Pamona wondered where the drumming was coming from. She listened quietly and felt the presence of her own heart, thumping away. She told herself it must be because even the thought of returning to the Twin Castle made her happy.

He was inviting her to the castle he was staying in. Terion Iligen clearly had a problem with the way he spoke. The reason her heart kept doing strange things was not her fault but his, all because of that baffling way he had with words. Those words, that way of speaking, his voice, his hands, his expressions, those blue eyes, all things that anyone would misread, not just her…….

“You like it here.”

“……I can just sleep over like yesterday.”

Yesterday she had played until late and then suddenly felt exhausted, and had simply gone to sleep in the side castle where she had stayed before. Her nightclothes from that time were still there, and thick layers of curtains that had not been there before now hung over the windows. Thanks to that, she slept until the sun was high in the sky.

“You can’t do that every day. You said you can’t sleep at Payen Castle.”

“Then what about you?”

Was he saying he would go to Payen Castle in her place? She was about to think that perhaps he might want to go there, since it would be easier to mix with people than here.

“There are two castles, so we can each take one.”

Hm.

So this was a rather bold proposal. The Twin Castle was connected, but it was true that it was originally two separate castles, so he was suggesting they each take one.

It’s not an unreasonable thing to say…….

“The bedroom I’ve been using, the princess used to have it, right?”

“Yes.”

“Take it back. I’ll move to the side castle.”

This one……. He really knows how to draw a person in.

“The intruder concedes. Go reclaim your bedroom.”

He remembered that she had called him an intruder in passing, as a joke. She should not have said that. It seemed it had stayed with him. Perhaps Terion Iligen was even kinder than he appeared.

How?

She had never been this kind to anyone herself. It was because she had been born a princess and raised as one. There had been no reason to consider others, and the kindness of those below her in station had always felt like something owed to her.

But then why did Terion Iligen? Had he not also grown up as a prince?

Pamona found it genuinely puzzling, how he could be this way. He had grown up with everyone looking up to him. How?

“……You’re giving back what you took. That’s not a concession.”

Pamona did not like Terion Iligen’s kindness and warmth. He kept offering her things too unfamiliar to her, and it left her flustered, not knowing how to respond.

“And it can’t work that way regardless.”

“Why not?”

“Sionel said this castle is for you to use, so I should go to Payen Castle……”

“What does Sionel have to do with it when you and I are both fine with it? We’re not talking about sharing one castle.”

That was truly out of the question. Sharing one castle. That would be like…

“We’re not talking about sharing a bedroom either.”

“Hey!”

Pamona’s face burned.

“Hm? So will you come?”

Why is he doing this? It’s almost like he’s trying to…

A thought surfaced. If it had been her, not Heil, who had gone to Ilion. If Heil had been the one left behind. Would he have been this warm to Heil too?

Of course he would have.

Thinking that his kindness and warmth were not something special reserved for her alone seemed to settle her heart a little.

“I’m not coming.”

At her words, Terion Iligen’s shoulders dropped slightly and he let his disappointment show. He even pushed out his lower lip. He was doing it on purpose, to get her attention.

“Payen Castle is fine. I’ve spent my whole life there, and the Twin Castle was only for a short while.”

“But you can’t catch even a glimpse of the sunset you love so much from there.”

Why does he have to be so sharp about everything?

“It’s too noisy around there. Too many people coming and going, too many castles nearby. You’ll run into the princes every time you pass through. And every time that happens, you’ll hide or run away again.”

Terion Iligen listed the exact reasons she disliked Payen Castle, with a precision that made it seem like he had looked inside her head. Pamona wanted to argue that there were good things about it too, but nothing came to mind.

“Think it over and let me know. Let’s just play here together like this every day.”

It was out of the question, and that was that. Using the Twin Castle together with a royal guest. People would talk, without a doubt. She had no decent excuse to offer. She needed at least a plausible reason to have a way out. Idle rumors might start.

“I’ll push you on the swing too. Hm?”

Even so. In her heart, she truly wanted to come. It was the Twin Castle, which she loved more than anything.

* * *

Pamona had spent the whole day idling about with Terion Iligen, and it was only deep into the night that she thought she ought to head back to Payen Castle. Terion Iligen said it was late and told her to just sleep over again, but if she started staying the night for one reason or another, she would obviously end up sleeping here every night. Everyone said they would keep quiet about it, but she had to look after herself.

