IDMH - Chapter 58

I didn't expect him to do well.

Let alone the fact that he has no talent for swordsmanship and that he has not yet mastered the horizontal cut.

This is because I didn't think he would focus on practicing swordsmanship when he was still upset about what happened yesterday.

“Your posture is wrong.”

As expected, Perdes had difficulty concentrating.

Even considering that he learned it for the first time today, his posture was very poor.

I gave up my practice and focused on correcting Perdes' posture.

“It should be done like this.”

Hwiik-

“This is the wrong place this time.”

Even if Perdes wasn't very talented at swordsmanship, if I corrected his posture a few times, he would be fine right away.

The problem was that the next time he came, his body didn't remember it and I had to correct it again.

But this time, no matter how much I corrected it, there was no sign of improvement.

On the contrary, it was frustrating to watch as it became more and more messed up.

I felt sorry for Perdes because I knew why he was like this.

I thought that even if he practiced more, he would only waste his stamina and no good would come of it, so I grabbed his shoulder and said,

“That’s all for today.”

Perdes stubbornly shook his head.

"No. I want to do more.”

“When you have a lot of random thoughts, you don’t grab the sword. You could get hurt.”

“I’m not hurt.”

“I’m the one who gets hurt, not Perdes.”

Perdes, who was about to swing his sword again, stopped.

“If Mr. Perdes accidentally misses the wooden sword and the wooden sword flies at me, I will be seriously injured. If that’s what you want, keep swinging.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Perdes put down his wooden sword.

It seems like he doesn't want me to get hurt. That feeling was amazing.

I told Perdes to rest, but it seemed like I wasn't the only one practicing swordsmanship, so I sat down on the soft grass.

"Sit down please."

Then, I knocked on the seat next to me, and Perdes sat down hesitantly.

I leaned my upper body on my arms, raised my head high, and looked up at the clean, clear sky without a single cloud.

A cool breeze blew through my hair and tickled my hair.

Perdes was also looking at the sky, and although there wasn't much conversation between us, the atmosphere wasn't heavy.

...'m sure I'm not the only one who thinks that way, right?

A question suddenly occurred to me, and I looked at Perdes' condition out of the corner of my eye.

It was a familiar face I saw every morning.

But the reason he looks different today is because his mood has changed.

I turned my head and looked at his face closely.

My first impression of Perdes was somewhat stronger than that of others.

Bushy hair, and a small, petite body that makes it hard to believe he's 16 years old.

Meanwhile, the sparkling golden eyes were pretty.

It was a bit creepy because it reminded me of the Emperor.

Perdes had grown up and was on the border between a boy and a young man.

Judging from his actions and speech, he was still young, but his appearance made it safe to say he was a young man.

When did he become this big?

Even though I didn't raise him, I felt proud.

Perdes felt my gaze and turned to me.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Just like that.”

“That’s pointless.”

Perdes picked and laughed. Even that smile seemed sad, which made me feel sad.

I was even more worried because my appearance overlapped with his appearance.

“If you need help with anything, don’t hesitate to say anything.”

Perdes asked back, tilting his head slightly.

“If I tell you, will you help me?”

"Sure. If there is anything I can do, I will do it.”

I had laid the groundwork in advance that I would not do anything that was beyond my capabilities or was absurd.

Then Perdes thought for a moment and looked down at me.

Golden eyes, as dazzling as the morning sunlight, captured his image.

“Pat my head.”

You want me to pat your head. Are you serious?

As I looked at him in confusion, Perdes tilted his head.

“Are you sure you don’t like it?”

“No, nothing like that...”

“You have to do it even if you don’t want to. Because you said with your own words that you would do anything you could.”

I did say that.

“Come on, come on.”

Perdes slightly bent his waist to my eye level.

He really wanted me to pat him on the head.

When I realized that fact, I felt embarrassed and even dumbfounded.

Aside from the fact that he was a Prince, most people, unless they were children, did not like others stroking their hair.

But you're asking for something like this.

...After all, is he a child?

Well, if you're 16, you're still a kid.

Thinking about that, my bewildered mind calmed down a little.

I looked at his hair, which was gently swaying in the blowing wind, and carefully stroked it.

The hair that used to be shaggy and brittle is now so soft that it can be considered silk.

Every time I stroked it, his hair flew out between my fingers.

This is really...

“It’s like a puppy.”

"What?"

Oops. Before I knew it, I ended up saying out loud what I should have thought.

I quickly closed my mouth, but I couldn't put back what I had already said.

