72
Arpel’s face, which had been no different from usual even when facing the Emperor, had now turned pale. Seeing him look more precarious than expected, Arpel’s hand pulling him became urgent. He glanced at Owen, nodded once, and then headed out of the banquet hall.
As Owen had explained earlier, there were separate terraces outside where attendees could rest. Arpel found the most secluded spot and immediately drew the curtains.
“Are you feeling a bit better?”
A cool breeze swirled in. Out of concern, Arpel absently stroked Rohan’s cheek. Rohan slowly raised his head without pushing away Arpel’s hand, firmly grasping it as it was about to fall away naturally.
“Just a little…”
“Hm?”
“Comfort me… just a little more…”
The small voice was close to pleading. Arpel felt his chest tighten at the breath that seemed about to break at any moment. With his throat constricted and feeling as if he was wallowing in mud, all Arpel could do was gently stroke Rohan as he wished.
Slender fingers caressed his cheek like drawing a picture, then moved down to his neck. The hand gently patting the feverishly warm nape felt familiar.
Rohan’s body twitched every time the hand brushed his ear. Color gradually returned to his pale face. Rohan, who had been quietly receiving the caresses, mumbled.
“…I don’t like that bastard taking an interest in Arpel.”
The hand that had been moving smoothly suddenly stopped. The “bastard” Rohan referred to was clearly the Emperor. Arpel, who had unquestioningly believed Rohan was suffering from nightmares of losing his family that night, was taken aback by the sudden mention of his own name.
“What if… what if he takes you away again? If he targets you like before…”
The wavering eyes became calmer as Rohan continued to stammer. Ever since learning long ago that Arpel had been handed over to the Salvation Church by the Emperor, Rohan had been particularly sensitive about the Emperor and the Salvation Church.
Not only had he directly faced the person responsible, but the Emperor had also acted as if he was interested in Arpel. To some extent, Arpel could understand why Rohan had such concerns.
However, this didn’t mean he liked seeing Rohan like this. He still felt uneasy. After seating Rohan, who still showed signs of anxiety, in a chair, Arpel’s eyes were clear as he looked down at him. Rohan’s golden eyes were captivated by Arpel’s as if entranced.
The hands firmly holding both cheeks gently pinched the soft cheeks. Rohan let out a small moan at the unexpected action.
“Don’t worry about such things.”
“But…”
“You’re strong, Rohan. You said you’d protect me.”
It was a promise he had made many times since childhood. As if engraving those words in his heart, Rohan finally nodded. The way he nodded vigorously, as if it was obvious, looked cute.
Although Rohan’s state had stabilized somewhat, Arpel wanted to give him something more certain. He didn’t particularly want to see him so anxious.
“And Rohan, even if we were to be separated… if you call for me, I can always come to your side.”
“…Really?”
“I’m your sword, after all.”
Eyes that were impossible to read flickered briefly. But the overwhelming feeling emanating from him, the clear satisfaction being conveyed, showed that his mood was gradually improving. Finally, having completely calmed his emotions, Rohan subtly smiled.
Arpel lowered his hand that had been caressing Rohan’s cheek and sat down opposite him. The wind ruffling through his hair felt cool.
Although the banquet hall was large enough to comfortably accommodate many nobles, the crowded feeling and incessant noise were unavoidable. The mind that had been dizzy from the unfamiliar situation was now completely refreshed.
The noise from the banquet hall sounded distant, and only the gentle rustling of bushes and leaves filled the air. The atmosphere was not bad, better than expected. The moonlight shone brightly on Rohan’s gently smiling face.
Somehow, Arpel felt thirsty.
“Shall I go get something to drink?”
“I’ll go get it.”
Arpel remembered there were people walking around the banquet hall offering light drinks. He stood up intending to get drinks from them, but Rohan stopped him, making him sit back down.
“Do I need to wait for you here?”
Before Arpel could answer, Rohan had already drawn the curtains and gone out of the terrace. …Was he thirsty? Arpel blankly stared at the empty seat, making a pointless guess. Rohan simply disliked the idea of Arpel going alone into the crowded banquet hall, but Arpel had no way of knowing this.
Perhaps because they had been together until just a moment ago, the inside of the terrace felt particularly spacious. It was equally quiet. The faint rustling of the bushes only served to heighten the sense of being alone.
I wish he’d come back quickly. It was while Arpel was unconsciously thinking this that the closed terrace door suddenly burst open without warning.
“…You.”
