Published at 30th of September 2019 01:50:09 PM
Chapter 61
Chapter 61 – Desert Flower (2)
The “Desert Flower” was my ring, obtained from a trader who returned from Rwibt . It had been handed down through the generations by the desert tribe’s greatest warriors, and also contained a powerful healing spell . I didn’t use it much, so I didn’t mind lending it to him…
However, my gaze unknowingly turned to Sovieshu’s smooth hands . It had neither a scratch nor scar .
“Do you truly need it?”
Sovieshu answered bluntly .
“I just want to lend it to someone who has injured hands . ”
“Who is it?”
“Let me borrow the ring, and I promise to return it . ”
“Rashta’s hands must be rough . ”
Sovieshu’s eyes widened . I set my fork down, then wiped my mouth with a napkin and smiled at him .
“You don’t need to use it on yourself . You can’t lend it to other nobles out of the blue, and you can’t sell anything you borrow . You’re certain that you can get it back . Surely the person you want to give it to must be Rashta . ”
Sovieshu stared at me in silence, then sheepishly placed his forehead in his hand . He gave a long sigh .
“Won’t you lend it to me?”
“I will . ”
“Really?”
“However, there is a condition . ”
“A condition…”
“Please lend me one of your magical items as collateral . ”
Sovieshu gave a shocked laugh .
“Do you think I will not return it?”
“No . But I may have a person I want to lend it to . ”
“To lend it to…Who?”
“Did you not tell me yesterday? You didn’t want me to associate with foreigners, so I will look at our young countrymen instead . ”
Sovieshu’s face stiffened .
“So, you will lend the Emperor’s items to a young countryman?”
I nodded my head and coolly took a sip of my water . It was a lie, but if he was going to take my ring, I needed security . Sovieshu threw me a dirty look and stood up .
“If you don’t want to lend it to me, just say no . I’ll pretend this didn’t happen . ”
I couldn’t finish my bowl of stew after that, but I was still hungry .
‘I’ll have to ask Countess Eliza for some ice cream . ’
I would feel a little better after I ate . Perhaps it was satisfaction from Sovieshu’s twisted expression, but my stomach felt less upset than when he accused me of spreading rumors about Rashta being a runaway slave or when he thought I brought Viscount Roteschu .
I was walking through the Western Palace when I spotted a couple of figures .
“Prince Heinley? Queen?”
Prince Heinley was standing and holding Queen . My heart lifted as I approached them, but I discovered that I was mistaken .
“That is not Queen, is it?”
The bird was a little smaller than Queen, and his feathers were blue instead of gold . Its face was completely different as well .
“This is Queen’s underling . ”
“Underling? Not his friend?”
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“He is his friend, but officially he’s an underling . ”
Prince Heinley smiled as he patted the bird’s heard . The bird made a disgruntled expression, and I chuckled .
“Prince Heinley’s birds are all very expressive . ”
“Is that so?”
“Queen has a surprised face, a sad face, and a shy face . ”
I reached out and touched the bird’s head . He, too, was very gentle in nature and remained still, even though he was being touched by a stranger .
“He has a grumpy face . ”
“He always looks like this . He always has a face like, ‘I don’t want to do that . ’”
At the end of Prince Heinley’s words the bird turned even sulkier, but the bird was so cute that I kept stroking him .
“Can I hold him?”
I assumed I could, but Prince Heinley answered with surprising firmness .
“That’s not possible . ”
“I can’t hold him?”
“Yes . ”
He didn’t seem willing to explain further, and I nodded .
‘I would also like to raise a bird of my own…’
The bird looked so pitiful that I touched its neck, and Prince Heinley suddenly stepped back . When I looked up, he smiled softly .
“I think the bird is anxious to go back to the room . ”
“…He looks calm . ”
“His heart is beating louder . He’s actually a shy and cowardly creature, unlike the brave Queen . ”
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I didn’t know if the blue bird was a coward, but he was certainly glowering at Prince Heinley . Instead of deigning the prince with his displeasure, however, the bird stood up and wearily flew away .
“I’ve never seen such a spiritless bird . ”
“He’s always like that . ”
“Is he sick?”
“He’s fine . He’s just complaining . ”
“Complaining? What for?”
“Hm, indeed . Am I in trouble because I stopped the Empress from giving him a hug?”
I didn’t know if he was talking to himself or asking me . Prince Heinley had an unusual look on his face as he stared at the bird’s back with his arms folded . Then, as if he felt my gaze on him, he turned and smiled at me .
“I’ll have to ask him later why he’s angry . ”
“Can you talk to birds?”
“Yes . He’s probably angry because I stopped the Empress from hugging him, and he’s going to hit me ten times on the rear . ”
I burst out laughing .
“What is it?”
“Oh, I was reminded of Queen . ”
“What?”
“I sometimes pat Queen on the rear . ”
“He has a cute behind . ”
“Oh…thank you . ”
“What?”
Why was Prince Heinley so red? I looked at him quizzically, but his eyes refused to meet mine .
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Ah . Was it because I was so plainly talking about rears? With a face that red, he really wasn’t a playboy as the rumors suggested .
‘He is surprisingly pure . ’
I thought he would laugh, but I didn’t continue because he was so embarrassed . I quickly changed the subject .
“I remembered I wanted to ask you something, Prince Heinley . ”
Prince Heinley looked at me with one hand covering his flamed cheek .
“Yes . Ask me, Queen . ”
“I met Duke Elgy yesterday…”
“Ah . I see . ”
He frowned as if he disapproved of the encounter .
“Did he disrespect you?”
“Not at all . ”
“That is a blessing . ”
“Instead he said something strange…”
“What do you mean?”
Prince Heinley’s expression was tense .
‘I’m not sure I can tell him the bad names, can I? Duke Elgy said he was a frivolous man . ’
While Duke Elgy and Prince Heinley were best friends in name, I doubted that relationship right now . Instead, I asked about something else .
“He said it was you who called him here . ”
“…Yes . ”
“He also said you’ve been setting up something for years . ”