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Chapter 29
“Alina, I missed you so much that I….”
Richart spoke in a choked voice, then let out a long sigh. When he noticed that Alina’s face had darkened just as much as his own, he put on a bright smile.
“Why are you making that face? Smile when you’re with me.”
“You said I made things hard for you. How can I smile after that?”
“I can only smile if you smile, Alina. Please.”
When he went so far as to say “please,” she couldn’t not smile. Alina forced the corners of her mouth upward.
“All right. But you have to smile like this too, okay?”
“Okay.”
Seeing Alina’s smile, Richart broke into a radiant grin. He rubbed at his reddened eyes and sighed.
“The whole ride here on horseback, I was so anxious and restless I thought I’d go crazy. What if it wasn’t Alina this time either? What if you turned away from me? What if you said you hated me?”
Covering his face with both hands, Richart spoke in a voice that sounded like the ground was falling away beneath him.
“But when I saw you smiling with customers without even recognizing me, my mind just went blank. It felt like something was burning inside me. I’m usually really calm. Really.”
At his heartfelt explanation, Alina slowly nodded.
“So that’s why you suddenly told me to come back with you?”
“Well, actually, I had prepared to say it more impressively. Enough that you’d fall for me at first sight and say you’d come with me. But I ruined everything.”
Richart looked around the empty restaurant and grabbed his head as if tearing at his hair.
“Why did I say it like that….”
Muttering to himself, he then looked at Alina with frightened eyes.
“Do you hate me now? Are you disappointed in me?”
The man who had walked in so confidently was now full of worry. He looked like a boy afraid of being abandoned again. Alina gently soothed him and spoke softly.
“That won’t happen.”
“Really? Then… do you like me? Am I okay?”
“Of course. I was surprised—you’ve become so handsome.”
“Thank goodness.”
At her praise, Richart’s face brightened. Smiling in relief, he glanced at her cautiously.
“But not handsome enough that you want to go back with me, right?”
“Well…”
When Alina hesitated, Richart’s expression fell.
“I’m sorry for acting like a child. But I can’t stop these words from spilling out. It’s been six years. I was so scared—what if I could never see you again for the rest of my life?”
Seeing him like a lost puppy made Alina’s heart waver. She stroked his silver hair and said with a hint of laughter in her voice,
“Now that we’ve met again, you don’t have to be scared.”
At her words, Richart smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“That’s right. I met you, Alina.”
Seeing his boyish smile made Alina’s throat ache. She cleared her throat and took his hand.
“I’m really sorry I left without a word. I didn’t want to go either. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
She closed her mouth, holding back the tears welling up.
She had missed Richart too.
She wondered how much he’d grown, how he’d lived.
She thought of him several times a day.
Kineric, who had left her a cryptic note, had been silent for six years. So sometimes Alina regretted leaving Richart behind out of unfounded fear.
But the lack of news about Kineric also meant he still hadn’t been caught.
After surviving in hiding for six long years, how much more ruthless must he have become?
If Alina returned to the imperial palace, he would surely appear again.
So she couldn’t go back—no matter how much she wanted to.
“I’m really… so sorry.”
Her voice trembled as she spoke to Richart. She covered her mouth and turned her head away. If she looked at him any longer, she felt the tears would spill.
“Alina, look at me.”
Richart gently held her trembling shoulders. At his low voice, she lowered her hand and looked at him.
His dark navy uniform, like the night sky, suited his pale, almost translucent skin. His spotless silver hair gleamed smoothly, and his once-skinny arms were now solid with muscle. The gold-threaded decorations hanging from the epaulettes on his broad shoulders showed the dignity of a knight commander.
Once a lonely boy with nothing, he had grown into a fine young man. Richart was no longer the stray puppy of a desolate palace.
He gazed deeply at Alina, then smiled softly.
“I’m not the same as when I was a child. I have strength now. I have power.”
At his reassurance, Alina quietly bit her lip.
That was the problem. That was why she couldn’t reveal who she was.
The more Richart had gained, the more he had to lose.
The wanted order for the royal family of Xenotat had still not been lifted. The Blue Lion Knights had gone out every day six years ago to hunt down the royals.
As the knight commander, this would surely be one of Richart’s top priorities.
