Episode 118

“The temple for the princess, and the Anaïs mansion for me.”

And those places sometimes tightened around our necks, making us feel suffocated and impulsively want to run away.

“I understand. I’ve felt that way too sometimes.”

“…I see.”

The princess immediately understood what I meant.

“I’ve often wanted to go out without any restrictions. But…”

As I spoke, a thought suddenly came to mind, making me choke up a bit, and I bit my lip.

‘It’s okay.’

I’m not sick anymore.

Now I can go anywhere I want.

So… there’s no reason to be sad anymore.

Steeling myself, I clenched my fists and continued speaking.

“When I was younger, I briefly learned horseback riding.”

“Horseback riding?”

“Yes, when I was 12, I really wanted to ride a horse. So I convinced my parents, who were against it, and started learning. My brothers took turns teaching me.”

I had told this story to Lloydin before, and now I was sharing it with the princess.

Unlike before, I could now tell this story with a smile instead of bitterness.

“One day, I insisted on riding alone. I claimed I was fine and rode by myself, but my illness flared up, and I fell off the horse.”

“Oh no… Were you hurt badly?”

“Fortunately, not too badly. But after that, I was forbidden from riding horses.”

“I’m not sure what to say…”

Seeing the princess’s sympathetic look, I gave her a reassuring smile.

“It’s okay. This is a secret from my family, but I’ve been riding horses with the Duke lately.”

“Really?”

In truth, I sometimes rode alone since I had fully recovered, but there were too many things I needed to tell the princess, so I left it at that.

“Yes, I still can’t ride alone, though. Ah, how did we get to this topic?”

I wrapped up my story and added the point I really wanted to make.

“So, what I mean is, I understand the feeling of suffocation you must have experienced, Your Highness.”

“We have something in common.”

“Yes, we do.”

We looked at each other silently for a moment.

Perhaps due to this shared understanding, the princess seemed even more familiar and approachable.

And from the look in her eyes, I could see that she felt the same way about me.

After a while, the princess continued the story.

“That feeling of suffocation made me want to go somewhere, anywhere. So I secretly left the temple.”

“You left the temple to see the festival?”

“Yes. I snuck out and then snuck back in. I repeated that for a few days.”

Ah, that’s why there was no escort.

It matched perfectly with the story Jade had told me, and I finally understood what had happened that day.

“I met Jade Anaïs on the first day I snuck out. At first, I didn’t know which family he belonged to, but when he offered to take me back in his carriage, I saw the family crest and realized.”

I quietly listened to the princess’s story.

“He probably told you about how I lied, claiming to be from another noble family.”

“Yes, he did.”

“At the time, I couldn’t reveal who I was because I was sneaking out of the temple and thought it was just a fleeting encounter.”

Understanding her situation, I nodded and responded.

“I understand why you did that, Your Highness. I would have done the same.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“No problem. But he said you were supposed to meet on the last day of the festival, but you didn’t show up…”

“There were circumstances that prevented me from going.”

“Circumstances?”

“…Yes.”

She gave a brief answer, clearly not intending to elaborate further.

It seemed rude to press for details, so I didn’t ask more.

“…Did he wait long that day?”

The princess asked cautiously.

“Yes, but I don’t know the details after that.”

“…I see.”

“He said he saw you again when he went to the temple to see my brother Noah.”

“…Yes, we met again then.”

The princess’s expression became wistful, as if recalling that day.

“We started talking about the hairpin and ended up here. I’ll have them bring fresh tea since this has gone cold. Just a moment.”

Then she quickly shifted back to a neutral expression and changed the subject.

“Okay.”

When the princess called for the maid, warm tea soon filled our cups.

I wanted to say more to the princess, but it seemed like this was enough for today, so I closed my mouth.

We continued with ordinary, everyday conversation, unrelated to Jade.

Conversations with the princess flowed quite smoothly.

We talked without realizing how time passed, and only when dusk began to fall did I stand up to leave for the mansion.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Be careful on your way.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

With the princess seeing me off, I got into the carriage and left her palace.

The long conversation had left me feeling a bit tired, so I closed my eyes to rest on the way back to the mansion. However, the carriage soon came to an abrupt stop.

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll find out, Madam.”

I watched Lia get out of the carriage and waited for her to return.

Knock knock.

Shortly after, I heard Lia’s voice along with a knock on the carriage door.

“Madam, you need to come out for a moment.”

“What’s the matter?”

“The Crown Prince wishes to see you, Madam.”

The Crown Prince?

The person who stopped the carriage was the Crown Prince?

With a puzzled expression, I hurriedly moved to get out of the carriage when a stranger’s hand suddenly reached through the door.

It was a clean, unblemished hand, so different from Lloydin’s hands, which bore scars.

Instead of taking the stranger’s hand, I pushed the door open wider.

There stood the Crown Prince, with his usual enigmatic smile, looking at me.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince? Ah, greetings to Your Highness.”

I quickly composed myself and bowed to the Crown Prince.

“Duchess Blighton. It’s been a week since we met at Princess Daina’s palace, correct?”

“Yes? Yes, that’s correct.”

“I apologize for stopping your carriage. I wished to speak with you, so I took the liberty of having your carriage stopped.”

“…It’s alright.”

“Is that so? I’m relieved to hear that.”

To be honest, it wasn’t alright at all.

I had no idea what he wanted to talk about, and this situation didn’t make me feel welcome.

But I couldn’t refuse the Crown Prince’s request, so I forced a smile and responded.

“Shall we talk while walking through the garden over there?”

“The garden?”

“Yes, please, step down.”

What started as a suggestion now felt like an insistence.

“…Alright.”

The Crown Prince extended his hand closer, indicating I should take it.

Reluctantly, I took his hand and stepped out of the carriage.

Whenever I held Lloydin’s hand, I always felt a comforting warmth, but touching the Crown Prince’s hand felt as unsettling as his gaze.

Trying to pull my hand away quickly, I found that he held on tightly, not letting go.

“Um… Your Highness?”

“Oh, my apologies.”

Only after I called out did he slowly let go, moving away without any sign of remorse.

“Let’s go this way.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I followed the Crown Prince towards the garden.

It was late summer, and the evening was cool enough to be pleasant for a walk.

Upon reaching the garden, we were about to enter when the Crown Prince stopped those who were following us, including Lia and his attendants.

“Everyone, stay back.”

His sudden command caught me off guard, and I asked him while trying to keep my composure.

“Your Highness, why are you dismissing the attendants?”

“I wish to speak with the Duchess alone.”

An inexplicable sense of unease rose within me.

“My maid always accompanies me wherever I go. Couldn’t she stay with us?”

“I find it uncomfortable.”

“Pardon?”

“I find it uncomfortable, so I want everyone dismissed.”

His golden eyes flashed sharply, indicating his displeasure at my questioning.

“…Alright, understood.”

I sighed inwardly and gave a reassuring look to the anxious Lia, signaling her not to worry.

We left everyone behind and entered the garden alone.