CHAPTER 60……………………………………..
I stepped in, and Elian survived. In the meantime, Ardina appeared and is now working alongside me. How exactly is this situation supposed to unfold?
In circumstances where I can’t even predict a moment ahead, all I can do is…
“Here he comes.”
Lost in thought and trying to organize my mind, a knight approached quietly and spoke. When I turned my head, I saw a group filling the empty road.
“A prince on a white horse.”
“Ha ha…”
Literally, Prince Volintran rode a massive white horse, a sword at his waist, and a red cape draped over his shoulders, leading the procession. Hundreds of knights followed behind him. It was pure showmanship.
I let out a hollow laugh at the sight of him, as if to flaunt the power he possessed. People can be dramatic.
By the way, he doesn’t look like Ban at all. Black hair and red eyes are supposedly royal traits, but Volintran’s hair is a shade that can hardly be called black—more like charcoal. And he wasn’t particularly handsome either. Did Ban get all the good genes, or have my standards just risen?
Meeting Ban has probably raised my expectations, but compared to him, Volintran was embarrassingly ordinary for a brother.
Still, his eyes were distinctly red, the one thing he shared with Ban. But unlike Ban, whose eyes were beautiful, Volintran’s seemed somewhat sinister.
As I stared at him quietly, his gaze shifted slightly.
His eyes, which had been facing forward, slowly turned toward where my carriage was gathered. His gaze scanned the area as if searching for something, and finally, it landed on me. The instant I felt our eyes meet, a chill ran down my arm, and I frowned.
‘…What now?’
He hadn’t said anything to me, nor had he acted. I just felt our eyes meet, and yet it was unnervingly unpleasant.
I tried to stand and enter the carriage, waiting for the procession to pass, when a hand touched my back. A shiver ran down my spine, and when I whipped my head around, I saw a smiling face.
“Ban?”
Startled by his sudden appearance, I opened my eyes wide and called out. Ban raised a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet with a soft “shh,” and then rolled his eyes toward my shoulder. When I looked back, Volintran’s gaze was still on me.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Huh?”
“After all, he’s insignificant and can’t do anything anyway.”
When I looked back at him, Ban’s gaze shifted from Volintran to me, and his stern expression softened. His hand moved to brush my hair back behind my shoulder as he spoke quietly.
“It’s quite noisy. Controlling an entire road over something trivial… they really have nothing better to do.”
“That….”
I almost said, ‘I agree,’ but shut my mouth. No matter what, commenting on royal matters so casually is something only someone reckless with their life would do.
“I came because it’s a long journey ahead. I’d like to accompany you, but the Crown Prince’s position isn’t something you can leave for a day or two… so I apologize.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. It’s my responsibility to handle this. I don’t want to act spoiled. Besides, you’re doing your best in your way, Ban.”
It was enough that we both stood firm in our positions and did our best. Missing him was a pity, but in reality, he was almost always busy, so I hadn’t had many chances to see him anyway.
I thought I’d just have to manage, but Ban showing an apologetic expression was slightly surprising. It was already impressive enough that he had come out here despite being busy.
“By the way, the procession is extravagant. The Empress must really like such events.”
“They’re trying to suppress the massive spectacle planned for this year’s Founding Festival. Budgets are limited, support is scarce, but many submit plans exceeding the allowance. The Empress is one of them.”
For example… he muttered to himself, lowering his voice and frowning as he brushed his hair back. With a sigh, he continued.
“They want to invite the lead performers from Saint Roda Arimo, along with the entire orchestra.”
“Saint Roda Arimo?”
“It’s the cathedral in the city-state of Arimo, known as the self-proclaimed City of Arts. Their orchestra is renowned across the entire continent. Inviting them costs an unimaginable sum, and even for a royal festival, you can’t just summon them without a reservation. And you can’t force them, either.”
Ban’s expression turned indifferent.
“The Pope’s support and three million believers in the continent love their music. There’s no choice. If you mess with them, you’ll only gain a bad impression and nothing else.”
“You mean the Empress demanded an invitation without a reservation?”
