EXTRA SIDE STORY 04
“Phew…”
He felt as if all the energy in his body had drained away.
He wondered if Ivelina would even notice or appreciate his effort.
He trudged toward her location. At this hour, she was always in the library, so finding her was easy.
As expected, she was there.
“Ivelina.”
“Brother!”
She had been sitting and reading, but at the sound of his voice, she beamed and jumped up from her seat.
Jonas sat across from her, and Ivelina plopped back down into her chair.
“So… what happened?”
Since they couldn’t talk loudly in the library, she whispered softly.
Jonas deliberately wore a glum expression.
Seeing his somber face, Ivelina pouted.
“Did Father absolutely refuse?”
“Well, the thing is…”
Jonas sighed deeply, then suddenly broke into a bright smile.
“He said yes.”
“What?! You startled me!”
Ivelina pouted and muttered, sticking out her lips.
Jonas chuckled playfully.
“Cut me some slack. I spent three whole hours persuading Father.”
“Three hours? You really worked hard, Brother.”
Ivelina, lost in thought for a moment, gestured with her hand as if telling him to bow his head.
Jonas tilted his head in confusion but complied, bending slightly.
As his face came close, Ivelina pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
He blinked in surprise, eyes wide.
Since she had turned five and become the princess, she had never kissed him again, claiming it would compromise her dignity. So this was the first kiss in five years.
“I’m giving it because I appreciate you. But, of course, today is the last time.”
“Kid…”
“I’m not a kid!”
Jonas looked thoroughly moved, and Ivelina, embarrassed, let out a small squeak. She hastily covered her mouth with both hands and glanced around.
She worried she might have caused a scene, but thankfully, no one was nearby.
Jonas felt as if he could fly from happiness. After all, he had just received a kiss she rarely gave—even to her parents.
If receiving just one kiss from Ivelina was enough, he felt confident he could persuade her father for six hours straight.
He wanted to pull her into a hug immediately, but she would surely object and probably impose some kind of “no-contact” rule.
To avoid such misfortune, Jonas exercised superhuman self-control.
Ivelina lowered her head, returned to her book, and smiled quietly to herself.
“I’ll see Arsène again.”
The relief supplies were essential for the people of District Five, so he would definitely come.
She eagerly awaited that day.
The day to deliver the relief supplies had arrived.
Technically, her first outing had been secretly with Jonas, but officially, this was her first official outing.
Ivelina woke up early and prepared herself beautifully.
She wore a light purple outfit and a wide-brimmed hat.
Her hair was braided into a single plait, and she wore a delicate necklace—then she was done.
“Your Highness, how do I look?”
“I love it!”
The dress sparkled beautifully, and she liked shiny things at her young age—something Berry knew well.
“Be careful, Your Highness. Never go alone. Stay close to the Crown Prince and the knights protecting you at all times!”
“Understood.”
Ivelina adjusted her hat and nodded casually.
It was almost time to depart for District Five.
She hummed cheerfully and hurried outside.
Jonas and her parents waited by the large carriage.
“Brother! Mother! Father!”
Ivelina waved energetically as she ran forward and clung to her mother, Karina’s skirts.
Karina laughed softly, sat down, and held her.
“Be careful out there, Ivelina.”
“Yes!”
“Absolutely, never go alone. Understand?”
“Yes!”
Ivelina answered firmly.
Her father, Isaac, looked uneasy.
But if he suggested canceling her outing now, she would undoubtedly sulk and possibly ignore him for a week.
Isaac sighed.
“Don’t wander off. Return to the palace immediately when it’s done.”
“Yes, Father.”
Ivelina hugged Isaac with a smile before letting go.
“I’ll be back!”
She climbed into the carriage first.
Karina and Isaac turned to Jonas.
“Protect Ivelina well, understood?”
“I trust you, Jonas.”
He spoke as reliably as he could.
“Don’t worry, Mother, Father. I’ll keep her safe.”
Karina and Isaac nodded and patted him on the shoulder.
Jonas joined her in the carriage, and it departed for District Five.
After a long ride, they finally arrived at District Five.
