Chapter 28

"Sniff... hiccup, u..."

Emilia, the first princess of Abianoya, had been crying in a hidden spot. Her hands were caked with dry mud, and the dirt had even seeped into her nails. She couldn’t wipe her eyes, and the girl, who had been hiding and crying, had been alone for a while.

"…Really, to throw mud at His Majesty. What have you done, Emilia…!!"

Echoing in her mind was her mother’s voice scolding her.

"But, Mother…! As I said before, that child—"

"Such things are no longer important!!"

Her mother had believed Emilia’s lie earlier. But now, after being expelled from the courtyard by her father, her mother wouldn’t listen to a word.

"His Majesty told us to leave. To leave the garden…!! He left that dirty child, born to a lowly woman, in place of me, the queen, and my daughter!?"

"H… hiccup…"

"Emilia, if you hadn’t done such a thing in the first place…!!"

"I’m sorry… Mother, I’m sorry…!!"

Even as Emilia apologized, it seemed her mother wasn’t listening.

"Mother, but…!"

"Excuse me, Your Highness. A magician from Magnonia has come to discuss business."

"I’ll be there shortly. Emilia, you stay here and reflect on your actions."

With that, her mother left with a maid, heading somewhere. Since then, Emilia had been lost in despair in this hidden garden.

(Because, Mother… If I had bullied and driven that child away, I thought Mother would be happy…!!)

She couldn’t tell her mother this. Emilia was sad and continued to sob.

(If that child weren’t there. If Claudia weren’t my sister…)

A whirlpool of anger began to churn in her stomach. Sadness and fury had made Emilia’s heart a mess. With her dirty hands, she couldn’t even wipe her tears, and she was at a loss.

At that moment,

"Ah…!?"

"!"

In the hidden garden where no one should have been, a figure jumped out from behind a tall hedge. The person also stopped, startled by Emilia. Through her blurred vision, Emilia recognized him.

"You, that child’s attendant…?"

Standing before Emilia was a boy around her age, with black hair and black eyes. In fact, she had noticed earlier that the boy had a very handsome face. Even as a princess, Emilia found him very attractive.

His clearly defined double eyelids were cool, and his eyelashes were as long as hers. His black eyes were mysterious, and it felt like she could be drawn into them. His dignified features made him look like a prince from some far-off kingdom.

He seemed to be around her age, but he was much taller. His mature appearance, due to his taciturn demeanor and calm expression, made him seem even more grown-up.

"I’m sorry for startling you."

The boy bowed quietly, and Emilia’s heart skipped a beat.

"N-no, it’s fine. I wasn’t startled by you."

"…But"

He seemed to be about to say something, and Emilia realized it was because she was crying. Embarrassed, she quickly looked down. Just as she was about to wipe her tears with her mud-covered hands, thinking it didn’t matter if her face got dirty,

"Don’t rub your eyes."

"!"

The boy grabbed Emilia’s wrist to stop her.

"W-what!! How dare you, a lowly attendant…!! Touching me is not allowed!!"

"Please forgive me. However, a mud-covered hand can cause injury or illness."

But the handkerchief was in a hidden pocket of her dress, and if she used her dirty hands to retrieve it, she would dirty the dress. Emilia had no other way to wipe her tears. The boy, after a moment of hesitation, spoke to her in a small voice.

"…Can you keep this a secret from the adults?"

"E…?"

He seemed to have quietly cast a spell.

The words he spoke were short, but a soft light overflowed from his hand, forming a sphere that floated gently.

"W-what is this…!? What are you going to do!!"

"Please be quiet."

"!"

His calm tone made her angry, but the boy didn’t even look at the frightened Emilia as he guided the light. The floating light enveloped Emilia’s hands, and the warm, pleasant light disappeared in an instant.

"…They’re clean…"

Emilia blinked, looking at her hands.

"Your magic?"

"It’s a simple purification. Can you find a handkerchief or something with those hands?"

"Oh…"

Only then did she understand why the boy had used magic.

(Could it be for me?)

Her heart began to beat rapidly.

(Magic incantation. Normally, it requires a long spell, but this boy only whispered a single word. Could it be that this boy is really good at magic?)

The boy stepped away from Emilia, bowed with his eyes downcast, and said,

"…I must go now, as I am on a mission. Again, I’m sorry for startling you."

"Ah! W-wait…"

Before Emilia could stop him, the boy ran off again.

(That attendant… I think his name was Noah.)

Her heart raced, and her cheeks grew hotter. With the tears stopped, Emilia pressed the hands Noah had purified to her left chest and whispered,

"Beautiful. …I want him, so much…"

***