(218) Side Story; Precious and New (12)
Cyrus smiled.
“Wouldn’t you show some generosity to that poor rat who can’t even get close to his woman because knights are everywhere?”
To think the Emperor would call himself a rat.
"If Duke Hern had heard this, he would have clutched the back of his neck and collapsed."
"Well, you are too big a beast to hide in, so I don't understand why you are wandering around in the darkness instead of using the front door."
“You should acknowledge it. I’m saying this because your father is so scary.”
"Ah. Father is a bit sensitive these days, isn't he?"
Geor chuckled and took his hand off the sword handle.
"It seems they think His Majesty visited to take our Ariana to the Arcana Empire."
Instead of responding to the remark by drawing a line and saying, "That isn't the reason, is it?", Cyrus brought up something else.
“Ariana and Miss Isabelle looked very happy. Did they perhaps receive a better gift than mine?”
"Do they look happy? Hmm."
Geor crossed his arms and tapped them with his index finger, then laughed and said, “Ah!”
“I think it might be thanks to Wiona’s gift.”
“What did she give as a gift?”
"That is a private matter, so I'll keep it a secret."
"There are plenty of ways to find out if you really want to."
"I only hope that the Emperor of the Arcana Empire is not a scoundrel who sends people in to uncover a woman's secrets."
Geor watched with amusement as Cyrus groaned.
His heart still sinks when he sees Ariana and Cyrus together, but he thinks it's a relief that the man by her side is Cyrus.
Seeing him prepare a birthday gift so extravagant that no one could have dared to imagine, yet still anxious that a better gift might have arrived, he could feel his affection for Ariana.
It was nice that Cyrus, who is cold and taciturn to others, yielded a little only to Ariana's family.
A man like this would make every moment of Ariana happy.
However, because his love was nothing but poison that slowly burned Ariana's heart, he could not even be jealous of Cyrus.
"If you are so curious, I will present one to Your Majesty as a gift."
"Is it really that easy to get?"
"It wasn't easy, but I found what the knights had hidden and confiscated it."
“The knights?”
Cyrus became even more confused about what Wiona's gift was.
“Is this something the man would enjoy, too?”
“Yes, well. I suppose it could be enjoyable if you wanted to... Anyway, I will send it straight back home tomorrow morning, so please head back now. Isabelle will probably be in Ariana’s room all night.”
As Geor had said, Isabelle spent the night in Ariana's room. When Ariana and Isabelle went down for breakfast the next morning, their eyes were bloodshot.
Russell was worried about the two of them and said he would call a doctor, but Isabelle jumped up and shouted.
“No! Why are you calling a doctor? I don’t want to!”
Russell turned to look at Ariana in surprise at the fierce opposition, and his lovely daughter spoke with a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry, Father. We don’t need a doctor.”
When he told Geor that he was worried about Ariana, he chuckled and replied, “Tomorrow, the Northern Lord will show similar symptoms.”
He couldn't figure out what on earth was happening in this castle.
After finishing breakfast and completing his morning tasks, Russell headed to Ariana's room.
Just as he was about to knock, he heard Isabelle shout, “Ah! Ariana, isn’t this just ridiculous?” he also heard Ariana, uncharacteristically making a fuss, saying, “Oh my, oh my, oh my. What’s going on?”
Since the atmosphere made it difficult to disturb, Russell headed to the next room instead of knocking on Ariana's door.
Russell entered the quiet and cozy room, sat beside the bed, and looked down at the woman whose golden eyes once shone.
“Are you sleeping well? Are you having sweet dreams?”
At some point, it became a habit for Russell to visit Shini whenever he felt stifled. He could tell Shini, at least, the innermost feelings he could not reveal as a father and a monarch.
“They say children grow up in the blink of an eye, and it really is true. It feels like Ariana has grown up so much lately.”
Russell recalled the moment he held his newborn daughter in his arms. He still vividly remembered putting their heads together to deliberate over a name for her.
“It is such a pity that I, being such a foolish and incompetent father, never saw Ariana’s childhood. And yet, it is also ridiculous that I cannot let go of her now that she is all grown up.”
Russell also knew that Ariana was all grown up now.
By the time people turned 20, everyone had found their partner and gotten married. It was a world where you were called an old maid just by passing the age of 24.
Ariana was of a suitable age to get married, and Cyrus was a worthy match for her.
"It was entirely my fault that we were apart. Yet, I can't let go of that kid, trying to make up for that time. How pathetic I am."
'No. Your Highness is not pathetic at all. Master would want that, too.'
It seemed that if Shini had been awake, she would have answered that way with clear eyes. Even though this was an answer he had imagined just as he wanted.
"Sometimes Ariana calls me Dad. I feel so good every time she does. It's all thanks to you."
'Why is that?'
