"This is the Crown Prince's Palace. Should we go straight to the reception room? Or do you want to take a look around? There's not much to see, though..."
“I want to take a look. I’m curious about how you usually spend your time.”
Winfred had suggested it simply to break the awkward silence, but when Aila said she would watch, he scratched his cheek with a slightly embarrassed expression.
It was because he was needlessly shy about her showing curiosity towards him.
"Yes, this is my office. It's where I handle the Crown Prince's business and take various classes."
“Hmm, I see.”
“And this room... is where I draw as a hobby.”
Aila looked around Winfred's studio with a curious gaze. It occurred to her that perhaps this was where her portrait was painted.
"I saw the picture you drew. The one you drew of me. It was exactly like me."
"Oh, you saw that. I'm embarrassed for no reason. The Duke and Duchess probably never got to see you growing up, so I drew it in a hurry to show them at least a portrait."
At Aila's words that she had seen the painting, Winfred's face flushed bright red. He felt a surge of regret: if he had known she would see it, he would have put more effort into the drawing.
“Can I see another picture?”
“Yeah! Of course. I put it on display over here.”
Winfred happily led her to the room where his paintings were displayed. It was a space filled with drawings he had been drawing as a hobby since childhood.
Aila looked at each of Winfred's drawings.
In the landscape painting depicting the palace gardens seen from the window, and in the portrait painting depicting the Emperor, the Empress, Joseph, and other employees.
It seemed as if all of Winfred's paintings were filled with his warm personality.
Of all the paintings, her favorite was the very first one Winfred ever painted: a self-portrait drawn with clumsy, crooked lines.
“This is cute.”
"I drew this when I was five. Looking at it now, it's really funny. It doesn't look like me at all."
Winfred stood beside the painting and made a similar expression to the painting, saying that it had nothing in common with the painting except two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
“Why, it looks exactly the same to me as it does now.”
When Aila smiled and joked, he looked sullen.
“Am I this ugly?”
“No, it’s just as cute as it is now.”
Winfred hiccuped, taken aback by her sudden words.
'You just said I was cute, right?'
A pleasant warmth spread throughout his body, as if someone had lit a warm spark in his chest.
When friends of his age heard that he was cute, he would get angry and say that he was being treated like a child, but Winfred was not offended at all.
How could he possibly be dissatisfied when Aila viewed him positively?
"I've heard compliments about how cute I am," Winfred said, mustering up his courage to speak.
“Are you interested in drawing?”
"Hmm, well... I've never learned it before, so I'm not sure. But if I get the chance, I'd like to try it."
“Really? Then should I teach you?”
Looking into his eyes, sparkling with anticipation, Aila couldn't help but chuckle. How could she refuse when he wanted her so desperately?
“Yes. Teach me when you have time.”
"Yes, good! Then, shall we go to the reception room now? I'm sure they've prepared some refreshments."
Winfred guided Aila with a light step. The thought of spending time alone with her, teaching her how to draw, filled her heart with excitement.
Arriving in the reception room, he wiped the already clean chair with his handkerchief and then pulled it out for Aila to sit on. Aila covered her mouth and chuckled softly at the sight.
“I’ll check in a moment.”
As the tea was placed on the table, Chief Chamberlain Joseph approached and dipped his silver spoon into the teacup. He was checking to see if it was poisoned.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Winfred gave a clear cough, signaling that he was done checking and that he should leave quickly.
“...It seems like there’s no problem. Then I’ll go out.”
Joseph felt sad that the Crown Prince, whom he had raised since childhood, was treating him badly when he started dating, but he sighed softly and went outside.
There was a brief awkwardness between the two.
Aila fidgeted with her fingers, her face tense, and Winfred, too, was fidgeting with his hands, fidgeting nervously.
“A promise is a promise, so I guess I’ll tell you my secret now.”
She sighed deeply and opened her mouth.
“Actually... I’m four years older than you.”
“...What, what did you say?”
Although he had mentally prepared himself to calmly accept whatever she had to say, Winfred found himself stunned by Aila's seemingly pointless confession.
Suddenly, she says she's older than me. What kind of nonsense is that?
“So, um... I don’t know where to start explaining. If I said this was my second life, would you understand?”
Aila began her story calmly.
The story of being deceived by Byron and believing herself to be his biological daughter. The story of killing her biological father, Roderick, in vengeance. And the story of being abandoned by Byron and being murdered herself.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened here, but I think my mother magically turned back time. So I went back to being twelve."
Aila's story was hard to believe, but strangely enough, Winfred accepted it as if he already knew it.
Because it felt like all the questions je had been having were answered at once.
That feeling he had when they first met, like he was being scolded by a woman a few years older than him. And the way he thought she acted as if she knew what would happen in the future.
And above all else.
Now, he understood why her eyes always looked so sad.
Winfred's eyes stung for no reason. Even though it wasn't his own business, he felt his heart being torn apart as he thought about the sadness and anger Aila must have felt.
He gulped down his tea for no reason. If he didn't, he might end up crying uncomfortably in front of her.
