“Hey, aren’t you Riersha’s personal knight? Where are you heading off to this early in the morning?”
“Young Master Ricador…?”
The one who had called out to Sona was Ricador, just returning from his dawn training session.
He seemed curious as to why she was heading out instead of staying by Riersha’s side at this hour.
“I was in the middle of preparing Lady Riersha’s breakfast.”
“Then why are you outside?”
“That’s not something I can tell you. How could I go around carelessly revealing what my mistress has instructed me to do?”
“…”
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Sona gave a graceful bow of her head and continued on her way.
Directly toward Isierd’s castle.
Ricador’s brow furrowed.
He watched Sona’s retreating figure grow smaller in the distance, then muttered to himself as he turned back toward his own castle.
“Why is she going to the imperial prince’s castle just because Riersha wants to eat breakfast?”
Ricador stopped in his tracks and looked back once more toward the direction Sona had disappeared.
Could it be…
“Is she trying to have breakfast with the imperial prince?”
Since Isierd couldn’t leave the premises, Riersha would have to go to his side if they wanted to share a meal together.
…The imperial prince was going to share a breakfast with Riersha before he ever had the chance to?
Ricador called briskly for his personal knight.
“Anon.”
⁂
Isierd studied Sona, who had come to call on him early that morning.
He had already finished his dawn training long before, eaten breakfast, and was spending a quiet moment of leisure when he closed his book.
Isierd had grown considerably taller and more striking lately, and even the smallest of his movements carried a natural elegance about them.
“Riersha said she wants to have breakfast with me?”
“Yes, that’s right. But it seems you’ve already eaten, so I suppose it can’t be helped. This probably won’t work out, will it?”
Sona asked the question back at him with her brightest smile.
What a relief.
That the imperial prince had already finished his meal.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
“…Excuse me? Didn’t you just finish eating?”
Sona blinked at him in bewilderment.
Her expectations had been thoroughly upended.
“I did. And?”
“…”
“Tell her I said yes.”
It wasn’t as though he had eaten hours ago — the maids had only just cleared away the dishes before her very eyes. And yet he was willing to eat again?
“I’ll have it prepared with all of Riersha’s favorite foods.”
Isierd smiled lightly.
It was a peculiarly knowing smile, as though he had been fully aware all along of what answer Sona had been hoping for.
The corner of Sona’s mouth gave the faintest of twitches.
“Yes. Understood. I’ll arrange it.”
“If you could also pass along that I’m absolutely starving, I’d appreciate it.”
The insufferable little brat.
“Yes, I’ll convey that as well.”
The way he subtly knew just how to get under one’s skin — he was undeniably a Declair by blood.
⁂
The moment Riersha received the message from Sona, she was already heading out the door.
“Let’s hurry. What if Isierd is really hungry?”
“…Yes, Lady Riersha.”
Sona answered with a despondent air.
Riersha found it slightly puzzling, but the excitement bubbling up inside her quickly swept the thought away as she quickened her pace.
‘He’s going to be so surprised when I tell him he can go back to the imperial palace.’
And on the very last day, she’d throw a party with Isierd too!
She had already made up her mind about that.
“Riersha.”
“Ricador, Oppa?”
She had just turned onto the path leading to Isierd’s castle.
There was no reason for anyone to wander into such an out-of-the-way corner of the grounds by accident, yet there stood Ricador, having appeared from seemingly nowhere.
Where had he been hiding?
There had been no one there just moments before. And on top of that—
“Oh. Riersha, Ricador? What a coincidence. What are you all doing here? I was just taking a stroll in the area.”
“Riscal, you too? Same for me.”
Riscal and Risideon emerged one after another from opposite directions.
With expressions and voices that couldn’t have been more awkward if they had tried.
At the sight of them, Sona quietly closed her eyes.
It was a performance that was truly difficult to keep watching.
“So where are you headed this early in the morning, Riersha?”
Risideon approached with a warm smile.
“I’m going to see Isierd.”
Riersha answered honestly.
There was no reason to hide it.
At that, Riscal’s eyes sharpened.
“Breakfast?”
“I’m going to eat with Isierd.”
When Riersha answered with a bright, cheerful grin, Risideon looked right back at her with an equally bright, cheerful grin.
“Is that so?”
“Mm-hm!”
“Then do you think we could join you?”
“Hm?”
“We’d like to eat with you too. Don’t you think it’d be tastier if we all ate together instead of just the two of you?”
“Well, that’s…”
She supposed that might be true.
