VDBO 25

Chapter 25

“I even greeted the First Prince. For some reason, Lord Rige was with him. It’s rare to see the two of them together outside the imperial palace, you know. So I’ve decided to call this pearl my lucky gemstone from now on.”

She spoke with a dreamy, dazed expression, as if she were still in a dream. It seemed today had put her in an exceptionally good mood. Well, it wasn’t a bad thing for me either.

I smiled gently in response.

Unable to contain her excitement, Elabrich tried to pull me along toward the group she had been with.

If that happened, the conversation would probably drag on—and in the meantime, the prince might leave. That would be fine for me, but then I’d have to forcibly arrange another meeting later…

“Excuse me.”

Just as a dark shadow fell behind us, a man’s voice spoke.

“Lady Hemel?”

Elabrich’s eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out. I turned around to see who it was.

“L-Lord Rige?”

Elabrich asked in a trembling voice.

“If you don’t mind, may I speak with you for a moment?”

Joy and hesitation crossed Elabrich’s face at the same time. She’d just suggested going off together with me, so she clearly felt bad about leaving me behind.

I took a step back.

“You two should talk. I think I’ll go wet my throat over there for a bit.”

Elabrich quickly whispered in a small voice.

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing.”

Lord Rige led Elabrich away. I’d heard he was quite close with the First Prince and shared a similar personality—disinterested in women—but had that changed already? Just as that thought crossed my mind, someone else approached. I raised an eyebrow.

“Ah, greetings, Your Highness the First Prince.”

I quickly grasped my dress and bowed at the knees and waist. When I straightened up, he held out one of the glasses he had brought. Inside, a fragrant fruit wine of a clear, pale green hue swayed gently.

“First, let me apologize for interrupting the ladies’ conversation. I asked my friend for a favor because I wanted to speak with you.”

Ah, so that was why Lord Rige had approached so suddenly.

“No, it’s all right.”

“Rather, how is the injury you sustained in that incident?”

The image of Delkian constantly glancing at my knee that day came back to me.

“Yes, thanks to your concern, I’ve completely recovered. Are you well too, Your Highness?”

When I asked in return, the First Prince curved his lips into a gentle smile.

“That’s a relief. As for me, I was unharmed, so of course I’m fine. As an excuse, I tried to send people to check on you several times, but my younger brother adamantly stopped me. He said you might feel burdened.”

“Ah…”

“What I said then still stands. If you ever need help, come find me anytime.”

I could almost hear Valeri’s firm voice again, insisting there was no need to meet again and that he would handle everything himself. So that was what it meant.

“Just hearing that is more than enough. Thank you.”

But it seemed Delkian still had more to say. He hesitated for a long moment, then cleared his throat again.

“Actually.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve been thinking about whether there might be a way to meet you again.”

I lifted my head and blinked slowly, eyes wide.

“You have?”

“Of course, only if you wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. Our first meeting wasn’t exactly a good one.”

His violet eyes and gaze looked remarkably similar to Valeri’s, yet the jet-black hair made it clear he was a different person.

The brothers even dressed similarly, but the differences emerged when you looked closely.

Where Valeri was immaculate to the point you couldn’t find a single wrinkle or a misaligned button, Delkian looked freer—casually loosening his top button as if to breathe more easily.

I softened my eyes.

“That wouldn’t be the case at all. I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable, Your Highness.”

“Then I’m glad. About that day, allow me to sincerely apologize again. I should have taken responsibility to the end.”

“No, it’s fine. The Second Prince took great care of everything.”

“He’s a cautious one. Ah, I heard you already knew Valeri.”

I nodded and added,

“Yes. I helped him briefly once. It was something very minor.”

“I see. He paid unusually close attention, so I was curious about you.”

This was my chance.

And yet, my mouth wouldn’t move.

Mother had told me to focus on securing a private meeting with the First Prince today, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like it at all.

It wasn’t even that difficult… So why did I dislike it so much?

Maybe it was because I’d moved again after a long time and made a slight misstep. Normally, I wouldn’t do this—but perhaps I was being lenient with myself, thinking that just this once might be fine.

