(212) Side Story; Precious and New (6)
The sun was setting when Cyrus dropped Ariana off at Chase Castle. Ariana marveled at the sight of his hair dyed the same color as the sunset.
Cyrus tucked Ariana's hair behind her ear and lightly kissed her forehead.
"Then see you tomorrow, Rian."
Ariana suddenly remembered the times when he always disappeared without saying goodbye. He would always appear out of nowhere and vanish just as suddenly.
Then, one day, he left a message saying he was leaving, and only disappeared after hearing Ariana's answer.
How will he act if I don't answer now?
A mischievous thought crossed her mind, so she clamped her mouth shut and looked up at him. After waiting for Ariana's answer for a while, he narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"My woman is assertive."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Isn't this your way of saying you don't want to send me home tonight?"
Ariana glared at him, slightly dodging the arm naturally reaching towards her waist.
"It seems Your Majesty's mind is filled with nothing but lust."
“Well, I was planning to stand side by side with you on the terrace, watching the stars and the moon, and stay up all night. What are you thinking that you say I am full of lust?”
Ariana's cheeks flushed at the attack that came back to haunt her. Cyrus's eyes narrowed even more.
"Oh, dear. It is you who is overflowing with lust."
Cyrus quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around Ariana's slender waist. Tightening her waist and pressing her against his body, he whispered.
“I will work hard all night long to satisfy your selfish desires.”
"Go quickly, Sei."
“You started this fire, Rian. You have to put it out.”
“How can the Emperor of a nation burn so easily? You should think of the people who will shed tears as they watch the Emperor reduced to ashes.”
“Well. Right now, the only thing that matters to me is the tears flowing from your eyes.”
"My eyes are very dry, Sei."
“If you would cry a little and say you don’t want to break up with me...”
Cyrus, having said that much, suddenly pulled away from Ariana.
Ariana, who had been looking up at Cyrus in confusion, felt a presence approaching from behind a little later.
"Father."
Ariana turned around, slightly furrowing her brow at the words that escaped Cyrus's lips, to see Russell walking towards her. Russell stood beside Ariana, stared intently at Cyrus, and then suddenly lowered his head.
"If I had been notified that Your Majesty the Emperor was coming here, I would have gone out to greet you."
"Oh, Father. What is wrong? You used to call out 'Cyrus, Cyrus' so readily."
Cyrus grabbed Russell's hand in confusion and said.
Ariana blinked and watched Cyrus, who was so different from usual.
'Why is he fidgeting so much? Did he do something wrong to my father?'
Ariana didn't know.
The heart of a man who wants to make a good impression on the father of the woman he loves.
“I never imagined I would witness His Majesty the Emperor of the Arcana Empire teasing an unmarried Princess.”
“Oh dear, did you see that? I wasn't teasing Ariana; we were merely exchanging jokes. Anyway, Father. Um... could you please stop addressing me as Your Majesty the Emperor?”
“If Your Imperial Majesty removes the title of ‘father,’ I will do so.”
“...Then how should I address you, Father?”
"Sir."
“...”
"Call me Uncle, Sei."
Cyrus spoke, tightening his lips until they thinned out in displeasure.
"Understood, sir."
Ariana barely managed to hold back her laughter as she watched the scene.
Cyrus looked like an ordinary young boy in front of Russell, and that was incredibly cute.
"Last time, you didn't say much, even when I called you Father."
Russell narrowed his eyebrows at Cyrus's grumbling.
"That was before I saw you hugging Ariana."
"Didn't you hear from Ariana? We're... well, you know."
“I haven’t heard anything like that. I didn’t have time to hear either.”
Russell had heard about Ariana and Cyrus's relationship many times. Ariana had told him directly, he had heard it from Isabelle and Averaster, he had heard it from Geor, and he had heard it from Theodore and Carradine.
He listened to it over and over again, and he thought there was no one better than Cyrus as Ariana's partner, but he wanted to pretend he hadn't heard it yet.
