Chapter 12
Thanks to that, they lost track of time, completely absorbed in their game of dolls.
“Did you need something?”
Adelaide’s voice sounded surprised as she asked. The hostility of their first meeting had already faded into the background as she immersed herself in play.
“Ah, well… yes. I came up because it’s about time for Killian to head back.”
Adelaide glanced at the clock. Just as the count had said, more time had passed than she realized. Her expression fell slightly as she looked down at the doll in her hands.
“…We didn’t even finish playing.”
Seeing her disappointment, Killian gave a small shrug.
“We can just meet again next week.”
“Who said I’d meet you again?”
She said that, but at the thought that he would come back to see her, a small, uncontrollable smile crept onto her lips.
“I already apologized, didn’t I? We agreed to be friends, right? Hmm… Older Sister?”
Killian leaned toward her as she turned away, pretending to sulk. For a brief moment, Adelaide caught her own reflection in his eyes.
“…Well, I mean. That’s true, but…”
Just earlier, he had said friends didn’t have things like older or younger.
Mumbling, she averted her gaze. Somewhere along the way, the terrible first impression she’d had of Killian had begun to fade.
Thump. Thump.
Her heart beat faster. A faint blush bloomed across her cheeks like a flower.
And as Killian watched her, a smile touched his lips.
* * *
In the center of the long banquet table, gleaming golden candelabras were placed. Dish after dish of exquisite food was laid out without end. White candles burned brightly, illuminating the entire table, their light reflecting off the gold, dazzling to the eye.
A banquet celebrating the autumn harvest was underway. Members of the imperial family and high-ranking officials had gathered to dine together.
“I hear the Crown Prince has made a new friend?”
“Yes. It seems he’s been interacting with the young lord of House Eport.”
“And you think that will truly bring any change to the Crown Prince’s temperament?”
“Well… that, I cannot say.”
Amid the clinking of utensils, quiet murmurs spread across the hall. The nobles’ eyes flickered constantly, all focused on the two boys seated across from the emperor.
Crown Prince Killian Nachtmann.
Grand Duke’s heir, Fabian Nachtmann.
Their appearances were as starkly different as the fates that had been twisted years ago.
One bore jet-black hair and violet eyes that seemed almost unnatural. The other looked as though he had stepped out of a sacred painting.
They ate in silence, each acting as though the other did not exist.
The boy who had been born to be crown prince and the boy who had taken that place instead.
In the gazes of the assembled nobles, calculations moved like a restless storm.
And then, one of the boys, who had seemed as though he would never speak, broke the silence first.
“Killian. Want this?”
With a gentle smile, Fabian nudged the dish in front of him slightly toward Killian.
At once, the entire hall fell quiet. Those with sharp memories recalled what had happened at last year’s harvest banquet.
That time, a dish meant for Killian had been dropped. The attendant had panicked, offering to bring a replacement—but Killian had refused.
“Swap mine with his. He’s been living out in the mountains anyway, he probably doesn’t even know what fish tastes like.”
It had been a blatant attempt to humiliate.
The northern nobles had flushed red with anger, ready to rise from their seats, but Killian hadn’t cared in the slightest. If anything, he had arched a brow, grinning at Fabian.
“You don’t mind, right? You’re used to yielding to me anyway.”
The implication behind the word yielding was clear. The nobles had been left speechless. And yet, what shocked them even more was Fabian’s composure.
Even in such a humiliating situation, he hadn’t lost his ease.
“Very well. Let’s exchange them. Killian is still young, he hasn’t yet learned that one shouldn’t covet what belongs to others.”
Unlike the blunt aggression of the crown prince, Fabian’s words were refined but edged with something sharp.
“Go ahead. It’s your favorite, isn’t it?”
By coincidence, the dish was the same as before.
A beautifully prepared fish, drizzled with warm sauce, slid toward the center of the table.
All eyes turned to Killian. How would the crown prince respond this time?
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