Side Story: I Like You, Captain! (Part 1)

#1. An Incident on Someone Else’s Birthday

A few days had passed since Duvelln’s wedding. After returning from her hometown, Lena was experiencing the busiest time of her life.

Ever since her father caught her kissing Captain Alhendore that day, he had been sending letters incessantly. He implored her to stop if it was just a fling.

Ignoring these letters for a few days, Lena found herself in the bustling capital, preparing for the Crown Prince’s birthday celebrations.

With the large-scale event spanning four days, Lena and the knights assigned to guard the capital were busy every day.

“Ugh, that was exhausting!”

With all five knight orders deployed to guard the capital, the knights took turns resting.

Thanks to this, Lena, who had finally gotten some rest after a long time, was preparing to attend the ball.

The previous day, Livri had come to her room, insisting on attending the party together and even brought a dress for Lena.

Although not particularly fond of parties, Lena decided to attend this one out of appreciation for her cousin’s efforts.

Lena donned a dark purple dress with a hint of crimson and headed to the entrance of the palace.

The party, which spanned four days, featured different themes each day.

Some days featured orchestras for musical enjoyment, while others had theater troupes for play performances.

At night, masked balls were held in a dim atmosphere, each with its unique events.

The previous night, the main theme was hidden passion disguised as ordinary.

This masked ball was for young men and women who had just debuted or had yet to debut.

It was a party where attendees wore masks and mingled without revealing their identities.

Wearing a purple mask that covered her eyes, Lena looked around the palace entrance. The transparent jewels adorning the edges sparkled in various colors as she moved.

Among the people entering the palace, she spotted a familiar head of golden hair and waved enthusiastically.

Livri was wearing a blue dress with white lace overlay.

Her blue mask, which covered half of her face, was adorned with transparent jewels, adding a touch of elegance.

Recognizing Lena, Livri ran up with a bright smile and hugged her.

“Liv! You’re already here?”

“Wow, Lena! You look so beautiful today!”

“Thank you, Liv. You look very pretty too.”

“What are you talking about! Our Lena is the prettiest in the world!”

Lena laughed brightly at Livri’s earnest exclamation.

Hand in hand, they entered the ballroom. The hall was already bustling with people.

As expected of a party hosted by the palace, the crystal chandeliers sparkled brilliantly. The luxurious golden building was adorned with all sorts of jewels.

In the hall, young boys and girls, each wearing elaborate masks, gathered in small groups, chatting.

Following the subtle background music, men and women gathered in the center of the hall, enjoying the dance.

Unaccustomed to such parties, Lena positioned herself at the edge of the party, sampling the refreshments.

Though Livri loved socializing and attending all sorts of parties, she stuck close to Lena.

“I’m fine, so you can go and have fun.”

“No, I’m tired from attending balls for two consecutive days. Today, I’ll rest with you, Lena!”

Saying this, Livri linked her arm with Lena’s and picked up a wine glass. It seemed odd that someone who loved partying enough to attend balls for two consecutive days would be tired.

Grateful for her cousin’s consideration, Lena was about to suggest heading to the center together.

Suddenly, the music changed, and people began murmuring all at once.

What could it be? 

Everyone seemed excited as if something interesting was about to happen.

“Looks like something’s about to happen.”

Lena whispered in Livri’s ear, and Livri’s eyes sparkled as she met Lena’s gaze.

“Lena! Do you know what the highlight of a masked ball is?”

“Highlight? What’s that?”

Livri seemed to know what the commotion was about. At Lena’s curious question, she exhaled through her nose and placed her hands on her hips.

“Treasure hunt, treasure hunt!”

“Treasure hunt?”

“Oh, Lena, you really don’t know anything!”

Standing Lena in front of her, Livri continued her enthusiastic explanation.

“A treasure hunt is a special event held only during the night masked balls.”

“And?”

The more Livri explained, the more confused Lena became.

“They say there are paired pendants hidden all over the palace. If a man and a woman find matching pendants, it’s fate!”

“Have there really been people who got together because of that?”

Honestly, it sounded ridiculous. What were the odds that a man and a woman would find matching pendants?

Even if they did find matching pendants, what if they were already betrothed or had lovers?

Lena could only tilt her head at what seemed like a child’s play.

“Of course! Lady Rayunel of Baron Atera and Lord Orta of Baron Crano, and also the Count of Moriti’s-.”

Livri twirled around dreamily, spreading her arms wide in the air.

According to her, many couples had indeed gotten together through this treasure hunt. Was there more credibility to it than she thought? Lena, momentarily intrigued, felt a surge of enthusiasm.

