Episode 45
“Oh, this is fine. It doesn’t hurt. Gasp. There’s blood on your shirt, Grandpa…”
Oh no. Maybe because I had gripped him so tightly, the white shirt was stained with blood.
Startled, I quickly dusted it off, and Grandpa swiftly grabbed my hand.
“My dear, please.”
“Lord Blaine. We need to administer first aid in the carriage.”
At the coachman’s words, Grandpa gave a heavy nod.
As if holding something back, his Adam’s apple kept bobbing.
He—he’s not crying, is he…?
“…I’ll take care of things here. But.”
His dark eyes landed on Argen, who stood quietly like a doll.
“Your Highness… why are you here, young master?”
“Hmm.”
Argen scratched his cheek with a bright smile.
“Actually, I sneaked out without the servants knowing and got lost. Um, could I also get a ride home?”
‘Huh?’
As the coachman used a handkerchief to stop the bleeding, I tilted my head.
‘The Imperial Palace is right around the corner. How could the prince not know the way back to the palace?’
Even a countryside bumpkin like me figured it out after checking the map a few times.
‘Ah, no way.’
Is he pretending to be clumsy again…?
Grandpa let out a low sigh and nodded.
“…Alright. Get in the carriage.”
“Yes, thank you, Lord Blaine!”
The cheerful prince stuck close to me.
I held the coachman’s hand and headed for the carriage.
“Thanks for helping earlier.”
“It’s nothing. But your hand must hurt. Are you okay?”
“Oww…”
I glanced at Argen as he mumbled, “Even a paper cut makes me tear up.”
Our eyes suddenly met.
The prince, still smiling faintly, moved only his lips to whisper:
‘I searched everywhere for you.’
***
The street was quickly cleared.
When Count Florin and the others vanished, saying they’d deliver the items they purchased—
Blaine watched the child safely board the carriage and muttered softly.
“Cayenne.”
Then a man, who had been hiding like a shadow, appeared.
“Yes, my mistake.”
“What happened.”
His voice was chillingly cold—completely different from when Lirin was around.
Cayenne—formerly a subordinate of Blaine’s mercenary corps, currently the lead cashier and service staff at the toy store—wore an awkward expression.
“Lady Lirin fell so suddenly I couldn’t stop it. Just as I was about to step in, the prince suddenly popped out, and the timing was weird.”
There was an oddly nasal tone to his voice.
Flustered, Cayenne touched his nose and felt the clown nose at his fingertips.
Pop. Cayenne removed the nose and bowed deeply.
“You told me to keep an eye on her… I truly apologize.”
Blaine stood like a mountain, saying nothing.
Cayenne gulped.
From experience, this silence was more dangerous.
The old man’s chest rose and fell repeatedly—a sign he was trying to suppress the boiling rage and murderous intent.
It seemed he sent Lirin ahead because he wouldn’t be able to fully suppress his anger.
‘One minute before the mad dog’s seal breaks…’
The man who subdued all mercenary corps across the empire with a single sword, and cleared the overflowing monster labyrinth in the North.
A non-noble clearing a labyrinth was so rare it was still often mentioned to this day.
Of course, the edge of his sword hadn’t been reserved for monsters alone.
True to his title as Mercenary King, he’d spill any blood as long as he was paid—without mercy or aftermath. His legendary precision sent chills down spines with name alone.
‘Though he gave all that up after meeting Lady Eliza.’
The whirlwind of a mercenary settled down for Eliza, attaching the name Wintervalt to his own and chaining himself to the North.
Still, that was all a past generation ago—few remembered now.
‘After all this time, you’d think he’d mellowed a bit… I feel like I’m going to crumble from his aura.’
God, save me. Lady Eliza…
Just then—
“Grandpa!”
From afar, a child poked her head out the carriage window. Cayenne quickly hid in the shadows.
“I got treatment! Ta-da!”
He felt Blaine’s terrifying aura melt away in an instant. The stern face softened like magic.
Her round, pink bobbed hair, cute gentle features.
Her ointment-covered palm waved energetically.
