As she stepped out of the fortress, the crunching sound of snow crunched pleasantly with every step she took.
Although it was an inconvenient season to move around secretly at night, other than that, winter was a really nice season.
She didn't feel the cold easily, and just seeing snow made her feel better.
'Now that I think about it, my father said that the reason I like winter is because I have Weishaffen blood.'
The Weishaffen estate in the north had long winters and lots of snow. Even though she had never been to the estate before, when Aila said she liked winter, Roderick smiled brightly and said so.
At that time, she laughed at Roderick, not knowing that he was his biological father. But now that he thinks about it, his words seem plausible.
“Are you here, miss?”
It was Cloud's face that she had not seen in a very long time. Cloud was still looking at her with his blunt gaze that made it impossible to read his intentions.
“You’ve been resting for a long time, so you’ve probably lost a lot of stamina. Let’s just focus on recovering your stamina for now. Since you have naturally good stamina, you’ll be able to recover quickly.”
Aila nodded to Cloud's words and started running through the snow-covered yard.
In the past, she could run several laps without stopping and not get tired, but she guesses her stamina has really declined, and she quickly becomes out of breath.
It was not a pleasant thing. For her revenge, she needed physical strength.
Aila gritted her teeth and ran. Leaving small footprints in the pure white snow. Without stopping.
“Win. Is something bothering you?”
Emperor of the Peles Empire, Hiram Tobias Vito Peles, looked at his only precious son and asked kindly.
Although it was a rare time for the two rich people to share a cozy meal together, Winfred was unable to concentrate on the conversation and kept getting lost in other thoughts.
But Winfred didn't answer his question. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
“Hey, Win. Win? Winfred! Crown Prince!”
“...Huh? Yes? You called, father?”
What on earth are you thinking so intently about? Finally, the Emperor called him Crown Prince while shouting, and only then did he get an answer.
“I asked if something was bothering you. You and I have been so busy lately. It’s been so long since we last spent time together like this, and I’m starting to get upset because you don’t pay any attention to me.”
Winfred couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his father's pouty expression, unbecoming of a majestic Emperor.
How can you not laugh when the Emperor of a country pretends to be angry, hoping that his son will laugh?
“I’m sorry, father.”
“...So, what are you worried about?”
Hiram asked with an urgent look in his eyes, as if telling him to speak quickly.
“Yes? Am I worried? No, I’m not worried.”
Winfred's behavior as he answered in a flustered manner was quite suspicious. His answer was so urgent that his voice cracked.
“Isn’t there really one?”
“...Yes. There isn’t any.”
No matter how many times the Emperor asked him, he kept his lips tightly shut with a stubborn expression, which was frustrating.
“Huh. I see.”
Hiram felt a little sorry. He was a little embarrassed to say this with his own mouth, but he was proud of the closeness between him and his son that he would not be embarrassed to show it to anyone.
In the past, this child would have been the first to confess that he had concerns before he even asked, but now he doesn't answer no matter how many times he ask him.
But it wasn't something he could do anything about, just because he felt sorry.
'He's fourteen, that's the age for that.'
It was an age when he had to start keeping secrets from his father. He knew this in his head, but his heart was still heavy.
And Winfred, who noticed his father's change, was at a loss and became restless.
'Are you upset? What should I do?'
Hiram was a man of many words. He would probably grab his mother tonight and tell her everything that had been bothering him, telling her everything.
Then it was Winfred's turn to be scolded by the Empress for making his father sad.
Empress Selene was physically weak, but that did not mean she was weak-hearted. They were living under the thumb of the Empress.
However, he could not completely reveal his worries to others.
‘...I have no idea where I heard the name Hailing.’
Even after meticulously reading through hundreds of pages of imperial noble lists, he was unable to find a family called 'Hailing'.
He also thought she might be a foreign noble. But Aila clearly said she was from the Empire, so that couldn't be true either.
He believed Aila's words that 'we would meet again', but he couldn't just wait without doing anything until then.
