"Oh my."
Prince Winfred of the Peles Empire stood up, letting out a cry that was unbecoming of a fourteen-year-old boy.
He didn't notice it yesterday, but his back started to hurt, probably because he rolled on the floor. It wasn't just his back; there were also small bruises and scratches here and there.
How much the chamberlain had nagged at him when he saw his wounds. It was bad enough to be in pain, but Winfred didn't feel bad at all.
Winfred, who would normally be the one to exchange quick banter with the chief of police, who would say things like, "Oh, how rude!" and "Yes, yes, I have committed a mortal sin," now seemed to have lost his mind.
Even while he's changing clothes, even while he's sitting at the table eating breakfast.
It seemed as if he didn't know whether the spoon he was scooping soup from was going to his mouth or his nose. Sometimes he would fumble and put a spoon without soup in it into his mouth.
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Should I call a doctor right now?”
They were very worried that he might have hit his head while rolling around.
“Huh? What did you say?”
But the person concerned was not even able to hear those words of concern.
Although he wasn't hurt anywhere, he thought the condition was strange.
Aila Hailing. The image of that girl named Aila kept coming to mind.
It was truly mysterious from the first time they met. A girl who suddenly fell from the sky, covered his mouth with her silver hair, fluttering as if she wasn't real.
Because she appeared and disappeared so suddenly, Winfred even thought that shr might be the fairy of moonlight who had come and gone.
And then a reunion after a week.
He was so surprised by the rough hand that suddenly appeared from somewhere and pulled him towards it. It was the first time in his life that he felt his life was in danger.
He confirmed who the owner of that hand was and how relieved he was.
It was really strange. Even though it was just a girl he met by chance once. And even though it was only a few minutes, a fleeting moment.
Strangely, the moment he saw her, his heart felt at ease. It seemed as if she would never hurt him.
Even though he saw an assassin targeting him, he somehow felt like everything would be okay.
Although she was only a small and frail girl—well, she was stronger than Winfred himself—he felt as if a thousand armies were protecting him.
But on the other hand, he wanted to embrace her because she seemed to have many wounds.
Winfred wasn't talking about the visible wounds on her body. There seemed to be many invisible wounds. When Aila made a sad expression, it felt like a rat was prickling his chest, and when she smiled slightly, he wanted to protect that smile.
A mysterious girl who makes you feel protected and want to protect you coexists.
Every single gesture and expression of that girl kept coming to his mind, so he couldn't think of anything else.
“...Your Highness, are you really okay?”
The chief of staff was looking worried and worried. If it had been his usual personality, he would have joked around mischievously, but Winfred's condition was so bad that he couldn't even do that.
Although they were not blood relatives, Winfred struggled to shake off the visions of Aila from his mind at the worried expression of his chamberlain, who was closer to him than his uncle by blood.
It was also time to solve the homework that Aila had given him.
“Yes? Yeah. I’m really fine. The doctor is fine, just call Sir Dexen. There’s something I really need to discuss.”
“Yes? Are you talking about Lord Dexen? Yes, I understand.”
The person who had been looking absent-minded until just a moment ago, but suddenly asked to be called with a serious expression, was Captain Alexia Dexen, the guard in charge of this procession.
Chamberlain Joseph nodded, realizing that this was an unusual matter.
“Did you call, Your Highness?”
A tall, lanky female knight in her mid-thirties bowed politely to Winfred.
Alexia Dexen. The second sister of the head of the Dexen family, a vassal of the Duke of Weishaffen, she was a great knight who learned swordsmanship together with Roderick from the previous Duke of Weishaffen.
Since Alexia's only son, Bradley, was not much older than Winfred, Alexia was a bit of a difficult person for Winfred.
She was a strict mother to her son, and she was also extremely strict with the Prince, Winfred.
But now was the time to put those feelings aside. As the soon-to-be Crown Prince of the empire, he had things to take care of.
“Hello, Lord Dexen. I have called you to discuss something.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
When he mustered up his courage to open his mouth, Alexia answered in a blunt but warm voice. Encouraged by that, Winfred continued to speak.
