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Chapter 49
“If something unfair happens, you’re not the type to just sit still. You’re still young, so you act a bit foolish, calling out to ‘Iz-sama’ and all that. But you have enough strength and brains to repay it yourself.”
At Rian’s words, Kylián recalled something Eloise had said a few days ago:
“And if you were hurt and sad, I’d get angry! I’m not some fool who needs help for every little thing!”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten angry back then…”
Rian responded, reading the thoughts on his face as if they were obvious:
“It’s natural for you to be angry as a friend.”
Eloise wasn’t just a simple “friend” to him, but Kylián said nothing, keeping his mouth tightly shut. Seeing him like that, Rian smirked. Anything related to Eloise was far too obvious with him.
“Remember that time? When we were playing in the palace, someone said something to me. Called me disgusting.”
“Oh, that idiot?”
Kylián sighed as he recalled the actions of the attendants, who were now hard to categorize, of that person he once called ‘Mother-like… no.’
‘Those attendants who resembled that person probably acted out because they were copying their master.’
It had happened precisely because he was there beside them. The attendants, who looked so much like their master, often tormented him. Though there was a huge gap in status, it wasn’t much of a problem for them.
‘Because their master intervened eagerly to protect them, they became utterly arrogant…’
Kylián grimaced sharply, recalling those attendants.
‘It would have been fine if it were just me they targeted…’
But they had also gone after Rian, who had been with him. Saying things like he was too mature for a child, or that he was irritating.
Seeing Rian lower his head in sadness, unable to speak, was the first time Kylián had truly gotten angry, after holding it in for so long.
“Idiot…”
Rian muttered in surprise at Kylián’s blunt words.
“Exactly, right? That dimwit would say ‘an apology has to be red; a green apple isn’t an apology,’ or something equally nonsensical.”
Kylián’s words became even bolder, and Rian couldn’t help but laugh. Kylián frowned at him, muttering:
“Why bring this up all of a sudden?”
“Just as you naturally got angry at the attendants, you’d also be angry at Brizni. And Eloise probably…”
Rian paused in thought, lowering his head. Then he spoke again about the palace attendants.
“Remember how you punished the attendant back then, just like I told you?”
“Of course. You couldn’t punish the palace attendants yourself, right? But I did it in your place. Still, it’s right that the person involved decides how to handle it.”
“Exactly. The person involved is Eloise. How she wants to deal with it is her choice. I was also at fault in this.”
She’s not a passive princess waiting in a tower for help.
Kylián finally understood what that meant.
“So what I did back then disregarded Eloise’s thoughts and feelings… I wonder if she’s really mad at me?”
“Let’s apologize together. If we go together, it might be less scary.”
“You’re apologizing too?”
“I was at fault too. If I go to Eloise and apologize properly, she’ll probably accept it.”
“But… she keeps avoiding us. Maybe she won’t even see us because she’s too mad.”
Now Kylián finally understood why Eloise had been so angry. And that realization made his heart tremble with anxiety. It wasn’t the awkward avoidance after a fight—he wondered if it was because she no longer wanted to see him at all.
“What if she hates me? I wanted to be her most important person…”
Kylián’s anxious voice was met by Rian’s words:
“Earlier, you asked, ‘How can I become friends with Brizni?’ Eloise must have been hurt too. But wanting to become friends means she wanted to be close to Brizni.”
“Wanting to have friends that badly…”
Kylián muttered sulkily.
I don’t need friends if I have Eloise.
Even though Rian was beside him, he firmly distinguished that Eloise was more important.
“You’re already obsessive.”
Rian shook his head, thinking of the troublesome future Eloise. She’d have to nip that sprout in the bud for her own sake.
“Eloise really likes Adlen flowers.”
“Yes. She likes them a lot.”
Rian deliberately mentioned Eloise to catch Kylián’s attention, nodding as he spoke.
“It’s like the Adlen flowers. To bloom, flowers need good soil, sunlight, and water. None of them are unimportant.”
Rian paused, gazing at the sky, eyes glimmering.
“For Eloise, you, her parents—the Duke and Duchess—and her friend Brizni are all necessary. There’s no ‘more important’ or ‘less important.’”
Kylián muttered absentmindedly, taking Rian’s words to heart:
“…You’re amazing. The first person I’ve thought was amazing since my uncle.”
Rian, still looking at the sky, burst out laughing at Kylián’s words.
“Puhat, what are you talking about?”
“Just saying you’re amazing because you are.”
Seeing Kylián speak with unwavering eyes, Rian smiled gently.
“Watching you get angry at the attendants back then, I thought the same. You were amazing.”
“What… did you just say?”
Kylián, blushing, stammered.
“Actually, I didn’t say it earlier because it was cringy, but even if the attendant had said that to me, I’d have become friends with you. You’re a good person. Eloise must feel the same.”
“This is really cringy.”
“That’s why I said it was cringy.”
Kylián shook his head as if to shake off the cringe, glancing at Rian.
“Sorry… I was thinking earlier that I didn’t need friends, thinking about you.”
“Hey.”
Rian fixed him with a sharp gaze, a playful expression. Kylián, embarrassed and apologetic, shouted back:
“You—you said cringy stuff too! …Never mind, sorry.”
Kylián shook his head, scratching his hair.
“Apologize to me like you did. I’ll apologize too when I see you.”
“Yes, I’ll say it today.”
Kylián nodded determinedly.
“Right, when we face Eloise, we’ll say it immediately…”
“Why are you acting like that?”
Kylián stopped mid-thought, looking at Rian. Rian’s trembling hand pointed at a distant figure.
‘Why all of a sudden?’
Kylián turned his gaze toward the direction Rian was pointing.
“…Eloise.”
Kylián’s eyes wavered uncontrollably as he looked at Eloise.
“Oh? Rian! Lord! Are you resting after your sword practice?”
Riena, who had come to the training field with the children, spotted Kylián and Rian and waved. Instinctively, Kylián and Rian stumbled back.
“Why are you stepping back?”
“Kylián, why are you stepping back?”
“What are you doing here? If you’re done training, let’s play!”
Brizni ran quickly up to them, but Kylián and Rian couldn’t respond, staring blankly at Eloise.
“Why are you acting like this? Eloise, we’re going to play, right?”
Brizni’s lighthearted question weighed heavily on Kylián and Rian’s hearts.
“…Huh?”
Eloise walked forward awkwardly, like a machine, avoiding their gaze.
“Why are you all acting like that? Did the three of you fight or something?”
Riena, watching over the children, muttered with a confused expression.
“….”
“….”
“….”
It was as if a huge chasm had formed between them, preventing them from approaching each other, only an empty wind blowing in the awkward space. Riena, standing there cautiously, finally spoke.
“S-so…”
Riena swallowed hard, realizing that as the only adult here, she had to somehow help the children reconcile.
It reminded her of when Kylián and Eloise first met, and the awkwardness that followed.
