Chapter 33
The Imperial Palace Garden
At the encouragement of Emperor Belgedor, I had come out for a walk with the Crown Prince.
I felt a little dazed, but with Master Jeanne and Lord Juno right behind me, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
I didn’t know what to say to a ten-year-old, so I busied myself observing the weather instead:
the blazing summer sky, the strong scent of flowers, the heavy, moisture-laden air, and the distant sound of cicadas.
Alright. Cicadas are nice.
“Crown Prince Rubens, as expected, the sound of cicadas is first in the Empire…”
“Sorry. Aunt Diana did something terrible to you, didn’t she?”
“…!”
Honestly, I was a little surprised.
I hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to be the one apologizing to me.
I had assumed that when I arrived at the palace and met the Emperor today, he would be the first to apologize.
I also thought that was why I was made to wait separately in the reception room.
But just as no noble had ever apologized to me first in the past, the Sun of this Empire was no different.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Your Highness.”
“No. I’m the Crown Prince, and she’s my family, so of course I should feel guilty…”
In his bitter words, I saw the burden carried on his small shoulders.
“A crown prince in name only.”
That was the epithet people had used for him ever since he became an adult.
Before the current emperor ascended the throne, Crown Prince Rubens was the child of a former Crown Princess.
But after she fell ill and died, a new empress was installed, and when the Emperor had a son after Princess Georgina, Rubens was sidelined and deposed.
It was somehow pitiful to see someone left with all the responsibility for a title that vanished in an instant.
“Stay strong.”
“Heh…”
A laugh?
Now that I think about it, it sounded strangely similar to the laughter I’d heard in the reception room earlier.
Furrowing his brows, the Crown Prince spoke.
“Ah, sorry. Sorry. I’ve actually never seen Georgina’s stubbornness break before.”
“Stubborn…?”
Ah, I understand.
For someone like me to have a chance to feel sympathy for a noble… Who would’ve thought?
If the princess had thrown a tantrum at someone she had just met, the Crown Prince must have suffered immensely.
I could guess that the princess probably took or invaded something he cherished every single day.
“Huh… how touching. Wait, let me show you a method.”
“Crown Prince Rubens. Shall I teach you a way to deal with the princess?”
“Uh? Deal with her?”
“Huh? Deal with her?”
“What?”
“Wh-what?”
“…Could it be… you’re repeating after me?”
“Could it be… you’re repeating what I just said?”
“…”
The boy blinked in surprise.
I pointed a single finger at him and summarized in one sentence:
“Frustrated? Annoyed? Then try using it.”
The stunned Crown Prince froze like a fish out of water, then suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“…Ahaha! That’s actually a really good method.”
See? I told you.
Just don’t use it in front of others.
Crown Prince Rubens wiped away the tears forming at the corner of his eyes and looked down at me.
“What should I do? I don’t want to get close to you.”
“Don’t be too thankful… huh?”
What is he saying? When did I say we should get close?
The Crown Prince, who declared our estrangement on his own, gently removed a leaf from my head despite his words.
Looking up, I saw the blond boy approaching with a clear, radiant smile on his face.
“So he can smile like this too.”
Just then, the sound of a trumpet was heard.
Master Jeanne approached.
“Airi, let’s go. The banquet has begun.”
“Yes!”
As I followed Jeanne, the Crown Prince whispered softly.
“…Do you want to run away together?”
“Uh?”
Thinking I misheard, I asked again. He shook his head bitterly and politely extended his arm.
“It’s nothing. May I have the honor of escorting you, Your Ladyship?”
“…Uh-huh.”
I took his arm, and together we headed toward the banquet hall.
At the Axius Palace
At the command of her lord, the maid hurriedly ran down to the underground of the castle.
Tap, tap, tap.
Descending the silent stairs where only the sound of dripping water could be heard, she arrived at a small iron door.
Clank.
Opening the iron door revealed a room full of various torture devices.
But more striking than the grim instruments was a beautiful girl with long black hair.
The girl, too young to be called a woman, spoke in an irritated voice due to the sudden intrusion:
“There’d better be a proper reason, if you know who I am.”
“I apologize, Princess! His Highness has an urgent task for the prince, so he ordered me to bring you here via the teleportation circle.”
“Do you want to die? Dare to lie to me? Even though punishing failed missions is my duty?”
The maid bowed deeply in the icy gaze and cried out:
“I-I’m not lying! Princess Zenit!”
As soon as her protest ended, someone who had been silent suddenly moved with a loud noise.
Thud! Clank! Bang!
The thick chains binding his body were torn off.
The chilling boy calmly rotated his wrists and said:
“It’s meaningless anyway. Punishments given by you don’t matter.”
With his vivid red eyes reflecting nothing, he quickly left the torture chamber.
The remaining princess growled fiercely, grabbing the hapless maid by the collar.
“Tell me right now! What mission is it? What mission did Father give to that damn monster?”
The Great Hall of the Imperial Palace
The Great Hall of the Imperial Palace was splendid.
Tables adorned with abundant flowers, flowing uniforms, and nobles in magnificent dresses.
The hall, connected to the outdoor courtyard, was naturally bright without the need for lights, and the sound of musical instruments everywhere created an elegant atmosphere.
When the Crown Prince and I entered the hall together, the trumpets sounded once more.
Ba-bam-bam!
The Emperor, seated at the main table, stood.
“Oh, the protagonists have arrived.”
A sense of foreboding came over me.
The long-absent Marquis Pascal was beside him.
The two nodded at us and raised their glasses together.
“Now that everyone’s gathered, shall we start with some good news?”
What is this?
Being added to the noble registry is celebrated like this?
Though the occasion was technically for me, it was more about the nobles’ formalities than me personally.
The Crown Prince’s expression, as he held my hand, stiffened, making me even more uneasy.
The Emperor looked at us and said:
“To our Crown Prince, finally…”
At that moment, the chief steward hurried in and whispered to the Emperor.
The Emperor’s brows furrowed.
“What? The Axius family?”
“…Axius? What a terrible name.”
Instinctively, I spat it out; I didn’t even want to hear it.
Before I could dwell on why I disliked it, murmurs arose and heads turned.
It was at the entrance of the hall we had just passed.
Thump, thump.
My heart raced.
The person who appeared, silhouetted against the light, was my long-awaited duke.
“…Father!”
I let go of the Crown Prince’s arm and ran toward him, but seeing the boy beside him, my whole body froze.
It felt like being splashed with ice-cold water in midwinter.
“I have no invitation. Please forgive me for coming together, Your Majesty.”
“…Duke Dane. You said Axius, right? I thought Prince Killian of the Northern Kingdom was coming.”
“Please greet His Majesty.”
The Duke introduced the boy who came with him:
Hair dark as obsidian with faint magical energy, blood-red eyes, and pale skin…
“Th-the, the… the boy with the chains…?”
With nowhere to lean, I grabbed Juno’s dandelion seed fluff.
When I pulled it suddenly, Juno looked at me:
[What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Your face looks… completely off.]
Though usually harsh, Juno looked genuinely concerned at my expression.
I forced myself to erase the thoughts that weakened me.
No, I had to erase them to survive.
If I learned the boy’s identity, I wouldn’t be able to stand on my own two feet.
“Prince of the Duchy of Axius. Aster. I pay my respects to the Sun of the Empire, His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Huh? Duke. Today my daughter is the protagonist. Why did you bring the prince of the Northern Duchy?”
“He is my daughter’s fiancé.”
Ahhhh!
With an internal scream, I ripped the dandelion fluff away and, for the first time in my life, completely lost my composure.