“There’s nothing special about it.”

“That could be. Or perhaps it was because your eyes lingered in my mind.”

“My eyes? Ah, I suppose it’s a rare color around here.”

“Rather—”

Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from behind the First Prince. My gaze snapped in that direction, and Delkian turned his head as well.

At some point, people had gathered in one place, cheering as they watched something. There was also a sharp clacking sound.

“Looks like something interesting is going on.”

“Ah, a game. Would you like to try it? You can place bets too.”

The topic changed naturally.

“Betting?”

“Yes, you can even participate directly. Care to give it a try?”

He gestured with his chin for me to follow. What kind of game had everyone so excited? I followed him toward the crowd.

“It’s a spinning top.”

It seemed to be a simple game: spin a long, slender golden top on a slanted board and get it to land in one of the three grooves at the end.

“The center gives the highest score.”

“Is there a good prize?”

Delkian, who had his arms crossed, leaned slightly toward me and pointed at someone.

“He’s the one hosting the banquet. He owns many rare items—he runs an auction house.”

“Ah.”

Behind the man he pointed to, I noticed prizes displayed inside transparent glass domes. None of them had been removed yet, so it seemed no one had succeeded so far.

“Would you like to try?”

“Shall I? It looks fun.”

While two couples failed in succession, Delkian raised his hand and received two small tops. He opened his palm as if offering them, and I picked one up.

“You can use both if you want.”

“No, Your Highness should use one. It’s a game, after all.”

Even before it was my turn, more and more eyes began to gather on us. Thankfully, with the First Prince standing firmly beside me, no one tried to speak to me.

Delkian went first.

The cheers seemed twice as loud compared to before. Perhaps because of who he was, everyone watched him with keen curiosity.

The top spun rapidly from his hand and rolled down the board. It wobbled right, then left, and finally dropped with a dull thud between the center groove and the left one.

The game master sighed. The host, however, laughed cheerfully while sipping champagne.

“Ah! Such a shame, Your Highness! It seems the Goddess of Fortune hasn’t visited us today! No one has succeeded yet—how unfortunate! Is there truly no one who will claim the Ice Statue of Ariske?”

So that was what Ariske’s Ice Statue was—the transparent sculpture sealed inside the largest glass dome.

What was so special about that?

“That isn’t a jewel. It’s a magic stone.”

As if reading my thoughts, Delkian whispered softly.

“Now then, lovely lady! Shall we begin the game? You seem to be a first-timer—do you know how it works?”

“I just watched, so I do.”

“Oh! Very good. Then may fortune smile upon you, my lady!”

At last, it was my turn.

I was about to spin the top when I paused and asked,

“A magic stone?”

“Yes. It can be used in some rather interesting ways.”

Magic stones were being circulated in the empire? I’d thought they were all banned because they were rare and dangerous. Apparently not. I’d never paid much attention to that side of things.

Still, a magic stone… My interest was suddenly piqued. I’d heard they required extremely complex processing depending on their use—and a great deal of money.

Without realizing it, I focused intently on the top. Tension seeped into the hand holding it.

Suddenly, Delkian burst out laughing beside me. Just as I was about to spin it, my concentration broke, and I frowned, stopping.

“Why… are you laughing?”

“Nothing. You were frowning so hard in concentration. Did you like the magic stone that much?”

“…No, I didn’t.”

Though Delkian was still smiling, I ignored him and focused again. The game master prompted,

“My lady?”

Whirr—

The top left my hand. For some reason, the crowd that had cheered for Delkian fell silent, as if cold water had been poured over them. When I wondered why, I realized everyone was staring at the top.

I had already lost interest. Unlike Delkian’s, it wasn’t wobbling left and right dramatically—it was tilting weakly in one direction as it slid down.

“Huh?”

“Huh? Huh?”

Then, absurdly, the top veered in the opposite direction. Spinning weakly, it went thunk! with a light sound and dropped straight into the center groove.

Clatter.

…It went in?