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nTranslated by Niks

nby

nOur gaze met his eyes, reminiscent of a transparent lake.

nA boy with shiny silver hair. It was a face I had seen once, but never forgotten.

n…Because he was the male lead.

nBeing so startled, that you couldn’t even scream. That’s exactly my situation right now.

n“…What’s happening?”

nNo, who would have thought that I would meet a male protagonist here?

nAs for how startled I was, I couldn’t even think of removing the swarm of lights flying around me.

nLooking at the silver hair fluttering blankly, I came to my senses only after a few seconds.

n‘Wait. Callion is a prince.’

nEven after seeing the prince, I couldn’t even greet him.

nIt was an issue in this place, where the rank system was obvious, that may lead to the imperial family committing the crime of blasphemy.

nIn the novels I’ve seen, how many people have their throats blown away for blasphemy of the imperial family?

n“…I’m doomed.”

nI quickly raised my stiff body.

n“The Prince…”

n“Hush!”

nIt was a moment when I tried to greet him in order to calm my surprise.

nCallion, who came in an instant, grabbed my shoulder and put an index finger around my mouth.

nI only blinked my wide opened eyes in the embarrassing situation.

n“Be quiet for a second.”

nThe beautiful voice, which has not yet reached the period of transformation, fell gently in my ear.

nI couldn’t believe I’m hearing the Prince’s voice this close because I met him unexpectedly.

nThe moment I was about to nod my head, my thoughts stopped.

n“…Your Highness!”

n“Where are you?”

nA voice was heard looking for Callion from not far away.

n“Prince Callion! Your Highness!”

nOh, that’s why you told me to be quiet.

nIt seemed that he hid in a deserted place to avoid people and ran into me.

nWhy did I have to sit here anyway? I should have gone a little deeper.

nLate regret suddenly rose, but it was always after the event that I thought that way.

nWas it because I’m nervous to think that we’re hiding from someone? My legs were shaking.

n✿

nCrumble~

n“Screwed up.”

nWhy was there a tree branch just behind my feet in a lot of empty space?

nDescribe in less than common character why the branch was brittle dry.

n“Hey, didn’t you hear something?”

n“I don’t know.”

n“No, I heard a rustling from over there.”

nThe voices that were looking for him were getting closer and closer.

nCrazy! I think we’ll get caught right away if they come closer a little more. My heart was about to pop out of my throat.

nCallion’s expression, which I glanced up at, was dyed with a sense of embarrassment.

nWhen I saw the face, the guilt pressed down on my tension.

nIn the midst of a lot of things that I’m sorry about. I still have a strong conscience.

n‘…My father and Fern told me not to use magic anywhere else.’

nStill, I didn’t want anything more difficult for Callion. If that’s because of me, even more.

n‘Because it’s my fault.’

nIf it wasn’t for me, Callion wouldn’t have been caught.

nAt times like this, there’s perfect magic.

nI would have used it another way anyway. Since I use it often in the mansion, I gently waved my hand.

nThe magical power that had escaped closely from my fingertips, became a translucent energy and wrapped around Callion and I.

nCallion’s eyes widened at the hazy curtain that suddenly appeared in front of him.

n“It’s a relief that it’s a magic that I used often.”

nWhen I tapped Callion’s arm with a careful touch, he slowly turned his head as he stared over the bushes.

n“It’s okay to talk now.”

n“…”

n“I used magic that would keep them from seeing and hearing us outside, so we don’t have to move or speak loudly.”

nIn my words, Callion looked at the curtain surrounding us once and then looked back at me again.

nSeeing the subtle expression on his face, it seems as if it was hard to believe.

nI know. It would be suspicious if someone says because a kid used a magic

nBesides, it’s not a low-level magic.

nThen, just in time, someone arrived to prove my magic.

n“His Majesty the Prince!”

nTwo knights wearing the uniform of Imperial Knights appeared from beyond the grass.

nI know they won’t find us anyway, but I was still nervous.

n“What? There’s no one here.”

n“That can’t be true…”

n“There was definitely a sound from this side earlier.”

n“Hey! Are your eyes for decorations? Can’t you see this empty place?”

nSure enough, they didn’t find us. This place reflected in the eyes of the knights would look like an ordinary garden.

nOne knight smacked the other with a rotten expression and headed to another place.

n“I definitely heard…”

nThe knight, who heard the rustling, could not give up and looked back at this side in doubt, but eventually turned around to follow the other knight.

nThe voices were getting farther and farther away, and at some point I couldn’t hear them.

nAs soon as I thought that the two of them were far enough apart, I removed the magic I had spread out.

n“They left…”

nRelaxed, I muttered without knowing.

nIt was a different kind of fatigue than when I used it to hide from the servants at times in the mansion.

nWas it because it’s the first time I’ve used it for two people?

nAfter a moment of silence, Callion opened his mouth first.

n“…I’ll keep it a secret.”

n“What?”

nWhat do you mean it’s a secret?

nWhen I looked at him with a puzzled look, he briefly said, “Magic.”

n“Ah.”

n“…”

n“Thank you, Prince.”

nThere has been silence again since the slow thank-you speech.

nCallion was silent, and I also didn’t speak to him with a dark expression.

nBecause I could guess the reason, I couldn’t easily say anything or go beyond the topic.

nIn this whole situation, not just in identity, I know Callion, but he doesn’t know me.

