CH 22

The sound of handsome men, the moon at night and grasshoppers in the background. It would be perfect if only there was alcohol here.

“… .”

A moment of silence passed.

Cain’s appearance looked more perfect at night. The cool breeze blackened his hair and made it look like ink.

Oh, it’s nice.

I was drunk on the romantic atmosphere. And so……. I’ve come to do something crazy. I reached out to him who was just looking at me with a silent, mysterious look. Then I carefully grabbed him by the hem and dragged him on a flat rock close to us.

” Your Grace”, I said something very out of the blue to him, who stared at me with a little surprise, “Your Grace the Duke, don’t get hurt or die anywhere. Got it?”

After I leave, whatever the crown prince does, don’t lose against him!

In fact, I didn’t talk with him much in comparison to Eugene, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I’m only saying this because of the atmosphere.

‘I’m worried, but he’d look cool if he got hurt.’

Even if it’s not an arm, if that perfect handsome guy would get hurt repeatedly…… Well, wait a little… I think it’s good to get hurt a little bit….

“Hey!”

No, no, it’s dangerous. I managed to dispel my dangerous desires. The duke looked at me with his usual calm expression, but there has been a change: A shallow tremor passed through his black eyes.

The tearful distortion on the perfect face without any cracks was new. It was a strange sight to see his expression, which did not change much usually, shake so much. My lips opened as I stared blankly at his face.

“Your Highness, what do you mean?”

I quickly came to my senses and answered: “It’s just… I hope you stay healthy as long as you’re with me.”

Please remain a perfect handsome man.

I want to heal myself with your beauty on frustrating days like today. I think I’m going to be blocked from being a fan, but you should at least show me your face.

Cain, who was listening quietly, opened his mouth again as the smile around his mouth was about to become gloomy: “Can I tell you an old story?”

I smiled and nodded.

“One day, a child that no one wanted was born. The child had to grow up all alone. Of course, they didn’t have any friends.”

I listened in silence. Because Cain, who said that, seemed very serious.

“Then they made a friend someday.”

Cain paused. And he continued with a feeling of great suffering: “And one day, the person who the child believed to be their friend asked the child to give their blood, flesh and heart to them.”

It felt like Cain was telling me about his own past, but I couldn’t get the hang of it. This is because the unfortunate past of Cain that I know doesn’t fit this story.

“The child said yes to his friend. And after a long time, it realized that their friend was actually just using them for their own self gain.”

Cain asked me: “What do you think about this?”

“What I think about it? Um….”

Cain’s expression was rather dark. I didn’t know exactly what he was asking me about, but the difficult atmosphere made it hard to ask.

I was worried, but I just decided to answer casually: “I think the child needs to get away from their friend.”

For a moment Cain looked at me startled. He seemed to have heard something unexpected. I caught sight of him blinking silently.

“They have to run away from it before they lose more of their blood, flesh and heart. They shouldn’t have given it to their friend in the first place. True friends would never ask for those things.”

It was something I said thinking that I can’t help it even if I feel bad. I was because I thought the child of that story was probably be Cain. But surprisingly, Cain was smiling. And then there was a long silence.

After a while, breaking the silence, Cain said: “Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Tomorrow, Lord Volton and I will accompany you.”

It was a remark so out of place, it was as if to avenge my answer prior.

“What….”

As soon as I tilted my head, I was laughing at his face and voice. He rose from his seat, gently supporting me.

“No matter what happens, it will go your way.”

“……?”

Oh? Does that mean you won’t get hurt or die? Cain was serious even though it wouldn’t be up to him to decide even if he made a promise to me. Did I put too much weight on it? Somehow, I blinked quickly at the heavy atmosphere that made me think I had to bow when saying thank you.

“Tomorrow, you’ll be able to go out as wanted …… of course.”

He stared at me with his deep eyes shining strangely, but he bowed his head and moved away as silently as he had come.

“…….”

Uh, well, thank you though. It felt great to say something sincerely like that out of the blue. He made me a little flustered, but it was so like him.

“Ha….”

Lovely. Wiping away the tears that were overflowing from all the emotions piling up, I laughed stupidly in ecstasy. Then I hurried and went back to my palace.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

It was no coincidence that Cain went to the palace garden around the Imperial Palace. He was on his way back from meeting Eugene. Not long ago, with doctor Rox and the herbalist Ripley, the four of them investigated ways to slow down the progression of the princess’ disease.

Unexpectedly, they were able to come up with a method to delay the disease’s progress a little bit at the time. That day Cain seemed to have spoken the most he had in nearly a month. That’s not all. He even built an unintended friendship with the skillful free knight Sir Volton.

‘Friendship….’

He suddenly remembered the days when he was still bright. The red-haired crown prince came to his side at that time. The whole process of being shackled in the name of loyalty. He was born with great power, which lead to him being ostracized and losing something precious to him. And even that fact that he was abandoned had to be exploited.

As much as he couldn’t forgive himself, he couldn’t forgive the Crown Prince who used him. No, his forgiveness would mean nothing to the Crown Prince in the first place.

‘The princess was the one with the best cards to attack the Crown Prince.’

She has the name of her great maternal family, which the crown prince did not have. Even if it’s a family that lives in seclusion because of Lisian Vance. So, at the moment when he saw Leticia in the office at that time, he had no choice but to think a lot. It was because the best weapon he ever wanted was right there in front of him.

But, if it were just that, he wouldn’t become so excited. There was no reason for him to become unusually enthusiastic about his work. No, maybe it was because of the last expression on the princess’ face. The situation when I saw the princess for the first time was very unusual. Also, the princess I saw back then….

“She looked so pitiful and reminded me of someone I wanted to forget.”

She resembled his own mother who didn’t reject him. Her eyes. Her vulnerability. If Eugene hadn’t heard of reason, he would have teased her for being nosy. But who can easily turn a blind eye to it? To that kind of expression?

Skillfully erasing out the shock of the last hope disappearing in front of oneself. It resembled him one day, and his mother another day. That’s probably why. However, the princess, who he watched closely afterwards, gave him a different impression.

He can’t express it well, because he himself is not good at talking, but the Princess was a really bright person. Watching someone born in the sunlight smile like the moon, it evoked a strange sensation. In the meantime, he had something to say about the princess’ affaires, so he was looking for Eugene.

“…….”

On his way back. He was thinking again about princess Leticia, which has been coming to his mind often lately. Is that so? Like an illusion in the distance, the princess caught his eye.

“Why at this hour?”

He was more surprised by the sound of the words he muttered without realizing it. It was a thought-provoking night. Ignoring the cry of his heart that he maybe shouldn’t interrupt the princess and leave her alone, he was already heading towards her. However, by the time he could clearly see the face of the princess, who was looking up at the moon, he stood still.

The princess bare face saturated with sadness. The unpretentious, restrained face was the same as usual, but there was a glimpse of pain and sadness that could not be hidden. Her emotions were so deep that the heart of the viewer get crushed.

Oh, yeah, it can’t be all right.

Since they first met, the princess, whom he sees quite often nowadays, has always been objectively bright. She treated him without hesitation even though she was having a hard time. She laughed well and elegantly as she was taught, but unlike the rumors he heard, she was warm like spring. So before he knew it, he felt that the princess was a strong person.

She is a beautiful and strong person. So it’s fine now.

“But did you suffer all alone like this without showing anyone?”

Cain finally understood why Sir Volton, someone who was difficult to deal with, cared so much about the Imperial Princess.

It was then that Cain heard her voice: “Time flies so fast.”

Maybe she was talking to herself as she was mumbling silently.

“I have to visit the outside.”

And she was trembling.