The person who entered was not Rohan, but an uninvited guest. The only flaw in treating him as a simple intruder was that he was the empire’s one and only Crown Prince.
His silver hair, a symbol of the imperial family, and green eyes shone nobly under the moonlight. Although it was bothersome, Arpel had to show some courtesy, so he reluctantly stood up from his seat and gave a light greeting.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Arpel.”
The problem was that it was too casual. Just as nobles would introduce their family name, Arpel, who had come as a priest, should have added an explanation about the temple.
He knew this thanks to Owen’s repeated instructions, but with Rohan not returning and an unwelcome person appearing instead, he had done it out of spite.
The excessive etiquette among humans was still just cumbersome to Arpel. For him, not frowning was already his limit.
“I, I am…”
Normally, such an obviously annoyed greeting would have made the situation irreparably worse. But that didn’t happen.
Because the person who should have pointed out this rudeness had malfunctioned.
As soon as he entered the terrace, the Crown Prince’s attention was completely focused on the figure standing with the moonlight at his back. Jet-black hair that seemed to have absorbed the night sky fluttered in the breeze, and the quietly shining purple eyes were beautiful beyond compare to any rare gem in the world.
The pale skin with a slight blush on the eyelids, whether from makeup or not, gave off a subtle allure, but the white uniform covering his entire body without a gap also lent an ascetic feeling.
As he carefully observed every aspect of this appearance, he felt something drop in his chest. It was like a shock that split the whole world in two. Emotions he had never experienced before enveloped his entire body.
“I’m sorry, but this place is already occupied.”
Of course, regardless of all that, Arpel politely asked him to leave. Only then did the Crown Prince, who had been blankly staring at Arpel, come to his senses.
“…I am Luciel Lencester.”
After a moment’s pause, he picked up a red card that was placed on the table.
“When using the terrace, you should place this in the window. Otherwise, people might enter without knowing someone is using it. Please be careful in the future.”
“…Thank you.”
Although the explanation was kinder than expected, Arpel just took the card he handed over without much interest. He had wondered what it was since it was on the table when they entered the terrace, but apparently it was to indicate occupancy.
The Crown Prince, who Arpel thought would leave immediately, continued to stand there. Arpel, who had calmly sat down, looked up at him. It was a silent urging asking why he wasn’t leaving.
“…I would like to talk with you for a moment.”
The form of address had changed from “you” to a more polite form, but no one paid attention to that. Luciel, after briefly examining Arpel’s expression, hastily added.
“Even if it’s just for a very short while.”
“…Yes, alright then.”
His voice sounded like he might cry at any moment if refused. It was strange to see the cold-looking face so restless, but Arpel didn’t bother to question the reason.
While the Emperor generally had a gentle impression, the Crown Prince, despite inheriting his coloring, seemed like the embodiment of coldness. Rather, Arpel vaguely remembered the debutante girls excitedly chattering that this was part of his charm.
With such a handsome face, his expression probably didn’t matter much. Despite Arpel’s gaze appraising him like a useful tool, a blush spread across Luciel’s face.
The reason Arpel bothered to allow Luciel was because he was the Crown Prince. If he shared the Emperor’s intentions, Arpel might be able to gain some clues by talking with him briefly.
Considering that possibility, sacrificing a little time wasn’t a bad choice. If there was one slightly annoying point, it was that Luciel had casually sat down opposite where Rohan had been sitting.
“You said your name was Arpel. May I ask which family you’re from?”
Luciel, still oblivious to that uncomfortable gaze, asked Arpel. Arpel met his gaze calmly and answered as he wished.
“I’m a priest.”
“……”
For a moment, the gaze that met his flinched. Arpel didn’t miss even that fleeting change. An excessively obvious gaze poured onto one person.
“…I see.”
Of course, that tiny clue quickly vanished without a trace. He naturally lowered his gaze to stare at the red card he had been fiddling with. The voice that followed with a question was completely nonchalant.
“Do you dislike priests?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seriously considered it.”
The agitation was extremely brief. The gap that had appeared when Arpel answered that he was a priest was no longer visible. As the time he had reigned as Crown Prince was no lie, there was no sense of discomfort from him now that he had calmed down.
This is hopeless. Seeing the cold face that looked like it wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, Arpel gave up on probing further. Pushing more here might arouse suspicion.
“May I be excused for a moment?”
“Hm?”
Instead, there was one thing left that he wanted to find out. Arpel stood up and slowly leaned towards Luciel.
