At last the horse entered the forest. Pristin was a little nervous.
‘Will he be able to ride well?’
Considering the somewhat anxious state he showed yesterday, she was worried, but he seemed confident. Even in the middle of the night, Jerald urged the horse forward without hesitation, as if riding across a plain. Pristin, a bit surprised, asked him in a slightly astonished tone,
“You’re a good rider…”
“Why, are you proud?”
“Of course.”
Pristin replied, unable to conceal such feelings.
“The hunting contest is just around the corner.”
“I feel proud too.”
He said it in a meaningful tone.
“How far should I go?”
“Please go to the waterfall we went to yesterday.”
“You won’t be able to see the waterfall at night.”
“There’s something else to see.”
Pristin said it with an expectant and slightly excited voice, as if saying it was okay to look forward to it. Jerald, understanding, continued to ride and finally, the two arrived at the same place as yesterday.
“Wow…”
And when they stepped into the open space, Pristin had no choice but to look up and admire the sky.
The pitch-black night sky was filled with stars as if they were pouring down. The round full moon rising between them made it feel like this place wasn’t necessarily the real world.
It was when Pristin, who got off the horse, looked silently at the night sky with an admiring face.
“You brought me here, but why does it seem like you’re more impressed?”
At Jerald’s voice, Pristin turned her head and looked at him. Jerald, for some reason, looked proud as he stared at her. Feeling awkward, she awkwardly smiled and asked,
“Isn’t it beautiful, Your Majesty?”
“It is beautiful.”
‘Not as much as you’, he added silently in his mind, but Jerald refrained from saying it, sensing that Pristin might find it distasteful.
“Did you bring me here to show me this?”
“Because Your Majesty has only bad memories in the forest.”
Pristin replied, still looking at Jerald.
“I wanted to create some good memories. I thought it would be a good experience for Your Majesty to overcome your fears.”
“I see.”
Jerald, with a faint smile on his lips, asked Pristin,
“Shall we sit down?”
“Yes?”
“Let’s sit down. Unless we’re returning immediately.”
“But we’re on grass.”
“It’s okay. What’s the harm?”
Jerald took a seat on the ground first, and Pristin sat down beside him. Jerald relaxed his body, looking up at the sky.
Pristin, instead of staring at the sky like Jerald, observed him silently for a moment before asking,
“What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful.”
Jerald murmured, still keeping his eyes at the sky.
“The stars are beautiful, and the moon too.”
“That’s great.”
“And you too.”
“…Your Majesty.”
Pristin blushed with a bewildered expression. Jerald, with a slight smile, turned to look at her.
His appearance in the white moonlight was quite beautiful, so Pristin only looked at Jerald with a blank expression for a moment. Then Jerald smiled and asked,
“Am I that handsome?”
It was only then that Pristin realized that she had been staring at him too much and was embarrassed. She quickly turned her head and muttered,
“No, it’s not that…”
“Here, lie down.”
Jerald said, patting his knees. Pristin shook her head as if she couldn’t possibly do that.
“Your Majesty, such disrespect…”
“It’s just the two of us.”
“Even so…”
“Stars are meant to be watched lying down; it’s more emotionally moving that way.”
Jerald insisted, trying to persuade Pristin.
“I’ll lie down too, so you lie down.”
“But…”
“It’s a wish.”
To make sure Pristin couldn’t refuse, Jerald used the wish ticket he had obtained last time.
“You promised me last time. You’d grant me one.”
But he never expected to use it in a situation like this. Pristin looked at Jerald with a puzzled expression on her face, and eventually, in a very awkward move, she laid on Jerald’s knee. Jerald burst into laughter without realizing it because she looked like a person lying on a wooden pillow.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“Very much.”
“But I won’t revoke the wish.”
“…”
Pristin looked at Jerald with resentment, and he laughed again. Sighing deeply as if giving up, Pristin awkwardly gazed up at the sky. The white moonlight revealed a stunning view, and Pristin, staring at the stars in silence, unintentionally mumbled,
‘It really does look better.’
The atmosphere felt different when she laid down and looked at the stars. What should she say, did it feel more like she was one with the stars? Pristin stared at the stars blankly, and without realizing it, muttered,
“It’s pretty…”
The situation felt like a fantasy. The countless sparkling stars in the dark night sky, the round full moon, and beneath them, just the two of them lying there.
The atmosphere itself made Pristin’s heart beat faster, and she suddenly thought, ‘I wish this moment could last forever.’ All the worries seemed trivial, and she wished she could cut out and preserve this time.
