SIDE STORIES

1. First Love

‘I’m bored.’

The boy thought to himself as he lay on the living room sofa. On the side table next to him was a tall stack of books he might read, but despite usually losing himself in reading, today he found it difficult to concentrate.

‘I’m so bored I could die.’

Unlike his half-brother the Crown Prince, Leian Pellion, the second imperial prince, had no need to hone himself as a future emperor through various studies and martial arts.

He had no tightly packed schedule from morning to evening, nor any reason to busily meet with influential political figures.

Therefore, the boy’s days were typically dull, and although he usually dispelled that dullness with quiet reading, contemplation, or walks, today he was particularly restless.

‘……Should I go see my brother?’

Perhaps because of this, he entertained an idea he would never normally consider—visiting his half-brother at the Crown Prince’s Palace.

Of course, he had met with his brother frequently before. As members of the imperial family, both the Crown Prince and the Prince often appeared at official events and inevitably encountered each other.

The Crown Prince had dutifully attended the Prince’s recent social debut ball and congratulated his brother. He had kindly added that Leian was welcome to visit the Crown Prince’s Palace anytime.

‘It was probably just a polite pleasantry, but……’

He didn’t doubt his brother’s sincerity. However, the reality was that it wasn’t easy for him, a half-brother, to brazenly frequent the Crown Prince’s Palace.

Still… the boy wavered under an irresistible temptation.

Today he was extremely bored, curious about the Crown Prince’s Palace he had never personally visited, and above all, he felt a strange defiance.

The more rational reasons not to do this came to mind, the more he wanted to surrender to that single impulse.

Finally, seventeen-year-old Leian Pellion made up his mind. He changed his clothes and slipped out of the Prince’s Palace.

Evading the eyes of the palace servants was easy. His palace didn’t have the strict security of the Emperor’s Palace or the Crown Prince’s Palace. As the second son who would never become Emperor, he wasn’t surrounded by a retinue of guards.

Leian easily crossed the courtyard toward the Crown Prince’s Palace. Though he had never been inside, he knew its location.

When he finally reached the main gate, he encountered the predictable obstacle.

“You cannot enter.”

“Can you not even relay a message to my brother? Tell him I’m waiting at the door.”

“I apologize. His Highness the Crown Prince is currently receiving guests. Delivering your message would only disturb him.”

The guard who apologized didn’t look sorry at all. It was an attitude too disrespectful for a mere soldier to show to an imperial prince.

But even as Leian’s expression hardened, he couldn’t bring himself to scold the soldier. Getting angry at the Crown Prince’s guard would more likely appear disrespectful on his part.

The people of the Crown Prince’s Palace, who served their benevolent master, naturally disliked the second prince born of the Emperor’s infidelity.

These days, though there was no physical evidence, it was accepted as fact that Leian’s mother had poisoned the first Empress. In this place, Leian Pellion was not the Emperor’s precious son but merely the child of a murderer.

Well aware of this fact, Leian merely clenched his fist instead of asserting his authority as royalty. Despite wanting to maintain his dignity, his face already burned with shame.

‘Right, I shouldn’t have come.’

He bitterly acknowledged that he had dreamed a futile dream and was about to turn away. But before he could take a step, a chamberlain of the Crown Prince who was passing through the main gate called out to him.

“Prince Leian?”

Leian hesitated. Recognizing the middle-aged chamberlain who had served his brother for a long time, he gave a slight bow. The chamberlain approached.

“What brings you here?”

“……I came to see my brother. I didn’t know he already had guests. I was just about to leave.”

Leian answered politely.

He couldn’t bring himself to speak condescendingly to the chamberlain who was almost old enough to be his parent, even though he himself was royalty.

Moreover, he felt particularly uncomfortable around those who had served the Crown Prince for a long time, like this chamberlain.

Though they were said to serve, they had essentially raised him. This chamberlain had protected them in the palace even when the Crown Prince was still young and the first Empress was alive.

How ridiculous must he seem to such a person? How disgusting? Leian hunched his shoulders, reminded of the original sin flowing in his bloodline.

The chamberlain stared at the tense prince for a moment, then after brief consideration, said to the guards:

“Open the gate.”

“What?”

“I said open the gate. I will personally escort His Highness the Prince inside.”

Leian’s eyes widened in surprise, and the guards also showed their bewilderment.

They looked ready to protest, but the Crown Prince’s trusted chamberlain was their senior by far. They had no choice but to obey.

Eventually, the main gate of the Crown Prince’s Palace opened, and Leian entered with a sour expression. The chamberlain spoke respectfully:

“Please follow me.”

“……Yes.”

