Alfonso, who succeeded in entering the de Mare mansion, looked around. Fortunately, the inside of the door was an empty warehouse. As soon as he safely entered the room, he checked the paper in his arms.
Fortunately, the paper was barely wet, except for a few corners. He looked around, vowing to himself that he would never carry important items outside without a raincoat for the rest of his life.
'I have to go to the second floor...'
As if he were a thief rather than a Prince, Alfonso opened the warehouse door gently and began to sneak in.
***
Alfonso, who finally stood in front of Ariadne's room after much difficulty, took a deep breath due to nervousness.
Quite a few servants were walking around the central staircase of Cardinal de Mare's residence even after dinner. It was not easy to sneak up to the second floor.
To avoid people's eyes, he hung on the stair railing and even crawled under the table.
It was the first time in his life that he had been a Prince and sneaked around someone else's house like a thief. In fact, it would be a lie if he said he wasn't a little excited. Alfonso laughed in vain at the fact that he felt happy in his current situation.
And now, Alfonso's palms were slightly sweaty. What would Ariadne's expression be when she met her boyfriend, who had barged in at night and had told her not to see him for a while—he certainly wasn't already her 'ex-boyfriend'? Would she be angry? Would she be happy?
Prince Alfonso whispered in a small voice. However, in the quiet bedroom, it sounded as loud as thunder.
Alfonso carefully walked inside. A single candle on the nightstand was burning, dancing dangerously. There was no sign of life in the canopy bed next to it.
“Ari...?”
Alfonso called Ariadne’s name once more in a soft voice, and when there was still no answer, he carefully pulled aside the curtain of Ariadne’s bed. The thin cotton material tickled his hand.
“!”
He pulled back the curtain and his strength was completely lost. He didn’t have any reason to worry about whether she would be angry or happy, because she was in a deep sleep, wearing simple pajamas and her head buried in the pillow.
“Ari?”
Alfonso called her name softly. However, her tightly closed eyelids and pitch-black eyelashes did not move at all.
Alfonso sat on Ariadne’s bed and shook her shoulders carefully, trying his best not to startle her.
“Ari. It’s me.”
But she didn’t make a single sound. She seemed to be in a deep sleep and didn’t know how to wake up. Alfonso looked around carefully and saw a goblet on the side table where a candle was burning brightly. There was a little yellow liquid at the bottom of the goblet, almost empty.
'... Did she take the medicine and fall asleep?'
There was nothing he could do but wait.
Thud.
Alfonso sat down on Ariadne's bed. The tension he had felt when he sneaked in was instantly relieved. Alfonso sat on the bed and slowly looked at her sleeping deeply.
Fortunately, the paper was barely wet, except for a few corners. He looked around, vowing to himself that he would never carry important items outside without a raincoat for the rest of his life.
'I have to go to the second floor...'
As if he were a thief rather than a Prince, Alfonso opened the warehouse door gently and began to sneak in.
***
Alfonso, who finally stood in front of Ariadne's room after much difficulty, took a deep breath due to nervousness.
Quite a few servants were walking around the central staircase of Cardinal de Mare's residence even after dinner. It was not easy to sneak up to the second floor.
To avoid people's eyes, he hung on the stair railing and even crawled under the table.
It was the first time in his life that he had been a Prince and sneaked around someone else's house like a thief. In fact, it would be a lie if he said he wasn't a little excited. Alfonso laughed in vain at the fact that he felt happy in his current situation.
And now, Alfonso's palms were slightly sweaty. What would Ariadne's expression be when she met her boyfriend, who had barged in at night and had told her not to see him for a while—he certainly wasn't already her 'ex-boyfriend'? Would she be angry? Would she be happy?
He was afraid to turn the doorknob, but Alfonso didn't have time to waste. If he was caught by a servant walking around the hallway, it would be the end.
He steeled himself and opened Ariadne's room.
Click.
The door was unlocked. Alfonso took a step into the dark room and closed the door behind him.
When he opened her room, the first thing he saw was the same sofa he had seen before. It seemed to be a living room.
Ariadne’s residence was a suite-like apartment with a living room in the center, a study, and a bedroom on the left and right.
