VDBO 21

Chapter 21

“Are you all right?”

Ian, who had been sitting across from me, hurriedly rose to his feet.

I pressed my left chest firmly and motioned for him to sit back down with my other hand. Thankfully, the pain subsided quickly. Ah… no way. It’s not manifesting already, is it?

“There’s nothing to worry about. I just suddenly felt tight in my chest. I must’ve drunk too much wine earlier.”

“Are you truly all right?”

“What do you take my words for? More importantly, Ian—what do I have scheduled for tomorrow?”

As if nothing had happened, I straightened my posture and asked. Ian sat back down.

“You have a meeting with the Second Prince.”

“…Right. And the day after that, Mr. Schvalt asked me to have lunch?”

“Yes.”

“And did my mother send any word that she’s coming?”

“No, there has been no message.”

Then that means I still have some time.

“If she contacts you, tell me immediately.”

“Yes.”

Honestly, he was the most troublesome one. He was upright and loyal, but it felt like he reported every single thing I did to Mr. Schvalt. Because of that, it was impossible to do anything freely in the capital. And recruiting him was… difficult.

“Is there anything you’d like me to do?”

Perhaps burdened by my staring, Ian asked. I shrugged.

“No.”

I turned my head toward the window entirely. Partly because the pain was flaring up again and I wanted to hide my expression—and partly because I had nothing more to say.

“You can ask me to do anything.”

“What?”

My turning away proved pointless as I looked back at him again. Weren’t we already done talking?

“I’ll do anything.”

“…Anything?”

“Yes. Whatever you ask.”

What did he mean by that?

I couldn’t tell whether it was empty flattery or genuine sincerity. Most likely the former—and if, by some chance, it was the latter, then his life would be in danger.

“…Fine. I get it.”

The pain in my heart surged again, heat rising through my body. No longer able to manage my expression, I bit the inside of my mouth until I tasted blood and turned away.

Valerie seemed eager to somehow bridge the awkward distance that had grown between us after so long.

We had simply been busy. Our schedules just hadn’t aligned. Yet he apologized repeatedly, looking flustered, as if determined to take me to places I’d never been in my life.

He was considerate enough to make me avert my gaze out of guilt for the first time. Kind—deeply so—and, above all, careful around me.

And yet, the emotions blooming in his chest were something he couldn’t fully contain. In front of me, his face often turned red as he grew shy.

“Is your injured leg all right?”

“Yes. It’s much better now. The scar is almost gone too. I think it’s thanks to you, Your Highness.”

The moment I finished speaking, his face flushed again. Like someone who had swallowed a red potion, he heated up instantly, then cooled just as fast.

It was fascinating to watch.

At some point, I’d stopped showing my emotions clearly—whether I was happy or sad. I was good at fake smiles, though.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Already?”

“Yes. I hope you like it.”

After riding the imperial carriage several times, the carriage Mr. Schvalt sent felt subtly uncomfortable. Of course, his carriage was still better than that of most high-ranking nobles. Especially compared to the imperial one, which sat so low that I could get off by myself.

At first, I thought the place he brought me to was just a forest. Only after passing through a deep entrance and walking for a long time between trees did the true destination appear.

The gate and walls were massive, made of gleaming white metal and built high. Thick, tightly packed bars were driven diagonally into the ground, making it difficult to see inside.

From the inside, however, visibility was excellent. Despite the walls towering well over twenty feet high, they didn’t feel stifling at all.

“We’ll need to walk a bit further.”

The path beyond the wall was entirely lined with flowerbeds. It didn’t look like a place people often passed through, yet there wasn’t a single weed—like it had been tended to just that morning. Not even blades of grass reached my ankles.

Near the wall stood rows of trees nearly as tall as it, letting soft sunlight filter through and creating a clear, serene atmosphere.

It felt unreal that we’d just come from the bustling heart of the capital. As if we’d entered another world—somewhere meant for recuperation.

“It feels as calming as the sea we visited back then.”

“I’m glad. To be honest, I wanted to take you somewhere even better.”

“But?”

“For some reason, every time I see you, you look tired. So I wanted to bring you somewhere you could rest. Beautiful places can wait for another time.”

“…I look tired? Me?”

I’d always hidden my inner thoughts carefully. There was no way he could’ve seen through me. It must’ve just been his imagination.

“Yes. Even at the banquet, you didn’t look like you were enjoying yourself. You seemed… constrained.”

“……”

“It was just my impression.”

He saw right through me. Before the conversation could deepen further, I abruptly turned my head toward the building.

“Then is this a palace villa? I didn’t know such a modest place existed. I thought it was just a forest.”

Of course, that was only in comparison to the imperial palace. Compared to that grandeur, this place was small—though it still had enough garden and space for dozens of people to live comfortably.

“This is where I used to stay.”

“You mean… you, Your Highness?”

As far as I knew, the Second Prince had never lived outside the palace. Had I misunderstood something? There was no mention of this in the original story either.

“Yes. When I was very young, I nearly lost my life.”

“Pardon…?”

This was the first I’d heard of it.

I had studied nearly every rumor about the imperial family, so this was likely something others didn’t know either. If it happened when he was an infant, I might simply have missed it.

I nodded, mentally adding this new information to what I knew of him.

“The cause was unknown, so Her Majesty the Empress and I recuperated here for a time.”

“You look so healthy—it’s hard to believe.”

At that, he smiled innocently.

“If I hadn’t awakened then, this place would likely have been my grave.”

As we walked further, a structure resembling a small castle came into view. Just as he said, it must’ve been where he stayed shortly after birth. It looked like a miniature palace—ill-suited to the grown man he was now.

“You endured well. Of course, you’re so healthy that you would’ve woken up no matter what.”

“Yes. I’m glad I endured. Because I met you.”

“You’re remarkably consistent.”

Valerie laughed.

I followed him inside the small castle, touring even areas I never expected to see. Since royalty had once lived here, I thought certain spaces would be forbidden—but he showed me everything.

Though the rooms all felt cozy and warm, the security measures installed throughout were nearly fortress-level.

“There’s a lot of security…”

“I had to protect my mother from someone.”

“From whom?”

Someone. It was obvious—who would target the Empress.

I widened my eyes in feigned surprise. My conscience had worn away long ago.

“Yes. And, well… it was a position prone to assassination attempts.”

“…I see.”

He spoke carefully. I nodded as though hearing it all for the first time.

“That was a slip of the tongue. I didn’t mean to tell you something frightening.”

“It’s fine. It just means this place is safe. Is this the nursery?”

Through a half-open door—apparently forgotten by the staff—I could see a lavishly decorated nursery.

They said the Empress wanted to preserve the memories, and it showed. Cribs of various sizes, dolls untouched by time.

“Was this your room, Your Highness?”

When I turned to ask, he smiled—confirmation. He opened the door wide, inviting me in.

I gladly stepped inside and walked toward the bed.

“It’s hard to believe. The bed is so small.”

Now it looked barely large enough to fit one of Valerie’s arms.

“Seeing it now, it feels strange to me too. I didn’t realize it was this small. Then your bed must’ve been even cuter, Blake.”

“…Pardon?”

“It just made me curious. I imagine it was very cute.”

This time, instead of replying, I simply smiled.

After our second date, I met him like this about three more times. Each time, what I felt—ironically—was comfort.

Even when seeing his face reminded me of the days I spent in that prison without bars at the edge of the northern lands… even when it reminded me of my mother. Even though, willingly or not, the reason my life had turned out this way since childhood was perhaps entirely because of his family.

It was absurd.

But the moment that thought surfaced, I steeled my heart again.

Because I could never imagine myself being stained by his kindness.