Lihet was the attendant who had been ordered to always move together with Cayden whenever he had to leave the detached palace or go on distant outings.
“Thanks to parents who immigrated from the mid-western region where two languages are used interchangeably, she is fluent in both Imperial and Kingdom languages. She is diligent and has a bright personality, so you won’t have any difficulty being with her.”
This was how Amun had introduced Lihet, while informing him that he had recommended her to Assad.
Although the time spent with Lihet was not long, Cayden quickly came to agree with what Amun had said to him. Sometimes he thought it was too much for someone like Lihet to work for him. The same went for Amun, of course.
Together with the petite attendant who had her reddish-brown hair tightly tied in a single bunch, Cayden began walking again along the straight path. Cayden’s pace, matched to Lihet’s, had slowed compared to before.
He was on his way back to the detached palace with Lihet. It was after a brief meeting with Kasim Mekerius, the Emperor’s consort of Helio and Assad’s father, at the Emperor’s palace.
Having only seen Kasim a couple of times until now, Cayden had been quite tense, wondering what had happened when he heard that Kasim had summoned him. But despite his long worry, he ended up just having a light conversation over a cold cup of tea with Kasim before saying goodbye.
‘I can’t remember what I said though…’
That was despite Kasim’s consideration of conversing in the Kingdom language.
Kasim, with a stone-like body befitting his large stature, was a person with many expressions, unlike his spouse, the Emperor. He too probably found Cayden disagreeable. However, Kasim showed not the slightest hint of displeasure toward him. This made Cayden feel even more apologetic.
Still, he had made sure to keep the words Kasim gave him firmly in his ears.
“Assad is a child with a strong personality. He’s also been called arrogant and insolent. He’s not a bad child, but he can be tiring to deal with.”
The middle-aged alpha continued with a smile.
“The Crown Princess has formed an unplanned marital bond with such a child. I can clearly see how much trouble you must be going through. That’s why I keep thinking about you. During my time as Crown Prince’s consort, I also had quite a struggle.”
“……”
“Of course, I don’t intend to interfere in the two of you’s affairs. Everyone in the imperial family may be mindful of the Crown Prince, but I only intend to be mindful of the Crown Princess.”
“Ah, no, that’s not necessary.”
“I once ran away from home because I didn’t want to go through with the marriage my parents had arranged. But your case is even more terrible, isn’t it? You suddenly gained a spouse because of a foreign god you’d never even seen. A young and impudent husband at that.”
“……”
“Many things will happen in the future. They could be things between the two of you, or they could be external matters. But you don’t need to be on edge and struggle with everything. Eventually, time will resolve everything. The Emperor and I have gone through a lot as well, but now we… get along quite well. So don’t be too intimidated.”
The gentle laughter of the man who somewhat resembled Assad had mixed into the conversation like a sweetener. It was a somewhat cryptic story whose true meaning was unclear.
The two, walking silently at Lihet’s pace, soon came to a stop again. It was with Lihet’s call that somehow felt urgent.
“Crown Princess!”
Caught by Lihet’s voice, Cayden obediently stood in place.
“Your complexion…”
Lihet, who had spoken in Imperial language, quickly switched to Kingdom language.
“Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
Complexion? Cayden felt puzzled at the concern in Lihet’s eyes. With a bewildered face, he stroked his cheek. The skin that touched his palm was neither hot nor cold.
“You need to be careful of anemia. People born and raised in the desert like me might not be affected by ordinary sunlight, but those who come from outside find the hot weather difficult.”
“I’m fine. The inside of the palace was cool, wasn’t it? And I haven’t been outside for long… my complexion probably looks bad because I’m still not completely relaxed.”
After finishing his words, Cayden raised the corners of his mouth into a smile. He hoped that his good health would be proven even through this awkward smile.
“Well, I’m glad it’s not anemia, but… we should head straight back to the detached palace anyway. I was going to suggest we go see the Crown Prince, but that won’t work now.”
“The Crown Prince?”
“Yes, there’s a training ground nearby. His Highness trains his body there with other warriors. Almost every day, at this time.”
The training ground was still a place Cayden had not visited. Even when he had walked around the imperial palace with the silent Assad, or when he had looked around various places following Amun, he had not set foot near the training ground.
Amun would explain the buildings in the inner palace in detail, but whenever talk of the training ground came up, he would make a blank face. He would shake his head, saying it was a boring space that only smelled of sweat. He also added that there was no need to set foot in such a dirty place.
