#22
He probably meant I wasn’t his playmate anymore, but it felt like he was denying all the relationship we had built until now, making my heart sink with a thud. Persis must have noticed this and quickly looked at me, frantically changing his words.
“No! No, it’s because you won’t have any reason to come to the palace, Ana, because you’re sick. That’s why.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
When I showed understanding, Persis let out a small sigh of relief.
What is this? Seeing this, it didn’t seem like Persis disliked me or wanted to distance himself. Yet why did I feel like he was creating distance between us?
It was so different from what I expected. I had planned to use Persis crying and unable to part with me upon seeing my face as an excuse to become his playmate again. But Persis had no intention of getting closer to me.
“Ana.”
“Yes.”
“Now, don’t come anymore.”
I didn’t understand what he meant. I couldn’t comprehend why Persis, of all people, would say such things.
“Y-you’re not well. So, don’t come. I’m, I’m fine.”
“What do you—”
“Ana! You can’t come!”
I couldn’t understand Persis’s words as he shook his head and shouted.
“I’m fine now.”
“No, you’re not! You might, get sick again. I don’t want that.”
Persis quickly denied my words. Persis, who couldn’t even make eye contact properly since entering the room, now looked straight at me. The tears that had welled up in his eyes disappeared in an instant. The face of Persis that entered my vision somehow seemed unbelievable.
This was the Persis I had wanted to see. The Persis I knew—strong-willed and unafraid to assert his opinions.
“You don’t need to come anymore, Ana.”
I couldn’t say no to Persis who was speaking so deliberately. Instead, I took one step toward him. In response, Persis took one step away from me. It was as if he refused to allow our distance to shorten.
I looked at Persis without saying anything. His firm expression showed no sign of wavering. Finally, I painfully opened my mouth and spoke to him.
“Yes. I will do as you say, Your Highness.”
I was glad that my voice didn’t tremble.
* * *
Kara boarded the carriage with me after I left the Prince’s Palace. I felt strange the entire way home. I couldn’t understand how he could have changed so much after not seeing each other for just a few days. No, Persis hadn’t changed. He was just more worried about my health than he was happy to have me by his side. Or maybe he simply grew tired of being with me.
I don’t know. I couldn’t understand why Persis suddenly acted this way. It could be a child’s whim. Children’s likes and dislikes change in an instant. It was inevitable that Persis, who had been crying that he couldn’t do without me, would now tell me not to come to the palace.
In two years, I was planning to leave Persis’s side anyway. By then, my time as his playmate would be over, and I intended to pass all my responsibilities to Rikin, even if Persis tried to keep me.
I was a bit worried that the timeline had been moved up by several years. In the meantime, Persis might change to be different from how I knew him. But fortunately, the Persis I saw today was a glimpse of the future Persis. He would become the person I knew, and there was no doubt that he would grow into a man who could proudly laugh alongside that person. Even without me, he would grow up to be the man who suited that person.
There was nothing to worry about. Now I just needed to focus on the Duke until I met that person. And in the meantime, I should build up my knowledge and abilities. I didn’t have much time anyway, so this was a good thing.
“Are you alright?”
Kara, who sat across from me, asked.
I was fine. Persis’s sudden words were surprising, but it wasn’t his fault, and he hadn’t completely pushed me away. I just thought this was how relationships drifted apart. That’s how it was between Andelion and Persis in the original story too. So it was the natural course for us as well.
So I should say I was fine. I should nod and reassure the worried Kara.
“Yes. I’m fi—”
But the words wouldn’t come out. Is this what it means to have a lump in your throat? I needed to finish the sentence, but the moment I did, I felt like tears would burst forth. The heat already rising had warmed my eyes. I knew that even the slightest mistake would make them fall.
Kara’s eyes reflected concern as she looked at me. I didn’t want to worry her. I shook my head slightly and tried to speak again with the brightest face I could manage, but the more I tried to smile, the more distorted my face became.
In the end, unable to hold back, I burst into tears. I cried without saying anything. My lips trembled with sorrow as I could no longer speak.
