Side Story 5

“I’m sorry, Louis.”  

The sound of waves flowed in through the wide-open window.  

Flap, flap. The thin curtains fluttered in the breeze, and Louis’s bangs, as he stood with his arms crossed and eyes closed, were also tousled by the wind.  

“Princess Alisa was crying so sorrowfully…”  

The corners of Louis’s tightly closed lips twitched ever so slightly, but Vivian didn’t notice.  

Vivian had finally realized that everything had been a misunderstanding.  

Louis had gone to the beach at Princess Alisa’s request, where he got hurt. Feeling guilty, the princess had come to see Louis, and upon seeing his wound, she had cried sorrowfully out of remorse. Vivian had misunderstood the situation.  

Louis had gone to the beach at the princess’s request and even gotten injured, yet Vivian had scolded him without knowing any of this. Now, watching Louis keep his eyes shut and lips sealed, Vivian curled her fingers anxiously.  

Through Louis’s thin clothing, she could see the bandage wrapped around his arm. After sending Princess Alisa away, the physician had disinfected and wrapped the wound.  

In truth, the wound hadn’t even required a bandage, but while Vivian was briefly absent, Louis had ordered the physician to wrap it up.  

Fortunately, the physician was quick-witted and had wrapped the bandage all the way around, even over uninjured areas.  

“Does it still hurt?”  

Vivian’s white, slender fingers gently brushed over Louis’s arm.  

“A little.”  

“Oh no… I need to call the physician again!”  

At Louis’s words, Vivian, already feeling down, looked as though her eyebrows might touch her chin. She jumped up, ready to run out of the room to call the physician, but Louis barely managed to grab hold of her dress.  

“There’s no need for that. I’ve already been treated.”  

Louis urgently held onto Vivian’s arm.  

As Vivian sat back down beside him, she repeatedly asked if he was sure they didn’t need to call the physician again.  

“Not the physician…”  

“Then, is there something else you need?”  

At Vivian’s question, Louis immediately pulled her arm and led her toward the bed.  

“L-Louis!”  

Vivian’s face turned red as she was pulled toward the bed. She nervously glanced at the door, worried someone might come in.  

“No, we can’t!”  

Vivian leaned back, pulling against Louis’s arm. Louis tilted his head, looking at her curiously.  

“Why not?”  

“The sun is still up, and there’s the welcome banquet soon…”  

Louis, watching Vivian fidget nervously, gently grasped her hand.  

“What are you thinking, Vivian? It’s not that.”  

“Huh?”  

Louis lightly tugged her hand, guiding her to sit on the bed.  

“I just wanted to borrow your lap… You’re surprisingly bold, Vivian.”  

Louis climbed onto the bed and rested his head on Vivian’s lap. Watching him, Vivian’s face turned even redder than before.  

Louis, feigning an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression, caused Vivian to cover her face with both hands. Seeing her reaction, Louis chuckled softly and wriggled around to find a comfortable position.  

“Honestly. Do you know how annoying you can be sometimes? You’re more childish than Ian!”  

Vivian, lifting her head from her hands, scolded Louis the way she would Ian. Louis shifted his eyes lazily.  

“Oh. It hurts. Oh. My arm hurts.”  

At Louis’s groaning, Vivian’s stern expression softened. Louis smiled mischievously, grabbed her hand, and turned toward the window.  

The sun was setting, sinking closer to the horizon. Today’s sunset was a mix of purple and red hues. Despite it being autumn, the evening air wasn’t cold, likely because they were in the southern region.  

The sound of waves crashing, the scent of Vivian lingering at his nose, and the wind brushing against his forehead—everything warmed Louis’s heart.  

This kind of serenity and leisure wasn’t something Louis could easily enjoy.  

As he gazed at the breathtaking sunset, Louis sat up.  

Vivian, about to ask if he needed anything, couldn’t even finish her sentence.  

Louis had grabbed the back of her head and stolen a rough kiss.  

“Can I kiss you?”  

Why does he always ask after the act?  

Vivian thought to herself that she should tell him to stop asking for permission. But as she met Louis’s passionate gaze, she wondered if maybe it was better that he asked, only to abandon the thought entirely when she couldn’t keep up with her racing mind.  

Closing her eyes, Vivian wrapped her arms around Louis’s neck.  

The pleasant sound of the waves was soon drowned out by the rough sound of their breathing. Vivian’s body tilted back, and she felt the soft mattress beneath her.  

This isn’t right… I need to get ready for the banquet.  

Vivian tried to hold onto her fleeting sense of reason, but it was slipping away from her grasp.  

“Ah!”  

“You still have time to think about other things?”  

Louis, biting the tip of Vivian’s small, round nose, knelt on the bed and looked down at her.  

‘Plop.’  

Louis, fixing his gaze on Vivian, began unbuttoning his shirt. The sight made Vivian instinctively shut her eyes tightly.  

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, it’s time to prepare for the banquet.”  

Knock, knock.  

Tia’s voice, accompanied by the sound of knocking, startled Vivian, who shot up from the bed.  

“Ugh!”  

“L-Louis!”  

With a loud thud, Louis clutched his nose and curled up on the bed.  

