Chapter 36

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Chapter 36

I didn’t think I’d be able to keep it a secret from him, but I didn’t know either that he’d ask me outright.

I don’t know. Would it be right for me to tell Albert what I’m really thinking to do? Well, I tried to hide it only because I thought it might provoke him more, but if he’s asking me so straightforwardly like this, it’s difficult to make any excuses.

This makes me wonder if Albert really planned to ask with this timing.

An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth!

Honesty is the answer to honesty.

“…Yes.”

Sitting there with light shining on him, Albert looked like a saint. He glanced down at me and smiled faintly.

“I knew you won’t make any excuses.”

I could hear my conscience being split in half as I thought about how to butter up Schubert and Liam before.

…It’s a true crime that only I knew since it was a secret before, so it’s alright. I gathered my conscience back together and put some tape on it to make it whole again.

“Because if I ask you like this, of course you’ll answer.”

Albert spoke in a coaxing voice as he widened his eyes in a cheeky manner.

“I know you’ll make me answer in whatever way you want me now, Prince.”

Not using any force yet knowing best how to pull people in any way he wants! That’s Albert!

“You know how I am, too, don’t you? That’s good, Rosé.”

Looking satisfied, Albert stroked his chin.

…What’s this? I feel like I’m a student who’s being praised for answering correctly.

Either way, since this opportunity came up already, I began to try and persuade him.

“Prince, I think what you’re feeling now is only temporary.”

“Temporary, hm.”

“You know, it’s just. At first, you… hated me so much, and the tower was so cramped with just the two of us.”

“So it’s just the two of us. Then?”

“Because you were lonely, so for a moment…”

I trailed off and let him fill in the blanks.

Albert tilted his head to the side as he continued to hold his chin. After inhaling for a moment, he let out a chuckle.

“Just because I’m stuck in the tower doesn’t mean that my standards would disappear.”

His confident tone of voice made me speechless. The first attempt at persuasion was a complete failure.

But I don’t fully believe what he said just now. I have no idea how Albert would change when he’s falling in love.

In other words, it’s impossible to know whether his words were true or whether this was all a bluff from a person who couldn’t objectively see the person in front of him anymore.

I knew all too well that a person would change once they’re in love.

“What else do you want to say.”

This conversation with Albert was almost like a spear against a shield. Whatever I say, it would all just bounce back.

No, no. Let’s think positively.

This conversation was going much more smoothly than I thought, right?”

He didn’t cut me off, and he didn’t show that crazy side of him just to cut me off.

So there are still plenty of chances to convince him.

As I was thinking about how to string my words together, Albert’s breath grew so loud in my ears. Huu, huu… The sound kept making my face burn up.

Come one now, don’t think about anything else. Albert’s voice is only like that because he’s having a hard time wielding magic right now. I muttered to myself as though being brainwashed, but I couldn’t help but be constantly distracted by him.

I asked seriously.

“Prince, is this the right time to continue this conversation?”

Then, raising his eyebrows, Albert answered.

“Absolutely.”

“Alright, then I’ll continue.”

I almost struck a nerve there. Since the person concerned said it’s alright to continue, what could I do? I gave up and chose my words.

“I’m a maid.”

“Yes, you are.”

Albert’s entirely calm demeanor made me panic. Was Albert originally a man who had no sense of how the real world works?

It’s clear that he couldn’t grasp the situation.

Right now, it’s like he’s those chaebols who don’t understand the lives of ordinary people. There’s no way that a person who’s lived his entire life as an ultra-rich heir would be able to understand the hardships of an office worker…

“Your Highness, I’ve been a maid my entire life, while you’re part of the royal family.”

Actually, I don’t know if Rosé had been a maid all her life, but let’s set that aside.

“I’m afraid of the people who’ll start talking.”

“Then I’ll just make it so that they won’t.”

“It’s not as easy as you think.”

“I can make it easy.”

Albert casually concluded like this. His unwavering gaze and tone made me really feel like it’s possible.

…And I really do think it’s gonna work—wait, no. Get a hold of yourself. Verbal promises and putting those words to action are two different things! Even if Albert’s the main character, not everything would go his way!

The second attempt at persuasion failed as well.

I sighed.

“Do you have any other arguments to present?”

Albert’s voice was still so full of confidence. I wondered if I should really tell him the last reason.

This one is a very personal reason, and just thinking about it was making my heart twist up in all sorts of ways, so I didn’t want to say it as much as possible.

It’s also a frank confession of the fact that I’m more of a coward than I look.

But what could I hide from this prince? I don’t want a misunderstanding to happen later.

I finally opened my lips and uttered the words I tried to hide deep in my heart.

“I’m afraid that you’ll change your mind, Prince.”

Unexpectedly, Albert was affected by this. As he was at a loss for words, he blinked once.

As though he didn’t think I’d say this.

“You think I’ll change?”

“…It hasn’t been long since you’ve changed also, right? In the same way that you started liking me suddenly, I’m scared that you’ll stop liking me just like that, too. It’ll happen later when I’ve already given everything of myself to you.”

This was my final defense.

Because I know that the moment I begin to bare my heart to Albert, in an instant, he’ll tear down all the walls I tried to build around me and take all of me.