“I want to try it!”

“Great, great! This is your chance to find a pendant and your destined partner!”

Livri, seemingly more excited than Lena, grabbed her hands and jumped up and down in place.

Thus, the two set out to find the pendants, exploring the palace within the allowed areas.

***

“Why are you following me around instead of enjoying the party?”

“Guarding you, Your Highness, is my duty.”

A man in a navy suit and white mask sighed with a bored expression.

Standing on the terrace connected to the third floor of the ballroom, he frowned at the breeze blowing in.

‘I wonder what Lena is doing right now.’

The man, Alhendore, glanced at the man beside him with a look of disdain. He thought about quitting the knight order and traveling with her.

For the first time, he understood his father, who left work behind and roamed overseas, much to his mother’s dismay.

“Oh? That was a very annoyed look just now.”

“Wouldn’t you be?”

The man in the elaborate attire smiled beneath his golden mask. He seemed to find Alhendore’s response quite amusing.

The man shifted his gaze outside the terrace. Unlike the noisy hall, the garden was still quiet.

Judging by the noise from behind, it seemed the treasure hunt was about to be announced.

“Well then, why not enjoy a nice encounter in the garden?”

“As I said, I’m on duty, so that’s difficult.”

“Everyone’s eager to find the pendants. Aren’t you interested in such events?”

The man looked at his friend, who couldn’t enjoy himself, with pity. Feeling somewhat insulted by that gaze, Alhendore raised an eyebrow.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself, Your Highness.”

“Of course, isn’t that what abusing power is for?”

The man, addressed as “Your Highness,” pulled a pendant from his jacket pocket.

As the Crown Prince of this country and Alhendore’s close friend, he was indeed someone who knew how to exploit his power.

He already had a pair of matching pendants glowing in his hand. The two pendants, each shaped like half an egg with a blue jewel in the center, fit together perfectly.

“Tsk.”

Alhendore clicked his tongue, filled with disdain.

“Did I just feel a very disrespectful gaze?”

“You must be mistaken.”

“Ah, is that so? Do you not need this?”

“…Hah.”

The Crown Prince pulled another pendant from his other pocket. It was a comma-shaped piece split from a round pendant.

“I don’t need it.”

“Really?”

Alhendore thought his friend was truly something else. He was about to let it go when the Crown Prince slyly tried to place the pendant in his hand.

“What are you…”

As he shook it off in disgust, the Crown Prince’s antics didn’t end there. He threw the half pendant he held over the terrace.

“You’re really something.”

Alhendore finally couldn’t hold back and glared at the Crown Prince.

“Wasn’t that extremely disrespectful just now?”

“Was it?”

The Crown Prince, still smiling, looked out over the terrace.

“Aren’t you curious? About fate.”

“Not really.”

“I am, about fate.”

Alhendore probably had no idea, not even in his dreams, that his destiny was right here. The Crown Prince kept smiling mysteriously.

“How wonderful would it be if your destined partner were the one you like?”

“I don’t believe in such things.”

His destiny was solely Lena Leshuriel. Unless Lena came to this party and got that pendant, the owner of the pendant would never be his destiny.

Moreover, he didn’t plan on keeping the pendant.

Alhendore glanced briefly at the comma-shaped pendant in the Crown Prince’s hand.

The Crown Prince, wearing a half-egg-shaped pendant around his neck, shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I hope you succeed today.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean, don’t you?”

As the Crown Prince snapped his fingers with a sly smile, a large magic circle began to glow under his feet.

“What the!”

“See you later, my friend.”

“Your Highness!”

Alhendore tried to catch him by jumping into the magic circle, but the Crown Prince had already disappeared.

Staring blankly at the remaining golden light, Alhendore was left speechless.

“When am I supposed to find that thing again…”

Feeling annoyed yet slightly amused, he leaned against the terrace railing and looked up at the sky. He took out a small box he had carefully kept inside his jacket and stared at it.

‘How did he know I had this?’

He reminisced about all the times he had tried and failed to propose to Lena.

This time, he was determined to do it right.

As he was about to put the small box back into his pocket, he noticed something dangling from the cufflinks Lena had given him.

“…Lena, it seems I’m not the crazy one, but that guy is.”

Even for a moment, he had managed to deceive his eyes. It was no wonder that the Crown Prince, who was at the top of the eccentric group, had such a dark side.

“Is it because he’s the master of the magic tower?”

Alhendore clicked his tongue while glaring at the corner of the terrace where the Crown Prince had been.

The yellow jewel, cut into a comma shape, dangled weakly in his hand.