“It’s just that last night I...”
He mustered up his courage and spoke up, but when he tried to confess his misdeeds with his own mouth, the words wouldn't come out well.
Of course, it was an outing that he went on with his own intentions.
Before becoming Crown Prince, it was a journey he set out on with the grand intention of seeing with his own eyes and experiencing firsthand how the people of the empire lived.
It was true that he got caught and scolded every time he went out, so he became angry, but he went out with good intentions.
However, it was also true that he was afraid of being scolded by Alexia, who was a classmate of Winfred's swordsmanship teacher, the Duke of Weishaffen, and was also the mother of a close friend of the same age.
“...I heard that you went out secretly.”
But Winfred's hesitation was meaningless. The chamberlain had already told her. What on earth was I hesitating for? Winfred sighed.
“I see. That, that’s true... When I went out yesterday, I almost got into trouble after meeting an assassin. I haven’t told anyone yet.”
Winfred closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth. Just going out in secret would be enough to make his subordinates furious, but if he had met an assassin, they would have certainly been turned upside down.
As he expected, Alexia's eyes widened.
Winfred held the hem of his robe in his hands as he waited for the order to be given. He resolved to boldly tell them that it was his fault and that the servants should not be punished.
But what came back was not a scolding.
“...Is there anything wrong with you, Your Highness?”
At Alexia's question filled with warm concern, Winfred blinked slowly.
It was true that he had done something he should not have done as a Prince, but Alexia was looking at the boy in front of her with a motherly heart.
Because the Empress was weak, she could not have any more children, and the Emperor, who was terrible at loving his Empress, did not even think of having another woman, so Winfred was always alone without any siblings.
As the only grandson who would one day wear the Emperor's crown, he lived almost his entire life under pressure, so, surprisingly, a young boy who went out to play for a short while was threatened with his life.
Rather than scolding him, it was more important to comfort the surprised boy.
“...I’m okay. Fortunately, I was able to escape unharmed.”
Of course, he expected her to be very angry. But the unexpected warm concern returned, and Winfred scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Thank God, you were safe this time, but I’m sure you now know how dangerous it is to walk the streets alone at night. So please don’t do it again, Your Highness.”
“Understood, Sir Dexen.”
At his words, Winfred nodded awkwardly with a smile. Now it was time to get to the point.
“...Actually, there was someone who helped me. She said so. She said that the one who sent the assassin to me was ‘that guy.’”
"...If you say that person?”
“Byron Lionel Vito Pelez.”
Alexia furrowed her brow at the name that came out of Winfred's mouth. If what she said was true, it wasn't something that could be overlooked.
“Who gave you the information? Is she trustworthy?”
"...That."
Winfred hesitated for a moment. Whether he could talk about Aila. Whether Alexia would believe him if he did.
It wasn't a question of whether Aila was trustworthy.
“I can’t tell you.”
Winfred stubbornly kept his mouth shut. Aila was a girl with many secrets, and he also wanted to keep her secrets.
Because he wanted to keep all the precious memories with her all to himself.
"...All right."
Loyal Alexia did not question the Prince any further as he had kept his mouth shut. However, whether or not the information could be trusted was another matter altogether.
The only Prince who would become the Crown Prince. If they were trying to assassinate Winfred, it was true that Byron was the most likely suspect. But even aside from Byron, Winfred had many enemies.
“Do you remember the assassin’s face?”
Alexia changed her question to verify the information rather than probing who the source was, but Winfred shook his head at her question.
“I only saw it briefly from afar, so I can’t remember its face... All I remember is that it had gray hair.”
Ashen hair. It was difficult to identify the assassin with that much information, so Alexia frowned slightly.
“...Oh, now that you mention it.”
While Alexia was lost in thought, Winfred opened his mouth and clapped his hands slightly as if something had occurred to him.
“The dagger he was holding seemed to have a unique shape.”
Winfred was drawing a picture on a piece of paper on his desk with a quill pen. The dagger was so unique. Alexia quickly looked at Winfred’s drawing.
