THBO 45

Chapter 45

“Your Highness?”
“Ye—”
He motioned for them to be silent.
Whether it was a mere illusion or not, a chilling sensation seemed to bind him tightly.
No.
It shouldn’t be dismissed as a simple delusion. It was the same survival instinct that had kept him alive from the days he rolled around in the magical tower until now.

“Blanche Houston.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“Was it four days ago that the barrier inspection was completed?”
“Yes, at 11:45:51 a.m. that day.”
“The probability that the barrier has twisted in four days?”
“Um… almost impossible, right?”

Alexis silently moved forward.
As he strode through the grass, the strong scent of fresh flowers wafted around him.
Stopping under the ash tree, he looked up at the sky.
In the porcelain-clear blue above, a few clouds were stitched across the expanse.
Not a single bird flew; the stillness was thick with soundless rhythm.
Measuring the tension that filled the air, he slowly turned on his heels.

Blanche quietly held up her thumb and forefinger, waving them. Alexis shrugged at the signal asking who had intruded.

“Shall we reinforce the barrier, Your Highness?”
“It’s already done.”

If someone tried to enter, they wouldn’t get in; if they were already inside and tried to escape, they wouldn’t get out.
The morning’s sense of foreboding continued steadily.
The clear sky, the dazzlingly beautiful Sharten Palace, and the sparkling summer gardens—
Everything formed a perfect scene, yet something still felt off.
Alexis moved his hesitant steps with effort.

After the crown prince, the female magician, and the constantly looking-back blonde knight left, the meadow fell quiet again.
Through the clover swaying in the breeze, a blue squirrel appeared.
It glanced around, then hugged a nearby acorn tightly.
Satisfied with its hefty prize, its tail swished with excitement.
Before returning to its treetop hideout, the squirrel glanced back at the pristine white palace.
Raising its icy blue eyes.

Cecilia adjusted her folding fan and listened to Duke Lenian’s words. Or more precisely, she only half-focused.
Apologetically, the other half of her attention had flown after Alexis, who had suddenly dashed off.
Seeing Blanche and Sir Thierry also run along, it seemed something serious had happened…
‘I hope he’s okay.’

Since last night, she had wanted to knock sense into her younger brother, but she hadn’t forgotten how much he had endured in the magical tower.
Her fingers, hidden behind the fan, trembled with anxiety.

“My grandmother’s style is Renoir, and mine is Sergi, so it’s no wonder no winner has been decided yet.”
What did he chase?
No. Did he chase a person? If so, who…?

“I’ve heard that the Dowager Duchess is fantastic at chess. But isn’t the Renoir-style opening usually avoided because it negates the first-move advantage?”
“It’s her signature opening,” Marisa interrupted abruptly.

Cecilia smiled faintly and offered her mother a canapé. Marisa didn’t refuse and chose the blueberry canapé.
“Because of that opening and her winning rate, the Dowager Duchess was infamous back in the day. There’s even a story about winning a villa with a single chess game.”
“I’ve heard she made a name for herself with chess,” the seventeen-year-old duke said, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
“To boast of such a winning rate with her? That’s impressive.”

The Empress’s praise deepened the young man’s blush.
Victor Lenian, teetering between boyhood and manhood, still held a fresh charm that could make newspapers buzz.
Marisa, watching him cutely, leaned her cheek against her daughter’s shoulder.

“Tired, Mother?”
“No. I was just thinking it’s about time to start the boat ride.”
“Ah…”

Cecilia, about to worry that Alexis hadn’t arrived yet, noticed Alexis, Blanche, and Thierry standing side by side in a corner.
The issue was that their expressions were slightly different from before.
Catching the worry etched on their faces…

“Ah, are all the boats ready?”

Her grip on the fan tightened.
Unaware that she had clenched it as if it might break, Cecilia reflexively asked.
“Yes, everything’s ready. All that’s left is to board.”
Her mother’s voice sounded distant, as if from far away.

She habitually lifted the corners of her mouth, staring until a flicker of purple appeared, and hastily turned her head.
This time, Alexis was watching her.
His relentless gaze clung to every movement, restraining her wrists, ankles, no—her entire body.
Irritating. She silently tightened her grip on the fan.

Soft breezes, the sweet scent of champagne, splendid clothing, gentle laughter—
Even amid the cheerful picnic atmosphere, nothing overwhelmed her like her brother.
Unbelievable.

‘One fool who has forgotten morality is enough.’
Indeed.
One rogue crossing a line is already too much.

