“In the morning, you have a meeting with Duke Alfonso and Lady Carmen, followed by a visit to the Imperial Elton Academy in the afternoon, and dinner at Countess Giselle’s salon in the evening.”
“Cancel everything.”
“What?”
Leo’s face showed clear confusion.
While Duke Alfonso might not make a fuss, knowing the Crown Prince’s whimsical nature, Princess Marisa was a different story. As the Crown Prince’s fiancée, she required careful handling and special attention.
Leo already felt a headache coming on, thinking about how to soothe her considerable pride.
“Is he still not ready?”
“What?”
“Has Rapunzel not returned yet?”
“Yes. It seems Your Highness has been out so much lately, you appear quite exhausted. Should I bring Rapunzel here?”
“No need for that. Tsk, a man*1T/N: this is the dialogue I was talking about. Ludwig used 사내자식 (a boy) to refer to her. I was also quite confused when editing the chapters but it seems like Ludwig can be attracted to both men and women, as long as he finds their face aesthetically pleasing. XD shouldn’t be so frail…”
Ludwig lay back on a comfortable sofa, gazing out at the imperial garden. The greenery and sky were vividly blue in the late summer.
Despite being worked ragged these past few days, Rapunzel had stoically endured, and watching his foolish bravery was almost heart-wrenching.
Beneath the mask, the wounds seemed freshly irritated like a heat rash, appearing painfully raw as if his own flesh had been flayed.
Though he wanted to tear off the suffocating mask and hated the sight of it, each time the urge came, he clenched his fists and muttered to himself.
“Yeah, I’m only worried because he’s being such an idiot.”
That was all.
“What’s the reason?”
Princess Marisa, waiting in the reception room, bit into a candy on the table, her face a portrait of wounded pride. Leo rattled off a series of insubstantial excuses, but Marisa’s sour expression didn’t soften.
Their entire interaction had been brief at the engagement party, and she was upset by Ludwig’s repeated dismissals for various reasons.
Though their marriage was a political arrangement among royalty and not based on love, she had known him since childhood through her brother Elias and didn’t mind the arrangement.
Furthermore, marrying the Crown Prince meant becoming the most powerful woman in the empire. For Marisa, the choice between love and power was clear, and power was far more appealing than the fickleness of love.
“I’m sorry.”
As Leo fumbled for what to do next, Marisa looked at him slowly. He was an attractive young man with curly red hair and a cute face.
‘He’s too good-looking, it’s a shame to have him as just the Crown Prince’s attendant,’ she mused.
“It’s alright. It’s not your fault. Let’s just go to the salon and have a drink.”
Leo had no choice but to follow her.
Marisa was always captivating. With her flawless beauty and elegant demeanor, she was perfectly suited to be the Crown Prince’s wife. Ludwig’s dismissive attitude towards such a perfect match was incomprehensible to him.
There had been rumors that the Crown Prince disliked women, which seemed confirmed by the fact that apart from the head maid, everyone in his palace was male.
As Marisa walked ahead, Leo observed her retreating figure.
He remembered the first day he saw her.
Her perfect beauty and cold blue eyes reminded him of ice flowers. There was a distance about her, and as the Crown Prince’s betrothed, she maintained only the necessary courtesies.
One day, when Marisa came to retrieve a bag she had left in the reception room, a young maid tripped while running and scraped her knee, bleeding.
Fearing she might be scolded for the mishap right in front of her, the maid anxiously looked around.
That’s when Marisa knelt in front of the girl, leveling her eyes with hers, and tore a strip from her petticoat to bandage the knee.
“Are you okay? Be careful,” Marisa said with a gentle smile, helping the girl to her feet and even fixing a fallen hairpin back into her hair.
It was unexpected to see Marisa, known for her meticulousness, so freely expose the hem of her dress for a young maid.
This unguarded moment struck Leo as profoundly touching, revealing that she was beautiful inside and out. From that point on, Marisa held a special place deep in Leo’s heart.
As dusk fell, shadows stretched long in the imperial corridors, and lights began to flicker on one by one.
Leo felt as though tiny lamps of affection for her were lighting up inside him, each a flame that should not have been lit and must be extinguished no matter what.
Leo shook his head, praying that Marisa’s anger would subside quickly today.
“…”
As the carriage carrying Marisa pulled away from the palace and entered Madame Suzanne’s salon, the ladies there greeted her warmly. Watching her laugh and sip red wine, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.
***
Ian entered the mage tower with a look of anxiety, unusual for him as the head mage known for his composure, prompting curiosity among the mages.
He threw a stack of documents onto his desk in frustration.
Alfred’s escape from the dungeon had compounded his troubles, deepening the seriousness of his crimes. Stealing the Crown Prince’s bracelet, which contained the imperial seal, could be considered grand theft or even treason.
But what weighed even more heavily on Ian was his concern for Ariel.
Before they parted at the inn, he had cast a tracking spell on her, intending to retrieve her once Alfred’s issue was resolved.