Perdes raised his head and asked, looking at me with some confusion.

“Do you think I look like a puppy?”

I nodded because I didn't think I was denying that I had already heard it.

“It was a compliment.”

Adding a little excuse.

“I praised Perdes’ hair because it was so soft that it looked like a puppy.”

Perdes said while playing with the hair I had stroked.

“It’s definitely soft.”

"Yes?"

“But isn’t ‘dog’ an expression that doesn’t match my size?”

“Then how should I express it?”

Perdes thought for a moment and answered.

"Dog."

Dog... Called?

The short answer was so surprising that I was at a loss for words. I looked at him blankly for a moment and then asked back.

“Does being like a dog sound like an insult rather than a compliment?”

“It really sounds like an insult when you say it like that.”

It's not really an insult, it's an insult...

“Then let’s just play puppy. Even though I’m taller than you, I’m two years younger than you, so I don’t think it would matter if I said that.”

“..Are you pointing out that I’m old?”

"No way. I was just telling the truth.”

...I shouldn't say anything.

I jerked my head, showing off my displeasure.

Then Perdes tapped my shoulder.

"Upset?"

"Yes. I got upset."

Perdes briefly expressed his admiration at the honest answer.

“Normally, in situations like this, people would reply that I wasn’t upset, but the Young Lady is different as expected.”

“I just told the truth that I was upset, so what’s the problem?”

When I quoted what he said back to me, he laughed.

What are you laughing at?

As I glanced out of the corner of my eye, Perdes suddenly stood up.

"Let's hang out."

And then he said something absurd.

“Where?”

“Anywhere. First of all, I want to eat that pie and potato soup I had before.”

Perdes turned his back to the blinding sunlight, smiled brightly, and held out his hand to me.

The gloomy and dark atmosphere disappeared suddenly, and he was back to his original self.

“So let’s go together.”

The moment I heard those words, the things I had to do today flashed through my mind like a panorama.

As ‘that time’ was quickly approaching, I was spending my days busier than usual.

There was no time to go out and have fun.

“...Is it so."

But the reason I couldn't refuse was because I felt fortunate that Perdes was smiling like usual.

That usual smile was dazzling today.

The soft feel of hair remains on the inside of my palm.

The golden eyes that reflect my image are so pretty.

So...

"Let's go together."

I answered without realizing it and took the hand he held out.

***

When did you first meet Jack?

Perdes looked back on his memories, but he couldn't remember anything.

Jack was always with him from the moment he began.

So he believed him.

No, he believed him.

Even though Perdes doubted everyone in the world, he trusted and followed Jack.

Even if the sun rose in the west, he could believe what he said.

But Jack betrayed him.

Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal.

"Ha...”

Perdes laughed and held his head as the words cut into his heart like a sharp dagger.

The reason he was able to barely maintain his senses even after going through such a shocking experience was thanks to Adele's last words.

The saying that Jack may not have betrayed Perdes and joined the Emperor's side, may simply have been requested by the Emperor.

If Adele was right, it meant that Jack was doing it purely for his own sake, so he could still believe him.

...Although he couldn't completely trust him like he used to.

Perdes glanced sideways at Jack, who was pretending to read a book, humming, and tidying up his room.

After learning that fact, his mouth itched every time he saw Jack.

He wanted to hold him and ask him honestly.

Did you really betray me and take the Emperor's hand? If so, why did you make that choice? If not, what favor did the Emperor ask you? Is it because he is the Emperor that you are following his request? Or was there some other reason? 

He felt like there were a lot of things he wanted to say, but he couldn't say even one of them, so his frustration only grew.

That's how much he regretted bringing Jack to Leopold's estate.

If he had left Jack in the capital back then, this wouldn't have happened.

He could have kept only good memories with him, but he was just sad that he didn't.

“Mr. Perdes.”

It was difficult to deal with Jack.

"Why?"

Thanks to honing his acting skills over a long period of time, Perdes was able to respond calmly without showing any signs of discomfort.

“How is your relationship with the Young Lady these days?”

Why are you asking that? To report our relationship to the Emperor?

Once his mind became crooked, it became infinitely crooked.

Perdes swallowed down the crooked questions that were rising up his throat and answered with his eyes fixed on the book.

“Same as usual, well.”

“It means you are on good terms.”

Jack, who interpreted Perdes' answer in his own way, smiled happily.

“Not only did you go on a date with the Lady yesterday, but you also had a hot night, so a cute baby could be born soon.”

Previous                Next

  Support Novellate!