Russell could not shake the thought that it was thanks to Shini that Ariana was saved that day. Looking back now, the ball of light that had appeared as a golden butterfly was just like Shini's eyes.
“So, Shini, get up now. Everyone is waiting for you. Especially Ariana.”
Ariana smiled so as not to worry everyone. She was living cheerfully, saying that she would be in good weather when Shini woke up.
However, the sad light that occasionally appeared was solely due to Shini.
"I have been waiting very long for you to wake up. This reality will be better than your dreams, so please wake up."
Shini just breathed quietly and didn't even twitch her eyebrows.
If she could get up just because she was told to, she would have already gotten up long ago.
Russell gave a wry smile and stroked Shini's head.
The girl, once called the Cursed Golden Eye, was loved by many and was floating in such a deep, deep sleep.
It's already the second day.
Except for meals, Ariana stayed holed up in her room with Isabelle and did not come out. Having nothing to do, Leinster sat idly in the hallway, yawning.
He felt a presence beside him and sprang up to find Louis standing there.
Thinking Cyrus might have come along, he looked over Louis's shoulder, but there was no one behind her.
"What brings you here?"
"I came to see Her Majesty the Empress because I was bored."
"Our Princess is busy."
“Her Majesty the Empress, too?”
“...Is His Imperial Majesty busy as well?”
“Yes. He hasn’t come out of his room since yesterday.”
Leinster and Louis stood side by side, glaring at Ariana's visit. Leinster muttered.
“What on earth is going on?”
"I know, right. I was thinking it would be nice if the circus came and you two went to watch."
“Ah, so the circus has arrived. Are you the Karan Circus?”
“Yes, is it famous?”
“There is a very skilled swordsman. He hits the target even when throwing ten at once.”
"Oh. Ten at once."
Louis twitched her fingertips as if she wanted to give it a try. Leinster stared blankly at Louis's fingertips and spoke.
"Would you like to go see it?"
"Yes?"
"The circus."
“Ah... You and me?”
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Yes?"
“Why are you and I going to see something like that together?”
Louis looked him straight in the eye and asked. Leinster found it difficult to look directly into her eyes, so he quietly averted his gaze.
His mouth was completely dry.
Leinster was quite popular. He became the vice-captain of the White Knights at a young age, and with his tall and handsome appearance, it was only natural that he was popular with women.
There was a woman who occasionally handed him a handkerchief, and sometimes a woman who sent letters without writing her name on them.
However, Leinster had never dated a woman. As he used to say that he was married to his sword, he found training more fun than meeting women. He saved up his salary little by little and invested it in buying rare swords.
It was solely the sword, and after becoming Ariana's knight, it was solely Ariana.
However, at some point, something started coming to mind that he thought about more than Sword and Ariana. At first, it only popped into his head occasionally, but then he began thinking about it regularly when he woke up in the morning or before falling asleep, and now he thinks about it almost all day long.
Louisana Cheveni.
Leinster gazed at a woman with bright red hair and purple eyes who looked kind and weak, but was actually stronger than anyone.
"Just."
Since it was the first time he had been in a situation like this, he didn't know how to speak. He wanted to say something that would make a woman laugh, like Cyrus did, but his mind, which had only ever thought about swords, couldn't come up with such banter.
"I want to go see it with just you."
Louis chuckled at the rough remark.
“Why, why are you laughing?”
“Sir, are you asking me out on a date right now?”
Date.
At those words, Leinster's face turned red. Louis tilted her head slightly to the side and looked up at Leinster as if amused.
A long silence followed.
Leinster repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist several times. His palm was damp.
Finally, Leinster swallowed hard, nodded vigorously, and said
“Yes, Sir Louisana Cheveni. I would like to formally ask you out on a date.”
There were many people inside the circus arena. This was because the circus troupe, which had visited the Eastern Realm and the Kingdom of Stella for the first time in a long while since the war ended, was giving away free tickets.
Sitting in the stands with a fluttering expression, amidst the chatter of the crowd, Louis thought.
That makes no sense.
Leinster sat beside Louis with a stiff expression, looking nervous. Her gaze stopped at his hand resting on his lap.
The large, firm hand was trembling slightly.
That was the reason. The reason she accepted Leinster's date request.
Even Leinster's hand was trembling like that, having just formally asked for a date with textbook-worthy words. Seeing the fist clenched tightly beside his thigh, trembling, Louis couldn't refuse his request.
She answered, "Okay," almost unconsciously.
This shouldn't be happening.
Leinster looked cute, looking very nervous.
She was half wanting to tease them, and half wanting to run away from here.
Louis took her eyes off Leinster's hand and stared straight ahead. A small, bizarrely dressed man was skillfully turning several rings. Occasionally, when he stumbled pretending to make a mistake, people would burst into laughter.
Louis confirmed that she and Leinster were the only ones not laughing in this circus.