“Ah, my dear. That injured hand… don’t wave it!”
“Okaaay!”
The pink crown of her head disappeared like a mole.
Watching Blaine’s thick arm lower slowly after waving back, Cayenne sighed internally.
This level of doting on a child is pathological. Sure, the past probably made it worse…
“So.”
Then came a voice so low it made Cayenne’s shoulders tremble.
Blaine had regained his usual stoic expression that looked ready to slice someone down.
“Was what that so-called magician said earlier true?”
“I-It’s true. The flowerpot broke, and Lady Lirin was startled and fell. That magician merely picked up her item for her.”
“…”
“If there had been any hint of harm to Lady Lirin, of course I would’ve intervened.”
“I see…”
Blaine exhaled deeply.
Thinking of the pale little hand bleeding from the broken pot made him feel dizzy again.
Why does that tiny thing always get hurt?
‘I shouldn’t have let her go off alone.’
She wanted to look at the plants outside, so he’d thought, Let her do as she pleases.
He let his guard down.
‘But… she seemed more frightened than I expected.’
Her tight grip had stained his shirt with blood.
‘…Could it be someone from her past? A bad memory, maybe.’
No, no.
If that were true, Lirin would’ve said something.
‘If I ask Kalec…’
Ah.
Blaine sighed quietly.
He lost his memory.
“Am I overthinking this…”
He wiped his face with a dry hand, gathering his energy.
Getting overly suspicious without objective grounds was a chronic occupational hazard.
“Just in case, look into that magician.”
“Yes, understood.”
Shiver, shiver.
At that moment, store staff began loading carts with seeds and fertilizer.
Cayenne looked at the goods, unimpressed.
“She didn’t buy as much as I thought…”
“Leave it at that for today.”
“Sorry? You’re heading back like this?”
Cayenne motioned toward the gardening store with his chin.
“You’re not going to finish up in there?”
“Yes.”
Blaine muttered quietly, fingering his now-light coin pouch.
“I haven’t gotten Eliza’ss… permission.”
***
Clack.
The window closed, and I sat quietly inside the carriage.
‘Phew. I thought Grandpa was scolding a tree.’
Grandpa standing still in front of a tall street tree.
It gave me a weird prickly feeling, so I opened the window and called to him—and he just smiled and waved.
‘Well, yeah. My sweet teddy bear grandpa would never do that.’
He can’t even hurt an ant!
“You shouldn’t wave an injured hand.”
Just then, a small voice interrupted.
‘Come to think of it.’
I plopped into the seat and looked at the boy sitting across from me.
‘I was in the middle of a conversation with him.’
Argen Etherion.
I didn’t think I’d meet him this soon…
“That kid from the toy store… why were you suddenly in danger?”
“No, that’s what I should be asking. You…”
I hurriedly corrected myself.
“Why are you in a place like this, Your Highness…?”
“…You know who I am?”
“Well, sure.”
“How?”
The smile vanished from Argen’s face. Without his usual expression, a chill swept over the space.
“I—I heard Grandpa say, ‘Your High…’! And, well, the only black-haired boy my age who knows Grandpa would be a royal… sir!”
The prince was silent for a moment, then straightened Theo’s blanket, who was asleep nearby, and smiled again.
“You’re really bad at speaking formally.”
Tch.
Well, of course.
The only boys I’d ever talked to were the ones I used to roll around in the grass with back in Lepi Village.
‘Maybe it’s because we’re close in age, but formal speech feels really awkward.’
“I’m still adjusting… sir.”
“Just speak comfortably. It’s just us here anyway. And right now, I’m sort of hiding my identity.”
“No, but still, I can’t just speak casually to a prince…”
“I mean it.”
“Okaay.”
“…”
“Of course I can.”
With a flip quicker than turning a palm, the prince let out a baffled little breath.
Well, he said it was fine, so it should be fine!
Now that my tongue was free again, I quickly got to the point.
“Then… since I’m already speaking casually, I’ll ask straight up. Prince—what did you mean earlier when you said you ‘found me’?”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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