“Are you okay?”  

“I… I don’t think so.”  

Raising himself slowly, Louis lowered the hand that had been clutching his nose.  

“B… Bl＊＊d!”  

Warm, dark red bl＊＊d dripped onto the white sheets.  

* * *  

“I don’t even know how to apologize…”  

King Rakus’s handsome face was stiff with tension. Beside him, Queen Rakus, who bore a striking resemblance to Louis, was struggling to suppress her laughter as she glanced at the white cloth pressed against Louis’s nose.  

Though the Crown Prince being injured was no small matter, fortunately, no one blamed Alisa. The queen had mentioned that the Crown Prince, despite his cold demeanor and lack of gentle words, was a deeply affectionate person.  

The Crown Princess, who had recently married, also seemed kind and compassionate, and above all, the way she looked at Noah and Alisa was as warm as spring sunshine. There was no need to worry about Alisa being punished or the situation escalating.  

Still, King Rakus couldn’t help but feel uneasy that the Crown Prince had gotten hurt while on his honeymoon in their kingdom.  

“It’s not your fault, King, so please stop apologizing.”  

“But he was injured because of my child. How can it not be my fault?”  

At the king’s apology, Prince Noah sighed softly as he glanced at his younger sister sitting beside him.  

Alisa, perhaps sensing the mood or having been scolded earlier, was quietly eating her meal next to the queen.  

It seemed necessary to hold her back after the banquet and give her a stern talking-to.  

Being a coastal nation, Rakus was famous for its seafood dishes.  

Vivian glanced at Louis’s nose as she picked up a glass of Rakus’s specialty wine, which paired well with the seafood dishes.  

“By the way, Alisa. Did you find what you were looking for?”  

As Vivian emptied her glass, she suddenly remembered that Alisa had gone to the beach with Louis to find something.  

Because of Louis’s injury, she hadn’t had the chance to ask what Alisa had been looking for or if she’d found it.  

“Yes! I found it!”  

Alisa, who had been quietly cutting her meat into small pieces, answered loudly. Her response startled Prince Noah the most.  

“Alisa.”  

Noah tapped his sister’s leg, which was bouncing excitedly, but she didn’t stop.  

“Proki! I found Proki!”  

At the mention of “Proki,” the eyes of Noah, King Rakus, and Queen Rakus all widened. Louis flinched and quickly raised his wine glass, gulping it down.  

“Proki? What’s Proki?”  

Vivian asked, and Louis cleared his throat unnecessarily loudly, but no one paid him any attention.  

“Proki is a frog that lives on the beach. It’s bigger than regular frogs and very colorful.”  

Noah set down his fork and knife and began explaining in a calm tone.  

He described Proki as a frog that lived among the rocks on the beach, eating insects, and could only be found in Rakus.  

Although Proki was large and brightly colored, it wasn’t a dangerous animal because it wasn’t poisonous. Noah, glancing at his sister, added that Proki had become difficult to find over the past century because their numbers had rapidly declined due to a rumor that catching one could cure illnesses.

When Noah finished his explanation, he fell silent.

“Alisa. Why were you looking for Proki?”

When Bella asked, Alisa’s expression quickly turned somber.

“Because Mother is sick because of the baby. She can’t ride in carriages or eat delicious food!”

“Alisa…”

Bella, moved by Alisa’s words, clasped her hands to her chest.

Even Noah’s expression softened as he realized why his sister had dragged the Imperial Crown Prince along and caused such a commotion.

“You’re such an angel!”

“You’re supposed to address her as ‘Your Highness, the Crown Princess.’”

When Alisa called Vivian an angel, Noah immediately corrected her with a stern expression.

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess! Shall I show you Proki now?”

Just as the King and Queen opened their mouths to stop their daughter,

“No.”

A firm voice cut through the banquet hall.

Louis, who had wiped his mouth with a napkin, was staring at Alisa.

Alisa pouted at Louis’ words.

“Pfft.”

The Queen hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, but her laughter was already too loud.

When Louis’ face twisted into a scowl, Bella finally lowered her head and started shaking with silent laughter.

“Mother?”

Alisa tilted her head in confusion at Bella’s strange behavior. Bella, after taking a deep breath, smiled brightly at her daughter and said,

“Not everyone in the world likes frogs, my dear.”

“Huh?”

“Well, pfft… you see, frogs…”

As laughter threatened to burst forth again, Bella bit her lower lip tightly.

Louis stared at Bella in disbelief.

Does she not know why I came to dislike frogs? No, she knows. She’s doing this on purpose.

Even after becoming the Queen of a kingdom, his cousin hadn’t changed at all from her childish, reckless self.

Glaring at her, Louis turned his head away in despair.

Vivian, who had been clutching the napkin on her lap, had her shoulders shaking subtly as she tried to suppress her laughter.

“Vivian. Don’t laugh.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. Haha… I’m sorry.”

What was supposed to be a honeymoon trip, arranged to check on his cousin’s health and negotiate a sea route between Rakus and Altine, had turned into this.

Now that he knew his cousin was healthy, Louis wanted nothing more than to abandon the sea route negotiations and leave Rakus immediately.