~Chapter 29~
“Alright.”
With a sullen face, Ivan walked ahead.
Ruby followed him at a calm pace.
“This is the pansy field. Over there is the dahlia patch, and that area is where roses bloom the most.”
Despite his expressionless face, Ivan explained the garden kindly.
“You know the garden very well, Prince.”
“…I walk here often.”
“When do you usually take walks?”
“When my head feels heavy. Walking here makes it a little better.”
“I understand. Looking at all these wide flowerbeds makes your heart feel open and free.”
As they stopped walking, a cool breeze blew past.
Ruby’s red hair fluttered in the wind.
Ivan found himself staring at her, completely taken by her figure as she gazed toward her siblings playing in the distance.
Many noble girls had presented themselves to him as playmates before, but none had the same calm, mature aura Ruby carried — even in front of royalty, she didn’t lose her composure.
It was the first time since his mother that Ivan had ever thought someone looked beautiful.
That was why, from the first moment he saw her, he couldn’t help but keep looking.
Ivan drew in a shallow breath and reached out unconsciously toward her wind-blown hair.
“Your Highness?”
But the instant Ruby turned to him, her ruby-like red eyes meeting his, Ivan hastily hid his hand behind his back.
Flustered, he quickly changed the subject.
“Duke Lux doesn’t seem to want you to become our playmates.”
“That’s because he worries we’ll make mistakes in front of Your Highnesses.”
Ivan glanced at her sideways.
“Is it because you grew up almost like commoners?”
Ruby blinked, then smiled faintly, her eyes curving like crescents.
“So you’ve heard about us.”
Ivan suddenly felt guilty, like he had peeked into something private.
“Well… if you’re to be our playmates, I thought I should at least know the basics.”
He added the excuse awkwardly, checking Ruby’s face to see if she was offended.
He couldn’t believe he, a prince, was worrying about someone else’s feelings.
“Thank you for showing interest in us,” Ruby said warmly, not offended in the least.
Then she explained more about herself and her siblings.
“We use the Brooklyn name because it’s my father’s. He was born a commoner but earned the title of knight. Still, with his meager salary, our family lived no better than commoners.”
Ivan thought perhaps Ruby’s free and natural presence came from that different background compared to other noble ladies.
“Our mother was the daughter of Grand Duke Lux. She married our father against everyone’s opposition, and they cut ties. But then both of our parents passed away, leaving us with no one to care for us. So I brought my siblings to the grand duke’s estate.”
“I see…” Ivan murmured.
He had skimmed reports about them, but he hadn’t known the details.
He suddenly felt sympathy. He had only lost his mother, but he knew the hole such a loss left could never be filled.
“We’ve only recently entered the Lux estate, and we haven’t fully mastered palace etiquette yet. That’s why Grandfather believes we’re not suited to be playmates for the princes.”
“And do you think the same?”
“…Hmm.”
Ruby didn’t answer immediately. Instead, her eyes went to her siblings — Calix, Sasha, and Theo — playing in the distance.
“If we became friends with the princes… what benefit would it bring us?”
Ivan froze at her question.
Until now, people had only sought to gain from him because he was a prince. Everyone assumed that just being near him meant guaranteed advantage.
But here Ruby was, asking directly what he could give her.
He realized he didn’t have much to say.
They already carried the name of the Lux family — they hardly needed more power or wealth from him. And he couldn’t even promise them future rewards, since he wasn’t the crown prince yet.
But his pride wouldn’t allow him to admit that.
“How insolent. Everyone else is desperate to be my playmate, and you dare ask such a thing?”
“I’m sorry if that sounded rude,” Ruby said, bowing her head slightly in apology before adding, “That was a joke. Honestly, I believe friendship isn’t about benefits. It’s about caring for each other without calculating gains.”
“Without calculating…?” Ivan’s eyes widened.
To him, friendships had always been measured by usefulness.
“Yes. If we could have a relationship free of calculations, then I’d like to be Your Highness’s friend. What about you? Would you like a friendship like that — one without weighing benefits?”
Ivan fell silent.
Do I want to be their friend?
Usually, it was the other side who wanted to befriend the prince, not the prince himself wanting friendship.
That was why he couldn’t answer his father immediately earlier.
“…Perhaps. But we’ve only just met.” Ruby smiled. “It’s too soon to decide.”
Ivan already knew why the emperor had chosen the Lux grandchildren as playmates. It was a subtle push, urging Duke Lux to side with whichever of the two princes would one day be crown prince.
And maybe it was also to see if one of the Lux grandchildren could become a royal fiancé. Marriage was the surest way to secure an alliance.
So the emperor had given both princes equal chances.
Ivan knew all of this.
As a prince, he should have accepted Ruby’s offer. Being her friend would certainly help him in the future.
But a friendship without calculation… what kind of bond was that? The thought left him confused.
“I…” Ivan opened his mouth but couldn’t finish.
Seeing his hesitation, Ruby suggested gently,
“Then how about this?”
“What?”
“We meet a few more times. After that, we decide whether or not to be friends.”
“You mean… a test?”
“Not a test. Just spending more time together. That way, we can see for ourselves whether our bond will be one of calculation or one of the heart.”
“What do you mean?” Ivan frowned.
“I mean we can decide whether to open our hearts and become true friends,” Ruby explained.
True friends…
The words felt foreign to Ivan.
All his so-called playmates had been assigned by the emperor. Most only pretended to be friendly when they needed something.
He had never once opened his heart to them.
But Ruby clearly wasn’t talking about that shallow kind of relationship. She wanted something genuine.
Which meant that to be her friend, he would have to win her trust — and she his.
“Why should I do that?” Ivan asked sharply, suddenly irritated.
The idea of a prince bending himself for someone else’s approval stung his pride. It felt like bowing his head to both Ruby and Duke Lux.
“If you don’t want to, then that’s fine.”
Ruby’s answer was swift and clean, without hesitation.
That made Ivan falter. He had expected her to insist, maybe plead once.
But instead, she simply turned away from him and looked back at the children playing.
His chest tightened with impatience.
“You won’t ask me again?”
“You said you disliked the idea.”
“I didn’t say I disliked it. I only asked for your reason.”
Ivan hated the idea of yielding. But strangely, he also didn’t want the connection with Ruby to end here.
Of course, he needed ties with Duke Lux. But more than that, he felt an instinctive fear that he must not let Ruby slip away.
“Friendship must be mutual,” Ruby said calmly. “If even one side doesn’t want it, then it cannot exist.”
Ivan mulled over her words.
Does this mean… if I open my heart, she will open hers too?
