Aila was confused, and her emotions kept welling up. Still, for now, she had no choice but to trust Cloud's words and continue on as usual.
Because no one else will keep her secret like Cloud does.
“Yes, Miss. I will... look after the net for you.”
Cloud, still kneeling, said this, then stood up and carefully opened the door. He even went so far as to secure the net to ensure her safe return.
When Aila returned to the room, Capella and Laura were fast asleep, oblivious to the world.
Laura tossed and turned at the sound of her lying down on the bed, but thankfully, she didn't wake up.
Lying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, Aila remembered what had happened to her just a moment ago.
Cloud... had been aware of her secret. Yet, he had kept it a secret all this time. And today, he had even saved her from danger.
'That's ridiculous.'
It was truly a dream come true.
She spent the night wide awake, thinking.
Whether she can trust Cloud or whether she should consider other measures.
He had been a deceiver to her all her life. Deceived by him and Byron, she had committed the irreversible sin of betraying her natural karma and was left to writhe in agony and die.
But that hasn't happened yet at this point.
And Cloud... was the only one who cared a little bit about her, unlike the others who looked down on her.
'That doesn't mean the guilt of deceiving me disappears.'
Even though he did it out of a little guilt, he was still one of those who tried to use Aila.
It was something that could not be completely trusted.
'But, I don't believe him... Is there any other way to silence him?'
She couldn't kill Cloud secretly. His inaction was beyond Aila's ability to defeat, and she wasn't even sure she could sneak into his room.
No matter how careless she was, didn't he catch her today?
She couldn't use poison, because the lab where she studied toxicology was no longer here.
And when Cloud died, there was no telling how things would go awry.
Above all else...
It was hard to admit these feelings, but she actually wanted to trust Cloud.
In this terrible place with cliffs on all sides, there is even one person on her side...
She let out a breathy laugh without realizing it.
Isn't it ridiculous? She wanted to laugh at herself for wanting to trust Cloud in this situation. How ridiculous it was to see such a weak being desperately seeking revenge...
'No, if you think about it carefully... Just hold on a little longer like this.'
It's unclear how long Cloud's quirks will last, but seeing as he's infiltrating Laura into the Duke's household, it seems like it won't be long before she returns home.
So, just hold on a little longer, just a little longer...
And just when she had decided to trust Cloud for the time being, since she had no other choice, she heard birds chirping outside the window. It was already daylight.
“Your Highness, please open your eyes and eat. If you do, the fork will go up your nostril.”
Joseph's nagging began again. Winfred was eating lunch, almost half asleep.
It was fortunate that he ate lunch alone today. If someone had been there, they would have been criticizing the Crown Prince for his table manners, saying they were beyond imagination.
'No, but if there were guests, he wouldn't act so casually.'
Although Winfred often acted casually in front of Joseph, it was fortunate that when he was observed, he appeared to be a perfect, flawless Crown Prince.
And at the chamberlain's nagging, Winfred opened his mouth wide, yawned, and rubbed his eyes.
“Just let me have fun today. I’m so sleepy...”
The teacher in charge of the economics class scheduled for after lunch had given him so much homework that he had barely managed to finish it after staying up all night and working until the sky began to dimly light up.
The topic is 'The impact of the income level of the lowest class on the economy of the empire.'
Although he didn't say anything, Joseph also felt sorry for the young Crown Prince's murderous schedule, so he just poured coffee into the Crown Prince's cup without saying anything.
Winfred, who was chewing the salad he had in his mouth while dozing off, suddenly sat up as if something had occurred to him.
“Why is that, Your Highness?”
“Homework! I left my homework in my room!”
It was only when daylight broke that he finally finished his homework and left it on the desk in his bedroom.
“You can send someone to get it, so finish eating...”
“No! There’s a reason I have to go.”
Joseph's suggestion was perfectly sensible and reasonable, but there was one major problem: there was a page where Winfred had drawn Aila's face as a stress reliever while working on his homework.
