Chapter 4: The Crown Prince and the Childhood Friend

Kasel had dressed up more than usual. Even though Seirin had been pushing him away for twelve years, he hoped that maybe, just maybe, she would be impressed today. If he could win her favor even a little, that would be enough. Kasel paid attention to every detail, from head to toe, as he stepped outside the palace.

“Lady Damarania hasn’t arrived yet?”  

“No, Your Highness.”  

“Hm~”

Kasel nodded sleepily at the knight guarding the gate, then his gaze sharpened as he saw a familiar carriage arriving.

‘That carriage…’

His brow furrowed as the heir of Marquis Cherbel stepped out first and extended his hand. Seirin, slender and graceful, took his hand and descended, coming into Kasel’s view. Kasel couldn’t help but scowl.

‘Even if they’re childhood friends… I don’t like it.’

Kasel was confident that there was no rival for him in the Theodor Empire. After all, as Crown Prince, no one outranked or surpassed him. But the one person who bothered him most was the Marquis Cherbel’s heir, who was holding Seirin’s hand as she got out of the carriage.

Noah de Cherbel.

The son of Marquis Cherbel, currently the second most popular man in the Empire after the Crown Prince himself, and the youngest ever to join the Grand Mage order, already making a name for himself.

Whether Noah was the youngest Grand Mage or second in popularity didn’t matter to Kasel. What really bothered him was that Noah was Seirin’s childhood friend—the one person she never seemed to consider anything more, no matter how hard Kasel tried for twelve years.

“Did you come together?”  

“I, Noah de Cherbel, greet you, Your Highness, the Empire’s little sun.”  

“I, Seirin Damarania, greet you, Your Highness, the Empire’s little sun.”  

Kasel couldn’t help but smile when he saw Seirin, but the irritation returned immediately when Noah, standing right beside her, opened his mouth to speak.

“The Duchess asked me to escort Seirin.”  

“Hahaha, I see.”

Seirin glanced at the Crown Prince, who was glaring at Noah, then lifted her dress lightly and tried to link arms with Noah and walk past Kasel, but had to look up when Kasel gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Is something wrong…?”  

“I’d like to escort you to the banquet hall myself, Lady Damarania. Would that be alright?”

Kasel smiled as he asked, fully expecting her not to refuse. Seirin, unable to hide her distaste, unlinked her arm from Noah and whispered an apology to him.

“It’s okay. I’ll go in first, Rin.”  

“Okay.”

Their conversation was quiet, but not so quiet that Kasel, with his sharp hearing, couldn’t catch it. It bothered him to hear Noah call his Seirin ‘Rin’—an affectionate nickname Kasel himself had never used. As a fellow man, Kasel could tell: even if Seirin didn’t notice, Noah de Cherbel was not just a friend. He was using their friendship as an excuse to stay close, and it annoyed Kasel even more that Noah dared to use a nickname he hadn’t.

Kasel wanted to keep Noah away, and he could have, but the problem was Seirin herself. She didn’t seem to realize Noah’s feelings and just kept him close as a childhood friend, which made Kasel burn with frustration.

“Your Highness.”  

“Hmm?”  

“We should go.”

“Ah, right.”

Kasel had been in a foul mood, but the moment he held Seirin’s delicate hand, his spirits lifted. Seirin, knowing that if she didn’t play along, Noah might get caught up in the Crown Prince’s wrath, forced a smile and accompanied Kasel to the banquet hall.

“Oh my, look over there!”  

“It’s the Crown Prince and Lady Damarania!”  

“What a perfect pair!”  

“They’re glowing!”

All around, people whispered about her and the Crown Prince, and Seirin found it deeply uncomfortable.

‘Who decided I should be paired with this clingy Crown Prince?!’

Her mood soured further when another unwelcome presence dashed toward her.

“Rin~ My lovely little sister! You’re the prettiest here! Right, Kasel?”  

“Of course.”

‘I’d love to sew their mouths shut.’

Seirin’s hands itched, but then she heard a welcome voice.

“Seirin!”  

“Guys!”

Turning toward her three friends, who had arrived at the banquet first, Seirin watched as they greeted the Crown Prince standing beside her.

“Congratulations on coming of age.”  

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Lady Rudelia—no, Dame, isn’t it hard being a knight?”  

“Not at all! Every day is a joy!”  

“Haha, good. Lady Redéan, thanks to your foresight, we were able to subdue the monsters before they rampaged. My gratitude again.”  

“It’s nothing, Your Highness. I simply did my duty as the Empire’s Saintess.”  

“Good. Lady Risento, I hear you’re teaching magic now.”  

“I’m just a trainee teacher, but I’m doing my best.”  

“As the only daughter of Marquis Risento, who leads the magic army, much is expected of you.”  

“I’ll do my utmost to meet your expectations, Your Highness.”  

“Good.”

After finishing his conversation with Violet, the Crown Prince turned toward Seirin, who was still facing her brother Sein, who was busy praising her.

“Enough, Brother. There are so many people here.”  

“So what~ I want to praise my one and only little sister as much as I want.”

‘Honestly.’

Seirin found her brother’s fuss annoying, but compared to the Crown Prince, her foolish brother was much easier to handle. She sighed and spoke again.

