* * *
No one told me I could stop playing the role of fiancée. Unless someone said otherwise, I had no choice but to continue this life.
If there was one small comfort, it was that I felt the threat to my life less than when I had first begun playing the part of the fiancée.
Back then, I had felt it dozens of times a day; now, I felt it only once or twice a day.
The Crown Prince’s eccentric habit of suddenly appearing, staring intently, and then leaving was still the same, but at least he no longer said he would kill me.
In truth, the recent threats to my life had largely been because of the Crown Prince’s visits.
How frightening is it when someone stares at you without a word!
Crown Prince Adrian came to my room without fail at least once a day.
And today, as always, that time came.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Haha. I greeted the Crown Prince with an awkward smile. Adrian, as always, sat on the sofa as if he owned the room.
I fidgeted nervously and stood near the Crown Prince.
This time that came every day should have become familiar by now, yet it was still frightening.
“Sit.”
“……What?”
I tilted my head. He had never once told me to sit.
So what change of heart was this?
Unable to easily sit across from him for fear of misreading his intentions, I hesitated. At that, his face visibly hardened.
“I said sit.”
“Yes!”
I hurriedly sat across from the Crown Prince. His expression softened slightly.
Phew, I had survived once again.
I examined Adrian with cautious eyes. Why? Somehow, today the air around him was different.
Not knowing the reason, I stole glances at the Crown Prince.
He was handsome as always. No, he seemed even more handsome. I always thought so, but the uniform suited him especially well.
As I marveled anew, Adrian raised the corner of his lips coldly.
“What are you looking at.”
“…….”
I quickly lowered my eyes. My eyes were at fault for daring to look upon His Highness the Crown Prince’s precious face.
“Don’t bow your head.”
I reflexively raised my head. Only then did the Crown Prince nod in satisfaction.
I was utterly bewildered.
What was he trying to do? He asked what I was looking at, so I lowered my eyes, and then he tells me not to bow my head.
Sigh, it was a pile of absurdities, but in no position to argue. I simply had to stay in the awkward state of keeping my head up but not looking at him, as he commanded.
Silence fell once more.
Feeling his gaze on my face from directly across made it truly unbearable.
But today’s time with the Crown Prince was not long.
Thud. Something was tossed carelessly onto the table.
“What is this?”
It was a box.
A black box made of obviously fine wood.
The fact that it was intricately decorated even in places that couldn’t be seen made it seem very expensive.
The fact that he had thrown it in front of me meant he wanted me to open it, right?
But I couldn’t quite muster the courage. No, he might have just thrown it at me to look at.
For anyone else, perhaps not, but if it was the Crown Prince, he was more than capable of such a thing.
I stared blankly at the box.
Hearing a light sigh, I raised my head to find him covering his face with one hand.
……What is it?
“Take it. If you don’t need it, throw it away.”
“What? Y-Your Highness?”
“I’m leaving.”
“But……!”
Bang. Without any further explanation, the Crown Prince exited.
I was so dumbfounded that I stood frozen for several minutes. All that remained was me and this unidentified box.
Hello, box. You’re certainly pretty.
But the important thing wasn’t the shell. It was the contents. What on earth could be inside?
“I’m scared already.”
Trembling, I carefully pulled the box toward me.
I was afraid to open it. But I couldn’t just leave it unchecked.
Because it would be troublesome later if the Crown Prince interrogated me about this box.
I brushed the surface of the box with my fingertip. The exterior, coated in fine lacquer, was very smooth.
Before opening it, I tried to guess what might be inside, but nothing came to mind no matter how I thought about it.
Haah. Scary. Truly scary.
After taking a deep breath to steady myself, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened the box.
“Hah!”
Contrary to my fears, the lid opened very easily. And nothing happened.
With a dazed face, I looked inside the box.
“……A dagger?”
A very luxurious and expensive-looking dagger lay neatly inside.
Given its ornate exterior, I wondered if it was a decorative dagger, but the blade was honed very sharply, so it seemed that was not the case.
It was needlessly pretty for a dagger.
I fell into confusion.
“Huh…….”
What was the reason for throwing this dagger at me so suddenly? Surely it wasn’t to peel fruit.
There had to be some reason.
What could it be?
That worry did not last long. Because I realized the meaning of the dagger.
“……A death threat!”
There was no other reason to give someone a dagger out of the blue.
The color drained from my face. Today, once again, I had arrived at the trial of life and death.
Chapter 9. A Good Day to Be Murdered
For some reason, Adrian was in a good mood.
Whether it was because he had dealt with something he had agonized over for a long time, or because he had something he was looking forward to, he couldn’t tell himself.
In any case, because he was in a good mood, he did not draw his sword even at Terni and Diano’s misdeeds today.
“Why is His Highness like that?”
“I know, right. He’s a bit strange.”
The two subtly avoided Adrian as if they had seen something ominous.
Adrian was satisfied with his own discernment.
‘She’ll like it. It’s pretty and practical.’
Besides, the world was so turbulent these days. Having at least one weapon like this on hand in case of an emergency wouldn’t be bad either.
‘In case she finds herself in danger…….’
Adrian did not want to admit that this feeling was worry.
After receiving Diano’s advice some time ago, Adrian had agonized over what kind of gift to give Artie.
What he chose after much deliberation was a dagger adorned with jewels.
The name of the large jewel embedded in the handle was Nuar.
A very rare jewel that was usually blue but turned red when exposed to sunlight.
The moment it turned red was so breathtakingly beautiful that it even had the nickname “the demon’s jewel.”
The artisan’s hands trembled at the fact that such a precious jewel was being set into a mere dagger, but to Adrian, that was none of his concern.
After giving the dagger, Adrian observed Artie for several days. But for some reason, it was not easy to see her face.
Adrian grabbed Madam Lucy as she passed by.
“Where did she go?”
“Whom might you be referring to? Ohohoho.”
“My fiancée.”
Words he would previously have died rather than utter aloud now came out naturally.
Madam Lucy looked at Adrian with meaningful eyes. Feeling somehow displeased, Adrian furrowed his brow.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm. It’s nothing. Lady Artie has stepped out for a moment.”
“Out? Where to?”
“That, I don’t know either! Ohohohoho!”
Leaving behind only her characteristic laughter, Madam Lucy hurried off somewhere.
‘Where on earth has she gone?’
The first time he couldn’t see Artie, he assumed it was coincidence. But when a week had passed, Adrian finally realized.
“……She’s avoiding me.”
Why?
He could not understand the reason.
No matter how much he recalled the past, there was no incident that would make her avoid him.
At first he was angry, and afterward he was left feeling hollow.
He felt like a fool for having prepared a gift in anticipation that Artie would like it.
Did that mean all his efforts to win her favor with a gift were useless?
Adrian was perfect in every field. From a young age, he had been called a genius, and he took pride in that.
Since birth, he had never once been called stupid. And yet.
Now he truly felt like an idiot.
Because he could understand nothing.
Not the reason she was avoiding him, nor what he should do now.
“Damn it.”
Why is she avoiding me?
