Chapter 45
“Y-Young Lady of the Duke?”
“Yes. It’s been a while, Aide.”
Beaming brightly, Cecilia gave a small fluttering wave, then—apparently satisfied with that as a greeting—looped her arm through Lionel’s.
“I’ll have a quick word with my fiancé. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
“Ah, yes. Of course, but…”
“We’re not going into a private room with no one around, so there’s no need to worry!”
That wasn’t particularly what he’d been worried about, but just as she said, Cecilia led Lionel out into the orphanage garden.
After sending everyone far enough away that their conversation couldn’t be overheard, the two stood in front of a flower bed planted with dainty blossoms and chatted quietly.
It was impossible to know exactly what they were discussing, but as always, Lionel’s face remained expressionless.
Cecilia, meanwhile, clasped his hand tightly with interlaced fingers, wearing a look as if she were blissfully in love. The contrast between them was striking.
“…His Highness can be a bit much.”
Perhaps he could understand, at least a little, why Cecilia seemed so attached to Lionel.
Maybe it was because his younger sister was about the same age as the duke’s daughter. For some reason, he felt a twinge of sympathy for her.
‘I should at least look out for her a little.’
Just then, an apprentice priest approached to announce the next destination. The two had finished their conversation and were walking back.
Maximus bowed politely.
“Your Highness. You are to proceed to the repair section of the eastern temple chapel.”
Lionel nodded silently, but Cecilia—still holding tightly to his hand—let out a startled sound.
“The chapel repair section? The volunteers fix the chapel too?”
“That appears to be the case…”
“What do you even do there? Don’t tell me you’re carrying bricks or something?”
“Most likely…”
That was highly probable.
The moment word spread that Lionel had ordered a separate list made of nobles who deliberately approached him, the visits stopped the very next day.
And what did that mean? It meant the donations flowing into the priests’ pockets had dried up as well.
With no way to increase contributions, the Second Prince had become a complete nuisance to them.
They assigned him every unpleasant volunteer task they could think of, hoping he would return to the imperial palace of his own accord—but Lionel carried out each duty without a single complaint.
‘But the duke’s daughter is different.’
The repair area would surely be full of dust. Cecilia would undoubtedly insist on following him. How should he gently persuade her not to?
Just as Maximus was thinking up a tactful way to separate her—
“Then I’d only be in the way if I followed.”
“…Pardon?”
“Since I’ve come all this way, I’ll stay and play with the children a bit longer. You go ahead.”
“…Ah. Are you certain that’s all right?”
Hadn’t she come all this way because she wanted to be with His Highness?
Slightly flustered, Maximus glanced at Lionel.
She had traveled quite a distance just to see him. Maximus hoped—even a token invitation—to come along would leave Lionel’s lips.
But that was asking far too much of the Second Prince.
“Then I shall see you again next time.”
“Yes. See you next time!”
Lionel gave a small, perfunctory bow without adding a single polite remark. Cecilia also dipped into a brief curtsy before him.
Not even the faintest smile touched his blunt, impassive face. Cecilia, on the other hand, continued to beam.
“Bye, kids! Who wants to play with big sister? Come here, come here! I’ll sing for you!”
After bidding Lionel farewell, she spun around and ran toward the orphanage children, cheerful beyond measure.
The children, who had been peeking at her with curious expressions, cautiously approached as she plopped down on the ground in her dress without hesitation and beckoned them to play.
Somehow… it seemed far too unpretentious—too friendly—for a duke’s daughter.
For a moment, Maximus wondered if this was her own strategy to draw attention.
“Let’s go.”
“Pardon? Ah… yes.”
But this cold-hearted man turned on his heel and began walking instead of saying even one more word to his fiancée.
Maximus fidgeted, unsure if it was truly right to leave like this, then hurried after Lionel once the distance between them had grown.
“Y-Your Highness.”
Lionel glanced back at the call. His face was smooth as porcelain, devoid of any emotion.
Maximus had meant to say—wasn’t he being too indifferent? Would it not be better to treat the duke’s daughter a little more kindly?
He worried about Cecilia’s feelings. And if this continued, others might mock her as a woman unloved by her fiancé.
But the moment he looked at Lionel’s face, every word he had prepared vanished.
He was certain that a few added remarks would not change this man’s attitude in the slightest.
‘Only the duke’s daughter ends up pitiful. How did she wind up with a fiancé like this…?’
Swallowing a sigh, Maximus shook his head.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Lionel nodded and resumed walking, with Maximus following behind.
Because of that, he never realized—
that at the sound of Cecilia’s singing drifting from behind them, a small smile curved at the corner of Lionel’s lips.
These days, I was in an exceptionally good mood. I found myself humming without realizing it.
“La la la, la la. I am a mage, a genius mage.”
Thanks to the tracking magic tool, I could find Lionel whenever I felt like it, which made replenishing my mana incredibly easy.
As a result, I’d been living a luxurious life lately—casting magic all day long without restraint.
‘This is amazing. I want to live like this forever!’
Every time I recited an incantation, spells burst forth. I could create magical tools without consuming magic stones. It made me unbelievably happy.
Sometimes, when my mana ran completely dry and I missed Lionel terribly, I even found myself thinking:
‘If he weren’t the crown prince-to-be, I’d have kidnapped him and locked him up in my house!’
But since I obviously couldn’t do that, the only option was to follow him wherever he went.
Maybe I’d been a little too obvious about it? In the end, while at the imperial palace for my bride lessons, the Empress said this to me:
“I hear you have been following the Second Prince to every volunteer site lately. Is that true?”
It was clear she already knew, so I couldn’t lie.
And there was no real reason to, anyway, so I nodded immediately.
“Yes. That is true.”
“Hah!”
The Empress looked me up and down with a gaze full of contempt.
“You answer so brazenly! Do you not know the meaning of shame?”
I looked at her in confusion.
“Is this something I should be ashamed of?”
“What? You truly do not know? You are the future princess. You ought to be a model to other ladies—modest, dignified. What lady runs after a man out of desperation?”
Ah. Well. In this era, that was the norm.
‘But then I wouldn’t be able to recharge my mana.’
“Your Majesty, there is one misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? Very well, explain it. What have I misunderstood?”
“It is true that I visited the places where His Highness was volunteering. However, I did not go to see him—I went to volunteer alongside him!”
“What?”
Of course I had gone to see Lionel. To recharge my mana.
But that was a secret only the two of us knew.
“If I had been chasing after His Highness out of personal feelings, as you fear, I would have followed him everywhere he went. But I met him only once a day, and when he moved elsewhere, I remained behind to continue volunteering.”
“That…”
Aha. It seemed she had received detailed reports about exactly how I’d been following him.
Since my words were true and she couldn’t refute them, I hurried to press on before the momentum died.
In situations like this, it’s all about confidence.
“Why did His Highness begin volunteering in the first place? Was it not to show that the imperial family is not some distant, untouchable existence—that they stand beside the people and will not ignore their suffering?”
“No…”
“I wished to support him by standing at his side. To show that this is not mere performative charity—that his actions are sincere! I wanted people not to doubt him!”
“Well…”
“If I devote myself wholeheartedly to service as well, might not even one more citizen come to understand his intentions? That is all I sought. I believed it to be my proper duty as his fiancée.”
“……”
“Was I mistaken? I humbly ask that Your Majesty grant me your wise instruction.”