That’s why I need to hear some assurance before I can fully accept him.

Hearing all these reasons, Albert was lost in thought. His breathing gradually settled as he calmed down.

“So you don’t dislike me.”

“How many people in this world can ever dislike you, Prince…?”

I answered seriously. Well, I guess it’s possible for asexual people?

But for me, it’s impossible to say that I hate Albert.

“You’ve been thinking of getting away from me…”

The light of the magic circle gradually faded and covered my entire body instead. As the light had dimmed, his faintly lit eyes shone in the white light.

“Even if I try to explain, you won’t believe me, will you, Rosé.”

Albert reached out and brought my hand close to his lips.

“Even if I don’t change, you won’t believe me.”

A strangely different touch pressed against the back of my hand. The bridge of his nose, his long eyelashes—they seemed like they’d touch my hand at any moment.

Pressing his lips gently on the back of my hand, Albert spoke.

“Try it.”

“…What?”

“All the things you want to do, try it.”

His eyes curved into arcs. A warm look in his eyes was directed at me, as though to console me.

“Of course, I won’t just stay still, but…”

It couldn’t be said that he looked like a man who’s given up. Rather, he was like a predator who was releasing his prey temporarily if only to show a little mercy.

The problem was that it’s more likely that the prey would eventually fall back into the cage.

“What I mean to say is, whatever you want to do, I’ll allow you to try it.”

Albert cradled my face with both his hands. As his center of gravity had shifted, it looked like he was about to fall on top of me.

“But you can’t stop me from what I want to do either…”

The weak light emanating from the magic circle cast a slight shadow over his face. One bead of sweat flowed down from the side of his face and to my cheek.

“I’m pretty good at waiting.”

With one hand, he caressed my cheek. One thumb swept where the bead of sweat had fallen, smearing it to the side.

“I’m pretty good at begging, too.”

Albert’s face was getting closer. The moment I let out a sharp exhale in surprise, his voice sank into my ears.

“Right now, just as I’m begging to you, I’m going to try every trick there is.”

Albert’s body tilted forward. His face got closer and closer to mine.

“D-Da—”

Dangerous, was what I was going to say, when Albert buried his face on my shoulder. To be more exact, he fell on top of me.

“Huh?”

I could feel his firm body on me. He didn’t feel heavy because he was still sitting on the bed with just his upper body falling on me, but the distance between us was practically gone. My face flushed bright red.

In a low voice, Albert crooned.

“I hope you don’t make me wait too long.”

…Seriously.

What should I do with this man?

After the treatment, Albert set aside those feelings for the moment and sent Rosé out. Showing no signs of wanting to go out, she asked if it would be better for her to stay and take care of him, but he eventually mentioned that fledgling dragon’s name.

When the name ‘Blanc’ came out, Rosé went away without any more fusses. As she left, Liam, who was waiting outside, came into the room.

Albert rose from the bed. Contrary to what he had told Rosé, it didn’t seem like he had any problems moving.

“We’re staying here for a week or so.”

“Is there anything Your Highness is planning to do?”

Liam was actually the most curious about this. When Liam asked him to stay here back then, the prince left without even looking back, but then suddenly he came back to the castle with that maid in tow. Liam couldn’t understand.

“I must meet the mages.”

“Your Highness will be at risk of revealing your current location. Please leave this matter to me and—”

“It concerns black magic. You might be put into danger, too. Losing you now would affect the military greatly.”

Liam grew quiet. It’s true that he was accustomed to wielding a sword and not magic.

“And it would be better if I can find out who had cast this spell.”

He didn’t tell Liam the truth—the fact that Rosé Artius was a dark mage.

Rosé was no longer a danger. She didn’t know how to use black magic, and even looked as though she’d never seen magic before. Even so, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t a dark mage anymore.

Albert opened a window to let the cold air seep in. Outside, all that could be seen was darkness.

“They will all think that I’m still in the tower because I’ve cast a spell of confusion around it.”

Similarly, he also didn’t tell Rosé the entire truth. Albert’s magical capabilities weren’t so weak that he’d be bedridden for an entire week just for leaving the tower and removing the dark spell on her.

From tomorrow onwards, he’d probably need to rest for three days, but he’d be fine after that. Rather, if he would use up his mana reserves close to the limit, then he might need to rest for around a week.

Even so, if he ever would need to push himself to the limits, the pain that would fill his whole body would be something he’d need to inevitably face.

It was like that when Rosé had nursed him back to health. The intense pain that swept over him back then felt as though he was being burned alive, but then after this, he realized that his magic had become stronger. It’s something that he’s been used to for a while now.

Every time dawn came and he went to bed under the pretext of being taken care of, he planned to go to the prison in the far north. That’s where the detained mages were. If he were to ask the mages there, he might be able to get some information about Rosé.

He’d even go to the village of mages if he had to.

“If I tear their whole bodies apart, they’re bound to say something…”

Dark mages were easily identifiable because their minds and bodies had already collapsed. The mages know this, too.

Liam should not know the existence of a dark mage around him. So, Albert had to deal with this himself.

Because the moment it’s revealed that Rosé Artius was a dark mage, his maid would be beheaded.

That was the biggest reason why Albert came to this place.

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