Chapter 81
Aileen flinched when she absentmindedly let the title Your Highness slip from her lips. She hurriedly looked around, and fortunately the area was sparsely populated.
On the other hand, Ludwig—who should have been more cautious of prying eyes—approached her as if he didn’t care. Still, mindful of his surroundings, he didn’t remove his hood.
“Did you sneak out again this time as well?”
When Aileen asked, Ludwig calmly nodded. Then he posed a question of his own.
“Have you found your younger sibling?”
After parting from Aileen that day, Ludwig had felt uneasy the entire time he returned to the imperial palace. After that, he had remained inside the palace grounds and hadn’t gone out.
Because of that, he had not heard the news that Aileen’s younger sibling had been kidnapped.
Noticing this, Aileen smiled softly as she replied.
“Yes. Fortunately.”
“That’s a relief. Where were they?”
“Um… the port town of Maren.”
“What?”
Ludwig’s expression went blank for a moment. Of course, with his face hidden by the hood, Aileen could only see his mouth slightly ajar.
The port town of Maren was a place that took several days to reach from the city of Kaloa. He couldn’t understand how Aileen’s younger sibling, who had disappeared that very day, could have been there.
After hesitating briefly, Aileen explained with a bitter expression.
“My sibling was kidnapped. They’re recuperating at home now, though.”
“That’s… Are they safe?”
“Yes. Fortunately.”
Ludwig nodded and didn’t ask any more about it. It was because he saw the anger and fatigue still lingering in Aileen’s eyes.
Instead, he said something else.
“I’m truly glad they’re safe.”
“Thank you.”
Aileen replied with a gentle smile. Ludwig felt as though the corners of his mouth might twitch, so he forced himself to stay composed.
Then his gaze fell on the escort knight standing behind her. He was holding a pile of items wrapped in bright, rather mismatched colors.
When their eyes met, Kane’s expression became even more awkward. Still, he didn’t forget his manners.
Ludwig gave him a small nod, then asked Aileen,
“Were you shopping?”
“Yes. I came out to buy things my sibling said they wanted to eat. They’re still young, so it’s mostly desserts.”
Aileen smiled sheepishly as she glanced back at Kane.
After looking back and forth between her and Kane, Ludwig suddenly asked,
“May I join you?”
“Pardon?”
Aileen stared at him with flustered eyes, wondering if she had misheard. Ludwig then made his intention clear once more.
“I’d like to accompany you as well, my lady.”
“Why…?”
Aileen asked without thinking. Ludwig flinched slightly, then spoke in a somewhat dejected voice.
“I did sneak out, but honestly, I don’t really know what to do. I was just wandering around. So I thought I’d like to accompany you… Would that be all right?”
With his face hidden by the hood and his head slightly bowed, he looked just like a sulking puppy.
Honestly. I’m weak to things like this.
After a moment of deliberation, Aileen eventually nodded.
“Let’s go together. I only came out to buy desserts anyway, so if you’re fine with just stopping by places like that.”
“That’s fine.”
Ludwig replied immediately. Aileen chuckled softly and moved along with him.
Aileen really did stick mostly to dessert shops. It could have been a bit boring, but Ludwig followed along without a word of complaint.
Silently following her, he looked almost like her personal escort knight.
“Let’s see. Now…”
While Aileen checked the list of dessert shops Adrian had asked for, Ludwig turned his head at a sound he suddenly heard.
“Mom! Over there, over there!”
“Oh dear, slow down a bit!”
A mother and child were walking down the street affectionately. It was an ordinary sight one could see anywhere, but Ludwig couldn’t take his eyes off them.
In truth, there was an emotional reason mixed in with the one he had given Aileen for asking to accompany her.
Loneliness. The tender 모습 of people he saw whenever he stepped outside the imperial palace made his heart unbearably lonely.
He had been alone ever since his mother passed away.
That was why he had suggested walking together with Aileen, whom he had met by chance. He wondered if being with someone might ease this loneliness, even just a little. And perhaps that choice had been the right one.
“Oh? It looks like they’re offering samples over there.”
Aileen noticed something and headed in that direction. Ludwig and Kane followed quietly.
She had stopped at a candy shop’s sampling corner. Aileen picked up a small candy made for tasting and quickly popped it into her mouth.
“It’s good. I should buy this too. Please give me a box with a large jar.”
“Yes! Please wait just a moment!”
“Oh, wait a second.”
Aileen stopped the clerk who was heading inside the shop.
After thinking for a moment, she pointed at a small, individually wrapped candy jar and said,
“Add this one too. Please pack it separately.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Soon after, the clerk came out holding two shopping bags. Kane reached out to take them, but Aileen quickly intercepted.
Then she handed the smaller one to Ludwig.
“My lady?”
“Please take it.”
“Pardon?”
When Ludwig looked at her with confused eyes, Aileen smiled brightly and said,
“You enjoyed the candy, didn’t you? It looked like you liked it. Or was I mistaken?”
“I did enjoy it, but…”
“Then please take it. It’s just a small token.”
Ludwig hesitated, then eventually accepted it. Seeing that, Aileen smiled with satisfaction.
After having received a handkerchief and even a wreath from him, she had felt a little burdened. Giving him this small gift made her feel as though a weight had been lifted from her heart.
