Binka confessed her feelings with a shy face. Winfred was genuinely delighted to hear her words, knowing he wasn't alone.
"Right? You feel the same way, don't you? I knew it! Anyway, so... from now on, don't worry if I don't treat you as friendly as I used to. It's not because you did something wrong or because I dislike you. You don't like being misunderstood, do you?"
He felt completely relieved. It would have been better if he had just told Binka from the beginning, "From now on, I'm going to distance myself from you for this reason." No matter how much he thought about it, it was a foolish mistake on his part.
But Binka looked at Winfred with wide eyes as if she was surprised by his words.
“Why, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
He looked at her, caressing her cheek for no reason.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That's... unexpected. I thought that even someone as high as Your Highness, like me..., cared about what other people thought, just like an ordinary person. I thought that people like His Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness would do whatever they wanted without worrying about what others thought."
Binka said as if she really didn't know that would happen.
It was easy for those who didn't know him well to think that way. It was a misunderstanding he'd often encountered, and he skillfully denied it.
"No! There are so many things to worry about. There are so many things that make you think, 'You can't do this,' or 'You'll lose face if you do that.'"
Even now, it's been like that. Doesn't he have to force yourself to distance himself from Binka, worrying about other people's concerns?
Of course, what he was most worried about right now was whether this rumor would reach the ears of Aila, whom he truly loved.
“Hmm, I see... If I had that kind of power, I could get rid of all the annoying things and do whatever I want.”
Winfred looked at her in bewilderment, feeling a slight chill run down his arm as she spoke, as it was a word that did not suit Binka's pretty and gentle face.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I, I mean, it was a joke... Even if Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is being so kind to me, I dare to joke around like that... I shouldn’t have done that...”
Suddenly, Binka apologized, almost banging her head on the floor, as the atmosphere became strange, and Winfred stopped her by blocking her head from hitting the desk with his palm.
"Oh, there you go again! What's wrong with your topic? Don't say things like that."
Only after he said several times, 'You don't have to apologize like that,' did Binka calm down a little and stand quietly in front of him.
Winfred, who was looking at her slightly reddened face, suddenly felt a sense of unease and tilted his head to look at Binka.
“By the way, Binka... I haven’t seen you in a while, but you seem to have grown a bit. Do you still grow tall after you turn twenty?”
Winfred, who was in the midst of a growth spurt where every day was different from yesterday, had grown up quite a bit, but Binka seemed to have grown a bit, too. Of course, it was a subtle difference, so subtle that only someone with a keen eye would notice.
So it could be his mistake.
But for some reason, Binka's face was visibly shocked at Winfred's words. She paled so quickly that the color drained from her face in real time.
“Why, why are you so flustered?”
Winfred was also taken aback by this.
"Was it really that rude to say you were tall? No."
You may grow a little taller than others, so what's there to be embarrassed about?
Binka, who had been fidgeting for a moment in such a state of confusion, soon lowered her voice and opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“...Actually. I’m not twenty years old... I’m sorry.”
Yes? What does that mean? Winfred blinked rapidly at the sudden confession and looked at Binka.
“Well, it’s been three years since I entered the palace. To get a job as a maid in the palace, you have to be an adult... so I lied about my age.”
If you want to get a job elsewhere, it doesn't matter how young you are, but the Imperial Palace only hires adults over the age of eighteen.
Binka bit her lips as she finished speaking, saying that being a maid was the only job a young commoner woman with no skills could do, and that since being a palace maid paid the most, it was an inevitable choice.
In fact, Winfred felt an indescribable pity at her confession that she was now seventeen.
When she thought about how, at the age of fifteen, she had to lie about her age and work as a maid in the palace to earn money for her mother's medicine, her heart ached.
“If you tell me to stop, I will stop right now, so please don’t tell anyone else, Your Highness.”
If others found out about this, it wouldn't be a problem to quit being a maid, but rather to pay the price for lying about her age and forging documents.
“...”
Despite Binka's earnest plea, Winfred remained silent. He seemed lost in thought.
