episode_0040

As soon as Albert finished jumping, he went straight to the garden.

My body was drenched in sweat and my legs were crying out for a break, but this wasn’t the time to be concerned about that.

Because I didn’t know when the opportunity would come if not now.

It was difficult to endure the frustration and pain any longer.

Eventually, when I arrived at the garden, I saw Luna.

She was looking at the flowers blankly, and suddenly she felt like she was heading somewhere, and she couldn’t leave it like that.

So, Albert said.

“Please talk to me for a moment.”

As Albert approached in front of her, Luna naturally lowered her head.

Clearly this was an opportunity.

A chance to apologize to Albert and go back to the way things were.

However, it took considerable courage to admit a mistake and apologize.

The more special the relationship was, the more difficult it was.

Luna thought that was truly strange.

When it comes to apologizing, isn’t that what you do best?

All I had to do was give the other person a satisfactory answer, like I always do, saying I’m sorry, saying I’m sorry, and saying I’ll be careful in the future.

But, why?

Is it really that difficult?

It was something I really didn’t know.

Luna thought so and took out a pen from her pocket.

I don’t know what kind of conversation to have.

It would be nice to apologize, but unfortunately, it seemed difficult right now.

However, we should not have reacted as if we were ignoring him like we did before.

If you make any more mistakes, it may really be irreversible.

[What kind of story do you want to talk about?]

“That… Hey, why don’t we take a walk for a while?”

Unfortunately, the courage Albert mustered to catch Luna did not last and faded away.

It was truly pathetic. This guy is having a hard time because he can’t even say sorry. If my father had seen it, he would have frowned and slapped me on the back of the head.

But, should I say that I am fortunate? The idea of walking for a while came out unconsciously and bought me some time.

If you keep walking, something will work out.

No, we have to do it somehow.

Albert took a step forward with that promise, and Luna followed suit.

So the two began walking side by side along the garden path.

There was an awkward silence between the two, with no conversation at all.

Albert and Luna were thinking the same thing. I need to apologize for what happened yesterday.

Should I say that they really resemble each other? Unfortunately, because they both lacked courage, no one was able to speak up first.

How much time has passed like that?

Neither of us noticed it because we were covering our heads, but we had just walked around the garden once.

“It happened yesterday.”

It was Albert who broke the silence first.

As he spoke, his heart was pounding and he felt like he was breaking into a cold sweat.

However, it could not be delayed any longer.

I have to eat breakfast soon, and I have sword training scheduled with my father right after that.

If we don’t resolve it now, we won’t have another chance until the afternoon.

And in the process, it would be natural for him to get beaten up by his father because he couldn’t focus on training.

The fact that he was beaten because he couldn’t reconcile with Luna was something that was absolutely unacceptable.

Albert calmed himself down by taking a deep breath and continued speaking.

“I’m sorry for showing you my ugly side yesterday.”

[I’m sorry too.]

Luna, encouraged by Albert’s apology, expressed her apology.

I felt like a fool for hesitating, wondering why I couldn’t do something so easy until now.

‘Interesting.’

We just exchanged apologies. There was no explanation or understanding process in it.

But why do I feel so at ease? The fact that I felt frustrated as if a large rock had been placed on me seemed like a lie.

However, it didn’t last very long.

It was because of one small question that bloomed in my head.

[Can I ask you just one question?]

“Yes, feel free to ask.”

[I wonder what you are working so hard for.]

Luna recalled what Albert said in the carriage last night.

Do you know who you are working so hard for?

He certainly said so.

Also, I had this question because I ran without stopping even though I was suffering from a hangover.

“Ahaha… . That’s right… .”

Albert scratched his head shyly.

I had some expectations, but I didn’t know if those expectations would really fall.

Still, I’m glad I avoided the worst.

Why did you not want to end up with the prince?

If she had asked that question, she would have had to give an answer that was like a confession.

Anyway, there was only one answer to return.

“It’s a funny story, but as you know, I’ve lived my life turning a blind eye to many things.”

Family crisis, parents’ worries, wife’s hardships.

I ignored everything.

“I came to my senses even though it was belated… . Anyway, that’s it. If you don’t work harder because it’s late, won’t you fall behind?”

Of course, there was another reason besides that.

No, rather, this should be seen as sincerity.

“And if I work hard now, wouldn’t the person who will one day be my wife be at least a little more comfortable?”

As Albert said that, his gaze was suddenly directed towards the sky.

I somehow managed to muster up the courage to speak, but I couldn’t bear to look her in the eye.

My face felt flushed with anger, and my heart was pounding loudly.

I was worried that the sound of my heartbeat would reach her in the silence where I couldn’t even hear the sound of grasshoppers crying.

Ssaaaa-.

However, just then the wind blew and dispersed the silence.

“Maybe because I ran so hard, I’m starting to feel hungry. I guess I have a long way to go to prepare breakfast, so I have to go and hurry.”

In the end, Albert couldn’t overcome his shame and took the first step.

It was a lie to say I was hungry.

There was no time to feel that way.

Luna stood blankly, watching Albert’s back as he moved further and further away.

As I did so, I fell into contemplation.

The person who will become your future wife.

It was none other than Luna herself.

He was saying that enduring pain and working diligently for his family were all for his own good.

Why?

There wasn’t even any contact before getting engaged.

Even after getting engaged, I only received and did not return anything.

And it will be the same in the distant future.

As a mute, I didn’t think I could give anything back.

There’s no way he doesn’t know that.

But why is he being so nice to me?

I don’t know anything.

So I wanted to find out.

Also thank you.

Because everyone worked hard for me who was ignored.

Kuuuk-.

Luna felt frustrated again.

I didn’t hate it.

* * * * *

Tak-tak-tak-.

Slender fingers tapped the table at a steady beat.

The owner of that anxious behavior was Asili Alexander, the first prince and the little sun of the empire.

‘driving me crazy.’

Asili has been in this state ever since she went to the social church.

I tried to sleep, but I couldn’t fall asleep at all, and I couldn’t work because I couldn’t concentrate.

“Prince, if you just let me do it, I will solve it.”

The person who spoke was an escort driver.

He was personally selected by Asili and is his most trusted and cherished escort.

If you leave it to him, the matter will be resolved neatly. Whether you buy it with money, pay blood, or use any other method.

Asili also thought highly of that and kept him as a close associate.

Recently, a slightly different reason arose… .

It would be okay since I was hiding it so no one would know.

Anyway, unfortunately, I couldn’t leave it to him. Because I wanted to solve these problems myself.

There was also very little wind.

My small wish is to have a friend who can feel safe even after knowing the truth.

Although the escort driver knew the truth, he was in no position to be a friend.

“But, are you sure? It seems difficult to tell just by holding it in your arms.”

Then it would be perfect.

However, that day, Princess Iris’s gaze was aimed squarely at her chest. As an added bonus, I felt quite surprised.

So it would be nice to say that I knew the truth.

The dark truth is that the first prince of the empire is actually a woman.

But, apart from that… .

“If that’s what you think, it would be a good idea to take a test.”

Asili said, “Okay,” and opened her arms towards him.

It was a very selfish command.

I was aware that as a prince, I shouldn’t do this, but I felt like I would go crazy because I felt unfair if I didn’t do something like this.

Just because she was born as the youngest, she was unable to marry the man she loved and ended up disguising herself as a man.

I truly hated the world.

“How dare I fall into the arms of the prince.”

And I really hated him too.