PRKE 18

CHAPTER 18………………………………………….

“…….”

“I was told to deliver this.”

“To whom?”

Aris opened her mouth without thinking, then snapped it shut.

Kitchep burst out laughing.

“A pretty young lady with a lot of curiosity, hm?”

Aris’s face flushed. True to being a man from the desert, Kitchep had a solid build, and even just sitting still he radiated a hot, dry heat.

At her reaction—whether from anger or embarrassment—Kitchep laughed again.

Hubert let out a sigh.

“Shouldn’t we deal with business first? To whom did His Highness the Prince say the letter should be delivered?”

The honorifics were gone. It meant Kitchep had been excluded from those deserving formal courtesy.

Apparently unconcerned, Kitchep shrugged lightly.

“Who else would it be?”

Suddenly, his gaze locked straight onto me.

Those emotionless eyes, devoid of even a grain of goodwill, made me uneasy.

Have we met somewhere before? Why does he seem so hostile toward me?

But if I had met someone like him, there was no way I’d have forgotten.

I stiffened my face and stared back at him.

He widened his eyes as if surprised, then quickly frowned.

“I’m very glad to finally have the chance to greet you like this. It was worth coming myself instead of sending a mere errand runner.”

“Excuse me, but have you ever seen me before?”

“Where would I have met the young lady of a count’s family?”

“Then why….”

Why do you keep looking at me so unpleasantly?

I barely managed to swallow those words.

“I was simply curious about what you looked like.”

Just as I thought, That makes no sense, another thought struck me.

Wait—this voice sounds oddly familiar…?

Where had I heard it?

[I’ll throw her out immediately!]

Ah.

The Fifth Prince’s subordinate!

Only then did I understand his attitude.

If he serves that man, he must have heard all about what I did.

I probably looked like some sly con artist to him.

This is awkward.

I subtly avoided his gaze. It wasn’t that I thought I’d done anything wrong, but my conscience pricked just a little.

“Hmph.”

Noticing the change in my demeanor, Kitchep snorted and held out the letter toward me.

“His Highness personally wrote it, so you should take a look.”

I quietly stared down at the letter placed before me.

The fact that it was from the Fifth Prince alone made me uneasy, and on top of that, everyone’s eyes were fixed on me.

“May I ask why he sent the letter?”

Aris asked quite politely.

“Why don’t you read it yourself?”

“I’m worried. My sister’s background is a bit… special, so she isn’t yet well-versed in etiquette.”

“Her background is special?”

Kitchep glanced at me.

Aris let out an exaggerated sigh.

“She used to be a maid. As for her bloodline, it’s even harder to speak of.”

“…….”

“In any case, if my sister offended His Highness, I’ll apologize on her behalf.”

Seeing Aris bow her head, speaking softly and elegantly, Kitchep blinked.

Then he shrugged as if genuinely puzzled.

“So that’s what you meant by a ‘special background’?”

The unspoken nuance was Is that all?

“If she was a maid, then she’s better off than I am. I was born a slave.”

Kitchep grinned.

Aris’s face turned ashen. Hubert’s eyes changed as well—contempt flickered in both their gazes.

Despite the awkward silence that followed, Kitchep merely lifted one corner of his mouth, looking completely at ease, as if he were used to such reactions.

Aris turned her irritation toward me.

“Sister, what are you doing? Hurry up and read it.”

Even without her urging, I had already broken the seal.

The moment the letter slipped out, Aris sighed again.

“I’m worried….”

What kind of stupid thing did you do this time to cause trouble?
It was as if I could hear the unspoken words.

Ignoring Aris’s sighs and muttering disguised as concern, I unfolded the letter.

At first, I was only tense.

What could it be about?

If it was a reply to my proposal, he could have sent someone discreetly.

Half anxious, half worried, I read on—until my feelings turned into a question mark.

Huh?

As soon as I finished the last line, Aris asked,

“What does it say?”

“Uh….”

I couldn’t continue. Seeing me like that, Aris frowned.

“This is frustrating. What are you doing?”

Even if she said that, I didn’t know how to explain it. I stared down at the letter awkwardly.

At that moment, the letter was suddenly pulled from my hand.

It was Hubert.

Holding the letter in one hand, his eyes narrowed as he skimmed it.

When even Hubert reacted strangely, Aris grew impatient.

“What is it? Is it that serious?”

“……Mm.”

Hubert glanced at me. I quickly schooled my expression, acting just as confused.

“Is His Highness angry about something?”

“Angry?”

When I asked Hubert in a low voice, Aris answered as if it were obvious.

“Of course. Sister Igrein must have made a mistake, right? It’s happened before. We sent her on an errand to the royal palace, and she caused an incident that made all of us a laughingstock.”

My eyes flashed.

She’s bringing that up now?

Five years ago, I’d gone to the royal palace to return some important documents Hubert had left behind.

Since it was my first time, I’d been worried and asked Aris—who’d been there a few times—for advice.

[If you go through the central rose maze, it’ll be faster. Hubert will be in trouble if you’re late, so hurry!]

Foolishly, I believed her without question.