It was a considerable distance from the palace in District One.
Fortunately, the weather was good, so distributing the relief supplies should go smoothly.
Ivelina got off the carriage, beaming.
Since there wasn’t much she could do yet, she stood beside Jonas, watching the knights set up tents and unload supplies from the carriage.
“Brother.”
“Yes?”
“How long will it take to distribute the supplies?”
“Hmm… if nothing goes wrong, about an hour. Don’t worry about your legs—there are chairs if you need them.”
Ivelina nodded.
Then, hesitantly, she asked Jonas,
“Arsène will come too, right?”
“Arsène?”
“The friend I met last time. He said he lived in District Five.”
“If nothing happens, he should come.”
Jonas answered reflexively, grumbling.
Some time later, the knights finished setting up and approached them.
“Your Highness, the supplies are ready for distribution.”
“Good work.”
Ivelina held Jonas’s hand and moved toward the tents.
By now, a crowd had gathered.
Jonas scanned the gathering people.
“Maybe they heard you’d be here. There are more people than usual.”
“Really?”
Ivelina tilted her head.
Since it was her first official outing, people had come hoping to see her even once.
“Form a line to receive the supplies!”
The crowd obeyed promptly.
Ivelina stood on tiptoe, scanning the line, but she couldn’t see the sparkling blond hair.
“Not here yet…?”
Her expression fell.
Jonas’s brows twitched, annoyed at whoever was making her wait like this.
She continued scanning the crowd, refusing to give up.
The line shortened, but Arsène was still missing.
“Could something have happened?”
She murmured anxiously, stamping her feet.
“He said he’d come today…”
She scanned the crowd again.
Then, at the very end of the line, she spotted the familiar hair.
“He’s here!”
Ivelina, still seated, couldn’t help but shout and jumped up.
She hurried to wait for Arsène’s turn.
As he approached, she leaped from her chair toward the knight distributing supplies.
Jonas followed closely.
Finally, it was Arsène’s turn.
But strangely, he kept his head bowed.
Being at the end, no one was behind him.
So Ivelina could speak to him freely.
She called cheerfully,
“Arsène! How have you been?”
Arsène flinched and nodded without raising his head.
“I… thank you for caring.”
“Why are you keeping your head down? Look up.”
He flinched but slowly lifted his head.
Seeing his face, Ivelina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Arsène, what happened to your face? You’re hurt!”
“It’s nothing, Your Highness.”
“Nothing?!”
Ivelina’s eyebrows drooped in worry.
She then called to a nearby knight.
“Do you have a first-aid kit? Bring it here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The knight quickly returned with it.
“Come here.”
“But…”
“Hurry!”
Arsène hesitated but eventually followed Ivelina into the tent.
Jonas followed like a shadow.
Ivelina opened the first-aid kit, and Jonas said,
“I’ll do it. You’ve never done this before.”
“Hmm… okay!”
After a brief pause, she handed him the kit.
As he said, she had never treated a wound before, so it might be better if she didn’t.
Jonas clicked his tongue and carefully applied ointment to Arsène’s split lip.
He glanced at Ivelina and asked softly,
“Who did this?”
“…”
“Your father?”
Arsène didn’t answer, averting his gaze.
Jonas frowned and sighed.
Ivelina didn’t like that Arsène had to wait, but he was just a child.
She applied medicine to the bruised cheek and wrapped the scratched arm with a bandage.
“All done.”
“Wow! Brother, you’re really good at this.”
“I’m a bit skilled.”
Ivelina’s eyes widened as she examined Arsène.
The treatment was perfectly clean—bandages, ointment, everything.
Arsène stood and bowed deeply.
“Thank you so much.”
“No, it’s fine! It’s natural.”
Ivelina waved her hand.
Jonas, watching silently, spoke up.
“How old is he?”
“Eight years old.”
She was startled.
“Eight? He’s younger than me!”
“He’s younger than I thought.”
Ivelina asked seriously,
“Does he get hurt often?”
“Well… fairly often.”
She couldn’t stop worrying about him.
After thinking for a moment, she suddenly asked,
“Would you… like to be my playmate?”
