Chapter 45
"I like this place more than the main palace garden."
Dante, who had now begun to speak informally with Eric and Elisha, muttered with
a wide smile. Eric glanced at Dante and responded routinely.
"That is because His Majesty ordered it personally. Elisha likes flowers."
"Still, the Crown Prince's palace garden is ridiculously beautiful, isn't it?"
You know, the palace you'll be moving into soon. Then Dante looked behind the
garden toward the palace and spoke. Again, Eric answered with an indifferent
expression.
"Elisha decorated that garden."
"A prince buried in flowers is quite cute."
After she said that, Elisha plucked a flower from the garden, placed it behind
her ear, and blinked her eyes in bewilderment. At the same time, both Eric and
Dante fell silent, staring stunned at Elisha. It was a reaction completely
different from what she expected. A maid in the Solitaire Palace had assured her
that both Bernard and Eric would love it if she did that.
"B-b-beautiful..."
At that moment, Dante managed to get the words out, his cheeks flushing. He had
no idea what prompted her to suddenly place a flower behind her ear, but
honestly, it was truly beautiful. Her silver hair, shimmering slightly in the
sunlight, and sky-blue eyes under her white lashes. It was a stark reminder of
how much of an ethereal sight she was. A mysterious beauty, as if she were not
human.
"I have always been beautiful."
This was something you could know simply by looking in the mirror several times.
Then Elisha spoke as if she were asking why he was stating the obvious. Upon
hearing her, Dante began to regret the compliment he had uttered. She's right,
but it feels strange somehow. Next time, I'll just admire her in silence.
"And what about you, Your Highness?"
Ignoring him, Elisha turned her gaze from Dante to Eric and asked. The moment
their eyes met, Eric looked down quickly. This was, well, unavoidable. Eric bit
his lip, digging the tip of his boot into the innocent grass. Lately, whenever
Elisha did things like this without any particular intent, Eric found that he
could not look her directly in the eye. His heart was pounding, and his mind,
which was once a blank page, quickly became a tangled mess. If he tried to
answer in that state, he would end up saying nonsense nine times out of ten, so
it was best not to look and not to speak.
"Your Highness?"
But this little girl was remarkably persistent.
"Wh-what."
In the end, Eric spat out the word flatly, his gaze fixed on the Crown Prince's
palace on the side opposite Elisha. Looking at its majestic shape, a sense of
inferiority blossomed for a moment in Eric's heart. A Prince, a Crown Prince.
The man who would one day become the Emperor should not be swayed by emotion. It
was a strict rule Eric had learned since his birth. Besides, wasn't he
surrounded by exceptional people?
From Emperor Bernard, who was hailed as an unprecedented wise ruler, to Dante
Renard, who became an Imperial mage at a young age, and more than anyone else.
Elisha, the Great Mage with overwhelming power. In contrast, he was just an
incompetent Prince, unable to even control his fleeting emotions. Eric often
heard the whispers of people who judged him. A pitiful Prince, an incompetent
Prince. Of course, he was neither pitiful nor incompetent compared to those
fools. Eric had his own abilities; they just didn't know what they were. But
falling behind Elisha, a great mage the likes of whom will never be seen again,
he would always be the one left behind.
So, at least so as not to be swayed by his emotions, until he completely proves
himself. Let's distance myself from Elisha for a while. Let's hide the feelings
I have and play the role of the Crown Prince that others desire. And when I
become Emperor, when I reach a position where no one can touch me...
The scattered breeze is quite gentle.
Elisha walked slowly, conscious of Eric walking a step behind her. A small frown
formed between her eyebrows.
"This bothers me."
Why was she the only one who hadn't received the blessing? Why did the High
Priest frown upon seeing her? As much as it was concerning, the fact that "Lucy
Forte" could not ask about it bothered her as well.
"But more than that."
Who in the Imperial Palace could walk before the Emperor? Elisha frowned a
little again. She was not oblivious to this fact and tried hard to walk behind
him, but for some reason, Eric would stop when she stopped and slow down when
she slowed down.
"...Your Majesty."