Kara, who had been sitting across from me, moved to my side and embraced me. I continued to cry in her arms.
More than I thought, really more than I thought, I must have liked Persis. Dropped into this world that no one knew, struggling, Persis’s existence was truly important to me. He allowed me to focus on my goals. When times were hard, he held my hand tightly.
Just as he said he liked me, I really liked him too. I even thought it would be fine to remain his playmate and become his unrivaled friend like Rikin. If he wanted, I was willing to stay by his side for more than just two years.
My desire to guide him toward a better path was my own excessive ambition. In truth, it was because I was with him that I could make an effort, and I could dream of the future by his side.
Without realizing it, Persis had become an extremely important person to me. Was it my fault? Did I push him away, making him distance himself from me? I couldn’t understand why this happened. It just flowed naturally.
He in his place, and I in mine—that’s all we could do. I closed my eyes, trying to shake off the emotions and thoughts that clouded my mind.
* * *
“You went to the palace.”
I let the Duke’s low words go in one ear and out the other. I felt more like, ‘So what are you going to do about it?’ Even if he abandoned me, he couldn’t kill me yet. I was a bit worried about Kara, but it seemed he wasn’t saying much to her. As expected of our Kara. She’s not only capable but also well-trusted everywhere.
“You disobeyed my words.”
“Yes. I will accept whatever punishment.”
The Duke stared at me without saying anything. Does he want to make this young son stand and be glared at? Normally, wouldn’t one ask the other to at least sit in a chair? Anyway, he’s really playing the villain part well.
“Until my permission is granted, do not leave this duke’s mansion.”
“Yes.”
I answered obediently. I had no reason to leave the mansion anyway, except to see Persis. I was starting to want to go back to my room now. But after mentioning the punishment, the Duke didn’t tell me to leave. I wished he would say something, but the Duke continued to maintain his silence.
Just as I raised my gaze to check his expression, the Duke, who had been keeping his mouth shut, finally spoke.
“You said you wanted to go to the garden.”
“Yes.”
I answered immediately as soon as his words fell. It was sudden, but I needed to confirm whatever was hidden in the garden.
“Good. Let’s go together.”
I swallowed hard, finding his words somehow unbelievable. The emotions that had been clouding my mind were starting to clear a little. I never expected him to suggest going to the garden so quickly. The Duke, who had been sitting behind his office desk, sprang to his feet.
Once he made up his mind, he seemed intent on acting immediately. As I felt in the game, he was quite the impatient type. Once he decided to do something, no one could stop him. That’s probably how he managed to make such a mess of this empire.
“Follow me.”
When I stood there blankly, the Duke, who was about to go ahead, called for me. Only then did I slowly follow behind him. Kara, who had been waiting outside, tried to follow when she saw us come out. The Duke left instructions for her to wait in my room and led me toward the garden.
No one interfered with the Duke and me. Who would stop the Duke, the only one allowed to enter the garden, when he said he would take me in?
Throughout our walk into the garden, the Duke didn’t speak to me. He simply walked ahead silently.
The garden, which had only seemed fascinating when I entered with Persis before, now felt somewhat eerie. Was it because of Persis’s bright smile that I hadn’t felt this way before? Even looking at the vast flowerbeds didn’t give me the same excitement as before.
This isn’t good, starting like this. The empty space left by Persis’s absence seemed to grow larger and larger.
“This way.”
The Duke stopped briefly and called to me as I was reminiscing about Persis. He seemed to want to show me the deepest part. Surely he wouldn’t try to offer me as a sacrifice to the demons when I wasn’t even fully grown yet? Suddenly, fear washed over me.
Completely unaware of my fear, the Duke led me inside without hesitation. I could feel my small heart beating violently in my chest. My breath trembled from the tension, and before I knew it, cold sweat was running down my body.
The man before me was a veritable villain. Why hadn’t I been more cautious when I didn’t know what he might do? Scolding myself for following him all the way here without thinking, I continued to follow in the Duke’s footsteps.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
