Chapter 22
Calix fiddled with the wrist guard on his left hand and, without meaning to, counted the letters in the phrase “Kaelin Brockburk — don’t forget.”
He had always been told she came to the café alley alone. That was what he had been told, and that was what he had believed.
So seeing her earlier in the day with Eiden Dacus, crown prince of the Dacus Empire, had come as a surprise.
It was odd enough to see the two of them sitting together at the café. What was stranger still was Calix himself.
He couldn’t understand why the sight of her with Eiden had flustered him, or why he’d even tried to turn away as if not to see her.
Of course, it was even more ridiculous that he had missed his chance to look away and their eyes had met.
It had only been a few days since she’d said, “I like His Highness,” and now she was supposedly courting Eiden Dacus.
He hadn’t gullibly believed her confession of liking him in the first place.
Still… dating someone else so soon…?
Or perhaps saying she was dating Eiden was itself a strategy?
Was she really in a relationship? Right away like that?
Whatever the case, one thing was certain: the woman Calix had seen today was definitely different from before.
When their gazes met, she looked utterly unable to decide what to do and kept avoiding his eyes.
Calix, who had been twirling his wrist guard instead of dealing with the piled-up paperwork, glanced at the wall clock and frowned.
A lot of time had passed.
Why was he thinking about that strange woman? The more he saw that odd woman, the stranger he himself seemed to become.
With a quick motion, he flung the wrist guard he’d been clutching across the room.
He couldn’t help feeling anger even at himself — at having spent the entire evening thinking about her.
It was a day for a walk in the park.
“Your Highness Eiden, shall we go to the park today? If you’d prefer somewhere else, please say so.”
“????”
Eiden’s round eyes studied me as I smiled.
“Shall we go?”
I pretended not to notice him looking at me with surprise and headed for the front door first.
But Eiden, who followed right behind, began peppering me with questions.
“Lin, what’s with you? You treated me like an outcast before, so why are you suddenly so friendly? Do you actually want to date me?”
Ah, my lot in life. Dating—what a laugh.
That I should be reduced to begging my safety from a charming idler like him.
“No, not dating. The Crown Prince is my honored guest, so I’m trying to attend to him properly. But shall we just go to the park? I only walk there, so there’s nothing special…”
I gathered up all my politeness and kept speaking kindly and courteously to Eiden.
My change in attitude came from the conclusion I’d reached after thinking repeatedly about seeking asylum. Even if my position as a refugee changed after my father’s death, attempting to flee was better than waiting here to die with no plan.
Eiden Dacus, though he sometimes seemed a carefree idler, was the crown prince of the Dacus Empire — currently the most likely nation to take in refugees. Even if it was a localized conflict, his future position gave him the authority to start a war; through him I could probably get a sense of Dacus’s basic policy on refugees.
When asylum was the only way to survive, I had to probe him for the possibility of refuge.
Unaware of my intentions, Eiden kept staring, wide-eyed, at my sudden sweet, friendly behavior.
“Park or anywhere’s fine, but why so sweet all of a sudden? Are we actually going to date?”
Is there nowhere else to seek asylum? I really hate having to beg him.
“Hahaha, I’m sweet and kind to everyone.”
I answered cheerfully. Do my best. I must extract as accurate information from him as possible about my chances of successfully fleeing.
Even without much effort, Eiden was a pleasant person by nature, so it wasn’t hard to keep him in a good mood.
There were fewer people in the park than usual.
“Shall we sit on that bench for a bit?”
I asked, worried he might have tired legs.
“Shall we?” Eiden answered readily, as always, and we sat on the bench and watched the park’s visitors for a while.
I sneaked glances at him sitting beside me. Sunlight made his silver hair sparkle.
For some reason, that dazzling silver I’d hated before looked a little better today. Maybe because he could become the lifeline who would save me.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Thinking I’m suddenly handsome?”
Eiden asked, catching me staring too intently. Without a second’s hesitation I replied:
“Yes! You really are handsome. Silver hair, light eyes — that says it all. You were born that way. Who made you so beautiful…?”
Me. I made you.
“Lin, is something wrong? Do you actually want to date me?”
“No, dating.”
I waved my hand. Dating—nonsense. No matter how handsome, I’d never date a flirt like you. I want a man who’s kind in face, body, and heart. Besides, before any romance, I need to survive.