And after a while, he lowered his voice and opened his mouth.
"I'll keep it a secret. So don't say anything about quitting. You need money for your mother's medicine."
"...Your Highness."
She hadn't lied for any other bad reason, and she'd made that choice for the sake of her only family. He had no intention of kicking out such a kind Binka.
“It’s just our secret, yes?”
Winfred extended his pinky with a mischievous smile, reminiscent of his father, Hiram. Sharing a secret? It felt like they were truly close siblings.
“...Yes, thank you very much, Your Highness.”
Binka smiled brightly and intertwined her pinky with Winfred's. There was no shadow on her bright face.
Despite Count Senospon's continued, earnest pleas, Gerald's persistent visits to the annex continued unabated. Indeed, they seemed to have become even bolder.
At first, he would hesitate and back away whenever Cloud was around, but now he realized that he couldn't do anything to her, so he didn't even look at his face.
As soon as Aila went out into the garden, he would come running in with all sorts of snacks and toys that little girls would like, so much so that for the past few days, even training had to be done indoors.
Of course, Cloud thought he had taught her all the basic techniques, so it was just light training to keep her from getting rusty.
She couldn't even do that and was stuck in the room, so she couldn't stand the sting.
Today was more.
“Hey, pretty one! Come out and see me, okay?”
Aila didn't know how he found out, but he'd been pestering Aila for hours, throwing small rocks and such beneath her window.
'That's really, just...'
Aila had to suppress the urge to open the window and jump out to knock him down, saying that it was too much to handle.
She always thought Winfred was just a bright, innocent child, but compared to Gerald, he seemed remarkably mature. Even though he was a year older than Winfred, she couldn't understand why he acted like that.
Aila, who had never met a friend her age, aside from Winfred, in her past or present life, instinctively knew that this was not a normal relationship.
“Pretty, come play with me!”
And then again, a stone flew against the window, making a loud thud. At the same time, it seemed as if she could hear the snap of her patience.
Aila walked to the window and flung it open. She felt she couldn't bear it without screaming, "Please leave me alone."
Truly, truly, he was a bastard. To have worn down her profound patience, which she had endured even in the face of her sworn enemy, Byron.
As she flung open the window, another small rock came flying in from below. It seemed he hadn't realized she had opened the window and had thrown the rock.
And Aila instinctively grabbed the stone with her hand.
“Wow, what trick are you doing? How did you catch that?”
Gerald applauded, as if amazed by the sight. It was a brazenness that belied the one he'd just shown, nearly hitting someone with a rock.
Aila closed her eyes tightly, resisting the urge to immediately throw the rock at him at 120 kilometers per hour and smash his skull.
“...Can you please leave me alone? Why are you doing this to me? I just need to rest quietly.”
"Hey, what kind of child are you, talking like an old man who's lived through everything? I like you, because I like you. I want to go for a cozy walk with you, have a conversation with you... That's all I want to do."
He answered with a mischievous smile that made me want to punch him.
And Aila thought, That's definitely not what she likes.
She couldn't understand how someone could irritate someone they loved so much.
“I have no desire to do that, so please leave me alone and go back. Before I throw this stone.”
“You? If you throw it, will it reach me?”
Gerald burst out laughing and sneered. His tone was clearly one of belittling the young girl.
Even if he couldn't learn, how could he be that incompetent? Aila shook her head.
He couldn't have been more foolish than to have come and seen her every day and not noticed that she was an extraordinary person, different from ordinary girls.
Of course, even if she were an average girl, it would have been wrong to make such a dismissive remark.
“Throw it. I’ll catch it.”
“...”
Finally, Aila couldn't stand it anymore and returned the rock Gerald had thrown. She aimed it just wide of his head, of course, so as not to hit him.
As the rock she threw whizzed past Gerald's ear at a speed that made it hard to believe it was just a rock she had picked up with her bare hands, Gerald slowly turned his head in disbelief and looked at the spot where the rock had landed.
“Get out when I say nice things to you.”
