Chapter 114
“Get lost.”
That was the first thing Hertian said to Rian. It was because he had begun to be annoyed by the way Rian buzzed around him like a persistent fly.
“Suddenly telling me to get lost is a bit much, Your Highness.”
“Don’t call me ‘Your Highness.’ I am Blandice.”
Hertian had left the imperial palace and inherited the Grand Duke’s estate. That meant he had no interest in the emperor’s throne and also gave him a shield of protection.
Thus, even the title of ‘prince’ felt threatening to him.
“If we don’t call you prince, then what should we call you?”
“Don’t call me anything. Just… don’t.”
“Come on, we’re classmates and friends. How can you be like that?”
The young Hertian tilted his head stubbornly.
“What is it that you want from me?”
“Want? Friends don’t want anything from each other.”
“Then why did you approach me?”
Rian smiled faintly at Hertian’s cold, boundary-setting tone.
“I just wanted to be friends. That’s all.”
“Are you crazy?”
“I’m not.”
“If you’re not crazy, then the House of Count Leamberia must be a family that can survive even if marked by the royal family.”
Indeed, being close with a disgraced prince could easily be considered treason by the empress’ faction. That made anyone cautious about approaching Hertian.
“It’s not like that. Another prince really likes my younger sister, so they won’t accuse us of treason and kill us, I think.”
At the mention of Serdis, Hertian closed his book.
“Even if you want to get close, I refuse. Don’t act like an eyesore—just go away.”
“Why do you have to put up a wall?”
“Do I?”
“We’re both in the 8th grade, aren’t we?”
“Are we done talking?”
Hertian stood up as if he had nothing more to say. Yet Rian followed closely behind.
“My younger sister is really pretty—want me to introduce her?”
Rian switched to polite speech and stubbornly persisted.
“I’m not interested.”
“You haven’t seen her, so of course you wouldn’t be.”
Hertian remained silent at Rian’s strangely cheeky politeness. Eleanor had said that crazy people are best ignored. There was no need to waste energy on a capital city noble. Hertian quickened his pace, thinking this way.
But just a few steps later, Rian waved his arm nearby.
“Anette!”
At that voice, Hertian couldn’t help but turn his head. A girl, bathed in the gentle sunlight, held an ice cream and smiled brightly at her older brother. Her hair, glistening like honey, fluttered in the breeze.
“She’s my younger sister. 6th grade, class A—Anette.”
Hertian was helplessly captivated by the girl’s purity. For the first time since arriving at the academy, he just stared foolishly at someone. He didn’t even notice the flushed mark spreading across her pale skin.
“Pretty, right?”
Rian’s question almost made Hertian answer yes. He hadn’t thought someone was beautiful since his mother. But Anette’s beauty reminded him of his deceased mother.
“Looks are utterly useless.”
Hertian forced himself to turn away, suppressing his restless emotions. His mother had also become the emperor’s lover because of her beauty, only to meet a tragic death.
For him, beauty was more of a curse than a blessing. That’s why he kept his long hair covering most of his face.
Half a month passed, and the academy festival arrived. Marhaba Academy held a grand festival a month into the new semester, when the Sertia flowers were in full bloom—a celebration involving all students.
Hertian avoided the noisy classrooms and went to the library.
Outside, a familiar girl was banging on the windows with puffed cheeks—Anette.
“Why is the library closed on festival day?”
As Hertian approached, she turned her head. The sharp, slightly haughty look made him flinch.
“Today, the library isn’t open.”
Seeing her talk to him naturally, he instinctively went on guard. Usually, students would see his hidden face, realize he was a discarded prince, and run away.
“Don’t you like noisy festivals either?”
But Anette approached just by seeing his name badge. She didn’t seem curious about who he was.
“I came out to see some books, but they say they don’t open during the festival. How unfair.”
She slumped her shoulders in disappointment, moving closer to him. Instinctively, he stepped back. Anyone getting close to him could lead to political misunderstandings.
Then, he heard students calling from behind. Anette stopped, turned around, and grabbed Hertian’s hand when she heard someone calling her.
“Quick! This way!”
Hertian said nothing, letting her pull him along. Strangely, he didn’t resist. For some reason, he didn’t want to let go of her warm hand.
They arrived under the symbolic Kelike tree of Marhaba Academy, far from the crowded festival area.
Anette plopped down into the grass, tapping beside her.
“Let’s read quietly here.”
Hertian looked back and forth between her and the spot.
“Why should I do that?”
“That book—you came to return it, right?”
Her pale fingers pointed to Hertian’s book.
“Since we can’t go to the library, let’s swap books.”
She handed him the book she brought.
“I’m not interested in herbal studies.”
“Neither am I.”
