Chapter 23
“Rias, could it be…?”
Just as Elia was about to ask Rias how he knew about the news, the courtiers who had been standing still suddenly moved, clearing a path.
Through the rows of standing knights, Cyrone and Camille walked in. Cyrone looked visibly tired and bored. While he did enjoy hunting, he found these superficial events tiresome.
“Your Highness, we greet you.”
Cyrone, the first to enter, sat at the prominent seat. His cold blue eyes scanned over the people offering greetings without showing much emotion.
“You seem to be fine. I thought you’d be unable to get up for a few days.”
Cyrone addressed Elia with a questioning tone, like he wanted to see her pale face again.
He glanced lightly at Elia and Rias sitting together like a loving couple and gave a slight chuckle. Leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, he spoke in a soft voice.
“How did you manage to hold back from wanting to stay close to me?”
His tone, tinged with obvious sarcasm, was in contrast to the coldness on his face.
Cyrone’s eyes, which Elia had once thought resembled clear blue skies, now felt as cold as the winter air. Elia couldn’t tell anymore. Was it her who had changed, or had it been Cyrone?
“Your Highness, such remarks are…”
Elia, feeling uncomfortable with Cyrone’s pointed words, started to speak, but before she could finish,
“Know when to stop while I’m still letting it slide.”
Cyrone cut her off sharply. His cold gaze moved from Elia to Rias.
“Don’t keep provoking me.”
With a dismissive hiss, Cyrone spat out the words like a warning. A tense silence settled between the two, and the room felt suddenly colder. After a moment, Cyrone stood up and left without hesitation, walking toward the curtain.
“See to the Crown Prince’s departure!”
The knights quickly followed Cyrone as he exited, leaving the rest of the room to speculate quietly. It was clear that gossip would be rife, especially about today’s events.
“Are you alright?”
“Sorry… I didn’t mean for this to happen because of me.”
Rias asked cautiously, but Elia shook her head.
While she was accustomed to this kind of humiliation, Rias wasn’t. Elia felt guilty, thinking that Rias was being dragged into this situation because of her. She was tempted to leave immediately.
As the knights finished their formation behind him, Cyrone mounted his horse, the insignia of the Empire clearly visible on the saddle. Wearing a black riding doublet, Cyrone appeared to be fidgeting, loosening his buttons as if the tightness of his clothing irritated him.
Pulling the reins, Cyrone’s silver-white horse galloped fiercely toward the fields.
Cyrone’s platinum blonde hair, resembling the hot sun, seemed to grow closer to the sky, becoming even more dazzling.
As Cyrone and the knights moved farther away, the other riders on horseback slowly began to gallop toward the fields. Once they were completely out of sight, Rias stood up from his seat. He leaned down and placed a brief kiss on Elia’s hand before mounting his horse.
“Just wait a bit.”
Rias whispered, looking concerned about leaving Elia alone. Elia nodded firmly, trying to reassure him.
“Have a safe trip. Don’t get hurt.”
After Elia’s farewell, Rias took the reins of his horse and left, disappearing into the fields. Elia watched him until he was gone, her hand gently brushing the spot where he had kissed her.
Even though it was a place kissed by Rias, she felt no trembling in her heart. It felt cruel, in fact.
“You can’t hide your feelings.”
A seductive voice caught Elia’s attention. She reflexively turned her head. In the now quiet space, with everyone gone, someone remained behind.
“It’s been a while, Miss Elia.”
It was Camille, gazing at Cyrone’s retreating figure, his back becoming a distant point on the horizon. Camille was Cyrone’s fiance, soon to become the Crown Princess. She greeted Elia with a smile and then covered her lips with a fancy feathered fan.
“It seems like the Crown Prince is approaching the limit.”
Her words were cryptic. Elia had only occasionally encountered Camille in social settings, but they had never conversed. It was the first time Camille had spoken such mysterious words to her.
“What do you mean…?”
Elia looked at her with confusion, but Camille only gently waved the fan and smiled beautifully. The red ruby hanging from her neck glinted for a moment.
* * *
The people returned one by one, dragging beasts that were dripping with blood. The raw smell of blood lingered thickly in the air. Rias returned, seemingly having not hunted anything, his clothes and hands entirely clean.
“It would be boring just to sit around.”
Rias extended his pretty, unblemished hand toward Elia. It was as if he was offering to help her mount, saying he would support her from behind.
Elia hesitated, making a somewhat awkward face. It wasn’t that she had no experience, but it was certainly not something she was accustomed to.
“You’ve never been to that far end, have you?”
Rias pointed toward the boundary between the field and the sky. Elia’s gaze followed the direction of his hand.
“Don’t you want to go and see it? It’s a world you’ve never seen before.”
Discussion
1 CommentReactions
Erica