Ban chuckled softly and nodded. From that alone, I could roughly gauge how careless the Empress could be.
He lifted his gaze over my shoulder. The procession was finally beginning to end. Ban’s eyes narrowed.
“Ludia.”
“Huh?”
His voice, calm and serious, called softly.
“Promise me something.”
“A promise?”
Tilting my head, Ban calmly nodded. Whatever it was, I couldn’t refuse his earnest expression, so I stiffly nodded. Ban bit his lip once, then spoke quietly.
“Do not go to dangerous places, and never be alone.”
“….”
I’d already heard not to go to dangerous places, so that was fine, but not being alone? I looked at him in confusion, and Ban’s hand gently covered my cheek. His low breath whispered against me.
“I’m truly sorry I can’t accompany you. But I’ve assigned someone more skilled and trustworthy than I am to watch over you. That person will keep you safe.”
“Something’s going to happen, isn’t it…”
“Ludia.”
I laughed and waved my hand to brush off what seemed like overthinking, but Ban lightly grabbed my wrist. His serious eyes pierced mine.
“I regret it.”
“….”
“Perhaps my foolish desires and uncontrolled emotions will make me lose what I most need to protect… Why do people repeat the same mistakes? I blame my irresponsibility and stupidity once again. But I wanted it that much, and I hoped for it that much.”
I didn’t fully grasp his words, but I understood that what he wanted wasn’t a mere object—it was me.
Ban’s gaze dropped down, along my neck and shoulder, toward my hand he held.
He bent his waist and knees, bowing his head. The onlookers’ gazes quickly averted, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t.
One knee lightly touched the ground. My body stiffened, and my lips parted.
“What….”
“I do not wish for my foolish desire to turn into regret. And I hope your thoughts and decisions remain the same. It is said that our ancestor, King Geralt, won thirty-three battles for his wife and returned safely. May his blessing continue through you.”
His warm lips touched the back of my hand. A scene straight out of a movie unfolded before me. Not an ordinary man, but the Crown Prince of a nation knelt before me.
No, I didn’t think of that at all. The only thing that mattered was that Ban knelt for me.
I bit my lips tightly, suppressing a voice that threatened to escape.
Ban gazed into my eyes, then closed them, resting his forehead gently on my hand.
“May the Goddess’s blessing keep you safe…”
—I must leave early to handle urgent work with Sister Liana. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve already sent someone to assist and protect Ludia, so you should be able to meet them. They are familiar to Ludia, so there shouldn’t be any trouble. Please return safely.
Watching him leave, I felt an odd sense of incompleteness for not having said what I wanted. Even though he was leaving for only a week, it was clear how much everyone valued me, and my heart tingled at the thought.
Once the procession ended, the carriage moved again to take the professors to the university. Stepping out at the main building, I waited, and just then Professors Rozaline and Rodelia descended the stairs, ready. I smiled and greeted them, but my eyes caught Yurad, participating as Rodelia’s patron. My eyebrows twitched.
I didn’t even want to look at him after thinking about how he falsely introduced Ban to my mother, but I forced myself to look away out of respect for Professor Rodelia.
“You’re late, Miss Ludia. Gathering all the supplies for the mining survey took a bit longer than expected.”
“That’s okay. We’re late too.”
I waved and smiled at Professor Rodelia, then turned to Rozaline, who still wore a relaxed smile. After greeting Rodelia, Rozaline spoke.
“I’m sorry for inviting you earlier and not paying proper attention, Ludia. I tend to focus on one thing at a time… I should have apologized in advance.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m the same way. Focusing on one thing isn’t always bad, right?”
“That’s true. But sometimes, it makes you miss important things.”
Miss important things? I looked at her curiously, and Rozaline sighed deeply, placing her palm elegantly on her cheek.
“For example… marriage?”
“Ah…”
Hmm, that could be. Successful women often remain unmarried. Rozaline already held a high position as university president and had remarkable abilities. Naturally, she might not have thought much about marriage.
“I didn’t realize it before, but lately I want to have a child resembling me.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Why, indeed?”
She smiled brightly.
“Every time I see Tepher, I get that thought.”