But Riersha shook her head firmly.
“No. This was a prior arrangement. I think I need to ask Isierd first.”
She hadn’t planned for extra guests, and Isierd might not like it.
But Ricador said it was no problem, and at the same moment, someone dropped down out of thin air.
“That’s fine — my personal knight just went and got permission. Isn’t that right, Anon?”
“Yes, I — hah — I have… I have just obtained consent.”
“…Just now?”
Something about that answer sounded off.
Ricador gave Anon a casual shove to the side.
As if to say the minor details weren’t worth dwelling on.
“Yep. The imperial prince said it was fine.”
Riersha wore a puzzled expression, but she nodded after a moment.
“Alright then. Let’s all go together.”
She figured it must be fine, since Isierd had said so.
And so, through a series of events no one had quite planned for, a breakfast with three extra attendees got underway.
At the round table, they were seated in order: Risideon, Riersha, Ricador, Riscal, and Isierd.
‘I can’t see Isierd’s face very well.’
When Riersha craned her neck forward for a better look, Riscal reached for his water glass and leaned his upper body forward just enough to block her line of sight.
Her view kept getting cut off, no matter how she tried.
Meanwhile, the food continued to be laid out diligently across the table.
Every dish had been prepared with Riersha’s favorites in mind.
“It’s been a little while, Riersha. I was surprised you wanted to have breakfast with me.”
Isierd smiled slightly and turned to greet Riersha, as though he had anticipated exactly how this would unfold.
He carried on as if the others around him didn’t exist at all.
Riscal, who had been quite openly snubbed from right beside him, scrunched his face in irritation — but even that was ignored.
“Yeah. I had something to tell you today, so I wanted to eat together — it just turned out the others came along too.”
“It’s a bit sudden, but that’s alright. You have something to tell me?”
“Mm-hm.”
The moment Riersha confirmed it, everyone at the table stilled and turned their attention toward her.
“What is it?”
Isierd asked lightly.
“Something happened between our family and Duke Kineart. So a trial is going to be held soon.”
“And?”
“On that day, I’m going to summon you, Isierd.”
“…Me?”
Isierd paused, looking up at her.
“Yes. I’m going to make your existence known to the world there.”
At that, something flickered across his expression — a faint look of displeasure.
Riersha tilted her head.
It wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting.
“Aren’t you happy? You’ll finally be able to go back to the imperial palace.”
The entire world would come to know who Isierd was.
And on top of that, Isierd had been born with divine power, without question.
‘The divine blessing must be inscribed somewhere on his body.’
If they showed the blessing as proof, even the Emperor would have no grounds for rebuttal.
It was a perfectly constructed stage.
The clash between the Arachrene and Kineart houses would draw every eye in the empire — so there would be no need to exhaust themselves finding another opportunity to reveal Isierd’s existence.
And yet, Isierd sat there in silence, giving no hint of what was running through his mind.
“Isierd?”
Just as Riersha tilted her head and called out to him again—
“How wonderful. After everything Riersha has done for you, you should head back to the imperial palace without delay. There’s plenty waiting for you there, after all.”
“That’s exactly right. An imperial family member belongs at the imperial palace.”
Ricador and Riscal chimed in eagerly, their voices brightening.
The thought that Isierd would soon be leaving the duchy for good had them both visibly lifted.
“So this is what you wanted to tell the imperial prince. That’s why you arranged to meet with him.”
“Yep. That’s right.”
Ricador barely touched his food, then let out a quiet laugh.
Riersha’s perfectly clean and decisive delivery had set his mind fully at ease. He popped a generous piece of meat into his mouth.
The person on the other end of that delivery, on the other hand, seemed to be in an entirely different state of feeling.
But that was none of his concern.
Ricador spoke with a slightly muffled voice as he chewed.
“So you came to say your farewells in advance. Because things will be hectic once the trial begins.”
“Chew before you talk. But Riersha — does Father know about this?”
Riscal asked. At that, Isierd quietly shifted his gaze toward Riersha.
Catching that look, Riersha gave him an expression full of confidence and tapped her chest firmly. It was her way of saying: trust only in me.
“Yep. You don’t need to worry. I got Father’s permission just yesterday.”
“Heh, now that is a relief.”
Riscal let out a soft snicker.
Then he glanced sideways toward Isierd, seated diagonally across from him.
He had noticed it a little while ago — Isierd’s grip on his fork had been slowly tightening, betraying whatever thoughts were quietly passing through his mind.