“...So, what do you think? Do you still think I’m innocent?”
Aila looked into Winfred's eyes and asked.
She already knew the answer. She just wanted confirmation.
That his faith remains unchanged.
“Of course! The guy who used you is the bad guy; you were just used!”
"...Thank you."
And when she heard the answer she had been waiting for, Aila lowered her head slightly and gave a weak smile.
Although he said he firmly believed in it, she was very anxious that Winfred might come to dislike her.
“By the way, I finally understand. When I first met you, you said something about a kid wandering around at night... I thought I was going to get scolded by my older sister back then.”
He smiled playfully and brought up the old story. But the more he talked, the more he felt something strange. His breathing became strangely labored, and his throat felt rough.
“Winfred, are you okay?”
“Is it because I heard such a surprising story? Haha...”
When Aila looked at him with a worried expression, Winfred tried to smile it off as if it was all okay. Perhaps it was because he had heard such a shocking story.
However, contrary to his thoughts that he would soon get better, his physical condition gradually became strange.
“Win, win!”
“Ai, La...”
Winfred clutched his chest in pain. His consciousness seemed to be fading away.
“I’ll call the people over soon. Just bear with it.”
Aila flung open the door with a panicked expression. She felt she needed to call someone for help immediately.
“Is there anyone out there? Call a doctor right away!”
“Why are you like that, Princess?”
Joseph, who had been waiting from a distance until the story was over, approached with a puzzled look on his face.
"Winfred is acting strange. He seems to have trouble breathing."
In the sudden turn of events, Aila felt her body tremble. She couldn't believe that this was happening before her eyes.
Just moments ago, Winfred had been conversing with me without any problems. So why was this suddenly happening?
'Could it be poison...?'
If someone had poisoned Winfred... We had to find out what poison it was as quickly as possible and find a way to detoxify it.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Using the toxicology knowledge she'd acquired, she knew she could find a way to save Winfred.
However, her surprised heart did not calm down easily.
What if Winfred dies like this? Then...
As she imagined the worst-case scenario, Aila's legs felt weak. Tears welled up in her eyes.
'Just a moment ago, you promised to teach me how to draw.'
She was scared. She was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. She was afraid she would lose Winfred forever.
That fear led Aila to a realization: she loved Winfred more than she'd realized.
She began to regret not expressing her feelings more honestly. She should have said thank you, that he had brought her so much comfort.
She should have at least said that she liked him.
'No, Winfred won't die. I... I will save you.'
Aila shook her head from side to side, trying to shake off the negative thoughts that kept coming to her.
“I want to take a look. I’m curious about how you usually spend your time.”
Winfred had suggested it simply to break the awkward silence, but when Aila said she would watch, he scratched his cheek with a slightly embarrassed expression.
It was because he was needlessly shy about her showing curiosity towards him.
"Yes, this is my office. It's where I handle the Crown Prince's business and take various classes."
“Hmm, I see.”
“And this room... is where I draw as a hobby.”
Aila looked around Winfred's studio with a curious gaze. It occurred to her that perhaps this was where her portrait was painted.
"I saw the picture you drew. The one you drew of me. It was exactly like me."
"Oh, you saw that. I'm embarrassed for no reason. The Duke and Duchess probably never got to see you growing up, so I drew it in a hurry to show them at least a portrait."
At Aila's words that she had seen the painting, Winfred's face flushed bright red. He felt a surge of regret: if he had known she would see it, he would have put more effort into the drawing.
“Can I see another picture?”
“Yeah! Of course. I put it on display over here.”
Winfred happily led her to the room where his paintings were displayed. It was a space filled with drawings he had been drawing as a hobby since childhood.
Aila looked at each of Winfred's drawings.
In the landscape painting depicting the palace gardens seen from the window, and in the portrait painting depicting the Emperor, the Empress, Joseph, and other employees.
It seemed as if all of Winfred's paintings were filled with his warm personality.
Of all the paintings, her favorite was the very first one Winfred ever painted: a self-portrait drawn with clumsy, crooked lines.
“This is cute.”
"I drew this when I was five. Looking at it now, it's really funny. It doesn't look like me at all."
Winfred stood beside the painting and made a similar expression to the painting, saying that it had nothing in common with the painting except two eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
“Why, it looks exactly the same to me as it does now.”
When Aila smiled and joked, he looked sullen.
“Am I this ugly?”
“No, it’s just as cute as it is now.”
Winfred hiccuped, taken aback by her sudden words.
'You just said I was cute, right?'
A pleasant warmth spread throughout his body, as if someone had lit a warm spark in his chest.
When friends of his age heard that he was cute, he would get angry and say that he was being treated like a child, but Winfred was not offended at all.
How could he possibly be dissatisfied when Aila viewed him positively?
"I've heard compliments about how cute I am," Winfred said, mustering up his courage to speak.
“Are you interested in drawing?”
"Hmm, well... I've never learned it before, so I'm not sure. But if I get the chance, I'd like to try it."
“Really? Then should I teach you?”
