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Chapter 07
I couldn’t help but slump into my seat at the sight of a face that looked like it would burst into tears the moment I rejected him harshly.
Sier, for some reason, was smiling gently at me.
What on earth is going on…?
I focused straight ahead, trying not to turn my head toward him.
The play began as soon as the prince took his seat.
Since I already knew the story, a sudden wave of drowsiness hit me.
Unable to prevent my head from nodding, I ended up falling asleep before I realized it.
I jolted awake, startled by the applause echoing all around.
The play had lasted two hours.
It seemed I had dreamed during that brief time.
“No… No, please don’t…”
Someone’s sobs lingered in my mind.
It sounded like a voice I knew, but it was choked, and I couldn’t tell exactly whose it was.
“Please… just open your eyes, please…”
Perhaps because it was a dream, the image was hazy.
All I could remember clearly was a man holding a woman tightly while crying.
Judging from his pleas to open her eyes, it seemed the woman was already dead, and the man was in despair over the situation.
His desperation was so intense that even though it was just a dream, it left me feeling oddly unsettled.
Fearing the vision might replay if I stayed still, I shook my head to clear it.
I steadied myself and glanced at Sier.
“How was the play…?”
I started to ask, but my words trailed off on their own.
I was too shocked by what I saw: crystal-clear tears streamed endlessly down his cheeks, like transparent glass beads.
Was he… crying right now?
I felt a sudden wave of embarrassment.
Although the play had its touching moments, it wasn’t to the point of tears like this.
I hurriedly took a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to him.
“Ah… thank you.”
He accepted it, his voice dampened by emotion.
At that moment, I looked at him closely.
The voice just now…
Doesn’t it sound a bit like the man in my dream…?
The thought quickly disappeared.
It was funny enough that Prince Sier had appeared in my dream crying.
And asking him to cry again just to compare voices would be… weird.
It was awkward to speak up, but leaving a crying person alone wasn’t quite right either.
So I decided to stay seated until his sobs subsided.
The fact that he was a royal only complicated things further.
I couldn’t just get up and leave in front of the prince.
“Thank you for lending me your handkerchief. It’s embarrassing to show my tears in front of a lady.”
He smiled faintly, his face flushed.
There was a mix of wistfulness and sorrow in his embarrassed expression.
His long, damp eyelashes accentuated his beauty, and I found myself staring without realizing it.
“…It’s alright. It’s natural to be moved by a touching play.”
“I’ll make sure to return the handkerchief next time.”
“It’s nothing. You don’t have to return it.”
“No, I will return it.”
All for a handkerchief…
Even if it was a silk handkerchief embroidered by a famous artisan, worth as much as five months’ wages for a commoner, there were plenty like it in the mansion.
I was about to say it was fine again, but as soon as our eyes met, I shut my mouth.
His blue eyes were filled with a strange stubbornness.
This kind of stubbornness… it’s just like Leila.
I finally understood why I couldn’t refuse his request to stay nearby.
His demeanor and words were very similar to Leila.
I should have been firm to prevent the fate of Leila or my own death, but, as if by some pre-set characteristic of Tien Elopez, I was always weak against Leila.
Or rather, I couldn’t help but be weak.
She would always look at me with long, quivering eyelashes and tearful eyes—anyone would be soft-hearted.
And now Sier Persent had that exact look.
Many noble ladies would wield their beauty as a weapon, yet he behaved like Leila.
…Am I thinking about this wrong?
In the original story, Sier Persent was the most intelligent character, silently supporting Leila behind the scenes.
He wasn’t an innocent, playful type.
If his current personality was original, there must have been a clear event that caused the change—probably the death of the woman he loved.
Being a royal, she would likely be a noblewoman.
Unless the story involved him falling for a passing commoner, it’s likely someone I might know.
As a daughter of the Elopes family, I had quite extensive connections.
If she were a noble, it was likely someone I knew.
I had no intention of standing by and watching someone die, so I had to stop it.
But doing so would probably leave Sier’s current personality unchanged.
…Isn’t that dangerous?
Having just one innocent person like Leila was enough.
If I left the current Sier by her side, it could be a big problem.
His intelligence and magical talent were irrelevant here.
Leila shouldn’t have someone as indecisive as herself beside her.
“This is maddening.”
I muttered, though I meant to keep it inside.
Sier flinched, thinking I was speaking to him, but I averted my gaze.
Maybe it was for the best that Leila wanted to call off the engagement.
…Ah, I don’t know anymore.
I’ve overthought this.
This was the first time I had spent so much time with Sier Persent, and I never imagined him like this.
I couldn’t just sit still knowing he resembled Leila so closely.
Even if they weren’t engaged, I needed to reconsider whether it was wise to have him by Leila’s side.
“Then I’ll get up first, Your Highness.”
“Terdeo.”
Sier called his subordinate in a low voice after confirming that Tien had arrived safely at the mansion.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
Terdeo appeared swiftly, almost as if out of nowhere, bowing before Sier.
The cold expression on Sier’s face, never shown in front of Tien, created an air of intimidation.
“Did you investigate properly?”
“Of course. Lady Tien Elopez is weak to anyone who behaves as innocently as Lady Leila Arvid.”
Sier’s face, frozen in severity, softened slightly.
It wasn’t completely ineffective.
He could have left, but he hadn’t.
Which made it even more confusing.
What was that reaction he showed at the end?
“This is maddening, really.”
I tried to ignore it, but the words lingered in my mind.
“So what exactly is the problem?”
“…If I knew, Your Highness, you wouldn’t be sneaking around the Elopez mansion like a thief.”
Terdeo backed away swiftly, as if worried about being hit by magic.
“Humph. It would be stranger if she gave in immediately. Especially when the lady in question is Tien Elopez.”
“…And?”
“Fate is often considered when coincidences repeat, Your Highness.”
Sier gazed at Terdeo with his eyes half-closed.
Terdeo was less reliable, but in matters of relationships, he was still a step ahead.
“…Contact Lady Leila Arvid immediately.”
“As you command.”
