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Chapter 25
“…Even though you say that, you still came every day.”
“Oops, you caught me.”
Truly the kind of boy perfect for a novel’s conflict.
Aibel praised Chesa’s sharpness and added,
“That’s why you should’ve asked me. Whether I really planned to stop being your playmate. I come here every day, don’t I?”
“Is that really important?”
“Why, isn’t it important?”
“My opinion wouldn’t affect your decision anyway.”
Despite saying that, Chesa didn’t move out of Aibel’s line of sight.
He didn’t tell him to get lost.
He didn’t even push away their pressed shoulders.
“If you’d told me, at least I wouldn’t have wasted my time for days.”
“……”
“And I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this on a rainy day.”
Sniffling, Aibel looked up at the boy who was smaller than himself.
The one destined to be a terrifying villain.
The one who would bring suffering to the main couple and drag innocent extras into despair.
A child burdened with senseless malice.
‘If I were him, I would’ve turned out twisted too.’
It was too much to blame an innocent child just because of association.
Stuck alone in a trash heap of a room where even the light didn’t work—it was enough to make anyone harbor dark thoughts.
So…
“Hey, Your Highness.”
At the very least, shouldn’t you carry a candle to offer someone in the dark?
“What.”
“Are you afraid of the rain?”
“No.”
“Well, you might be. It’s gloomy, dark, and loud. When you’re alone, it feels like the world is ending.”
“……Are you scared too?”
‘Didn’t you just say you weren’t?’
Looking at the green eyes that showed a faint trace of friendliness, Aibel smiled brightly.
“Nope. I’m a brave boy. I don’t get scared of things like that.”
A face that didn’t seem like it could get any paler turned icy.
“I’m not scared either.”
“Sure, of course.”
“I really mean it!”
“I get it, okay?”
“I said I’m not!”
“Geez! What’s so wrong with being a little scared? It’s humanizing!”
“I’m not scared! The scary thing isn’t the rain, it’s… uh, the…!”
Then why didn’t he move away from Aibel?
Did that young boy even realize?
That their arms had been touching for so long, their body heat had started to feel the same?
After their bickering ended, an awkward silence filled the air.
The room was still dark, and the creaking of old furniture echoed now and then.
It felt like something might pop out at any mo—
“Hey, Your Highness.”
“I said I’m not scared.”
“No, that’s not it.”
The ever-cheerful Aibel, who hadn’t lost his smile even in the storm, suddenly froze.
“…Is this place haunted?”
“Haunted?”
Was he joking? But Aibel looked dead serious.
“If something shows up, will you catch it for me?”
“Didn’t you say you were brave?”
“Ghosts don’t respond to physical attacks.”
If he could punch them, they wouldn’t be scary.
“You will catch it, right? You’re the owner of the house.”
Aibel tugged on the prince’s sleeve, insisting.
FLASH!
Just then, a brilliant white light illuminated both their faces.
KRRAKOOOM!
“KYAAAAAAH!”
“Hey.”
“AAAAHH! EEEK! AHH!”
Aibel flung whatever furniture he could grab.
Thud! Bang! Smack!
“Calm down, seriously…”
The boy who actually hated thunder and lightning with a passion spoke with utmost calm.
They say even the most fearful people become calm when someone near them panics harder.
Chesa Lagratio felt that sentiment in full.
“Ack! Didn’t that rattle just now?!”
“It’s the wind.”
“Waaah! KYAA!”
“It was the wardrobe rattling.”
“Why would the wardrobe rattle on its own?!”
“It’s old, that’s why.”
“WAAAH!”
The boy who seemed like he could punch ghosts into oblivion was scared of them—because he couldn’t punch them.
How do you deal with something that can’t be reasoned with or beaten up?
His long lashes trembled.
His small hand, clutching the prince’s sleeve, flinched.
“Why is the light broken on a night like this?”
“Good question.”
“Maybe this land is cursed or something…”
KRRAAKKOOOOM!
“AAGHH!”
“Please calm down…”
The unoiled furniture creaked strangely as it twisted.
