Chapter 26
So. It must be because of this girl.
“Make a mistake for once, will you? Do you know? There’s a rumor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that you’re not human.”
The one who spread it continues talking. Since half of those rumors originated from him anyway, Ruiyan paid no attention. Jordan rambled nonsense—calling him a demon, or saying he was an old hermit who had come down from the mountains after centuries—each rumor becoming more absurd than the last. Ruiyan ignored him and looked at the girl instead.
Isilia von Agnes. They say she became the crown prince’s playmate. Judging by the fact that he hasn’t grown tired of her and keeps her close, he must be quite fond of her. Considering how few people can tolerate his peculiar personality, it’s convenient. While Ruiyan indulged in thoughts that lacked the proper reverence toward the crown prince, his eyes met hers. Her golden eyes trembled like honey catching the light. She didn’t avoid him—she just stared. Ruiyan fell into thought. The crown prince clicked his tongue at Ruiyan’s indifferent gaze. There was no one so prematurely old as him. He knew they were the same age as the girl… Shifting his gaze away from Jordan, he looked back at her. The rosy blush spreading across her young cheeks looked, for a moment, charming.
“There might not be anyone more perfect.”
As Ruiyan sighed, the girl swallowed her breath. She wasn’t frightened—just startled. The sharp little gasp made Jordan laugh. Ruiyan turned away from him, irritated by such frivolous laughter. Seeing the girl startled by something so meaningless made him feel as if he had done something wrong, and it annoyed him.
Isilia von Agnes.
The girl who suddenly appeared before him had become Ruiyan’s biggest source of stress. The young lady of House Agnes was strange. When he told her to stop following him, she nodded—and then showed up again the next day. She didn’t give up, even when he kept a cold distance. It was exhausting. If she were simply lacking intelligence, that would be one thing—but she held sharp conversation with the crown prince, so that wasn’t it either. He sighed. Another small intake of breath—she was startled again. Such a tiny thing being scared by every little sound felt burdensome. Besides… Ruiyan furrowed his brows. Her persistence was still annoying, but it was no longer insulting. Rather… sometimes he found it cute. And that was the problem.
[*You might grow attached, you know, my lord.*]
Jordan had said that early on, back when the girl first started following him. Ruiyan couldn’t stop thinking of that line lately. He, who always ignored anything the crown prince said unless it was official business, kept remembering one careless joke. The crown prince’s smug smile surfaced in his mind. Things were going in a strange direction. Whether he knew it or not, Jordan called Ruiyan out whenever he found the chance. Half of what he said was useless chatter—nothing worth listening to.
Jordan’s reason was obvious: to let the girl continue seeing the one she liked. A considerate gesture, supposedly, for a friend. But Ruiyan felt miserable. His already tangled emotions were being further disrupted by the crown prince himself. Not to mention, Jordan had bet on Ruiyan and the girl, according to rumors. Ruiyan could guess what that meant. Jordan seemed to enjoy watching Ruiyan try to shake her off while she clung stubbornly.
…Truly an awful personality. Ruiyan stared at Jordan with disloyal thoughts in his head. Seeing his expression tighten within mere seconds, the crown prince scoffed.
“Your expression’s terrible. Are you even listening, Duke?”
Ruiyan nodded vaguely. Jordan shot him a look that said: Don’t be ridiculous. Ruiyan narrowed his eyes. So Ariel, the princess, had ruined him. Actually—maybe he was always like this. Ruiyan pushed aside the useless thought as his head began to ache and looked away.
“Ever tried a change of pace? Be warmer to someone else, for example.”
“…No thank you.”
“Well, *I* don’t think it’s fine. You only have one friend—Duke Brangio. Your very narrow, very deep social circle gives me nothing but pity.”
That shameless nonchalance did not suit his age. He spoke with a smiling face, fully aware of what people whispered about him. He had no intention of changing. He even looked like he was enjoying it. …Old man trapped in a young body. Ruiyan muttered the nickname silently while staring at him. Jordan made it sound profound, dragging Ruiyan’s private affairs into it. Though he called Ruiyan out for the girl’s sake, his real reason was probably his own amusement.
“…That’s fine. One valuable friend is enough.”
“If Duke Brangio heard that, he’d be delighted. You’re surprisingly honest with your friend.”
