name?”, and was about to turn and leave when……

The side door of the spacious room opened.

“It seems something’s happened.”

A calm voice with a serene smile echoed, accompanied by a leisurely gait as someone entered the room.

At the same time, everyone in the room looked at the newcomer in surprise, immediately straightening their postures in a tense manner. The woman who had been intently staring at Christoph also showed a look of astonishment as she looked at the man who had just entered.

“Mr. Richard. Why are you here in person? Weren’t you with Mr. Croydon? And what about Mr. Hans……?”

“Hans is contacting Dresden, so he’s temporarily absent, Hannah. Mr. Croydon also just went to pick up Al-Faisal’s group, so I stopped by to see how things were going. Did I come at a bad time?”

The man ended his words with a touch of humor, quickly dissipating the tense atmosphere; however, he maintained a serious expression while smiling.

“It seems there’s a suspicious individual claiming to be a security guard from our team. It would be troublesome if anything happened and we were held responsible. Who is that person?”

The man looked around the room. He smiled gently, and each time his gaze swept past, the people in the room seemed to tense up. But that smile was completely wiped away when his eyes landed on Christoph, who was standing behind a large Areca palm* near the hallway entrance.

Christoph stared at the man. Richard, that man, looked back at Christoph with an impassive face. As if he was wondering if the person before him was someone he knew.

Unexpectedly meeting that man here.

……No, thinking about it, it’s foolish that he hadn’t anticipated this possibility at all. This man was also qualified to be among the ‘honored guests.’

Christoph clicked his tongue. He felt like if he were the first to look away, it would seem like he had lost, so he silently locked eyes with the other man.

The silence that hung between the two men made it so that no one there dared to speak first. However, they all seemed to notice the strange atmosphere and looked at the two with puzzled expressions.

Finally, Richard, without taking his eyes off Christoph, slowly opened his mouth.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“……Don’t joke around. You knew Al-Faisal was coming.”

“Yes, I did.” – Richard turned slightly towards Christoph. As if the ice had melted, a faint smile appeared on his impassive face.

“But I didn’t expect to see you in a place with a suspicious individual impersonating Tarten’s security personnel.”

“It’s crazy to appear alone without a bodyguard in a place with a suspicious person.”

Christoph snorted. Richard stared at Christoph and suddenly gave a wry smile.

“Thank you for your concern. But if you say so, you’re not much better. I didn’t expect you to be foolish enough to be working as an outside guard at a time like this.”

The cold voice carried a hint of annoyance. Christoph raised an eyebrow.

This man knew. Of course, he had to know. Who was he? The brains of Tarten, holding all the information in the world in his hands. Even if it was a minor threat happening in a corner of Riyadh, if he wanted to know, he could know everything. The fact that Rashid’s close associates disliked Christoph was something anyone in Riyadh could guess, without needing Tarten’s information-gathering capabilities.

“If I knew you were coming here, I wouldn’t have come.”

Christoph snorted sarcastically, and Richard simply remained silent. As soon as Christoph spoke those words, he closed his mouth. He realized he had been clenching his fists at some point and quietly loosened them.

As if he were tense. Christoph glanced at his hand with a strange feeling.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had seen this man since that day.

Yes, that day. The day that just hearing about it was enough to make distant memories constrict his heart, making him never want to hear those words again, this was the first time since that day.

Christoph silently glared at the man with displeasure. The one who should be feeling awkward was that man, but why did he seem so calm while Christoph himself felt uncomfortable inside? He couldn’t understand it.

But perhaps not, he thought after a moment. Richard’s silence was longer than usual. As if he was struggling with what to say.

The one who broke the strange silence was the woman who had been looking at them with a puzzled expression.

“Do you two know each other?”

She asked carefully, observing Christoph. Richard, as if suddenly remembering something, nodded.

“Hannah, this is the man who helped me with work a few months before you arrived. You may have heard of him, Christoph Tarten. Christoph, this is Hannah Hengel, who is helping me with work along with Hans……”

“Christoph?! So this man is……!”

Before Richard could finish the introduction, the woman clapped her hands and widened her eyes. Then she stared intently at Christoph. Christoph looked at her coldly, then very slowly frowned darkly. He glared at Richard.

