Asha’s eyes widened. She couldn’t immediately process what Karnov was saying. Focusing on the last part…
‘Dance? First? Forever?’
Although Karnov’s turn had been pushed to sixth at this coming-of-age ceremony, he wasn’t the type to be upset about such things. Then Asha realized she had missed the first part of what Karnov had said.
“Uh…”
Asha’s face slowly turned red. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. Karnov watched her, holding his breath.
“That…”
And then Asha shouted.
“Yes!”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean ‘yes’?”
“That… that, my… dance.”
Asha stammered, only managing to speak in fragments. Her face, which had been turning red, now felt like it was about to explode. Flustered, she added more words.
“W, what! But that! Dance! If we keep dancing forever, Karnov, you’d have to marry me! Right?!”
“No, if you say that now…!”
“Oh.”
Asha covered her mouth with both hands and blinked. Karnov, who had shouted along with her, also closed his mouth. Their faces, which seemed like they couldn’t get any redder, turned even brighter.
Karnov took a deep breath. In March, with winter still lingering, it felt like steam was rising from his body.
“I’ll make it clear what I mean…”
Karnov regretted talking about being a dance partner. Maybe Asha didn’t understand the true meaning and thought it was just about dancing. Saying “I like you” could be interpreted as friendship.
“I… you.”
Karnov opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. His lips were dry. When he talked about his feelings for Asha in front of others, he wasn’t this nervous…
“I like you…”
Karnov took a deep breath and closed his mouth for a moment to gather his thoughts.
Asha suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Karnov’s collar, and stood on her tiptoes. As Karnov bent slightly towards her, Asha’s lips briefly touched his.
“I… I like you too, Duke of Sedvoyer!”
“…you!”
“Wh-what if I…I do it again?!”
She tried to speak confidently, but her words stuttered as her ears turned red. Karnov looked at her in disbelief for a moment, then hastily rubbed his face. He touched his lips and finally spoke.
“Really…?”
“Really!”
“Honestly. Without thinking about my status, Alexei, future matters, the royal family, your status, what I have, what you have, or what we might not have… Just answer honestly from your heart. That’s what the wish is about.”
Karnov spoke a little hastily. Asha nodded quickly twice, still red.
“Asha, please be honest…”
Asha reached out and held Karnov’s face with both hands. She pulled his face close and kissed him firmly, holding it for two breaths before letting go.
Karnov, unable to push her away or embrace her, stood still until Asha released him. He quickly covered his lips.
Meanwhile, Asha smoothed out the slightly crumpled wish ticket and pressed her lips to it.
“You’ve used it now!”
The red tint she had applied to her lips before entering the ballroom left a petal-like mark.
Karnov held the wish ticket in his hand, looking at it in disbelief before raising his head. Asha, looking both shy and happy, was watching him. She smiled brightly, as if she knew his heart, and shouted.
“I like you too, Karnov!”
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
“What brought you all together today is…”
The dinner was served simply because it was quite late and was held after the ball. Perhaps even if it was a formal dinner, there would have been no fancy food considering the emperor’s disposition.
Opposite the emperor sat the three princes with stern faces. The emperor briefly massaged his temples and cleared his throat.
“It’s because of Dimitri.”
“Did Dimitri get into some kind of trouble?”
When Yuriev asked, Maxim nudged Yuriev’s arm and whispered, “my son doesn’t always get into trouble,” softly.
The emperor sighed again, looking at his sons with a slight hint of perplexity.
“It was Dimitri’s request.”
“This… banquet?”
“Yes, a long time ago…”
The emperor continued, then let out a sigh as if in pain.
“Ten years ago, during my birthday celebration, I was touched by how Dimitri took care of his cousin and asked what he wanted.”
And his grandson, with his daring blue eyes, had said to him:
“Gather my father and uncles and host a banquet.”
The emperor had suggested asking for something else, but Dimitri was adamant. Even when told it would take a long time, his grandson said he would wait. Despite saying he would wait, he had reminded the emperor every year.
And so, after ten years, they were finally here. A forced gathering, yet one that each of the four had, at some point, wished for.
“So after the coming-of-age ceremony, I suggested we all have a banquet, but the children said they didn’t need it. So I only called you.”
The emperor had to accept Dimitri’s words, “We don’t need to be there.” Asha, Ilya, and Dimitri didn’t need such a “reconciliation gathering.”