Prince Winfred of the Peles Empire stood up, letting out a cry that was unbecoming of a fourteen-year-old boy.
He didn't notice it yesterday, but his back started to hurt, probably because he rolled on the floor. It wasn't just his back; there were also small bruises and scratches here and there.
How much the chamberlain had nagged at him when he saw his wounds. It was bad enough to be in pain, but Winfred didn't feel bad at all.
Winfred, who would normally be the one to exchange quick banter with the chief of police, who would say things like, "Oh, how rude!" and "Yes, yes, I have committed a mortal sin," now seemed to have lost his mind.
Even while he's changing clothes, even while he's sitting at the table eating breakfast.
It seemed as if he didn't know whether the spoon he was scooping soup from was going to his mouth or his nose. Sometimes he would fumble and put a spoon without soup in it into his mouth.
“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell somewhere? Should I call a doctor right now?”
They were very worried that he might have hit his head while rolling around.
“Huh? What did you say?”
But the person concerned was not even able to hear those words of concern.
Although he wasn't hurt anywhere, he thought the condition was strange.
Aila Hailing. The image of that girl named Aila kept coming to mind.
It was truly mysterious from the first time they met. A girl who suddenly fell from the sky, covered his mouth with her silver hair, fluttering as if she wasn't real.
Because she appeared and disappeared so suddenly, Winfred even thought that shr might be the fairy of moonlight who had come and gone.
And then a reunion after a week.
He was so surprised by the rough hand that suddenly appeared from somewhere and pulled him towards it. It was the first time in his life that he felt his life was in danger.
He confirmed who the owner of that hand was and how relieved he was.
It was really strange. Even though it was just a girl he met by chance once. And even though it was only a few minutes, a fleeting moment.
Strangely, the moment he saw her, his heart felt at ease. It seemed as if she would never hurt him.
Even though he saw an assassin targeting him, he somehow felt like everything would be okay.
Although she was only a small and frail girl—well, she was stronger than Winfred himself—he felt as if a thousand armies were protecting him.
But on the other hand, he wanted to embrace her because she seemed to have many wounds.
Winfred wasn't talking about the visible wounds on her body. There seemed to be many invisible wounds. When Aila made a sad expression, it felt like a rat was prickling his chest, and when she smiled slightly, he wanted to protect that smile.
A mysterious girl who makes you feel protected and want to protect you coexists.
Every single gesture and expression of that girl kept coming to his mind, so he couldn't think of anything else.
“...Your Highness, are you really okay?”
The chief of staff was looking worried and worried. If it had been his usual personality, he would have joked around mischievously, but Winfred's condition was so bad that he couldn't even do that.
Although they were not blood relatives, Winfred struggled to shake off the visions of Aila from his mind at the worried expression of his chamberlain, who was closer to him than his uncle by blood.
It was also time to solve the homework that Aila had given him.
“Yes? Yeah. I’m really fine. The doctor is fine, just call Sir Dexen. There’s something I really need to discuss.”
“Yes? Are you talking about Lord Dexen? Yes, I understand.”
The person who had been looking absent-minded until just a moment ago, but suddenly asked to be called with a serious expression, was Captain Alexia Dexen, the guard in charge of this procession.
Chamberlain Joseph nodded, realizing that this was an unusual matter.
***
“Did you call, Your Highness?”
A tall, lanky female knight in her mid-thirties bowed politely to Winfred.
Alexia Dexen. The second sister of the head of the Dexen family, a vassal of the Duke of Weishaffen, she was a great knight who learned swordsmanship together with Roderick from the previous Duke of Weishaffen.
Since Alexia's only son, Bradley, was not much older than Winfred, Alexia was a bit of a difficult person for Winfred.
She was a strict mother to her son, and she was also extremely strict with the Prince, Winfred.
But now was the time to put those feelings aside. As the soon-to-be Crown Prince of the empire, he had things to take care of.
“Hello, Lord Dexen. I have called you to discuss something.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
When he mustered up his courage to open his mouth, Alexia answered in a blunt but warm voice. Encouraged by that, Winfred continued to speak.
