Odelia was speechless.
"It's an open fact that I'm your guardian anyway. If it's uncomfortable, just go back."
"It's not inconvenient..."
"I hate it when people stare at His Highness Calix." Odelia simply shook her head, unable to find the words to say anything
In fact, she didn't want to just give up her walk and go home. It was a duality she couldn't even understand. She hated people seeing him, but she didn't want to stop walking with him.
"If that's the case, then so do I... It doesn't matter."
Calix smiled and turned his head back forward.
It was a walk with nothing to talk about. To the extent that they could hear the noise around them. Odelia and Calix didn't exchange many words. However, the silence was not awkward, but comfortable.
Odelia realized how much the tiredness she felt during her meeting with the Marquis earlier did not suit her.
"You walk fast."
Then, the Marquis's words suddenly came to mind.
Isn't her pace too fast, and that doesn't make Calix uncomfortable?
As that thought crossed her mind, she slowed her pace a little. Then, Calix, who was walking beside her, glanced at Odelia, and then, without saying a word, naturally began to slow his pace as well.
Just as she was about to walk a little further, Calix stopped.
"If your feet hurt because of your shoes, you should have said something."
"Yes?"
"I can see that your footsteps are slowing down, so I must have been careless."
“Yes?”
Realizing that Calix had misunderstood her actions, Odelia quickly shook her head sharply.
"No, it's just... I was wondering if my pace was too fast."
Calix looked at her with a puzzled look at her words that came out in a small, embarrassed voice.
"You say your footsteps are fast? Not at all."
“Isn’t it?”
"What do you mean by fast? It's just a normal stride."
"The Marquis I met today said that my pace was fast."
"He must be saying that because his legs are short."
"..."
"Don't mind those words for nothing."
"..."
"...Surely, you're still worrying about that man-"
"Pfft!"
"...?"
Odelia burst into laughter, the laughter she'd been holding back. Calix's seemingly indifferent tone was so firm and serious, it was almost comically honest. She covered her lips to suppress her laughter, but it was no use.
"Why are you laughing so much?"
"No, how can you say such harsh words so casually?"
As she spoke, tears welling up in her eyes as the laughter continued, only then did Calix look away for a moment, looking slightly embarrassed.
"...He was famous for his long legs from the beginning, so I was really worried because the flower you picked yesterday happened to be his.”
"He wasn't that ugly and short."
As soon as Odelia rubbed her eyes and threw the rock horse, Calix took a step towards her.
"You said he wasn't ugly? Then was he your type?"
At the sudden question, Odelia was gripped by a strange, almost suffocating feeling. Feeling her heart flutter slightly, she looked at Calix, who had strode toward her.
His words earlier sounded playful, but why is his gaze so serious?
Odelia rolled her eyes, slightly flustered. She hesitated, her lips quivering. Then, she took a slow breath.
"If it was to my taste... the date wouldn't have been ruined, Your Highness."
Calix blinked his sharp eyes a few times, then let out a quiet, breathy laugh. The corners of his mouth also slightly rose.
"Oh, that's true."
After that brief reply, a thin, inexplicable awkwardness hung between them, and neither of them remained silent, unable to choose their next words. The entire conversation they'd just had felt like it had lost its place and was floating in thin air.
In the meantime, they had already reached a considerable distance from the mansion. Odelia was the first to cautiously speak.
"...Now, shall we go back?"
“Okay, then.”
With that, the two turned and walked away. The walk back was remarkably quiet. Odelia glanced at Calix, who was walking alongside her, keeping pace.
He didn't speak specifically, nor did he seem uncomfortable with silence. He simply remained still, quietly following her pace. With a seemingly indifferent sincerity.
Strangely enough, that sight kept touching her heart.
***
Returning to the palace, Calix stood at the hallway window, gazing into the darkness outside. A faint stream of light flowed down his shoulders, and the same light quietly settled upon his eyes.
If Odelia were a good match for the Marquis, a swift marriage would have been a perfect outcome. He was from a solid, noble family, wealthy, and politically sound.
'Why do you have to say such childish things like 'he has short legs' or 'he talks too much'?
It was something that sounded like a narrow-minded remark. Looking back, it was embarrassing.
He exhaled slowly, resting his fingertips on the windowsill. Just the thought of Odelia laughing with the Marquis stirred a tingling feeling in his stomach.
"That wasn't like me."
Calix cast his gaze into the distance. More important than keeping her by his side was elevating her to a position untouchable by anyone.
Now is the time to focus on that goal, and any other thoughts are distracting thoughts that should be discarded.
Calix closed his eyes outside the window and continued walking. The quiet darkness stretched out beneath his feet. Just as he reached the eastern villa where he was staying, he noticed Anne across the hallway.
She was Empress Fabiana's maid. Her face was utterly terrified, and her eyes, as if she were holding back tears, stared at Calix with a sorrowful gaze.
Just that look alone told him what pressure she had been under to stand there. Calix slowly exhaled deeply.
"...Tell her I'll meet her in the garden tomorrow afternoon."
As soon as those words left his mouth, a bright smile came over the maid's face. The tears that had gathered in her eyes quickly sparkled, and she bowed deeply and repeatedly greeted him.
"Thank you very much, Your Highness, the Crown Prince!"
Then, before she could even raise her head, he quickly lifted his body and disappeared into the end of the hallway. Calix rubbed his forehead in deep silence for a moment.
The next morning, Empress Fabiana sat before her mirror, putting on her hair with more care than usual.
"Is this better? Or is this embroidery more ornate?"
When the Empress asked, holding out two brightly colored stars, the maid who had visited Calix yesterday nodded immediately.
"They are both truly beautiful, Your Majesty."
It was a completely useless answer, but the maid couldn't add anything more, because her fingertips were still trembling as if frozen.
The Empress turned her head slightly as she adjusted her makeup in front of the mirror.
"Really, didn't he say that last night? See you in the garden."
"Yes, Your Majesty. His Highness clearly said so."
The Empress smiled, her lips curled upwards. It had been six years since they last met privately.
Feeling a strange mixture of excitement and nervousness, the Empress arrived at the garden ahead of schedule. With time to spare even after taking her seat, she pored over the newsletter she had brought.
It contained the Marquis's reflections on his first date with Odelia. The Marquis was reportedly impressed by Odelia's comment, "The black tea was so bitter, I drank it thinking it was a popular drink."
Empress let out a mocking laugh, bordering on a snort.
"I know it will be a lowly thing, don't you think?"
She squinted her eyes, tapping the newsletter with her fingers.
"He must know that it's much more beneficial for him to hold hands with me again than to have a woman who has no answers."
The Empress, with a gaze hotter than the sunlight shining on the flowers, was waiting for someone to come from far away.
And finally, across the red brick path in the garden, a long shadow of a person was cast.
A man slowly walks into the garden, the hem of his blue uniform fluttering.
It was Calix.
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