Youngest 206
by Cristae206
“Hey, don’t practice your theater lines on me. And that was way too much.”
I whispered softly. Licht laughed quietly in his throat, letting go of my hand.
Since he had been wearing thin silk gloves ever since entering the hall, I hadn’t actually felt the touch of his lips when he kissed my hand.
Strictly speaking, it was a common form of greeting as well.
So I thought nothing of it.
“But you look beautiful today.”
At my whisper, Licht scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“What am I supposed to do if you say what I wanted to say to you? …Do I look okay?”
His hair, usually left to fall naturally, had been carefully styled. He looked nothing like he did in the archives or at the academy.
“This style is a first for me. It feels strange.”
Licht muttered.
So that’s his kind of fuss, huh.
Anyway, I gave him a double thumbs-up, telling him it suited him well.
“By the way, Rubian. Listen—”
“Yes?”
Licht’s eyes softened as he reached out to me. With a face a bit tense, he parted his lips.
“Would you—later, would you dance—?”
That was when it happened.
Squeak! Squeak!
“…?”
A little creature darted over from somewhere and swung something at Licht.
Hmm, a branch?
“…Is that a squirrel?”
A squirrel, looking regal, wielded a branch in one paw and radiated a fierce energy.
“Where did you come from, my squirrel. Oh, oh. So cute.”
Licht reached out for my hand again.
“Anyway, happy birthday and—”
Squeak!
“Will you dance—”
Squeak!
“……”
“……”
Ahem.
“You shouldn’t go swinging branches at a prince.”
I taught the squirrel soldier some manners.
Licht, wearing a chilly smile, completely ignored the squirrel and reached out to me once more. A rare tension appeared on his smooth brow.
“Happy—birthday—later, let’s dance—”
“Licht, you really don’t know how to give up, do you?”
“Of course—so—”
At that very moment, the prince’s hand was sharply seized.
“….”
With someone’s rough breath, a figure loomed before me, blocking my view.
“It’s been a while… hoooh.”
“……”
“—Your Highness, I mean.”
Squeeze.
As Kal tightened his grip on their clasped hands, Licht beamed brightly.
“How crude, Sir Khalid.”
“I agree.”
“When did you pick up this habit of grabbing other people’s hands?”
“I just did—and now I’ve given it up.”
Kal hurriedly let go and took a handkerchief out, carefully wiping his hand. Licht did the same.
“So the habit comes and goes… utterly capricious.”
“What would a man who rolls about outside the palace know?”
“Well, monster-hunting seems to suit you. Why not set out again?”
“I’ve had my fill of achievements. I’ll leave the ‘blossoming in the palace’ part to you, Your Highness.”
The chilly contest between the two handsome men drew the attention of everyone nearby. Sighing, I moved away from the scene.
“Their bodies are all that’s grown, really…”
At least Kal doesn’t speak informally to a prince just because he’s clever now…
He won’t end up arrested even if I leave him be.
Growl, grumble, thud, bang.
What can be done with these rivals?
Ugh, I’m hot.
I quietly slipped out onto a small balcony.
The constant outpour of attention throughout the party had left me thoroughly drained. And the dance hadn’t even begun yet. I was doomed.
In one hand I held a sweet strawberry soda. I could now drink alcohol legally…
‘But I’m too anxious to dare.’
What if I make a scene?
“I’ll have some with my brothers later.”
Or maybe with Dad.
“Anyway… this place is so beautiful.”
Outside the balcony stretched a broad lake. The scenery, drenched in the ruddy glow of sunset, was truly spectacular.
‘Who would build a ballroom in the middle of such a lake?’
The bridge had seemed daunting, but standing here, it was hard to imagine anything more beautiful.
‘So beautiful.’
The shimmering red reflections captured my gaze. Even in winter, the capital was mild, so the lake rarely froze.
Maybe during the day, it would shine with a brilliant sapphire blue.
“Princess.”
Just then, a familiar voice sounded from behind.
It was Sevelleyna.
“Ah, Your Highness. I was just looking for you.”
“Um…”
Sevelleyna hurried over and gave me a quick bow. Then she spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yes?”
The abrupt apology made me tilt my head in confusion.
