Chapter 216
“It seemed like everyone was counting down the days until my death. I was completely alone and lonely. Then I met Lucas.”
I gradually raised my voice tone, ultimately returning to my original cheerful tenor by the end.
“Did you know I was scolded for the first time?”
“Scolded? Wasn’t he a guard knight?”
“That’s right. But I’ve collapsed from overexertion quite a few times, and he got angry at me for not taking proper care of myself. He told me to value myself.”
“Isn’t that an impertinent remark?”
As expected of royalty. This was supposed to be the touching point, but he found it impertinent.
“Right? I thought so too at first, so I pushed Lucas away a lot. I accused him of being sent by my brother to monitor me.”
At least I showed agreement first.
“Then there was a day when I became really, really, really sick. I thought I was going to die. Honestly, I wouldn’t have regretted dying.”
The Third Prince was still focused on my story, his hands motionless.
“But Lucas stayed by my side all night. It might seem trivial to others, but for me, it was enough to fall in love.”
“…Ah.”
“When I came to love someone, the world looked different. It sparkled. Like the landscapes you paint.”
This time, I looked up at the paintings the Third Prince had created. After smiling once at him as he gazed at me, I went back to drawing.
“I thought that was the end of the miracle, but when I realized Lucas liked me too, I wanted to live. Desperately.”
Then I glanced at him and smiled sheepishly.
“Ahem. It’s a bit embarrassing. What do you think after hearing this? Does it seem like I’m worthy of love?”
“I…”
The Third Prince lowered his head. The hand holding the brush trembled slightly.
“I abandoned all my responsibilities and duties… and ran away. Yet I’m hiding in a place like this because I want to live. Do I… still deserve it?”
“Of course. Wanting to live is human instinct. No one has the right to criticize that.”
I’d prefer if he picked up his responsibilities and duties, but I couldn’t say that now.
“The same goes for responsibilities and duties. If you didn’t take them on willingly, I think it’s okay to set aside those that are too difficult to bear.”
“…Even though many people died because of me?”
I put on a slightly surprised expression. So he does know he could have prevented this war.
“Did you kill them?”
“…No, I didn’t. But I could have prevented it and ran away instead. I thought if I disappeared, my brother would return to being the kind person he once was. It was a foolish misjudgment.”
The Third Prince’s voice wavered. He felt guilty.
I closed my mouth and carefully chose my words. A good response here might help him strengthen his resolve.
“Do you regret it?”
“…”
He didn’t answer immediately, falling silent before putting down his brush entirely. The dye on the brush spread like corrosion. The landscape that had been taking shape became a mess in an instant.
The Third Prince buried his face in his hands and nodded.
“…I regret it deeply.”
After considering for a moment, I brought his painting toward me. A picture of a lake surrounded by mountains. In the center of the landscape containing all the elements he liked was a messy, hard-to-fix stain of brown dye.
Swish, swish. I began to add lines over it. In the quiet silence, only the sound of the brush passing over the cloth could be heard.
Being focused on the painting, I couldn’t tell what the Third Prince was doing, but it was right not to give him attention now.
‘If this turns out as I intended, it should capture his interest.’
The cloth kept shifting and getting smudged, so I paid careful attention to each line. After some time passed, it seemed to have turned out acceptably, and I put down the brush with a swallowed sigh of relief.
“Ta-da!”
I deliberately sounded extra cheerful to lighten the mood.
“This is…”
“What do you think? Compared to Banya, my skills aren’t good, so it’s a bit rough!”
I boldly covered the entire bottom half of the ruined area with a flower field, changing it to a scene of viewing the lake from a hill full of blooming flowers.
“Isn’t this pretty too?”
“…Yes. It’s pretty.”
“When you make a wrong choice, you can’t return to how things were originally. But look. What choices you make afterward can also change things.”
“But this is something you did. I… it wasn’t me who did it…”
“Does it matter who did it? There’s nothing embarrassing about asking for help. Haven’t you seen me being carried around by Lucas?”
I casually smiled and handed the painting to the Third Prince.
“If it’s difficult alone, ask for help. The leader would gladly help you, right?”
Having been too serious, it was better to slip up a bit here.
“Pfft. It has nothing to do with the leader.”
Yes, I expected that answer.
“Then ask me. I’ll help you.”
I pointed at myself with my index finger and smiled brightly. The most radiant smile I could muster.
The Third Prince, who had been staring at me blankly, slowly focused his eyes. Then he looked at the painting I had given him. It was quite a long time, but I quietly continued drawing the picture I had originally intended to create.
As it was nearing completion, the Third Prince spoke.
“It’s Lucas, isn’t it?”
