Chapter 12
I walked step by step toward the child standing beside the man and suddenly asked.
With his round head, silky black hair, bright red eyes glinting in the sunlight, and pale cheeks that looked like freshly kneaded dough, I felt the urge to reach out and touch him.
“……”
The child kept his mouth tightly shut even though I spoke to him.
“This child is my son. Caligo, greet her properly.”
Duke Shrytz nudged Caligo’s back.
“…Good day, Your Highness.”
Caligo stiffly greeted me with a rigid expression.
“What’s your name?”
I suddenly grabbed Caligo’s hand and asked his name. I had heard it from the Duke, but I wanted to hear it directly from him.
“…I am Caligo of House Shrytz.”
Caligo’s face, which had been stiff until just moments ago, flushed red as he introduced himself.
“Kanigo Shrytz Ganja.”
“Yes. Kanigo Shrytz… no, Caligo Shrytz.”
“Mm, got it.”
Caligo briefly followed my lisped pronunciation, then quickly corrected himself.
“So why did you and your dad come here?”
Without taking my eyes off Caligo’s face, I asked.
“To make a friend.”
I had clearly asked Caligo, but the answer came from somewhere else.
“I didn’t ask you. Be quiet. Let him answer.”
I silenced Lucas and looked directly at Caligo again.
“……”
“……?”
Caligo said nothing, only meeting my gaze.
“Caligo seems quite nervous in front of Your Highness. I brought him because I believe he will be a good companion for the prince.”
Before things could go further, the Duke stepped in on Caligo’s behalf.
“With him? Then what about me?”
Why only him?
As I was questioning the Duke, someone gently shook my hand.
“Mm?”
“May I have the honor of forming a friendship with Your Highness?”
It was Caligo. He had taken my hand and was holding it tightly as he spoke.
“Caligo?”
Duke Shrytz called him slightly surprised, but Caligo did not take his eyes off me.
“Mm, okay. Let’s be friends.”
I smiled brightly and nodded. That was exactly what I wanted.
“Thank you.”
Caligo nodded at my answer.
“Whoa…”
And for a brief moment, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
“He’s not allowed to be your friend!”
At Lucas’s sudden shout, Caligo’s fleeting smile vanished instantly.
After glaring at Lucas once, I looked back at Caligo, who had already returned to his expressionless face.
Haa.
What is wrong with him now?
“Lucas doesn’t want to be friends with Caligo! So go back!”
Had Lucas always been this loud?
“Your Highness, do you not wish to be friends with Caligo?”
Duke Shrytz also seemed startled by Lucas’s outburst.
“No!”
“……”
Yet the one involved, Caligo, showed no expression and kept looking only at me.
Just moments ago he had been quiet, but the moment I said I wanted to be friends, he started throwing a tantrum. It reminded me of Lucas in my previous life, unwilling to lose to anyone.
“Then I’ll just be friends with Caligo.”
Whether Lucas liked it or not, I truly wanted to be friends with Caligo.
Why?
Because just looking at Caligo’s face made me feel like my whole day would be happy.
“No! Don’t be friends with Erin either!”
“I don’t want to. I want to be friends with Caligo.”
Ignoring Lucas completely, I shook the hand I was holding with Caligo.
As I did, I felt him flinch slightly.
“We are friends. Right, Caligo?”
“…Yes. I am friends with Your Highness.”
At Caligo’s answer, I deliberately shot Lucas a mocking look.
“Mm, Caligo is my very first friend.”
“My first….”
Caligo quietly repeated my words and nodded.
“Then since you’re my friend now, let’s go to my palace together.”
“Yes, Your Highness…”
I tugged on Caligo’s hand to lead him toward the princess’s palace.
“Caligo, you should come too.”
I gestured to Duke Shrytz, who was standing there with his mouth slightly open, watching us.
“Yes, yes! I will follow right behind!”
The Duke hurriedly stood up from his seat, somehow both flustered and smiling broadly.
“No! Don’t go!”
Just as we were about to leave the garden, Lucas rushed up and blocked my path.
“Who are you? Move aside.”
“No! I won’t! I hate this! Lucas doesn’t want you to be friends with him!”
“……”
“……”
Was he acting like this because he thought I was taking his friend away?
“I understand. Lucas isn’t friends with Caligo. Caligo is my friend, so he’ll come to my palace with me.”
“……”
Lucas’s eyes turned red at my words.
“Don’t… don’t go…!”
“Why are you acting like this?”
Why was he suddenly crying after throwing a tantrum?
I tried to let go of Caligo’s hand to go to Lucas.
