Chapter 34
Harmia placed the ring on her finger and then disappeared. When asked what kind of magic was enchanted in it, she only left a cryptic reply: “You’ll find out when the time comes.”
“Looks good?”
“It’s a magical artifact, so of course it’s good.”
“No, not that.”
As soon as Harmia vanished, Jack started picking a fight with her. Of course, Iris, who was used to this level of teasing, didn’t pay it any mind and just stared at the red ruby ring on her right index finger.
“It’s a magic ring, so it does feel kind of special, doesn’t it?”
“What if it’s some weird magic?”
“Hmm, it didn’t seem like that kind of sinister thing.”
“How would you know?”
“Just a feeling.”
The two continued their conversation as they returned to the room where the Crown Prince and Iris were staying.
The moment they opened the door, they were met with the Crown Prince, waiting for them in a room where the lights hadn’t even been turned on.
“…What are you doing, sitting here without the lights on?”
“I was waiting for my fiancée to return. What time is it now?”
“Uh, 1 a.m.?”
“…Your date went on for quite a while.”
“Oh, come on, just listen to me for a second.”
Iris subtly gestured for Jack to leave. But for some reason, Jack stood rooted to the spot.
‘What’s with him now?’
For now, she sat down next to the Crown Prince on the sofa, patted his shoulder, and said, “I got a promise from the mage to help us find the Crown Prince of the Cecil Kingdom.”
“And in exchange, you were with him until this hour?”
“Well, it wasn’t a big deal. I just went to his castle, looked at some magical tools, and came back. Oh, want to see this? It’s a magical tool that brews tea on its own—pretty cool, right?”
“That ring?”
“Huh?”
This guy’s got sharp eyes.
Iris forced a laugh, “Haha,” and tried to subtly change the subject. But—
“It’s a ring that mage gave her. He said it’s an artifact.”
Damn it, Jack!
“An artifact?”
“Well, I don’t know what kind of magic it has, but he said it’s something valuable, so I took it.”
“It’s that ruby ring from before.”
“…Why are you acting like I’m some cheating fiancée?”
“Am I?”
“You’re doing it right now.”
“I see… I apologize.”
“No, it’s not something to apologize for…”
“I’m just concerned about you.”
“I get what you mean. You’re saying I should act properly as your fiancée, right? I’ll handle it…”
“No.”
As she rambled on, the Crown Prince leaned toward her, locking eyes with her.
“Iris, I’m starting to care about you.”
“…”
Iris’s eyes widened at his words. She opened her mouth to say something, but her words got stuck, and her lips just parted a few times in silence.
“Ah, haha. Am I a bit tired today? Good night!”
She jumped up from her seat, rushed into her room, and slammed the door shut.
The Crown Prince let out a sigh, as if he’d expected this, and stood up.
“You’re impatient.”
“You’re still here?”
“I’m not quick enough to leave after just one comment.”
“Well, that’s fine. Since I’m like this, you’d better give up on your feelings for her quickly.”
“What feelings?”
“Your feelings for Iris.”
“…”
“You’re not going to deny it.”
“…No, I’m not.”
“As expected. Well, I’ve warned you.”
With that, the Crown Prince ended the conversation abruptly and headed toward his room. But then, Jack’s voice came from behind.
“Don’t shake her up with uncertain feelings.”
“…Uncertain feelings?”
“How many men do you think have hurt her?”
“Do you think I don’t know?”
“I’m saying this because I think you don’t.”
Jack let out a sardonic chuckle. It was obvious how that laugh must have hit the Crown Prince.
“Are you standing by her side, deluded into thinking she belongs to you?”
In truth, up until now, Iris had been like his. The Crown Prince had no idea.
‘How pathetic…’
Jack met the Crown Prince’s glare, then lowered his head and walked out into the hallway.
The Crown Prince stared at the door Jack left through for a long time.
For a very long time.
* * *
After that day, the Crown Prince and the mage came to some sort of agreement and decided to meet again later in the Cecil Kingdom.
Iris wasn’t deliberately invited to that meeting, so she didn’t know exactly what was discussed.
‘Maybe it’s a good thing I wasn’t called.’
*Clatter, clatter.*
For three hours, the two sat in the carriage without a single word. The journey back was long, and the atmosphere felt like a prison.
‘But I don’t even know what to say.’
The Crown Prince’s words, that he was starting to care about her, still lingered in Iris’s mind.
Knowing his personality, it wasn’t something he’d say lightly—it was probably something he’d thought about deeply before saying.
‘Should I respond?’
Should I tell him I don’t feel that way?
Their relationship had started as a contractual engagement, but she had said that feelings could develop over time.
Back then, it was obviously a joke, but she hadn’t imagined it would actually come to this.
‘Have I ever tried? Really?’
She’d never thought badly of the Crown Prince.
In fact, after meeting him, she’d thought he was someone she could get along with. He was a charming man, one that any woman would find hard to resist.
‘No, snap out of it. He’s practically already taken.’
The thought of the heroine who would arrive in the Empire next year sent a chill through her veins.
‘Yeah, it’s foolish to think I could compete with the heroine.’
After organizing her thoughts, Iris slowly spoke.
“Your Highness.”
“What?”
At her call, the Crown Prince, who had been looking out the carriage window, turned to her.
Iris took a deep breath, looked him straight in the eyes.
“I hope things between us don’t change.”
“…”
“You know why we started this. And even if that weren’t the case, we can’t be together.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Well…”
“Are you trying to say something like, ‘The person I’m destined to love is already decided’?”
“…”
Instead of answering, Iris closed her mouth. The Crown Prince stared at her intently, as if lost in thought, before turning his head back toward the window.
“Fine.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“You do that. I’ll do what I want.”
Huh?
Iris looked up in confusion, but he was still staring out the window.
With no further progress in their conversation, the two arrived at the Empire’s capital. He treated her as usual and escorted her to her mansion.
“Why are there so many letters?”
As soon as it seemed she would become the Crown Prince’s fiancée, her mailbox was overflowing with invitations to parties.
“I just got back from a long trip, and I’m not in the mood to go out.”
Just as she was about to ignore them all, she spotted an invitation with an unmistakable seal.
“The Empress’s seal?”
A letter from Empress Roberia was neatly placed in her mailbox.
“What’s this about?”
As she entered the mansion, she roughly tore open the Empress’s seal and read the letter’s contents. Her eyes widened.
“Already?”
The letter contained none other than the news of the Empress’s pregnancy. It wasn’t yet public knowledge, and it came with a warning to keep it quiet.
‘I thought it would happen around this time, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon. Did I speed things up a bit?’
At most, it was only a few months earlier, so it wouldn’t disrupt the story’s flow too much.
‘She wrote that she hopes I’ll respond to her invitation as soon as I return from Beberia…’
She’d have to visit the palace by tomorrow at the latest.
‘Ugh, if she’s pregnant, that’s her business. Why is she summoning me?’
Grumbling, she headed to her bedroom. She had subtly made a request before, but she hadn’t really expected it to be granted.
‘I wonder how this will turn out.’
Surely the Empress of the Empire wouldn’t make empty promises.
‘If she’s going to give me something, I hope it’s a ton of money.’
Tossing aside her cumbersome dress, she dove into bed. She relaxed her tense body, worn out from being around the Crown Prince, and drifted off to sleep to shake off her fatigue.
Unaware of what kind of trouble she might stir up.
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By Anna 💓