Russell held out his hand to Ariana as if to show off. When Ariana placed her hand over his large hand, he held it tightly and spoke.
“Let’s go inside, my daughter.”
Ariana smiled faintly.
"Yes, Dad."
Cyrus, who had been pretending to glare at the father and daughter as they turned away affectionately, smirked as he watched them walk away. Ariana glanced back and signaled with her eyes. Even without words, he knew what she wanted to say.
'See you tomorrow.'
Cyrus nodded.
'Yes, see you tomorrow.'
Cyrus had secured a villa in the capital of the Kingdom of Stella. It was a large mansion located on a luxurious street not far from Chase Castle.
As soon as Cyrus entered the room, he picked up the stack of papers.
Even though he had left everything to Duke Hern, there were many problems Cyrus had to deal with.
The fruit basket on the table was filled with fresh fruit from the Kingdom of Stella. Cyrus picked off grapes one by one and put them in his mouth as he read through the documents.
As he absentmindedly plucked grapes one by one, Ariana suddenly came to mind. What kind of expression would Ariana make if I popped this small, round fruit into her mouth?
'It must be cute.'
No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his work, he couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting toward her. Having become accustomed to this lack of focus, he decided that whenever Ariana came to mind, he would think of her to his heart's content.
Even though they had just parted ways, he wondered why he missed her so much; it was hard to hold back the urge to drop everything and run to her side.
Knock knock.
A knock shattered Cyrus's thoughts.
"Come in."
The person who came was Noah.
Noah smiled broadly, and after paying the dues due to his lord, he spoke.
“We won, my lord!”
A faint smile spread across Cyrus's lips.
"Yes?"
“Yes. I have searched thoroughly, and no one has prepared a gift more splendid than yours, my lord.”
"Yeah, I see. I knew it."
A truly long period of preparation went into Ariana's birthday gift. Numerous technicians were mobilized, and even the Black Knights lent a hand at the mention of it being a gift for the 'Empress'.
Cyrus couldn't help but smile when he pictured the expression Ariana would make upon receiving the gift tomorrow.
"Was there a gift worthy of being a rival?"
“Well, when it comes to splendor, there is no one quite like my Lord…”
"It's not here?"
“That... what the Duchess prepared...”
“If you mean the young Duchess, are you referring to Wiona?”
“Yes. It feels a bit fresh and unfamiliar at the same time, so how should I put it? Should I say it’s hard to gauge because it’s so unexpected?”
Seeing the talkative Noah choosing his words, it seemed unusual. The smile vanished from Cyrus's face.
“What on earth is wrong with them? Is it expensive?”
“No. It might be considered expensive, but... well, it’s not extremely expensive... well, come on. It’s nothing. A gift from my Lord is definitely the best.”
Cyrus was curious about what gift Wiona had prepared, but Noah remained silent. Thinking it would be rude to pry too deeply into a gift prepared by someone else, Cyrus also did not ask any further.
Regardless of what Wiona had prepared, this was a gift painstakingly crafted over a long period with the help of many people. It gave him the pride that no one could surpass this gift, as well as the composure to no longer pay attention to others' presents.
Cyrus patted his forearm, imagining what kind of expression Ariana would make when she received the gift.
Just thinking of that pretty face brought a smile to his face.
Ariana was completely unaware of the secret power struggle taking place among her acquaintances over her birthday gift.
She did not realize that the reason her grandfather asked at dinner, “Ariana, pretty hats are in style these days. Do you like purple?” and the reason Carradine said, “Shoes with slightly low heels are in style, and red ones are especially pretty,” were all groundwork for the birthday gift that had been prepared.
With a tension that only Ariana was unaware of, he finished her meal, said goodnight, and hurried over to Shini's room.
Her daily routine is to visit Shini once when she wakes up in the morning and once after dinner, but today she couldn't meet Shini because Cyrus came looking for her first thing in the morning.
Shini's room was neatly organized. It was only natural for the maids to clean it thoroughly, as the Princess came and went every day.