Wind howled through the old window cracks.
Lightning occasionally flashed across the room.
Each time it did, Aibel freaked out, startling the prince.
At the same time, the fear that filled the prince’s green eyes slowly subsided out of habit.
“AAHH! Dad! Daaaad…”
If his father saw this mess, he’d probably worry more about the wrecked furniture than the thunder outside.
Whish! Whish! Whish!
After flinging everything he could grab, Aibel got up and came back with a blanket.
Not only had he barged into the bedroom without permission—now he was climbing onto the bed!
In any other noble household, this would’ve caused a huge fuss—but Chesa didn’t have the energy for that.
“What’s with the blanket all of a sudden?”
“Come here, Your Highness.”
His voice was slightly hoarse from all the screaming.
With the thick blanket pulled over his head, Aibel gestured for Chesa to join him.
Just a moment.
The surroundings went still, and that silence became scary again for Chesa.
So, if he had been in his right mind, he would’ve refused—but now he complied quietly.
“The rain won’t stop.”
“Yeah.”
Two small bodies sat side by side.
With their backs against the wall, they sat under the blanket.
It was a bit too thick for the season, but it helped muffle the outside noise.
“Any ghost that was coming would run away by now.”
A softened gaze swept the room.
There was no point in figuring out which mess belonged to Chesa and which to Aibel.
The room already looked like it belonged in a haunted house.
“I’ll clean up before I leave.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“So what, are you going to live on the bed forever?”
Chesa had no reply to the perfectly reasonable question.
Feeling calmer now, Aibel mumbled in his usual cheerful tone.
“Most of it needs to be thrown out anyway. Still, I didn’t throw anything fragile.”
“…I see.”
“There’s never been a ghost here, right?”
“Of course not. Never. And even if one came, they’d run away after seeing this mess.”
“Haah… I got scared for nothing. You should’ve told me earlier.”
“You didn’t give me a chance to say anything!”
Chesa’s youthful voice rang out, clearly frustrated.
He himself seemed surprised by how loudly he’d shouted.
Like it was the first time he’d ever raised his voice like that.
“So… yeah.”
“Okay. I heard you loud and clear. You mean you got scared, right?”
“You must’ve misheard.”
“It’s fine. I don’t throw people, you know.”
Aibel’s sharp eyes softened slightly.
Their close shoulders moved just a finger’s width apart.
“Oh wait, I have thrown someone before.”
“You…”
“That was a duel, though. No way I’d throw you, Your Highness.”
Hee hee hee.
It was a laugh that sounded almost wicked.
His long hair brushed against the prince’s arm.
The ragged breathing he had when he first burst in was already long gone.
“You’re not going to leave, are you?”
“I’m not. Not right now.”
“By ‘right now,’ you mean…”
Chesa’s unfinished sentence faded to the floor.
Aibel responded cheerfully, as if oblivious.
“I sent word to Dad as soon as I arrived at the palace. Told him to come pick me up when he finishes work.”
“……”
“So I’ll be here until then.”
His eyes, now adjusted to the dark, curved gently.
His pale lips moved, then quickly stopped.
Their eyes met briefly.
“Bell! BEEELL!”
“That’s Dad!”
For some, the silence had been comforting—but now it was broken.
The distant footsteps down the hallway grew quicker as they reached the bedroom.
Just finishing his shift, knight Dane Dellapion bowed respectfully.
“I greet the First Prince. We met briefly before…”
Even if the door had just been completely wrecked…
“I’m Dane Dellapion of the Royal Palace Knights.”
“I see.”
“Dad, while you’re here, fix the light too. Something’s busted and I can’t reach it.”
“Huh? Oh, right. First Prince, with your permission, may I step inside and take a quick look at the light?”
“…You may.”
“Thank you.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the knight stepped into the bedroom.
It was only then that he realized things were far worse inside than the broken door.
“Your Highness… did my daughter cause you great trouble?”
“D-Dad!”
What kind of father looks at his adorable and sweet daughter like that?!
But even as she thought it, Aibel somehow already knew the answer.
…Total menace.
