Chapter 215
One hour later. After seeing off the people leaving for a hunt, Luwen was called away by the guard captain in charge of village security. I waved to Luwen as he glanced back while walking away, and then I moved to accomplish my purpose.
I had seen the Third Prince, who had briefly come out during the farewell, return to the chief’s hut. It seemed he was enduring well despite being confined to such a small space, which must be suffocating.
Was he that afraid of death? Or was he laying low to plan his next move?
‘I’ll know what kind of person he is once we talk.’
Since we need to end the war, he shouldn’t be a coward. It would be good if he was hiding here because he had a plan, but the fact that he fled despite the Second Prince assigning excellent subordinates to him is problematic—it doesn’t appear entirely positive.
“Hello?”
I approached the Kans guarding the entrance to the hut without hesitation and smiled with my eyes. Despite noticing me, the angle of his loosely held spear remained the same, slightly tilted. He wasn’t cautious at all.
“Well, who do we have here. Isn’t it the village’s new pretty one?”
“Could you not call me ‘pretty one’?”
“Heh heh heh.”
He laughs gleefully by himself. I wanted to kick him hard in the shin, but I held back and smiled shyly.
“I only want to look pretty for Lukas. Oh, by the way!”
“Hmm?”
“Can I go inside?”
“Of course not.”
I blinked my eyes and tilted my head.
“Why?”
“Because it’s the chief’s hut.”
“But Banya is alone in there. I thought he might be bored, so I brought some paint.”
I deliberately spoke loudly enough for those inside to hear. I opened the lid of the bottle I was holding and showed its contents. It was full of dye that looked like thick brown paint.
Both when I first arrived here and yesterday, this person was the main guard for the chief’s hut. The chief would always station him there when she stepped out briefly, so he must know the inside story to some extent.
“I like to paint, so I thought we could do it together.”
The guard snickered after seeing the dye.
“Weren’t you two on the run? You packed paint in such an urgent situation?”
His reaction was more contemptuous than suspicious. Yes, with Banya as a precedent, I knew he wouldn’t find it suspicious.
“Is that not allowed? I wanted to bring other colors too, but I was afraid they’d be too heavy, so I only brought my favorite color…”
I played with my hair while lowering my gaze. I also slightly lowered my voice to sound upset.
“I like it because it’s the same color as my hair.”
“Y-you’re not going to cry, are you?”
“I’m not crying. I’m just a little upset…”
But why is it so quiet? He must have heard words like paint or drawing. This is someone who packed painting supplies while fleeing to an enemy country and stayed in a place with scenery he liked. I expected him to react.
“Well… I’m sorry. It’s just beyond my common sense.”
“So can I paint with Banya?”
I smiled brightly and raised my voice even more. Still not coming out? Really?
“That would be difficult—”
Flap.
“Um…”
That’s right. You should respond! It’s your favorite thing. You must be itching to do it, especially since you seem to have left everything behind at your previous dwelling.
“If it’s okay… I’d like to paint together…”
The Third Prince timidly muttered as he poked his head out. He seemed to be looking at me, but his gaze was focused on the bottle I was holding.
I looked at the guard with expectant eyes. He scratched his head with a troubled expression but eventually nodded.
“It should be fine since Banya wants it. Just make sure to explain it well to the chief later.”
“Yes. Don’t worry!”
“Hahaha! Not you, pretty one.”
I blinked and tilted my head in confusion. After firmly maintaining my character’s personality until the end, I finally set foot in the chief’s hut.
There was something different from what I had expected. Behind the chief’s chair, which I thought would be blocked by the cliff the hut was built against, there was a space. It wasn’t just a hut after all.
‘It doesn’t seem to be a naturally formed cave.’
I followed the Third Prince while stroking the smooth surface with my palm. After slightly bending to pass through an arch-shaped doorway, a fairly spacious area appeared. A bonfire was lit in the center, and a large bed was placed on the left.
‘How does the smoke escape?’
As I was examining the ceiling out of curiosity, a frail voice was heard.