They could not continue walking like this forever. After a moment, Elisha let
out a light sigh and turned around.
"Finally looked back."
At that moment, Eric spoke with a gentle smile. For a moment, Elisha forgot what
she was about to say and stared at him in bewilderment.
Could it be that he was walking behind me all this time just to make me turn
around?
It seemed his strange personality had not changed a bit over the years.
"...Could you please walk in front?"
Of course, she couldn't say this thought to Eric directly. Now, she was "Lucy
Forte." After finishing her thought, Elisha made her request to Eric in a very
polite manner. At that, Eric smiled once more a slight smile and shook his head.
"No."
Perhaps Eric von Cardion's personality has become stranger than before.
"Is there really a need for one of us to walk in front?"
Whether he knew what she was thinking or not, Eric took a step closer to her and
continued.
"Let's walk together."
"......"
"Without a need for one to lead, or one to fall behind."
Let's walk together. Repeating the words in his mind, Eric smiled a flawless
smile once more. It was that somewhat gentle smile he had shown Elisha several
times before. Elisha stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. It was a
strange feeling. Daniel's earlier remark, Eric's similar words, and now his
attitude toward "Lucy Forte" overlapped. It was, in one word, nausea. Elisha
decided to define this lump of unclassifiable emotions as just that. Mere
nausea.
"Lucy Forte."
How long had they walked like this? After countless maids had bowed their heads
before Eric and departed, he suddenly stopped and called Elisha. Elisha
immediately stopped in her place and looked at Eric. At the same time, the
nausea she felt earlier surged within her once more. This was not a good sign.
"Let's rest for a moment."
Whether he knew her feelings or not, Eric pointed toward the garden behind the
corridor, his eyes crinkling in a gentle smile. This time too, Elisha did not
refuse and nodded silently. ...She thought they had been walking for a long
time, and looking around, they seemed to have reached the vicinity of Solitaire
Palace. The garden of the separate palace Bernard had granted her in the past.
In other words, it was a painfully familiar space to both Elisha and Eric.
"In the past, I spent most of my time here."
After a moment, Eric stopped at a certain spot and began to speak quietly.
Elisha, in turn, followed his gaze. At its end was the entrance to a maze. The
one Elisha used to frequent, and where Eric often found her. Where the two spent
time together...
"It has recently been covered with new white rose vines."
It was done while you were gone, so you wouldn't have known. Eric swallowed the
rest of his words and stared intently at Elisha. Her green eyes were looking at
him, carrying no emotion. If he could, he wanted to bring up their past now. He
wanted to reveal everything to Elisha, asking her if she didn't remember saying
this or that on that day. But Eric decided to refrain. This was the conclusion
he reached after a night of deliberation.
"Why do you think a girl who had no place to turn but the Imperial Palace would
leave because of you, only for you to do now..."
He still cannot quite understand Dante Renard's words. They were too emotional
to be about a childish promise. But Eric decided to accept his words partially.
"Don't force your feelings on her a second time."
He didn't know what Elisha was thinking. In such a situation, trying to hold on
to her only with the proof of "guilt" had its limits. Besides, there was nothing
stupider than forcing someone's heart by taking their guilt hostage.
"But I cannot let you go either."
He could not repeat the same mistake, the same pain, a second time. Therefore,
Eric made a choice. He would reveal his feelings as they are. Thus, if her heart
moves even a little. He will wait for her to stay by his side of her own accord,
with a completely different emotion, not guilt or a sense of duty. After making
his decision, Eric carefully plucked a rose from the vine and offered it to
Elisha. Elisha blinked rapidly but extended her hand and accepted the rose he
offered. Eric stared at her quietly.
He knew now. The judgment he made in the past was completely wrong. He should
never have pushed her away in the first place. He should have asked her not to
leave, without hiding his feelings. There was no cure for late regret, but
miraculously, Elisha had returned to him. So Eric knew now. He couldn't help but
know. What he had to do.
"...Lucy."
Eric opened his mouth, his voice soft.
"You are beautiful."
That after ascending to this position, there was no longer any need to hide his
feelings.
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