The living room was completely dark. A little light leaked out from the left door.
Alfonso felt like a thief and quietly approached the second door.
Beep.
The second door opened with a very soft sound.
As soon as he opened the door, Alfonso realized that this room was a bedroom. The girl’s body scent wafted out. It was a gentle scent that resembled the scent of lilies of the valley, alluring and subtly mixed with the scent of grass.
He steeled himself and opened Ariadne's room.
Click.
The door was unlocked. Alfonso took a step into the dark room and closed the door behind him.
When he opened her room, the first thing he saw was the same sofa he had seen before. It seemed to be a living room.
Ariadne’s residence was a suite-like apartment with a living room in the center, a study, and a bedroom on the left and right.
The living room was completely dark. A little light leaked out from the left door.
Alfonso felt like a thief and quietly approached the second door.
Beep.
The second door opened with a very soft sound.
As soon as he opened the door, Alfonso realized that this room was a bedroom. The girl’s body scent wafted out. It was a gentle scent that resembled the scent of lilies of the valley, alluring and subtly mixed with the scent of grass.
“...Ari?”
Prince Alfonso whispered in a small voice. However, in the quiet bedroom, it sounded as loud as thunder.
Alfonso carefully walked inside. A single candle on the nightstand was burning, dancing dangerously. There was no sign of life in the canopy bed next to it.
“Ari...?”
Alfonso called Ariadne’s name once more in a soft voice, and when there was still no answer, he carefully pulled aside the curtain of Ariadne’s bed. The thin cotton material tickled his hand.
“!”
He pulled back the curtain and his strength was completely lost. He didn’t have any reason to worry about whether she would be angry or happy, because she was in a deep sleep, wearing simple pajamas and her head buried in the pillow.
***
“Ari?”
Alfonso called her name softly. However, her tightly closed eyelids and pitch-black eyelashes did not move at all.
Alfonso sat on Ariadne’s bed and shook her shoulders carefully, trying his best not to startle her.
“Ari. It’s me.”
But she didn’t make a single sound. She seemed to be in a deep sleep and didn’t know how to wake up. Alfonso looked around carefully and saw a goblet on the side table where a candle was burning brightly. There was a little yellow liquid at the bottom of the goblet, almost empty.
'... Did she take the medicine and fall asleep?'
There was nothing he could do but wait.
Thud.
Alfonso sat down on Ariadne's bed. The tension he had felt when he sneaked in was instantly relieved. Alfonso sat on the bed and slowly looked at her sleeping deeply.
Her eyes were tightly shut but could smile more beautifully than anyone else's, her voluminous black eyelashes, her tall and straight nose, her cherry lips beneath them, and her cute rabbit teeth slightly visible between her parted lips. It was hard to control the desire to touch them. He knew how soft those cheeks and skin were.
However, Alfonso simply raised his hand and pushed Ariadne's ebony hair that had fallen forward back from her forehead.
Some would find Ariadne's current appearance aesthetically beautiful. Others would feel lust for her sleeping defenselessly. Of course, he would be lying if he said he didn't want to hug and kiss her the moment he first saw her when he entered this room.
But now, at this moment, the emotion that Alfonso felt most strongly was... pity.
‘A poor person who was born in a position where she was more outstanding than anyone else and could enjoy more freely than anyone else, but suffered.’
She was the daughter of one of the most powerful people in San Carlo, but she had no adults to trust or rely on. Alfonso thought that he and Ariadne were similar in this regard.
No, he had at least had a mother until recently. Alfonso felt that he was now no different from a child left alone at the water’s edge. This was truly a scary and heavy feeling.
Ariadne had been walking this daunting line of death for years, ever since she was a very young child.
‘...I might not have been able to do it.’
Alfonso could only admire her uprightness and firmness.
He thought as he watched the wick of the candle grow longer and longer as the night deepened. He admired what he thought was Ariadne’s accomplishments for 16 years. But in fact, he did not know that it was the result of her efforts for nearly twice as long.
Prince Alfonso spent the night, blaming himself for not being able to catch up with that much in one breath.
'...'