The problem was that the rose garden was off-limits at that hour.

[People were whispering that it was a family that didn’t even teach the basics! From now on, don’t go out anywhere—just stay at home. Who knows what other embarrassment you’d cause if we sent you out again!]

Madam Emerne exploded with anger after returning from a social salon.

When I looked at Aris with resentment, she merely gave me a pitying look and shook her head.

After that, I swore never to trust your words again—even if you told me milk could be made into cheese.

And now she was bringing it up again. It was absurd.

“His Highness isn’t angry.”

“Then why would he send a letter to Sister Igrein at all?”

Aris tilted her head, clearly confused. Hubert stared at the letter with a peculiar expression.

“He wants Igrein as his partner at the banquet.”

Aris frowned.

“What did you say? Didn’t you read it wrong? That can’t be right.”

Scrrrk. At the sound of a chair scraping back, I turned my head. Kitchep, who had stood up, looked at me.

“To put it simply, he intends to dance the first dance with you at the banquet, as his partner.”

“…What?”

Aris’s mouth fell open. Checking the time, Kitchep clicked his tongue.

“I should be going. I’ve got a lot to do. Oh, and this.”

He tossed something at me. I caught it instinctively—a small, round box, no bigger than my palm.

What is this?

I looked up, but Kitchep was already gone.

I glanced around.

Everyone was absorbed in the letter. I hid the round box in my palm.

After reading the letter, Aris murmured blankly,

“It’s real?”

I would have loved to mock that stunned expression, but this was unexpected for me as well, so I couldn’t laugh freely.

I’m curious too. Didn’t the cooperation with the prince fail that day?

Hubert handed the letter back to me.

“What happened?”

His tone was gentle. The pressure behind it was not.

I swallowed hard.

Then, glancing at the letter—

<To a cloud that brings rain, even a thousand pieces of gold are not too much to give.>

That single line burned itself clearly into my eyes.

The story returns to dawn that day.

Thrust!

The sensation of a blade biting into my flesh made my mind go blank in an instant.

“Ah!”

Thud.

My body trembled uncontrollably, and before I knew it, I was on my knees.

Damn it—why stab me when I didn’t even move!

Honestly, being beheaded on a guillotine would have hurt less, physically!

At least that would have been quick!

But this wasn’t the time for that.

Did he really intend to kill me?

Before the pain had even subsided, I lifted my head.

When I asked with my eyes, the Fifth Prince replied curtly,

“I made a mistake.”

That alone made my anger surge, but then he looked down at me and asked,

“Does it hurt?”

Of course it hurts—what do you think?

I suppressed the anger welling up inside me. Far from mocking, the prince looked utterly serious, as if it hadn’t even occurred to him that this might hurt.

“It really does hurt, then.”

“…….”

“You can’t even endure that much—what kind of nerve do you have?”

He lowered his weapon, gazing at me with clear disdain.

Relief at the blade being withdrawn was brief.

I clenched my teeth. They said that in the Empire, everyone—even princes—lived as warriors.

A terrifying military superpower where every ordinary citizen was a weapon.

Would a weak display like this seem appealing to a prince of such a nation?

Not at all.

But I was in a position where I needed to earn his favor.

I placed a hand on my knee. Through my thin clothing, I could see bright red blood spreading rapidly.

It’s not a serious wound, right?

People from the streets tend to cherish their bodies. Your body is your capital.

With unease in my heart, I pushed myself up. Straightening my trembling legs, I faced the Fifth Prince.

Inside, I hurled curses at him, but outwardly I kept a calm expression.

He raised one eyebrow and looked me straight in the eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to stab me without warning.”

Even if he said it was a mistake, I didn’t believe it was truly accidental. It felt more like a test.

“Has that eased your mood at all?”

I forced the corners of my mouth up.

A strange, unreadable expression crossed the prince’s face.

“If not, I’ll wait until you feel like having a conversation with me.”

“Conversation?”

His expression and tone said, What would we need that for?

He was an infuriatingly taciturn man.

“It won’t be a waste of time for you either, Your Highness.”

He wrinkled his nose slightly.

“You probably don’t think well of me. That’s natural. But I didn’t receive my title to deceive or mock you.”

“…….”

“To be honest, I have ‘not the slightest’ intention of marrying you, Your Highness.”

“…….”

“Does that make you uncomfortable?”

“…Not particularly.”

“From the start, Your Highness has a rather… special sexual orientation, so of course I wouldn’t be to your liking. That’s what I meant. So….”

The prince’s expression subtly changed.

“What did you say?”

“Pardon?”

“My sexual orientation?”

“Yes? Well, that’s….”

Was it a secret?

Surely not. It’s common knowledge even in the kingdom.

I realized I’d made a mistake bringing it up, but at this point, changing the subject would only make things stranger.

I deliberately stiffened my expression and spoke seriously.

“I apologize, but I’ve already heard that Your Highness is homosexual.”

“…….”

“If that was rude, I’m sorry. I thought it best to be honest about my thoughts.”

Despite my words, the prince’s expression only continued to darken.