Chapter 42
“…Sir Zion, do you not see me standing here?”
Since siding with the Empress, they hadn’t properly faced each other, but being ignored by someone he had interacted with since childhood put Calix in a foul mood.
Naturally, Ilion, though Zion was his older brother, also glared at him for being rude to the Imperial Crown Prince. Sensing their stares, Zion belatedly dropped his guard and acknowledged the two.
“My apologies, Your Highness. I’ve greeted you too late.”
After a brief bow, Zion immediately shifted his gaze back to Lea and asked,
“Fortunately, the wound doesn’t appear to be deep, Lady Haisley. It looks like the bleeding has stopped…”
In place of the still-absent palace physician, he inspected the wound himself. Ashamed of having tried to receive guiding from her while she was injured, Zion now felt it was better that Calix had interrupted it.
“It would be best to remove your jacket before the area swells, my lady. May I assist you?”
He asked in a gentle tone as he reached to take off the bloodstained jacket.
Watching this, Calix felt a strange sense of irritation and, without realizing it, muttered sarcastically,
“I had no idea you and Sir Zion were so… close, Sister.”
At those words, Lea reflexively pushed Zion’s hand away ever so slightly.
For a moment, Zion’s expression stiffened, though Lea didn’t notice. Calix, however, watched her with a curious gaze.
She quickly composed her expression and straightened her hair, then rose from the bed and bowed respectfully toward Calix.
“I greet Your Highness, the small sun of the Empire. May I ask what brings you to my palace?”
The three men were caught off guard by her gracefully composed demeanor. Especially Calix—he could now say it with certainty.
He didn’t know the reason, but… she was no longer the same as before.
“…I heard you were injured, so I came to see you. Was it… an arrow graze?”
In truth, he didn’t care how or why she’d been hurt, but it felt like the appropriate question to ask in the current situation.
Internally flustered, Lea nonetheless called upon her years of experience keeping a composed face in front of Bianca, shifting her expression with practiced ease.
“Not at all. I simply didn’t notice a tree branch ahead while riding and fell from the horse.”
“Pardon? Then that’s even worse, my lady.”
Startled by her words, Zion stepped closer, but Lea quietly raised her hand to stop him. Even a single gesture from his Guide was enough to make Zion freeze and obey.
“I was riding very slowly, and Young Master Felitier helped me, so I wasn’t badly hurt. It just looks worse than it is because a sharp branch scratched me.”
“Is that so…”
Calix stared intently at the crimson-stained jacket. From its condition alone, there wasn’t a single tear—he couldn’t tell how bad the injury was.
He found his eyes lingering stubbornly on the wounded area. Somehow, he felt like a strange scent was coming from it.
A sweetness so rich it made his mouth water.
That was why he didn’t immediately register that Lea was calling him.
“…Your Highness.”
“Ah, yes.”
“As I mentioned before, please don’t address me so formally anymore. I hold no title. Using honorifics with someone like me, who’s no different from a commoner, only tarnishes Your Highness’s dignity.”
Calix couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Really now—she’d always called him by name, speaking informally, and now she expected him to believe she meant these polite words sincerely?
His lips parted and closed several times before he changed the subject.
“If you’re feeling well enough, I’d like to give you a gift—the game I caught during the hunt.”
At those words, Lea raised her head in surprise, her expression startled. Their eyes met—crimson against crimson.
“A small gesture to wish you a speedy recovery.”
Unable to tear her gaze away from his softly smiling face, Lea briefly failed to hide her flustered expression.
Calix, for some reason, found himself amused. The woman who had always snapped at him or scowled was now acting with such decorum—he couldn’t possibly see it as endearing.
But this awkward, flustered look… for some reason, he liked it. Perhaps all the resentment he’d built up toward her over the years was surfacing now.
“Please accept it, Sister.”
The slight curl of his eyes was devilishly seductive. Enough to sway even a werefox.
Momentarily dazed, Lea forced herself to gather her wits by recalling her earlier mistake.
“There’s no need to ask for my opinion. If Your Highness offers it, I will gratefully accept.”
“You don’t know what I caught, do you?”
“…No, I don’t, but whatever it is, I’d be honored to receive anything from Your Highness. However…”
“Sister, I caught a silver-furred fox. The other young ladies have been dying to get their hands on it. Are you, too?”
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