THSMW 53

chapter 53

“Your Highness, I’m actually really good at picking up on things, you know? I realized right away that you liked me.”

“Then I guess your awareness must come and go depending on the situation.”

Siegfried shrugged his shoulders. I stroked my chin and watched him casually shove a piece of stationery into his front pocket, clearly in a hurry despite his calm face.

“Hmm, so that means the letter isn’t a code, right?”

At my sharp guess, Siegfried’s shoulders flinched. Judging by how startled he was, I had hit the mark exactly.

“Why do you need diamonds? Isn’t pink more expensive?”

“I’ve got a use for them.”

“Well, diamonds are easier to carry around. Killian also said he got paid in diamonds… which means you’re planning to take them to the battlefield!”

I was on fire—my deduction was flawless. I snapped my fingers and declared it. Siegfried stared at me in silence.

“……”

“What’s with that ridiculous look? If I’m wrong, just say so.”

Siegfried’s reaction was extremely disappointing. What, does that mean I was wrong?

“Was I wrong?”

“……”

“Was I right? Are you just acting all mysterious on purpose?”

Siegfried shook his head. Even so, his gaze toward me didn’t change.

“Let’s go down. I need to send a letter to the ducal house.”

Siegfried stood up first and brushed the grass off his trousers. Then, without another word, he left the clearing.

I tilted my head as I watched him go. So in the end, he never told me why he needed those diamonds?

Is it something so important that he had to brush it off like it was a coded message? If that’s the case… well, I guess I won’t press any further.

Thinking that, I flopped down on my back.

The clouds drifting far above looked as though they were laughing at me.

News that Prince Siegfried was officially heading to the eastern front to deal with the conflict spread throughout the empire.

It wasn’t common for royalty to join wars. That’s why no matter which newspaper you opened, the front page was filled with stories about Siegfried’s departure.

The Emperor, who never cared much for Siegfried in the first place, didn’t bat an eye at whether Asa had pushed him into going or not. He probably thought it would be better if Siegfried just died in some border conflict.

That’s how infatuated the Emperor was with the crown prince’s mother. If he had even a shred of affection for Siegfried, he wouldn’t have stood by as his son’s hands became covered in scars.

Just watching how the Emperor silently observed everything was enough to show what he truly thought of Siegfried.

Siegfried was set to leave for the East tomorrow. I’d heard he would be meeting the Emperor’s army and the private soldiers of House Blanche there.

It wasn’t a long time, but we’d made quite a few memories. Now that he was leaving, I felt a strange mix of relief and regret.

Even though I’d blocked his path many times, the way he tried to win me over with lavish gifts while watching for my reactions… it was kind of cute.

Was it just cute? The whole time Siegfried stayed at the mansion, I found myself constantly thinking about him.

He must have realized on some level that once he left this time, he wouldn’t be able to see me for at least a few years.

Even when he told me he’d be heading east tomorrow, his gaze had been fixed on me. Why did I feel like a wife seeing her husband off to war?

Don’t tell me I’ve been completely brainwashed by Siegfried? We never even had a wedding or a proposal, and yet I seriously felt like a married woman.

It probably had something to do with that kiss on the cheek he gave me not long ago when he asked me to wait for him.

If that was Siegfried’s intention… well, it definitely worked.

“A guest from House Blanche is here to see His Highness.”

Just as everyone—Miliard, Avicion, and the whole family—was gathered in the drawing room to hear Siegfried’s plans, the butler came in with news. Siegfried rose from the sofa.

Along with me, three sets of curious peach-colored eyes turned toward the door at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Step, step. Rustle, rustle.

“Is His Highness here?”

A man entered the drawing room, wearing a uniform bearing the crest of House Blanche. Judging by his sturdy build—on par with Avicion—and his age, he seemed to be a knight.

Weren’t the soldiers of the duchy supposed to meet Siegfried in the East? What was this knight doing here? And that rustling sound that came with his footsteps—what was that?

Avicion was sitting to my right, blocking my view, so I could only catch a glimpse of the man’s face.

I leaned past Avicion’s shoulder and looked the man up and down. That’s when I noticed he was carrying a large box with a pink ribbon on it.

“It’s been a while, Vanessa.”

Siegfried approached and greeted the man. A flash of recognition crossed Vanessa’s face, but he quickly composed himself.

“I greet Your Highness. It is good to see you well.”

“I guess the rumor about me foolishly drinking poison hasn’t died down yet.”

“Not at all. House Blanche is abuzz with the news that Your Highness took part in the southern monster subjugation. They say you cut down a month-long campaign into just four days.”

Honestly, it would be stranger if that news hadn’t spread across the empire yet. Cutting the time in half is one thing, but four days? That’s not something a single person could pull off.

Granted, more southern nobles joined in this year after hearing Siegfried would be there, but still… the speed was absurd.

It wasn’t like Siegfried had any prior experience with monster hunts. Did he finish that fast even in the novel? I can’t remember.

Surely, he must have heard about the vineyard burning down or the monster summoned in the Elifritz mansion, but the knight conveniently avoided mentioning those.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

Siegfried, pretending it was nothing, let his eyes rest on the box Vanessa was holding.

Vanessa, noticing the look, stepped further inside. He greeted Avicion briefly, then turned to me. A knowing look crossed his face before he spoke.

“Could this be… the lady His Highness always speaks of?”

I could tell what he meant just by the way he looked at me. If word of what happened in the south had spread already, Vanessa was bound to know.

I neither confirmed nor denied it. Denying it would only make him more curious.

No matter how you look at it, our relationship was nothing more than words. And I was five years older than Siegfried.

Even if we didn’t care about that, I couldn’t expect others to feel the same. So it felt… awkward to say yes. Damn it.

“Give it here. I’m pretty sure I asked you to bring that.”

Just as I stood there with an ambiguous smile, Siegfried’s low voice reached my ears.

The box in Vanessa’s hands was handed over to Siegfried. Looks like the greetings were done, and he had no more business with Vanessa.

Without hesitation, Siegfried turned away from him. At the same time, the big box was brought closer… to me.

He handed me the large box he had just received.

Suddenly, I remembered that line he wrote in his letter to House Blanche: “Lots and lots of pink diamonds.”

Now I understood why he said my awareness came and went.

Why did I ever say that wealth was what made a man attractive? I completely forgot that this man was one of the richest people in the empire.

Siegfried smiled brightly at me like we were the only two people in the room. Yeah, yeah. He’s absurdly handsome.

“It’s yours.”

Yeah, I figured he’d say that.

“…What?”

Even so, it wasn’t something I could ever get used to. I couldn’t even bring myself to take the box. My eyes just darted around.

“Where are you looking?”

Siegfried asked. His voice dropped as if urging me to look at him, so I had no choice but to turn my eyes back toward him.

“You’re the one who said wealth makes a man. Since I don’t know when I’ll return, I figured I should leave something behind to keep your eyes on me.”

“Why did I ever say such a thing?”

“No use regretting it now.”

When I was reborn as Ariel Elifritz, I made a promise to myself—I would never live as the crown prince’s fiancée. Siegfried was obviously going to win in the end, so why should I board a sinking ship and resign myself to fate? That’s why I once thought maybe it would be better to befriend Siegfried rather than Asa.

But once Siegfried started showing real interest in me, things got complicated. That wasn’t the reason I had approached him.

I didn’t want to get caught up in the royals’ power struggles, nor did I want to wait for Siegfried for five or more years with no promise.

That’s why I tried so hard to keep my distance from him.

I really did try…

…

…Wow. The diamonds are so pretty.

At some point, the large box was sitting open on my lap. When did I even untie the ribbon?

It was just too big to refuse.