Chapter 27

What he regretted wasn’t the lies. He regretted not acting more glibly, more gently, when they finally met. Such a stupid regret.

‘…Wait. Regret? What was I going to do by acting suave and gentle, you idiot.’

Then, voices nearby called for him.

“…Are you sure the Prince came this way? Is he on the terrace?”

“No way!”

“Well, someone said he followed a young lady.”

“Oh my, leaving the Imperial Princess behind?”

Hearing the chatter in Imperial language, Amber glanced toward the curtain, then back at him. Maybe she was asking if he’d really left the Princess to follow her, or maybe it was because he’d closed the terrace curtain after hearing those voices. But what was certain was that Amber looked flustered after seeing the curtain drawn.

“I’m not doing anything weird.”

Saying so, Dieldo adjusted the curtain to further block out the outside. Closing the curtain on the terrace usually meant a secret rendezvous, so it was understandable.

“I don’t want to start any strange rumors.”

He immediately clarified the misunderstanding. Light still leaked through the thin gap. Amber, standing in that space, stepped back, and he could see it clearly.

“…I suppose so.”

“Really.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good.”

If he closed the curtain completely, he wouldn’t be able to see her face anymore. Thinking that was a bit of a shame, Dieldo spoke.

“Just until they’re gone.”

“Yes, then I’ll leave you be.”

Dieldo shook his head.

“I’m the intruder, so I should be the one to leave.”

Intruder—yes, that was accurate. He’d barged onto the terrace, and into her life.

It felt like a thorn was stuck in his throat. He absently rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at her.

And finally, whoosh. The terrace was swallowed by darkness.

“…….”

“…….”

Chirring, chirring… The distant sound of instruments mingled with the cries of insects. Even in a foreign land, the night sky was deep blue, and the stars were scattered across it. The sky was the same everywhere. Only the ground beneath their feet, and their relationship, changed with each moment.

Dieldo swept back his neatly arranged hair. The strands he’d fixed in place had come loose, but he didn’t care.

He broke the silence.

“Sorry.”

Only after hiding in the darkness did the words come out, words he should have said from the beginning, cowardly as it was. Then, a simple comfort came from across the space.

“You don’t have to apologize to me. If it’s about what happened…”

“For disappearing so suddenly. And for not looking for you afterward.”

“…….”

“I’m really sorry.”

The soft light from the neighboring terrace was just enough to make out faces. In that gap, he could hear Amber’s faint breathing. As slight and subtle as the flutter of an insect’s wings, but to Dieldo it felt like a giant wave. Overwhelming. Ah, d*mn…

“Prince, I…”

“Whether you remember me, or pretend not to, or not at all…”

Swallowed by that wave, Dieldo spoke with a tightly locked voice.

“It’s fine if you don’t remember. It’s just… I was wrong. I was wrong. That’s all. I… I hurt you again. Left you alone again…”

Looking back, he realized. What they’d been through, his identity, what happened while she was away, their first meeting—none of that really mattered.

No, it mattered. But if he’d hurt Amber, it wasn’t because he was a lousy Prince, but because he’d disappeared without a word.

That was the same as betraying her trust.

And that was a very rude way to say goodbye.

After such a goodbye, Amber’s past month must have been very confusing. Of course, he was confused too. But for him, this was a problem he couldn’t blame on anyone else. Having to disappear suddenly, not being able to find her for a month—if only he’d been a Prince with power. If only he’d had some dignity, none of this would have happened.

In the end, it was all his fault. Problems that Amber didn’t need to understand, all his own.

What’s the point of saying things like this? Is he supposed to beg for her understanding because he’s such a pathetic bastard? To ask her to forgive him for living like crap? D*mn, this is honestly the worst. There’s nowhere to shove such excuses.

Yes, his thoughts always flow like this. So proper and ideal—at least in his mind.

“Knowing that, I never planned to do this either. I thought just seeing you doing well would be enough….”

But now, he couldn’t even tell what he wanted anymore. No, his head knew he should let go, and he was apologizing as if paying for his words, but his hands kept holding onto her, refusing to let go.

And he wanted to side with the part of him that wouldn’t let go. Crazy bastard. He wasn’t in his right mind. If he were sane, honestly….

“Amber.”

“……Yes, Prince.”

“Right, you know well. Even if you don’t remember what happened between us, you must have heard rumors about me. Isn’t that so?”

Dieldo took a step closer to her. Unexpectedly, Amber didn’t try to keep her distance as before. The one surprised by the shorter space was actually him, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he brought his face even closer.

“Degenerate. Scoundrel. Sl*t. You’ve heard those, right?”

“……”

“Hmm?”

At this closer distance, he could vaguely see her expression. Amber seemed at a loss for words at his blunt self-deprecation. Dieldo pressed on.

“So, you shouldn’t give me a chance.”

“Pardon?”

“No matter what I say, even if I hang around in front of you.”

“……”

“Of course, if you intend to use me for that kind of purpose, then I don’t mind you hanging around. But if not….”

‘You should run far, far away.’

It was a selfish decision, since he couldn’t push Amber away himself.

“Are you… mocking me right now?”

Amber looked at him as if she truly couldn’t understand what he was saying. Dieldo smiled, as if she’d gradually come to understand. Then he stepped back, rolling her name around in his mouth.

“Amber.”

As expected, the round pronunciation of the Kingdom’s language sounded best when coming from Amber’s lips.

By then, no more Imperial language could be heard from outside. He drew back the terrace curtain, as if to say he would leave now.

In truth, rather than feeling sorry….

“I wanted to see you.”

He was happier to see her again.