Chapter 4.2

On an early morning in the tiny rural village of Flerosa, the arrival of both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince at once caused a huge commotion.

The Adraena couple, their faces so pale they looked ready to faint, invited the two princes into the mansion, but Orlando politely declined. He said he wanted to get some fresh air after being cooped up in the carriage for so long. He expressed a desire to walk along the Celeste River, and Belnez was chosen to guide him.

Since the Imperial Family’s carriage was too conspicuous, they moved to the carriage Belnez had been about to take. As the three of them rode toward the Celeste River, Orlando began to speak.

“It’s a conversation that would be difficult to have in front of your parents.”

With that, Orlando began his story. The story of how Erpesto Hasmin Bechenia, the Second Prince of the Bechenia Empire, became known as a playboy.

Erpesto had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood. He was so outstanding in every field that people spoke of him as the genius of the century, and there was even talk that he, not the First Prince, should be made Crown Prince.

But Erpesto himself never wanted to become Crown Prince. He didn’t want to take away the position that rightfully belonged to his older brother, nor did he want to cause unnecessary strife within the Imperial Family. He also worried that even the smallest movement could spark a power struggle that might one day lead to bloodshed.

After much thought, Erpesto began pretending to be a womanizer obsessed with pleasure. True to his meticulous nature, he carefully arranged meetings with women and staged situations, performing several times in front of the nobility.

Fooled by his flawless acting, the nobles came to believe he was a lecher addicted to women, and the rumors spread rapidly. Erpesto’s stunning good looks and alluring aura only made the rumors more believable, causing them to snowball.

In the end, Erpesto’s reputation became even worse than the act he had put on. People said he would seduce any woman, regardless of status or age, that he would invite many women to his bed at once and engage in all sorts of pleasures, that he had such incredible stamina that he couldn’t control himself, and that he possessed dazzling and skillful techniques that could conquer any woman. All kinds of wild and scandalous gossip spread.

He became known as a libertine of society, an incorrigible womanizer, the notorious playboy famous for his loose morals, and the Imperial Family’s headache. It was a disgrace for an Imperial Family member.

Yet Erpesto was satisfied. Thanks to this, all talk of making him Crown Prince vanished completely.

That was, until the day he met Belnez Adraena.

“So, Miss Belnez Adraena.”

At this point, Orlando smiled gently and declared firmly,

“My younger brother is not a playboy.”

At those words, Belnez’s face instantly flushed. Her heart pounded so hard that she couldn’t distinguish it from the constant clattering of the carriage wheels over the unpaved road. For a while, Belnez, flustered and embarrassed, darted her gaze about and mumbled,

“So, you came all the way here yourself… just to tell me that?”

“Yes.”

Orlando nodded, giving a wry smile.

“I’ve always felt both gratitude and guilt toward my brother. After all, Erpesto took on the stigma of being a playboy just to protect the throne that I would inherit. So, I always thought that if he ever met someone he truly loved, I would personally clear his name.”

And now, the woman his younger brother had fallen for for the first time was sitting there, blushing furiously and bowing her head in embarrassment. Seeing this, Orlando couldn’t help but let out a little laugh and teased,

“Miss Belnez, you wouldn’t doubt a Crown Prince’s words, would you?”

Of course. The position of Crown Prince of the empire was not so idle that he could personally come all the way here just to support his playboy younger brother’s lie. However, if it was truly because of the guilt Orlando mentioned, then it was understandable that he would go this far to help his brother’s romance.

But since she couldn’t say that directly, Belnez hesitated and replied in a small voice.

“Yes….”

At her answer, Orlando smiled as if satisfied. At the same time, the carriage stopped, as they had arrived at the Celeste River. Orlando opened the door and gestured in that direction.

“Take a walk with Erpesto.”

“Ah… Your Highness?”

“I must return straight to the Imperial Capital.”

“Y-you must be busy.”

“Of course.”

Orlando shrugged his shoulders and made a deliberately tired expression, nodding his head.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Belnez Adraena. I hope we meet again next time.”

“Ah, yes. It was an honor to meet you as well, Your Highness.”

“I hope my effort of coming all the way here was not in vain.”

That comment, made half in jest, somehow gave Belnez a sense of pressure, and she opened her eyes wide.

“Belnez.”

Just then, Erpesto, who had gotten down from the carriage, called her and reached out his hand. She instinctively took his hand and got down, and the carriage door closed immediately. As she absentmindedly watched the carriage depart and grow distant, Belnez asked Erpesto, who was standing beside her,

“When you told me to wait… was it because you were bringing the Crown Prince here?”

“Yes. I thought making you believe was the most important thing.”

So that was it. 

Hearing his answer, Belnez felt her strength leave her body.

Erpesto was not a playboy.