And Aila slammed the window.
"Right? You feel the same way, don't you? I knew it! Anyway, so... from now on, don't worry if I don't treat you as friendly as I used to. It's not because you did something wrong or because I dislike you. You don't like being misunderstood, do you?"
He felt completely relieved. It would have been better if he had just told Binka from the beginning, "From now on, I'm going to distance myself from you for this reason." No matter how much he thought about it, it was a foolish mistake on his part.
But Binka looked at Winfred with wide eyes as if she was surprised by his words.
“Why, what’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
He looked at her, caressing her cheek for no reason.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That's... unexpected. I thought that even someone as high as Your Highness, like me..., cared about what other people thought, just like an ordinary person. I thought that people like His Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness would do whatever they wanted without worrying about what others thought."
Binka said as if she really didn't know that would happen.
It was easy for those who didn't know him well to think that way. It was a misunderstanding he'd often encountered, and he skillfully denied it.
"No! There are so many things to worry about. There are so many things that make you think, 'You can't do this,' or 'You'll lose face if you do that.'"
Even now, it's been like that. Doesn't he have to force yourself to distance himself from Binka, worrying about other people's concerns?
Of course, what he was most worried about right now was whether this rumor would reach the ears of Aila, whom he truly loved.
“Hmm, I see... If I had that kind of power, I could get rid of all the annoying things and do whatever I want.”
Winfred looked at her in bewilderment, feeling a slight chill run down his arm as she spoke, as it was a word that did not suit Binka's pretty and gentle face.
“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I, I mean, it was a joke... Even if Your Highness, the Crown Prince, is being so kind to me, I dare to joke around like that... I shouldn’t have done that...”
Suddenly, Binka apologized, almost banging her head on the floor, as the atmosphere became strange, and Winfred stopped her by blocking her head from hitting the desk with his palm.
"Oh, there you go again! What's wrong with your topic? Don't say things like that."
Only after he said several times, 'You don't have to apologize like that,' did Binka calm down a little and stand quietly in front of him.
Winfred, who was looking at her slightly reddened face, suddenly felt a sense of unease and tilted his head to look at Binka.
“By the way, Binka... I haven’t seen you in a while, but you seem to have grown a bit. Do you still grow tall after you turn twenty?”
Winfred, who was in the midst of a growth spurt where every day was different from yesterday, had grown up quite a bit, but Binka seemed to have grown a bit, too. Of course, it was a subtle difference, so subtle that only someone with a keen eye would notice.
So it could be his mistake.
But for some reason, Binka's face was visibly shocked at Winfred's words. She paled so quickly that the color drained from her face in real time.
“Why, why are you so flustered?”
Winfred was also taken aback by this.
"Was it really that rude to say you were tall? No."
You may grow a little taller than others, so what's there to be embarrassed about?
Binka, who had been fidgeting for a moment in such a state of confusion, soon lowered her voice and opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.
“...Actually. I’m not twenty years old... I’m sorry.”
Yes? What does that mean? Winfred blinked rapidly at the sudden confession and looked at Binka.
“Well, it’s been three years since I entered the palace. To get a job as a maid in the palace, you have to be an adult... so I lied about my age.”
If you want to get a job elsewhere, it doesn't matter how young you are, but the Imperial Palace only hires adults over the age of eighteen.
Binka bit her lips as she finished speaking, saying that being a maid was the only job a young commoner woman with no skills could do, and that since being a palace maid paid the most, it was an inevitable choice.
In fact, Winfred felt an indescribable pity at her confession that she was now seventeen.
When she thought about how, at the age of fifteen, she had to lie about her age and work as a maid in the palace to earn money for her mother's medicine, her heart ached.
“If you tell me to stop, I will stop right now, so please don’t tell anyone else, Your Highness.”
If others found out about this, it wouldn't be a problem to quit being a maid, but rather to pay the price for lying about her age and forging documents.
“...”
Despite Binka's earnest plea, Winfred remained silent. He seemed lost in thought.