He wanted to find out who Aila was and who her parents were. He really wanted to tell her what Aila said.
But asking someone else would hurt his pride.
This is like a homework assignment that Aila gave him, but isn't it something that can't be solved with help from others?
'Oh, again.'
Thinking about Aila made his heart ache. There are palace doctors who check on the Crown Prince's health regularly, so it shouldn't be a health problem.
“Actually. That is...”
Winfred opened his mouth, intending to appease his angry father and find out the cause of his strange symptoms.
“These days, I keep feeling like my chest is being stabbed. I can’t concentrate on work and I have no appetite.”
At his son's sudden confession, Hiram's heart sank. He was worried that something might be wrong with his precious only son's health.
But he soon realized that it wasn't a health problem. He received a report from the palace doctor every week on Winfred's health, and the report he received a few days ago also said that he was in excellent health.
Then there was only one thing left: a soldier.
One of Hiram's eyebrows went up. His expression was one of excitement.
'My son has grown up a lot.'
Already at an age where he can be in love.
“Well, by any chance. Before such symptoms appear, aren’t there conditions attached, such as ‘if you meet someone’ or ‘if you think of someone’?”
“...! How did you know?”
As expected, the Emperor isn't just anyone. Winfred didn't want to talk about Aila, so he intentionally omitted it, but how on earth did his father find out?
It wasn't the first time since they hadn't met, but it was true that he did that every time he thought of Aila.
Hiram smiled mischievously and hummed, “Huh, huh, huh,” as if he was having fun teasing his son.
“What is it, Father? Do you know why I am doing this?”
“I know.”
“Then please tell me quickly.”
Winfred looked angry as he was beating around the bush without giving an answer.
The Emperor opened his mouth because he felt that if he continued to argue, he would have to return to the Crown Prince's Palace instead of having tea time with the Emperor.
“It’s lovesickness, lovesickness. I don’t know who it is, but it’s because you love that person.”
Winfred was speechless at the unexpected answer.
No. He wasn't stupid, and it's not like he didn't know that he thought of Aila as special. If he didn't care, there's no reason for him to think of her so often.
However, it was different from the feeling of 'liking' that Winfred was familiar with.
“...Isn’t love the feeling of excitement, trembling, and a pounding heart? No, it’s not that. It’s the feeling of being suffocated, like a mouse is prickling your chest, and it feels suffocating, like someone is pressing down on your chest.”
He's never really experienced love, but his nanny said that if you like someone, that's what happens. Just being together makes you happy.
But that wasn't Winfred's feeling. Whenever he thought of Aila, his chest felt heavy, and he felt like he was going to cry.
That's love.
“I thought you were all grown up, but you’re still a kid, a kid.”
Hiram shook his head, but his face was full of smiles.
Hiram don't know who the person is, but his heart was pounding at the thought of his only son having grown up so much and falling in love for the first time.
“Who is she? Huh? Is this the Young lady I know? No, maybe a young lady?”
By any chance, is it not the Young Master, is it? If the Crown Prince of the empire is a nemesis, there may be some difficulties in continuing the imperial lineage.
Still, Hiram was willing to respect whatever love his son showed.
“...I’ll go back.”
What on earth is going on in the mind of this Emperor? Isn't he beating the big and small drums and even the cymbals all by himself?
Winfred abruptly got up from his seat, wondering what serious thoughts he could have in front of such a father.
“Winfred, Win! ... Are you really going? Yes. This father will wait until you are ready! Come to me whenever you are ready to tell me who she is!”
The Emperor shouted in a joyful voice as he watched the Crown Prince walking away.
From that day on, the Crown Prince was so upset that he didn't even properly greet the Emperor.
After hearing the reason, Selene scolded Hiram, saying, "Stop teasing your son," and only after a distraught Hiram apologized to Winfred several times did he calm down.
Although it was true that he was upset by Hiram's teasing, Winfred thought about his father's words carefully.
He wonders if the reason he feels so suffocated is that he really likes Aila.