"Shini."
Shini was still asleep.
Isaac said he didn't know why she wasn't waking up, even though her breathing was even and her complexion was good.
Ariana recalled the conversation she had with Russell before.
When Ariana was captured by Martina and dragged before Victoria to be tortured, she said that it was truly fortunate that her father had come there, and Russell told her a story.
"I saw a golden butterfly. It was a butterfly visible only to me. Fellowes was with me, but he couldn't see it."
He said that now he could not be sure whether it was a butterfly or just a ball of golden light. However, he said that to Russell's eyes at the time, it appeared as a butterfly shining with gold.
"It’s a strange thing. I had so many things to take care of, and I didn’t have the luxury of checking on a new butterfly just because I’d discovered it, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it, nor could I ignore it, so I just followed it."
Then, he said that Ariana was there.
"Looking back now, I think God might have helped me."
Even though Russell was not deeply religious, he attributed the miracle to God's blessing. However, Ariana thought differently.
"Master, has His Excellency the Eastern Lord arrived there?"
"Yes, Shini. Dad is here."
"I knew it. I'm relieved now."
When she fainted for a moment, Ariana definitely heard Shini's voice. A conversation that remained vividly in her memory, clear enough not to fade even after she woke up.
"Was that a butterfly you?"
Ariana kept asking, even though she knew that she wouldn't get an answer no matter how many times she asked.
"Did you lead my father there?"
Is that why? The reason you can't wake up.
There was a story that a child with golden eyes brings good luck. Perhaps it is because such luck was given to Ariana, and because such a miracle was performed, that Shini cannot open her eyes with all her might.
If she has to expend her life to be granted good luck, then she doesn't need such luck. However, she didn't voice that thought.
Ariana held Shini's hand.
"Thanks to you, I was able to safely celebrate my 23rd birthday."
Ariana rested her forehead on the back of Shini's hand and whispered.
"How happy I would be if you woke up as a birthday present."
The sun was setting when Cyrus dropped Ariana off at Chase Castle. Ariana marveled at the sight of his hair dyed the same color as the sunset.
Cyrus tucked Ariana's hair behind her ear and lightly kissed her forehead.
"Then see you tomorrow, Rian."
Ariana suddenly remembered the times when he always disappeared without saying goodbye. He would always appear out of nowhere and vanish just as suddenly.
Then, one day, he left a message saying he was leaving, and only disappeared after hearing Ariana's answer.
How will he act if I don't answer now?
A mischievous thought crossed her mind, so she clamped her mouth shut and looked up at him. After waiting for Ariana's answer for a while, he narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"My woman is assertive."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Isn't this your way of saying you don't want to send me home tonight?"
Ariana glared at him, slightly dodging the arm naturally reaching towards her waist.
"It seems Your Majesty's mind is filled with nothing but lust."
“Well, I was planning to stand side by side with you on the terrace, watching the stars and the moon, and stay up all night. What are you thinking that you say I am full of lust?”
Ariana's cheeks flushed at the attack that came back to haunt her. Cyrus's eyes narrowed even more.
"Oh, dear. It is you who is overflowing with lust."
Cyrus quickly reached out and wrapped his arms around Ariana's slender waist. Tightening her waist and pressing her against his body, he whispered.
“I will work hard all night long to satisfy your selfish desires.”
"Go quickly, Sei."
“You started this fire, Rian. You have to put it out.”
“How can the Emperor of a nation burn so easily? You should think of the people who will shed tears as they watch the Emperor reduced to ashes.”
“Well. Right now, the only thing that matters to me is the tears flowing from your eyes.”
"My eyes are very dry, Sei."
“If you would cry a little and say you don’t want to break up with me...”
Cyrus, having said that much, suddenly pulled away from Ariana.
Ariana, who had been looking up at Cyrus in confusion, felt a presence approaching from behind a little later.
"Father."
