77
The sound of two people’s footsteps walking leisurely in the empty palace garden could be heard. The conversation between the two was so sparse that only the clear rustling of grass with each step was audible.
Nevertheless, the difference in their expressions was striking. The one leading showed obvious tension, while the one following seemed not just calm, but almost indifferent.
Arpel, who had been occasionally glancing at the profusely blooming roses, only looked at Luciel when he suddenly stopped walking. Somehow, his reddened earlobes seemed similar to the color of the roses.
“Since I saw you yesterday… I’ve been thinking a lot all night.”
“I see.”
His quivering lips openly showed hesitation. His occasionally trembling voice did too.
After what seemed like a considerable amount of time had passed.
“…How about leaving the temple?”
Aside from being a question with unclear intentions, it wasn’t something worth hesitating so long to say. Arpel’s eyes narrowed. Of course, this was only for the very brief moment when Luciel’s gaze was averted.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. I mean for you to leave the temple and quit being a priest.”
A thin silence stretched between them. His posture, holding his breath and waiting for an answer, somehow seemed tense.
“I’m curious why you’re saying this to me.”
Despite it being such a simple question, the face before him changed color. Like red paint dissolving in water, his pale cheeks gradually colored. The sight overlapped with someone else in Arpel’s mind.
“It’s because I… for you.”
“…”
“Have affec-, no, a small liking, ahem. That’s why.”
It was a sight that would have left anyone speechless if they knew the ‘Crown Prince’, or even if they had just heard about him once without knowing him personally. To think that this man, famous for being cold and calculating, would be blushing and confessing love. He even stuttered and rambled.
However, as the one witnessing this was none other than Arpel, he remained silent without feeling any strangeness at this unfamiliar sight. His eyes seemed to be examining the truth of the words, but they were closer to being empty, without showing any confusion or special emotion. Luciel, with his eyes downcast, didn’t see this expression.
What did he think of his silence? With no answer forthcoming, Luciel hurriedly added:
“Of course, I’m not expecting an answer right away.”
His voice resembled that of a novice boy rather than the proud and arrogant Crown Prince. Arpel tilted his head while staring at him.
‘Was it to this extent?’
What he was thinking about wasn’t this man’s love.
He was merely recalling the Crown Prince described in the novel. There, the Crown Prince confessed his love not to Arpel, but to ‘Leriana’.
-I fell in love with you at first sight.
At the banquet where Rohan and Leriana attended together, the Crown Prince had certainly said that. In this garden where Arpel was standing, surrounded by profusely blooming roses.
The voice whispering love was eloquent, and his silver-white hair ruffled by the wind and his slowly blinking green eyes blended perfectly with the red-dominated garden. Leriana had remarked that ‘If god were to create perfection, perhaps it would resemble this man.’
However, she politely rejected the Crown Prince, finding his excessive perfection unfamiliar and off-putting, which became a stepping stone to bring her closer to Rohan.
‘It’s different.’
But he was different now.
From his uneven breathing and wavering eyes, to his voice that was far from eloquent and instead rambling. Having countless times observed and received love originating from Rohan, Arpel could feel that Luciel was truly sincere.
“You’ve been with the temple for a long time, so it won’t be easy for you to accept my proposal. I understand.”
“…”
“But if you leave the temple… I promise to take you in. This much I can swear on my name.”
Something welled up in his chest. Since he instinctively understood negative emotions without trying to identify them, Arpel immediately noticed what this rising emotion was. It was clearly a sense of rejection.
Leave Rohan.
Whatever Luciel’s intentions were, that’s how his words sounded to Arpel. He suppressed the urge to turn and leave immediately. He reminded himself several times that this was the imperial palace, and that man was the Crown Prince.
If Arpel caused trouble, it would affect Rohan too. He couldn’t bear to see that happen.
To pretend to be human, he must follow human etiquette.
He had reminded himself many times before arriving at the palace that this must not be forgotten. To avoid causing trouble for Rohan, he mustn’t show his aversion. So, suppressing the clear antipathy rising in his eyes, he opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, I…”
He was certainly going to refuse immediately. If his instincts hadn’t suddenly sounded an alarm, he would have.
‘Arpel.’
It was a sensation he had experienced several times. When they first separated in the vast palace, Rohan had called Arpel like this. Although there was no one actually calling him nearby, a clear voice always echoed in his mind.
After hearing that voice, a strange purple thread would appear. Taut and glistening under the sunlight, it seemed to whisper for him to come immediately. He resisted the urge to grasp that thread and respond to the call right away.
