Chapter 56
In his own estimation, Elenenon Hermeon himself was not particularly special. He was only treated as such because he had been born a prince.
The eighteen-year-old boy, with his dangerously fragile self-esteem, feared that the girl his age whom he had come to cherish for the first time might someday grow tired of his shabby true self and turn away from him.
Unlike the shallow people who flocked to him, dazzled by his glittering exterior and the halo of his bloodline, Noxia had come close to the core of who he really was—and thus found her way into his heart.
Elenenon was deeply moved by that fact. It thrilled him that she showed interest not in the empty gilding visible on the surface, but in the self crouching behind it. But at the same time, if you turned that thought around…
“There’s nothing I can use to keep you by my side.”
Those who approached him because of his royal status were, in proportion, easy to handle. He had been a prince from the moment he was born and would remain one forever, so such relationships were practically handed to him for free.
But to win the heart of a girl who had no interest in such things, Elenenon would have to become an appealing man, a dependable friend, and fundamentally a good person.
And that required effort and devotion. It was clearly a far more difficult task than simply obtaining the title of prince by virtue of birth.
“I wish you wouldn’t leave me.”
Right now, Noxia was here beside him. But how long would this time last? Next spring, she might be standing in line here with someone else.
She might come with Carnen Holby, whom she was closest to. Or perhaps with another friend—or with someone who wasn’t a friend, but a lover…
“Young master? Young master!”
When Noxia called him by that temporary title and waved her hand lightly, Elenenon startled and snapped out of his thoughts. Noxia looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Are you okay, young master?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, I’m fine. Sorry. Have you been calling me for a while?”
“Yes, I asked you something earlier, but you didn’t seem to hear. It’s already almost our turn, so I think we should choose in advance. Which horse will you ride, young master?”
“Ah, I’ll… take that blue one.”
“Then I’ll take the black one next to it.”
When their turn came, they each chose a horse and mounted side by side. Noxia asked,
“You’ve ridden real horses before, right, young master?”
“Yes, I learned horseback riding for a while. But I don’t really enjoy it.”
“Oh, I see.”
Noxia recalled that the prince had said something similar about sailing last week. He’d definitely learned it, but said it didn’t suit him.
“…To be honest, I’m really not good at physical things. That’s probably why I like reading so much.”
When Elenenon confessed this awkwardly, Noxia unconsciously let out a small laugh. When he looked hurt, she hurriedly tried to explain.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you, I swear. It’s just… because it’s cute…”
“What?”
At the moment Elenenon blankly asked back, doubting his own hearing, Noxia went deathly pale—and then instantly bright red.
Oh my god, what did I just say?
She never imagined the word “cute” would slip out of her mouth. Cute. Cute! It had happened without her realizing it.
The prince, who in front of others was always swanlike and elegant, handsome and smart, as if he could do anything well—learning that he was actually clumsy with his body felt strangely familiar and endearing.
That was honestly the adjective that came to mind. She knew full well that calling a lofty prince “cute” was an expression hard to accept, no matter how blurred social distinctions had become, if spoken aloud.
But that wasn’t the main reason Noxia was panicking. There was another reason Elenenon seemed genuinely worried that something might be wrong with his hearing.
Cute. He’s cute. Cute… It was such an unbearably ticklish, soft, and dangerous word.
“Well, what I meant was…”
Noxia hurried to try to salvage the situation. But Elenenon was still frozen stiff like a block of wood, and before she could continue, the carousel began to move.
As the cheerful music blared loudly, there was no longer any chance for proper conversation.
Still bright red, Noxia stared straight ahead. And Elenenon, like a broken gramophone, kept repeating one word over and over in his mind.
“Because I’m cute. I’m cute. She said I’m cute…”
He suddenly felt the urge to slam his head against a wall like a madman. He felt so stifled he might explode if he didn’t run around screaming.
Barely managing to keep his reason, Elenenon noticed that Noxia’s cheeks were a vivid strawberry color. Both of them faced forward in loud silence, and the carousel seemed to go on forever.
At last the music faded and the machine stopped. Noxia jumped down like a squirrel. Elenenon hurriedly dismounted as well and followed after her as she fled ahead.
“Noxia, what did you mean earlier when you said that?”
“Huh? W-what?”
“You stopped mid-sentence. What did you mean by that? That I’m… cute.”
The blush Noxia had barely calmed while riding the carousel flared back up fiercely. As she instinctively stepped backward, Elenenon advanced by the same amount, stubbornly closing the distance.