And after a while, he lowered his voice and opened his mouth.
"I'll keep it a secret. So don't say anything about quitting. You need money for your mother's medicine."
"...Your Highness."
She hadn't lied for any other bad reason, and she'd made that choice for the sake of her only family. He had no intention of kicking out such a kind Binka.
“It’s just our secret, yes?”
Winfred extended his pinky with a mischievous smile, reminiscent of his father, Hiram. Sharing a secret? It felt like they were truly close siblings.
“...Yes, thank you very much, Your Highness.”
Binka smiled brightly and intertwined her pinky with Winfred's. There was no shadow on her bright face.
***
Despite Count Senospon's continued, earnest pleas, Gerald's persistent visits to the annex continued unabated. Indeed, they seemed to have become even bolder.
At first, he would hesitate and back away whenever Cloud was around, but now he realized that he couldn't do anything to her, so he didn't even look at his face.
As soon as Aila went out into the garden, he would come running in with all sorts of snacks and toys that little girls would like, so much so that for the past few days, even training had to be done indoors.
Of course, Cloud thought he had taught her all the basic techniques, so it was just light training to keep her from getting rusty.
She couldn't even do that and was stuck in the room, so she couldn't stand the sting.
Today was more.
“Hey, pretty one! Come out and see me, okay?”
Aila didn't know how he found out, but he'd been pestering Aila for hours, throwing small rocks and such beneath her window.
'That's really, just...'
Aila had to suppress the urge to open the window and jump out to knock him down, saying that it was too much to handle.
She always thought Winfred was just a bright, innocent child, but compared to Gerald, he seemed remarkably mature. Even though he was a year older than Winfred, she couldn't understand why he acted like that.
Aila, who had never met a friend her age, aside from Winfred, in her past or present life, instinctively knew that this was not a normal relationship.
“Pretty, come play with me!”
And then again, a stone flew against the window, making a loud thud. At the same time, it seemed as if she could hear the snap of her patience.
Aila walked to the window and flung it open. She felt she couldn't bear it without screaming, "Please leave me alone."
Truly, truly, he was a bastard. To have worn down her profound patience, which she had endured even in the face of her sworn enemy, Byron.
As she flung open the window, another small rock came flying in from below. It seemed he hadn't realized she had opened the window and had thrown the rock.
And Aila instinctively grabbed the stone with her hand.
“Wow, what trick are you doing? How did you catch that?”
Gerald applauded, as if amazed by the sight. It was a brazenness that belied the one he'd just shown, nearly hitting someone with a rock.
Aila closed her eyes tightly, resisting the urge to immediately throw the rock at him at 120 kilometers per hour and smash his skull.
“...Can you please leave me alone? Why are you doing this to me? I just need to rest quietly.”
"Hey, what kind of child are you, talking like an old man who's lived through everything? I like you, because I like you. I want to go for a cozy walk with you, have a conversation with you... That's all I want to do."
He answered with a mischievous smile that made me want to punch him.
And Aila thought, That's definitely not what she likes.
She couldn't understand how someone could irritate someone they loved so much.
“I have no desire to do that, so please leave me alone and go back. Before I throw this stone.”
“You? If you throw it, will it reach me?”
Gerald burst out laughing and sneered. His tone was clearly one of belittling the young girl.
Even if he couldn't learn, how could he be that incompetent? Aila shook her head.
He couldn't have been more foolish than to have come and seen her every day and not noticed that she was an extraordinary person, different from ordinary girls.
Of course, even if she were an average girl, it would have been wrong to make such a dismissive remark.
“Throw it. I’ll catch it.”
“...”
Finally, Aila couldn't stand it anymore and returned the rock Gerald had thrown. She aimed it just wide of his head, of course, so as not to hit him.
As the rock she threw whizzed past Gerald's ear at a speed that made it hard to believe it was just a rock she had picked up with her bare hands, Gerald slowly turned his head in disbelief and looked at the spot where the rock had landed.
“Get out when I say nice things to you.”
And Aila slammed the window.
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