“That’s a shame. If you liked me, I’d welcome it. I liked you from the first time I saw you.”
Oh… were you now? So my story is just going wherever it wants. I never wrote that scene.
“Thank you for being so favorable toward me.”
I spoke as politely as possible — I had to stay in his good graces. The ensuing conversation repeatedly tested my patience and resolve.
“And your tastes seem similar to mine.”
“Tastes?”
“Books. Not all picture books are of high quality; many are crude. You chose a very well-made book. I think highly of that.”
Huh? Oh!!! My headache! Not that book talk again!
Ugh. Suddenly Eiden’s handsome face seemed distorted. But my will to live was stronger than my annoyance, so I maintained my politeness.
“Ahahaha. Yes, the book’s quality is amazing. I’m glad we share tastes.”
Not glad at all. Please stop talking about books. Let’s not share personal tastes.
“Well then, how about it? Want to try dating me?”
Why does everything end in dating? Could it be that he really—?
“Your Highness, are you really interested in me? Do you like me?”
“Hahaha. Should I try being interested? Maybe I’ll like you.”
Oh, stop it! I got nervous for nothing.
“No, I’m fine.”
I refused politely. Just keep being kind. Enough favor to seriously discuss my asylum question. Since it’s a delicate matter, I planned to wait for the right moment while he stayed in our house.
It was strange.
Eiden had been staying in our house for days without doing anything in particular, except following me on walks every day.
Really, how idle is a crown prince? And yet — unexpectedly he would start a war.
About a year and a half from now, when Emperor Klaus Everetian falls gravely ill, Eiden would start a war to seize Aolium, the long-disputed border region between Everetian and the Dacus Empire. Aolium, a source of iron ore that currently belongs to Everetian, had belonged to the Dacus Empire until fifty years ago. There had been provocations at the border, but this would be the first large-scale battle in decades.
Crown Prince Calix would hastily march to Aolium to counter Eiden’s surprise attack. While Calix was away on that campaign, the emperor would die, and the Empress’s faction — including my father — would crown Grand Duke Leon as emperor. But that coronation would fail within days. Calix, having won the war against the Dacus invasion, would return to Everen at top speed and slaughter the conspirators who had plotted treason: the Empress, my father, my brother, Leon (who had been emperor for only a few days), and even Kaelin, who had also been Empress for a few days — all of them.
After the bloody purge, Calix would hold Dacus responsible for the Aolium invasion and demand reparations for their defeat. As a result, Eiden’s younger sister, Princess Estelle of the Dacus Empire, would be sent to Everetian as a hostage — to ensure that border provocations would not happen again.
In my book, Eiden existed only as the figure who started the war and lost, the device that created a reason for the heroine Estelle to be sent as a hostage to the hero Calix. He was a peripheral character, necessary only to drive the plot between the male and female leads; no detailed treatment of his inner life had been needed.
But the Eiden I faced in real life was such an idler. Even though I had assigned him the role, the way he lingered at our house made it impossible to picture him as a man capable of starting a war. In fiction he had been a background figure, so I could ignore his psychology. But now that he’d become an important person in my reality, I found myself curious about his mind — what kind of courage or nerve could make him start a war? Was Eiden truly born an idler? The explanation in my story was inadequate.
Regardless of how insufficiently explained he was, nothing changed: I still had to learn whether asylum to the Dacus Empire was possible through him.
Thanks to my recent tearful kindness, Eiden and I had become fairly familiar. I decided it was time to test the waters about seeking asylum. I would quietly visit his room on the second floor when all the servants were asleep. After all, it was best not to let gossip spread about an asylum plan.
Night came at last, and I stood before the door of the room where he was staying. I intended merely to ask a question casually, but my heart hammered in my chest because my motives were desperate. I raised my hand to knock on the door.
!!!!
A voice came from inside. Strangely, it was my father’s voice. At this hour? Why would my father be in Eiden’s room?
I looked down the corridor. Seeing no one, I hesitated. Should I just return to my room? Or…
It felt unsettling that my father had come to Eiden’s room at this hour. Curiosity won out; I pressed my ear to the door. If anyone passed by, I could pretend I’d been knocking.
As I put my ear to the door, voices began to seep through.
