Only then did I know who the boy was.
He was Raphir Enshus Mul Palma, the First Prince of the Palma Empire, the heir to the throne, and the older brother of the protagonist of the original story, Sylphia.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Shh, they might hear us,” Raphir brought his finger to his lips.
“They seem to be searching for the Crown Prince. Why are you hiding like this?”
“Um… well,” Raphir hesitated.
“Well?” I prompted.
Raphir scratched his cheek with an embarrassed expression.
“…Because sword training is too difficult.”
He muttered in a small voice that was barely audible.
I furrowed my eyebrows, unknowingly showing my confusion.
“Are you saying you ran away because you didn’t want to go to class?”
“Well, it’s just that the swordsmanship instructor, Sir Tahasian, is incredibly strict. Even if I ask him to take it easy, he doesn’t even pretend to listen. There’s not a day when my body isn’t covered in bruises. Look here too,” Raphir extended his palm, showing a few red marks.
Although there were some red marks, they weren’t significant enough to be called blisters.
I closed my mouth and silently stared at Raphir.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Raphir pouted with discontent, pushing out his lips.
It wasn’t that he had a baby-faced appearance; rather, he was quite cute.
He was the same age as me, he had been famous as an angelic and lovely prince since childhood.
Rumor had it that his elf-like beauty and enchanting charm, along with his unique innocence and affability towards people of all ages and genders, had won over everyone in the palace.
In fact, there were stories that if Raphir smiled and asked for a favor, no matter how difficult the task, people couldn’t refuse him.
Now that I was actually meeting Raphir, I could somewhat understand those stories.
However, my gaze upon him at that moment was nothing short of cold.
“Do you have any idea how irresponsible Your Highness’ actions are right now?”
“Uh…?”
Caught off guard by my serious tone and reprimanding words, Raphir blinked in momentary confusion.
“Do you have any idea how many maids and knights are searching throughout this vast palace to find Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Well, that’s…”
“If you weren’t found until later, imagine what kind of consequences. It would be a complete disaster. It could result in reprimands, salary deductions, or in the worst case, they could become unemployed overnight.”
“Reprimands… what?”
“The Crown Prince might not get scolded or just be punished temporarily, or perhaps you might not get scolded at all. But because of your actions, irreparable damage could be inflicted upon someone. Can we expect someone who cannot comprehend the extent of such consequences to govern this country in the future?”
“…….”
Raphir seemed overwhelmed and lost for words, his eyes indicating astonishment. His usually large eyes looked even wider.
At that moment, I was genuinely angry.
In my previous life, my younger brother ran away from home because he didn’t want to go to school.
Coincidentally, he was around the same age as Raphir.
If he didn’t want to go to school, he could have skipped school alone and come back quietly. Instead, he turned off his phone and ran away.
Naturally, chaos ensued in our household.
We reported him missing to the police, called his friends’ houses, and my parents searched the entire neighborhood throughout the night.
However, the next afternoon, he reappeared with a nonchalant expression, claiming that he had spent the night at a friend’s house while their parents were on a trip.
I told him that he would have to face the consequences unless he promised not to do it again, but our parents, who considered him to be their precious son, didn’t even lift a finger to scold him.
Since then, similar incidents have happened repeatedly.
Every time he pretended to be kidnapped or abducted, our parents made a fuss, but when my brother returned home, they didn’t properly reprimand him. And due to his audacious actions and multiple accidents, I was on the verge of developing anger issues.
‘Oh, thinking about it still makes me furious.’
Even after being reborn and over thirteen years had passed, just the thought of him makes my blood boil.
All of that was the result of raising a child with too much leniency.
Now, witnessing a similar case, on a much larger scale, right in front of me, it vividly revived the long-standing trauma.
‘This is how the heir should be raised, so that when Clyde comes in later, he won’t be destroyed helplessly.’
“…I’m sorry.”
Raphir said, his shoulders slumping as he met my gaze.
“I didn’t think about it that far. I was just tired of sword practice…”
“If you give up when it gets tough, then what? Even if you have a lot of people protecting you, you still need to have the strength to protect yourself. If you can’t protect yourself, how can you protect your people?”
“…….”
Raphir slightly closed his eyes upon hearing my words, then opened them again.
“You’re right, I was wrong.”
Contrary to my expectations, he readily admitted his mistake, and I was quietly surprised.
‘Well, he’s still a hundred times better than that brat.’
As I thought about my younger brother, I could feel tension building in my forehead again.
At that moment, Raphir’s expression turned slightly uneasy.
“Now that you’ve realized it, you should go back to where His Highness should be. And make sure to apologize to the people who went through trouble looking for you, not to me.”
“…Uh-huh. Okay.”
He answered like that, but Raphir didn’t immediately leave. He hesitated for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, by the way… Who are you? I’ve never seen your face before. What were you doing here?”
“…….”
It wasn’t until I heard the words that my head cleared and I realized the situation.
‘Wait a minute. Did I, who came to the palace to secretly search my father’s workshop, gave a sermon to the Crown Prince of this kingdom?’
It was the result of momentarily losing my composure due to the trauma from my previous life.
I bit my lip in frustration.
Even though I was the daughter of Julion, the imperial court’s chief mage, I was nothing more than a noble.
If things went wrong, I would be accused of disrespecting the royal family and would have no defense.
I covered my face with my hands and started to panic.
“I… I was just passing by… I’m a humble person who is not worthy of His Highness’ attention.”
“……?”
Raphir squinted his eyes and looked at me, but I averted his gaze and quietly stood up from my seat.
“…Then I’ll take my leave now.”
I raised the edge of my skirt slightly and turned around, quickly making my way through the bushes.
“Uh, wait…!”
Ignoring the voice calling out from behind, I swiftly moved through the narrow hallway.
***
After safely returning to my father’s workshop, Nita came to pick me up a while later.
When he suggested eating dinner together, I grabbed his arm and said, “Let’s go home first.”
While I was concerned about what had happened with Raphir, I was eager to test the spell I had obtained and rescue Clyde as soon as possible.
We rode in the carriage and arrived back at the mansion.
However, as we disembarked from the carriage, something seemed amiss at the entrance of the mansion.
“What’s going on?”
Nita asked a passing servant.
“The master just arrived home a moment ago.”
Upon hearing those words, I unconsciously froze in place.
Nita seemed equally surprised.
“Father? He was supposed to return in three days.”
“It seems that his schedule has changed.”
‘It can’t be.’
A cold sweat ran down my back.
After my father left, I had meticulously cleaned and dressed Clyde in new clothes.
Moreover, last night I delivered food and left the basket there with a cloth over it. If Father had entered the laboratory, he would have immediately noticed that someone had been taking care of Clyde.
“What’s wrong, Eila? Is it because you went out without Father’s permission? Don’t worry too much. I will explain everything,” Nita said, examining my complexion.
I bit my lip and rushed into the mansion. At that moment, Nita raised his voice in surprise.
“Wait, Eila? Eila!”
As I entered the mansion, I immediately grabbed a servant and asked, “Where is Father?”
“He should be in his study now, but if there’s something wrong…”
Before the servant could finish speaking, I ran towards my father’s study.
Bang.
I forcefully opened the door with both hands, and my father, who was inside, turned to look at me.
Fine lines were etched around his eyes.
“Eila?” he said.
