As Aila was looking at her clothes with surprised eyes, the boy asked her in a dignified tone. When she turned her gaze in that direction, she saw the boy with his neck straight and his posture very much in check.
What should I say? Of course, she was surprised and thankful. Just a moment ago, Aila was worried about her future, where she would be caught going out secretly, but that worry was resolved in an instant.
But when she saw the boy putting his thumb and index finger on his chin, strangely enough, she burst out laughing.
“Fuha.”
As Aila burst into laughter again, the boy stuck out his lips in displeasure.
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, that’s...”
For all the fancy spells and solemn casting of magic, it was such a harmless magic.
It wasn't that magic was worthless. It was magic that she was very grateful for right now.
However, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the boy holding a lot of weight and casting magic, then quickly praising it with her eyes sparkling as if to say, "It's cool."
“This is expensive. I’m saying that laundry magic isn’t easy.”
As Aila just smiled without answering, the boy let out a loud noise.
“Oh, no. Of course I know. You said there was only one left? I really, truly appreciate you giving me such a precious thing. Thanks to you, I survived.”
It was true that he had been a great help to her, so Aila honestly expressed her gratitude. She had been laughing out loud, so her face was still brightly smiling.
“...”
Even though she had simply expressed her thanks as he had wished, the boy just looked at Aila with a blank expression on his face.
"...What's the matter?"
She wonders if this level of gratitude isn't enough.
As she was wondering what else to do, the boy opened his mouth.
“I should be the one to say thank you. You are the one who saved my life.”
The boy spoke with a sincere voice.
Oh, that's right.
It wasn't that long ago, but Aila, who had been flustered and blank-headed because of her dirty clothes, remembered the incident anew after hearing the boy's words.
“Well then, we saved each other. I guess I've repaid my debt for saving you.”
Aila nodded and said.
In the first place, the fact that her clothes got dirty was because she was trying to save the boy's life, so it might have been Aila's loss, but in fact, she didn't save the boy in hopes of receiving anything in return.
“What are you talking about? Is that all you want in return for saving my life? Just wait a minute.”
But the boy didn't seem to think so, and he searched through his pockets in a fluster. Then he took something out of his pocket.
“This is all I have now, but please accept this. I will definitely repay the favor you gave me today someday...”
The boy took out a fancy pocket watch from his pocket and handed it to her, and said something, but Aila wasn't listening to him.
This was because when the boy took something out of his pocket to hand her, something fell out and fell to the floor.
Aila, who picked up the object absentmindedly, froze in place as if she realized something.
It was a simple coin. A silver coin commonly used in the empire.
But somehow she was completely absorbed in that coin.
“Hey, are you listening?”
The boy made a puzzled expression as he watched Aila staring blankly at the silver coin she had dropped.
"What's the matter?"
"...lion."
When the boy asked worriedly, Aila, who had been lost in thought for a while, opened her mouth.
Lion.
The coin had a lion engraved on it. The lion was a brave symbol of the imperial family.
“Yeah. Why a lion?”
"Lion..."
As if she hadn't answered the boy's question, Aila simply spat out the same words again.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts passed through her mind.
Why didn't I think of that? The lion symbolizes the Emperor's authority.
If the lion Byron was hunting was a member of the royal family, then... everything was right.
A giant white wolf, the 'young lion', guarded by the Duke of Weishaffen. It was clearly either the Emperor or the Crown Prince.
Aila closed her eyes tightly and searched her memory. It was the imperial family tree she had seen briefly when she was taking succession classes at the Duke's house. It wasn't that long ago, so she should be able to recall it clearly.
'Not the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was barely twenty years old before I regressed, so he is too young to be considered young at this point.'
Then there was only one thing left: the Emperor.
It gave her goosebumps.
‘...It’s treason.’
What Byron was trying to do was nothing less than treason.
“Hey, are you okay? Where does it hurt?”
Aila opened her eyes to the boy's voice. The boy in front of her was looking at her with worry in his golden eyes.
And at that moment, a thought crossed Aila's mind. A ridiculous thought.
“Are you... The Crown Prince?”
"...uh?"