Ludwig stared intently at the small jar inside the shopping bag. Meanwhile, Aileen casually checked the time on the clock tower.
It was about time to head back. She was about to open her mouth to say goodbye to Ludwig when—
“Aileen?”
An unwelcome voice cut in.
Aileen’s face stiffened reflexively. Then, with a small sigh, she turned her head.
“Kallia.”
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Kallia slightly narrowed her brows, looking as though she wasn’t pleased to see her.
Aileen also gave a bitter smile. Seeing that expression on her for the first time, Ludwig felt a hint of tension.
It was the first time Aileen had met Kallia since being invited to the Marquis of Hibis’s estate.
She hadn’t wanted to meet her at all. And on top of that…
Aileen’s gaze flicked briefly to Ludwig beside her. Facing Kallia while he was with her was a bit dangerous.
Perhaps noticing her glance, Kallia’s eyes shifted to Ludwig. At the suspicious look, Ludwig pressed down the hood hiding his face.
Without taking her eyes off him, Kallia asked Aileen,
“Who is that person?”
“This person is…”
Aileen hesitated briefly before answering. She couldn’t tell the truth.
Then her gaze fell on the sword at his side, and she answered quickly.
“He’s my escort knight.”
“Escort knight?”
Kallia’s expression grew increasingly strange, as if to say, What kind of escort knight looks like that?
It was rather irreverent, considering he was an imperial prince, but Aileen spoke calmly.
“Is there a problem with my escort knight?”
“Why is an escort knight wearing a hood?”
“He has severe burn scars on his face. He doesn’t want others to see them, so he keeps it covered.”
A plausible lie flowed smoothly from her lips. Her expression remained calm.
Fortunately, Kallia seemed to have resolved some of her doubts. Then she suddenly asked,
“That’s not a sword bearing Olden’s crest, is it?”
Aileen secretly swallowed her unease. She was struggling with how to explain that, when Kane stepped in at just the right moment.
“He hasn’t been officially appointed as an escort knight yet, so he hasn’t received a sword.”
Aileen turned to Kane and gave him a grateful look. Kane silently bowed his head.
“I see.”
Kallia said, sounding unimpressed.
Meanwhile, Aileen thought to herself,
When is she going to leave already?
Feeling irritated, Aileen inwardly urged her to go, but unfortunately, Kallia changed the subject.
And she steered it in the direction that angered Aileen the most.
“By the way, Aileen, I heard your sibling was kidnapped?”
Aileen froze for a moment. It wasn’t because Kallia referred to Adrian as if he were a stranger.
Rather, it was because she asked so casually, without any concern, as if making simple small talk.
For a moment, Aileen almost told her that this was all the work of Crocker, whom she adored so much—but she held it in.
“They’re safe now.”
“That’s what I heard. The world is such a scary place these days…”
Aileen ignored Kallia’s feigned sympathy. But she couldn’t ignore what came next.
“But Aileen, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you refuse the position of Hibis’s successor?”
Aileen paused. Narrowing her eyes, Kallia continued,
“I don’t get it. It’s frustrating, but you can make higher-grade magic stones than I can. And more than that, it seems like others don’t even know that fact—why are you hiding that you’re a top-tier magic stone creator?”
Did I let her hear something unnecessary? Aileen glanced at Ludwig to gauge his reaction.
With his face hidden by the hood, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. In the end, she turned her gaze back to Kallia and said,
“Because I don’t want to get involved in pointless trouble.”
“What?”
“If people find out I can make top-tier magic stones, annoying things will definitely happen. Like the successor position of Hibis.”
Kallia frowned. It hurt her pride that the things she had desperately wanted were being dismissed as mere annoyances by Aileen.
“Is that really all?”
But aside from that, her suspicion continued to grow.
No one had ever seen Aileen making magic stones. Not Kallia, not the other nobles, not even the servants of Olden whom she had secretly bribed.
So she formed a hypothesis.
What if Aileen wasn’t actually a top-tier magic stone creator?
As suspicion bloomed, Kallia’s eyes narrowed further. Sensing something amiss, Aileen spoke firmly.
“That’s all.”
“…Fine. Well, if you’re willing to stay out of things, that’s good for me.”
Kallia shrugged and walked past Aileen with crisp footsteps. When they were close enough for their clothes to brush, Kallia spoke.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but let’s meet again.”
Aileen didn’t bother responding. Kallia, seeming not to expect it, slowly walked away.
Once Kallia disappeared from view, Aileen spoke to Ludwig.
“Um… about what you just heard…”
“I won’t tell anyone.”
Ludwig replied immediately. He lifted the candy jar in his hand slightly.
“And I even received something like this. Ah—though that doesn’t mean I would have told anyone if I hadn’t.”
Aileen laughed softly at his flustered addendum.
“Thank you.”
Ludwig scratched his cheek with a finger, looking embarrassed.
After giving him one more snack as a token of thanks, Aileen parted ways with him. When she returned to the mansion, Adrian welcomed her with his arms wide open.
Seeing the pile of snacks in front of him, Adrian beamed brightly. He looked as though all his illness had vanished.
Rihardt joined them shortly afterward, and the three of them sat together, affectionately sharing what Aileen had bought. It was a peaceful moment they hadn’t experienced in a long time.