Grip.
“Hm?”
“……”
Turning around, I saw Caligo holding my hand tighter, his lips pressed firmly together.
“What are you doing, Caligo?”
“……”
“Let go of my hand.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
At my words, Caligo looked at our joined hands and slowly released his grip.
Once he let go, I looked at his face for a moment, then walked over to Lucas.
After Aileen’s hand slipped away, Caligo looked at his now empty hand.
He flexed his fingers slightly and looked back at Aileen’s hand.
“……”
‘I want to hold it again.’
He had never held anyone’s hand before, nor had anyone ever reached out to hold his.
When he first saw her enter the garden, it felt as though an angel from a legend had descended to earth.
The moment Aileen casually took his hand, Caligo felt as if his heart had broken.
He slowly approached Aileen, who was chatting with Lucas.
“Your Highness.”
Then he called her and took her hand.
“Hmm?”
Aileen looked back and forth between his face and their joined hands, tilting her head.
Caligo found that expression cute. It was the first time he had ever felt such a thing. His heart began to beat faster.
“Caligo, do you have something to say?”
“I would like to see Your Highness’s palace.”
Caligo mustered all the courage he had and spoke.
“……”
But Aileen did not answer immediately.
“Earlier, you said we should go together… is that not okay?”
Caligo knew that when he lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes cast shadows that changed his atmosphere significantly.
He also knew that people who saw that expression often couldn’t refuse his request.
Since Aileen had approached him first earlier, he believed that if she looked at his face now, she would agree.
“Mm, okay. Let’s go to my palace.”
“Aileen!”
“Lucas, we’ll go next time.”
As expected, Aileen took Caligo’s hand again and turned away despite Lucas calling out.
“Yes, let’s go.”
Caligo tightened his grip on Aileen’s hand.
‘I wish only I could hold the princess’s hand….’
He could feel a burning gaze from behind his head, but he ignored it.
A week had passed since Caligo visited the princess’s palace, but Lucas still glared at me every time he saw me.
“Lucas, relax your eyes.”
“Hmph, I’m not going to listen to anything Erin says anymore!”
“Really?”
“Mm!”
Haa… he’s really just a child. When will he grow up?
He looked exactly like a child throwing a fit because his friend had been taken away.
Lucas clenched his fists as if making a grand decision and said in response to my question:
“Then I won’t play with you anymore.”
“……”
“I’ll call Caligo Shrytz to play with.”
“……”
“I’m going to go play with Caligo.”
“……”
“Then bye.”
“Gasp!”
“……”
I stared at Lucas in disbelief.
His lips were tightly pressed to hold back tears, his eyes were red, and his face looked like it would burst at the slightest touch.
Seeing the tears dangling in his eyes, I pressed a hand to my forehead.
“Lucas, why are you like this again…?”
Knock knock.
Just as I was about to ask him, a knocking sound came from the playroom door.
“Your Highness, Lord Caligo Shrytz has requested an audience.”
A maid reported that Caligo had come to visit.
“Hm? Why is Caligo here?”
“He did not specify the reason. Shall I ask him and return?”
“No, it’s fine. Bring him here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The maid left to bring Caligo.
Why had he come? We hadn’t arranged any meeting.
I wasn’t particularly curious about the reason, but the thought of seeing Caligo’s face made me readily agree to bring him in.
Knock knock.
“Your Highness, I have brought the young lord.”
“Mm, come in.”
At my permission, the door opened and Caligo entered.
“Your Highness.”
As soon as he stepped in, he smiled and greeted me.
Compared to his initial expressionless face, that small smile felt precious.
“Welcome, Caligo.”
“Yes.”
His smile deepened slightly at my greeting.
“Prince Lucas is here as well.”
But the moment he noticed Lucas standing behind me, his smile disappeared and his face returned to being expressionless.
“It seems the prince follows the princess wherever she goes.”
“Hmph.”
“……”
Caligo spoke with a hint of sarcasm, but Lucas turned away and grabbed the hem of my dress.
“Lucas, what are you doing? Let go.”
“No.”
“Your dress will wrinkle.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Haah.”
I sighed deeply, and Lucas reluctantly let go with a sulky expression.
“Erin, are you going somewhere again?”
“No, I’ll stay here.”
“Really?”
“Mm. You called Caligo here too.”
“Ugh.”
Lucas’s face brightened for a moment, then immediately darkened again when Caligo was mentioned.
What on earth is wrong with these two?
Are all children this age like this?
Shaking my head, I looked at Caligo.
At some point, he had already been looking at me, and our eyes met.
