CH 29

In the current situation, I had no idea when my father would find out about Clyde’s existence.

Sneaking out of the house at night to meet Clyde was already a considerable risk.

A year is a long time. During that period, I might be able to change Clyde’s feelings towards me.

Right now, his intense attachment to me is probably due to the strong emotions he developed when we were younger.

For him, I was the one who saved him and his mother, and I was his only friend….

But it was also true that I had used him as a means to survive.

As we spent more time together, Clyde would inevitably realize that most of the feelings he held for me were mere illusions.

Of course, this could only happen if my father joined the expedition team.

“The Decoswan canyon is known to be vast and rugged. If it was hidden deep within such a place, there’s a high chance it could be the secret workshop of a powerful mage. I wonder who it could be? Yuciel from the Chauntriya era? Or maybe Drezner?”

As soon as the assembly was dismissed, Cecile came up to me and spoke, her eyes filled with unusual excitement.

“Well, we won’t know until we go and investigate. Are you going to apply, Cecile?”

“Of course. I can’t miss such a valuable opportunity. What about you, Eila? Aren’t you applying?”

“Nah. It might be too hard…You know how my father is.”

Rumors about my father, Julion, trying to avoid marrying me off because of his excessive doting had spread throughout the palace a long time ago.

There was no way that I, who couldn’t even go out on my own, would be allowed to go on a long-term trip to Andela.

When I heard about the recruitment of the expedition team, I never even considered applying in the first place.

“What? But it’s not just any ruins; it’s a relic from the Chauntriya era. It doesn’t make sense for you to miss out on this.”

The reason Cecile said this was because my specialty in the Research Division involved decoding ancient runic texts.

Despite it being an incredibly tedious job of deciphering ancient magical scriptures word by word all day long, I strangely had a talent for it.

Was it thanks to the experience of struggling with incomprehensible books since I was 8 years?

It had been three years since I joined the Magic Department, and there was no one on the team who surpassed me in both accuracy and speed.

“Go ahead and tell him. You have nothing to lose.”

“…Yeah, I’ll try.”

I answered like that, but I knew it was a futile attempt.

If my father was someone who could be easily convinced, I wouldn’t have needed to worry about Clyde in the first place.

*****

After a while, it was lunchtime.

I made an excuse to Cecile that I wasn’t feeling well and decided to skip lunch at the Magic Department alone.

To be honest, it wasn’t that I felt unwell. I just didn’t have an appetite. Perhaps it was due to a few days of sleep deprivation.

Without any particular destination in mind, I wandered around the palace and eventually reached the central indoor garden.

It was one of my favorite places in the palace.

All the flowers and plants here were sustained by the power of magic, which is exactly what I needed.

Nita, of course, showed a puzzled reaction, asking if real flowers wouldn’t be better. It was a moment that made me realize that I was a mage through and through.

I crouched in front of the flower bed and absentmindedly gazed at the dewdrops on the petals.

“There you are.”

I quickly stood up as I heard a voice from behind.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Raphir made a casual gesture as if there was no need for me to stand up. It must have been a gesture he had made hundreds of times, and perhaps because of that, it became a natural and graceful movement.

Of course, I still stood straight and greeted him properly.

“Are you alone? Where are your guards?”

“I sneaked out because it felt stifling.”

Upon hearing that, I unintentionally furrowed my brows, and Raphir burst out laughing. 

“I’m lying. They’re waiting at the entrance of the garden. I can’t do something like that again. I know how much trouble I’ll get into.”

“…….”

“By the way, this is where we first met.”

“…I apologize for that.”

I shook my head, feeling guilty.

“No need to apologize. To be honest, everything you said was true.”

“Still, how dare I presumptuously preach to His Highness the Crown Prince….”

“It’s okay. Thanks to that, I met you.”

“…….”

While I hesitated, Raphir smiled mischievously. It was always the same, but his smile gave off a radiant glow, as if he had a halo.

‘Actually, the nickname “Sunshine” seems to suit him better than Brother Nita…’

“I heard you’ve been worrying a lot lately.”

“…Pardon?”

I turned to Raphir in surprise.

“Sylphia told me that something had happened to you, and that your complexion hasn’t been quite good lately.”

A few days ago, I had tea with Sylphia at her request. She pried and seemed quite concerned..

At that time, I brushed it off, saying it was nothing and that I was just a bit tired.

But then the next day, she sent me a lot of tea and fruits, saying they were good for relieving fatigue…

“I unintentionally caused worry for Princess Sylphia. But I’m fine now.”

“You don’t look fine at all.”

“It’s probably just my mood.”

I turned my head slightly away from Raphir’s gaze and spoke.

“Is it because of what happened that day?”

“What do you mean?”

“The person who behaved rudely towards you at the masquerade ball.”

“…….”

I felt my expression harden.

“Why…”

“Because I think that’s when you started acting weird.”

“That’s… just my mood.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

I spoke calmly, trying to maintain my composure.

“He just mistook me for someone else. Is there a reason to dwell on a simple incident like that for so long?”

“That’s odd. I thought you two knew each other.”

“…….”

The words seemed to knock the wind out of me for a moment.

I desperately tried to keep my voice from quivering.

“Why… do you think that way?”

“Because it seemed like you were desperately trying to shield that person, even though you claim you don’t know him well.”

“…I just didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I thought it might reach my father’s ears if I did. Your Highness, you know my circumstances too.”

“Of course, I know. There is no one else I care about as much as you.”

Raphir spoke in a gentle tone.

“That’s why I didn’t pursue it further. That day, you were looking at that person with a gaze I had never seen before.”

“…….”

I clenched my dry mouth, moistening it with a small gulp.

“Your Highness, you misunderstood. I saw that person for the first time that day. Of course, I haven’t seen him since then.”

Raphir silently looked at me and murmured softly.

“If you say so, then I guess that’s the case.”

“…Thank you for your concern. But really, there’s nothing going on. I’m just having trouble sleeping lately, so I’m tired.”

“And why is that?”

“I don’t know, but Princess Sylphia has been sending me many things that are good for a good night’s sleep, and I’m gradually feeling better. So Your Highness doesn’t need to worry anymore.”

Raphir coughed softly.

“Is it possible that I am the reason you can’t sleep?”

“…What?”

Raphir gave a bitter smile as he saw my expression.

“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m not so full of myself thinking that I have that much influence over you. I mean if you were worried because of the suggestion I made before.”

“…Oh.”

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. My mind had been consumed by Clyde’s situation.

“Seems like it wasn’t even a concern to begin with.”

“…I apologize.”

“Don’t apologize. It makes me look even more ridiculous.”

“I’m sorry….”

As I trailed off without finishing my sentence, Raphir chuckled softly

“It’s okay, I didn’t expect you to accept my proposal within a day or two anyway.”