Chapter 44

Laser stood at the entrance of the classroom, took a deep breath, and firmly held the letter containing the secret that his mother had given him.

Laser came to my territory with a happy look on his face. I was very pleased that my cute younger brother had come, but it wasn't just Laser who got off the carriage...

My father, who had gotten used to Laser's visits, was enthusiastic from early morning. He would talk about how a royal family member coming to our territory was a great honor, night after night, starting the week before. The queen was intimidating, and my father was not comfortable with her.

But Laser, with his overflowing kindness, naturally adapted to our home. As a result, my father genuinely welcomed Laser.

Sometimes, my father would say something frightening like, "I wish Laser could become the king." Oh, that's scary. I need to correct my father before he lets anything slip.

We had chilled the watermelon we harvested this summer in the river and brought it into the house to welcome Laser, who was arriving at noon. "I hope Laser will be pleased," my father said with a grin, clearly having ulterior motives. "Yes, I hope so too."

At noon, Laser's carriage arrived as scheduled. The people of the territory were no longer as excited as before, which made it easier for Laser to come.

When the carriage arrived at the house, Laser got out. "It's been a while, big brother." He had the same adorable smile as always. "Good to see you, Laser." I, my father, Iris, and Vain greeted him.

Vain and Laser seemed to know each other and bowed to each other.

"Is this your big brother's lover?" Laser pointed to Iris. "No, that's not it," I immediately denied.

"By the way, I was supposed to come alone, but... I was caught at the last moment, you see," Laser said awkwardly. I could tell it wasn't a good story.

"Actually, my sisters and brother came with me... My sisters went to town with their friends, but my brother is still in the carriage," Laser said apologetically. It's not your fault, I thought, patting Laser's head. Your brother just came for his own selfish reasons.

My father was the most surprised by this news. He clutched his stomach and said, "Son, I'll leave the rest to you," before dramatically leaving for the bathroom.

Then, the first prince, Arc, stepped out of the carriage. "So, this is the Helan territory," he muttered. "It's not bad, I suppose."

Despite being preoccupied with Iris, he was looking at the scenery.

"Hey, Kururi Helan. I've come to inspect your territory as the first prince." "Thank you for coming." "I don't see the lord. Is he not at home?" "No, he's not feeling well and has stepped out. I'll handle things, so don't worry." "Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

He whistled and seemed uneasy. "As we get closer to the Helan territory, he becomes like this. He might cause trouble, so please bear with him," Laser said, worried about his brother's behavior. It's understandable, given that Laser doesn't know his brother's true intentions. Having a strange brother must be tough. I patted Laser's head, thinking about his sisters, especially the first princess, Maria. If she's a decent person, she probably wouldn't be mentioned, so she must be reliable. I silently prayed for Laser's well-being.

I already knew the first prince's intentions, but I needed to confirm if it was just a formality.

"Laser, please wait in the house with Iris and Vain. I've prepared the watermelon we talked about earlier. Prince Arc, would you like to inspect the territory with me?" Arc hesitated and broke out in a cold sweat. It seems the official business was just an excuse.

If he had been honest about coming to play, it would have been easier. I want to enjoy my days off too.

"Please take care of my brother," Laser bowed and entered the house with Iris and Vain. They seemed to be quite familiar with the place.

Left with Prince Arc, we both felt the same discomfort.

There was no turning back now, so we ended up touring the territory together.

"A, here, I was asked to give this to you," Arc gruffly handed me a letter. The recipient was Eliza Doville. Seeing her name, I felt a sudden excitement. Why am I so happy? I found it a bit strange myself.

The carriage jolted as we rode, and we both stared into the distance, not really talking.

"V, Vain and Iris, what are they doing here?" Prince Arc broke the silence, clearly curious about Iris.

"They're just here to play and work part-time." "I see. Part-time work, huh..." The prince seemed to understand.

After being apart for a while, he must have thought a lot about Iris. He seemed to finally understand her and was impressed by her presence.

I wanted Iris and the prince to get along quickly, but the prince was disappointing, so I couldn't really get into the spirit of supporting them. Today, he was peeking at Iris, which was pitiful. Come on, prince, be more serious! And he came at such an inconvenient time!

Iris is currently infatuated with another man. If Arc finds out, what will he do? I hope he doesn't do anything drastic in our territory.

"By the way, we have some delicious watermelon at the house. If you'd like, we can finish the official business early and go back." "That sounds good! Let's do that!" The prince's eyes lit up like a fish in water. He should just say he wants to see Iris.

Then we wouldn't have to take this detour.

When we returned to the house, the three of them were eating watermelon in the garden, competing to see who could spit the seeds the farthest. I wanted to join in.

