CH 43

Clarisse shook her head in shock at the words that came out of her mind in an instant.

‘What am I thinking.’

It might have been in the past, but now Clarisse was not envious of not being lonely.

Isn’t it obvious to see a giraffe doll with its head out because it couldn’t get into the carriage? 

‘I’m not lonely at all.’

Clarisse entered first into a carriage with a giraffe poking out its head.

It just so happened that she had work to do.

It was to pull the giraffe’s neck into the carriage before departing.

If they were to travel by carriage like this, they would have to keep the windows open all the time. 

Her fluffy giraffe was so cozy and nice in her bed, but it was hard for her to carry it and move it like this.

“Ugh.” 

Clarisse groaned as she hugged the giraffe’s body, but it barely got into the carriage, as if its head was stuck somewhere. 

“Ah!”

Clarisse pulled with a little more force.

Then, in an instant, the giraffe’s head, surprisingly soft, slipped into the carriage.

“Huh?” 

Looking out the window in surprise, Valentine, holding a gentleman’s cane high, was looking at Clarisse with his face crumpled up.

It seemed that he pushed the giraffe’s head through the end of the cane.

“Prince!”

Startled, Clarisse poked her head out the open window.

“What am I going to do if you pop out after putting that terrible giraffe in?”

He stood crookedly and smiled a little.

“I… thought I couldn’t see the Prince anymore.”

“Why? Because you’re a sinner?”

Clarisse nodded slightly

“Don’t be ridiculous. You can claim the restoration of the Grezekaia royal family just by your existence. But do you think the Sapher royal family will neglect to keep an eye on you?” 

“Are you here to watch me yourself?”

“Well, there are things like that.”

He brushed his blond hair and laughed.

“Coming to think of it, I think you might be right.”

“Yes?” 

When Clarisse asked him again, he changed the beautiful smile he had been making for a long time back to his normal distorted one. 

“Did you forget? Are you a fool?”

“I’m not a fool. To put it bluntly, I will make a great eighteen.”

“Do you know what a great eighteen is like?”

“….” 

It happened to be one of the topics that Clarisse had been thinking about for days.

She wondered how in the world she could become a ‘great eighteen-year-old’.

Valentine answered her kindly as if he knew what she was worried about.

“There is a test called the Public Official Exam.”

“Public Official…Exam?”

“Yes. If you win first place there, your name will appear in the newspapers, and everywhere you go, you will be praised as a great person.”

“That’s cool.”

“Of course. Because all kinds of studies, arts, and even history are subject to the test.”

“They should be very smart.”

“Yes. Only the very smart people…”

He bit his lip as if contemplating something for a moment.

He seemed to be suffering for some reason.

“So, I’m going to study. Even by myself… and after that.”

He raised his head with a determined face, and looked back.

Maximilian, who had approached before he knew it, was there.

“I’ll judge who you are with my own eyes!”

Despite the Prince’s sudden declaration, Maximilian only gave a calm look.

“And if you’re really a bad person, I won’t let you go. Because I was… born for the stability of the royal family.”

After talking to Maximilian, he looked back at Clarisse again.

“It’s the same for you!”

“Y, yes?”

“I’ll see. I’ll be sure to keep my eyes open and watch if you’re doing well.”

“That’s…”

Clarisse answered in a clear voice, still leaning her body out of the carriage window.

“Does it mean that the Prince will come to Sheridan to play?!”

“What do you mean play!”

He shouted and quickly corrected Clarisse’s words.

“It’s observation to the end! Besides… you, you have no other friends, so I can’t help it. Interacting with peers has a great impact on character formation…”

“That, I have a friend.”

“What? A prisoner has a friend? Who is it?!”

“It’s Noah.”

The moment Clarisse mentioned the name, Valentine’s eyebrows furrowed for some reason.

“…What, that’s a very unpleasant name.”

“If you come to Sheridan later, I’ll be sure to introduce you. I’m sure the prince will like Noah too.”

“Why do I feel uncomfortable on a physiological level? Oh, never mind.”

He shook his head quickly and straightened his posture again.

The strong sunlight falling through the cold of winter fell on the clear Blonde, making his beauty stand out even more.