The cause of the problem was that he finished his homework and fell into bed just to sleep for an hour or two.
Winfred finished his meal, downing the still-steaming coffee in one gulp, though it wasn't even hot. He had to hurry to the bedroom.
'You fool! How could you carelessly sleep without hiding that picture?'
He moved to the bedroom and banged his head against the wall. He couldn't help but feel guilty.
It wouldn't matter if Joseph, who had already seen her, got caught, but if the spy his uncle had planted saw the picture...
It was impossible to guarantee the safety of the hostage and the innocent Aila.
Winfred arrived at the bedroom and flung the door open.
There was no one to knock when he entered his room, but the problem was that there was someone inside.
Binka, who was just about to tidy up hia desk, was startled by the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince and lost the paper she was trying to organize, which fluttered and fell to the floor.
“Ugh! That!”
Winfred screamed and rushed towards the wad of paper that had fallen to the floor.
Unfortunately, the portrait of Aila, which was in the middle, was on top with the order mixed up.
He flapped his arms wildly and hurriedly hid Aila's painting behind his back. Then, looking at Binka with longing eyes, he asked.
“Oh, have you seen it?”
He sincerely hopes she didn't see it. He sincerely hopes it was such a brief moment that she didn't get to see it properly.
“Uh, uh... a portrait of a girl? Yes, I saw it.”
But unfortunately, his wish didn't come true. Apparently, Binka's visual acuity was quite good, as she had already seen the picture in that fleeting moment.
"...Ah."
It's ruined.
In that brief moment, Winfred ran through tens of thousands of calculations in his head.
"What if Binka starts spreading rumors? No, I don't think she's the type to be so open-mouthed... But still, you can't be sure."
And his imagination didn't end there.
"I wonder if Binka is a spy planted by my uncle? She's only seventeen. Even so, they wouldn't use a seventeen-year-old as a spy, would they? ...? But considering he's using Aila, I can't rule out the possibility that Binka is a spy just because she's young."
He even considered the possibility that she was someone Byron had planted and that she might have approached him on purpose, but no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed far-fetched.
How could someone like his uncle accidentally find the precious handkerchief he lost? Isn't that absurd?
And if she were a real spy... would she be so careless? She always gets scolded by Joseph for making silly mistakes.
While Winfred was sweating profusely, thinking about this, Binka approached him, her expression as flustered as it was when she'd made a mistake. She then began to pick up the papers that had fallen to the floor.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was so startled that I...”
“Oh, no. I just came in suddenly, that’s all.”
He stared blankly at Binka, who was staring at the paper. How should he bring up the subject? He should tell her to keep what she saw today a secret...
But before Winfred could even speak, Binka struck the player.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I won’t tell anyone.”
"Yes?"
“I mean that picture.”
Binka neatly organized the papers and placed them back on the desk, then smiled brightly. It was a warm, comforting smile.
“Your Highness, you keep my secrets, so I wonder if I can’t do that much for you?”
At Binka's words, Winfred finally realized something important.
'That's right, Binka and I are special people who share secrets.'
It was just one more secret between the two.
“...Thank you.”
Only then did Winfred feel relieved, and he carefully hid the portrait he had been timidly hiding behind his back in a drawer. It was a drawer that could only be opened with a key.
"I guess she's the young lady Your Highness likes. The painting is full of affection."
“Yeah, I really like that kid.”
At Binka's words, his face felt suddenly hot. He felt as if his sister had caught him in a relationship.
Binka wasn't even his sister; he just liked her, and Aila and he weren't lovers.
"Somehow. So you kept your distance from me, worried that people might misunderstand your relationship with me? Because you have a young lady you like."
She said with a smile, her tone somewhat teasing Winfred.
“...Yeah.”
He wanted to refute it, but it was true, so he could only nod with a blush.
"Your Highness, if there's anything I can do to help you with your relationship with that young lady, feel free to let me know. After all, a woman knows a woman's heart."
