Chapter 39

Lu Havre looked around the capital city, wearing a simple outfit. Karbala was the only one who followed him quietly. The capital was not so damaged by war: the Grand Office, the building of the second knights, the mansions of nobilities. Originally, the city was as splendid as the castle and lit up the night.

Taking a day like this and walking around with quick steps made him feel something new. He walked around as if he was not a king, but some people recognized him and bowed. That gave him up to deep emotion, too.

He had always considered emotions as a luxury, but these days he realized more and more that he could be wrong. The most prominent example was his greed and desire for Ashite.

The second was the feeling he got during an inspection. It made him stand at the border between the past and the present. Whenever and wherever people looked at him, they showed their awe. They had not done so until a few years ago. Everyone used to ignore and laugh at him.

The second knightage was worse. They were young knights that kept the capital safe. There were faces that he had seen in Ramon Lehus. They greeted him and bowed with trembling fingertips, which was funny to Lu Havre. Some of the young knights would have joined in harassing him before. And at that moment, they were shaking, not knowing what to do, and put on the politest act they could.

He didn’t want to be sarcastic, of course. He just laughed. The king answered their greeting calmly.

The day had gone by fast, and the sun was already setting.

When Lu Havre left the palace, he told his servant that it was all right to let the princess into the office. He didn’t want her to wait outside because the inspection might take too long. The office was not a place where anyone could easily enter, especially when the owner was not there, but she was not the type of woman that would snoop. He was very sure about the fact that she would probably just wait quietly on the couch for him.

“Waiting for me.” The thought rang out in his heart.

The night wind felt much softer, somehow. The lights of the city were unusually bright.

He wanted to finish his work quickly and get back to the palace. From the bottom of his heart, that thought rose. Lu Havre could not deny it. It was already the time he could not deny this feeling.

Really, he had no idea when the world was colorless to him. Were emotions really just a luxury? Everyone was in awe when he walked down the street. They cried or laughed with each word or gesture of Lu Havre’s. He was sitting where he could enjoy the wealth of the whole country. He felt relaxed and wondered if emotion really was just a thing of luxury. He felt like he could say no by now.

Lu Havre finished his inspection and walked back to the castle. He did not even ride a carriage.

The smell of flowers was delightful and the night breeze was cool. It was calm in the castle, but it was still lit up in the dark. At the center of the clean, gray-white city, there was a royal palace.

Lu Havre calmly walked down the straight road, enjoying the night wind and the scent of flowers. “Is emotion a luxury? No,” he thought. He deserved this relaxation, so he slowly headed toward his office. He really enjoyed this time.

He enjoyed it because she was there. It was time to go into his office.

He walked slowly, but he walked with a long stride. He soon arrived in the palace and climbed the stairs. Every time he took another step, his heart pounded.

Soon, Lu Havre stood in front of the office. He gestured and stopped the servant who was about to announce the king’s entrance. He caught his breath.

Lu Havre opened the door. It opened slowly, like a scene from a fairy tale. A cold wind blew, and in the middle of the brilliant office, she was there, as perfect as a picture. Lu Havre smiled with great satisfaction.

But Ashite didn’t seem like she had heard the sound of the door. She didn’t turn her head. He only could see her side. Ashite had something in her hands. Lu Havre narrowed his eyes. What was that?

They were familiar-looking papers. His mind suddenly slowed down. It was like somebody threw cold water at him.

It was Yerev’s report. Lu Havre hesitated. “Oh, I should have put that away. Why did I leave it there?” he thought.

Well, he had always left it there. After his interest in her grew, he read that report carefully. Although he stacked the papers in the corner, he did not throw away a single sheet or keep them hidden. It was not something anyone could read, anyway.

He gritted his teeth. It was obvious that she would be offended even though what he had done was reasonable surveillance, he felt. Like that, rational thinking was frozen, and his emotions were loud. “What if she gets upset? What if she gives me a fierce look?” he wondered to himself. He never wished to make her upset. He decided to get rid of the papers immediately.

Lu Havre strode forward. The door closed.

“Ashite,” he called her name.

