For You 21

#21

I couldn’t believe Kara was speaking so decisively about going through with it. I gaped for a moment before revealing my worries.

“What if Father says something? What if, possibly…”

What if Kara can no longer work at the mansion because of me? What would I do if Kara disappeared from my side? The thought made everything go dark before my eyes. I didn’t want that. I wanted Kara to stay by my side. Someday, I would have to become independent from her, but not now.

A terrifying thought suddenly consumed me in an instant. Swallowing dryly, I embraced the fear that had grown with all my might. Don’t go outside. Don’t let it burst out like this. After repeating this to myself several times, I felt the emotions that had made me so despondent gradually diminish.

“It’s alright. That won’t happen. Besides, my priority is you, Young Master.”

“But Father is your employer?”

“You are my future employer, Young Master. I’m the type who looks toward the future rather than the present.”

Kara spoke lightly and smiled at me. I was truly grateful for her—not only did she grant what I wished for, but she also eased my worries. Without saying anything, I reached out and hugged her tightly. Due to our size difference, it was more accurate to say I was being hugged rather than doing the hugging, but that didn’t matter.

“Thank you. It seems I’m always thankful to you, Kara.”

“Yes. So you’ll have to do well for me later.”

“Yes. I will.”

I was willing to repay Kara in any way if my future self could escape the Duke’s schemes. Until then, I needed to thwart the Duke’s plotting.

For now, the priority was to enter the palace and reclaim my position as Persis’s playmate. With none other than Kara helping me, going to the palace should be quite easy.

“Now then, are you going to take a nap?”

“Do I really have to take a nap?”

“You promised me, didn’t you? That you would sleep properly?”

I nodded at Kara’s words and laid down on the bed. Meanwhile, Kara drew all the curtains and covered me with a blanket.

“Sleep well.”

Saying that, Kara stroked my hair. I closed my eyes, feeling her touch. Even if sleep wouldn’t come, I should try to force myself. It troubled me that this was all I could do for Kara right now, but there was nothing else I could do.

Kara didn’t leave the room first, apparently planning to stay by my side until I fell asleep today. Listening to Kara’s soft breathing beside me, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It wasn’t until the next day that I was able to leave for the palace with Kara’s help.

Coming to the palace was easier than I thought. As soon as the Duke left the mansion, Kara called for a carriage that had been prepared. The employees who saw Kara and me getting into the carriage turned pale, but after Kara said a few words, no one tried to stop us.

Asking Kara for help had truly been a masterstroke. Everything continued smoothly even after we arrived at the palace. When Kara said she was delivering an item the Duke had left behind and that we had come to see Prince Persis, the guards readily opened the way. Even for Kara, I hadn’t expected it to be this easy.

The carriage dropped us off in front of Persis’s palace. It had been incredibly smooth sailing up to this point. Now I just needed to enter the palace and meet Persis. Imagining Persis shedding tears as soon as he saw my face made my heart ache.

It seemed like everything I had been doing had only made things harder for Persis.

Just when all we had to do was meet Persis, our previously unhindered steps were blocked by someone for the first time.

“You cannot enter.”

The palace employees stood in our way with expressionless faces.

“I’ll just greet him briefly and leave.”

“That’s not possible. Young Master, you don’t have permission to visit today. Also, His Highness must soon leave for his lessons.”

Lessons that they would turn a blind eye to even if he skipped every day. Were they thinking they would just neglect him again, assuming he’d be fine wherever he ran off to? Moreover, there were still three hours until Persis had to attend his lessons. They should at least tell believable lies.

“There should still be three hours until his lessons.”

“He said he wants to rest before then. Please leave for today and come back after making a proper appointment.”

Since when did they follow the rules so strictly? If they were going to be so meticulous about everything, they shouldn’t have come to the Duke’s mansion without permission when Persis wouldn’t stop crying. If Persis could do it, why couldn’t I? Was it the difference between royalty and nobility? Damn this class system.

Perhaps the sudden loss of my position as Persis’s playmate was causing me significant mental stress, as my thoughts were jumping all over the place. Once I started looking at things negatively, nothing seemed right. There was no way I could view the palace employees, whom I had constantly clashed with, in a positive light at a time like this.

Thinking about it, I was rebelling right now. In a way, even being here was rebellion against the Duke. If I could go against the words of the terrifying Duke, dealing with palace employees would be a piece of cake. Of course, I could later be severely punished for violating the Emperor’s rules, but my father was the Duke.

He was practically the second most powerful person in this Empire and a hero that no one could touch. In this moment, I was truly thankful to be the Duke’s son.

I glanced slightly at Kara. Just by meeting my eyes, Kara understood my intentions. Though she didn’t directly sigh or frown, I could see she found this situation quite displeasing. Still, I was so grateful that she went along with my wishes.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was behaving stubbornly with Kara, just as Persis did with the palace employees.

“I understand. We’ll leave.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Not thankful at all. And I had absolutely no intention of leaving right now. Pretending to turn around slightly, I took advantage of the palace employees’ momentary lapse in attention and darted between them. Unlike at the Duke’s mansion, most of the palace employees were wearing skirts. The billowy skirts made it more difficult for them to move quickly compared to others.

“Wait! Young Master!!”

The palace employees reached out to catch me as I quickly ran forward. Kara swiftly blocked them one by one, saying she had something to ask. From a distance, I could hear the voices of the employees bickering with Kara. Kara was amazing for understanding what I wanted without me having to say it out loud.

Persis was not a prince who received much attention in the palace. This also meant there were fewer guards inside compared to other palaces. Thus, there was no one who could catch me as I suddenly rushed inside.

They couldn’t keep up when Persis dragged me along, so how could they catch me now? I ran to Persis’s room, which I had pictured in my mind, without any interference.

I had rarely visited his room directly. Most of the time, we met in the reception room, garden, or his private classroom where he received lessons. A royal’s bedroom was that important.

If Persis had gone out to the garden alone or was wandering outside, there would have been far fewer palace employees to stop me. The fact that he was in his room meant that, given Persis’s personality, he wasn’t likely to be previewing lessons in the classroom or sitting in the library. The most likely place for him to be was his room.

Reaching the door, I knocked on the large door and tried to enter. Just as I was about to touch the door, the guards standing in front were quick to lift me up.

“Ugh, let go!”

“Young Master, you mustn’t do this.”

“Just a moment, I’ll just say hello and leave!”

“That’s not allowed!”

As I struggled in the guards’ arms, they held me a bit more firmly. It was just a slight tightening, but I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

“Ah!!”

I let out a loud scream. The guard was startled and loosened his grip. Just as I was struggling more forcefully to break free, the tightly closed door suddenly swung open.

“Ana!”

Through the open door, I could see our crybaby prince with tears in his eyes. It seemed he couldn’t hold back and had started crying again.

“Ana, hate it! Let go!”

Persis commanded the guards with a more precise voice than usual. They looked at each other hesitantly, then reluctantly released me. Persis grabbed me tightly as soon as my feet touched the ground and led me into the room. He didn’t forget to glare slightly at the guards as he finally closed the door.

Persis’s room, which I hadn’t entered for a long time, was darker than I expected. The sun should have been shining brightly, but perhaps because of the translucent curtains, everything looked gloomy.

After leading me into the room, Persis let go of my hand as soon as he closed the door and moved away from me. Persis showing me his back? Something was off. Normally, he would have hugged me tightly and shed tears as soon as he saw me. I don’t know where the Persis who had just called my name had gone.

“Why did you come?”

Persis spoke to me without looking at me.

“What?”

“Ana, you’re not my friend anymore.”