“Why did you say that? I’m curious about the reason.”
“W-well, I mean… It was unexpected! It was just so unexpected.”
“Why? What was so unexpected?”
“I didn’t think you’d be bad at riding horses. Royals learn riding from childhood, so I just assumed you too, Prince—no, young master, would be good at it.”
“Because it was unexpected, you thought it was cute? Is that really all?”
“D-do I need another reason?”
Noxia asked pitifully, eyes darting around like a cornered rabbit. Then, seeing Elenenon smiling with his eyes curved mischievously, she realized the truth.
“…Wait, are you making fun of me right now?”
“No? I’m just genuinely curious.”
Now that she looked closely, it was obvious he was teasing her. Seeing the prince grin wickedly as he enjoyed her flustered reaction, Noxia bristled.
“Unbelievable, how could you—!”
“You’re the cute one, Noxia. If you react so vividly to every little tease, it just makes me want to tease you more.”
“No, seriously—! Is it really okay for a royal to have a personality like this?”
“Shh, lower your voice. Do you want everyone to hear who I am? Let’s go over there.”
Startled, Elenenon grabbed Noxia’s hand and led her to a less crowded spot. She was still fuming, but without thinking, she let him hold her hand. Even now, the warmth where their skin touched was unmistakable.
“Noxia, I’m sorry. Your reactions were just too fun, I guess I crossed the line teasing you. So calm down now and stop shouting, okay?”
“…I’m the one who should apologize, young master. I drew too much attention.”
“As long as you know that. Who told you to shout like that?”
“You’re the one who made things awkward first! You kept asking such embarrassing questions…!”
“Was it really that embarrassing?”
“Huh?”
“Was asking why you said that really such an embarrassing question?”
Elenenon asked quietly. His face was now completely serious. Noxia fell silent.
“You said it yourself. You called me cute. Isn’t it natural to be curious after hearing that, Noxia?”
He whispered. There were hardly any people around now. In a space that felt as though only the two of them existed, the young man and woman stared straight at each other.
“And I just called you cute too. Aren’t you curious at all? About why I said that?”
Elenenon’s low voice now carried a desperate edge. Noxia swallowed a trembling breath. His face felt too close, and without realizing it, she turned her gaze away.
Seeing the girl avert her head, Elenenon froze. Then, reluctantly, he took half a step back.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to answer. I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position.”
He said bitterly. Noxia moved her dry lips as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing and pressed her mouth shut.
“If you’re tired, shall we part ways for today, Noxia?”
“No, no! I’m not tired!”
At his weak suggestion, Noxia flailed her hands in surprise. Her stiff lips loosened, and words came out naturally, unlike before.
“It’d be such a shame to leave already. It’s not even past lunchtime yet.”
Saying that resolutely, Noxia stepped closer to Elenenon by the same distance he had previously stepped back.
She reached out and gently took his hand. When their bare skin touched, Elenenon flinched—but he didn’t pull away. Instead, after a brief hesitation, he drew her even closer.
“Since we came out to have fun together for once, I want us to enjoy everything before we go home.”
Noxia declared confidently. Elenenon stared at her, then let out a small, helpless laugh.
“Alright. That sounds good.”
The painfully awkward atmosphere that had arisen from them calling each other cute had, almost miraculously, dissolved. Both of them felt deep relief and decided to leave the embarrassment in the past.
But before this day ended, they would have to face each other—and their own true feelings—head-on once more, no matter how uncomfortable or frightening that might be.
After the carousel, Noxia and Elenenon walked around the park and tried nearly every attraction at least once.
They tried archery to win prizes and failed miserably. They went to a fortune teller for fun and left in a bad mood after hearing nothing but incomprehensible nonsense.
They even let artists who used natural pigments draw on their hands, arms, and faces, resulting in a beautiful butterfly and flower tattoo on Noxia’s upper arm.
Noxia examined with satisfaction the temporary tattoo of a shimmering blue butterfly perched on a large crimson blossom. Elenenon watched her with a gentle smile.
“It suits you, Noxia.”
“Thank you. Should I just get a permanent tattoo?”
“Uh…”
“I’m kidding. Tattoos are kind of scary to me too.”
She said lightly, waving her arm up and down so the nearly dried painting would dry better. Then she turned to Elenenon.
“It’s a shame you didn’t get one too, young master.”
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
The precious prince’s skin was too valuable to risk touching with an unverified brush. If he broke out in hives or something, it would obviously turn into a serious issue.