“That’s right! Handsome, isn’t he?”
“Aren’t I better looking?”
“Sorry. In my eyes, no one is more handsome than Lucas.”
“How decisive.”
The Third Prince burst out laughing. His clear laughter was pleasant to hear.
Following him, I laughed along and continued drawing. With the atmosphere much brighter, the Third Prince also picked up his brush again.
After exchanging a few inconsequential words, we both began to focus on our paintings. Since the final details are typically the most important, I invested considerable time and effort.
‘It would be good if the attack happened right now. No, no. Let me finish this first.’
Perhaps because I was drawing Luwen, I had the desire to complete it properly.
I became so absorbed that I almost forgot the Third Prince’s presence. Upon completion, I smiled happily and held up the painting with both hands. Though I couldn’t properly capture Luwen’s handsomeness no matter how hard I tried, it was a fairly satisfactory result.
‘I feel proud.’
Looking fondly at Luwen in the painting, I turned my head, intending to show it off to the Third Prince. But he was hastily hiding his own painting.
‘Hm? He was proudly showing it earlier, so why is he hiding it now?’
I assumed he had been painting a landscape, so I wasn’t particularly curious, but…
‘Damn. If I were truly Feilun, I would have asked out of curiosity.’
If he had hidden it inconspicuously, I could have pretended not to notice, but since he was so obviously in a hurry to hide it, I couldn’t do that.
“What? What did you draw that you’re hiding? I’m curious!”
Showing my curiosity, I crawled over, and the Third Prince, who had hidden the painting behind his back, began to sweat profusely.
“Ah, it’s nothing…”
Didn’t he learn diplomacy in the imperial palace?
“Then why are you hiding it? Is it a secret from me? Could it be… you drew the leader?”
I knew the Third Prince only painted landscapes, but Feilun wouldn’t know that, so it was a reasonable question. I was beginning to wonder what would become of the two of them if this fellow became emperor.
“No. It’s not the leader…”
“Then what is it? Show me!”
After being very shy, he gradually brought the painting forward as if he had been waiting for me to insist. Then, with his eyes tightly closed, he held it out to me.
Huh? This is…
“Huh? Is that me?”
“Yes. It’s my first time drawing a person… Does it look strange? I’ll draw it properly again.”
As he hurriedly tried to put the painting away, I quickly grabbed his arm.
“No! I really like it! Is it a gift for me?”
The Third Prince nodded and held out the painting. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone’s hands turn completely red. Perhaps because it’s his first time drawing a portrait.
Regardless of my actual opinion, I once again enthusiastically made a fuss. It’s starting to get tiring.
‘Have I depleted my energy…’
It was exhausting to force up my energy and pretend to be cheerful. But if an attack occurred, it would be easier to whisk him away if we were together, so I needed to stay with him until the leader returned.
‘It would also be easier for Luwen to find us if we’re together.’
In an urgent situation with two people to protect. If we were separated, it would delay things, so by any means, we needed to stay together.
And if possible, it would be better to go outside rather than stay here with no escape route.
“I’m glad you like it.”
The Third Prince smiled brightly, so I smiled back. Since the mood was good, maybe it was time to lure him out.
“Ah! That’s right. Did you know you can make paint from flower petals?”
“I’ve heard they’re used as ingredients, but do you happen to know how to make it?”
Looking directly into his expectant eyes, I nodded.
“Yes. I learned from my painting teacher before. I remember he said you need to combine it with the sap from a certain tree… If we make a small cut just enough for the sap to flow out and examine it, we might be able to tell. He said it smells like mouse droppings, that’s how I remember.”
“What kind of smell is that?”
Ah. I was at a loss for words. I said that because they actually used sap that smelled like mouse droppings, but it’s not like I’ve smelled it myself. In fact, I don’t want to know what that smell is like.
“I don’t know exactly either… but it’s probably an unpleasant smell?”
“Pfft. Right, you’re nobility after all.”
I scratched my head and laughed foolishly, then grabbed the Third Prince’s arm.
“Let’s go look! There might be trees inside the village, and I want to see your landscapes come to life with color!”
“…Inside the village, yes. That should be fine.”
The Third Prince rose, pulled by my strength.
Just as we stepped outside the hut, having grabbed a dagger just in case.
Dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong—!
A loud bell sound. The repetitive, short-interval ringing signaled an emergency.
‘It’s an attack.’
I quickly looked for where Luwen might be. He would surely be coming to me. Where is he? The people moving busily around made it difficult to see clearly.
“Wh-what, what should we do?”
The terrified Third Prince trembled as he grabbed my hand. In just a moment, he had sweated so much that his hand was damp.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
