‘It might be better to have the imperial physician take a look at his condition…’
But bringing the imperial physician without the Empress’s permission would earn him a severe scolding.
“Then shall I bring you something to eat?”
“No.”
“You skipped lunch today as well, so perhaps just a small bite—”
“I said no.”
Adrian glared irritably.
The handmaiden quickly lowered her head.
Her heart was burning with worry — the Crown Prince wasn’t sleeping, wasn’t eating. But that wasn’t even the worst of it.
“Ha… no. Nothing has happened yet. Nothing at all.”
Adrian had begun muttering strange, incoherent things to himself.
The handmaiden, who had been listening to his mumbling, stared at him with a frightened expression. Her jaw trembled almost imperceptibly.
When the faint sound of her teeth clicking together reached him, Adrian’s ice-blue eyes snapped toward her in an instant.
The handmaiden went pale and dropped her gaze to the floor.
His Highness’s mind doesn’t seem… right.
If the Empress were to find out about this too…
My head might roll.
No — she wouldn’t survive at all.
Adrian, who had been murmuring to himself, paused and looked at her.
The moment she felt his gaze on her, the handmaiden’s skin crawled with goosebumps.
Adrian studied her for a brief moment, then spoke.
“Get out.”
“Y-yes! I saw nothing, Your Imperial Highness. Nothing at all.”
The handmaiden bowed her head rapidly and hurried out of the room.
Thud.
The door clicked shut behind her. Adrian exhaled roughly.
Then he turned back to the mirror, and the tension that had locked his body rigid slowly drained away as a deep, relieved breath escaped him.
This is all because of that conversation I overheard.
From the day he had stumbled upon the exchange between the Empress and Duke Kineart, there had not been a single moment of peace for Adrian.
The fear that his secret might one day be discovered — that he might be cast out of the imperial palace — gnawed at him without rest.
Every single day felt as though something was chasing him from just behind.
And that was not all.
“Why do I keep having that nightmare?”
Adrian had begun dreaming strange dreams.
They were vivid nightmares — unbearably, torturously real — in which his own reflection, blond-haired and blue-eyed, would suddenly shift into an entirely different face.
In the dream, Adrian knelt before a mirror in despair, staring at a face crowned with white hair and pale blue eyes.
“…That can’t be right.”
It really couldn’t be.
It was nothing more than a nightmare.
Adrian looked at the mirror once more.
The Adrian reflected back at him was a little thinner than before, but his hair was still gold, his eyes still blue.
“…Right. That could never be.”
Adrian murmured it to himself and let out a hollow, dry laugh.
⁂
Riersha was on her way to the Tower of Truth for her lessons.
“What could the Duke possibly be thinking?”
“Exactly what I’d like to know, honestly.”
Hurrying along so as not to be late, Riersha’s eyes drifted toward a shadowed corner where the voices were coming from.
A cluster of retainers had gathered there, speaking in hushed, conspiratorial tones.
They’re all talking about Oberon.
Word that Oberon’s punishment had been placed on hold had sent the Arachrene ducal estate into quite a stir. And the thing the retainers were most curious about…
“Personally, what I find most baffling is how Lady Riersha managed to walk off with Oberon in the first place.”
That was precisely it.
Everyone wanted to know what Riersha had said to Arcmund — what could she possibly have told him that made him suspend every resolution reached at the Grand Council chamber and simply hand Oberon over?
I should get past quickly.
If she accidentally crossed paths with those retainers, it would make for a terribly awkward scene.
“Phew.”
Stepping into the Tower of Truth, Riersha wiped her brow and let out a long breath.
It was the height of summer now, and the outside air had been stifling.
Ah, it’s cool.
The moment she stepped inside, the heat fell away. The Aquastones installed throughout the tower kept the temperature comfortably low, she’d been told.
Riersha made her way straight to the classroom.
“Welcome, Lady Riersha.”
Carden was already there, waiting.
“Hello, Teacher.”
Riersha dipped her head in a small bow — and noticed that Carden was watching her with an expression of deeply entertained curiosity.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Riersha tilted her head as she settled into the front-row seat. She set her bag beside her and finished arranging her things, all while Carden continued watching her with that same meaningful, quietly amused smile.
“Lady Riersha, do you remember the subject of our last lesson?”
“Oh, I do.”
The hint was enough. Riersha recalled how their previous lesson had ended.
We were discussing what to do about Oberon.
She hadn’t been able to answer then…
But now there’s a rumor going around that I’m the one who had him released.
In a rather roundabout way, she had ended up providing the answer she’d failed to give in class.
The gossip had spread throughout the estate, which meant Carden would certainly have heard…
Riersha felt a cold sweat threatening to break out.
“There’s been rather interesting news circulating around the estate.”
“…”
“Is this Lady Riersha’s answer to the question from last time?”
Just as she’d expected.
She had known Carden would ask something like this.
It’s not exactly like that, but…
Riersha rolled her eyes awkwardly and answered by offering a sheepish smile instead of words.
“How admirable. To demonstrate your answer through action itself.”
It seemed Carden had gotten quite thoroughly the wrong idea — but he pressed on with bright, curious eyes.
“Would you mind if I asked what made you decide to save Oberon?”
“Because it would’ve been such a waste to lose him.”
“Indeed, it would have been a waste.”
Carden nodded as though he understood completely.
Oberon’s abilities were exceptional in many respects, and “it would be a waste” was more than sufficient as a reason.
Yet Carden still seemed to have lingering questions.
“From what I heard, Oberon had attempted to harm you, my lady. Were you not frightened of him at all?”
“Not at all. Not even a little.”
Riersha shook her head immediately.
Because the truth was, Oberon had never actually been trying to hurt her.
“And Oberon wasn’t trying to hurt me in the first place.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Riersha gave a firm nod, and Carden hummed thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
Even if that were true, what Riersha had accomplished was still remarkable. Cases where a matter already brought before the Grand Council chamber was suspended by the Duke’s personal authority were exceedingly rare.
In all his long years at the Arachrene ducal estate, Carden had never witnessed such a thing.
How on earth had Riersha made it possible?
Carden let his curiosity show.
“Then may I ask just one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“How did you persuade the Duke, Lady Riersha? It couldn’t have been easy.”
“Oh, that…”
Was that what everyone was most curious about?
She remembered the retainers she’d passed not long ago, huddled together, having nearly the exact same conversation.
Riersha scratched her cheek self-consciously.
Carden was looking at her with an expression of complete seriousness — as though he would not let a single word she said slip past him.
The more intently he watched, the more Riersha found herself hesitating.
There really wasn’t anything to it.
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, it truly was nothing at all.
“That was…”
“Yes? That was?”
“…That was…”
Riersha swallowed quietly.
Something shifted in Carden’s eyes — a glimmer of anticipation, as if he were wondering, Just what sort of extraordinary proposal could have convinced Arcmund?
Riersha’s heart grew heavy.
Because she was about to crush that expectation with her own two hands.
“…I just asked for him.”
“…Pardon?”
“I just told Grandpa I wanted Oberon, and he said okay.”
“…”
“Really.”
“…”
“I’m serious!”
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The steady sound of the clock’s hands filled the room.
A long silence settled over the classroom.