Binka winked and offered to give him some relationship advice.
Because no one else will keep her secret like Cloud does.
“Yes, Miss. I will... look after the net for you.”
Cloud, still kneeling, said this, then stood up and carefully opened the door. He even went so far as to secure the net to ensure her safe return.
When Aila returned to the room, Capella and Laura were fast asleep, oblivious to the world.
Laura tossed and turned at the sound of her lying down on the bed, but thankfully, she didn't wake up.
Lying in bed, staring at the dark ceiling, Aila remembered what had happened to her just a moment ago.
Cloud... had been aware of her secret. Yet, he had kept it a secret all this time. And today, he had even saved her from danger.
'That's ridiculous.'
It was truly a dream come true.
She spent the night wide awake, thinking.
Whether she can trust Cloud or whether she should consider other measures.
He had been a deceiver to her all her life. Deceived by him and Byron, she had committed the irreversible sin of betraying her natural karma and was left to writhe in agony and die.
But that hasn't happened yet at this point.
And Cloud... was the only one who cared a little bit about her, unlike the others who looked down on her.
'That doesn't mean the guilt of deceiving me disappears.'
Even though he did it out of a little guilt, he was still one of those who tried to use Aila.
It was something that could not be completely trusted.
'But, I don't believe him... Is there any other way to silence him?'
She couldn't kill Cloud secretly. His inaction was beyond Aila's ability to defeat, and she wasn't even sure she could sneak into his room.
No matter how careless she was, didn't he catch her today?
She couldn't use poison, because the lab where she studied toxicology was no longer here.
And when Cloud died, there was no telling how things would go awry.
Above all else...
It was hard to admit these feelings, but she actually wanted to trust Cloud.
In this terrible place with cliffs on all sides, there is even one person on her side...
She let out a breathy laugh without realizing it.
Isn't it ridiculous? She wanted to laugh at herself for wanting to trust Cloud in this situation. How ridiculous it was to see such a weak being desperately seeking revenge...
'No, if you think about it carefully... Just hold on a little longer like this.'
It's unclear how long Cloud's quirks will last, but seeing as he's infiltrating Laura into the Duke's household, it seems like it won't be long before she returns home.
So, just hold on a little longer, just a little longer...
And just when she had decided to trust Cloud for the time being, since she had no other choice, she heard birds chirping outside the window. It was already daylight.
***
“Your Highness, please open your eyes and eat. If you do, the fork will go up your nostril.”
Joseph's nagging began again. Winfred was eating lunch, almost half asleep.
It was fortunate that he ate lunch alone today. If someone had been there, they would have been criticizing the Crown Prince for his table manners, saying they were beyond imagination.
'No, but if there were guests, he wouldn't act so casually.'
Although Winfred often acted casually in front of Joseph, it was fortunate that when he was observed, he appeared to be a perfect, flawless Crown Prince.
And at the chamberlain's nagging, Winfred opened his mouth wide, yawned, and rubbed his eyes.
“Just let me have fun today. I’m so sleepy...”
The teacher in charge of the economics class scheduled for after lunch had given him so much homework that he had barely managed to finish it after staying up all night and working until the sky began to dimly light up.
The topic is 'The impact of the income level of the lowest class on the economy of the empire.'
Although he didn't say anything, Joseph also felt sorry for the young Crown Prince's murderous schedule, so he just poured coffee into the Crown Prince's cup without saying anything.
Winfred, who was chewing the salad he had in his mouth while dozing off, suddenly sat up as if something had occurred to him.
“Why is that, Your Highness?”
“Homework! I left my homework in my room!”
It was only when daylight broke that he finally finished his homework and left it on the desk in his bedroom.
“You can send someone to get it, so finish eating...”
“No! There’s a reason I have to go.”
Joseph's suggestion was perfectly sensible and reasonable, but there was one major problem: there was a page where Winfred had drawn Aila's face as a stress reliever while working on his homework.
The cause of the problem was that he finished his homework and fell into bed just to sleep for an hour or two.