If he were fourteen now, he would be twenty when she turned eighteen. The age was about right.
And the boy that Byron is trying to kill, as he is plotting a terrible plot to kill the Emperor.
It was a very possible inference.
But...
“No, don’t worry about it. I asked something strange.”
No way. The Crown Prince, who should be in the palace, wouldn't be wandering around like this. And it's dangerous, alone in the middle of the night.
Aila shook her head. She thought it was a ridiculous idea.
It was something that could have just been laughed off, but the boy had a rather serious expression on his face and was biting his lips tightly, as if he was thinking about something.
“...Yeah, that’s right.”
"What?"
As the boy opened his mouth, Aila looked at him with wide eyes.
“No, not yet, to be exact. I am currently going through the process of being appointed Crown Prince.”
Really, he was the Crown Prince.
Aila blinked slowly, trying to accept the situation unfolding before her. She was taken aback when her expectations were proven correct.
“...My name is Winfred Ulysses Vito Peles. I am the only Prince of the Peles Empire.”
The boy's voice solemnly introduced his name. There was no trace of the lightness she had felt before. There was no arrogance or pretentiousness to be found.
No, rather, he seemed terrified.
This was because he was worried that Aila would feel burdened and run away, or that her attitude would change drastically.
“But, but I wish you would just speak informally to me. Don’t feel burdened by the fact that I’m the Prince and that I’ll become the Crown Prince.”
Winfred added urgently. Aila, who was slowly trying to come to terms with the situation, seemed to come to her senses at those words.
Actually, Aila didn't have any thoughts, but she took the initiative and asked to be treated the way she used to be treated.
"Still..."
“It’s okay! No, please do that. I like it that way.”
She felt distant, Winfred muttered, his lips sticking out.
If he says so, then yes. In fact, it was embarrassing to change the attitude of the boy she was talking to just because he was the Crown Prince, but since she had no intention of being polite when he said it was his wish, Aila nodded.
“But how did you know?”
"...Just."
Aila was at a loss as to how she found out that Winfred was the Crown Prince, since she had to explain in detail who she was and what the situation was.
“Hey, that... this, can you take it?”
Winfred awkwardly stroked his black hair and held out his pocket watch with his other hand.
As Aila was pondering how to refuse it since she couldn't keep it even if she received it, she felt a presence from afar.
Only then did Aila realize that she had been talking on the exposed road for too long, and she quickly climbed up the fence to find a place to hide.
“...You come up too.”
When Aila held out her hand, Winfred looked at her hand with a puzzled expression.
“Someone is coming. It could be the assassin from earlier.”
Someone was coming. Winfred, who had not sensed any signs, was confused, but he did as she said and took her hand and climbed the wall.
Not stopping there, Aila jumped once more and lightly climbed onto the roof. Winfred, who seemed flustered at first, grabbed Aila’s hand without saying a word this time.
Not long after Aila groaned and dragged him up onto the roof, a very drunken man staggered into the alley.
“That’s not him.”
At the fact that it wasn't Cloud, Aila let go of her tense chest. Then, suddenly, feeling a strange gaze, she turned her head toward Winfred, and he was looking at her with eyes full of curiosity.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just because I found it interesting.”
How strange. As she blinked her eyes slowly, unable to understand what was so strange, Winfred laughed and lay down on the roof, looking up at the sky.
“You jump off the roof and land lightly like a cat. You know who I am without me having to tell you. And I, I didn’t feel yiu coming at all.”
Ah. That was the sound. Aila wanted to sit next to Winfred, who was lying down, but she stood silently, afraid that she might get dusty, and opened her mouth shyly.
“I see.”
“How strong is your strength? I must be quite heavy, but you can easily lift it.”
As his words continued, whether they were compliments or not, Aila felt her face heat up for some reason. As a result, she was avoiding eye contact for no reason, but Winfred suddenly stood up as if he had realized his mistake.
“Oh, right. You, you shouldn’t get your clothes dirty. Just wait.”
Winfred was about to take off his cloak as if he would take it off and spread it on the floor, but then he realized that it was also covered in dirt. With an embarrassed expression, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and spread it on the floor.