“That potion…”
Just as Sevelleyna was about to continue—
BOOM!
A thunderous roar shook the entire ballroom.
“Ahh! I apologize!”
Asha Drukan bent so deeply that her forehead nearly touched the floor in apology.
“There was a bit of an accident while moving the firework magic tools outside. I kept saying we needed to handle them more carefully…!”
The Emperor let out a short sigh.
“Any injured?”
“Some of the servants carrying the crates got minor injuries, but nothing severe. But the only bridge connecting the Sapphire Hall has been damaged a bit… It will need some time to repair.”
The Emperor’s attendant, who had checked the situation outside, conveyed the message.
Glancing over, I saw Leviathan scowling in clear displeasure.
No doubt, he was thinking that even the most flawless of events for his daughter couldn’t avoid being marred.
“Make sure the repairs are complete before the party ends. There mustn’t be any chaos when everyone leaves.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll do my best…”
The outpost mage wiped his sweat, doing his best to ignore the stabbing gaze Leviathan was aiming at his temple.
“For the time being… If there’s a need to go anywhere, they’ll have to use boats.”
“I’ll order transport boats to be prepared immediately.”
The Emperor’s attendant vanished like the wind.
Since the hall was surrounded by a lake, and people sometimes came and went by boat just for amusement, it was no great issue.
‘There, Duke. See, Duke? I’m not losing my cool over some problem in the palace.’
The Emperor stared piercingly at Leviathan. Sensing his thoughts, Leviathan turned abruptly away and went back to whispering with his wife.
It was the Emperor himself who had suggested holding the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony here. He would not stand to be the target of vented frustration over an accident.
With the small mishap resolved, the nobles returned to enjoying the party.
With the Emperor present and the festivities not yet in full swing, everyone assumed things would be fine by the time they left.
Meanwhile, Rosetta gave a faint, relieved shrug.
“That gave me a start, honestly. It was an accident, so there’s nothing to be said.”
Thump. At that moment, a large piece of roast chicken landed on her plate.
“Why not? I’ll have words about it later.”
“With Asha?”
“With the Emperor.”
“Ah.”
“Oh, that looks tasty too.”
Murmuring, Leviathan now reached for a dish piled high with cheese.
That too landed on Rosetta’s plate.
“……”
Rosetta stared blankly at what was beginning to look like a small hill of food.
“That one too…”
This time, it was butter-glazed grilled shrimp.
“This one…”
“That’s enough.”
She could no longer restrain herself and stopped her husband.
In the grand ballroom,
Bathed in the golden glow of chandeliers, the man was flawless as ever, his expression unchanged from usual.
“Is your mood really that bad? About the mishap with the magic tools?”
Leviathan arched an eyebrow.
“My mood… is fine.”
“No, it’s not. When you’re in a bad mood, you try to fix it by making me eat.”
At me.
At her whisper, Leviathan finally looked at the mountain on her plate.
With a forlorn air, a piece of tomato slipped off and plopped onto the floor, as if to mock his daze.
“Oh.”
It was a quirk of Leviathan’s that only Rosetta knew.
He often soothed his mood by piling food for her in this way. Never once did what he called ‘delicious’ actually end up in his own mouth.
Her husband had always been quite the hearty eater; the sign was obvious.
“If it’s not just the explosion incident… then what’s really bothering you?”
At last, Leviathan set down the tongs and stroked his chin.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s what happened with Ruby and the potion this morning.”
“Potion?”
“That ridiculous Casalia potion.”
“Oh, that one…”
“She wanted to test whether it was real or just a joke.”
With a quiet murmur, Rosetta thought for a moment, then cautiously spoke.
“Were you hoping it would mix?”
Leviathan slowly met her eyes. His vivid purple gaze caressed her gently.
“There’s nothing in this world more horrifying than that thought, Rose.”
A short silence fell.
“…That’s true.”
She whispered, drawing him into an embrace.
The music, briefly halted, began to flow softly again, and Leviathan pressed a kiss to Rosetta’s crown.
Their child was gone. Long ago.
That was the end of that story. Was there any other possibility left? If there were, it was too cruel a thought to entertain.