THVS 19

Chapter 19

I stumbled over my words because he suddenly approached.
“I’m hurt.”
“…I know.”

His sapphire-blue eyes were full of concern.
No matter how much he liked me, was it normal to look at someone you’ve only met a few times with such eyes?
Looking into those clear blue eyes made my heart flutter for no reason.

Cier Percent was about a head taller than me. Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to reach him, but since he bent his upper body to my eye level, I quickly covered his eyes with my hands.
If I kept looking, I felt like I’d be completely mesmerized.

“…Your Highness?”
Surprised, Cier’s mouth stiffened.
His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unable to push mine away.
“I’m sorry, but I’ll stay like this for a moment, Your Highness.”

Even though I had put him in an awkward position, he didn’t refuse.
When I partially hid my face, his gaze naturally fell on his own body.
I hadn’t realized before because my eyes kept going back to his face, but his shoulders were incredibly broad.
He didn’t seem like someone who trained in swordsmanship, yet his frame rivaled Kalian’s.
‘…Is it natural?’
Thinking of the Emperor, it probably wasn’t hereditary.
At least, the Emperor’s build wasn’t as large as Cier’s.
…Kind of perverted.

If I continued looking, I’d just seem like a sleazy molester, so I hurriedly raised my head.
At that moment, the words I had shouted at Layla hundreds of times came to mind:

“Perfect nose like a statue. Lips as red as raspberries! Handsome, right?”

…Shut your mouth, Tien El Lopez.
Why on earth did I ever say that?
No, why is that thought coming up now?

Because of that, I couldn’t stop staring at Cier’s lips.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
I dropped my head again and bit the soft inside of my cheek.
If I stayed any longer, my mind might completely go off track.

When I forcefully pushed my hands away from his eyes, he staggered off balance.
Unlike in romance novels, he didn’t grab me and make me fall on top of him.
Fortunately.

Balancing himself alone, he blinked and looked at me.
“…I apologize.”
He shook his head as if to say it didn’t matter, then moved his lips.
“Sorry for following you—”
“It’s fine. Let’s pretend that never happened.”
I answered before he could finish.
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll go first.”

“Y-Your Highness!”
I tried to leave quickly, walking almost as if using a teleportation technique, but it wasn’t enough.
Because his legs were much longer than mine, I was easily caught up to.
…Why again?

Once I became conscious of it, my gaze naturally settled on his lips.
Get a grip, Tien El Lopez.

As I silently warned myself and tilted my head, he hurriedly spoke.
“Please don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t trying to listen—it was just accidental…”

…Did I push him too hard?
Seeing Cier start with a clarification to avoid misunderstanding, I awkwardly nodded.
I hoped he would let go soon, but his silence lasted longer than expected.

What could he be hesitating to say? I wondered, when suddenly:
“Miss Arvid already knows that it will be difficult to regain her lost magical power.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I don’t know why, but Miss Arvid once asked me. She asked if she would be able to recover her magic if she lost it.”

Why would Layla—?
Seeing my confusion, Cier continued:
“I think she was subtly worried about you. Because your magic consumption is higher than anyone else’s.”

“…I see.”
“So…”
He squeezed the hand he had been holding.
“Don’t feel guilty.”

I flinched at the unexpected words.
…Guilty?
“Do you think I should feel guilty?”
My throat tightened for a moment.

He answered firmly, without hesitation.
“Yes. Because you are too hard on yourself.”

“…You seem to know me well.”
“You can see it because I like you. Even if you don’t show it, I can see it all. How you try to take all responsibility on yourself.”
“…”
“And you are a kind person. You might not know it yourself, which is why I’m saying it.”
“Why do you think that?”

I didn’t know why he asked, but I wanted to hear the answer from his mouth.
“You always think of others first. Even on the battlefield, until you were about to collapse, you were worried about how I would react before yourself.”
“That’s not really—”
“Your eyes trembled. Even when all your magic drained from your body, your gaze remained steadfast.”

He calls me kind for something so small?
“I’m not as good a person as Your Highness thinks.”

And it was true.
Even while he was looking at me so kindly, I was judging whether he would be helpful or not.
“You might be seeing only the good in me because of the feelings you have for me.”

It’s human nature to focus on the positive when you don’t want to deny someone’s feelings.
Mostly because we hope our choices aren’t wrong.

Yet even considering all that:
“…Still, it’s quite nice to hear.”

I didn’t feel bad about it.
Not many people would dislike someone looking at them so kindly.

“Well then, I’ll really go now. I think things are going to get busy.”
I pointed to the mage tower with my thumb and smiled.
I had to get away from him quickly.
If I stayed, I might inadvertently fall under the charm of someone so captivating.
Pretending to have lost my magic was painfully difficult.

“Don’t get hurt.”
Ah, really.
This man is incredibly talented at unsettling people.
“…I’ll try.”

Normally, I would have snapped at him to mind his own business. I don’t even know why I answered that way.

“You already know, but I kind of broke the mage tower.”
The Emperor, lying down casually, chuckled at my words.
“Hah, I expected it, but you confess so boldly.”
“You were going to rebuild it anyway, weren’t you?”
“Unless it’s for the next tower lord. A princess who lost her magic wouldn’t have the qualifications.”

That cunning man.
He could have let it go, but he clearly wanted to press the matter.
“The Crown Princess might have the qualifications, though.”

Of course.
Now that there was talk of breaking off the engagement with Layla, he clearly saw this as an opportunity.
Sending the 2nd prince to my battlefield was probably part of that plan.
Seeing through his intentions, I stiffened.
“I have no intention of dragging my family into the imperial succession struggle.”

“What if we let the mage tower matter slide?”
Suppressing the irritation rising in me, I gritted my teeth.
“If you want to pass the throne to the 2nd prince, you could just make him the crown prince.”

“Why ask if you already know, princess?”
I sighed deeply, glaring at the Emperor.
Of course I know.
The 1st prince, born of the Empress, has legitimacy and a prominent maternal family, so openly naming the 2nd prince heir would be risky.

Why drag my family into something he himself can’t do?
Men who lie about what they can do, men who ask others to do what they can’t…
The tower lord and his mages.
If the upper waters are polluted, the lower waters inevitably are too.

I forced a smile at the sly Emperor.
“I’m not sure.”
“Not sure? Then I’ll have no choice but to hold you responsible for the mage tower matter.”

It was lucky Cier only resembled the Emperor in appearance.
Without the slyness, it was all apparent on the surface.

I placed the contract I always carried in my arms on the desk.
The reward for participating in every battlefield in the Percent Empire.
A document stamped with the Emperor’s seal.

“Remember the contract?”a