Chapter 18
Austin’s mother gave birth to him while Dmitry’s mother was still Empress, holding only the status of consort.
When the Emperor’s second wife met an untimely and suspicious death just six months later, she secured the Empress’s seat by virtue of bearing a son.
Thus, Austin rose to second in the line of succession.
But he was always mocked as the heir both closest to, and yet farthest from, the throne.
And for good reason, Dmitry’s mother had been a victim of political strife.
The people adored her, and her tragic death only amplified their grief.
By contrast, Austin’s mother had been divorced for infidelity.
Only by taking her own life did she manage to protect her son.
At least, that was the story known to the public.
Matters of the imperial family were always shrouded in secrecy, and the truth would never truly be known.
Whatever the case, Austin’s mother safeguarded her honour with her life.
Because of that, Austin’s maternal family, the Dunlops, remained one of the Empire’s three great pillars of influence.
In later years, Austin would earn the ironic title of Spring of the North.
He defended the Empire’s borders not with war, but solely through diplomacy.
The saying “Spring never comes to the north of Triphina” lost its bite after he became Marquess of the Borderlands, for not once did the frontier collapse.
Though there were always skirmishes, no great war ever broke out.
Gentle Austin.
That was all Ariella knew of him.
“Austin, at your service, Lady Crown Princess.”
Such an informal greeting!
Despite her resolve to remain composed, her eyes wavered.
She was grateful he was standing at a distance.
“If I am the Crown Prince’s younger brother, would it be improper for me to greet you so?”
His voice was low, but carried a lively tone.
His friendliness felt so natural that it was difficult to fault him.
“Well… I am not yet fully versed in Triphina’s etiquette.
Without prior notice of your visit, I cannot say whether this greeting is improper or not.”
“In that case, let us say this is a chance encounter.”
Even as she subtly chided his discourtesy, Austin merely grinned.
“But tell me, Your Highness, how is it you were so certain upon seeing me that I am the Crown Princess?”
“I saw a portrait.”
Ariella’s face twisted with displeasure.
Was he mocking her?
She lowered her gaze slightly, just enough to glimpse his expression.
Their eyes met at once, as though he had been waiting.
Austin’s eyes smiled before his lips did.
His blue irises gleamed, his gaze curved, and soon his lips traced a flawless arc.
It was the smile of royalty: warm, innocent, benevolent leaving no room for doubt.
“My portrait, you say?”
“Yes.”
“And from that alone, you recognised me instantly?”
“Of course.”
He could not possibly be ignorant of the trials Ariella had endured.
And yet Austin continued to smile serenely, like some delicate flower.
She almost felt foolish for doubting him.
The inscrutable Acliteri.
Whether light or dark, they kept people perpetually on edge.
***
Austin had invited her to tea, but Ariella did not permit him into the palace.
Even so, she could not simply turn away a prince who wished to speak with her.
So, claiming she had intended a walk, she accompanied Austin through the gardens.
She deliberately chose a path clearly visible from the Crown Prince’s office.
She knew too little about Austin.
During her confinement in the tower, her swallow knight Gerald had never once mentioned him.
He was, after all, a mere Marquess of the Borderlands.
Besides, Austin had never caused a major incident.
She hadn’t even heard what he did after Dmitry ascended the throne.
If only I could learn what kind of relationship he has with Dmitry…
She cast him a sidelong glance.
One thing was certain: like all Acliteri, he was a beautiful man.
But unlike the perilous aura of Dmitry, Austin bore a completely different presence.
Where in the world is my swallow knight hiding?
In the past few days, she had lingered near the tower hoping Gerald might appear, but he never did.
Desperate, she even searched the knight rosters, but his name was nowhere to be found.
And even if she did find him, it would still be a problem.
As Crown Princess, she could not officially keep a knight with the green plume of the auxiliaries by her side, only those with blue plumes, the fully recognised knights.
“Have you been faring well, Your Highness?”
“Thanks to everyone’s kindness, yes.”
Her rehearsed reply drew a knowing smile from Austin.