And he concluded for himself, 'I really do like Aila.'
Although it was an inconvenient season to move around secretly at night, other than that, winter was a really nice season.
She didn't feel the cold easily, and just seeing snow made her feel better.
'Now that I think about it, my father said that the reason I like winter is because I have Weishaffen blood.'
The Weishaffen estate in the north had long winters and lots of snow. Even though she had never been to the estate before, when Aila said she liked winter, Roderick smiled brightly and said so.
At that time, she laughed at Roderick, not knowing that he was his biological father. But now that he thinks about it, his words seem plausible.
“Are you here, miss?”
It was Cloud's face that she had not seen in a very long time. Cloud was still looking at her with his blunt gaze that made it impossible to read his intentions.
“You’ve been resting for a long time, so you’ve probably lost a lot of stamina. Let’s just focus on recovering your stamina for now. Since you have naturally good stamina, you’ll be able to recover quickly.”
Aila nodded to Cloud's words and started running through the snow-covered yard.
In the past, she could run several laps without stopping and not get tired, but she guesses her stamina has really declined, and she quickly becomes out of breath.
It was not a pleasant thing. For her revenge, she needed physical strength.
Aila gritted her teeth and ran. Leaving small footprints in the pure white snow. Without stopping.
***
“Win. Is something bothering you?”
Emperor of the Peles Empire, Hiram Tobias Vito Peles, looked at his only precious son and asked kindly.
Although it was a rare time for the two rich people to share a cozy meal together, Winfred was unable to concentrate on the conversation and kept getting lost in other thoughts.
But Winfred didn't answer his question. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
“Hey, Win. Win? Winfred! Crown Prince!”
“...Huh? Yes? You called, father?”
What on earth are you thinking so intently about? Finally, the Emperor called him Crown Prince while shouting, and only then did he get an answer.
“I asked if something was bothering you. You and I have been so busy lately. It’s been so long since we last spent time together like this, and I’m starting to get upset because you don’t pay any attention to me.”
Winfred couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his father's pouty expression, unbecoming of a majestic Emperor.
How can you not laugh when the Emperor of a country pretends to be angry, hoping that his son will laugh?
“I’m sorry, father.”
“...So, what are you worried about?”
Hiram asked with an urgent look in his eyes, as if telling him to speak quickly.
“Yes? Am I worried? No, I’m not worried.”
Winfred's behavior as he answered in a flustered manner was quite suspicious. His answer was so urgent that his voice cracked.
“Isn’t there really one?”
“...Yes. There isn’t any.”
No matter how many times the Emperor asked him, he kept his lips tightly shut with a stubborn expression, which was frustrating.
“Huh. I see.”
Hiram felt a little sorry. He was a little embarrassed to say this with his own mouth, but he was proud of the closeness between him and his son that he would not be embarrassed to show it to anyone.
In the past, this child would have been the first to confess that he had concerns before he even asked, but now he doesn't answer no matter how many times he ask him.
But it wasn't something he could do anything about, just because he felt sorry.
'He's fourteen, that's the age for that.'
It was an age when he had to start keeping secrets from his father. He knew this in his head, but his heart was still heavy.
And Winfred, who noticed his father's change, was at a loss and became restless.
'Are you upset? What should I do?'
Hiram was a man of many words. He would probably grab his mother tonight and tell her everything that had been bothering him, telling her everything.
Then it was Winfred's turn to be scolded by the Empress for making his father sad.
Empress Selene was physically weak, but that did not mean she was weak-hearted. They were living under the thumb of the Empress.
However, he could not completely reveal his worries to others.
‘...I have no idea where I heard the name Hailing.’
Even after meticulously reading through hundreds of pages of imperial noble lists, he was unable to find a family called 'Hailing'.
He also thought she might be a foreign noble. But Aila clearly said she was from the Empire, so that couldn't be true either.
He believed Aila's words that 'we would meet again', but he couldn't just wait without doing anything until then.
He wanted to find out who Aila was and who her parents were. He really wanted to tell her what Aila said.