“Brother, you’re a knight guarding the Crown Prince. If you’d act with proper knightly decorum, I’d be truly proud of you.”  

“Rin~ Alright! For my beloved sister!”

‘If you really cared, you’d take the Crown Prince and leave me alone.’

Seirin tried to send a telepathic plea to her brother Sein, but he was too busy showering her with affection to notice, which made her frown and bite her lip in frustration.

“The Emperor and Empress are arriving!”

The noisy banquet hall fell silent at once. The Emperor and Empress, famous in the Empire for their loving marriage, entered arm in arm and waved, prompting everyone in the hall to bow their heads.

“To all those gathered here, who will lead this Empire into the future, congratulations on coming of age. Today, enjoy the joy of adulthood in the Imperial Palace to your heart’s content.”

“Long live the Emperor!”  

“Long live the Empress!”

As the cheers echoed, Seirin’s ears rang, and she desperately wished she could go home. But with the Crown Prince stuck to her side and her brother repeating how beautiful she was, the stress she’d barely relieved with yesterday’s desserts came rushing back. She grabbed a passing waiter’s champagne and drank it down.

‘Haa. Refreshing.’

“Se-Seirin! What did you just drink?”  

“Champagne, obviously. Why?”  

“Will you be okay? You’ve never had alcohol before.”  

“I’ll be fine. I’ve had champagne with Mother a few times, so there’s nothing to worry about.”  

“That’s a relief, but…”

Leaving her brother, who fussed over her like a child at the water’s edge, Seirin turned to Noah, who approached.

“It’s the fresh cream cake you like, Rin.”  

“Thanks, Noah. Here, have some of your favorite five-grain cookies.”  

“Thank you.”

Seirin and Noah had always looked out for each other since childhood. But not everyone watching liked this. Especially her brother Sein, who doted on his sister, and Kasel, the Crown Prince, who had desired Seirin for twelve years but had always been rejected.

“Lady Damarania.”  

“Ah. The Empire’s sun…”  

“That’s enough.”

The current Emperor, once called the Lord of Blood, but in Seirin’s eyes, he was just a warm-looking uncle.

‘At least, it’s a relief. He doesn’t call me his future daughter-in-law in such an official setting.’

Seirin let out a short breath and bowed slightly to the Empress, who complimented her beauty.

“It’s too much praise, Your Majesty the Empress. Before the wisest and most beautiful Empress in this Empire, I am but a mere Duke’s daughter.”

“Hehe, so humble as well. I truly like you so much. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

“Of course.”

‘As expected… It always goes so well, then ends up like this! I need to escape from here as soon as possible. If not…’

Seirin was suffocated by the heavy pheromones the Crown Prince was emitting, even though he said nothing. She was even more worried about what this Crown Prince might do to Noah.

“Your Majesties, it’s been a while since I greeted you.”

“Oh, Duchess Damarania, come in.”

“Welcome, Duchess. It’s truly delightful to see your face again after so long.”

“Hehe, Your Majesty the Empress, you seem to grow younger every time I see you.”

“Oh my~ You’re the one who looks younger, truly.”

In the cheerful atmosphere, Seirin only wanted to quietly enjoy some delicious food. Her friends had already left to give her space, and she wanted to escape, but with the Imperial couple, her mother—the only person she feared in the world—and the Crown Prince, who had been wordlessly emitting threatening pheromones while sitting at her side, Seirin could only inwardly complain about her discomfort.

“Rin!”

“Ah…”

Her father, who had been missing, suddenly ran toward her with great joy. Seirin, seeing the Empire’s Chancellor and the only Duke running toward her so excitedly, wished she could dig a hole and hide.

“That man really…”

Serpiana, as displeased with her husband’s behavior as her daughter was, sincerely apologized to the two Majesties standing before her.

“Haha. Madame, there’s nothing for you to be sorry about. That friend of ours has been going on since this morning about how happy he is that his only daughter has come of age, so I was a bit envious. If only we had a lovely princess like your daughter in our family…”

“Hehe. Your Majesty, really. Kasel will surely give us a lovely granddaughter.”

“Haha. Indeed. Kasel, your father and mother trust you.”

“Of course.”

Seirin, who had just been glaring at Noah for standing too close, was now smiling and answering politely, which gave her goosebumps.

“My beloved daughter, Rin. Congratulations on becoming an adult.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Ahh! Just thinking of sending you off to marry already breaks my heart!”

“Father, please…”

Before she could ask him to calm down, her mother quietly approached and whispered in his ear, making Seirin smile as she watched her father tremble. The lively music filling the banquet hall brought a smile to her lips.

‘This is the song Noah and I practiced together when we were little.’

“Rin. Shall we dance together, for old time’s sake?”

“Sure, Noah.”

Recalling her childhood, Seirin took Noah’s hand and began to dance. Emperor Louis approached his son and whispered in his ear.

“Will you just stand by and let her be taken away?”

“Of course not. I have my own plans, so please just watch, Father.”

“Hm, alright.”

Kasel watched Noah de Cherbel, who was smiling as he danced with Seirin, and gave a dangerous smile.

‘I’ll gladly accept your challenge.’