22.
“I’m going for a walk.”
“Oh, has the time come already?”
The corners of Harvan’s mouth twitched. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, a knowing look on his face. Before he could spit out the words, Carver opened the door and stepped out.
His face was flushed red. He bowed his head deeply in anger.
Carver’s reaction was all because of Riley, who often visited the royal palace at this time. She would hold her father’s hand, enter the palace, drink tea with the king, and then leave.
Of course, she would join them, but she would also go off on her own to explore the palace.
When he saw her first time, he thought she was a fairy. She was smiling brightly as she looked at the flowers in the garden.
* * *
Even at her young age, she seemed to shine in the glittering palace. He would stare at her in fascination.
He felt sorry for her, the way she seemed uninterested in anything else, the way her eyes looked anxious as she held her father’s hand.
‘Why does she always look so anxious?’
There was always this look in the eyes of children who came to the imperial palace. There were so many things they wanted to see and questions they wanted to ask.
But Riley was different.
“Why? Why?
Carver watched her from a distance, not daring to approach. It made him feel better just watching her.
He didn’t hear any sounds, not even those of the people around him, as if he and Riley were the only ones there.
“What are you doing? Are you looking at my sister?”
Carver jumped out, startled by the girl behind him. His eyes widened in surprise.
“Purrrrr.”
The girl’s giggle drew Riley’s attention to her, her face flushed red with embarrassment and shame. She rushed to him in one step, bowed her head, and begged his forgiveness.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. This is my sister’s first time here, and she’s rude, so please forgive her.”
He was only seven years old. She was three years younger than him, but she spoke and acted more maturely than most children her age. He could see her hands trembling.
Carver stood up, dusted himself off, and smiled. Her sister Leta had made him look bad, but in a way, he was glad.
He wanted to talk to her first……?
He’d seen Riley all the time, but this was the first time she’d ever spoken to him. Carver took a step back, his heart pounding like it was going to jump out of his chest.
“Hmph, maybe so. It’s not a big deal.”
“You forgive me?”
Riley breathed a sigh of relief as Carver nodded softly.
“Your name is…….”
Carver asked as if he knew who she was, and she smiled slightly at his words.
“Riley Sharltia, Princess of House Trailla.”
Riley bowed politely to Carver.
“……Railey Sharltia.”
Carver muttered softly, finding it a fitting name for her.
“Feel free to call me Riley.”
She figured she’d be seeing him a lot anyway, so she might as well get comfortable. Getting to know the crown prince was something her father had hoped for.
Leta watched them for a moment, then clapped her hands together.
“Ah! That’s good! Your Highness, come play with us.”
“What’s that…….”
“I wanted to play with you, but I didn’t have anyone to play daddy.”
“No, I don’t…….
“If you don’t want to play Mom, we can find someone else. Pepe was here earlier.”
Leta coolly turned to find someone else.
“You’ll be the mom!”
The words caught Carver’s ear.
Quickly reaching out and grabbing Leta’s forearm, he rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t.”
“Wow, then let’s go, I’ve already done all the prep work.”
Leta grinned as she pushed Riley and Carver’s backs together. That was the first time Carver was able to break out of his routine and laugh genuinely.
Afterward, when Riley would come over, they would drink tea and talk.
It wasn’t often, but when she came to the palace, Carver was unusually excited. Harvan, who watched her closely, would even tell him when she was coming.
“I think she’s a lot like me.”
“Why would you think that?”
“You don’t smile much.”
Riley said to Carver, biting into a cookie. She didn’t mean it, but the words sent a shiver down Carver’s spine.
“If I smiled, would you smile?
Maybe it was because of that thought.
From that day forward, whenever he saw her, he would smile.
* * *
As the two of them grew closer and closer together, to the point where they became friends, Carver took every opportunity to tell her how he felt about her.
“His Highness smiles when he sees me.”
Riley looked up from her tea and glared at Carver.
“Because being with you is the only time I can smile.”
Carver shrugged, trying to keep his voice steady. Despite his best intentions, Riley’s eyes were unconcerned.
“I see you’re busy with politics.”
“I’d rather…….
He was smiling because he was with her.
He couldn’t get the words out of his mouth. He already knew Riley’s feelings weren’t the same as his.
He brought his finger to the corner of his mouth and tilted it up.
“You seem to be free a lot these days, …….”
“I thought this would make you laugh.”
Judging from her unchanged expression, He guessed that was not it either.
How about this? Riley spat out her tea, startled, as Carver gave her a goofy look.
She coughed.
What’s wrong with her? It must be the stress of the job. Riley’s eyes turned a little wistful.
It was hard for him to find time to have tea with her.
“Riley, what do you think of me?”
He ducked his head, unable to meet her gaze. He stirred his teacup and caught Riley’s eye.
“The man I’m going to marry.”
“Cuck.”
This time, Carver’s eyes widened in surprise. Reilly, on the other hand, shook her head at his reaction.
“My father has always told me since I was a child that I must stay by your side.”
He didn’t understand, but he’d heard it so many times like it was his duty.
And she didn’t think Carver was so bad, after all, he’d been the only friend she’d ever had outside of her home.
Carver’s brow narrowed at Riley’s words as if they were brainwashed.
“You don’t mind marrying me, do you……?”
“Others might criticize me if they heard, after all, it’s not every day you get to marry the king.”
Riley had unintentionally drawn a line in the sand with Carver. She didn’t know what to say to him, though, and somehow his question made her blush.
Riley ran a hand over her face to cool it and glanced at her watch.
‘Come on, Sire!
Everyone in the palace knew that Carver had his heart set on Riley, except for Riley.
They kept their eyes closed, but the expression on Carver’s face as he grinned from ear to ear revealed his true emotions.
Ding-ding-ding-
The clock chimed, and Riley jumped to her feet and gave Carver an urgent bow.
“I’d better get going, it’s been a pleasure.”
Carver had no choice but to let her go without catching her, her ears slightly reddened.
“Send someone to get her some medicine for her cold, some food, something good for her body.”
He mistakenly assumed she had a cold from exhaustion.
* * *
Riley stopped going to the palace less than five years later. Carver looked concerned as he waited for her every day.
After asking Harvan to find out what happened to Riley, he could no longer wait for her.
He had learned why her father had brought her to the palace so much, and why she no longer wished to come here.
Still, on the few occasions when she did come to the palace, Carver pretended not to know her and spoke to her as usual. Things weren’t the same between them, but still, he didn’t give up hope.
Leta and Riley, who were stuck at home like him, eventually received a gift from him at the mansion – a butterfly-shaped pin.
“May you one day get out of there and fly.”
Carver wished he could help them spread their wings.
From then on, Carver began to learn the sword, so that if she didn’t want to come here because she didn’t want to be a sword and be used, he could take up the sword himself so that she wouldn’t have to.
The imperial people were not allowed to take up the sword because they were not supposed to pass on their auras from generation to generation, but Carver did not give up.
“I can do it. Keep teaching me.”
Carver’s persistence persuaded his master to teach him how to hold the sword.
He practiced hundreds of times a day, trying to generate an aura with the sword. He trained in secret, alone, every night, without anyone knowing, and he and Harvan didn’t let go of the sword for ten years.
His body was torn apart by the internal injuries he sustained, but under Harvan’s care, he endured the pain of being torn apart.
Only for Riley’s sake, so that she could be by his side in the future, even if she never became a sword.
As a result, he eventually succeeded in changing his body. From a body that pushed away the aura to one that embraced it, becoming someone who could protect herself.
Riley was everything to Carver.