Maxim, only now realizing how proud his son had been all this time, couldn’t hide his emotion. Valery, who had suspected the emperor favored Dimitri, felt a mix of embarrassment and a slight touch of sentiment at the meaning of this gathering.
And Yuriev…
“My nephew has grown well. He’s upright. That’s why he kept failing the imperial investigator interviews, right?”
“Y, Yuri. Let’s not talk about that.”
Maxim hastily interjected. Yuriev shrugged.
“He kept insisting on working under Alexei and kept failing, didn’t he?”
Maxim and Valery’s faces paled. The term “secret” was omitted from the imperial investigators.
They took orders only from the emperor, and were secretly dispatched across the empire to investigate and judge various cases. They were the emperor’s eyes and hands.
Naturally, swearing loyalty to the emperor was a given, but Dimitri stubbornly insisted on working for Alexei, even if it meant his death.
– After all, His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince are both from the same royal family, and Alexei will succeed as emperor, so what’s the difference?
Dimitri seemed to pretend not to know that this was almost treasonous. If the royal power had been even slightly more precarious, Dimitri might have disappeared without a trace after making such a statement.
But even with treason, if it’s brazen enough, no one can say anything. The interviewers, their faces pale, had chosen to fail Dimitri and remain silent.
If the emperor hadn’t questioned why Dimitri had been failing for years, he wouldn’t have passed until next year.
“Yes. Dimitri has that kind of strong-willed side.”
Maxim shuddered inwardly at the situation where his son’s bad temper was being wrapped up as integrity. At the same time, he kicked Yuriev’s leg under the table.
“Since we’ve gathered all the sons thanks to such an upright grandson, why don’t you say something?”
Maxim gave up his feeble attempt to stop Yuriev from speaking.
Valery already looked pale, as if he wanted to vomit.
The emperor’s eyebrows twitched.
“…What do you want me to say?”
“Well, you could apologize for raising Brother Valery like that…”
‘Apologize for raising me like this! You jerk!’
Valery mouthed silently, moving only his lips. Maxim could only laugh awkwardly. Then, without realizing it, he blurted out something he shouldn’t have.
“You’re going to announce your abdication tomorrow, right…?”
“Of course. That’s the plan.”
Yuriev answered promptly. Maxim, more surprised by his own words, glanced at the emperor. The emperor sighed deeply, looking genuinely pained. Were all his sons like Yuriev, or was it Asha they resembled?
“The throne will go to Alexei. All three of you should know that.”
“Where will you go after you abdicate?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t need your help.”
Maxim glanced at the emperor, who was bickering with Yuriev, then fixed his gaze. The emperor, who would soon lay down his long-held burden, seemed to find joy and relief in the very acts of rebellion he had never been able to forgive.
Maxim glanced at Valery sitting across from him. Valery, who had been fuming, inadvertently smiled at the exchange between Yuriev and the emperor, then quickly composed himself when he met Maxim’s eyes.
Finally, the four of them began to eat the food on the table. But it didn’t last long. As they started to express their grievances and reconcile, Valery suddenly stood up and burst into tears, leaving the other two startled and one clicking his tongue, trying to console him.
━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━
When Karnov returned to the garden with Anastasia, Lyudmila noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere between them.
“Oh… oh my?”
“Hmm? Lyuda, what is it?”
Natalya, who had been lounging on a garden chair after eating a lot of sweets with Lyudmila’s younger sister Lyubov, looked curious, but Lyudmila quickly composed herself.
Karnov had given her a pleading look, suggesting not to reveal his relationship with Anastasia in front of Natalya and Dimitri. Lyudmila glanced around and spoke naturally.
“Hmm… it’s getting quite late. I think it’s time to wrap things up.”
Just then, news arrived that the emperor’s and princes’ banquet was also ending. Everyone started gathering their coats, hats, and gloves that they had taken off.
“Please invite me to a tea party when the weather warms up, Grand Duchess.”
Lyudmila said, cheek-to-cheek, as she greeted Anastasia. Since Lyudmila rarely made specific requests, Natalya, standing beside her, tilted her head in slight confusion. Anastasia nodded, her face slightly flushed as if she were warm.
“Congratulations on your coming-of-age, Your Highness.”
“Congratulations to all!”
With noisy final greetings, everyone departed, leaving Anastasia and Karnov alone.