Everything she was worried about felt useless, and it was around the time when a soft emotion bloomed on one side of the heart, immersed in the feeling that everything would be good as it is.
“Oh…”
Suddenly, Jerald, sat up. When Pristin was about to rise up, too, Jerald restrained Pristin.
Sitting up, he just stared at Pristin silently.
His gaze felt particularly embarrassing and ticklish in this atmosphere, making Pristin wish she could avoid it. As if enchanted, she kept locking eyes with Jerald, and though her lips were hesitating as if she had something to say, Pristin remained silent.
“…”
The atmosphere was anything but unfamiliar. Under the penetrating gaze that seemed to pierce through her, Pristin quickly sensed an anticipation that something was about to happen. Despite this, just like Jerald, she couldn’t bring herself to sit up. Instead, Pristin, too, turned her gaze away from the sky to silently observe Jerald.
For quite some time, the two of them exchanged glances under the beautiful starlight.
And then, at some point, Jerald slowly leaned towards Pristin. Pristin’s heart started beating faster than ever before.
“I want to kiss you right now.”
“…”
“If you don’t want it, avoid me.”
Leaving those words behind, Jerald slowly moved closer to Pristin again. Pristin’s heart began to race uncontrollably. Unable to even blink her eyes, Pristin watched Jerald approaching. And finally…
“Ah…”
Lips met softly. Despite anticipating this moment, Pristin seemed slightly surprised, widening her eyes briefly before slowly closing them as she accepted him.
He told her to avoid him, and she could have. However, she didn’t avoid him—not because she couldn’t, but because she didn’t want to.
In this moment, she, too, shared the same emotions as him.
‘What should I do…’
With her heart pounding, Pristin felt an explosion of emotions. It seemed she had already fallen too deeply in love with him to let him go.
After that, she couldn’t remember at all how she had returned.
During the ride back after gazing at the stars, Pristin’s mind was in a chaotic state. It seemed even more so because Jerald didn’t say anything after the kiss.
Finally, when they arrived at the Summer Palace, the two bid each other farewell amidst a much shier atmosphere than before.
“Well then, please go inside, Your Majesty.”
“All right, Pristin. Then…”
Jerald awkwardly averted his gaze while bidding farewell.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It was both cute and nice to see him shy after confidently kissing her first, so Pristin struggled to suppress her laughter.
“You go inside first.”
“No, Your Majesty, you should go first.”
“No, you go first…”
After a playful back-and-forth, Jerald finally decided to enter first. Smiling with satisfaction as she watched Jerald walk away, Pristin, too, turned to go to her room.
And while walking for a long time, Pristin bumped into someone at the corner of a pillar.
“Oh!!”
As soon as the collision occurred, the sound of a rolling glass bottle echoed. Pristin gently stroked the spot where the collision had taken place and picked up the glass bottle that had rolled in front of her.
It was a small, transparent glass bottle with a colorless liquid containing tiny dots. Pristin furrowed her brows and stared at it intently.
‘What is this?’
“G, give it back.”
At that moment, a voice reached her ears, and Pristin turned her attention to the person she had collided with. She examined the unfamiliar yet strangely familiar face closely.
‘Ah…’
It clicked.
‘She was the maid of Princess Gennant.’
Always sticking close by, she had become a familiar sight. With a slightly suspicious expression, Pristin rolled the glass bottle between her fingers and asked,
“Are you hurt?”
“Ah, n,no.”
It seemed only now that Brelin realized that she hadn’t even apologized for the collision. She bent her waist deeply and offered a belated apology.
“I’m sorry, Countess Rosewell. I didn’t look ahead…”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly, are you hurt?”
“No. I,I’m okay, but…”
Brelin, looking quite tense, cautiously asked Pristin.
“Um, may I have the bottle back?”
Why was she so attached to this bottle? Pristin knew she should return it, but now it felt a bit suspicious.
Pristin scrutinized the contents of the bottle before shifting her gaze back to Brelin. The maid looked at her with a highly tense expression.
‘…There’s something going on.’
Alternating her gaze between the two, Pristin wore a contemplative expression for a moment before finally returning the bottle to Brelin. Then, she smiled warmly and said,
“Be more careful in the future. You might get seriously hurt if you trip while carrying a glass bottle.”
“Thank you.”
Brelin, taking the bottle, quickly bowed her waist and then promptly parted from Pristin.
Watching Brelin’s retreating figure, Pristin, with a serious expression, murmured to herself,
“…Well, there’s nothing wrong with being careful.”
