CHAPTER 48…………………………………….
It was even more frightening because he no longer had that thought of “she’s just imitating the April I knew.”
The April Hill Rise he had just seen was truly the image of the princess he remembered.
“I’m losing my mind…”
Only after running so fast that he could no longer see April did Perrphone’s steps begin to slow.
Stopping abruptly in place, he covered his face with one hand.
“Are you all right, Your Highness?”
He recalled the April of his childhood, bleeding from being bitten by the leopard in his stead. The first time they had met, and the times they had spent together over the years, all slowly passed through his mind.
He had thought that April over the past three years seemed like a stranger—but today, she looked like the same person who had spent time with him. A feeling he hadn’t experienced in three years.
And at the same time, Perrphone was afraid. This was just like the premonitions he had seen before April disappeared.
Even in the past, there had been weeks when he felt something was off with April. Thinking of how she gradually appeared and then vanished…
“Ha.”
Unable to return to the imperial palace, Perrphone slumped to the ground.
He had thought she wasn’t the April he knew—but just now, she was unmistakably her.
The playful wrinkles at the corners of her eyes when teasing, her mischievous voice like she was playing with a younger sibling—all of it.
“Am I… really going crazy?”
He feared that he might inherit his father, the emperor’s, madness genetically, and that it might manifest in him. At the same time, he was terrified.
He had always pretended not to notice the princess, yet seeing her overlap with his memories even for a moment made him afraid that he might inadvertently give his heart to her.
Now, this fear surpassed even the terror of the leopard that had attacked him in childhood or the moment his eyes had met Rosian’s at his mother’s funeral.
“Where on earth are you…”
He wanted to meet the real Epi, the one who had spent time with him—not some fake pretending to be April.
“I want to see you, Epi.”
He didn’t know how to find the first love who had vanished without a trace.
“Good grief.”
Terran, fiddling with the bracelet inlaid with Sidevan’s eyes he had received instead of a fee, let out a sound of pain, almost like a groan.
Considering the enormous payment he had received, it would have been natural to feel he’d done well—but this task was particularly troublesome.
“Is this assignment so difficult?”
“Difficult… maybe. It reminds me of a similar job I took before.”
“If it’s the same, why not just use the information you gathered last time?”
The guild member standing before Terran looked completely baffled.
“Last time, I didn’t find anything. But still… it’s strange that someone else is requesting the same thing.”
Of course, the first person had placed the request about two years ago.
“What request?”
Terran locked the bracelet in the safe and addressed the guild member.
Since he had been the one to investigate two years ago, it was certain he would handle it again this time.
“I need information about April Hill Rise.”
“Ah.”
The guild member’s face twisted slightly. They remembered how ridiculous the previous request had been and how exhausting it had been for Terran to gather information.
“Again? Last time, you didn’t find anything.”
“This time, I asked to find rumors and such about the princess…”
Terran sighed, scratching his head. While he would investigate again, it was uncertain if he could produce results this time.
“Is it the same person requesting it again?”
“No, someone different. A young man with his face completely covered.”
“Hmm.”
Even the name he used seemed like an alias.
“Just how remarkable is this princess that people are asking around like this?”
“Who requested it last time?”
Terran clicked his tongue softly, recalling the young man who had first come two years ago to investigate the princess.
Not wanting to hide it from his right-hand man, he answered lightly:
“Demian Dinea Valshtein.”
The crown prince’s cousin, the only son of Duke Valshtein, who governed the northern part of the empire.
The wind through the window was cool.
Unlike before, it wasn’t warm—it was dry and crisp, like it would help laundry dry quickly. Seeing Lervian handing him documents in slightly thickened clothing indicated that autumn was approaching.
The sound of turning pages echoed pleasantly in the office.
“Your Highness, your pen hasn’t moved for quite a while.”
Lervian spoke calmly to Perrphone, who appeared to be reviewing documents but was completely unfocused.
“Ah…”
Unlike usual, Perrphone looked strangely absent-minded, nodding slightly as he tried to focus—but concentration did not return easily.
The smile of April he had seen in the early morning a few days ago lingered before his eyes.
He had always thought the princess was just imitating the April he knew, never truly believing it was her…
Folding the corner of a pointless document, Perrphone asked Lervian with feigned composure:
“Sir, if your wife suddenly started acting like someone else, how would it feel?”
Lervian, preparing approval documents, paused at the unexpected question.
He had rarely been asked such personal questions while assisting Perrphone, so he was slightly amused, but the question left him puzzled.
“You mean Princess Rise?”
Perrphone raised his head, surprised that Lervian had guessed correctly.
“How… how did you know?”
“Sir Adonis said something similar about Your Highness.”
“Sir Adonis?”
Lervian, quietly taking the signed documents, nodded and added:
“It’s an odd way to put it, but he said it seemed like you’d matured, or something like that. Almost the same thing.”
“No, it’s slightly different…”
It wasn’t maturity—it was as if the person had completely changed again…
Sighing, Perrphone wiped his face. To explain his feelings to Lervian, he would probably have to appear completely insane.
The April he had spent time with three years ago had felt like a different person, and now, a few days ago, she suddenly behaved like the real April he knew. How could he explain this?
Perrphone exhaled silently, unable to say a word, and Lervian lightly replied:
“If you won’t explain properly, let’s just continue the work.”
He had literal mountains of work to do.
Normally busy, it was peak season with the Founding Festival approaching.
Even as crown prince, Perrphone was busy, but Lervian, handling the work, felt like ten bodies wouldn’t be enough.
“The tournament matches must have started by now. How is Sir Adonis?”
“They said the tournament matches are today.”
Lervian wiped his glasses and muttered with concern:
“Sir Adonis must win. Only then will Your Highness’s reputation remain intact.”
Normally, members of the royal guard did not attend the Founding Festival’s swordsmanship tournament.
For two main reasons, which were opposite but strangely connected:
First, if the royal guard attended, it would be difficult to discover talented new swordsmen.
Second, if a member of the royal guard participated and failed to win, it would be a humiliating failure.
“Should we give the tournament organizer a heads-up…”
“Sir Adonis wouldn’t want that.”
Perrphone recalled Adonis Betrice, asking for permission to participate in the tournament, looking unusually confident.
Participation was voluntary, so permission wasn’t strictly necessary…
“Then why didn’t you forbid him when he said he wanted to join?”
“He guaranteed he would win. How could I refuse?”