nLet’s just stand there looking at each other for a few minutes without saying a word.

n“Erita, where are you?”

nI heard a voice looking for me from afar. Did Aaron finish faster than I thought, or did time pass faster than I felt?

nThe end of the accidental meeting was approaching.

nAt that moment, hesitating for a second whether I could leave without saying anything, my eyes met Callion at a good timing.

n“Well…”

n“It seems they are looking for the Princess.”

nWhen I hesitated, not knowing what would be good to ask for his understanding, Callion first brought it up.

n“Ah yes.”

n“Thank you. For hiding me.”

nI’ve heard the greeting, so I should go. It was frustrating as if every corner of my chest was suffocated.

nI don’t know why I remembered what I had put in my pocket while I was about to leave.

nA chain of fortune that Mary taught me how to make, even though I was worried all day yesterday.

nI guess that’s all I could do for Callion, who was tired. I made it myself and it looked crude, but now I don’t have time to think about it.

n“Prince, someone told me that holding this ring will bring you good luck.”

n“…”

n“You’ll be happy. For sure.”

nI didn’t really believe in superstition, but I hoped that the saying that it would bring good luck this time was true.

nAfter holding the ring in Callion’s hand, I immediately bowed my head to greet him and left the place at a quick pace.

nI don’t know where that guts came from.

nMaybe this situation was heartbreaking because it was my favorite character.

nIt’s something he doesn’t have to go through in the original story.

nIt’s true that Callion has something to do with the death of my family.

nThat obviously, in the original, they had an antagonistic relationship.

nThe death of my family, written as if passing by a little story.

nAslan died of an unexpected runaway during the battle, and Aaron committed suicide a few days after Aslan’s death.

nBut I don’t know the exact reason. Why my father ran out of control, or why Aaron committed suicide.

nThe exact circumstances will be known only to those of the original.

nI shook my head and tried to take a step.

nAnd at that moment.

n‘The Grand Duke’s not a person to do that. There must be some reason.’

nMy eyes turned blank, and a voice directly hit my head.

nWho’s this voice?

nAnother scene unfolded without thinking.

nA bloody man whose face was so blurry that it’s hard to recognize.

n‘…Certainly, the Grand Duke had no intention of killing. Clearly, there’s a reason why the Grand Duke made him stand on the side of your older brother.’

n‘What? What’s this?’

nMy head started to hurt.

nAnd the last scene…

nIt was shattered, like looking through a broken mirror.

n‘The Lord’s… Magic…! Surely… it’s…!’

nContrary to the scene that was blurry from the beginning, only the voice was clear.

nNow, not only the scene and even the voice crackled as if there was noise.

n“Ugh!”

nInstantly, a pain pierced through my head.

nIt feels like I’m being stabbed with countless needles.

nI felt my body loosening up and falling at a very slow speed.

nThat was then.

n“Erita!”

nThud~

nI heard a voice calling me urgently, and my body was pulled toward the floor.

nIt was a familiar voice.

n“…Brother?”

nWhen I realized it, the pain that seemed to break my head quickly disappeared.

nAs if nothing had happened.

nI looked around, but it was just me and Aaron.

n“…Are you okay?”

nI nodded my head in confusion.

nJust what was that…?

nFeeling like I was losing my mind, Aaron worried and called out my name.

n“Erita, are you really okay?”

n“…Yes. I must have stumbled for a moment. I’m sorry, brother…”

n“No. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.”

nPerhaps because I almost fell earlier, Aaron’s expression was still worried.

n“First, let’s go home…”

nI struggled to put aside what had just happened.

n“Yeah. Are we going home now?”

n“Yeah. Dad’s coming soon, too… But, nothing really happened, right?”

n“Yes. Let’s go ahead and think about it later.”

nSmiling awkwardly and nodding, the voice I heard. The person in the blurry scene was…

nI couldn’t tell exactly…

nWhat’s the possibility that I saw something because I was tired?

n“…No way.”

nThe scene, the voice, and the pain that was terrible could never be mistaken.

nIt was too bizarre to tell anyone else.

nI felt like I shouldn’t…

nThe carriage heading to the mansion was as quiet as it was when it came.

n✿

nCallion looked with his sunken eyes at the place where he disappeared.

nAfter the funeral, he couldn’t stand still, so he ran out of the palace recklessly.

n‘Be quiet, Prince.’

nBeing angry that he couldn’t respond to the Empress’ words that passed by along with her shameless face.

n‘I hated myself, my inability to do anything even though I knew my mother was dying.’

nPretending to be fine was also difficult and frightening.

nIt was an unexpected person who I encountered while running away from fear without knowing what was.

nA little girl who used magic.

nHe hadn’t heard her name, but he knew who she was.

nBecause her black hair, as distinct as that of the royal family, itself symbolized her family.

nCallion, who was staring through the grass where the child disappeared, turned his head to a strange object felt from his palm.

nThere was a small ring with a rough shape.

n“…It brings good luck.”

nI heard that she had lived for seven years or so without even knowing the existence of her family.

nThe child who had such a situation was so friendly that she comforted others.

nJust enough to give something precious to someone you meet for the first time.

nCallion, who looked down at it with a complicated gaze, began to walk towards the palace.

nA small ring was gripped tightly in Callion’s hand.

nThe butterfly that flew loosely hovered around it for a while, then disappeared from the sky.

nNo one knows how today’s encounter would affect the future.

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