Ariana turned around, slightly furrowing her brow at the words that escaped Cyrus's lips, to see Russell walking towards her. Russell stood beside Ariana, stared intently at Cyrus, and then suddenly lowered his head.
"If I had been notified that Your Majesty the Emperor was coming here, I would have gone out to greet you."
"Oh, Father. What is wrong? You used to call out 'Cyrus, Cyrus' so readily."
Cyrus grabbed Russell's hand in confusion and said.
Ariana blinked and watched Cyrus, who was so different from usual.
'Why is he fidgeting so much? Did he do something wrong to my father?'
Ariana didn't know.
The heart of a man who wants to make a good impression on the father of the woman he loves.
“I never imagined I would witness His Majesty the Emperor of the Arcana Empire teasing an unmarried Princess.”
“Oh dear, did you see that? I wasn't teasing Ariana; we were merely exchanging jokes. Anyway, Father. Um... could you please stop addressing me as Your Majesty the Emperor?”
“If Your Imperial Majesty removes the title of ‘father,’ I will do so.”
“...Then how should I address you, Father?”
"Sir."
“...”
"Call me Uncle, Sei."
Cyrus spoke, tightening his lips until they thinned out in displeasure.
"Understood, sir."
Ariana barely managed to hold back her laughter as she watched the scene.
Cyrus looked like an ordinary young boy in front of Russell, and that was incredibly cute.
"Last time, you didn't say much, even when I called you Father."
Russell narrowed his eyebrows at Cyrus's grumbling.
"That was before I saw you hugging Ariana."
"Didn't you hear from Ariana? We're... well, you know."
“I haven’t heard anything like that. I didn’t have time to hear either.”
Russell had heard about Ariana and Cyrus's relationship many times. Ariana had told him directly, he had heard it from Isabelle and Averaster, he had heard it from Geor, and he had heard it from Theodore and Carradine.
He listened to it over and over again, and he thought there was no one better than Cyrus as Ariana's partner, but he wanted to pretend he hadn't heard it yet.
Russell held out his hand to Ariana as if to show off. When Ariana placed her hand over his large hand, he held it tightly and spoke.
“Let’s go inside, my daughter.”
Ariana smiled faintly.
"Yes, Dad."
Cyrus, who had been pretending to glare at the father and daughter as they turned away affectionately, smirked as he watched them walk away. Ariana glanced back and signaled with her eyes. Even without words, he knew what she wanted to say.
'See you tomorrow.'
Cyrus nodded.
'Yes, see you tomorrow.'
***
Cyrus had secured a villa in the capital of the Kingdom of Stella. It was a large mansion located on a luxurious street not far from Chase Castle.
As soon as Cyrus entered the room, he picked up the stack of papers.
Even though he had left everything to Duke Hern, there were many problems Cyrus had to deal with.
The fruit basket on the table was filled with fresh fruit from the Kingdom of Stella. Cyrus picked off grapes one by one and put them in his mouth as he read through the documents.
As he absentmindedly plucked grapes one by one, Ariana suddenly came to mind. What kind of expression would Ariana make if I popped this small, round fruit into her mouth?
'It must be cute.'
No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his work, he couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting toward her. Having become accustomed to this lack of focus, he decided that whenever Ariana came to mind, he would think of her to his heart's content.
Even though they had just parted ways, he wondered why he missed her so much; it was hard to hold back the urge to drop everything and run to her side.
Knock knock.
A knock shattered Cyrus's thoughts.
"Come in."
The person who came was Noah.
Noah smiled broadly, and after paying the dues due to his lord, he spoke.
“We won, my lord!”
A faint smile spread across Cyrus's lips.
"Yes?"
“Yes. I have searched thoroughly, and no one has prepared a gift more splendid than yours, my lord.”
"Yeah, I see. I knew it."
A truly long period of preparation went into Ariana's birthday gift. Numerous technicians were mobilized, and even the Black Knights lent a hand at the mention of it being a gift for the 'Empress'.
Cyrus couldn't help but smile when he pictured the expression Ariana would make upon receiving the gift tomorrow.