Ignoring his teasing tone, Ruiyan returned to his thoughts. This pointless conversation was wasting time—he could be clearing the mountain of paperwork in his office. Even now, while Jordan dragged him around, documents were piling up. Ruiyan didn’t know whether Jordan finished his own duties before calling him, or whether he simply pushed everything onto subordinates—but the latter seemed more likely. Ruiyan let out a sigh. Feeling threatened by paper was pathetic. Everyone working in the palace shared the same despair—though Ruiyan’s suffering was a different type from those who were toyed with by the crown prince. Ruiyan, belonging to the latter group, felt the beginnings of a headache.
“You look tired, Duke.”
One of the causes of that exhaustion spoke sweetly. The way he emphasized *Duke* every time was clearly intentional—another form of teasing. The title, inherited suddenly after his brother left to devote his life to the prince’s knight order, weighed on him heavily. Thinking about someone who already left would only tire him more.
Ruiyan hinted that he wished to return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jordan nodded. The fickle man was letting him go—for once. Ruiyan turned away before Jordan changed his mind.
“…Tired.”
He exhaled into the quiet hallway. His face was a mess from fatigue, so he rubbed it with both hands. After staying like that for a long moment, he finally lowered his hands and turned—
“Ruiyan.”
He froze at the sound of his name. The day she declared herself the crown prince’s playmate, she began calling him by name without permission. He told her it bothered him, but she never listened, so he gave up. Ruiyan sighed.
“……”
She didn’t hesitate even when he didn’t answer. Ruiyan now understood why the crown prince kept her around—they were alike. Both did whatever they pleased. Her golden eyes sparkled with energy as she looked at him. When he asked why she was hesitating with flushed cheeks, she held something out. Ruiyan lowered his gaze. A small glass bottle containing dried leaves.
“Herbal tea. They say it calms the mind.”
“……”
Why give *this* to me…? he asked suspiciously. The girl smiled.
“You looked tired, so… they say it helps with fatigue.”
She murmured that she brought it just in case—and seemed relieved. Ruiyan was startled. Judging by the details she offered, she had been observing him for quite some time. Too closely. Wondering if she had some other intention, he didn’t accept it right away. Her face darkened.
“His Highness is mischievous, so… I drink it often myself.”
“……”
“No other meaning. If you take it, I won’t bother you for three days.”
There was no option to refuse. She even attached a deadline. She wasn’t stupid—just… hard to explain. Ruiyan frowned, unsure of what he was feeling, and she spoke again, reading his reaction.
“If you just accept it, I won’t ask for anything else. Three days—I won’t show up.”
“……”
“…A week. No… f-fifteen days.”
Her voice deflated miserably. Ruiyan lowered his head. This was the problem. She still made him uneasy, yet simultaneously, something messy stirred within him. He ran a hand through his hair. He sighed, and she looked up at him.
“…Thank you.”
He spoke politely. She still called him by name. That bothered him, but he let it go. His own voice sounded clumsy, like he had lost the ability to speak. A faint heat rose in his face. A sound, like something striking his heart, echoed in his ears. He looked around—only the two of them were there. The girl stared blankly, then smiled. The curve of her golden eyes reminded him of the gold thread sewn into the prince’s clothes.
“Yes.”
She walked away. Ruiyan stayed, looking around. No one else. And yet that bothersome sound remained. Faint, persistent. It felt unpleasant—or did it? He stood there like an idiot. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. Ruiyan looked down at the bottle in his hand and shook his head. For some reason, she didn’t feel as burdensome today. No—still uncomfortable, but… something had softened. He frowned. His real torment was not the prince’s teasing, nor the endless work. When he remembered her staring straight into his eyes, Ruiyan sighed. His biggest struggle lately, the thing that tormented him most, was the young lady of House Agnes—whose behavior he could never predict. At this rate—
[*You might grow attached.*]
Jordan’s voice echoed in his ears. Ruiyan shivered at a sudden chill and shook his head. Foolish emotion. The crown prince was only helping her out of curiosity. That was the only reason he kept calling Ruiyan out. Thinking that calmed him, somewhat. Ruiyan sighed.
—
Half a year later—
Ruiyan called out to the girl, who now walked ahead of him. It had been half a year since she began following him. Her face was flushed with excitement as she hesitated and approached.
“Isilia, how many times do I have to tell you? Not that way.”