Cyrus smiled.
“Wouldn’t you show some generosity to that poor rat who can’t even get close to his woman because knights are everywhere?”
To think the Emperor would call himself a rat.
"If Duke Hern had heard this, he would have clutched the back of his neck and collapsed."
"Well, you are too big a beast to hide in, so I don't understand why you are wandering around in the darkness instead of using the front door."
“You should acknowledge it. I’m saying this because your father is so scary.”
"Ah. Father is a bit sensitive these days, isn't he?"
Geor chuckled and took his hand off the sword handle.
"It seems they think His Majesty visited to take our Ariana to the Arcana Empire."
Instead of responding to the remark by drawing a line and saying, "That isn't the reason, is it?", Cyrus brought up something else.
“Ariana and Miss Isabelle looked very happy. Did they perhaps receive a better gift than mine?”
"Do they look happy? Hmm."
Geor crossed his arms and tapped them with his index finger, then laughed and said, “Ah!”
“I think it might be thanks to Wiona’s gift.”
“What did she give as a gift?”
"That is a private matter, so I'll keep it a secret."
"There are plenty of ways to find out if you really want to."
"I only hope that the Emperor of the Arcana Empire is not a scoundrel who sends people in to uncover a woman's secrets."
Geor watched with amusement as Cyrus groaned.
His heart still sinks when he sees Ariana and Cyrus together, but he thinks it's a relief that the man by her side is Cyrus.
Seeing him prepare a birthday gift so extravagant that no one could have dared to imagine, yet still anxious that a better gift might have arrived, he could feel his affection for Ariana.
It was nice that Cyrus, who is cold and taciturn to others, yielded a little only to Ariana's family.
A man like this would make every moment of Ariana happy.
However, because his love was nothing but poison that slowly burned Ariana's heart, he could not even be jealous of Cyrus.
"If you are so curious, I will present one to Your Majesty as a gift."
"Is it really that easy to get?"
"It wasn't easy, but I found what the knights had hidden and confiscated it."
“The knights?”
Cyrus became even more confused about what Wiona's gift was.
“Is this something the man would enjoy, too?”
“Yes, well. I suppose it could be enjoyable if you wanted to... Anyway, I will send it straight back home tomorrow morning, so please head back now. Isabelle will probably be in Ariana’s room all night.”
***
As Geor had said, Isabelle spent the night in Ariana's room. When Ariana and Isabelle went down for breakfast the next morning, their eyes were bloodshot.
Russell was worried about the two of them and said he would call a doctor, but Isabelle jumped up and shouted.
“No! Why are you calling a doctor? I don’t want to!”
Russell turned to look at Ariana in surprise at the fierce opposition, and his lovely daughter spoke with a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry, Father. We don’t need a doctor.”
When he told Geor that he was worried about Ariana, he chuckled and replied, “Tomorrow, the Northern Lord will show similar symptoms.”
He couldn't figure out what on earth was happening in this castle.
After finishing breakfast and completing his morning tasks, Russell headed to Ariana's room.
Just as he was about to knock, he heard Isabelle shout, “Ah! Ariana, isn’t this just ridiculous?” he also heard Ariana, uncharacteristically making a fuss, saying, “Oh my, oh my, oh my. What’s going on?”
Since the atmosphere made it difficult to disturb, Russell headed to the next room instead of knocking on Ariana's door.
Russell entered the quiet and cozy room, sat beside the bed, and looked down at the woman whose golden eyes once shone.
“Are you sleeping well? Are you having sweet dreams?”
At some point, it became a habit for Russell to visit Shini whenever he felt stifled. He could tell Shini, at least, the innermost feelings he could not reveal as a father and a monarch.
“They say children grow up in the blink of an eye, and it really is true. It feels like Ariana has grown up so much lately.”
Russell recalled the moment he held his newborn daughter in his arms. He still vividly remembered putting their heads together to deliberate over a name for her.
“It is such a pity that I, being such a foolish and incompetent father, never saw Ariana’s childhood. And yet, it is also ridiculous that I cannot let go of her now that she is all grown up.”
Russell also knew that Ariana was all grown up now.
By the time people turned 20, everyone had found their partner and gotten married. It was a world where you were called an old maid just by passing the age of 24.
Ariana was of a suitable age to get married, and Cyrus was a worthy match for her.
"It was entirely my fault that we were apart. Yet, I can't let go of that kid, trying to make up for that time. How pathetic I am."
'No. Your Highness is not pathetic at all. Master would want that, too.'
It seemed that if Shini had been awake, she would have answered that way with clear eyes. Even though this was an answer he had imagined just as he wanted.
"Sometimes Ariana calls me Dad. I feel so good every time she does. It's all thanks to you."
'Why is that?'
Russell could not shake the thought that it was thanks to Shini that Ariana was saved that day. Looking back now, the ball of light that had appeared as a golden butterfly was just like Shini's eyes.