Pamona said she could go alone, but Terion Iligen called it his nightly walk and insisted on coming along. Both of them still seemed to have things to say, and they were chattering away as they came down the stairs when someone caught her eye, sitting on the steps of the hall and chewing on what looked like dried squid.

He was a red-haired man Pamona had never seen before. One glance told her he was a knight, with a build that made it obvious. Pamona pointed at him and looked at Terion Iligen.

“Red hair……”

He followed the direction of her finger and asked her in return.

“Unnar?”

“Unnar……”

“Yes, his name.”

Terion Iligen said his name with the ease of someone on familiar terms with him. Pamona’s first thought was that a friend of his had come to visit.

“When coming to Masion, I was told to bring a knight escort, so I did bring him along……”

It was strange that he called his knight escort by name like that. It was not something done in Masion. Pamona did not even know the names of her own attendants.

“Let’s bring him along.”

“Come with Unnar?”

“Yes.”

Terion Iligen frowned, looking displeased about something.

“Ha……”

Terion Iligen also seemed to dislike being trailed by attendants. But while he was in Masion, he absolutely needed a knight escort. Unnar looked very strong.

He had a build thick enough to hold its own against any of Masion’s knights, which made him look slightly slow-moving. It was a clear contrast to Terion Iligen, who was equally broad but gave off a nimble impression.

Pamona wondered why he had not been bringing his knight escort along from the start. If that knight stayed close to Terion Iligen’s side, the situations where Pamona had to protect him would probably not arise.

Unnar heard his name called a few times and craned his neck to take an interest in the direction they were standing.

Seeing Pamona staring at him and waiting, Terion Iligen gave a small resigned laugh and beckoned Unnar over. Unnar came straight to them and bowed.

“Unnar Votunon of Ilion. I came to Masion under orders to escort His Highness Terion Iligen.”

It was a formal greeting, but Unnar still seemed to have dried squid in his mouth, and his pronunciation came out slightly off. At that, Terion Iligen let out a faint sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead.

“While you’re eating, right now……”

“Oh dear. Yes. My apologies.”

Pamona had never seen such an impertinent subordinate, and her eyes went wide. Even so, she did not feel displeased for some reason, and simply nodded quietly. Terion Iligen’s irritation did not fade.

“Unnar, it seems the princess is worried, so come along.”

“Oh, is that so? Yes, Your Highness!”

Unnar answered and gripped the sword at his hip once, as though checking it was there. He did nothing particularly strange, yet there was something vaguely loose and untidy about him. Then he moved in close beside Pamona.

Pamona took a step, uncertain, and Unnar stuck right to her side and followed along. It felt less like an escort and more like a companion tagging along, and she was about to feel bewildered by it.

What is this…….

“Give her some space.”

Terion Iligen clicked his tongue and stretched out his arm to block the space between Pamona and Unnar. He narrowed his brow and gave Unnar a pointed look, but Unnar himself seemed largely unaffected.

“Ah. Yes, Your Highness.”

Unnar scratched the back of his red head vigorously and stepped back two paces. Terion Iligen glared at him, then waved his hand to signal him to move back further.

When Pamona and Terion Iligen started walking ahead, Unnar, who had been standing there blankly, lumbered after them a beat late. Somehow he had dried squid in his mouth again. A small drawstring pouch dangled at his hip. It seemed he carried a fistful of dried squid in it.

So Ilion makes knights out of men like that…….

They must truly be a nation of generous and warm-hearted people, Pamona thought.

All the way to Payen Castle, Terion Iligen turned around to check on Unnar several times. He seemed to find him unreliable somehow. It was also plain that he was unhappy about Unnar being his escort.

When Pamona followed Terion Iligen’s gaze and looked back, Unnar would be tilting his head and scratching the back of his neck. When she heard a sigh from beside her and looked over, Terion Iligen would be smiling at her as though nothing had happened.

Even so, knowing that Terion Iligen would not be alone on his way back to the Twin Castle after seeing her off put Pamona at ease. She also came to understand, a little, why the Crown Prince had always been displeased with her for wanting to go around alone.