“Is—and what phrase comes next?”

“Such a strong reaction, what on earth did you say about me?!” – Christoph glared directly at Richard. Richard’s eyes looked strange when he gazed at Hannah. He stayed silent for a moment before gently speaking.

“Now I’m curious about that too.”

“…… .”

“But, anyway, there have always been countless rumors about you, so even if she heard something, it wouldn’t be surprising. By the way, Christoph.”

Richard looked at his watch and continued.

“As I said earlier, Al-Faisal’s group has just arrived, don’t you need to join them?”

“I have to go back to the hall now,” – As soon as he heard those words, Christoph remembered he had turned off his radio. He frowned reflexively. The moment he turned it on, sure enough, an unsettling beeping sound immediately rang out.

[“CHRISTOPH! CHRISTOPH! WHERE ARE YOU!”]

The voice shouting – filled with either worry or anger (obviously the latter) – belonged to the captain. There’s no way he would shout like that while standing next to Al-Faisal, so he must have stepped away for a moment to let it out. He sounded furious…… and rightly so.

“……I’ll be right there. Where do I need to go?”

[“What?! You lil bastard! Get to the hall right now!”]

Christoph switched off the radio immediately after hearing that. Damn it, he was definitely going to get an earful today. Even with ten mouths, he wouldn’t be able to say anything, just silently listen. To make matters worse, Richard, the guy standing next to him, spoke up: “Well then, let’s go, to the hall.”

*************

“Oh, if it isn’t…… It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re well.”

Al-Faisal greeted with a bright smile on his wrinkled face, and Richard responded with a look of equal pleasure at seeing him.

Everyone was watching them greet others and stood back as if encircling the hall. The guests were in the center, with their secretaries, assistants, and bodyguards behind them. And among them was Christoph. On Al-Faisal’s side, of course.

When Christoph appeared in the hall with Richard, the captain glared intensely at him. He should have slipped into the bodyguard position as discreetly as possible, and the captain clearly displayed his displeasure at Christoph’s blatant entrance. But that wasn’t what Christoph had wanted either. Richard had completely ignored Christoph’s words when he’d said he wanted to go separately.

“Damn it,” – Christoph muttered under his breath and quietly headed towards Al-Faisal as soon as he entered the hall, but he’d already attracted too much attention. Of course, Al-Faisal had also seen him, but the old man just smiled without saying anything, his thoughts unreadable.

Conversations about the upcoming forum in the next few days, the recent situation, economic trends, academic and artistic topics, even personal and trivial gossip, these important figures were chatting with each other in groups of a few, sometimes all together, as if at a relaxed social gathering. The secretaries and assistants stood behind their superiors, busy listening in on the conversations.

As soon as he was in position, Christoph glared at the captain, who was stepping on his foot, but he remained silent, knowing he was at fault. However, he couldn’t endure it any longer when he heard these words:

‘I understand you’re happy to see your family after so long, but you’re at work, you idiot. If you miss them that much, endure it until the last day, then you can go to Dresden or to hell or wherever you want.’

‘You know my joy better than I do? That’s impressive. Cut the crap and go to hell, you nutcase.’

‘――, you’re the one who said you rarely curse, aren’t you?’

The captain glared at Christoph, making sure the VIP guests didn’t see, and cursed at his assistant using lip movements. Sure enough, the assistant muttered like a machine and stood up straight beside Christoph. Christoph knew he was being a target for displaced anger, but he wasn’t naive enough to feel guilty about it. Moreover, he wasn’t so weak as to be intimidated by the captain yelling or not, since he wouldn’t hear it anyway.

Christoph’s icy gaze drifted towards Richard. It was the first time he’d seen Richard in a semi-formal event like this since leaving Dresden.

Richard Tarten looked every bit the master of the mighty Tarten empire. From his expressions, gestures, and words, he perfectly embodied the art of attracting others’ favor while simultaneously not allowing those older and of higher status to look down on him. And with that demeanor, he sat firmly on the throne of a king.

“………….”

Christoph silently snorted. Yes, he had to admit it. Perhaps he wasn’t inferior to that old man—the previous master of Tarten. Although he disliked it.

