CH 22

“This ring. Can I have it for a while?”

“Screech?”

Charelize felt like she had been caught in a whirlpool of unknown emotions. She didn’t forget to ask Shishi’s permission.  

“Don’t worry, I will give it back to your master.”

“Your Highness, I have brought what you said.”

“Screech! Screech!”

“Put the bowl in a suitable place.”

Shishi, excited to see the raw meat Hailey had brought, nodded violently.

“Your Highness, is eagle… an animal that originally could understand human language?”

“I don’t know.”

“But, it seems to understand us and answering strangely from a while ago?”

“Answering?”

“Yes. I don’t think it’s an ordinary bird,” said Hailey, looking at Shishi, that was frantically swallowing raw meat.

Shishi choked out as if getting caught.

“Shishi, are you all right?”

“Sc… Screech…”

Surprised by the sigh, Charelize quickly approached it and patted it on the back. Shishi, who had barely calmed down, flapped its wings and flew away with a slight tear in its eyes.

“Is it okay?”

“As expected. There are a couple of suspicious things.”

“…stop it.”

Charelize smiled slightly at Hailey’s words.

“I want Your Highness to always smile.”

“I feel comforted. Thank you, Hailey.”

“Let’s come inside, Your Highness.”

“Yes.”

The sun went down, and another day passed.

* * *

“Your Highness, the second son of Marquis Radiasa, has come…”

“Who came?”

“Lord Dephir is waiting for Your Highness in the parlor.”

Afternoon the next day, Charelize’s mood, who was doing her duty, plummeted. It was because Delphir had come and was waiting for her in the parlor.

“And…”

“What else?”

“His Royal Highness Prince Arensis has also come. The two are together in the parlor now.”

Charelize, who had just tried to ignore it before, had no choice but to stand up from her seat. Trimming the hem of her dress and putting on her gloves, Charelize made her way to the parlor.

“Your Royal Highness, what brought you here?”

“…are you hurt?”

“It happened during training. Your Royal Highness who holds the sword must understand it.”

“You must apply medicine to treat it.”

Delphir was listening to Arensis’s concerns, treating him like a non-exist person.

“Excuse me, but I have something to talk about with Charel. Could you excuse us for a moment?”

“If you’re going to talk to the little Duchess, you should ask for her permission first.”

“…Your Royal Highness.”

“If you knew it was rude, it would have been better not to ask in the first place,” replied Arensis, smiling slightly.

Charelize, who was watching the scene, tried to hide her startled heart. It was quite exciting to see a new side of the man who was sweet and gentle like a sheep.

“Little Duchess, come to think of it, I heard that the succession ceremony of Grand Duke Innovestin will be held soon.”

“That’s right, Your Royal Highness.”

“Would you like to be my partner?”

“I have already made an appointment with the eldest son of Marquis Justina, so I don’t think I will be able to fulfill that request. I’m sorry.”

Charelize turned down the offer because she had already accepted a partner request from one of the vassal’s sons.

“…it is not for you to be sorry.”

“I have something for you. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“All right.”

When Charelize turned down his request, his face looked sullen. But his sullen face went when she offered to have a cup of tea together.

“Charel.”

“…”

She tried to ignore Delphir, who was nothing more valuable than consuming her feelings.

“Here, I will wait.”

However, as soon as those words came out, Charelize turned her head involuntarily.”

“Your Royal Highness.”

“Yes, little Duchess.”

“Please go up to my room first. Hailey will guide you.”

“…I understand.”

Arensis barely moved his feet and went outside. Before long, only Charelize and Delphir remained in the parlor.

“Am I funny in your eyes?”

“…”

“Why do you keep appearing in front of me and doing such irritating things?”

“I want to… apologize. I want to clear up any misunderstanding.”

“No, I won’t buy it. I hoped never to see you face to face again. But it wasn’t the case with the damn reality.”

“…”

“Didn’t I already say it? Don’t let me hold the dagger to kill you.”

Her mouth felt hurt to speak now. Even sharing the air with him was disgusting to the point she shivered. 

“Charel…”

“A unilateral apology is nothing but violence. Please make me feel like you’re talking to someone else.”

It was funny to see him try to go back to the old days by calling her nickname with his mouth.

“You’re not tired yet, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Your complexion looks fine.”

Leaving Delphir slumped on the floor, Charelize left. As before, she didn’t hold his hand or lift him up. After leaving, she went up to the room where Arensis was waiting.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry for showing my bad side. I’m okay, so you don’t have to worry.”

He was sitting in his chair drinking tea, then suddenly, he looked back and asked. Today, Charelize spit out lies instead of what she really felt.

“Why…are you saying you’re okay?”

“What are you talking about…”

“Why do you keep saying you’re okay while you’re crying inside?”

The gaze of Arensis, who looked at her as if he felt pity for her, was terrifying. Charelize felt as if he had uncovered what she had hidden inside, which she didn’t want to show.

