IHRM 44

Chapter 44

 Like Being Doused with Cold Water

As Lemil approached, Ellea answered while watching the children play joyfully.

“I was just playing with the children.”

“You don’t have to do the laundry, Ellea. You must be tired from teaching again today.”

“No, it’s fine. There wasn’t much today, and the person who came with me helped a lot too.”

Lemil felt nothing but gratitude. Not only had she taken care of the children in his absence, but she even helped with the orphanage’s work.

“Thank you, as always. You should go back now. It’s gotten quite late.”

“You’re right. I lose track of time here. Then, we’ll be on our way.”

At her words, Ellea also realized that much time had passed and decided to return. Terban, too, could not remain away from the palace for long.

When the children heard they were leaving, they clung to Terban with regret.

“Can’t you stay just a little longer? We barely got to play.”

“Mister, play with us more, please?”

“Children, you’ll make them uncomfortable. You can see them again next time, so let’s let them go today.”

When Lemil said that, the children reluctantly released Terban.

Ellea, too, felt the same reluctance.

“Don’t be sad. I’ll come again.”

“Mister too?”

“Huh?”

When they asked if Terban would also come, Ellea spoke honestly this time.

“He’s very busy, so I don’t think he’ll be able to come with me again.”

“Really?”

“He really won’t come again?”

Even under the children’s earnest gazes, there was nothing Terban could say. He knew better than to make promises lightly now.

He should have said he couldn’t come. But the words stuck in his throat.

Even though they had just met, the children treated him warmly and clung to him. For a short while, he had been able to forget that he was the Emperor.

A few precious hours free of the tension of life in the imperial palace—that was what today had been for him.

When the children continued to insist, Ellea steeled herself and, unlike usual, showed a cold side.

“No. He can’t come again.”

Then she knelt to meet their eyes and spoke seriously.

“He lives very, very far away. He only came today to keep his promise to you. But I’ll come instead, okay?”

The children seemed to understand and nodded with reluctant eyes.

Seeing them like that hurt her heart, but there was no other way.

“Alright.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Ellea patted their heads and stood up. For a moment, her eyes met Terban’s, but she quickly turned away and spoke to Lemil.

“Director, we’ll be going now.”

“Thank you both so much for today.”

“Goodbye, Ellea. Goodbye, Mister Ban.”

Thus, the two left the orphanage, escorted by Lemil and the children’s farewells.

Still, Terban’s gaze lingered a little longer on the children waving at him.

Outside, they saw the horse Terban had ridden. Ellea was about to tell him to go on ahead, but he spoke first.

“Why did you say that?”

Realizing what he meant, she answered calmly as before.

“I didn’t say anything untrue, did I?”

“But still…”

“Can Your Majesty truly come here again? Even setting aside all your busy duties?”

Terban started to reply, but in the end closed his mouth. Ellea went on, voicing her true feelings.

“If you act ambiguously, the only ones hurt in the end will be the children. And since I’d be the one who has to tell them you can’t come, I think it’s better to be clear from the beginning.”

“It sounds to me like the princess doesn’t want me to come.”

This time, Ellea could not answer. Because what he said was partly true.

She didn’t want to meet him either.

When she told the children that Terban could no longer come, for a brief moment, she felt as if she were speaking to herself.

Even back when she had stood closest to him as a knight, he had always felt far away—someone she could never reach, no matter how much she stretched out her hand.

In that instant, Ellea felt as though cold water had been poured over her, shocking her awake.

Who she truly was. Who she was now. That she was someone who should never be so near Terban.

It was for his sake as well. If he were ever to discover who she really was…

She couldn’t even bear to imagine it. She shook her head.

I must not create any more connections with him.

She recalled the vow she had made upon coming to Luvane: no matter what, she would safely return to where her family was.

With that resolution, Ellea looked straight at Terban without wavering. Thankfully, her earlier faltering no longer showed.

“Of course not. It was only for the children’s sake. You should head off before the carriage comes to fetch me.”

“Very well.”

Terban hesitated for a moment as he looked at her, then mounted his horse and rode away. Ellea deliberately avoided watching the direction he went.

When she returned to the palace with a heavy heart, Jane greeted her.