But asking someone else would hurt his pride.
This is like a homework assignment that Aila gave him, but isn't it something that can't be solved with help from others?
'Oh, again.'
Thinking about Aila made his heart ache. There are palace doctors who check on the Crown Prince's health regularly, so it shouldn't be a health problem.
“Actually. That is...”
Winfred opened his mouth, intending to appease his angry father and find out the cause of his strange symptoms.
“These days, I keep feeling like my chest is being stabbed. I can’t concentrate on work and I have no appetite.”
At his son's sudden confession, Hiram's heart sank. He was worried that something might be wrong with his precious only son's health.
But he soon realized that it wasn't a health problem. He received a report from the palace doctor every week on Winfred's health, and the report he received a few days ago also said that he was in excellent health.
Then there was only one thing left: a soldier.
One of Hiram's eyebrows went up. His expression was one of excitement.
'My son has grown up a lot.'
Already at an age where he can be in love.
“Well, by any chance. Before such symptoms appear, aren’t there conditions attached, such as ‘if you meet someone’ or ‘if you think of someone’?”
“...! How did you know?”
As expected, the Emperor isn't just anyone. Winfred didn't want to talk about Aila, so he intentionally omitted it, but how on earth did his father find out?
It wasn't the first time since they hadn't met, but it was true that he did that every time he thought of Aila.
Hiram smiled mischievously and hummed, “Huh, huh, huh,” as if he was having fun teasing his son.
“What is it, Father? Do you know why I am doing this?”
“I know.”
“Then please tell me quickly.”
Winfred looked angry as he was beating around the bush without giving an answer.
The Emperor opened his mouth because he felt that if he continued to argue, he would have to return to the Crown Prince's Palace instead of having tea time with the Emperor.
“It’s lovesickness, lovesickness. I don’t know who it is, but it’s because you love that person.”
Winfred was speechless at the unexpected answer.
No. He wasn't stupid, and it's not like he didn't know that he thought of Aila as special. If he didn't care, there's no reason for him to think of her so often.
However, it was different from the feeling of 'liking' that Winfred was familiar with.
“...Isn’t love the feeling of excitement, trembling, and a pounding heart? No, it’s not that. It’s the feeling of being suffocated, like a mouse is prickling your chest, and it feels suffocating, like someone is pressing down on your chest.”
He's never really experienced love, but his nanny said that if you like someone, that's what happens. Just being together makes you happy.
But that wasn't Winfred's feeling. Whenever he thought of Aila, his chest felt heavy, and he felt like he was going to cry.
That's love.
“I thought you were all grown up, but you’re still a kid, a kid.”
Hiram shook his head, but his face was full of smiles.
Hiram don't know who the person is, but his heart was pounding at the thought of his only son having grown up so much and falling in love for the first time.
“Who is she? Huh? Is this the Young lady I know? No, maybe a young lady?”
By any chance, is it not the Young Master, is it? If the Crown Prince of the empire is a nemesis, there may be some difficulties in continuing the imperial lineage.
Still, Hiram was willing to respect whatever love his son showed.
“...I’ll go back.”
What on earth is going on in the mind of this Emperor? Isn't he beating the big and small drums and even the cymbals all by himself?
Winfred abruptly got up from his seat, wondering what serious thoughts he could have in front of such a father.
“Winfred, Win! ... Are you really going? Yes. This father will wait until you are ready! Come to me whenever you are ready to tell me who she is!”
The Emperor shouted in a joyful voice as he watched the Crown Prince walking away.
***
From that day on, the Crown Prince was so upset that he didn't even properly greet the Emperor.
After hearing the reason, Selene scolded Hiram, saying, "Stop teasing your son," and only after a distraught Hiram apologized to Winfred several times did he calm down.
Although it was true that he was upset by Hiram's teasing, Winfred thought about his father's words carefully.
He wonders if the reason he feels so suffocated is that he really likes Aila.
And he concluded for himself, 'I really do like Aila.'
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