Chapter – 27
When I lifted my gaze slightly, I saw concern filling those amethyst-like eyes.
Only then did I realize that he had come to fetch me because he was worried about me.
He had been afraid that my uncle might treat me recklessly, using me as a card under the name of Lady Hilais.
And what about me?
All I had done over the past week was think, day and night, about how to kill him.
Feeling ashamed, I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes. I answered while looking at the line of his jaw instead.
“Yes. The Grand Duke merely asked whether I was doing well in the imperial palace…”
“Then why can’t you look at me?”
My heart jolted uneasily.
Get a grip, April.
You can’t act suspicious.
I steadied my breathing as naturally as I could and forced myself to face him. Thankfully, the corners of my mouth didn’t twitch as I pulled them up into a smile.
“Me? I was just a little… surprised that Your Highness came so suddenly.”
“Does that displease you?”
Yes, it does.
…Now, unless it was absolutely necessary, I didn’t want to see Calysion anymore.
He was far too perceptive a man, and I wasn’t shameless enough to smile in front of someone I had to kill in ten days.
“No. On the contrary, I’m very… happy.”
I didn’t know how my squeezed-out answer sounded to him.
Calysion chuckled softly and extended his hand again.
“What about a walk? Would that be nice as well?”
“…Yes.”
I replied reluctantly.
The garden, with summer approaching, was crowded with people.
Even amid the warm sunlight and countless gazes, Calysion remained unfailingly gentle. And the gentler he was, the more tangled my insides became.
My wish for time to pass quickly so I could reclaim Milligent, and my wish for that moment never to come at all—those two feelings overturned each other several times a day as another two days slipped by.
The day a total lunar eclipse was predicted to occur.
More than anything in the world, I had desperately hoped to hear from Raphael before this day arrived. But Jane, whom I encountered on the princess’s road the day before, merely shook her head at me in silence.
Then there was only one option left: to follow the sole commission.
After finishing my preparations to go to the Crown Prince’s palace, I sat down in front of Squeak’s bed.
“Be safe on your way…”
Thinking I’d come just to say goodbye, the little creature opened its fluttering eyes. But I had business to attend to.
“The thing I said about hiding the pouch in the Crown Prince’s palace—it was a lie.”
Squeak, hazy from the medicine, blinked its fresh, sprout-green eyes and tilted its head.
“Huh…?”
I pulled out the leather pouch I had always carried with me, tucking it under my pillow when I slept, and waved it in front of Squeak’s eyes.
“Hiiik…! Y-you lied to me…!”
The little fairy trembled as if having a fit, but fortunately didn’t throw up. So I continued.
“That’s why I’m going to the Crown Prince’s palace again today. This time, I’m really going to hide the pouch.”
I could see the flat little chest of the tiny fairy heaving unevenly.
I smiled faintly and went on.
“Are you still okay with that? You said completing the commission means you’ll be closer to death.”
Squeak looked up at me with an expression as though it were dizzy.
“Either way, I-I’m not a variable in your commission. You have to… save Milligent.”
“…Right. That’s what I’m going to do.”
I nodded quietly.
“But I did hesitate a little. Whether I should save my friend Milligent, or save you and the Crown Prince. Or whether I should just… save my own life.”
“…And?”
Looking down into the fairy’s vivid green eyes, like precious emeralds, I finally declared it.
“My answer is Milligent. I’m sorry, Clementine.”
Clementine let out a breath that sounded strangely like relief.
“Master probably never thought you’d care about me. He wouldn’t even have imagined you’d come to care about the Crown Prince. He’s that kind of… person.”
I lowered my gaze.
Unlike the Grand Duke, said to be so cold-hearted, I found myself weighing and measuring even in the face of a friend’s life. Suddenly, my own sense of friendship felt shallow.
Milligent is the one who saved my life…
And yet.
Then Squeak spoke again.
“You’re too kind. I… I wasn’t a fairy who lived kindly, so I won’t be reincarnated.”
At the times I truly should have cried, I hadn’t shed a single tear. Yet now, like an idiot, my eyes burned red.
My choice was about to claim two lives.
“But if I were to be reborn, even if it took a thousand years, I hope next time I’d meet a good master like you.”
At last, tears spilled down my cheeks.
Clementine wiped them away with its tiny hand.
“Don’t cry, Ei. Master prepared this plan for half his life. If you ruin this commission, I’ll only suffer even if I live. So at least for me, I’m not afraid of death.”
“You foolish fairy.”
Cursing, I grabbed Clementine’s hand.
“If you’re reborn, make sure you’re born a free fairy. Eat lots of delicious food every day, and just run around in the bushes.”
It smiled faintly.
“That sounds nice too.”
I tucked the pouch back into my chest.
“I’m sorry, Clementine.”
Squeak smiled brightly at my resolve.
“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry for bringing you here.”
That was the first apology I had ever heard from it.
There were exactly nine days left until the hunting festival.
Once I decided to complete the commission, I had to see it through no matter what.
So throughout my dinner with the Crown Prince, I kept Nina’s advice in mind.
“This time, do it properly. When His Highness shows subtle interest, don’t pretend you don’t notice!”
The lunar eclipse was predicted to occur at midnight.
So we planned to have a deliberately late dinner together, drink wine to pass the time, and then head to the observatory.
My plan was utterly shameless: when the eclipse occurred, I would be so shocked by the red moon that I’d faint and end up staying the night in the Crown Prince’s palace.
I hadn’t discussed it much with Squeak, so I wasn’t exactly confident in its effectiveness.
But then, the moment we finished dinner safely, Calysion said,
“Shall we drink the wine comfortably in my room? The garden looks beautiful at night from there.”
“What?”
W-wait, what?
T-this is how it was going to go…?
Honestly, I was completely flustered.
But the voice of Nina, which had been filling my head, finally did its job.
“When His Highness shows subtle interest, don’t pretend you don’t notice!”
Good heavens… I should have dated someone at least once.
Clenching my trembling fingers into a fist, I let out a small laugh.
“If Your Highness is not uncomfortable, it would be an honor for me.”
Once I agreed, Calysion stood and approached my side.
“The night is long. Stay comfortably.”
He didn’t even say, “Stay the night.”
And spending the night in this palace today was something I absolutely needed.
Feeling my heart pound wildly, I stood and took his hand.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
And then I followed him to the Crown Prince’s bedchamber.
A place I hadn’t been able to enter two weeks ago—having to climb in through a flue instead—I now walked into proudly through the door.
The Crown Prince’s red chamber shimmered mysteriously under soft lighting.
Just the fact that the two of us were sitting face to face in the center of such a beautiful room, with a bed to one side, created a subtle atmosphere.
Whether that was because of the room itself or because of its owner, I couldn’t say for sure.
Calysion had even dismissed all his escort knights and guards. It was the first time I’d ever seen him send away that shadow-like knight.
If I’d had magic, it would have been the perfect opportunity—but with brute force alone, I couldn’t possibly overpower a man a head taller than me.
Of course, today wasn’t the day of the hunting festival either, so I decided to focus solely on my original objective.
I thought he looked far more relaxed than usual, but maybe that was just my imagination.
Suddenly, those deep violet eyes looked straight down at me. His smooth lips curved upward slightly as he made a refreshingly direct suggestion.
“After spending a few weeks together, what do you think? Could you live with me here in the imperial palace?”
…Huh?
Is this—by any chance—a proposal?