“And the hunting festival… did you enjoy it?”
Ariella’s brows furrowed faintly.
“Yes, very much.”
“Very much, indeed.”
In a soft voice, Austin echoed her words.
She did not know when he had arrived in the capital, but he could not have missed the news from the hunting grounds.
The Crown Prince had won but at great cost to himself.
All to gain the right to determine Ariella’s fate.
The portrait was the same.
To even mention it was an insult, and he knew it.
Which meant he was testing her.
But why?
She longed to demand an answer, yet the strange dissonance she felt made her wary of speaking at all.
How strange that a stroll in a sunlit spring garden with such a gentle man could feel so uncomfortable.
The blood-soaked hunting field had felt less oppressive than this…
At the realisation, Ariella shook her head sharply.
No.
The hunting ground was no better.
“Meeting Your Highness makes me curious about Forenze as a nation.”
Startled, Ariella glanced at him.
He was already watching her, their eyes locking at once.
She smiled politely.
“It is a beautiful country.
The land is fertile, and the people are gentle in nature.”
Though sometimes, that gentleness could be a fatal weakness.
“Then what brings the Marquess to the capital?”
“I came for the Empress’s coronation… but only upon arrival did I learn it had been cancelled.”
“Then we caused you a wasted trip.”
Austin leaned slightly closer to her.
“It is no loss to me.
Thanks to that, I came to the capital.”
Ariella instinctively withdrew by the same measure.
She wanted to appear dignified, but caution rose unbidden.
For an instant, his eyes faltered with something unspoken.
Yet almost immediately he smiled again, voice calm.
“The capital’s spring is truly beautiful.”
Perhaps it was the long solitude in the tower, but she felt a peculiar unease around someone who so casually blurred the lines she drew.
Ariella cleared her throat, straightening her posture once more.
Her previous retreat must have made her seem like a timid little rabbit.
With her still-young body, dignity was difficult to uphold.
“By the way, where did you see my portrait?”
Austin’s expression grew unreadable.
She realised she had never even wondered where the Emperor had discarded it.
Truthfully, she would not have cared had it been burned.
What struck her as odd was Austin’s demeanour.
His gaze lingered openly upon her.
Then he only shrugged.
What does it matter where I saw such a thing?
It wasn’t truly her face, after all.
Since she had no real interest, Ariella did not press the matter.
“Then you will soon be returning, I suppose.”
“Of course.
A Marquess of the Borderlands cannot remain absent long.
But… not immediately.”
“Why… not?”
Austin took a broad step forward, then halted, turning back to face her.
Behind him, the garden fountain cast a spray of cool water into the air.
“There will be a jousting tournament.”
“A joust?”
“Yes.
It is always held after the hunting festival.
It was cancelled due to the Empress’s coronation, but since the ceremony did not happen, the joust will proceed.”
The joust was a contest of knights’ skills, a tournament, and a form of military training.
The Emperor had even erected a statue at the castle gates of two knights charging each other with lances, a testament to how highly he valued the event.
Each spring, Forenze held endless banquets.
When the revelry ended, they offered prayers of thanksgiving for divine blessings lasting an entire month.
While Forenze’s nobles clasped hands and danced in celebration, Triphina’s knights would be mustered in mass formation, lances lowered as they charged to trample the enemy.
And so Forenze, the land once promised peace and prosperity for centuries, was abandoned by the god who had blessed it.
They had grown far too complacent.
Ariella found herself seriously considering writing her father another letter, urging him to take national defence more seriously.
“At any rate, I plan to participate this year.”
Ariella lifted her gaze slowly.
Behind Austin, the fountain’s spray caught the light, painting a vivid rainbow.
Around them, spring blossoms stretched in full bloom, bright and dazzling.
He seemed to harmonis
e with them perfectly, as though painted into the scene.
“In Triphina, one may enter the joust at seventeen.
I have little interest in achieving anything through force of arms… but the joust in Triphina is symbolic.”
Gentle Austin.
Whoever had given him that epithet had chosen well.