“I have been wondering. Your Royal Highness… Do you know me?”

“…”

“Obviously, it’s the first time I’ve seen you, and we don’t have any relationship. Even though we went to the same academy… I can’t remember anything.”

“…”

“But… why… do you know me so well the things that I consider to be shameful and don’t want to be found out, just like someone who knows me better than anyone else in this world?”

Charelize took out the ring, which she had put in the corner of her drawer, and showed it to him.

“This is the ring of Your Royal Highness, which was won on Shishi’s feet.”

“…”

“But… It had my name engraved on it. Do you know what this means? It means you can go in and out of the Duchy at any time.”

“…I know.”

“It disappeared at some point, and I have lived my life thinking I have just lost it. Why did Your Royal Highness keep this ring? Did you pick it up?”

“…”

“If not… Did I give it to you?”

At Charelize’s words, Arensis only handed over the medicine he had brought but kept silent.

“You’ve fallen so hard. It must hurt.”

“Please say ho.”

“…Ho.”

“What the? How can you make it so small!”

“Just put some medicine on it.”

Once again, fragments of forgotten memory entered her mind and shuffled.

“Did… Your Royal Highness… is a precious person… to me?”

“…”

“I don’t remember anything. What embarrassing about it… I don’t know why,” said Charelize with a sudden headache in her head.

“When the day comes when you will break the barriers you have blocked yourself… I will not run away in fear. I won’t regret it again… so, just wait a moment.”

Arensis finally opened his mouth. But he was muttering incomprehensible words. As he glanced toward the window, a sudden wind blew in. His hair was blown away by the gentle wind. Before long, his body was starting to fade, wrapped in pink petals.

“I have to say I’m sorry… I’m sorry that I remembered the memories we had together alone…”

He disappeared as if he had never been there before. It was as if everything she had ever seen was fantasy. Charelize couldn’t keep her mouth shut at the bizarre scene she couldn’t believe even seeing with her own eyes.

“…Your Highness.”

“…”

“Your Highness!”

Hailey, who came in later, called her several times before she came to her senses.

Even as she lay in bed, the thought of him kept her from sleeping all night.

* * *

“It is right to execute Baron Ite’s family members even now!”

“How dare you throw a tantrum at the decision of the little Duchess?”

“You seem to be defending the traitor, Viscount Blanche.”

“Are you done talking now?”

At the meeting held early in the morning, the voices of vassals rose.

“Everyone, shut your mouth.”

After sitting still for a while, Charelize finally opened her mouth. The sunlight shone through the meeting room’s windows, which were quiet in an instant.

“Count Luwen, let’s move on to the next issue.”

“Yes, little Duchess. Next is…the entry of Lillian de Buzz.”

“The entry…”

“How about a blood test?”

“What nonsense! Does that make sense? Why would the Duke want to register the illegitimate child when he has a successor like the little Duchess?”

“Just because Lillian de Buzz became a princess doesn’t mean she can do anything.”

“Oho… now that I see it as if it was not enough to defend the traitor, you sound like you’re going to betray the little Duchess.”

“I guess it’s time for you to step down and retire. The old man’s time has already come.”

“Are you insulting me now?”

The heat of the meeting room, which once again became chaos, showed no sign of calming down.

“That’s not it. What I meant is let’s do it before they hit first! It is said that the distant relative will succeed the Marquis Luxen, but before there is talk about it…”

“That’s a good excuse.”

“What did you just say now?”

When Charelize slammed the desk once, they shut up their mouths.

“Stop. Today’s meeting ends here.”

“I’m sorry… for showing my ugly side, Your Highness.”

“…have mercy, Your Highness.”

Charelize came out and walked down the hallway when she ran into Duke Marsetta.

“Greetings to the Duke.”

“Charelize.”

“…”

“I have something to say about Lillian’s entry. Can you… give me some time?”

She said a formal greeting and tried to just pass by. Because as soon as she saw Duke Marsetta, her head ached. She left the meeting room because she didn’t want to hear anything about that topic.

“Is luck no longer with me?”

“…”

“Well, I don’t know if you’re going to say the same thing or not. Please, go ahead.”

“Are you okay? I heard about Baron Ite’s work from the butler.”

“It’s not for the Duke to care. And if you’re talking about punishing Baron Ite’s family members…”

“It’s not like that. I’m just worried about you…”

“You’ve never treated me like a daughter before.”

“…”

“So why do you want to be a father figure to me now?”

“…”

“I hope… you don’t feel regret.”

“Charelize.”

“If you don’t even want to listen to me this time, I will let you go first.”

“…”

“So, don’t even try to catch me, Duke.”

Charelize thought that giving up on her father would be difficult. But when she actually did it, it wasn’t like that at all. Rather, she felt relieved. As if all her worries seemed to be gone.

“The day Duke abandoned me. That day, Your Grace’s daughter already died.”