Cecilia turned her back coldly on ‘her brother’ and, arm-in-arm with her mother, headed amiably toward the lakeshore.

The magic-equipped boats navigated the lake effortlessly without anyone needing to row.
The first boat, naturally, belonged to Empress Marisa.
She boarded with her lady-in-waiting, Countess Diela, waving her hand joyfully.

An incident occurred while the second boat waited for passengers.
Cecilia, already aboard, reached to help Kalia step on, frowning at a man who suddenly appeared.

“I’ll ride with your sister,” he said.

Kalia hesitated briefly, then stepped back respectfully.
To onlookers unaware of the truth, they looked less like an unmarried couple and more like family.
Why should a sibling ride together be surprising?

“I wanted to ride with Kiri.”
“Please let me.”

The man silently asked, “You’re going to play along, right?”
Cecilia had to restrain herself from imagining throwing her fan and hitting his handsome face.

“Forgive me, Kiri.”
“Of course, Your Highness. Please enjoy your private time.”

Kalia left, and Cecilia reluctantly watched the man board her boat.
Alexis eventually folded his long legs into the small boat and sat down.
Splash.
The boat cut through the water, moving deeper into the lake.

They engaged in a childish staring contest amidst the lake’s rhythmic, natural song.
While Cecilia glared intensely, Alexis returned her gaze with indifferent calm.

“What’s the matter?”
“Huh?”
“Your hand.”

He had been tapping the boat’s edge with his hand since earlier.
Following Cecilia’s gesture, he looked at his own hand and lazily withdrew it.

“Nothing.”
“Expected you to say that.”

His eyebrows twitched. Cecilia explained coldly, unfazed by the slight frown on his brow.
“You don’t explain what you went through in the magic tower or why you adopted your sister, so why would you explain this now?”
“Didn’t we agree to skip the first part? I seem to recall you never explained why you only call Alicia ‘puppy’.”
“I already did.”

She hid part of her foot that had slipped out from beneath her dress.

“Haven’t you figured it out?”
“…”
“…”
“…”

The silence stretched without an answer.
Cecilia chuckled at the positive meaning implied.

The man, staring at the center of the lake as if avoiding her, tensed his jaw.
Suddenly, his head snapped around, and his sharp violet eyes glared at her.
Do hunting beasts look this fierce?

Receiving that gaze, Cecilia gradually calmed.
“You knew all along.”
“Impossible.”

His hand curled into a fist.
Whether he clenched it or not, Cecilia didn’t care.
Alexis couldn’t harm her anyway.

Perhaps because of that strange trust, even his enraged expression wasn’t threatening.

“How long will a secret remain a secret, Alex? I don’t hold the optimism that I could hide it forever.”
“Impossible.”
“The fact that I’m a fake isn’t just my burden—it’s a stain on the Lusian royal family—”
“I told you, impossible.”
“—then I must leave before being discovered.”

She couldn’t take Alicia along.
The nanny, Blanche, Kalia, and others…
From the moment she decided to leave, their farewell was certain.
Everything she had lived as a princess must come to an end.

‘People get used to parting, but animals do not.’
So Cecilia deliberately tried to treat the puppy coldly.
‘You can’t follow me.’
It must choose another owner.
I will eventually leave, and you…
You will be left alone.

Not calling out ‘Alicia’ was, in a sense, also for her own good.
She had to detach her affection before the tail, the thick fur, and the clear eyes could leave too deep an impression.

“Impossible,” she spat.

From the moment she uttered ‘fake,’ the perceptive man had likely grasped her thoughts.
His eyes flared red.
Acting like a child refusing to give up candy, he made Cecilia smirk.

“I will do that.”
“Sister, I specifically asked you—”

The man leaned forward and suddenly grabbed her ankle hidden beneath the dress, almost pulling her over.
In the swaying boat, he whispered,
In a shockingly sweet voice:

“I told you not to suppress your authority with mine.”

A fleeting blue flame flickered in his violet eyes.
“Shall I lock you up?”

At that ridiculous threat, Cecilia simply gave a naïve smile.
“You can’t do that.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”

“What do you think our conversation last night was about, my sister?”
“Your childishness. Your rebellion. Your joke.”

This time, the man laughed.
The mocking tone was clear, so Cecilia wiped her smile and became serious.

“Has there ever been a fool who played with their own life?”
“You were always crazy. Without madness, you wouldn’t feel that way about me.”

“Then since we’re already mad, shall I do as I please?”