Chapter 602

Chapter 602

Our First Joint Effort

“In that case... Oh, I’ve got it!”

Mia clapped her hands excitedly.

“How about enjoying the moon-viewing from the roof? What do you think?”

As she spoke, a vivid scene surfaced in her mind—a moment she had once heard described. It was a breathtaking spectacle imagined from the confines of her grey dungeon. The scene came from the story The Pauper Prince and the Golden Dragon: the prince, lying atop the roof of a shabby mountain hut during his travels, gazed up at a sky brimming with stars.

‘It sounded so enchanting that I’ve always wanted to try it myself. When I think about it now, I wonder if it perhaps was Elise’s yearning.’

Elise, frail and of a weak constitution, must have envied her siblings, who could climb onto the roof and look at the stars. Perhaps that was why she wove her longing into the story. Mia, a prisoner in the dungeon, had been infected by that same yearning.

‘Hmm, I will definitely seize this opportunity.’

Mia nodded resolutely to herself. Then she turned to Abel and asked, “What do you think?”

Abel listened to Mia’s suggestion, his expression flabbergasted, before bursting into laughter.

“Hahaha! On the rooftop? Surprisingly, Mia, you’ve got a mischievous side to you.”

And with that, the two of them climbed out onto the roof. Luckily, they were able to easily get onto the roof by climbing out of the second-floor window of the hut. However...

“Oh my, it’s higher than I expected. This is... quite scary.”

As Mia cautiously made her way across the creaking roof, Abel gently took her hand and escorted her.

“Abel, surprisingly you seem used to this.”

“Yeah. A long time ago, Ani-sama and I got scolded for climbing onto the roof of the stables.”

“By Ani-sama, you mean...”

What came to Mia’s mind was the twisted smile of Abel’s older brother, Gain.

“Is that surprising? When I was little, he used to be a bit less on the edge than he is now. We used to play together sometimes.”

“Oh, is that so?”

‘It was definitely surprising, but when you think about it, perhaps not. I suppose everyone is like that when they’re children.’

Mia never had any siblings, so she didn’t really know what it was like.

‘There must have been some event that triggered his change, causing him to become twisted. That’s sad.’

As she was thinking about it, they had walked a little further before Abel lay down onto the roof.

“Oh, you can see the stars much better this way. As expected of Mia.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Mia muttered, laying down next to Abel, feeling a little nervous.

And then...

“Wow...”

Her breath escaped unexpectedly. The sky was filled with sparkling stars, arranged so beautifully, as if crafted by the design of divine wisdom. The sight was so breathtaking that just looking at it made her heart overflow. It was almost like an optical illusion.

‘Ah, that’s right. This is it... This is the kind of scenery I imagined when I read Elise’s book.’

It was the starry sky that the prince and the dragon had gazed upon. It was the very image that Mia had imagined and had longed for in the dungeon.

“Abel, thank you very much for inviting me.”

Mia murmured unconsciously.

“Hahaha, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I make it a rule not to hold back for the girl I like.”

Abel laughed cheerfully. Mia cast a sidelong glance at him before turning her eyes back to the night sky.

“What a beautiful starry night. The moon is lovely too. It’s a full moon tonight.”

As Mia stared absentmindedly at the night sky, she suddenly heard a soft voice.

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Eh...?”

Mia looked towards Abel. His face was unexpectedly close, and she gasped softly.

“N-no, I don’t like it, Abel. It feels like you’re going somewhere far away...”

“I’m not going anywhere. But... it might be impossible for me to become your fiancé.”

“What do you mean?”

“About my sister... I asked Malong-senpai to send word to the homeland of Remno. I haven’t heard back yet, so from now on, I’ll follow you of my own volition. However, it’s possible that this may displease my father, and I could be relieved of my position as prince.”

“Oh my! Surely that wouldn’t happen...”

As Mia started to say that, she suddenly remembered.

‘If memory serves me right, Abel had a falling out with his father, the king of Remno, and was banished from the country. I, along with some others, came to rescue him. Something like that was written in the vanishing history book.’

Mia then noticed something.

‘Abel confessed his feelings to me, but he didn’t say what he wanted. He didn’t ask me to marry him, or to be his lover.’

He simply decided to express his feelings.

That was because he believed that if he were no longer a prince, he would not be able to marry Mia. Even so, he still wished to accompany Mia.

“Even if that is the case, there’s no need to worry about it. Abel is Abel, even if you lose your royal status, right?”

Despite her words, Abel’s expression remained gloomy.

“Of course, I know you don’t judge people based on their outward appearances, and you’re not obsessed with someone’s status. But if my sister... If Sister Valentina were to treat Miss Citrina badly, I wouldn’t be able to face you. If that were to happen, how could I ever confess my love to you...?”

“Abel...”

Mia gasped as she realised what he had been thinking... and she couldn’t help but laugh—a gentle laugh.

“Abel... you’re an idiot.”

She had to let him know.

“Even if you insist that you’re not qualified, do you think I would accept that?”

That’s right, Mia knew. She put herself first, above anyone else in the world. She was the most selfish, me-first person in the world. What Abel thought did not matter.

“Even if you run away or hide in your kingdom, it will be pointless. I’ll come to your homeland myself and drag you back. And the same goes for your sister. If necessary, I’ll even use force to bring her back from the Serpents.”

‘Not just Rina-san. I will definitely bring back Abel’s sister too. I will absolutely make sure of it.’

With renewed determination, Mia stood up!

‘I’ll find her!’

“Hmm... I see.”

“Bel-sama, you should not interrupt...”

Bel had been sitting upright on the roof, watching the exchange closely, while Anne tried frantically to bring her back down!

“Bel! Hey, how long have you been watching us?”

“Yes! I saw Grandma Mia and Grandfather Abel walking on the roof, so I rushed over to see what was happening!”

“From the very beginning, then... Ah, well, I thought that would be the case...”

While Mia sighed in resignation, Bel laughed in high spirits.

“I made a wonderful memory. To think Grandma Mia and Grandfather Abel had such deep love...”

As Bel seemed to be deeply moved, Abel called out to her from beside Mia.

“That’s right. I’ve always wanted to ask you this, but you sometimes call Mia ‘Grandma,’ and you also call me ‘Grandfather.’ What does that mean?”

“Hehe, that’s a secret. Maybe one day you’ll find out.”

Bel laughed mischievously. Abel tilted his head in confusion. His puzzled expression was so funny that it made Mia laugh as well.

“That’s right. One day, you’ll understand.”

“Even you’re going to say that, Mia?”

Seeing Abel look a little dissatisfied, Mia laughed again.

‘It was somehow... an incredibly fun night. I should be more nervous before my showdown with the Serpent Priestess, but even though I know that, I can’t help but enjoy this time.’

The memory of the night when Abel confessed his love to her for the first time was engraved in Mia’s mind and would never fade.