So how could she confess that she was the youngest princess of Xenotat—that the princess he was supposed to kill was her?
“Alina.”
Unaware of her thoughts, Richart called her name softly.
“I told you earlier. I have the ability to give you anything you want.”
“But there’s nothing I want.”
“Think about it carefully. You don’t have to go back to the imperial palace. If you just say the word, I can build you an even bigger shop than this in the capital. And if what you want is…”
He paused, took a tense breath, and continued.
“If what you want is to keep living here, then do that. I’ll come visit often. Just… don’t run away again. You can promise me that, right?”
Every word he spoke was desperate—so much so that Alina’s heart ached just listening.
“Please, don’t leave me alone again. That’s enough for me. I won’t ask for anything more.”
“Don’t you want to go back to the imperial palace with me?”
“…You said you didn’t want that.”
“Forget I said that,” Richart added with a sad smile. His slender fingers brushed the corner of her eye.
“So don’t cry.”
Seeing the tears gathered in her eyes, Richart’s face twisted in pain.
“I didn’t come here to see you cry.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And I didn’t come here to hear apologies either.”
He withdrew his hand and spoke quietly.
“Honestly, I was terrified that you might be happy without me—that you might say you were happier when I wasn’t around. That you were sick of me.”
“That’s not true.”
“How reassuring it is to be wrong.”
Richart seemed to lose the strength in his legs and sank into a chair. Alina sat across from him and spoke gently.
“Come visit like this sometimes. You’re always welcome.”
As he slowly steadied his breathing, Richart looked dissatisfied.
“Why sometimes? Can’t I come every day?”
“Then you’ll have to come alone. And keep it a secret from everyone else.”
“Okay.”
Richart nodded enthusiastically, then grinned.
“Then you don’t have to worry. I even told the knights to keep this place a secret—”
Grrrkk.
“Uh…”
Richart flushed in embarrassment at the sound coming from his stomach.
“Haha… what’s wrong with me?”
At his awkward laugh, Alina frowned.
“Richart, didn’t you eat?”
“I wanted to see you as soon as possible.”
“You ate lunch today, right?”
“Well, I got a report that you’d been found right around lunchtime, so…”
Holding his empty stomach, Richart smiled sheepishly. Alina stared at him in shock.
“It would’ve taken at least six hours to get here from the imperial palace. You mean you rode all that way on an empty stomach?”
“I’m fine.”
Grrrkk.
Before his words even finished, his stomach growled again. Alina looked at him, then shook her head.
“That won’t do. Wait here.”
Leaving Richart behind, she went into the kitchen. As she walked, she heard the rain outside begin to patter against the window.
Rummaging through the cupboards amid the sound of rain, Alina clicked her tongue and sighed.
“Ah, of all times—we’re out of ingredients.”
“Really?”
Richart had followed her and was now right behind her, whispering. His deep voice brushed her ear, sending a strange, tingling sensation through her body.
Feeling the unfamiliar sensation, Alina answered calmly,
“Yeah. All that’s left is some bread we cut for serving and pumpkin soup. What should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? That’s perfect. I like pumpkin soup.”
Resting his chin on the top of her head, Richart chuckled softly.
“Sounds delicious. Alina’s cooking.”
“You’re heavy, Richart.”
She nudged him aside and reached up toward the cupboard. Unfortunately, the remaining bowls were on the top shelf, just out of reach even when she stretched.
Normally she would’ve used a step stool, but with Richart standing behind her, practically enclosing her in his arms, it wasn’t easy.
“Um, Rich—”
“Hm? You need this?”
Before she could finish, Richart grabbed the bowl, easily took it down, and set it in front of her.
“Anything else you need?”
“No. That’s all. You’re a guest, so go wait outside.”
“I’ll just wash my hands first. You always said to keep them clean before eating.”
Turning on the tap, Richart washed his hands and grinned.
He looked nothing like the boy he used to be, but the way he acted was exactly the same.
So he’s not all grown up after all.
After ushering him out of the kitchen, Alina smiled faintly. Even after seeing him again after so long, it wasn’t uncomfortable—parts of him she remembered were still there.
A gentle smile lingered on her face as she stirred the deep orange soup.
Doing this felt like going back to the past.
Back to the days she spent with Richart, who was like a little puppy.