“You’re back? You’re later than usual today.”

“It just happened that way. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”

“Well…”

Jane began, but Borens spoke up first.

“There’s something you should know, Princess.”

Just from those words, Ellea realized something had happened. She followed them into her room.

As she sat, Borens handed her a letter he had received from Shainelle.

“What is this?”

“While you were away, Lady Shainelle came to visit.”

“Who? Lady Shainelle?”

For a moment, Ellea thought she’d misheard. Of all people, Shainelle?

“And she asked me to deliver this to you.”

Even before opening the letter, Ellea felt certain it wouldn’t be good news. If Shainelle had delivered it herself, the intent was obvious.

She tore the envelope and read quickly, then asked Borens.

“Did she tell you what it was about?”

“Yes. She invited you to a gathering with the other young ladies.”

“And she said she’d be glad if you attended,” Jane added.

“Is that so?”

The contents were much the same as they said.

The problem was why Shainelle would invite her at all, when she had been so cold to her from their very first meeting.

“Did she say anything else?”

Borens relayed her exact words.

“She said she also invited Lady Harris, whom you met at the banquet.”

“Harris?”

So it really is a suspicious invitation.

If even Harris, with whom Ellea had poor relations, was invited, the intention was clear.

It’s obviously a setup meant for me.

Normally, avoiding such troublesome gatherings would be the best course. But if Harris was attending, that changed things.

Shainelle must have let something slip about me to Harris too. Harris will definitely be there.

Though their meeting at the banquet had been brief, what Harris had said regarding Shainelle lingered in Ellea’s mind.

Worried about Harris going alone into the lion’s den, Ellea made her decision after some thought.

“Tell her I’ll attend as well.”

“Are you sure? You don’t need to push yourself.”

At Borens’s worried question, Ellea answered lightly.

“That’s exactly why I must go. She came all this way to deliver the invitation in person—refusing would be rude. And besides, it feels like it’s a place I shouldn’t be absent from.”

“Understood. I’ll inform her.”

After Borens and Jane left, Ellea looked again at the invitation in her hand before setting it on the desk.

“Well, it’s not in my nature to avoid a fight when my opponent has already stepped forward.”

Ellea willingly resolved to step into the trap Shainelle had prepared.

* * *

Arriving at the palace slightly earlier than Ellea, Terban returned to his office, removed his robe, and sat down, taking a moment to breathe.

Already, the orphanage felt like nothing more than a midsummer night’s dream. Reality had returned—the familiar office and the piles of documents on his desk.

He knew there was urgent work waiting, but strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to start.

“She was right.”

This was where Terban belonged. He knew that well. So why…

Why do a few hours matter so much?

Shaking off such pointless thoughts, he reached for the documents. But as he did, his rolled-up sleeve caught his eye, and with it, the memory of Ellea adjusting it for him.

She approached me first, then panicked as soon as our eyes met.

And yet, whenever she reminded herself that he was the Emperor, she turned cold, her whole being saying she didn’t belong at his side.

Forcing himself to ignore the lingering image, he roughly pulled down his sleeve and began working through the documents.

After a while, a knock sounded and his aide entered.

“Nothing unusual while I was away?”

“No, Your Majesty. Everything was fine.”

“No one knows I was gone?”

“Only I do.”

Terban nodded, and the aide placed another document on his desk.

“It concerns the upcoming noble assembly.”

“Already? Time for that again, is it.”

Just thinking of listening to the nobles’ endless self-serving demands gave him a headache.

“And attendance?”

“They’ve all confirmed.”

“Very well.”

With the reports finished, the aide left. Terban’s face now bore none of the softness he had shown to the children earlier.

Only after finishing his work late into the night did he leave his office.

Walking down the corridor, he spotted someone and his expression eased slightly.

“What brings you here?”

“Of course, to see you. But meeting you like this is even better.”

Shainelle’s bright smile was infectious, and Terban’s mood lightened somewhat. Seeing his softened face, she asked happily:

“You’re welcoming me so warmly—it makes me glad. Have you finished work?”

“Just now. Since I couldn’t spend time with you today, I was going to suggest we dine together tomorrow.”

Pleased, Shainelle naturally linked her arm through his, and together they left the palace.