Ludwig had sentenced both Alfred and Gale, the thieves. Alfred was stripped of his family lands and treasures, while Gale was ordered to send his younger brother to serve as a servant.
Alfred had tried to protect Gale by claiming a woman named Gailis was the accomplice. Thus, Ariel ended up disguised as a young man in Ludwig’s service.
Knowing this, Ian had looked through a crystal sphere to see Ariel struggling to hold papers under her feet for Ludwig. Beneath the mask, she sweated profusely, and her legs trembled as if they might give out at any moment.
“Ludwig de Sergey!”
Ian felt rage but had no immediate way to rescue her.
Ariel meant more to him than just a loved one; the struggle for the throne had taken his indifferent father and his warm-hearted mother, stripping him of the comfort of family.
Meeting Ariel had brought back the sweet scent and warmth of his mother.
He longed for freedom from the gilded cage of royalty, believing that with Ariel, he could taste a happiness as fulfilling as freshly baked bread. To Ian, nothing was more precious now than Ariel, his very heartbeat.
As the head of the mage tower, an independent body that both protected the empire and checked the emperor’s power, Ian possessed significant influence, second only to the Emperor himself.
He had never coveted Ludwig’s position.
But if becoming emperor was necessary to protect Ariel, he was resolved to do so.
***
One night, Ludwig tiptoed into Rapunzel’s room, being extra cautious not to wake him. As he approached, his leg brushed against the corner of the bed, and he adjusted his direction by feeling around with his fingertips. He then magically adjusted the brightness of the light.
Rapunzel was asleep, still wearing his mask, his hair and clothes damp with sweat.
With trembling hands, Ludwig removed the mask. Initially, he stiffened in shock, but his feeling of disgust was overwhelmed by compassion.
The mask had been stifling, causing sweat to stain and irritate Rapunzel’s face.
Ludwig took out some ointment from his pocket and gently applied it, his heart swelling as he felt the rough scars under his fingertips.
“If only I could use healing magic.”
As the Crown Prince of the empire, Ludwig was fundamentally capable of all forms of magic. However, the Emperor had sealed his powers until he would ascend to the throne, fearing Ludwig might threaten his position.
Thus, he was restricted to using only practical magic like communication or lighting, but today, he was grateful even for these minor abilities.
Rapunzel groaned in his sleep but did not wake up.
The sight of his frail wrists and bony shoulders was pitiful. Ludwig brushed back his damp hair with a self-deprecating smile.
“What am I even doing here?”
‘Why am I, who once wouldn’t glance at anything less than perfect, feeling such emotions for this scarred young servant?’
It felt too painful and poignant to simply label as curiosity or pity.
Unaware of Ludwig’s troubled thoughts, Rapunzel smiled peacefully, lost in a happy dream.
Sitting beside the bed, Ludwig gently pressed his finger against Rapunzel’s lips.
***
“Ludy!”
Elias yelled. He had been complaining about Ludwig’s month-long seclusion in the prince’s palace.
“How can you, who used to never stay still and always stirred up trouble, now neglect your duties and confine yourself to the palace?”
Ludwig looked at him nonchalantly.
Being cooped up in the palace was indeed stifling, but it was the only way to avoid burdening Rapunzel. Abruptly telling the attendants that paper footrests were no longer needed would raise suspicion.
Furthermore, abandoning the principles he had stubbornly adhered to would damage his dignity. Over the month, Ludwig had been pondering how to keep his decorum while sparing Rapunzel from work.
“Elias, I heard recently that the monastery has taken in many orphans. Perhaps I should pay them a visit. Oh, and bring paper for the children to use. Make sure to bring it all.”
His capricious command left his close aides bewildered.
“Your Highness, does this mean you will no longer use paper as a footrest?” Leo asked, curious about Ludwig’s decision.
“It’s not that I won’t use it; it’s for the future of the empire.”
Hearing this, Rapunzel’s face lit up.
The Crown Prince is a better person than she thought. Although his actions are sometimes baffling, he does care about the orphans and is a good prince.
And now that she doesn’t have to lay paper under his feet anymore, her work will be much easier.
As Rapunzel smiled broadly, Ludwig felt pleased and subtly smiled without showing his full expression.
“Rapunzel, shall we be on our way?”
***
Alfred and Gale boarded a cruise ship bound for the Frolands Empire.
Alfred was driven by a desire to embark on an adventure away from Ludwig’s watchful eye, while Gale had the purpose of meeting Alexei, the Crown Prince of the Frolands Empire, whom he had known since childhood when he visited as part of a diplomatic delegation.
Gale intended to meet with Alexei this time to discuss a potential marriage arrangement for Ariel.
‘I need to rescue Ariel from Ludwig quickly and introduce her to Alexei. Alexei is truly a proper Crown Prince, after all.’
With that thought, Gale felt a surge of optimism and a smile naturally spread across his face.
“Ariel, just wait a little longer, I’ll be there soon. I’m sure you’ll like Alexei as well.”
🍉🍉🍉