As the candle wax filled the candle holder and was on the verge of overflowing, and the dim light began to fill the window, Alfonso came to his own conclusion.
'... I will go to the Kingdom of Gallico, Ari.'
He looked around the room. There was a parchment and a quill on the small desk that Ariadne used to read briefly in her bedroom.
Prince Alfonso wrote each letter, relying on the fading candlelight and the distant dawn light. It wasn't the blue ink he always used, but it was his usual strong, bad handwriting.
"To my most precious Ariadne,
I don't even know if I can call you that. If one-sided affection becomes rude, then I must be committing rudeness. But before I leave, I really wanted to confess this. You are the most precious person I have left.
Please forgive me for leaving this letter so suddenly. I wanted to talk to you and leave, but I didn’t get a chance. I’m glad I can at least see your sleeping face.
My father has ordered me to leave for the Kingdom of Gallico. The departure is tomorrow… no, this morning. The nominal purpose is to comfort Gallico’s relatives. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether I should go, and in fact, I can’t refuse, but after thinking it over all night, I think it’s right to go. I don’t agree with my father. It’s ridiculous for an Etruscan Prince who lost his mother to comfort Gallico’s relatives who lost their aunt. I think what my father really wants is to complete my engagement with the Grand Duchess of Lariesa and solidify the marriage alliance. But I won’t go.
However, I think it’s necessary to put an end to this tiresome story. I want to make sure that the marriage proposal has finally fallen through on the Gallico side, receive an apology for the border invasion, and above all, take responsibility for what I should have taken, even if it is late.
Ari, I plan to go to Gallico and get Sir Elko back. I can’t just sit by and let someone get hurt because of me.
I will take responsibility for what I have to do. I will finish what I have to do and come back. I will make this visit to Gallico a success if only to become a man worthy of you. I will leave Lady L’s letter with you. I will take a copy to Gallico and use it as evidence when I break off the marriage proposal. However, I think it would be unwise to take the original to Gallico. Just in case, just in case. Keep it to yourself and don’t tell anyone. Even if you don’t want to see me, it is for the sake of the country... I beg you. Even the words in the letter I am leaving behind are requests for you, so I am ashamed to face you.
When we meet again, we will definitely laugh together.
A.”
Prince Alfonso placed the tightly written letter on Ariadne’s pillowcase, took out the now dry but slightly uneven note from Princess Lariesa from his bosom, and put it under the pillow. It was a place where Ariadne could check it as soon as she woke up.
He raised his head and looked at the Princess in his blanket who was sleeping. Ariadne was still in a deep sleep even as dawn was breaking. His eyes fell on the nape of her neck and chest that rose and fell with her soft breathing. They were noticeably thinner than the last time he saw her.
However, Alfonso simply raised his hand and pushed Ariadne's ebony hair that had fallen forward back from her forehead.
Some would find Ariadne's current appearance aesthetically beautiful. Others would feel lust for her sleeping defenselessly. Of course, he would be lying if he said he didn't want to hug and kiss her the moment he first saw her when he entered this room.
But now, at this moment, the emotion that Alfonso felt most strongly was... pity.
‘A poor person who was born in a position where she was more outstanding than anyone else and could enjoy more freely than anyone else, but suffered.’
She was the daughter of one of the most powerful people in San Carlo, but she had no adults to trust or rely on. Alfonso thought that he and Ariadne were similar in this regard.
No, he had at least had a mother until recently. Alfonso felt that he was now no different from a child left alone at the water’s edge. This was truly a scary and heavy feeling.
Ariadne had been walking this daunting line of death for years, ever since she was a very young child.
‘...I might not have been able to do it.’
Alfonso could only admire her uprightness and firmness.
He thought as he watched the wick of the candle grow longer and longer as the night deepened. He admired what he thought was Ariadne’s accomplishments for 16 years. But in fact, he did not know that it was the result of her efforts for nearly twice as long.
Prince Alfonso spent the night, blaming himself for not being able to catch up with that much in one breath.
'...'
As the candle wax filled the candle holder and was on the verge of overflowing, and the dim light began to fill the window, Alfonso came to his own conclusion.
'... I will go to the Kingdom of Gallico, Ari.'