Just then, Christoph noticed a gaze directed at him and looked back. He met eyes with Hans, who was standing behind Richard and looking towards him. “Yo,” – Hans mouthed and raised a hand slightly in greeting, and Christoph responded with a small nod. They weren’t particularly close growing up, but they were still cousins…… It seemed he’d gone through a lot working under Richard; he used to be quite chubby, but now he was thin to the point of being almost unrecognizable. Pathetically, his hair was also starting to thin. His father, grandfather, and those before him all had thick hair.

As for Richard, he was the same as ever, draining the energy of those around him. Come to think of it, before he took over Tarten, when Christoph was forced to help him, it wasn’t just physical exhaustion, but the work itself was draining. Grasping the limits of each individual’s capabilities and utilizing them to the fullest extent was also a remarkable skill.

At that moment, Al-Faisal seemed to have seen Hans waving to Christoph. Al-Faisal chuckled, pointed subtly at Hans, and spoke to Richard.

“The young man standing behind you must be the famously capable assistant. I hear the young head of Tarten is exceedingly brilliant, so it’s also rumored that those who assist him are all outstanding talents.”

Hans – a man who had traded his time, peace, health, weight, and even his hair for competence – bowed his head respectfully. Richard looked at Hans and smiled.

“Thank you for the compliment. As you say, he is a great help to me. He’s also my cousin.”

“Haha, is that so? Indeed, Tarten has always been known as a gathering place for talented individuals. ……Ah, by the way, among the capable young people assisting me, there’s also someone from Tarten.”

“Where is he……” – Al-Faisal looked around. Christoph unintentionally made eye contact with him and frowned slightly, then immediately met Richard’s gaze.

“A very talented individual. Not only skilled, but also intelligent and possesses excellent judgment. I can only thank Tarten for giving up such an excellent talent.”

Richard didn’t respond to Al-Faisal’s statement. Instead, he simply smiled, the meaning behind it unclear. Then he quickly changed the subject to the person opposite him.

“However, the nephew you’re sponsoring is also rumored to be very capable. Everything he does is thorough. I also see him often when I come to Riyadh. By the way, isn’t he accompanying you this time?”

“Ah, Raumaan. Although it’s a bit embarrassing to say it myself since he’s my nephew, I must say he truly is an outstanding young man. He’s much busier than I am now, since I’ve long since withdrawn from the front lines, so he can’t accompany me to places like this.”

“He must be busy with work in Riyadh,” – Al-Faisal chuckled contentedly. It seemed that the talk about him treating his nephew like his own son wasn’t just empty words.

“I hear there are rumors of an engagement between him and Prince Rashid’s granddaughter. Can we expect to hear good news soon?”

When Richard asked, Al-Faisal widened his eyes and then laughed heartily.

“Oh, as expected of Tarten. Even the idle talk of an ambitious old man reaches your ears? But if that’s the case, you must also know about how my nephew once said he’d never marry for his entire life.”

There were rumors that Raumaan had told Al-Faisal, who had cared for him since childhood, that he would live a single life without children, to look after Al-Faisal’s two daughters and their descendants, and eventually leave everything to them in return for his kindness.

Richard pretended not to know and simply chuckled: “Is that so?” Al-Faisal grinned: “Well, anyway, there won’t be a marriage with Rashid.” Seeming to be in good spirits, he raised his glass and took a sip of wine, then lowered his voice as if sharing a secret.

“Rashid is getting old too. I’m also getting old; time doesn’t spare anyone. The young people who used to follow him still have some energy, sometimes causing a commotion, but it’s nothing serious. He’s old now.”

He muttered: “Old, so old,” with a hint of wistfulness in his voice. Even if they were once enemies and fierce competitors, now, facing old age together, their feelings seemed to have changed.

Al-Faisal suddenly fell silent. The deep wrinkles on the old man’s inscrutable face held memories of the past that only he knew. But after a pause, not too long,

“……An old man talking too much becomes uninteresting.”

As soon as he finished that sentence, he smiled again and changed the subject with eyes more curious than a young person’s: “So, how is the project your side is promoting these days coming along?”