Chapter 44
“Ah!”
As the door opened, Kyle, who had been sitting at the tea table in the room, smiled brightly and ran toward Blair. For some reason, Blair had the illusion that a lush golden tail was wagging behind him.
“Blair! You’re here?”
“Your Majesty.”
Blair stopped at the doorway and muttered while catching his breath. His tongue, which had been moving eloquently just moments ago before Imperial Princess Adriana, who was a million times more intimidating and dignified than Kyle, suddenly stiffened. What brings you here? No, that won’t do. I was the one who invited him first, so asking like this would hurt his feelings. Why did you come so early? No, that doesn’t sound right either.
After contemplating for a while, Blair finally came up with this:
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No! I was just looking around the room.”
Kyle shook his head. His long bangs, which had grown enough to cover his eyes, fluttered over his blue irises. His face was still lovely and beautiful.
“If you had sent word ahead, I wouldn’t have gone out. I’m sorry for making you wait. I had some business to attend to.”
Blair hurriedly apologized. Either way, it was entirely Blair’s fault for bringing the prince to his home and then leaving him unattended.
“It’s fine since I didn’t contact you. Don’t worry about it. I just suddenly felt like visiting House Monetery this morning. So I came, is that okay?”
Kyle fidgeted with his fingers while gauging Blair’s reaction. Aaron had babbled about the splendor of the Monetery estate several times during the semester, so it was understandable that Kyle would be curious. Besides, Blair had extended an invitation. But even if Kyle did come, Blair had expected him to visit next week at the earliest, not to meet Kyle again so soon.
“Is that so?”
Blair didn’t scold Kyle. With a gentle smile, he scanned the tea table. There were neat refreshments laid out. Fortunately, the guest had been properly attended to even in his absence.
“You could have waited in the reception room. My bedroom only has a bed, so there’s not much to see.”
Blair’s room contained only a bed, a few small ornaments, and a single portrait of him from when he was young.
“It felt a bit awkward waiting in a place without the owner present.”
But it’s okay to be in the owner’s room? The retort rose to the tip of Blair’s tongue, but he just gave a kind smile instead. He shouldn’t reprimand a child who was being considerate.
“I see, you did well. Were you bored waiting?”
“No, it was fine. The journey here was really interesting too. It’s my first time coming to this area, and the Monetery estate is truly magnificent.”
“Well, it is a place where money circulates. There are many people coming and going, and being close to the port, it’s a city that feels vibrant and prosperous in many ways.”
“Indeed. It gives the impression of abundance. Lots of people, lots of shops. It’s bursting with energy.”
“Even though it’s not that large an estate, it has a high population density. It’s a complete commercial city.”
Having said that much, Blair checked the time. It was gradually approaching evening. A red hue had settled outside the window. It was obvious that Kyle hadn’t eaten anything. They should have dinner first.
“Have you had anything to eat since you arrived? You should have dinner. It’s almost our family’s mealtime. Let’s eat together when my brother returns from work. Or would you prefer to dine separately first?”
“You have a brother?”
“Yes. I have an older sister and an older brother. My brother, Theodore Shuho Monetery, works in the executive department of the Imperial Palace. Don’t you know him? My sister is in the middle, and I’m the third son. There’s quite an age gap between me and my older siblings.”
“I see. House Monetery is blessed with children.”
Kyle nodded. Kyle also had one older sister and one older brother, but they were all half-siblings, so his situation was different from Blair’s.
“It seems my brother will be coming home late today. Are you very hungry? If you’re famished, I’ll have them prepare food separately.”
“It’s fine. It would be nice to eat together. What about you, Blair?”
“I’m fine too, of course. Then, until dinner is ready, shall we take a walk around the garden? Since it’s summer, the garden is very well maintained.”
Blair draped a cape over Kyle’s shoulders. Although Kyle was much taller than Blair, the gesture of placing the cape and adjusting his attire came naturally to Blair. Even Kyle, who extremely disliked others touching him, was comfortable with Blair approaching him. Kyle himself found it curious. As Blair lowered his gaze to adjust Kyle’s attire, his evenly spread eyelashes caught Kyle’s attention. For some reason, Kyle wanted to stroke those thick eyelashes with his fingers.
Just as Kyle impulsively raised his hand to touch those eyelashes, Blair neatly fastened the front of the cape and stepped back with perfect timing. Blair turned and opened the door, and Kyle awkwardly clenched and unclenched his empty hand. Kyle walked out of Blair’s room with heavy steps. Blair, after confirming with a passing maid when dinner would be ready, took the lead.
“This way, please.”