“Sit here.”
What should I say? Of course, she was surprised and thankful. Just a moment ago, Aila was worried about her future, where she would be caught going out secretly, but that worry was resolved in an instant.
But when she saw the boy putting his thumb and index finger on his chin, strangely enough, she burst out laughing.
“Fuha.”
As Aila burst into laughter again, the boy stuck out his lips in displeasure.
“Why are you laughing?”
“No, that’s...”
For all the fancy spells and solemn casting of magic, it was such a harmless magic.
It wasn't that magic was worthless. It was magic that she was very grateful for right now.
However, she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the boy holding a lot of weight and casting magic, then quickly praising it with her eyes sparkling as if to say, "It's cool."
“This is expensive. I’m saying that laundry magic isn’t easy.”
As Aila just smiled without answering, the boy let out a loud noise.
“Oh, no. Of course I know. You said there was only one left? I really, truly appreciate you giving me such a precious thing. Thanks to you, I survived.”
It was true that he had been a great help to her, so Aila honestly expressed her gratitude. She had been laughing out loud, so her face was still brightly smiling.
“...”
Even though she had simply expressed her thanks as he had wished, the boy just looked at Aila with a blank expression on his face.
"...What's the matter?"
She wonders if this level of gratitude isn't enough.
As she was wondering what else to do, the boy opened his mouth.
“I should be the one to say thank you. You are the one who saved my life.”
The boy spoke with a sincere voice.
Oh, that's right.
It wasn't that long ago, but Aila, who had been flustered and blank-headed because of her dirty clothes, remembered the incident anew after hearing the boy's words.
“Well then, we saved each other. I guess I've repaid my debt for saving you.”
Aila nodded and said.
In the first place, the fact that her clothes got dirty was because she was trying to save the boy's life, so it might have been Aila's loss, but in fact, she didn't save the boy in hopes of receiving anything in return.
“What are you talking about? Is that all you want in return for saving my life? Just wait a minute.”
But the boy didn't seem to think so, and he searched through his pockets in a fluster. Then he took something out of his pocket.
“This is all I have now, but please accept this. I will definitely repay the favor you gave me today someday...”
The boy took out a fancy pocket watch from his pocket and handed it to her, and said something, but Aila wasn't listening to him.
This was because when the boy took something out of his pocket to hand her, something fell out and fell to the floor.
Aila, who picked up the object absentmindedly, froze in place as if she realized something.
It was a simple coin. A silver coin commonly used in the empire.
But somehow she was completely absorbed in that coin.
“Hey, are you listening?”
The boy made a puzzled expression as he watched Aila staring blankly at the silver coin she had dropped.
"What's the matter?"
"...lion."
When the boy asked worriedly, Aila, who had been lost in thought for a while, opened her mouth.
Lion.
The coin had a lion engraved on it. The lion was a brave symbol of the imperial family.
“Yeah. Why a lion?”
"Lion..."
As if she hadn't answered the boy's question, Aila simply spat out the same words again.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts passed through her mind.
Why didn't I think of that? The lion symbolizes the Emperor's authority.
If the lion Byron was hunting was a member of the royal family, then... everything was right.
A giant white wolf, the 'young lion', guarded by the Duke of Weishaffen. It was clearly either the Emperor or the Crown Prince.
Aila closed her eyes tightly and searched her memory. It was the imperial family tree she had seen briefly when she was taking succession classes at the Duke's house. It wasn't that long ago, so she should be able to recall it clearly.
'Not the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was barely twenty years old before I regressed, so he is too young to be considered young at this point.'
Then there was only one thing left: the Emperor.
It gave her goosebumps.
‘...It’s treason.’
What Byron was trying to do was nothing less than treason.
“Hey, are you okay? Where does it hurt?”
Aila opened her eyes to the boy's voice. The boy in front of her was looking at her with worry in his golden eyes.
And at that moment, a thought crossed Aila's mind. A ridiculous thought.
“Are you... The Crown Prince?”
"...uh?"
If he were fourteen now, he would be twenty when she turned eighteen. The age was about right.