Recalling that fact again, Belnez bit her lip. Her feelings were strange. This was something she had wanted so badly, so why did she feel this way?

“Why did you go so far… for me?”

“Because I love you that much.”

Without hesitation, Erpesto immediately answered, bending his knees to meet Belnez’s gaze.

“Even if there had been a much more difficult and arduous way to earn your trust, I would have gladly done it. So bringing my brother here was nothing at all. If anything, I should thank you. I’m grateful that you’re willing to believe in me, even with just this.”

Her entire reflection was held in his piercingly clear blue eyes. Facing that, Belnez felt as if she might cry and hesitated.

“You’re not… angry?”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t believe you….”

“But even though you couldn’t trust me, you still hoped I was sincere, Belnez. Do you know how happy that made me?”

As he said this, his eyes crinkled as if he truly was happy, and he smiled. That smile took Belnez’s breath away. At the same time, she finally realized. Erpesto truly loved her.

Belnez, feeling even more emotional than before, looked at him. With the green of the Flerosa trees and the blue of the Celeste River behind him, Erpesto looked all the more wonderful, and the sunlight streaming down from the clear sky made him seem dazzling. Compared to the sparkling streams of light flowing along the river, he shone even brighter.

How could someone be so beautiful?

Belnez felt that way once again. That’s why she couldn’t help but ask,

“Er.”

“Yes?”

“Why do you love someone like me?”

At her weakly spoken question, with her head bowed, Erpesto frowned.

“Don’t say ‘someone like me,’ Belnez. Where else in the world could anyone like you exist?”

Erpesto reached out and cupped her cheek. With gentle pressure, he lifted her face, and her green eyes, wet as if morning dew had collected on grass, met his gaze. Looking into her eyes, he continued,

“I rushed over, feeling lucky just to see the opera I’d wanted to watch, but the moment I saw you sitting beside me, I realized an even greater fortune was waiting for me. Watching you, as you teared up at every part that moved me during the performance, I felt like I had met my soulmate.”

“…….”

Belnez didn’t answer. Instead, the tears that had been welling up finally slid down her cheeks. Surprised, Erpesto moved his fingers to wipe away her tears.

“Why are you crying, Belnez? Did I do something wrong…?”

That question made Belnez even more emotional, and she trembled as she sobbed.

“No. I don’t know. I just feel so sorry, and grateful… and it’s hard to believe….”

“Believe me. I told you, Belnez. Until I met you, my heart had never once raced for anyone.”

With a sigh, Erpesto pulled Belnez into his arms.

“Did you know? I was always so sure I’d never regret it, but because of you, for the first time, I cursed the rumors I started. I wish I could go back in time and punch that self-assured version of myself.”

For a while, Belnez cried in his embrace, feeling his hand gently patting her back. After a long time crying, she managed to speak through her tears.

“I’m sorry… for misunderstanding.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m the one who created that misunderstanding. I’m the one who should be sorry, for putting you through so much pain because of the rumors I spread.”

At those words, Belnez bit her lip even harder, trying to hold back another wave of tears. She really had suffered. She wanted to love him so much. She wanted to receive his love. It was difficult to endure, having to hold back.

But surely, no matter what, she couldn’t have suffered as much as this man, whose beloved couldn’t bring herself to believe him. Even so, Erpesto only worried about her feelings, and that made Belnez’s heart ache even more. At the same time, she loved him all the more. Her feelings were so intense, she could hardly breathe.

She loved him. Now, she could love him as much as she wanted.

The hand that had been patting her back gradually slowed. After a moment’s hesitation, Erpesto carefully spoke.

“Belnez, now… I’d like to hear about your feelings for me, too….”

At those words, Belnez’s sobs slowly subsided. Even after she stopped crying, she hesitated. Then, slowly, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his back. Pulling Erpesto close with all her strength, she took a deep breath.

And in the next moment, she said it all at once.

“I love you.”

Her voice was small, but it was as if the words themselves made Erpesto tremble.

“Really?”

“Yes. I wanted to tell you right away, that’s why I was about to come see you.”

“Oh, Belnez.”

With a voice full of emotion, Erpesto lifted Belnez up into the air. As her view spun round and round, Belnez looked at Erpesto’s radiant, smiling face and smiled back at him. As if she had never cried, she smiled so brightly, like a dew-kissed flower newly blooming.

After spinning her around for a while, when their faces drew close, they instinctively reached for each other and their lips met.

Beneath the piercingly blue sky and the lush, vibrant Flerosa trees, with sunlight streaming through the leaves, and the beautiful Celeste River flowing like a lake behind them, sparkling with light—

They kissed for a long, long time. Over and over, they felt and confirmed each other’s hearts.

It was truly a beautiful and gentle day.