Chapter 30
“So how did you end up meeting him?”
“By chance?”
On the way back to the palace, Jack asked, but Iris didn’t have much to say in response. It really was just a coincidence.
“For now, since he’s someone the Crown Prince is looking for, there’s no need to get on his bad side.”
“That’s true, but… why is he here?”
“How would I know?”
Iris shrugged. In the original story, the mage Harmia didn’t properly appear until after the female protagonist was taken hostage by the Empire.
‘The Empire invited Beberia’s mages once, didn’t they?’
It was probably a banquet to reaffirm peace between the two nations. The mage who accepted the invitation was none other than Harmia.
Mages generally didn’t like crowded places, but as mentioned, Harmia was a man who loved women. He wouldn’t miss a chance to see the women of the Empire.
“By the way, how did you know I was at the lake?”
“The Crown Prince sent me to find you.”
“You?”
“Yeah.”
“He doesn’t seem to like you very much.”
“That’s true. But since you seemed quite upset, he probably thought I’d understand your situation better than he would.”
“I see.”
Iris nodded. She had been too embarrassed to keep facing the Crown Prince and had brushed him off, but it seemed he still cared enough to look out for her.
“He’s a really good person. That’s probably why he’s the protagonist, right?”
“Protagonist?”
“You know, the Crown Prince of the Empire. How much more of a main character could you get?”
Jack furrowed his brow.
“I don’t think that’s quite true.”
Iris laughed lightly.
“How would you know? It’s not like you’ve been the Crown Prince of the Empire.”
Jack didn’t respond further, but Iris didn’t mind and looked up at the bright moonlit sky.
“Thanks for coming to find me. You must’ve wandered around quite a bit.”
“Not really. I remembered you were reading a travel guide about lakes.”
“You’ve got a good memory.”
With that, the two arrived at the palace. Jack escorted Iris to her room before returning to his own assigned quarters.
“Phew…”
Iris took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. It was late, so she thought the Crown Prince might already be asleep.
“You’re back?”
“You’re still awake?”
“I was a bit worried.”
The Crown Prince, dressed in a robe, was sitting on the living room sofa. Iris gave a tired smile as she walked in and sat across from him.
“I’m sorry for showing you something unsightly earlier.”
“Why should you be sorry? The one who doesn’t know shame is the problem.”
“Thank you for thinking that way.”
“…That guy has left Beberia under my orders. You won’t have to see him again while we’re here.”
“My list of things to thank you for keeps growing, doesn’t it?”
She leaned back on the sofa, maintaining a faint smile. It felt like a lot had happened today, but thinking back, it was all exhausting.
“Oh, right.”
“Hm?”
“Harmia Beverich is coming for lunch tomorrow.”
“…The Northern Mage?”
“Yes. I ran into him by chance.”
“By chance?”
“Yeah. I met him at the lake and ended up making a lunch appointment.”
“…That’s quite surprising.”
“Right? It’s a relief we don’t have to go all the way to the north.”
Iris shrugged and stood up.
“So, Your Highness, you should get some sleep too.”
“he agreed to come so easily… Well, I suppose he would.”
The Crown Prince, who had been skeptical, met Iris’s gaze and quickly nodded in affirmation.
“Yes. He really loves beautiful women, doesn’t he?”
“I thought that was half nonsense.”
“It wasn’t nonsense. He proposed to me the moment he saw me.”
“I see.”
After a brief three-second silence, the Crown Prince asked again.
“Proposed?”
“Yes, he asked me to marry her.”
“…And?”
“What do you mean, ‘and’?”
“What did you say in response?”
Iris answered with an incredulous look.
“I told her I already have a fiancé, obviously.”
“…”
“What’s the problem?”
“Nothing, no problem. None at all.”
Iris looked at the Crown Prince, who was reacting strangely, then approached him and placed a hand on his forehead.
“You don’t have a fever, so maybe you’re just tired?”
“…No.”
“That’s a relief then. You seemed a bit off, so I was worried. See you at lunch tomorrow.”
Iris removed her hand and headed to her room. The Crown Prince, still seated and watching her retreating figure, let out a hollow laugh.
“It seems I’ve gotten myself into a contract engagement with quite a famous woman.”
He muttered.
“Strange things keep getting tangled up with her.”
* * *
The next day, when they informed the King and Queen of Beberia about the Northern Mage’s visit, they were astonished.
“he only visited once, when our youngest princess came of age, and hasn’t set foot here since.”
“Oh, really?”
So he came to see the princess when she became an adult, didn’t find her to his taste, and never returned. In a way, that’s quite transparent. Iris chuckled inwardly.
Lunch was prepared lavishly. Just before noon, a servant respectfully announced the arrival of the Northern Mage.
“Let him in.”
“Understood.”
The King and Queen, along with the Crown Prince and Iris, were seated in the dining hall, ready to receive their guest.
The servant bowed and left to escort the guest. Soon, the dining hall doors opened, revealing the Northern Mage with his water-colored long hair, the same one from yesterday.
“It’s been a while, Your Majesties.”
“Harmia, indeed, it’s been a long time.”
“Princess Dorothy has grown even more in the meantime.”
“…Yes, well.”
Princess Dorothy was reluctantly present, but her head was slightly turned to blatantly avoid the Crown Prince.
However, Harmia, seemingly uninterested in Princess Dorothy, walked straight toward Iris.
“I’ve been waiting since last night.”
“Pardon?”
“I prepared this for you, so please accept it.”
“Huh?”
Kneeling on one knee beside Iris, who was seated, Harmia presented a ring case. When he opened it in front of the stunned Iris, it revealed a ring embedded with a coin-sized red gem.
“It reminded me of your eyes, so I prepared it.”
“Oh, no…”
She really is a crazy womanizer.
“What kind of disrespect is this toward His Highness’s fiancée!”
The King of Beberia, as if his worst fears had come true, clutched his forehead and raised his voice.
“His Highness?”
“Hmm, it seems this mage doesn’t see me.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince, Cliff, sitting beside Iris, spoke with a hint of mockery.
“Oh, I didn’t notice you were there.”
“Hah.”
Harmia tilted his head, as if he genuinely hadn’t noticed, but he didn’t retract the ring case extended toward Iris. The Crown Prince let out a scoff, incredulous.
“Giving such a gift to my fiancée right in front of me—do you have any sense?”
“Can’t I give a gift to someone who’s engaged?”
“What?”
“For someone who’s engaged, I don’t see an engagement ring.”
“That’s…”
There was no ring because they hadn’t held a proper engagement ceremony yet. Besides, Iris and the Crown Prince were in a contract engagement, with no plans for a formal ceremony.
“Harmia, please take a seat for now.”
“Yes!”
As Iris, feeling a headache coming on, pointed to an empty seat, Harmia, who had been talking back defiantly, promptly sat down.
‘Such a womanizer…’
As Iris thought this, Princess Dorothy spoke with a tone that suggested she found it absurd.
“You haven’t changed one bit since the last time I saw you.”
“Well, I was already fully grown back then, so there’s no reason for much change, is there?”
“That’s not what I… Never mind.”
Princess Dorothy cut herself off, as if exasperated.
‘Will we even be able to get what we want from this meeting?’
Iris was already starting to worry.
“Let’s start with the meal.”
The Queen, who had been watching the situation unfold, could no longer bear it and ordered the palace staff to bring out the food.
Thus, the meal began in an awkward atmosphere.
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By Anna 💓