He shouldn’t rashly reveal this power to anyone from the palace. Especially if the person before him was the Crown Prince, who could be said to be the closest to the Emperor.
‘…How troublesome.’
If it wasn’t the Crown Prince, he could have just silenced him. Luciel, waiting for an answer with anxious eyes, didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving this place, so quickly refusing and departing was the best option Arpel could choose.
For the second time. Discovering traces of that passionate emotion from someone other than Rohan for the second time, he understood. Those eyes desperate to express love… were unpleasant.
He wanted to see Rohan. Every time he saw different colored eyes holding the same emotion, that thought alone intensified. He wanted to face him right away and feel the overwhelming emotions that took his breath away. The affection that flowed in, even to the point of ecstasy, every time their eyes met, every time they held hands.
“Kyaa!”
His slow-moving thoughts suddenly cleared when a sharp scream was heard from somewhere. Reflexively, both Arpel and Luciel’s gazes turned in that direction.
A wide open window particularly caught their eye. It was a woman’s voice, but the one who screamed wasn’t visible. More concerning was the presence of someone approaching rapidly. Arpel couldn’t mistake that familiar energy.
Like Arpel, Luciel sensed someone rushing towards them and drew his sword. Just as the sharp tip of the sword pointed towards the bushes, a large figure burst out.
“…You.”
“We meet for the second time. I hope you are well, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Only after confirming the face of the sudden intruder did Luciel lower his sword, but his face was full of displeasure.
“What brings you here?”
“I have something I wish to discuss with Arpel, so I took the liberty of coming despite the impropriety. I apologize.”
“If you know it’s improper, I’d like you to withdraw now. As you can see, we were in the middle of a conversation here.”
Despite the arrogant tone, Rohan paid no heed. Instead, he closed the distance and approached Arpel’s side. As the two got closer, Luciel’s brow twitched as he watched them.
“I happened to overhear something I couldn’t ignore.”
“You admit to eavesdropping so boldly.”
“I had no such intention… but my ears are rather good, please forgive my rudeness.”
However, Your Highness.
Rohan, who had been speaking continuously in a friendly voice, dropped the faint smile he had been wearing. His face, which had only looked gentle, quickly sharpened. The atmosphere around the two facing each other immediately became heavy.
“He already has someone he’s promised a future with.”
“…What?”
Although he didn’t specifically mention a name, there was no one in this place who didn’t know who ‘he’ referred to. Arpel glanced at Rohan, but Luciel stared blankly at Arpel with a shocked expression. He didn’t seem to even think of hiding his expression.
Although Arpel hadn’t said a word throughout their conversation, all his attention was focused on Rohan. The emotions seeping in from the moment he approached were clear.
Rohan was angry.
From the moment he noticed this fact, anxiety subtly welled up. It was rare for Rohan to be this angry until now.
He couldn’t help but know that this anger originated from himself, which made it even worse. He must be angry seeing them talking despite his earnest plea not to meet.
“…Do you really have a lover?”
His voice, asking as if to confirm, seemed to hope for a negative answer. But Arpel, who had a stronger desire to detach from him, didn’t have the composure to notice such hidden intentions. He thought it was pointless to deliberately consider and respond to what someone other than Rohan wanted.
The problem was that the word ‘lover’… particularly lingered persistently in his ears.
Perhaps his silence due to the unfamiliar feeling made it seem like he was hesitating to answer. The hand that was suddenly held tightened its grip. Only then did Arpel nod.
“…I see. So that’s how it is.”
Luciel’s gaze briefly flicked to their clasped hands. As if quietly enduring something, he stood like that for a while before raising his head. It would have been believable if someone said the anxious, uneasy expressions from earlier were a lie. His face was that devoid of expression.
Perhaps this was the face of the man many people knew as the ‘Crown Prince’. After his lips moved slightly for a moment, he uttered a single sentence. Unlike his coldly composed expression, his voice sounded quite strained.
“Forgive my rudeness. This won’t happen again.”
“…It’s alright.”
As soon as he heard Arpel’s response, Luciel immediately turned and disappeared. It was a sight that some might describe as lonely, but it wasn’t a particularly important matter to Arpel. His gaze immediately turned to Rohan.
“…Arpel.”
And a single word, as if enduring numerous emotions, escaped his lips. In his eyes, which he had tightly closed and then opened, something viscous and endless seemed about to overflow, brimming with emotion.
