Chapter – 06
―Thuk, charr-r-r-r!
The dominoes I had just set up fell again, toppling the tightly arranged blocks I had painstakingly lined up.
“Ah…!”
I bit my lip in frustration.
I kept opening and closing my fingers, unable to release any magic, not knowing what else to do.
It was already the third time.
While no one else had made a mistake, I had managed to knock over the dominoes three times in a row.
“See…? I told you, you’re not good at this…”
Kalithion, who had been smiling just moments ago, immediately pretended to have a headache upon hearing me.
“Indeed. Becoming crown prince doesn’t mean you can change your words. Thanks to today, princess, I’ve lost all my pocket money.”
“Eh?”
Samuel Hivner leaned forward, interjecting, his shiny black hair falling over his forehead.
“So, you didn’t even send me a reply and went sightseeing the palace with the crown prince instead?”
Ah… earlier, I had been pretending to need time to reply to the young lord…
But Kalithion responded without a hint of embarrassment, as if nothing had happened.
“The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm. Take this opportunity to become more diligent yourself, young lady.”
It was as if he were implying I hadn’t been able to write a reply because of his early invitation.
While everyone worked together to pick up the scattered blocks, he leaned closer and whispered in my ear.
“Honestly, I half-expected you’d be disinterested, so I brought you here reluctantly, but it seems I was still better than Hivner.”
I widened my eyes in surprise, and Kalithion chuckled softly.
“Just kidding…”
I was really interested in the crown prince, but I didn’t know how to express it properly in my clumsy Imperial language… or rather, I had to.
“I’m interested in you, Your Highness.”
When I whispered it secretly, Kalithion froze for a moment.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, completely.”
His previously pale cheeks suddenly flushed with a rosy color.
The notorious flirt acted as if he were receiving a confession for the first time.
Apparently, in noble society, people express their interest directly. My clumsy Imperial allowed no room for metaphorical declarations of affection, nor did I have the skill for it.
So I shamelessly added:
“I’m not really a fan of black hair, either.”
Kalithion, momentarily stunned, burst into laughter.
He had always smiled when facing me, but this was the first time I saw his genuine smile.
After the game ended, Samuel asked,
“Shall we go to the banquet hall together?”
The charity banquet was said to continue every evening for a month.
However, according to Jwi Bangul, the banquet was just an excuse to enter the palace; attending every day was not part of the mission.
So I planned to decline the banquet with various excuses and focus solely on building a relationship with the crown prince.
“I’d like to return to my room and rest today.”
Kalithion interrupted,
“Then I’ll take you. Go to the banquet hall and do your best in my stead, young lady.”
Samuel whistled and withdrew.
“If that’s the case, I shouldn’t interfere.”
I was secretly pleased that my bold display of affection had worked, but I feigned politeness.
“It’s just one more floor to my room…”
Kalithion smirked and asked,
“You didn’t bring a maid, so which stairs will you take on the way back? Left? Right?”
“Uh…”
I had memorized the palace layout completely but pretended to gauge direction from the garden view through the window.
With 700 rooms in the main palace alone, getting lost was all too easy.
“The fountain is on the left, so we should go right, I guess. Is that correct?”
Intentionally giving the wrong answer, Kalithion bowed exaggeratedly as if escorting me in a carriage and extended his hand.
“Incorrect, April. I can’t let you get lost. Better I take you myself.”
“Eh? No, that’s not necessary!”
I tilted my head brazenly and grabbed his hand.
As he guided me left, a knight silently shadowed us from behind, just as during the garden walk.
A bodyguard, perhaps?
Taller than the crown prince, with sky-blue eyes that were piercingly sharp, he was undoubtedly handsome.
If I were sneaking into the crown prince’s quarters, I’d probably need to avoid his gaze as well.
Kalithion slowly answered as I glanced at the knight.
“All the fountains in the front of the palace look the same. Our palace isn’t kind enough to give easy landmarks to strangers.”
However, the floor plan the client had provided me included even the smallest potted plant.
Unfortunate for him, there seemed to be a spy in this royal house.
“You’ve still been kind to me, though, Your Highness.”
Feeling a pang of sympathy, I said softly. Kalithion lifted the corners of his mouth beautifully.
“As long as you remain my friend, I will always be so.”
The unnecessary clue made my conscience prick.
Do nobles really speak with such meaningful words so casually?
I hid my confusion and smiled back at him.
“If you permit me, I want to be Your Highness’s friend forever.”
Even if it were anyone else, not me, this was likely the only proper response to the crown prince.
Kalithion stopped walking and asked earnestly,
“Really, April? Can you promise me?”
Huh? Did I make a mistake?
Or was he just saying it casually?
I had only been in the palace for two days, with 28 more days until the hunting event, and I had to survive this entire time and even be invited into the crown prince’s quarters.
In other words, our lives were in the crown prince’s hands.
So I answered with as bright a smile as possible.
“Of course, Your Highness. I can promise anything.”
Passing dozens of rooms, we reached a fork, and Kalithion suddenly moved in an unexpected direction.
“Woah…!”
I stepped back to avoid colliding with him, but my feet got tangled.
Instinctively, I twitched my fingers, but no magic flowed from my fingertips. The next instant, if Kalithion hadn’t supported me, I would have fallen embarrassingly.
“T-Thank you, Your Highness…”
I bowed awkwardly in his embrace. Kalithion, flustered, let me go.
“Sorry for suddenly changing direction. The room I had intended to give you shifted once, and I almost went toward the original one.”
My heart pounded from the unexpected contact. The scent from the star’s perfume still lingered.
What kind of perfume could produce such a fragrance?
“I’m fine. Sorry for causing trouble.”
Wanting to hide my fluster, I said quickly. He slightly bowed his head and whispered.
“Not trouble at all… I didn’t mind. Up close, your eyes might even be prettier.”
Oh my, Jwi Bangul’s guess about his taste in women was spot on.
Even though I’ve been single for a millennium, I could tell this was a green light.
Of course, my star might give green lights more often than others, but my face would surely be burning.
Not that I disliked it… but could you tone it down a bit?
I have no immunity for this!