Looking into his eyes, sparkling with anticipation, Aila couldn't help but chuckle. How could she refuse when he wanted her so desperately?
“Yes. Teach me when you have time.”
"Yes, good! Then, shall we go to the reception room now? I'm sure they've prepared some refreshments."
Winfred guided Aila with a light step. The thought of spending time alone with her, teaching her how to draw, filled her heart with excitement.
Arriving in the reception room, he wiped the already clean chair with his handkerchief and then pulled it out for Aila to sit on. Aila covered her mouth and chuckled softly at the sight.
“I’ll check in a moment.”
As the tea was placed on the table, Chief Chamberlain Joseph approached and dipped his silver spoon into the teacup. He was checking to see if it was poisoned.
“Hmm, hmm.”
Winfred gave a clear cough, signaling that he was done checking and that he should leave quickly.
“...It seems like there’s no problem. Then I’ll go out.”
Joseph felt sad that the Crown Prince, whom he had raised since childhood, was treating him badly when he started dating, but he sighed softly and went outside.
There was a brief awkwardness between the two.
Aila fidgeted with her fingers, her face tense, and Winfred, too, was fidgeting with his hands, fidgeting nervously.
“A promise is a promise, so I guess I’ll tell you my secret now.”
She sighed deeply and opened her mouth.
“Actually... I’m four years older than you.”
“...What, what did you say?”
Although he had mentally prepared himself to calmly accept whatever she had to say, Winfred found himself stunned by Aila's seemingly pointless confession.
Suddenly, she says she's older than me. What kind of nonsense is that?
“So, um... I don’t know where to start explaining. If I said this was my second life, would you understand?”
Aila began her story calmly.
The story of being deceived by Byron and believing herself to be his biological daughter. The story of killing her biological father, Roderick, in vengeance. And the story of being abandoned by Byron and being murdered herself.
"I'm not sure exactly what happened here, but I think my mother magically turned back time. So I went back to being twelve."
Aila's story was hard to believe, but strangely enough, Winfred accepted it as if he already knew it.
Because it felt like all the questions je had been having were answered at once.
That feeling he had when they first met, like he was being scolded by a woman a few years older than him. And the way he thought she acted as if she knew what would happen in the future.
And above all else.
Now, he understood why her eyes always looked so sad.
Winfred's eyes stung for no reason. Even though it wasn't his own business, he felt his heart being torn apart as he thought about the sadness and anger Aila must have felt.
He gulped down his tea for no reason. If he didn't, he might end up crying uncomfortably in front of her.
“...So, what do you think? Do you still think I’m innocent?”
Aila looked into Winfred's eyes and asked.
She already knew the answer. She just wanted confirmation.
That his faith remains unchanged.
“Of course! The guy who used you is the bad guy; you were just used!”
"...Thank you."
And when she heard the answer she had been waiting for, Aila lowered her head slightly and gave a weak smile.
Although he said he firmly believed in it, she was very anxious that Winfred might come to dislike her.
“By the way, I finally understand. When I first met you, you said something about a kid wandering around at night... I thought I was going to get scolded by my older sister back then.”
He smiled playfully and brought up the old story. But the more he talked, the more he felt something strange. His breathing became strangely labored, and his throat felt rough.
“Winfred, are you okay?”
“Is it because I heard such a surprising story? Haha...”
When Aila looked at him with a worried expression, Winfred tried to smile it off as if it was all okay. Perhaps it was because he had heard such a shocking story.
However, contrary to his thoughts that he would soon get better, his physical condition gradually became strange.
“Win, win!”
“Ai, La...”
Winfred clutched his chest in pain. His consciousness seemed to be fading away.
“I’ll call the people over soon. Just bear with it.”
Aila flung open the door with a panicked expression. She felt she needed to call someone for help immediately.
“Is there anyone out there? Call a doctor right away!”
“Why are you like that, Princess?”
Joseph, who had been waiting from a distance until the story was over, approached with a puzzled look on his face.
"Winfred is acting strange. He seems to have trouble breathing."
In the sudden turn of events, Aila felt her body tremble. She couldn't believe that this was happening before her eyes.
Just moments ago, Winfred had been conversing with me without any problems. So why was this suddenly happening?
'Could it be poison...?'
If someone had poisoned Winfred... We had to find out what poison it was as quickly as possible and find a way to detoxify it.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Using the toxicology knowledge she'd acquired, she knew she could find a way to save Winfred.
However, her surprised heart did not calm down easily.
What if Winfred dies like this? Then...
As she imagined the worst-case scenario, Aila's legs felt weak. Tears welled up in her eyes.
'Just a moment ago, you promised to teach me how to draw.'
She was scared. She was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. She was afraid she would lose Winfred forever.
That fear led Aila to a realization: she loved Winfred more than she'd realized.
She began to regret not expressing her feelings more honestly. She should have said thank you, that he had brought her so much comfort.
She should have at least said that she liked him.
'No, Winfred won't die. I... I will save you.'
Aila shook her head from side to side, trying to shake off the negative thoughts that kept coming to her.
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