“Then why are you reading it?”
“Because I have to.”
Her expression was darker than when he first saw her, making it hard to refuse. Hertian plopped down beside her and handed over his book.
Reading the herbal book, he shared his honest thoughts.
“I have no idea what to do with this.”
“You can use it to protect someone important.”
“This book can’t possibly protect someone important.”
“You never know. To protect someone important, you have to do whatever it takes.”
Hertian felt offended. Even if one made efforts, could he have protected his mother? The result would have been the same.
“Clueless.”
“All I know is being clueless. But I can’t run away when someone important is at stake.”
Anette flipped through the book, searching for something.
“She doesn’t run away.”
Even if the outcome was a fiery disaster, she would dive in, unlike him, who had fled from the royal palace as a child. He realized how endearing her desperate determination was.
From that day, he habitually followed her with his eyes. Whenever she entered the library, he hoped she would notice him first.
“Why is she always in such a hurry?”
She often left the library looking pale, possibly skipping meals and sleep.
“So she doesn’t read here anymore.”
But the disappointment was short-lived.
“Blandice Hertian.”
At her voice, he immediately turned. There stood Rian, who looked exactly like the Anette he had been waiting for.
“What is it?”
Rian’s clear enunciation of his name startled him. Seeing Rian’s pitiful state—thin and frail—doubly shocked him. Rian barely held himself up but grabbed his hand.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“If it’s a favor to save your life, I can’t help—I have no medical skills.”
Rian chuckled at his firm tone.
“I expected that. So, I want to make a proposal.”
He pulled out a photograph from his pocket. It captured Anette, the girl Hertian had seen earlier. Hertian’s gaze wavered, and Rian noticed immediately.
“My sister is pretty, right?”
It was obvious even to Hertian that the girl, his beloved sister, was beautiful.
“After trudging through all that muck, that’s the favor you ask for?”
“I’ll give you all of these.”
The box wasn’t just a few photos; it was filled with pictures of Anette. Hertian couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“Did you… love my sister?”
“Of course! She’s my one and only sister. I struggled over who to give these to.”
His tone implied he intended to trade the photos with someone else, which furrowed Hertian’s brow.
“That sounds like you want to trade your sister.”
Rian nodded shamelessly, sweat dripping from his brow from the pain.
“Yes.”
“You must be on the brink of death to be spouting nonsense. Should we stop this and leave?”
“If Your Highness doesn’t accept, I’ll take these to some other guy. Many adore Anette; one of them will surely accept my offer.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I can’t say I’m not. I’m also on the edge of the cliff.”
Seeing Rian struggling for breath, Hertian couldn’t ignore him. He knew that Rian was someone Anette wanted to protect. Out of consideration, he decided to listen.
“Protect Anette.”
Rian spoke an absurd request.
“Make sure her happiness doesn’t collapse.”
His unusually earnest tone made it clear he wasn’t joking. Hertian couldn’t understand why he came straight to him to entrust his sister, especially in such a frail state. Yet, he couldn’t refuse.
“What exactly do you want me to do?”
He didn’t want to see Anette suffer. He wanted to stay close and watch her live her life, making her own choices to protect those she loved. Even if she cursed him as a discarded prince.
“Just become her pen pal.”
“A pen pal… well, that’s better.”
It was best Anette didn’t know his true identity.
Rian sighed in relief and added one more thing.
“And… please change the tone of your letters. Anette likes gentle, caring men. Like me.”
The correspondence began with Rian.
After Rian passed, Hertian simply watched Anette, who immersed herself in her studies daily, from afar. Seeing her appear unhappy, the only thing he could do was continue sending letters. He wanted to comfort her lonely shoulders, but the sudden death of the Grand Duke forced him to leave the academy.
“Rian knew he was going to die.”
Hertian told Anette the story involving Rian.
“Rian… sent you to me.”
“No. Even if it weren’t for Rian, I would have been by your side.”
He gently kissed her cheek and placed his lips near her swollen eyes. Anette flinched at the cold touch.
Even such a small gesture made him adore her. How could he ever leave her side? Hertian didn’t want to imagine that dreadful hell. Instead, he wanted to envision a future together.
To do so, he needed to uncover the secret Rian held.
“I didn’t know what it meant for you to be unhappy. Looking back, I think he knew this would happen to you.”
Rian, who knew Anette was possessed, couldn’t have been unaware of this situation. That’s why he entrusted Anette to Hertian. Perhaps Rian was choosing someone to protect her. Then and now, Rian remained a mystery.
“That guy’s really cunning.”
Suppressing his frustration, Hertian retrieved something he had kept: a small gem box, palm-sized.
“…What is this?”
“This is something Rian wanted me to give you, Anette.”