Lu Havre stood right near Ashite. He could see her face. He was expecting that she would be wearing a frown and fierce look.

Lu Havre called her name, and his throbbing heart sank in a moment.

“Yes?” she answered.

Ashite looked interested at first glance.

“I am sorry,” she said.

“What?” he asked.

“The papers were blown over by the wind, so I wanted to clean up, but … I didn’t know it was Etutu’s report. I am sorry, Your Majesty,” she said.

“It is okay,” Lu Havre replied.

Ashite gathered the papers and held them out to Lu Havre. She seemed to be genuinely sorry. Lu Havre quickly put the documents together in order and placed them in the corner.

Lu Havre barely swallowed a sigh and turned back to Ashite.

Her face looked better than he’d thought. “Isn’t she upset?” he wondered. He wished she would say something, but Ashite looked down as if she was lost in thought. Her eyelashes fell down like the wind. They were dark, luxurious, soft-looking eyelashes. Lu Havre could help himself and watched her eyelashes.

Ashite was still thinking. At first, she had been trying to clean up the papers that had been scattered on the floor. Then she had seen the text and read it as fast and thoroughly as she could. She knew she shouldn’t read them, but she couldn’t help it.

It was a report about her, but before she felt guilty, she admired it. Indeed, Etutu had given a very detailed and precise report. It seemed that her daily routine had been written as it was. She saw the sentences that mentioned whose daughter she was, and of course, that she went to Wroclaw often. It was written well on what days she had spent in Monterobis. The king must have read it. Ashite was suddenly curious.

Then, she came to her senses. What would she do even if she asked? She was sitting on the couch, not knowing what to do.

She actually knew the reason. The reason that even though he had been reading this delicate report so far, he had not spoken to her much. Even though he liked books, even though he knew about her mother, the reason why he did not say something before was because he didn’t have any interest in her at all. But now, he showed a clear interest and a fervor she had never experienced before.

Ashite looked slightly up at the king. He was close. It was such a small distance that she could reach him. The king was still looking straight at her. She felt her face burning.

But Ashite was able to remain calm, if only barely.

Lu Havre told her to read a book, as he had some papers to fill out. Ashite complied. Lu Havre arranged the papers, pens, and bottles of ink on his desk. The documents that he had reported the previous day, the papers he had to fill out, and the papers he had to sign. It was already night time, but there were still things he had not yet handled. Both of them silently concentrated on their work. The clock ticked away.

The office was still quiet. Lu Havre pressed his hand into his neck. He swept his eyes across the room and looked at her briefly. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help it.

Ashite’s yellow eyes shone under the bright lights. Her red cheeks drew his attention. The purple hair seemed like sweet candy. He could sink into that pinkish-purple hair like it was a deep ocean. He wanted to stroke her hair. Lu Havre shook his head to clear his thoughts. He asked her to come to the office because he wanted to be with her, but he was sinking deeper and deeper into thoughts about her.

He was swept away, helpless. He wondered how this was possible.

But Lu Havre kept looking at her face. He could not look away. Her round forehead was like fine porcelain. If he touched it, how would it feel? He was sure it would be soft. Her nose was sharp but softly curved. Her red cheeks, skinny but not too skinny, were blushed. He could grab those with his one hand. His eyes reached her lips. They were a much sweeter color than her hair. They were red, slightly orange, and looked a bit like a pink flower. Those lips that looked like desirable fruit―

“Your Majesty—” Ashite began to say.

Lu Havre stood up suddenly. He pushed his chair back and it made a slightly unpleasant sound.

“—Do you have anything to say?” she asked.

“N…o,” Lu Havre said.

Lu Havre wanted to bite his tongue, which resulted in him not finishing the sentence well. “Why did I stutter? She might think it’s strange. It was like I was telling her I fell in love with her,” he thought.

But Ashite just looked down at the book again. Lu Havre swallowed another sigh. He leaned his forehead into his hand, casting a shadow on his face.

The office was again filled with the sound of the turning of pages and writing on paper. The clock ticked impatiently.

A sigh that would not reach the other hung on the tip of his tongue.