Laser ran over to us. "Are you back already?" "Yeah, we changed the plan and decided to eat watermelon together." "That's great. Come, let's eat. This watermelon is really delicious."

I couldn't resist anymore. I took a slice and joined them, spitting the seeds. Pfft! It was so satisfying. "Look, I can spit pretty far too," Iris said, blowing out the seeds. I wanted to say it's not ladylike, but she looked so happy, so I let it go.

The conversation was fun, but there was a slight issue. We were sitting in a row: Arc, Vain, Iris, Laser, and me. Iris kept looking at Laser and me, making the conversation lively.

Vain was quietly eating his watermelon, enjoying the peace. There was no problem there. The problem was the first prince, Arc, who was sulking at the end of the row.

He must have always been the center of attention in a group. Not knowing what to do, his eyes looked quite lonely. He's so handsome, usually girls would flock to him. But Iris isn't a typical girl. Hang in there, prince.

"Hey, is Iris staying here during her break?" Arc mustered the courage to join the conversation, having been left out. He had to push through Vain, which must have been difficult.

"Yeah," Iris replied, but it was a rather cold response. That's a bit harsh, Iris!

Arc looked like he was about to cry. Despite being handsome and a prince, with everything going for him, he was emitting a negative aura. According to Rai, he used to follow Iris around a lot at school. Maybe he's already been rejected? Could it have gone that far?

"By the way, you and Prince Arc seem quite close. Do you spend a lot of time together at school?" I tried to keep the conversation going by bridging the gap between them.

"Yeah, we often talk," the prince said with a dreamy look. "We just have a lot of classes together," Iris coldly replied, breaking the bridge.

This is hopeless. Prince, you should stay away for a while.

"Although I just met you today, Iris, you're a very charming person. I hope to become closer to you in the future," Arc said.

"I hope to become closer to you too, Laser," Iris said with her usual bright smile, gently patting Laser's head. She seemed to like Laser's cute, younger brother-like qualities.

"Yay," Laser said, smiling happily. "With you, Laser?" and "With you, Laser?" Who is she leaving out? I'm afraid to imagine.

Seeing this, Arc looked even more like he was about to cry. Maybe it's better to let him go home. I don't want him to do anything drastic in our territory.

The conversation continued, and by nightfall, Arc was on the verge of tears, saying he wanted to go home. He wandered around the house like a zombie.

"It's dangerous at night, so let's wait until tomorrow," I managed to persuade him to stay overnight.

"Let's go to the hot springs. It will lift your spirits," I suggested.

"Yeah, I might as well drown myself in the hot springs," he said.

No, no! Dying is your choice, but dying in our territory is not allowed!

I finally had a moment to relax, leaving Arc to his attendants. I decided to take a hot spring bath and go to bed. It had been a tiring day.

The hot springs soothed my body and mind. After the bath, Laser was waiting for me, and we went for a walk together.

"The Helan territory is as beautiful as ever," Laser said. The night walk felt good, and I enjoyed the beautiful nature as well.

"Still, my brother caused a lot of trouble today. I shouldn't have brought him," Laser said.

"No, it's not that bad," I replied.

"But I shouldn't have brought him. He seems to have a crush on Iris."

"Oh, that."

"Big brother, don't worry about my brother. Focus on your own love. You and Iris are a good match. Make her happy."

"Wh-What!?"

Laser had made a huge misunderstanding, and my warm, post-bath feeling was shattered.

"No, no, it's not like that!"

"But you're staying here during your break, right? If you're not lovers, then what?"

"No, she's just working here. I don't have those feelings for her."

"Oh, I see. I made a big mistake."

"Yeah, I was surprised. Iris is a good person, but I don't see her as a romantic interest."

"Well, I worried for nothing. I feel sleepy now. I'll go back to the house. Are you coming, big brother?"

"No, I'll stay out a bit longer."

We said goodnight and parted ways. I sat on the grass, enjoying the night breeze in the garden.

The summer night breeze was pleasant, not too cold or hot. The stars were clear, and I could hear the beautiful chirping of insects. It was a lovely space, but then I heard footsteps. Turning around, I saw Iris walking towards me.

"You look relaxed."

"Yeah, the night breeze feels good. Want to sit down, Iris?"

"Sure, it really is nice."

We sat in silence, gazing at the stars. It had been a few months since we met, and we were now comfortable being together. I never thought I would become friends with such a beautiful and influential person. The prince was disliked, and I was getting along with her. Was fate changing? I wondered under the summer night sky.

"Actually, I heard your conversation with Laser earlier..."

"Huh? The one with Laser?"

"Yeah."

I was caught, but I hadn't said anything strange, so it wasn't a big issue.

"Kururi, you don't see me as a woman, do you? I used to think it would be nice if you liked me."

"What? But... Rozen... What do you