“Here…”
He fidgeted, rolling his eyes slightly and glancing at me.
The Third Prince was standing in front of a wall covered with paintings on cloth. They were all landscapes—enough that even someone seeing him for the first time could grasp his preferences. Despite using only mud, the landscapes in the paintings were three-dimensional, bright, and elegant.
‘It’s a shame they’re only brown.’
Other colors would have been more interesting, but I suppose it doesn’t matter since the Third Prince would recognize the dye anyway. For now, my task is—
“Wow! Banya, did you draw these?”
Make a fuss while clapping.
“They’re really amazing! It’s like I can smell the forest! The bird you drew here seems so lifelike, as if it might fly away at any moment. The sparkling lake and trees are so bright and pretty. Completely my style!”
His cheeks turned slightly red, perhaps embarrassed by my exaggerated reaction.
“Yes… Since you said you like painting too…”
“That’s right! This is my paint. Oh, but I couldn’t bring brushes.”
When I held out the dye, the Third Prince glanced at the contents and then showed obvious disappointment.
“…That’s not paint.”
“Well, it can be used as paint, right? So it is paint. Just like how you paint with mud!”
Knowing that the saying “you can’t spit on a smiling face” works even better with timid people like the Third Prince, I smiled broadly. Sure enough, his lips moved slightly, but he couldn’t say a word and just nodded with a weak smile.
‘I can see why the Second Prince wanted to make this person the Crown Prince.’
He’s not crown prince material. But for an enemy country, it’s a different story. They don’t want an exceptional emperor to appear and strengthen the country, nor do they want someone as aggressive as the current Crown Prince of Tuaso.
‘But this is inconvenient now.’
To end the war, this person needs to actively move. Since there’s not much we can do right now, it seemed I would need to take him with us first and then persuade him step by step.
“Want to paint together? I’m a bit embarrassed to show you since you’re so good!”
“I’d like that.”
“Let’s share this. Can I borrow your brush in exchange?”
The Third Prince nodded with a bright face and rummaged around before handing me a painting brush. Despite the crude wooden handle, the bristles looked quite luxurious.
“Did you make it yourself?”
“The chief…”
“Ah! You two look good together. How did you meet?”
I asked while properly coating the brush with dye. The Third Prince, who was laying out a new cloth for painting on the floor, hesitated.
“…She helped me. And we’re not dating… I’m just parasitizing here.”
“Huh? Really? I thought you were lovers since she calls you ‘chick’?”
“She calls you ‘pretty one’ too.”
The Third Prince chuckled. His smile seemed somewhat bitter, so I moved closer to him and lowered my voice.
“Could it be unrequited love?”
“No. I’m not in a position to like anyone.”
“Why? What does position have to do with loving someone? I had a one-sided crush on Lukas for a very long time too.”
“You?”
“Yes. He wouldn’t accept it at all because of our status difference. Even though it was obvious he liked me!”
I puffed my cheeks as if reminiscing about that time, then gradually relaxed my expression and smiled with my eyes.
“But see what happened when I persistently pushed forward. We’re together now. Don’t limit yourself.”
“But in the end, you were driven out. To a place like this…”
“Actually, I have a weak body.”
It was my first time painting on cloth, and the lines weren’t forming as I wanted. Still, I thought it would be better to talk while painting, so I moved my hands diligently.
“When I was young, my mother fed me poison. That’s the cause. I wanted to be loved, to be acknowledged, so I ate it even knowing it contained poison.”
“…”
The Third Prince’s hand stopped. I could feel him looking at me, but I pretended to focus on the painting and continued speaking as if it were nothing.
“It was foolish. Neither my father nor my brother loved me. I was a child no one wanted.”
“I think I understand that feeling… I have a brother too.”
I know well. That’s why I deliberately mentioned having a brother instead of a sister. So he could easily empathize, knowing his life was threatened by his brother. When people feel a sense of kinship, solidarity naturally develops. Building this friendship would make persuasion easier later.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
