Published at 13th of September 2019 01:30:10 PM
Chapter 51
Chapter 51 – Don’t Cry, Queen (2)
Because Queen had burst into tears and flew away, I decided to visit the southern palace myself .
‘It’ll be fine as long as I don’t stay too long . ’
I want to thank Prince Heinley for the cake anyway, but I was mostly worried about Queen .
“Oh my . Empress Navier . ”
A knight of the Western Kingdom was astonished when he saw me . I was in front of the quarters where Prince Heinley was staying, and another knight with blue hair came rushing towards me . He recognized me, but more than that, his gaze indicated that he seemed to know something . My ladies-in-waiting knew that Prince Heinley and I exchanged letters, and there had to be someone on his end that knew about me as well . Still, I had to guard myself to those even close to the prince, so I smiled faintly at him .
“I have a message for Prince Heinley . Is he inside?”
“I’m glad you came . I was worried because he came here crying . ”
“…The prince came crying?”
“I’m sorry? Oh, no, not the prince, the bird . It’s a bird . The prince’s mean bird came crying . ”
The blue-haired man added that the prince never cried, then hurriedly knocked on the tightly closed door and shouted .
“Prince, Her Majesty the Empress is here!”
About three seconds passed . I thought I heard a loud noise from inside, perhaps something like falling furniture, but then it was silent . I looked at the blue-haired knight to see if everything was alright, but it seemed unperturbed by the loud noise coming from the room . A few minutes later, the knight opened the door after a signal that it was okay to come in from the inside .
“Thank you . ”
I slowly entered the room, curious to what that was all about . Prince Heinley’s room was clearly of the southern palace, yet it was somehow unfamiliar . His scent lingered faintly in the air, and there were unusual items scattered here and there . Prince Heinley, standing in the middle of the room, was the most familiar thing in this strange space .
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“I’m sorry . I had something else to do…”
As I quickly looked around the room and stared at him, the prince smiled and kissed me on my hand before stepping back .
Something else—did that mean he was washing up? It looked like he had hastily thrown on his clothes . He usually had nary a wrinkle on his carefully selected attire, but he looked rather rumpled at the moment . I could see his skin peeking through the loose buttons of his shirt, but it would be awkward if I pointed it out . It wasn’t like there weren’t people that wore their shirts like that .
I turned my eyes on the prince’s face, wondering whether to ignore it or point it out, only to see something that caught me by surprise .
His eye were red and there was a wetness on his eyelashes . It was obvious that he had been crying a little while ago .
‘I shouldn’t have come . This was bad timing . ’
I awkwardly turned away my gaze . Did he cry while taking a bath? How embarrassing it must be for him to visit so suddenly . I was truly sorry .
“Did you receive the cake?”
However, because it was strange to have a conversation without looking at his eyes, I finally turned my head again . Prince Heinley was staring at me with moist purple eyes . I heard that animals often take after their master . Was this the reason? Suddenly I realized that Prince Heinley’s eyes looked very similar to Queen’s .
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“Oh no . Did you not get it?”
It wasn’t until the prince questioned me again did I manage to shift my focus away from his wet eyes .
“I received . I just wanted to come here to say hello and thank you . ”
“Thank goodness . I was worried Queen wouldn’t deliver it properly . ”
“Yes, it looked a little heavy for him to carry . ”
“I wanted to take it myself, but Queen insisted on carrying it himself… . He’s unexpectedly strong, so don’t worry . ”
Prince Heinley gave a languid smile, but his eyes were still misty, making him look less arrogant and proud than usual .
“Would you like a cup of tea? Oh, was the cake delicious?”
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“It was delicious . Did you make it yourself?”
“It’s a hobby . I even have my own kitchen in the West . Are you good at cooking?”
“I’ve never done it before…so I don’t think I am . ”
“I have heard that those who can cook and those who can’t are made for each other . I suppose that means the Queen and I are meant to be . ”
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That story was unfamiliar to me . I looked at him with a frown, and he turned red and scratched his nose .
