Chapter 20
Chirp, chirp chirp.
The next morning, Iris, waking from sleep, slowly blinked her eyelids. She groaned, tossing and turning, then her eyes widened at the sensation of something touching her body.
‘Oh my, this Crown Prince really slept here.’
So stubborn.
Iris looked at the Crown Prince, who was sound asleep beside her. After all that teasing yesterday, it seemed he didn’t want to lose and actually stayed here.
‘He’s no different from a child.’
In truth, including her past life, Iris was much older than the Crown Prince.
Indeed. She gently pushed his arm, which was wrapped around her waist, and got up from the bed to pull back the terrace curtains.
A clear sky unfolded before her. In the capital, there were many buildings taller than this, so such an open view was a rare sight after a long time.
‘Not bad.’
As she stepped onto the terrace and stretched, a sleepy voice came from behind.
“Are you up?”
“Oh, you’re awake?”
The Crown Prince, still with a drowsy face, leaned against the terrace doorway. He let out a long yawn and stepped out onto the terrace.
“What’s there to see?”
“Just, it’s morning. Thought I’d get some fresh air.”
“Hmm.”
The Crown Prince walked over to Iris and leaned against the terrace railing, looking at her.
Iris tilted her head, sensing some intent in the way he met her gaze.
“Something to say?”
“What’s your relationship with that servant?”
“Servant?”
Oh, Jack.
She thought for a moment.
“Why Jack?”
“He came by last night.”
At that, Iris gave a faint smile.
‘This guy, he must’ve come to check on me while I was sleeping, as usual.’
It was a habit formed long ago for some reason, one he still hadn’t broken.
“Oh, I asked him to do something for me. I told him to report back as soon as it was done, so he must’ve come by late.”
“Hmm…”
The Crown Prince didn’t pry further into what a lady’s request might be, but he gave her a very suspicious look.
‘Why is he looking at me like I’m a cheating wife?’
She lightly patted the Crown Prince’s shoulder.
“That’s all it is. What else would there be between me and someone I hired for money?”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes. So let’s go eat breakfast. I’m hungry.”
“Hm, alright.”
Thankfully, the Crown Prince seemed willing to let her explanation slide, moving slowly as she nudged him along.
After changing their clothes, the two headed to the dining hall for breakfast, then boarded a carriage to begin their journey to Beveria.
* * *
The Kingdom of Beveria, the land of magic.
After passing through five villages and camping more than ten times, they finally reached the border of Beveria.
The further south they went, the warmer the weather became, and people’s clothing grew lighter. Iris was no exception.
“Your Highness, look over there!”
“…Don’t run.”
“Oh, come on, you can’t see anything. I’m wearing a petticoat underneath, you know?”
“How do you act like a reckless teenager…”
The Crown Prince rubbed his face, looking a bit tired. Jack, standing nearby, seemed to share the sentiment.
The southern region of the Beveria Kingdom was more permissive about revealing clothing compared to the Empire, and women’s outfits were noticeably shorter.
Unable to bear the heat, Iris had bought and worn a short Beverian dress as soon as they crossed the border.
Wearing light sandals, Iris explored the first village they arrived at in Beveria.
‘The trees are tall, so it’s cooler than I expected.’
Most people here had slightly tanned skin, likely due to the strong sunlight.
The green dress Iris wore was slightly above the knee, adorned with leaf-like patterns, giving it a unique style.
‘They were so against me buying this.’
Iris recalled how both the Crown Prince and Jack had scowled at the shop when she chose the dress.
[No way. It’s too short.]
[Absolutely not.]
They had spoken so quickly and in unison that she thought it was one person talking. Of course, Iris had ignored them and bought it anyway.
‘They’re not even twenty-year-olds.’
Or maybe it’s just that men from the Empire are old-fashioned.
The Empire, being a great nation with a long history, placed importance on rules and retained many unnecessary formalities.
‘Still, how cool and nice is this?’
Smiling, she savored the breeze blowing through. Her platinum blonde hair fluttered in the wind. Iris’s gaze swept over the low buildings with green roofs.
“The architecture is completely different here.”
“It tends to be.”
“Oh, I’m going to check out that stall over there.”
“…Don’t run.”
“Ugh, stop nagging.”
As she covered her ears and walked off, Jack followed behind. The Crown Prince watched the two bickering as they walked side by side, glanced at the lodging, and then started walking.
“I’ll go with you this time.”
“Huh?”
“I’m curious too.”
“Well, suit yourself.”
With the Crown Prince joining, his two escort knights followed, making their group five in total.
“Aren’t—we standing out too much?”
“Actually, standing out is fine. It makes it harder for anyone to mess with us.”
As the Crown Prince spoke, Jack nodded in agreement.
Standing out just enough deters trouble, but standing out too much draws too many eyes, making it hard for anyone to act recklessly.
“There are a lot of accessories made from carved wood and stones.”
“Since mana comes from nature, they make a lot of things from natural materials. Why, see something you like?”
At the Crown Prince’s question, Iris shook her head.
“Not really. I’m not good at keeping accessories.”
“I see.”
The Crown Prince nodded, recalling that she didn’t have a proper maid.
“I’d like to look into some rumors about mages.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“It’s hard to know exactly where mages reside. Of course, there are ways to contact them, but whether they respond is up to the mage…”
“Hmm, so we need something to entice a mage?”
“Exactly. No matter how pretty a lady is, it’s useless if you fail to get their attention.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Iris shot the Crown Prince a glare, and he chuckled for some reason.
Jack thought for a moment before saying,
“The mage you’re looking for is quite the eccentric, so it might be difficult.”
“I’m prepared for that. But…”
The Crown Prince smiled brightly and asked,
“Did I ever tell you who I’m looking for?”
“…”
Jack, momentarily speechless, rolled his eyes.
“…I deduced it.”
“Quite the deductive skills, huh?”
“…Yes.”
“Then, since we’re on the topic, tell me about the mages.”
Jack sighed inwardly and continued.
“There’s the Mage of Birth in the east, the Mage of Death in the west, the Mage of Serenity in the south, and the Mage of Destruction in the north.”
Iris quietly listened in.
“The Mages of Birth, Death, and Serenity don’t seem to have what Your Highness is looking for.”
“Well, that’s not wrong. I’m curious why you think so, but I’ll let it slide for Iris’s sake.”
The Crown Prince seemed to assume Iris had told Jack something. Or rather, he was just assuming on his own.
Iris subtly looked away, pretending not to notice.
“Come on, come on. Let’s start gathering rumors.”
As they entered what looked like the village market, they were wondering where to begin when a scream pierced their ears.
“Argh!”
It was a rough, coarse man’s scream. Startled, they turned toward the sound and saw an unexpected figure.
“You, you crazy girl!”
“Aster, stop it!”
Aster, a girl they had recently taken in, was fiercely biting the arm of a hairy man.
And biting hard.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
By Anna 💓
