CH 43.2

Ria held Isabella’s arm tightly with her hands as if she found Prince Victor’s gaze uncomfortable.

“Isabella, thank you very much last time. I was always worried about treating visitors poorly, but will you give me a chance to make up for it? I wanted to invite the three of  you to my castle.”

“What are you doing?” She heard Archduke Kyar’s voice from the shining turquoise jewel on Isabella’s bracelet.

“Allen? What is this? Did you give Isabella the communication bracelet? When I sent you one as a gift, you threw it in the trash can.”

Duke Kyar didn’t respond to Prince Victor for a while.

The turquoise jewel still shone brightly, so Isabella assumed their communication hadn’t cut off yet.

Perhaps, Duke Kyar was trying to calm down from his rising anger.

“Raphael de Victor,” Archduke said coldly. “Why are you with Isabella?”

“I heard that a visitor came from the Northern Kingdom, so I came to see her myself. Oh! But don’t get me wrong. I arrived at the royal villa because I thought you were here.  I felt a little disappointed in your absence. Yet, upon seeing these beautiful women, my sadness vanished in the blink of an eye.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Victor! Get out of there, or I will visit Arpeon right away and freeze your castle.”

Isabella would bet all her fortune that Duke Kyar’s threat wasn’t a bluff.

Prince Victor’s hands shook as if he was in a hurry.

He felt like Duke Kyar meant that and executed it.

“All right. All right. All right. Calm down.”

“Shut up! Go back to your Castle and disappear for good.”

“Then I’ll just have tea here before I go.  I tried to visit all the way here, didn’t I?”

“One! Two!” Duke Kyar began counting in a low growl, and Prince Victor sighed.

“I will be off now.  I’m afraid I’ll have to see you next time.”

Prince Victor said as he looked at Ria.

Then, he walked straight to his carriage.

“Where is Prince Victor now?”

“He’s in the carriage.”

From the carriage, Prince Victor waved at Ria with a regretful look.

“Call me as soon as you see him again.”

Archduke Kyar seemed wary of Prince Victor.

He didn’t know that it was Ria, not her, whom Prince Victor was interested in.

Isabella felt a little sorry for Prince Victor, but she didn’t like him that much either.

Isabella stared at Prince Victor’s carriage.

She disliked that his black heart aimed for cute Ria, who had this cautious look on her face.

He was ten years older than her.

Thanks to Duke Kyar’s timely interruption, it was easy to drive Prince Victor out there.

She concluded that Prince Victor was more difficult to read than Duke Kyar.

He always smiled but never showed his feelings to anyone.

**

Ignis had been flying all day excitedly, but now he was sitting by the window, dozing off.

Isabella was a little relieved to see him happier in Arpeon.

She still shivered at the cost of using the teleport tower, but she also realized that her friendship with Ignis couldn’t be exchanged with money.

She hated his straightforwardness, sometimes.

Isabella went to the bathroom to shower and stood in front of the mirror in her nightgown.

She carefully reached out to touch the flame-shaped wound on her shoulder.

After having that strange dream in the hot spring, she didn’t feel pain from the wound anymore.

Every time that vivid dream crossed her mind, it made her nervous, but she was still glad that it was fine.

Isabella came out of the bathroom as the tension in her muscles relaxed.

Then she saw Ria standing in front of her bed, carrying a pillow.

“Ria?”

“Sister, can we sleep together tonight?”

She looked up at her with sparkling eyes in her cute pink pajamas.

Isabella found her adorable.

“It felt like a long time had passed since I last visited Arpeon. Should we?”

Isabella asked, and Ria flashed her a bright smile.

She laughed when Ria started squealing as she climbed up to the bed.

“Ria, be quiet! Be quiet!”

Awakened by the noise, Ignis was annoyed for a moment, but he fell asleep again in the blink of an eye.

“Please understand. Ignis is annoyed if someone makes noises while he is sleeping.”

“It’s all right, sister.  I’m as happy as I am now in this world.”

She watched Ria chatter like a baby chick, and a smile spread across her lips.

“What do you think? Do you like Arpeon?”

“Yes. Actually. I’d love to be with you anywhere.”

Maybe, because she thought she was her heroine.

That is why Ria wanted to follow her around everywhere she went.

“Do you want to remember your past?”  Isabella asked cautiously, thinking that Ria might want to recover them as soon as possible.

She wished Ria would regain her memory little by little.

“Not at all. I don’t know why. But I felt like I don’t want to remember.”