The strong sunlight falling through the winter chill fell on his clear blonde hair, highlighting his beauty even more.

At the moment when a soft smile was added to this, Clarisse reminded herself of the fact that his status was ‘Prince’.

“It was good to see you, Clarisse.”

“Prince…”

“Uhm, my mother won’t agree with me this time either.”

He turned his eyes away for a moment, but soon smiled again at Clarisse.

“At least ‘I’ think so.”

Valentine, who was talking like that, seemed very comfortable for some reason.

* * *

The night before Clarisse leaves the capital.

Maximilian had an audience with the king, his brother, and the owner of this land.

“It’s nice to know the new fact that my foolish little brother has a weakness for beauty.”

Lysander, a man as beautiful as a statue, sighed with his chin resting half-lying on the sofa.

“I couldn’t believe that one of our ducklings, which I thought only knew his mother as a woman, acted like a man in front of a prisoner. Not even cute.” 

Maximilian answered in a calm manner at the sneering remark.

“Prince Valentine was just deeply lonely. As much as he has fewer opportunities to meet his peers.”

“Ah really.”

Lysander stood up. His clothes, half unwrapped, slid off his body and down the sofa, making him almost naked.

“And my older brother is really weak against mixed blood! I can’t believe you even feel sorry for that kid.”

Lysander murmured quietly, “If I were you, I would have killed the young one secretly.”

Maximilian didn’t answer.

“I am here to hear the answer to your last question, Your Highness.”

“You mean another young mixed blood? At this rate, I’m going to build a mixed blood museum next to you.” 

Lysander chuckled.

“That kid wants to be a good eighteen?”

“Yes, I asked for a temporary identity clearance for this purpose.”

As long as her official status was a ‘prisoner,’ there were bound to be restrictions on Clarisse’s ability to learn.

Maximilian asked for another identity to explain to her.

It’s temporary, but only to be used until the eighteenth birthday.

“It’s a bit complicated. As expected, it’s better just to kill her right now….” 

“I think my ward is enough.”

Maximilian interrupted Lysander and answered in a strong tone.

“Hoo.”

Lysander asked with his eyes narrowed in interest.

“Brother, did you really get attached to that?”

“It is in the law that children must be guaranteed safety and education.”

“Well, it is.”

“Even the first king said that nothing can break a child’s will to learn.”

“Yeah, but isn’t that about children with infinite potential?”

Lysander smiled happily.

“It’s not a kid that Brother will kill with your hand when she was 18.”

“….” 

“No matter what the child learns, it is a flower that will soon fall off anyway. What is the point of providing good soil and clear water to such poor plants?”

“Even if it is, Your Highness.”

Maximilian bent down.

“In our judgment, it is wrong to deprive children of even the opportunities they deserve.”

“Hmm.”

“There are still about nine years until she is eighteen. It’s plenty of time to learn and blossom.”

Lysander smiled, as if it was funny that strange enthusiasm rose from Maximilian’s eyes.

“May I think about it a little bit?”

“I hope it won’t take too long.”

“I know, I don’t intend to worry about this for nine years, so you can rest assured, Brother.”

Lysander got up and made his way to bed.

“Then can I go back to sleep? When I don’t get enough sleep, my skin gets rough. You know, Brother, because I’m a king with no particular strengths besides my face.”

“….” 

“I will send someone to Sheridan to answer your request.”

And Lysander pulled the blanket over his head.

It seemed that he meant that he wouldn’t talk anymore, so Maximilian had no choice but to bow to him and greet him.

“Then, I will wait.”

Leaving the unresponsive Lysander behind, Maximilian left his bedroom.

“Ah.” 

And he happened to encounter an unexpected person in front of him.

Queen, Debina Saphers.

She was Maximilian’s former fiancée.

In fact, until now, they respect each other’s position and have avoided meeting or encountering each other separately.

But he never thought they would run into each other in the hallway like this.

“B, because His Highness called me.”

She stammered out an excuse.

“I’m sorry, Max.”

Suddenly, she handed over an apology.

Maximilian just nodded, not knowing what it was for.

“When I heard Max was coming, I tried not to run into you if possible. If the Duchess sees me, she may feel bad.”