The chamberlain silently led the way, and Leian timidly followed. Throughout the walk, the boy stared at the back of the chamberlain’s head, seriously wondering why he had let him in.

‘He probably felt sorry for me.’

It was a plausible guess. The chamberlain who served the Crown Prince closely had likely sensed that his master genuinely cared for his half-brother. If not passionate affection, there was certainly compassion.

His brother was too good for him. Instead of keeping his distance to avoid causing trouble, he had flown like a moth to a flame, thirsty for unconditional kindness. Leian felt ashamed of himself.

He considered turning back even now, but he had already come too far.

They had already entered the back garden of the Crown Prince’s Palace, and clear laughter and voices were growing closer.

Leian thought the laughter sounded somehow familiar. Just before she came into view, he realized who the Crown Prince’s current guest was.

‘Ah.’

It was that girl. Calie Lucaen. His mother’s lady-in-waiting. The girl who was reportedly designated as his brother’s bride.

Though they hadn’t formally held a ceremony, she was practically engaged and frequently visited the Crown Prince’s Palace—he hadn’t realized today was one such day.

Since their first meeting last year, she had occasionally visited the Prince’s Palace for tea, but lately her visits had become infrequent. Now he understood why—she had been meeting his brother instead. Leian felt a tightening in his chest.

“Leian?”

Crown Prince Alex, who spotted his brother first, opened his eyes wide in surprise. Calie, who had been sitting with her back to him, quickly turned around at the mention of his name.

Reminded once again that he was an uninvited guest, Leian regretted his impulsive visit. But having come this far, he needed to observe proper etiquette. He bowed his head in greeting.

“I pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Hello. What brings you here?”

“Nothing special, I just came to pay my respects. I didn’t know you already had a guest. I apologize for coming without notice.”

Leian spoke with humility. Though he could feel Calie’s gaze boring into him, he absolutely refused to raise his head and meet her eyes. He felt he might fail to control his expression if he looked at her now.

“I see. Well, you’ve come at a good time. Would you like to join us for tea?”

“Pardon?”

“Today’s guest happens to have the same age as you. I think you two would get along well. That would be alright, wouldn’t it, Lady Lucaen?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The girl answered with a bright smile. Hearing her sweet voice made Leian’s stomach churn. Once again, he swallowed his regret.

‘I really shouldn’t have come.’

The lady probably wanted to be alone with his brother. But since his brother had personally invited him to join, she couldn’t refuse. Alex Pellion was the highest-ranking person present.

“Leian, please sit.”

“Yes, brother.”

“Bring more refreshments. And prepare another chair first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The chamberlain who received his master’s order bowed his head. He brought a chair and placed it between the Crown Prince and the lady, and Leian awkwardly sat down.

Now three people sat around the round table covered with white lace. Trying not to be too conscious of the blonde girl to his right, Leian surveyed the snacks on the table.

‘……All things the lady likes.’

There were even blueberry muffins that he had once shared with the girl at his palace. Leian felt increasingly dejected.

“You two know each other, right? You and the lady. I heard she received help from you before.”

“Well, yes…… it wasn’t really help.”

When Alex kindly brought up the topic, Leian felt conflicted.

It wasn’t surprising that his brother already knew they were acquainted. Keeping secrets in the imperial palace was extremely difficult, and it wasn’t much of a secret anyway.

However, hearing the expression “received help” reminded him of their first meeting, when the girl had appeared at the Prince’s Palace in tears, surprising him.

The warm tea they shared then, the sweet snacks, the soft handkerchief the boy had given the girl.

For the boy, those remained special memories. Not a significant secret, but one he preferred not to share with others. Something he wanted to keep as a precious, sparkling memory just between the two of them. Something he wanted to take out and look at privately from time to time.

But apparently not for the girl. She must have already told his brother everything.

Though he knew it was a childish sentiment, Leian felt secretly disappointed. He tried hard to hide his hurt.

“You’re being modest. That was significant help. I heard you guided the lady to her destination when she got lost while running an errand for Her Majesty the Empress.”

Alex said kindly. Hearing this, Leian felt the petty knot in his chest loosen.

Guiding a lost girl to her destination—he had never done such a thing.

‘She must have made something up.’

So this girl, too, didn’t want to share their memories with anyone else.

Of course, Lady Lucaen probably liked his brother, so her feelings wouldn’t be exactly the same as his, but just understanding her intention made Leian feel vainly elated.

“It wasn’t anything remarkable. I was simply showing courtesy to a lady.”

Leian replied politely.

In truth, when they first met, the girl was too young to be called a lady, and he hadn’t approached her out of any concern for etiquette. But he had no intention of explaining such details to his brother.