Winfred finished his meal, downing the still-steaming coffee in one gulp, though it wasn't even hot. He had to hurry to the bedroom.
'You fool! How could you carelessly sleep without hiding that picture?'
He moved to the bedroom and banged his head against the wall. He couldn't help but feel guilty.
It wouldn't matter if Joseph, who had already seen her, got caught, but if the spy his uncle had planted saw the picture...
It was impossible to guarantee the safety of the hostage and the innocent Aila.
Winfred arrived at the bedroom and flung the door open.
There was no one to knock when he entered his room, but the problem was that there was someone inside.
Binka, who was just about to tidy up hia desk, was startled by the sudden appearance of the Crown Prince and lost the paper she was trying to organize, which fluttered and fell to the floor.
“Ugh! That!”
Winfred screamed and rushed towards the wad of paper that had fallen to the floor.
Unfortunately, the portrait of Aila, which was in the middle, was on top with the order mixed up.
He flapped his arms wildly and hurriedly hid Aila's painting behind his back. Then, looking at Binka with longing eyes, he asked.
“Oh, have you seen it?”
He sincerely hopes she didn't see it. He sincerely hopes it was such a brief moment that she didn't get to see it properly.
“Uh, uh... a portrait of a girl? Yes, I saw it.”
But unfortunately, his wish didn't come true. Apparently, Binka's visual acuity was quite good, as she had already seen the picture in that fleeting moment.
"...Ah."
It's ruined.
In that brief moment, Winfred ran through tens of thousands of calculations in his head.
"What if Binka starts spreading rumors? No, I don't think she's the type to be so open-mouthed... But still, you can't be sure."
And his imagination didn't end there.
"I wonder if Binka is a spy planted by my uncle? She's only seventeen. Even so, they wouldn't use a seventeen-year-old as a spy, would they? ...? But considering he's using Aila, I can't rule out the possibility that Binka is a spy just because she's young."
He even considered the possibility that she was someone Byron had planted and that she might have approached him on purpose, but no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed far-fetched.
How could someone like his uncle accidentally find the precious handkerchief he lost? Isn't that absurd?
And if she were a real spy... would she be so careless? She always gets scolded by Joseph for making silly mistakes.
While Winfred was sweating profusely, thinking about this, Binka approached him, her expression as flustered as it was when she'd made a mistake. She then began to pick up the papers that had fallen to the floor.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I was so startled that I...”
“Oh, no. I just came in suddenly, that’s all.”
He stared blankly at Binka, who was staring at the paper. How should he bring up the subject? He should tell her to keep what she saw today a secret...
But before Winfred could even speak, Binka struck the player.
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I won’t tell anyone.”
"Yes?"
“I mean that picture.”
Binka neatly organized the papers and placed them back on the desk, then smiled brightly. It was a warm, comforting smile.
“Your Highness, you keep my secrets, so I wonder if I can’t do that much for you?”
At Binka's words, Winfred finally realized something important.
'That's right, Binka and I are special people who share secrets.'
It was just one more secret between the two.
“...Thank you.”
Only then did Winfred feel relieved, and he carefully hid the portrait he had been timidly hiding behind his back in a drawer. It was a drawer that could only be opened with a key.
"I guess she's the young lady Your Highness likes. The painting is full of affection."
“Yeah, I really like that kid.”
At Binka's words, his face felt suddenly hot. He felt as if his sister had caught him in a relationship.
Binka wasn't even his sister; he just liked her, and Aila and he weren't lovers.
"Somehow. So you kept your distance from me, worried that people might misunderstand your relationship with me? Because you have a young lady you like."
She said with a smile, her tone somewhat teasing Winfred.
“...Yeah.”
He wanted to refute it, but it was true, so he could only nod with a blush.
"Your Highness, if there's anything I can do to help you with your relationship with that young lady, feel free to let me know. After all, a woman knows a woman's heart."
Binka winked and offered to give him some relationship advice.
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