Blair was a soldier. He was a man with disciplined movements ingrained in his body. Blair descended the stairs first and waited for Kyle to come down. It was just like a knight waiting for his lord. It was a habit he had practiced all his life, but neither of them realized the implication.
“Would you like some tea?”
“No, it’s fine. I want to see the garden.”
Kyle smiled gently. His large eyes curved into crescents.
When Blair was young, Clara had a small pet at home. It was a dog with fluffy brown fur. That puppy, which was about the same age as Blair, followed Clara everywhere just like this. While being aloof with other family members, the small creature would bounce around excitedly whenever Clara appeared, as if it couldn’t be happier.
Blair had also been quite fond of that adorable little animal. That dog, which had lived a full life before dying, overlapped with Kyle’s face in Blair’s mind. When let loose in the garden, that creature couldn’t have been happier. The fur color was roughly similar too. Indeed, the more Blair looked at Kyle, the more he gave off the impression of a small, cute puppy. Even though Kyle’s physique was by no means small. Perhaps it was because he was gentle and docile. It was strange.
Seeing Kyle tilt his head curiously as Blair silently stared at him now only reinforced this impression. Blair had the illusion of seeing animal ears perking up on top of Kyle’s head. Blair shook his head vigorously. Soon regaining his composure, Blair spoke.
“Since it’s summer, we’ve decorated with roses. You don’t dislike the scent of roses, do you?”
“No, not at all. It’s fine.”
Blair went ahead with Kyle behind him. It was clearly a well-maintained garden that someone had poured a lot of money into. The garden of the Monetery mansion had a splendor that couldn’t be easily seen even in the Imperial Palace’s garden. Blair, who spent much time on the battlefield, would often half-jokingly disparage the Monetery mansion’s garden as “a prime example of money to burn,” but Blair actually liked the Monetery family garden quite a bit.
The Monetery garden possessed beauty and an imposing presence that went beyond luxury. Blair had no disagreement that the garden was beautiful. The two began to walk slowly along a small path through the garden. It was just the right width for two people to pass through.
“Were you surprised that I came so suddenly?”
Kyle broke the silence first.
“Not at all. I was the one who invited you to come. Though it would have been nice if you had let me know before coming.”
“I just felt lonely staying alone in the Academy. But I didn’t want to go to the Imperial Palace, so I came here. I didn’t really have anywhere else to go…”
There was loneliness in Kyle’s voice. Understandable. At a young age, he had been sent to the Academy almost like an exile, and it had already been four years. His one blood relative he could rely on was in the Imperial Palace, and they weren’t in a relationship where they could meet easily. Blair could easily guess that although Kyle was always surrounded by people, there weren’t many he could emotionally depend on.
“You’re welcome here.”
Blair nodded. Kyle’s expression somehow looked precarious. Blair carefully observed Kyle’s expression, which appeared fragile and lonely. The face of the golden-haired prince, steeped in melancholy, could melt even a heart of iron. He must have been lonely. The Academy was usually too noisy, but when vacation came and students ebbed away like the tide, it became excessively quiet. Even the remaining students tended to act more quietly than usual. You may not notice when people are present, but you certainly feel it when they’re gone.
“I thought about going to Aaron’s house, but I realized that the Taklamakan estate was too far away. So I came to Monetery, which is nearby.”
“Yes, you made a good choice.”
Kyle walked ahead and plucked a fully bloomed red rose.
“Beautiful. This garden is really well made. The gardener must have worked hard.”
Kyle turned around completely and smiled brightly at Blair. The sunset was spreading alongside him over the rose garden. Kyle holding the flower looked very harmonious with the garden. Suppressing the urge to rub his eyes, Blair smiled again.
“You can pick a few if you’d like.”
“Then, could I pick some and bring them to the Countess?”
“Yes, of course. Mother would like that. Be careful of the thorns.”
Blair nodded readily. Kyle began to pick the lusciously bloomed rose stems one by one, his eyes sparkling. Blair stood beside him, gazing intently. A face that was beautiful from the front was also beautiful in profile. Like a straight nose drawn by an outstanding painter, beneath which fell small, delicate lips, and a neatly rising jawline. Up to the long, straight neckline. Even the golden bangs that covered his face just enough to give a slightly disheveled impression suited him well.
And not just the profile. He’d probably be beautiful even from behind.
Indeed, Blair thought that having a pretty face must make life easier. Even Blair, who had resolved to maintain a distant relationship with Kyle, felt his firmly hardened heart melting every time he saw Kyle’s face. It couldn’t be helped. Kyle really should thank his mother ten times a day for passing down that face to him.
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