"Was there a gift worthy of being a rival?"
“Well, when it comes to splendor, there is no one quite like my Lord…”
"It's not here?"
“That... what the Duchess prepared...”
“If you mean the young Duchess, are you referring to Wiona?”
“Yes. It feels a bit fresh and unfamiliar at the same time, so how should I put it? Should I say it’s hard to gauge because it’s so unexpected?”
Seeing the talkative Noah choosing his words, it seemed unusual. The smile vanished from Cyrus's face.
“What on earth is wrong with them? Is it expensive?”
“No. It might be considered expensive, but... well, it’s not extremely expensive... well, come on. It’s nothing. A gift from my Lord is definitely the best.”
Cyrus was curious about what gift Wiona had prepared, but Noah remained silent. Thinking it would be rude to pry too deeply into a gift prepared by someone else, Cyrus also did not ask any further.
Regardless of what Wiona had prepared, this was a gift painstakingly crafted over a long period with the help of many people. It gave him the pride that no one could surpass this gift, as well as the composure to no longer pay attention to others' presents.
Cyrus patted his forearm, imagining what kind of expression Ariana would make when she received the gift.
Just thinking of that pretty face brought a smile to his face.
***
Ariana was completely unaware of the secret power struggle taking place among her acquaintances over her birthday gift.
She did not realize that the reason her grandfather asked at dinner, “Ariana, pretty hats are in style these days. Do you like purple?” and the reason Carradine said, “Shoes with slightly low heels are in style, and red ones are especially pretty,” were all groundwork for the birthday gift that had been prepared.
With a tension that only Ariana was unaware of, he finished her meal, said goodnight, and hurried over to Shini's room.
Her daily routine is to visit Shini once when she wakes up in the morning and once after dinner, but today she couldn't meet Shini because Cyrus came looking for her first thing in the morning.
Shini's room was neatly organized. It was only natural for the maids to clean it thoroughly, as the Princess came and went every day.
"Shini."
Shini was still asleep.
Isaac said he didn't know why she wasn't waking up, even though her breathing was even and her complexion was good.
Ariana recalled the conversation she had with Russell before.
When Ariana was captured by Martina and dragged before Victoria to be tortured, she said that it was truly fortunate that her father had come there, and Russell told her a story.
"I saw a golden butterfly. It was a butterfly visible only to me. Fellowes was with me, but he couldn't see it."
He said that now he could not be sure whether it was a butterfly or just a ball of golden light. However, he said that to Russell's eyes at the time, it appeared as a butterfly shining with gold.
"It’s a strange thing. I had so many things to take care of, and I didn’t have the luxury of checking on a new butterfly just because I’d discovered it, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it, nor could I ignore it, so I just followed it."
Then, he said that Ariana was there.
"Looking back now, I think God might have helped me."
Even though Russell was not deeply religious, he attributed the miracle to God's blessing. However, Ariana thought differently.
"Master, has His Excellency the Eastern Lord arrived there?"
"Yes, Shini. Dad is here."
"I knew it. I'm relieved now."
When she fainted for a moment, Ariana definitely heard Shini's voice. A conversation that remained vividly in her memory, clear enough not to fade even after she woke up.
"Was that a butterfly you?"
Ariana kept asking, even though she knew that she wouldn't get an answer no matter how many times she asked.
"Did you lead my father there?"
Is that why? The reason you can't wake up.
There was a story that a child with golden eyes brings good luck. Perhaps it is because such luck was given to Ariana, and because such a miracle was performed, that Shini cannot open her eyes with all her might.
If she has to expend her life to be granted good luck, then she doesn't need such luck. However, she didn't voice that thought.
Ariana held Shini's hand.
Although Isaac has been giving her the stamina potion he created regularly, she hasn’t been eating properly, so Ariana stroked her emaciated hands.
Ariana rested her forehead on the back of Shini's hand and whispered.
"How happy I would be if you woke up as a birthday present."
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