Chapter 21
“Miss Eshar is said to be the young master of the Lera Merchant Guild.”
“Is that so?”
Even with the subject she had deliberately brought up, Euphen showed no particular reaction.
‘Hmm, what should I do?’
She thought that as long as the two of them met, everything would flow smoothly as though it was destined. But what was this suffocating silence?
In such an unbearably awkward atmosphere, she had no idea how to connect Euphen and Eshar. It wasn’t as if she could just blurt out, ‘Why don’t you two hold hands?’ nor could she command them, ‘You are destined to be partners, so please love each other from now on.’
Lynette tore her bread into small pieces, over and over.
“The Imperial Castle’s cuisine is truly splendid, Your Highness the Imperial Prince.”
As if also trying to break the situation somehow, Eshar smiled and spoke.
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
Answering smoothly, Euphen thought for a moment, then continued to talk.
“If there’s anything else you wish for, you may ask for it.”
“There isn’t really anything in particular……”
“Since I heard Lynette received your help, I ought to repay you on her behalf.”
Why did he have to say it like that?
Lynette glanced at the man, then shifted her gaze to the woman seated across from her. In her eyes, she could read a strong sense of doubt.
Just what kind of relationship did these two have? Wasn’t she supposed to be just a maid?
Eshar, struggling to compose her expression, parted her lips but then lowered her gaze.
But that didn’t mean Lynette could step forward and reveal their relationship. It was a strict principle to conceal, as much as possible, the fact that he was an Esper.
If word spread that Euphen was an Esper, the threats against him would multiply. Though his power would protect him from those who directly targeted him, he would be burdened with an enormous weakness: the “Guide.”
Without a Guide, an Esper was only half a being. The more they used their power, the more they writhed in agony… an incomplete existence.
‘In a way, it really is unfair.’
A Guide could live on without an Esper. But an Esper could not live without a Guide. To call that the price for great power was far too cruel.
Lynette blankly stared at the bread she had torn to shreds.
This was no time to drift into thoughts. She might not know every detail about Eshar, but she could at least guess that the woman would never boldly state her desires in front of Euphen here.
‘Not that she would have anything to wish for, in the first place.’
What could she want from a man who wasn’t even the Emperor, but merely an Imperial Prince?
Eshar was already the young master of one of the Empire’s leading merchant guilds. She possessed, and enjoyed, far more than most nobles ever could.
Polite, formal words as if out of a book of etiquette were exchanged.
“It is enough that Miss Lynette is safe.”
Lynette swallowed a sigh at those words.
She could easily guess what kind of misunderstanding Eshar had made about their relationship. If not a lover, then perhaps Euphen’s secret fiancée in disguise. Something along those lines.
“Please, just call me Lynette. Thanks to Miss Eshar, I had the chance to see something wonderful today. And on top of that, you kindly escorted me inside the Imperial Castle……”
She desperately poured out compliments about the woman before her. About how she had extended her hand without hesitation when they bumped into each other on the street, how she had summoned a physician even though it was nothing serious, how she had treated her to a delicious lunch, and so on.
She could feel Euphen gazing at her silently as she listed out everything she could think of in gratitude.
“It seems Lynette is quite taken with Miss Eshar.”
“She’s a good person.”
With the compliments pouring down endlessly, Eshar, whose face had been burning red for some time, waved her hands in fluster.
“No, it’s Miss Lynette who……”
“Please, just call me Lynette. I… am not someone worthy of such formality.”
“Lyne…tte, please stop. Your words are far too much for me.”
“From just today alone, it’s clear how wonderful and kind Miss Eshar is. And also……”
As Lynette’s words continued to flow, the Imperial Prince propped his chin on his hand and quietly listened.
“Haa……”
The sigh came from Eshar. She covered her reddened face with both hands and lowered her head, unable to endure it any longer.
When Lynette finally faltered into silence, only then did Euphen open his mouth.
“It seems the one with wishes isn’t Miss Eshar, but you.”
Wishes? Of course she had them.
For the two of them to fall in love at once, and for Eshar to awaken as a Guide.
“I……”
“What do you wish for, Lynette?”
The man tilted his head slightly, asking with amusement. A moment ago, she had felt like she was suffocating to death. Now, she felt like the clown performing before the two of them.
‘In a sense, that’s not wrong.’
What should she say?
It had been good that she had recklessly gone out and brought this woman here. But she had never planned what came next. She had vaguely believed that as long as they met, things would work out somehow, who would have thought it would be this awkward?
As her eyes rolled around restlessly, Euphen gave a low chuckle.
“A conversation partner……”
Racking her brain desperately, she had managed to come up with a somewhat plausible excuse.
‘No, isn’t it strange for a mere maid to say she needs a conversation partner?’
Should she say she needed a friend instead?
But that didn’t make sense either. A lowly maid suddenly wanting to be friends with the young master of the greatest merchant guild?
She strained to find another word with a similar meaning, but nothing fitting came to mind.
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