And the boy that Byron is trying to kill, as he is plotting a terrible plot to kill the Emperor.
It was a very possible inference.
But...
“No, don’t worry about it. I asked something strange.”
No way. The Crown Prince, who should be in the palace, wouldn't be wandering around like this. And it's dangerous, alone in the middle of the night.
Aila shook her head. She thought it was a ridiculous idea.
It was something that could have just been laughed off, but the boy had a rather serious expression on his face and was biting his lips tightly, as if he was thinking about something.
“...Yeah, that’s right.”
"What?"
As the boy opened his mouth, Aila looked at him with wide eyes.
“No, not yet, to be exact. I am currently going through the process of being appointed Crown Prince.”
Really, he was the Crown Prince.
Aila blinked slowly, trying to accept the situation unfolding before her. She was taken aback when her expectations were proven correct.
“...My name is Winfred Ulysses Vito Peles. I am the only Prince of the Peles Empire.”
The boy's voice solemnly introduced his name. There was no trace of the lightness she had felt before. There was no arrogance or pretentiousness to be found.
No, rather, he seemed terrified.
This was because he was worried that Aila would feel burdened and run away, or that her attitude would change drastically.
“But, but I wish you would just speak informally to me. Don’t feel burdened by the fact that I’m the Prince and that I’ll become the Crown Prince.”
Winfred added urgently. Aila, who was slowly trying to come to terms with the situation, seemed to come to her senses at those words.
Actually, Aila didn't have any thoughts, but she took the initiative and asked to be treated the way she used to be treated.
"Still..."
“It’s okay! No, please do that. I like it that way.”
She felt distant, Winfred muttered, his lips sticking out.
If he says so, then yes. In fact, it was embarrassing to change the attitude of the boy she was talking to just because he was the Crown Prince, but since she had no intention of being polite when he said it was his wish, Aila nodded.
“But how did you know?”
"...Just."
Aila was at a loss as to how she found out that Winfred was the Crown Prince, since she had to explain in detail who she was and what the situation was.
“Hey, that... this, can you take it?”
Winfred awkwardly stroked his black hair and held out his pocket watch with his other hand.
As Aila was pondering how to refuse it since she couldn't keep it even if she received it, she felt a presence from afar.
Only then did Aila realize that she had been talking on the exposed road for too long, and she quickly climbed up the fence to find a place to hide.
“...You come up too.”
When Aila held out her hand, Winfred looked at her hand with a puzzled expression.
“Someone is coming. It could be the assassin from earlier.”
Someone was coming. Winfred, who had not sensed any signs, was confused, but he did as she said and took her hand and climbed the wall.
Not stopping there, Aila jumped once more and lightly climbed onto the roof. Winfred, who seemed flustered at first, grabbed Aila’s hand without saying a word this time.
Not long after Aila groaned and dragged him up onto the roof, a very drunken man staggered into the alley.
“That’s not him.”
At the fact that it wasn't Cloud, Aila let go of her tense chest. Then, suddenly, feeling a strange gaze, she turned her head toward Winfred, and he was looking at her with eyes full of curiosity.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just because I found it interesting.”
How strange. As she blinked her eyes slowly, unable to understand what was so strange, Winfred laughed and lay down on the roof, looking up at the sky.
“You jump off the roof and land lightly like a cat. You know who I am without me having to tell you. And I, I didn’t feel yiu coming at all.”
Ah. That was the sound. Aila wanted to sit next to Winfred, who was lying down, but she stood silently, afraid that she might get dusty, and opened her mouth shyly.
“I see.”
“How strong is your strength? I must be quite heavy, but you can easily lift it.”
As his words continued, whether they were compliments or not, Aila felt her face heat up for some reason. As a result, she was avoiding eye contact for no reason, but Winfred suddenly stood up as if he had realized his mistake.
“Oh, right. You, you shouldn’t get your clothes dirty. Just wait.”
Winfred was about to take off his cloak as if he would take it off and spread it on the floor, but then he realized that it was also covered in dirt. With an embarrassed expression, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and spread it on the floor.
“Sit here.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment