Ludwig arrived at the crown prince’s palace, breathless from his hurried sprint – he couldn’t recall the last time he had rushed like this.
“Ra, Rapunzel… Rapunzel?”
As he approached, he nearly toppled forward, but managed to regain his balance, asking the passing knights.
“I saw him leave with the head steward earlier.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Reaching the door to Leo’s study, Ludwig finally collected himself, taking a deep breath before knocking.
But why did he even bother knocking? The sudden thought struck him. He must have been quite anxious and tense.
“Yes?”
Leo’s voice came from within.
Bursting through the door, Ludwig found Ariel and Robert seated on a long chair.
“Your Highness!”
Ariel sprang up upon seeing Ludwig, who eyed her suspiciously, looking her over.
“Ah, no way… I heard in the council meeting that Rapunzel is a woman. Surely that can’t be true?”
“Hah, is that what had you rushing here, out of breath?” Robert chuckled at the rare sight of the flustered Ludwig.
“It’s not, right? I figured it couldn’t be true.”
Ludwig said, his brow furrowing.
‘How absurd, what was I even trying to confirm here?’
He could only manage a bitter smile at the ridiculousness of it all.
“Your Highness, Rapunzel here is more clever than I thought. I never expected such a brilliant idea from him.”
Robert affectionately ruffled Ariel’s hair, which didn’t sit well with Ludwig, who snapped back.
“I don’t know what brilliant idea he came up with, but if it’s praise-worthy, then it should be praised; and Robert, what are you doing here?”
Ludwig made no effort to hide his distaste.
“Ah, I was just complimenting this fellow, that’s all…”
Robert stood up sheepishly as Ludwig eyed him disapprovingly.
“He is my servant. If there is praise to be given, I will give it, and if he has done wrong, I will deal with it.”
At Ludwig’s reply, Robert lost his words, bowing in acknowledgment before taking his leave. He wondered why Ludwig was in such a sour mood when the noble council meeting must have gone well. Sometimes, just running away was the best option.
After Robert left, Ludwig strode over, his face mere inches from Ariel’s, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Feeling the intensity of Ludwig’s gaze, Ariel spoke up.
“Your Highness, may I sit down if it pleases you?”
“Do as you wish.”
Ludwig replied curtly, the displeasure evident on his face as he sat down at the opposite side of the table.
“What happened?”
Ludwig asked directly.
“Well… it’s magic.”
“Magic?”
Ludwig questioned, his expression full of skepticism.
“Yes, I was worried that both you and I would be in danger if things continued as they were, so I asked a mage I know well to temporarily change my appearance.”
Sweat beaded on her forehead and palms as she lied. Ever since she was young, Ariel had always given herself away by sweating whenever she lied.
‘But His Highness doesn’t know that I sweat when I lie, so it should be fine.’
And the change in appearance was true, so it wasn’t a complete lie, was it?
While she tried to convince herself, she felt a gentle touch wiping the sweat from her forehead. Ludwig had reached out and wiped it away with the billowy sleeve of his blouse.
“Your Highness…”
Ariel flushed, abruptly standing up.
“Why are you so startled?”
“The, the clothes… won’t they get dirty?”
“So what if they do? Clothes are replaceable, but you are not.”
Ludwig stood up, circling around Ariel, an impish glint in his eye as he questioned, “So, this mage you know so well… what kind of person are they?”
“Just… someone I know well.”
Sweat beaded on Ariel’s forehead again as she clasped her hands.
‘Aha, so he does sweat when he lies.’
Ludwig bent down, meeting Ariel’s gaze directly and flashing a smile.
“Hmm, well, for your scatterbrained head, this idea of yours isn’t half bad.”
“I thought my head was about to explode from the effort,” Rapunzel replied innocently.
Suddenly, Ludwig burst into laughter, nearly on the verge of tears.
“Haha!”
“Your Highness?”
“Ahem, never mind.”
Ludwig tried to wipe the smile off his face as he spoke.
“…Your Highness, would you consider a reward for me? I’ve worked so hard, you see…”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“I went with Anna to meet the Duke of Char–”
“Enough!”
“Pardon?”
“Now that I think about it, you’re my servant, and it’s only natural for a servant to do their utmost for their master. So I’m afraid a reward would be inappropriate.”
As he said this, he observed her reaction, and saw the clear, deep violet eyes darken with disappointment and defeat.
‘You were going to ask to be sent to Charden with Anna, weren’t you? As a reward, since she’s the one you love. I can’t change the fact that Anna is the one you care for, but I still want to keep you by my side, even if just like this.’
“Your Highness, Rapunzel has worked so hard, surely a reward would be appropriate?”
Leo, who had been silently standing by, spoke up, his heart going out to the visibly crestfallen Rapunzel.
“I’ll prepare a reward of my own for this matter.”
“Your Highness, I don’t need a reward, just to go to Char–”
A glimmer of hope appeared on Ariel’s face, but Ludwig cut him off again.
“You are in a position where you must feign death if I so order. You cannot demand anything as a reward.”
Ludwig spoke deliberately, his tone cold and firm. Ariel, pouting and sticking out her lower lip, muttered under her breath.
“…Arrogant jerk. Duck butt!”
***
As Ariel was trudging back to her quarters, someone suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a tree. She was startled for a moment, but relaxed when she saw Ian standing there in the moonlight.
“Oh, Mr. mage!”
“How have you been?”
Ian’s hair was ruffled by the wind, shimmering as if woven with sunlight, and his eyes were filled with warmth.
At the sight, Ariel momentarily wore a dazed expression, and Ian gently ran his fingers through Ariel’s hair.
“What’s the matter?”
“Um, let’s go out and play.”
“…I’m a little upset.”
Ariel said with a sullen expression, and Ian looked perplexed.
“…”
“We agreed to have dinner and then go to the most famous dessert shop in the capital for strawberry smoothies in two days.”
“Oh dear… I completely forgot. I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t that she had forgotten, really.
When Ariel returned to the tower after their dinner, there were mountains of correspondence letters from the Romanov Empire, all bearing rejection stamps on the back.
It was clear that Ludwig had been handling the diplomatic matters, and his seal was on all of them. To be so blatantly trying to push him out–if they found out Ariel was a woman, it would be impossible to deal with.
Before that happened, he needed to convince Ariel to leave the Romanov Empire.
Ian had discarded all but a few of the letters that could potentially lead to war.
And after dealing with all that, he had been closely monitoring the movements of Duke Dominic and Marisa, noticing something amiss.
While waiting for the results of the noble council meeting in the tower, he had received the news that the meeting had been canceled after the revelation of the servant being a woman.
“How did you manage it? Has the magic been broken?”
Ian asked inquisitively, and Ariel shook her head, recounting the events that had happened to her.
“…I fell into the sea, and the magic was dispelled. So, even today…”
“Hmm, let me look into what happened.”
“Okay.”
“For now, shall we go have the dessert we couldn’t before?”
Ian politely offered his hand, which Ariel took, and they instantly teleported to the townhouse in the capital.
They arrived precisely in the reception room, where numerous tables were laden with an array of desserts, making Ariel’s face light up.
“Wow, did you buy out the entire dessert shop?”
Ariel asked excitedly, her cheeks flushed, and Ian nodded.
“Something like that.”
“Hmm…”
As Ariel’s expression suddenly darkened, Ian grew concerned, asking, “Is there something you don’t like?”
“No, it’s just that there are so many desserts. I’m not sure I can finish them all.”
“Don’t worry about that. Eat as much as you’d like.”
“…But it feels wasteful to leave any behind. There are still many hungry people.”
“Then I’ll have the remaining food delivered to an orphanage or monastery. Would that be alright?”
“Yes.”
Finally, Ariel sat down at the table, picking up a dessert plate with strawberries on top.
After taking a bite, she closed her eyes, savoring the flavor.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Mr. Mage, please try some as well.”
As Ariel chewed with a satisfied expression, Ian reached out and wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth, bringing it to his own lips.
“Mmm, it really is delicious.”
Ariel looked at him curiously, and Ian flashed a bright smile. He then conjured a magical screen, displaying a serene landscape, and sat down next to Ariel.
The screen showed rolling green hills and mountains, soon filled with a soft pink hue of blooming flowers.
“This is the scenery of the Prolands Empire. There are so many beautiful flowers there. If you’d like, I’ve prepared a cozy little house. Would you come with me?”
Ian finally confessed what had long been on his heart, his voice trembling with anticipation.
But strangely, the usually chatty Ariel remained silent, and when Ian glanced over, he found Ariel dozing off, leaning against the sofa, the empty plate and fork in her hands about to slip.
“Haha…”
Ian chuckled, both amused and a bit dejected by the situation. He carefully removed the plate and fork from Ariel’s hands and gently guided Ariel’s head to rest on his shoulder.
The soft, contented breaths reached his ears.
Ian completed his unfinished proposal, placing a gentle kiss on Ariel’s forehead.
“Ariel, will you marry me?”
***
Ludwig visited Ariel’s quarters in the dead of night.
He had been unsettled all day, bothered by the sullen expression on Rapunzel’s face when she had left.
But he couldn’t give the answer Rapunzel wanted.
Because then he would never see her again.
As he was wary of the servants gossiping if he was seen frequenting Rapunzel’s room, he peered through the window into the bedroom.
“On the first floor?”
“Yes. Having him on the first floor means I can summon him immediately when I need him.”
He had recently instructed Leo to assign Rapunzel’s room to the first floor. The truth was, he sometimes wanted to sneak in and check on her.
Ariel’s room was dark, and no matter how carefully Ludwig peeked in, he couldn’t see anything. He could only vaguely make out a lump on the bed.
“Damn, maybe Marisa was right, and I really have gone mad. Of course Rapunzel would be asleep at this hour past midnight.”
Ludwig let out a self-deprecating chuckle as he turned to head back to the crown prince’s palace.
Suddenly, Rapunzel’s words came to mind, and he glanced back at his own behind.
“Hmph, this firm, plump behind is hardly a ‘duck butt’.”
🍉🍉🍉
