The atmosphere at the Crown Prince’s palace had turned somber since Ludwig hadn’t returned after following the Emperor the previous day.
Ariel was equally worried. She couldn’t help but feel that the disaster might have been her fault for bringing the gift box.
Ludwig’s closest aides were waiting in Elias’s office.
“Don’t worry. This happens all the time. I wanted to go with him this year because I had a bad feeling, but it seems His Highness might have sensed that too and chose not to take me.”
Elias tried to comfort Ariel, who had been downcast all day.
“…Yes.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. Once His Highness returns, you won’t get any time off.”
“Understood. Maybe I’ll take a short break then.”
A faint smile appeared on Rapunzel’s face, prompting Leo and Robert, who were nearby, to give her a puzzled look.
“What? Does he have somewhere to go?”
Robert whispered, barely audible.
“Rumor has it his sister sold him out…”
“Well, he might decide to visit his old home.”
Leo spoke absentmindedly, then suddenly stood up, but Rapunzel was already out of sight.
“Elias is wasting time sending a kid with nowhere to go.”
Robert grumbled, clearly annoyed.
While Ludwig’s confidants squabbled, Ariel went to find Anna. She was working in the kitchen of the Crown Prince’s palace.
Ariel called Anna from the back door of the kitchen. When she spotted Ariel, she looked around cautiously before stepping out.
“Prince, no, Rapunzel, what’s up?”
Anna lowered her voice in surprise.
“I’m thinking of taking a few days off. So don’t worry about me.”
Ariel didn’t give Anna a chance to respond and quickly walked away.
“Prince, no, Rapunzel, where are you going? You don’t even have a place to go…”
Anna watched Ariel’s retreating figure with a worried expression.
***
When the carriage of the Duchy of Carmen stopped in front of the Crown Prince’s palace, Leo was there to greet it.
Marisa, with her icy blue eyes, stepped out of the carriage, slightly furrowing her brow, showing her discomfort. As she misstepped and stumbled, Leo quickly caught her arm. Their proximity naturally closed as Marisa’s gaze fully met Leo’s face.
‘Oh, he has more freckles than I thought.’
Marisa stared at his freckles for a moment before her eyes met Leo’s deep brown ones.
“…Ahem. Are you alright, my lady?”
Leo, possibly embarrassed by her gaze, coughed awkwardly and blushed. Marisa stared blankly at his face for a moment.
“My lady?”
“Miss?”
Leo and the maid Lotte called out to her at the same time, snapping Marisa back to reality as she managed a coy expression and stepped down.
“Where is my brother?”
Already aware of Ludwig’s absence, she inquired about Elias’s whereabouts.
“He’s in his private office.”
“Please show me there,” Marisa said with her usual haughty demeanor, standing straight and commanding.
Leo led the way, with Lotte whispering at her side, “Miss, do you fancy Leo?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s just that you seemed to look at Leo a bit differently.”
Marisa blushed slightly, perhaps embarrassed. “Well, he is a fine chief servant to His Highness, it’s only natural for you to notice him.”
‘Lotte, can’t you ever keep quiet?’ Marisa snapped before stepping through the door Leo had held open for her.
“What brings you here?”
Elias looked up from his book as he heard her footsteps.
“What do you mean? Isn’t His Highness still not back?”
“Yes… Are you here because you’re worried?”
“Worried? I’m not nosy enough to worry about a fiancé who’s strayed.”
Marisa’s words carried a hint of sarcasm.
“What are you implying?”
Elias looked at her sharply.
“I mean about His Highness and that servant.”
“If you’re referring to the rumors…”
“They’re not just rumors.”
Marisa spoke with certainty, causing Elias’s eyebrows to arch as if warning her not to spout nonsense.
“I saw the way His Highness looked at that servant at the party yesterday.”
Marisa challenged Elias as if daring him to contradict her.
“His Highness indeed feels compassion for Rapunzel, but those are baseless rumors, and now you, his fiancée, are also swayed by them?”
Elias spoke coldly, his gaze icy.
“Hmm, brother, you’ll have to stand by those words. I’ve tolerated His Highness’s indifference because he had no one else by his side. But now…”
Marisa bit her lip, clearly hurt.
To have driven her to say such things—it was the worst.
“If that’s the case, I won’t insist on this engagement. You should trust your brother a bit more.”
Elias looked at her with affection. Marisa reluctantly nodded.
“Let me know when His Highness returns.”
As Marisa left, Elias’s heart was heavy. He had raised his voice at her, but he couldn’t even be sure of his own words.
“…Is His Highness’s affection for Rapunzel truly just compassion?”
***
After meeting Anna, Ariel went to the royal library to borrow books in Ludwig’s name, as he often sent her there on errands, making her familiar with the librarians.