He looked around the room. There was a parchment and a quill on the small desk that Ariadne used to read briefly in her bedroom.
Prince Alfonso wrote each letter, relying on the fading candlelight and the distant dawn light. It wasn't the blue ink he always used, but it was his usual strong, bad handwriting.
"To my most precious Ariadne,
I don't even know if I can call you that. If one-sided affection becomes rude, then I must be committing rudeness. But before I leave, I really wanted to confess this. You are the most precious person I have left.
Please forgive me for leaving this letter so suddenly. I wanted to talk to you and leave, but I didn’t get a chance. I’m glad I can at least see your sleeping face.
My father has ordered me to leave for the Kingdom of Gallico. The departure is tomorrow… no, this morning. The nominal purpose is to comfort Gallico’s relatives. I’ve been thinking a lot about whether I should go, and in fact, I can’t refuse, but after thinking it over all night, I think it’s right to go. I don’t agree with my father. It’s ridiculous for an Etruscan Prince who lost his mother to comfort Gallico’s relatives who lost their aunt. I think what my father really wants is to complete my engagement with the Grand Duchess of Lariesa and solidify the marriage alliance. But I won’t go.
However, I think it’s necessary to put an end to this tiresome story. I want to make sure that the marriage proposal has finally fallen through on the Gallico side, receive an apology for the border invasion, and above all, take responsibility for what I should have taken, even if it is late.
Ari, I plan to go to Gallico and get Sir Elko back. I can’t just sit by and let someone get hurt because of me.
I will take responsibility for what I have to do. I will finish what I have to do and come back. I will make this visit to Gallico a success if only to become a man worthy of you. I will leave Lady L’s letter with you. I will take a copy to Gallico and use it as evidence when I break off the marriage proposal. However, I think it would be unwise to take the original to Gallico. Just in case, just in case. Keep it to yourself and don’t tell anyone. Even if you don’t want to see me, it is for the sake of the country... I beg you. Even the words in the letter I am leaving behind are requests for you, so I am ashamed to face you.
When we meet again, we will definitely laugh together.
A.”
Prince Alfonso placed the tightly written letter on Ariadne’s pillowcase, took out the now dry but slightly uneven note from Princess Lariesa from his bosom, and put it under the pillow. It was a place where Ariadne could check it as soon as she woke up.
He raised his head and looked at the Princess in his blanket who was sleeping. Ariadne was still in a deep sleep even as dawn was breaking. His eyes fell on the nape of her neck and chest that rose and fell with her soft breathing. They were noticeably thinner than the last time he saw her.
“Poor thing.”
Alfonso’s heart ached at the thought that Ariadne had skipped a meal again. He reached out and brushed her hair back from her forehead. Not a single strand fell, but it bothered him to see something wrong with her, even a little.
“You don’t have to endure it all alone,”
Alfonso whispered softly.
“From now on, I will be the one you can lean on.”
He felt ashamed of himself for trying to lean on her. de Carlo’s son, his mother’s son, had to stand on his own two feet.
The people around him were not objects of will but of protection. He had only realized this when he lost his mother and was forced out of her shadow.
Alphonso kissed Ariadne's forehead quietly. With a reverent silence. It was like an oath.
Cock-o-cook!
The rooster crowed in the distance. It was time for everyone to get up. It was time for him to get up too.
When he returned, nothing would be the same.
Alfonso’s heart ached at the thought that Ariadne had skipped a meal again. He reached out and brushed her hair back from her forehead. Not a single strand fell, but it bothered him to see something wrong with her, even a little.
“You don’t have to endure it all alone,”
Alfonso whispered softly.
“From now on, I will be the one you can lean on.”
He felt ashamed of himself for trying to lean on her. de Carlo’s son, his mother’s son, had to stand on his own two feet.
The people around him were not objects of will but of protection. He had only realized this when he lost his mother and was forced out of her shadow.
Alphonso kissed Ariadne's forehead quietly. With a reverent silence. It was like an oath.
Cock-o-cook!
The rooster crowed in the distance. It was time for everyone to get up. It was time for him to get up too.
When he returned, nothing would be the same.
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