Chapter 47
“I greet Your Highness Prince Cesare.”
As I greeted him formally, Cesare let out a short laugh.
“Just call me Cesare.”
“How could I possibly do that?”
When I drew a firm line with my curt refusal, Cesare strode over to me.
“You came to see the opera? With whom?”
“Do I have to tell you that as well?”
“You’re being prickly. It’s obvious you came with Sir Alferen. Rumors are flying that you two are dating, after all.”
Cesare naturally extended his arm. It was a gentlemanly gesture, but there was something unsettling about his kindness.
“We can talk while I escort you.”
When I stared at him without moving, he nodded toward his arm.
Now that we knew each other’s statuses, refusing would be difficult.
“Thank you.”
I lightly hooked just one finger onto his arm.
Even that small gesture clearly revealed how deeply uncomfortable I felt about this encounter.
“Hey, that’s no way to hold on, is it?”
He grabbed my hand firmly and thrust it deep into the crook of his arm.
Inevitably, it turned into a position that felt like I was being led away, and I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
‘What on earth is he up to? Could he really not know about what happened with his sister?’
Nanael had been unusually quiet these past few days. Apparently, after my flashy public confession, the Emperor had ordered her to reflect on her actions.
I was already filled with distrust toward these encounters that seemed so deliberate and contrived.
‘I don’t know what it is, but if he has something to say, he should just spit it out and leave.’
It was amid this uncomfortable escort that it happened.
“What’s your ideal type?”
The question came as casually as if he were asking about today’s lunch menu, making me tilt my head in confusion.
“Pardon?”
“Your taste in men. You must have one.”
“For starters, I dislike red hair.”
“Hair can be changed.”
“I dislike golden eyes.”
“That one I can’t do much about… but could you overlook it somehow?”
What is he even saying?
Why would I have to?
The longer the conversation went on, the harder it became to manage my expression.
‘Could he actually be flirting with me right now?’
Just as the worst possible assumption flashed through my mind, he spoke.
“If it’s because of my sister, don’t worry about it. I’m not particularly close with Nanael.”
What? He knows everything and still acts like this toward me?
I couldn’t help but make a face of clear distaste.
“I’m sorry, but even if that weren’t the case, I have a lover.”
And he was the incarnation of an angel, a national treasure-level handsome man—my current boyfriend.
No matter how good-looking Cesare in front of me might be, next to Alferen, he’d look like a half-baked squid.
But the other party seemed to be all confidence and nothing else.
“What’s the big deal about that?”
“Excuse me?”
“A promising prince would be better than a boring, old-fashioned tower lord, wouldn’t it? If you need to, you could even see both.”
Cesare flashed a smug smile, full of self-assurance.
Seeing that, my expression naturally hardened.
“I’m sorry, but Alferen is far more interesting than Your Highness. Especially his face.”
“Hmm. I don’t think I fall short in the looks department either.”
“And even if Alferen told me to go to you, I wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
Because you’re pretty trash, and my Alferen is just pretty!
Unable to say that, I put on a bright smile.
“For one thing, Your Highness isn’t my type. I absolutely detest men who reek of sleaziness.”
With those words, I quickly pulled my hand away and bid farewell with a curtsey.
“Thank you for escorting me. It was unpleasant to meet you, and let’s never cross paths again!”
I dashed off and arrived at the box seat, only then realizing with a start.
‘Did I say that last part out loud?’
But it was already spilled water.
He was the one who acted obnoxiously first—why should I bother with polite words?
‘Why does he keep following me around and making things creepy anyway!’
With those thoughts, I returned to my seat, but for some reason, Adrian and Alferen were nowhere to be seen.
“The second act will begin shortly. Please take your seats, and once the performance starts, entry and exit will not be permitted.”
The announcement continued, and the curtain rose.
Seeing the two men’s seats still empty even then, I grew anxious.
‘They couldn’t be dueling somewhere without me knowing, could they?’
* * *
After Rodellia had disappeared.
Silence hung between Adrian and Alferen.
Normally, they would have been excitedly predicting the ending and placing bets before the second act began.
Adrian glanced at Alferen with an awkward expression.
His inscrutable, enigmatic face still held an unusual flush of color.
‘This isn’t lighthearted for him.’
He quietly recalled the words Alferen had said that day by the Shuri River.
During their academy days, Alferen hadn’t opened up easily to people.
He maintained proper etiquette but his gaze seemed to say, “Don’t cross a certain line.”
It reminded him exactly of the look in the eyes of the little sister he’d left at home.
That spring, Rodellia had suddenly become a different person.
She had been quiet, with few words, even seeming somewhat gloomy, but then she became lively like any other girl.
Her parents and Adrian watched this change with great concern.
It was right after she’d been bedridden for a long time due to an unexpected accident the previous year.
At first, they thought it was simply an accident from climbing trees with friends.
But a brave maid revealed the full story.
‘Those young ladies hung the doll that the young miss cherished from the tree to torment her. I’ve seen them subtly ostracizing her in other ways too.’
As it turned out, she’d been subtly bullied by her group for three years.
Rodellia had climbed that tall tree to rescue her beloved doll.
Upon learning this, the Peris family was tormented by guilt.
They hunted down the families who had bullied her and either banished them from the capital or punished them.
But a child’s wounds couldn’t be healed by that alone.
Rodellia lost her ability to speak, and the family had to make a difficult decision.
‘You fell while climbing a tree with your brother?’
When Rodellia spoke again for the first time, Adrian resolved to bury the incident.
‘That’s right. It was almost a disaster, Delly.’
From that day on, Rodellia became a completely different person.
She laughed easily, ran around freely.
Or so they thought, but in reality, she refused to give more than a certain amount of her heart to anyone outside herself.
Even to her own family.
That’s when it started—Adrian began acting especially affectionate and clingy toward Delly.
Even if she found it annoying, he had no choice.
He didn’t want her to go through something like that again.
Protecting his little sister was only natural for a brother.
Then the academy reopened, and he had no choice but to part from Rodellia.
Adrian, immersed in sorrow over leaving his beloved sister behind, found Alferen to be good prey.
Perhaps this too stemmed from the guilt of not having protected his sister as a brother should.
After all sorts of twists and turns, they became close, and when he invited him home, he never anticipated this outcome.
No, he hadn’t entirely failed to anticipate it.
At some point, the way Alferen looked at his sister had softened noticeably, so he’d inwardly suspected it.
Even so, his inability to accept it—was it tender affection for his sister, or resentment toward his friend?
Adrian spoke gruffly.
“I hear Delly’s been helping manage your household lately. What are you doing, making someone else’s precious child do that?”
“I’m truly grateful for it. I’m indebted to Delly in many ways.”
Alferen scratched his cheek awkwardly. After hearing from her that his home was a mess, Alferen had been accepting her help.
And seeing the clearly changed atmosphere in the house, he’d reflected on it too.
“Delly told me that if you’d seen the state of the house, you’d tease me about it for a year.”
“Then invite me over so I can tease you.”
“What?”
“You’ve never invited me to your home. At least let me see with my own eyes what Delly’s up to, right?”
At the subtle gesture of reconciliation, Alferen let out a soft chuckle.
“Well. If you lift that 9 o’clock curfew, I’ll think about it.”