“So, Shini, get up now. Everyone is waiting for you. Especially Ariana.”
Ariana smiled so as not to worry everyone. She was living cheerfully, saying that she would be in good weather when Shini woke up.
However, the sad light that occasionally appeared was solely due to Shini.
"I have been waiting very long for you to wake up. This reality will be better than your dreams, so please wake up."
Shini just breathed quietly and didn't even twitch her eyebrows.
If she could get up just because she was told to, she would have already gotten up long ago.
Russell gave a wry smile and stroked Shini's head.
The girl, once called the Cursed Golden Eye, was loved by many and was floating in such a deep, deep sleep.
***
It's already the second day.
Except for meals, Ariana stayed holed up in her room with Isabelle and did not come out. Having nothing to do, Leinster sat idly in the hallway, yawning.
He felt a presence beside him and sprang up to find Louis standing there.
Thinking Cyrus might have come along, he looked over Louis's shoulder, but there was no one behind her.
"What brings you here?"
"I came to see Her Majesty the Empress because I was bored."
"Our Princess is busy."
“Her Majesty the Empress, too?”
“...Is His Imperial Majesty busy as well?”
“Yes. He hasn’t come out of his room since yesterday.”
Leinster and Louis stood side by side, glaring at Ariana's visit. Leinster muttered.
“What on earth is going on?”
"I know, right. I was thinking it would be nice if the circus came and you two went to watch."
“Ah, so the circus has arrived. Are you the Karan Circus?”
“Yes, is it famous?”
“There is a very skilled swordsman. He hits the target even when throwing ten at once.”
"Oh. Ten at once."
Louis twitched her fingertips as if she wanted to give it a try. Leinster stared blankly at Louis's fingertips and spoke.
"Would you like to go see it?"
"Yes?"
"The circus."
“Ah... You and me?”
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Yes?"
“Why are you and I going to see something like that together?”
Louis looked him straight in the eye and asked. Leinster found it difficult to look directly into her eyes, so he quietly averted his gaze.
His mouth was completely dry.
Leinster was quite popular. He became the vice-captain of the White Knights at a young age, and with his tall and handsome appearance, it was only natural that he was popular with women.
There was a woman who occasionally handed him a handkerchief, and sometimes a woman who sent letters without writing her name on them.
However, Leinster had never dated a woman. As he used to say that he was married to his sword, he found training more fun than meeting women. He saved up his salary little by little and invested it in buying rare swords.
It was solely the sword, and after becoming Ariana's knight, it was solely Ariana.
However, at some point, something started coming to mind that he thought about more than Sword and Ariana. At first, it only popped into his head occasionally, but then he began thinking about it regularly when he woke up in the morning or before falling asleep, and now he thinks about it almost all day long.
Louisana Cheveni.
Leinster gazed at a woman with bright red hair and purple eyes who looked kind and weak, but was actually stronger than anyone.
"Just."
Since it was the first time he had been in a situation like this, he didn't know how to speak. He wanted to say something that would make a woman laugh, like Cyrus did, but his mind, which had only ever thought about swords, couldn't come up with such banter.
"I want to go see it with just you."
Louis chuckled at the rough remark.
“Why, why are you laughing?”
“Sir, are you asking me out on a date right now?”
Date.
At those words, Leinster's face turned red. Louis tilted her head slightly to the side and looked up at Leinster as if amused.
A long silence followed.
Leinster repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist several times. His palm was damp.
Finally, Leinster swallowed hard, nodded vigorously, and said
“Yes, Sir Louisana Cheveni. I would like to formally ask you out on a date.”
***
There were many people inside the circus arena. This was because the circus troupe, which had visited the Eastern Realm and the Kingdom of Stella for the first time in a long while since the war ended, was giving away free tickets.
Sitting in the stands with a fluttering expression, amidst the chatter of the crowd, Louis thought.
That makes no sense.
Leinster sat beside Louis with a stiff expression, looking nervous. Her gaze stopped at his hand resting on his lap.
The large, firm hand was trembling slightly.
That was the reason. The reason she accepted Leinster's date request.
Even Leinster's hand was trembling like that, having just formally asked for a date with textbook-worthy words. Seeing the fist clenched tightly beside his thigh, trembling, Louis couldn't refuse his request.
She answered, "Okay," almost unconsciously.
This shouldn't be happening.
Leinster looked cute, looking very nervous.
She was half wanting to tease them, and half wanting to run away from here.
Louis took her eyes off Leinster's hand and stared straight ahead. A small, bizarrely dressed man was skillfully turning several rings. Occasionally, when he stumbled pretending to make a mistake, people would burst into laughter.
Louis confirmed that she and Leinster were the only ones not laughing in this circus.
Chapter 217 is missing
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