Chapter 22
What flickered under the tree was a small shadow. As Iris stood up and looked closely, someone rustled and peeked out from behind the tree.
“A kid?”
Iris blinked in surprise. Emerging from behind the tree was a child who looked barely ten, with chestnut hair and green eyes.
“Hey, what’s a kid like you doing out here alone this late?”
Though the village lights hadn’t all gone out, it was too late for a child to be wandering alone. As Iris approached with a concerned tone, the child, seeming shy, stepped forward from the tree and asked,
“Are you two dating?”
“Huh?”
The child’s bright green eyes sparkled like stars.
“Do you two love each other?”
“What?”
What’s with this out-of-the-blue question?
While Iris tilted her head in confusion, the Crown Prince, who had been watching the situation, approached and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“Yes, we’re promised to each other in marriage.”
“Your Highness?”
“Could it be, are you… the wizard of the south?”
At the Crown Prince’s words, Iris widened her eyes and looked at the child. The child grinned broadly and then jumped up from the ground.
“That’s right! I’m the wizard of the south!”
The jumping child didn’t sink back to the ground but floated like a jellyfish in the sea. Iris, startled, covered her mouth with both hands.
“Couples who come under this tree always ask me for a love blessing. Are you two the same? Do you love each other?”
The wizard of the south, smiling innocently, looked at them with great anticipation.
“If it’s about a blessing, it’s a bit inconvenient right now.”
“Oh, we didn’t come here to receive a blessing.”
“You didn’t come for a blessing?”
When the wizard of the south tilted his head, Iris nodded immediately.
“We came to ask how to meet the wizard of the north.”
“The wizard of the north?”
The wizard of the south widened their eyes as if surprised.
“Why would you want to meet that cranky guy? That’s curious.”
“There’s a bit of a situation…”
The wizard of the south seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.
“Alright! I’ll tell you. But there’s a condition.”
“What condition?”
When the Crown Prince asked, the wizard of the south answered.
“Deliver this stone to the queen of the Bevveria Kingdom. I was supposed to give it to her earlier, but I forgot because I was sleeping.”
As the wizard finished speaking, something sparkled and glowed in the air. Iris instinctively reached out, and a shimmering round orb landed in her palm.
“You’ll have to pass through the royal palace to head north anyway. That’s fine, right?”
“Understood.”
The Crown Prince readily agreed, and Iris fiddled with the stone in her hand. Since it was given by a wizard, it surely had some grand magic, but it looked like nothing more than a transparent, pretty pebble.
“To summon the wizard of the north, it’s simple. Go to the stone tower in the center of the northern forest and chant the spell ‘Hamiya Sordolanche.’ He’ll respond.”
“Is that the language of wizards?”
“Yep!”
The wizard of the south giggled as if something was hilarious and spun around in the air.
“Oh, of course, if he’s not there, there might be no response, but he’s usually holed up and doesn’t come out much, so it should be fine.”
“Thank you. We’ll make sure to deliver this stone.”
“Thanks! Come back to visit later!”
The young wizard waved at them and then vanished into thin air, as if it were a midsummer night’s dream.
“Can you pinch my cheek?”
“….”
“Ouch!”
“Too hard?”
“It hurts, so it’s not a dream.”
Iris rubbed her cheek as she spoke. The sudden appearance and disappearance left her dumbfounded.
“Shall we head down?”
“Yeah.”
The two descended the hill, having gained a decent harvest.
Joining the three waiting below, they headed back to their lodging. While returning, Iris suddenly realized the wound on her foot no longer hurt.
*The wizard of An-on is pretty kind.*
The knights returned to their rooms upon reaching the lodging, and the Crown Prince went to wash up first. Iris entered her room with Jack, who made an odd remark.
“They say lovers who visit that tree can receive a love blessing from the wizard.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I was bored while waiting, so I wandered around nearby.”
“Really? No wonder the wizard said something strange right away.”
“Something strange?”
“Yeah. Asked if we were dating.”
“So, did you get a blessing or something?”
“No, I just changed the subject.”
“Is that so?”
“Why?”
Jack responded with a subtle expression.
“They say the wizard of An-on usually gives blessings, but there are cases when they don’t.”
“Really?”
“And those couples usually break up soon after.”
“Oh, that wizard must be quite accurate.”
Iris hummed as she kicked off her sandals and tossed them under the bed.
“What use is a love blessing for a contract relationship like ours?”
“True.”
“Anyway, you worked hard today. Go rest. And don’t get caught by the Crown Prince again.”
“…That time was just a habit.”
“Yeah, it’s fine now, so you don’t need to check if I’m sleeping.”
“….”
“I know why you check if I’m asleep.”
Iris wrinkled her brow and smiled. Jack looked down at her silently for a moment.
“I’m past the age of crying over nightmares.”
“…Right.”
Due to the betrayal of her first marriage, Iris had suffered nightmares for a long time. She could barely breathe, waking up sobbing for months.
Ironically, the one who comforted her was Jack, who periodically visited her estate to collect debts.
“Go on, you must be tired.”
“…Alright.”
After Jack left, Iris changed into pajamas and opened a book to read before bed.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Since only one person would knock at this hour, Iris naturally said,
“Your Highness, come in.”
“Alright.”
He was, as expected, in a robe. Does this man really not want to get married? Iris thought as she closed her book.
The Crown Prince entered, looked around, and narrowed his eyes as if he knew something.
“That man was here.”
“How do you even know that?”
“I can smell the cologne he uses.”
“Does Jack even wear cologne? You’ve got a dog’s nose.”
“A dog’s nose to a royal?”
“Oh, is that too much? It’s a compliment, anyway.”
As before, Iris grabbed the still-dripping Crown Prince, sat him in a chair, and roughly dried his hair with a towel.
The Crown Prince, for some reason, grinned at her rough handling.
“Isn’t this grounds for firing the servants for negligence?”
“Well, consider it their kindheartedness for not wanting to disturb a loving couple.”
“You sure know how to talk.”
Iris dried his hair as she had the previous night and put the towel away.
“When it’s just us, don’t call that servant too often.”
“Why are you so wary of Jack? He’s just someone I’ve worked with for a long time.”
“It’s a male instinct.”
“Male instinct? That instinct is wrong.”
Iris, as if to say don’t be ridiculous, tugged the Crown Prince’s ear. As he let out an “ow,” she laughed, let go, and rolled up the towel to toss it into the laundry basket.
“If something was going to happen between us, it would’ve happened ages ago. To begin with, he and I see each other as rocks, not man and woman—rocks.”
“…Rocks?”
“Yes, rocks.”
“Are there such pretty rocks?”
“Come on.”
Iris snickered and pushed the Crown Prince out of the room.
“Don’t think you can sneakily sleep here tonight. Go to your room and sleep, Your Highness.”
“Wow, that’s cold.”
“Cold? Your Highness, you should know women can be scary.”
“…That’s a fresh one.”
“You don’t need to know. Just go sleep. Shoo.”
Iris slammed the door in his face. The Crown Prince scratched his head regretfully and returned to his room to sleep.
The next morning, news reached the Bevveria royal court that the Crown Prince of the Empire would soon visit.
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Ps ( I don’t know the witch’s gender so I’ll keep referring to the character in the masculine form until I find out their true gender)
By Anna 💓