The books she borrowed included histories of the Romanov Empire and a romance novel. Originally, she hadn’t planned to pick up a novel, but her curiosity was piqued when she overheard whispers from the next bookshelf.
“…Did you find it?”
A whisper reached Ariel’s ears, spoken in hushed tones.
“No, it doesn’t seem to be here.”
“That’s too bad. I really wanted to read ‘The Prince’s Nightly Adventures’…”
“Lady, don’t be too disappointed. This book is quite interesting as well.”
“Is that so?”
The ladies giggled and disappeared.
Standing by the bookshelf, Ariel stumbled upon ‘The Prince’s Nightly Adventures’ by chance.
“What’s this? Should I give it a read? What does His Highness do at night? Read? Play chess? Bathe?”
With the book in hand, Ariel headed to Ludwig’s bedroom. She had nowhere else to go and remembered what Ludwig had said.
“Stay here and don’t move until I come back. It’s your task…”
A cake was sitting on the desk.
Normally, the maids would have cleaned it up, but Ludwig hated anyone entering his bedroom without permission, so it remained untouched. Tempted by the cake, Ariel almost gave in and tried a piece but stopped herself just in time.
“No, no. I can’t eat this alone, knowing what His Highness is going through right now. He must have left this here on purpose.”
She clenched her fist as if to brace herself, but her stomach growled audibly. She hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast or lunch.
“Well, His Highness did ask me to tell him what’s the least tasty…”
Finally, Ariel allowed herself to eat the cake, making sure to check if it hadn’t spoiled over time.
After finishing, she began reading ‘The History of the Romanov Empire.’
Thanks to the sign she had hung on the door when entering, no one disturbed her.
***
Ludwig had been released from the secret prison the next morning.
He had been bound overnight with magical ropes that painfully constricted him but, miraculously, it left no marks. These ropes had been used by emperors over generations to punish their children or close aides.
As Ludwig staggered out, barely able to walk, Dan, the leader of his secret society called ‘Sky’, was waiting.
“Are you alright?”
With Dan’s support, Ludwig shook his head and requested to be taken to the Laurelaine Forest hot springs. As he settled into the carriage, he thought of Rapunzel. The fool might be worrying that he had been beheaded…
“But I can’t go to him now.”
Yet why did that ugly face come to mind first? Ludwig shook his head as if to deny his own thoughts.
Upon reaching the hot springs, he immediately immersed himself. Dan had brought some food, which Ludwig tasted and then threw away in disgust.
“Damn, it tastes awful. I wonder if that guy has found the worst dish yet?”
Ludwig closed his eyes in quiet resignation.
As word of Ludwig’s return spread from the royal palace’s main gate, his close aides including Elias, Leo, and Robert gathered outside the Crown Prince’s palace.
However, Rapunzel was nowhere to be seen.
As Ludwig stepped out of the carriage, irritation was apparent in his eyes.
“Where’s Rapunzel?”
“He’s been dismissed.”
“Dismissed? Who decided to let him leave? After all I went through just to save that one foolish boy…”
Ludwig grumbled as if he had been treated most unjustly.
“Look like you’ve been through an ordeal, have you?”
Robert, cluelessly interjecting, received a sharp elbow from Elias. Only Elias knew of the ordeals Ludwig faced at the hands of the Emperor.
“I’ll be in my room; let me know when Rapunzel arrives.”
Ludwig muttered to himself as he walked down the corridor.
“What kind of person just takes off on vacation like that? Doesn’t he even care that I might be worried?”
Fuming, he approached his room only to find a sign that read ‘Do Not Enter’ hanging on the door.
Puzzled, Ludwig grabbed the sign and forcefully opened the door. Inside, Rapunzel, who had been dozing off at the desk, was startled awake at the sound.
“Your… Your Highness?”
Rapunzel, rubbing her sleepy eyes, looked up at Ludwig.
“Weren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” Ludwig stepped closer and asked.
“Yes, I took my vacation here.”
“Why here…?”
“Because you told me to stay put. So, I came here to wait for you.”
Rapunzel said with an innocent smile.
Suddenly, Ludwig strode forward and embraced her tightly, burying his face in Rapunzel’s shoulder.
“This distance is better, after all.”
“…What?!”
Startled by Ludwig’s sudden embrace, Ariel asked in confusion.
“The distance you should be at isn’t 100 meters—it’s this close. Never forget that.”
Ariel nodded vigorously, thinking to herself.
‘…The Prince must really dislike me. Being this close, I might suffocate and die.’
Even now, her breath was short and her heart raced.
Ariel resolved with a determined look that she would be cautious to avoid such proximity in the future.
🍉🍉🍉
