CH 31

“…When I heard he refused the crown prince’s offer without saying a word to me, I couldn’t help but wonder if Father has no intention of ever sending me away from this house.”

This statement was not completely false.

“…I don’t think so, Eila. I’m sure your father has his own ideas.”

I said that, but Nita seemed unsure of what I was saying.

“So, Eila, are you considering accepting the proposal because you want to be free from Father? Or…”

Nita paused for a moment. I tilted my head in curiosity.

“Or what?”

“Are you also…uh…I mean, do you have feelings for His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“…?”

I blinked and looked at Nita.

Aslan let out a mischievous chuckle from the side.

“Little big brother wants to know if you like the Crown Prince. He’s just saying it in a roundabout way because he doesn’t want to say it outright.”

Judging from Nita’s expression, it seemed to be the crux of the matter.

“Ugh, really. I can’t believe it.”

“So, what’s your answer?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I’ve never really thought of His Highness the Crown Prince that way. I mean, I know he’s a nice guy, but….”

“In that case, marrying just because you want to leave home might not be a good choice, Eila. Life in the royal family comes with numerous rules and constraints. You might end up with less freedom than you have now.”

“I know that. However, if I agree to His Highness the Crown Prince’s proposal, he said he would grant whatever I want. He even said he would let me continue my work in the department of Magic.”

“…Is that realistically possible?”

Aslan spoke cautiously but skeptically.

“It will probably be difficult after becoming Crown Prince Consort. However, during the engagement period…who knows, maybe I could still participate in this investigation team….”

“The investigation team? Oh, are you talking about the ancient ruins discovered in Andela?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Aslan must have heard the news since he also has connections with the Royal Magic Academy.

“We’re currently organizing a team centered around the Research Department. But it would take at least a few months if we were to be dispatched… I had given up because I couldn’t imagine Father giving his permission.”

“But Eila, you want to go, don’t you?”

“…Yes.”

This, too, was not a complete lie. As a mage and researcher, I couldn’t help but be interested in the newly discovered ruins after decades.

Aslan stood with his arms crossed, remaining silent for a moment.

“If you could just participate in the investigation team, would that be enough?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll talk to Father about it.”

“…What?”

The expressions on both Nita and I were filled with surprise upon hearing his words.

“But Father would never give his permission…”

Participating in the investigation team was an entirely different matter from attending a one-night masquerade ball like before.

Even if not just Aslan but all three of us, including Heufeln, tried to persuade Father together, I couldn’t imagine him ever granting his approval.

“You can tell him I’m coming with you.”

“What?”

“Well, the Academy has asked me to advise and assist them. I’ll apply and join the investigation team. If I’m there with you, Father might feel somewhat relieved.”

I widened my eyes and looked at Aslan.

It was a completely unexpected solution that hadn’t crossed my mind at all.

Of course, there was no guarantee that I would definitely receive Father’s permission, but the likelihood was much higher.

“…Are you really okay? What about the lectures and research you’re in charge of, Aslan?”

“The lectures will be over next week when the semester ends, so it doesn’t matter, and I have plenty of time to organize my research.”

“…….”

Somehow, I felt a tingling sensation at the tip of my nose.

I had thought it was a problem I had to solve entirely on my own. I also didn’t feel like I could talk to anyone about it, let alone ask for help.

That’s why I spent the whole week without proper sleep, pondering over it.

I didn’t expect any help from Raphir either. I simply thought that there was no need to lie since if I accepted his proposal, my brothers would find out anyway.

As unexpected as it was, the helping hand was incredibly warm, and it made me realize just how difficult and lonely I had been all this time.

“…Thank you, Brother Aslan.”

Nita furrowed his eyebrows as he heard my slightly choked voice.

“Wait, Eila. Are you crying?”

I shook my head. Nita said, “Let me see,” and gently touched my cheek.

“You’re crying. Your eyes are red.”

“…It’s just because dust got in.”

“Eila.”

“It’s true. Look.”

I smiled at Nita, but he still seemed concerned.

I took off the vest and handed it to Aslan.

“I’ll go in now. Thank you, both of you.”

“…….”

“Don’t you have anything to say, like ‘sleep well’?”

“…Sleep well, Eila.”

“Have a good rest.”

“And you too, brothers.”

*****

After Eila left, there was a heavy silence on the terrace for a while.

“…I didn’t realize Eila was struggling so much.”

“When you think about it, it’s natural. Just because she doesn’t show it doesn’t mean everything is fine.”

“…….”

Nita sighed deeply.

“But are you really okay with this?”

“About what?”

“Father, I mean. Or should I accompany you when you talk to him about Eila?”

“No, it’s fine. It might just complicate things if you make an unnecessary slip of the tongue.”

Nita frowned at Aslan’s words.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I’ll make some mistakes?”

“You did it earlier, a slip of the tongue. Don’t you remember when Eila said she received a proposal? You asked if it was from that guy.”

“…….”

At that moment, there was no other possible answer.

Nita shrugged and changed the subject.

“…But are you sure that he has his eye on Eila?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s just a suspicion.”

The ‘guy’ Nita referred to was the man who approached Eila at the masquerade ball.

In fact, they had been discussing him even before Eila came to the terrace.

According to Aslan’s investigation, the man seemed to be a foreigner named Haylan Peridot, who had come to Trachen to find a marriage partner.

“Peridot hasn’t attended any social gatherings since the masquerade ball. Aslan said, he used to show up at every event in the capital before that.”

“…That is certainly suspicious.”

“Of course, there’s a possibility it’s just a coincidence or that he’s simply not feeling well and is recuperating. For now, we should keep an eye on him. We have surveillance in the mansion, so if any significant reports come in, I’ll let you know.”

“…….”

Nita remained silent for a moment with a complex expression.

“Why?”

“…Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if that guy… I mean, Peridot genuinely has intentions towards Eila, do we have the right to intervene? Whether to accept him or not is something Eila should decide.”

“Do you already forget what that guy did at the masquerade ball? Do you want to leave a guy who behaves like a pervert towards a defenseless girl, even in a public place, approaching Eila?”

“Of course, if Eila doesn’t want it, we’ll stop it by any means necessary. But it doesn’t seem right to orchestrate things behind her back in a place where she has no knowledge. We’ll be no different from Father that way. Eila is too precious to us.”

“…….”

Aslan stared at Nita with a cold gaze.

“Do you remember when Eila briefly went missing when she was thirteen?”

“…….”

Of course he did. There was no way he could have forgotten.

Although Eila had been missing for less than a day, Nita felt as if the world was coming to an end.

His father, Julion, and Aslan must have felt the same.

No, his father surely felt an even greater sense of despair.

His father had lost his mother in the same way long ago.

At that time, Nita was still young, so only vague memories remained.

It was only when Nita grew older that he learned the truth. His mother had gone out alone and disappeared, only to be later discovered as a lifeless body.

Nita also knew the reason why his father was overprotective of Eila and didn’t let her go out alone even now, at the age of twenty.