It was nothing to be ashamed of, but why? I felt like I was caught playing house.
His eyes widened when I said that I could earn a living by attaching doll eyes and sending the finished ones. He watched closely, and the corners of his mouth twitched and went up.
“…D-Don’t laugh.”
“It’s because you’re cute.”
“What’s cute about putting on doll eyes?”
“My lips curled up because you’re so concentrated. And it’s cute you’re attaching them with your small hands.”
I turned my back slightly to him. Although it failed as he stuck to my side again.
“Can I do it too?”
“This?”
“Yes.”
“Now, Your Majesty is saying that you will attach the eyes of a mere doll?”
“What are you trying to say? You do that too.”
“Yes, but… Valery’s hands are big. Won’t you have a hard time?”
“Give it to me.”
He took a doll. Then, with one eye closed, he focused on attaching the doll’s black eye, just as I had done. One by one, the dolls began to increase in front of him.
“…Valery.”
“…”
“Are you concentrating?”
“…”
This wasn’t something he should focus on with all his might. But his expression was so serious it made me burst into laughter.
We still have some time left. Eventually, I grabbed his hand, which glued the eye of the tenth doll.
“I know how you feel, so stop it now. We can do it next time anyway.”
“I think this is pretty fun.”
Then, he tried to put the doll’s eyes again. I was even more embarrassed and took the doll from his hand.
“Give it to me.”
Then, as if he had waited, he wrapped his arms around my waist. In an instant, I was in the position of being held in his arms.
“…I did it on purpose.”
Valery smiled while bending his eyes finely. He leaned over, pulling my head and back. His hand interlocked with mine as his back rested on the soft carpet. His lips touched my forehead for a moment.
“I hope time goes slowly.”
“…I will follow you right away.”
Since he came, I thought I should follow him to return. Strangely enough, once I made up my mind, everything seemed easy. That might not be the case in reality, but at least it seemed like it would be possible to do that.
* * *
It was the next day. I met Ian. Ever since Valery came, I knew that Ian wouldn’t run into me on purpose. He seemed afraid that I would be uncomfortable or feel sorry for him.
“Ian.”
“Yes, Milady.”
He approached my call as if he had never avoided me. I looked up at him and asked.
“Ian, what would you do if I said I would return to the empire?”
“I’ll go wherever you go, Milady.”
“I really hope you do what your heart desires.”
Now, I couldn’t push him away again. Because he already said he came here for me. But if he said he was leaving, I would be happy for him.
“Milady.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know how I found you?”
“Yes, you said Juri told you about it. Isn’t that why you came here?”
“His Majesty told me.”
“…What?”
“It was him who informed me about your whereabouts, Milady.”
Ian told me everything honestly. The fact that he was caught, that he kept in touch with Valery, and why he hid it from me. His words were surprising, but the most surprising thing was that he almost died. I couldn’t believe he didn’t listen to me to run away from the empire.
I hit him in the chest when I heard he was about to die. “How could you still do something like that…!”
“At that time, I came to know what His Majesty was thinking.”
“…”
“He’s just… cleaning up everything. I wouldn’t have come to Lady if it hadn’t been for him. So you don’t have to feel guilty about me following you.”
I turned my head and sighed low. His words made me even feel sorry for him, so tears welled up in my eyes. “If I had to pick the stupidest person around me, it would be you.”
Ian burst into laughter.
“Yes, Milady, you’re right.”
“Really…”
Ian came to a step closer to me. When I looked up at him, he leaned slightly down at me.
“His Majesty is glaring at me from behind Milady. I could feel a murderous look in his eyes.”
Ian joked and chattered in an unkind way.
“If I go back.”
“Yes.”
“It will be better than then, right? Don’t you think so?”
Ian answered my anxious question.
“Yes, I think so.”
* * *
“Ian told me everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That you found me and sent Ian. And you’re the one who saved Ian’s life.”
“…He survived.”
I said, stroking his head. “Thank you anyway. For saving his life.”
“Bella.”
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you.”
“…You just did it.”
We were talking to each other until a while ago, and he said it casually.
“There is only one month left.”
Whenever I told him that he had a month or so to leave, he told me not to say that time seemed to be speeding up, but he did a good job of bringing it out in the situation he needed.
I said in a bewildered tone. “Then I’ll do it for you on the day you go back. Okay?”
Valery then made a sullen expression, probably knowing it didn’t work. I had no choice but to kiss his cheek lightly and get out of his arms.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace, the sound of a person suffering was echoing faintly in the empire.
“What a disgusting fellow.”
He told me he was leaving for a while, but why didn’t he think of returning? There’s a lot of work piled up!
“No, Prince! You can’t go!”
“Isn’t it because of the words from Prince that His Majesty secretly left the empire!”
“His Majesty’s absence must never be known by anyone else!”
Joanne and other aides stuck together, so Delkian had been stranded for several days, taking the place of the emperor’s duties. No, he was almost locked up. He thought it would be a week at most. But he didn’t expect it would be for a month.
There were also days when the emperor was absent from the noble meeting for a day or two. At least, the most important things had been sorted out in advance. Delkian didn’t like to do the work, and that’s why he gave up the throne…
“I spoke so carelessly.”
He should have told Valery to send someone else instead of bringing her in a person.
As time went by, the cool sensation that permeated the nape of his neck continued to fuel his anxiety. Don’t tell me he’s giving up being emperor. It’s not like he’s not coming back at all.
Delkian didn’t have a deep relationship with Lady Carbella, but at least she was smarter than his younger brother.
The moment Delkian told Valery, he said it because he thought his younger brother would send someone to bring her back to the empire. Still, he was nervous. The younger brother he knew was a man who really did what he wanted.
“Here are the papers to be dealt with today, Your Highness.”
“…You did it earlier. The bunch you brought before.”
“That was part one. There is one more of this.”
“You said he already took care of all the important things?”
“Yes, except for the rest.”
“Ha…”
Delkian really wanted to get the two of them back. He had to bother them over and over again, even if it was outrageous. He gritted his teeth, regretting over what he had said. His hand, holding the pen, busily swung over the paper.
* * *
After that, we spent a month stuck together. I decided to organize this place so he wouldn’t wait long, so I tidied up slowly.
When I told Amaterin that I might be leaving soon, she said she felt sad, but she already thought I might do it someday. At the same time, she even gave me an unusual compliment, saying only a few people have adjusted to this area as well as I have. She was delighted to hear that I would visit every year. And she begged not to forget to invite her to the land below.
When I started to clean up, I was very sad. Although the locals tend to reject strangers, they don’t do harm. On the contrary, it helped from time to time through Amaterin. Even though the smallest rumors quickly grew like a big snowball, they weren’t evil people.
Valery told me that it was okay to change my mind again. I sighed and told him that it would never happen. If he quit being the emperor because of me alone, the empire would really turn upside down.
We spent a month looking at each other like that. In the blink of an eye, it was already time for him to return.