“It’s just that last night I...”
He mustered up his courage and spoke up, but when he tried to confess his misdeeds with his own mouth, the words wouldn't come out well.
Of course, it was an outing that he went on with his own intentions.
Before becoming Crown Prince, it was a journey he set out on with the grand intention of seeing with his own eyes and experiencing firsthand how the people of the empire lived.
It was true that he got caught and scolded every time he went out, so he became angry, but he went out with good intentions.
However, it was also true that he was afraid of being scolded by Alexia, who was a classmate of Winfred's swordsmanship teacher, the Duke of Weishaffen, and was also the mother of a close friend of the same age.
“...I heard that you went out secretly.”
But Winfred's hesitation was meaningless. The chamberlain had already told her. What on earth was I hesitating for? Winfred sighed.
“I see. That, that’s true... When I went out yesterday, I almost got into trouble after meeting an assassin. I haven’t told anyone yet.”
Winfred closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth. Just going out in secret would be enough to make his subordinates furious, but if he had met an assassin, they would have certainly been turned upside down.
As he expected, Alexia's eyes widened.
Winfred held the hem of his robe in his hands as he waited for the order to be given. He resolved to boldly tell them that it was his fault and that the servants should not be punished.
But what came back was not a scolding.
“...Is there anything wrong with you, Your Highness?”
At Alexia's question filled with warm concern, Winfred blinked slowly.
It was true that he had done something he should not have done as a Prince, but Alexia was looking at the boy in front of her with a motherly heart.
Because the Empress was weak, she could not have any more children, and the Emperor, who was terrible at loving his Empress, did not even think of having another woman, so Winfred was always alone without any siblings.
As the only grandson who would one day wear the Emperor's crown, he lived almost his entire life under pressure, so, surprisingly, a young boy who went out to play for a short while was threatened with his life.
Rather than scolding him, it was more important to comfort the surprised boy.
“...I’m okay. Fortunately, I was able to escape unharmed.”
Of course, he expected her to be very angry. But the unexpected warm concern returned, and Winfred scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Thank God, you were safe this time, but I’m sure you now know how dangerous it is to walk the streets alone at night. So please don’t do it again, Your Highness.”
“Understood, Sir Dexen.”
At his words, Winfred nodded awkwardly with a smile. Now it was time to get to the point.
“...Actually, there was someone who helped me. She said so. She said that the one who sent the assassin to me was ‘that guy.’”
"...If you say that person?”
“Byron Lionel Vito Pelez.”
Alexia furrowed her brow at the name that came out of Winfred's mouth. If what she said was true, it wasn't something that could be overlooked.
“Who gave you the information? Is she trustworthy?”
"...That."
Winfred hesitated for a moment. Whether he could talk about Aila. Whether Alexia would believe him if he did.
It wasn't a question of whether Aila was trustworthy.
“I can’t tell you.”
Winfred stubbornly kept his mouth shut. Aila was a girl with many secrets, and he also wanted to keep her secrets.
Because he wanted to keep all the precious memories with her all to himself.
"...All right."
Loyal Alexia did not question the Prince any further as he had kept his mouth shut. However, whether or not the information could be trusted was another matter altogether.
The only Prince who would become the Crown Prince. If they were trying to assassinate Winfred, it was true that Byron was the most likely suspect. But even aside from Byron, Winfred had many enemies.
“Do you remember the assassin’s face?”
Alexia changed her question to verify the information rather than probing who the source was, but Winfred shook his head at her question.
“I only saw it briefly from afar, so I can’t remember its face... All I remember is that it had gray hair.”
Ashen hair. It was difficult to identify the assassin with that much information, so Alexia frowned slightly.
“...Oh, now that you mention it.”
While Alexia was lost in thought, Winfred opened his mouth and clapped his hands slightly as if something had occurred to him.
“The dagger he was holding seemed to have a unique shape.”
Winfred was drawing a picture on a piece of paper on his desk with a quill pen. The dagger was so unique. Alexia quickly looked at Winfred’s drawing.
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