“I suppose the saying doesn’t cross countries . ”
“I suppose not . ”
“Is there something you wanted?”
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“I…Your Highness . I wanted to see Queen . ”
“Queen? Why so suddenly…?”
“He was crying so hard when he left . I’m worried about him . ”
As I spoke, I paid attention to signs that Queen was somewhere in the room . However, I could neither hear nor smell a bird . Prince Heinley smiled awkwardly .
“There’s nothing I can do . Queen went hunting . ”
“Hunting?”
” I don’t know exactly what exactly he went hunting for, but he goes out alone to fly in the capital . ”
“Did he come in crying?”
“Somewhat? But he was quite alright . ”
The blue-haired knight worried that Queen came crying, but Prince Heinley said otherwise? I couldn’t help but be curious, but Prince Heinley looked calm . If the owner said it was alright, then it had to be . I nodded reluctantly .
“I see . That’s a relief . ”
I nervously brushed the skirt of my dress . There was nothing else I had to say . I said, “I’ll see you again,” and glanced towards the entrance as a signal that I wanted to leave, and Prince Heinley quickly strode forward to open the door . He didn’t stop there however, and followed me as I stepped outside . I looked at him curiously, but he simply smiled and asked me which direction I was going .
“So how was the gift?”
I pointed to one direction, and Prince Heinley fell into step beside me . When I glanced back briefly I spotted the blue-haired knight, who ducked his head hurriedly when our eyes met . I turned my head around again .
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“Queen? Was the gift not to your liking?”
“Oh, I liked it . Thank you, Prince Heinley . ”
“Wasn’t it too much?”
How did he know that? I looked up with a start, and Prince Heinley explained with a faint smile .
“I was a little worried . Of course, I am friends with you, but we haven’t known each other for a long time . I thought you might feel burdened . ”
“I see . ”
“I hope you don’t feel pressured . The western kingdom is a jewel capital and many of the mines are owned by the Imperial Family . ”
Feeling relieved, I nodded, and the prince smiled and placed one hand on his chest .
“Thank goodness . I was worried . ”
“I can see why you’re mistaken to be a womanizer . ”
“What?”
“It’s because you’re friendly and caring . ”
“… I’m not a womanizer, Your Majesty . ”
“Of course I believe that . ”
“You shouldn’t completely believe this face . ”
Well, at the New Year’s celebrations he had laughed when I said I didn’t believe the rumors he was a womanizer . He smiled awkwardly, and murmured in a gloomy voice .
“It’s because of my friend . He truly is a flirt . ”
“Duke Elgy?”
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“You heard of him?”
Is there any noble who hadn’t heard rumors of the two of them? But instead of being honest, I asked more questions about the Duke Elgy .
“Duke Elgy recently came to the southern palace . Did he say he liked it here?”
After he arrived, most of what I heard about him had to do with him and Rashta . It was said he often accompanied Rashta, and there was no mention of Prince Heinley, who was supposed to be a close friend . That was why I questioned Prince Heinley, to know if he and Duke Elgy had a fight .
Prince Heinley’s expression subtly shifted . I stopped walking for a moment in worry, and Prince Heinley stopped as well .
“As a matter of fact, Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask of you . ”
He completely sidestepped my question .
“What is it?”
“I’ve been worried about how to say it . Now that you brought it up, I think I’d better ask for a favor . ”
“Stay out of side in front of Duke Elgy .
What did you mean by this? I looked up in amazement, but Prince Heinley looked more serious than ever .
“Can you do that?”
“But why?”
“Any woman who gets entangled with the Duke Elgy is doomed to unhappiness . ”
“Sometimes he’s like a living cursed doll or a real ghost story . If you catch his eye…”
Was this a joke? A form of flattery? I smiled, but Prince Heinley lowered himself slightly so that his brilliant purple eyes were level with me .
“I’m telling you, please . Never, ever look beautiful in front of him . ”