“Only the most outstanding warriors among the carefully selected ones can hold a sword in the imperial palace’s training ground, especially inside the inner palace. That’s why watching the training is so enjoyable, and even we attendants sometimes go to watch. It’s an open place.”
It seemed she wasn’t suggesting they barge in on Assad who would be at the training ground, but merely inviting him to watch the training together.
“…Won’t he be upset if I go without saying anything?”
“Oh my, why would you think that? It’s the dream of Helio warriors to invite their lovers to the outdoor training ground of the imperial palace. The same should be true for Crown Prince His Highness.”
Lovers. It was an inappropriate term to bind him and Assad. Cayden unnecessarily lowered his gaze toward his feet in leather sandals. He did so because it was embarrassing to meet Lihet’s sparkling eyes.
“I haven’t been invited though.”
“Between spouses, things like invitations aren’t necessary. All people of Helio think that way, wouldn’t you say? The Crown Prince, who is also from Helio, would think the same. It’s certain!”
Cayden found Lihet’s positive confidence somewhat bewildering yet cute. He was also envious of that confidence.
“But if you still feel uncomfortable… there’s also a way to watch secretly from a distance.”
After checking Cayden’s complexion once more, Lihet continued.
“The outdoor training ground is down a slope after descending a hundred more steps. If you sit at the top, they hardly know who’s watching them from below. The sun is so strong that looking up only hurts their eyes. The heat from the desert ground also makes distant objects appear blurry.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Anyway, they’re so busy clashing weapons that they don’t pay attention to other people.”
It seemed Lihet’s heart was leaning toward taking him to the training ground. She had the same face as when she had shown him the artificial pond in the inner palace a few days ago.
“Lihet, you seem to know everything about the imperial palace.”
“Not at all. There’s still a lot I don’t know. It’s just that I went to watch the training ground whenever I felt empty inside, so I came to know it well.”
“Then… shall we go together? Just for a bit.”
After hesitating, Cayden reluctantly agreed to Lihet’s request.
As long as it wasn’t directly facing Assad, he wanted to follow Lihet’s wish to show him various places in the palace. It seemed better to watch the training ground with Lihet than to return to the detached palace where he would have to look outside with nothing to do until Amun came.
He was worried about what would happen if Assad saw him. He would surely be angry. Still, he had a strange confidence that, as Lihet said, Assad wouldn’t see him.
Perhaps he was influenced by the energy emitted by the fearless and bright Lihet. Wouldn’t it be okay to just watch for a moment? That was the illusion he was having.
“Yes, I’ll guide you! But if your skin turns even slightly red, I’ll take you straight back to the detached palace.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“Then, just trust me and follow.”
Having finished speaking, Lihet left the white gravel path with a light gait. Cayden silently followed behind Lihet who was deviating from the route.
His heart was racing as if he was doing something wrong… but he thought it was somewhat enjoyable.
* * *
“How did you spend your day today?”
Amun, with crossed arms, asked Cayden who was sitting across from him. It was a question that now felt almost like a greeting. Except for the fact that it was asked in Imperial language.
But for some reason, today Amun had sharp eyes like a torturer with a criminal to interrogate.
“It was the same as usual.”
“……”
“…I briefly met His Highness the Imperial Consort, and then returned to the detached palace to wait for you, Amun.”
Cayden barely completed his sentence. He felt embarrassed in various ways. It was because the hastily added words felt somewhat sloppy. It was as clumsy as the Imperial language he used. It was like a thief giving himself away.
“I knew you had met His Highness the Imperial Consort. But I wonder why. For someone who just briefly met him and returned, your face is too red.”
Face is red? Receiving Amun’s doubt in the familiar Kingdom language, Cayden closed his mouth awkwardly.
Cayden tentatively felt his face with his fingertips. He didn’t particularly sense a temperature different from usual. He couldn’t understand what Amun was looking at to say such a thing, as he hadn’t noticed anything unusual when looking in the mirror either.
“You spent time under the sun. Not just coming and going, but for quite a while.”
In the embarrassing silence, Cayden smiled as if he had no choice. He thought Amun was truly a perceptive person. It seemed even a fairly good liar couldn’t deceive Amun.
“I saw Crown Prince His Highness.”
Cayden honestly confessed his small deviation.
“The Crown Prince?”
“Ah, no. I should say I secretly looked at His Highness…”
“What?”
Amun asked back in surprise.
