Previously
Richard reveals that Irenia possesses a dragon ability called 'Insight of the Laws' inherited from Cosimo Flores, which explains her visions and her stabilizing effect on Caesar. He suggests analyzing her blood to find a cure for the Dragon's Curse, sparking hope in Irenia for Caesar's future.
When I smiled, he smiled back. His face, which could pass at a glance for that of a gentle, innocent lad, brightened all the more with that grin. His flushed cheeks and the natural pink of his lips curved into a handsome arc.
“Ah…”
At that moment, something struck me.
The memory that suddenly resurfaced was rather peculiar. Those lips…
“Ahhh…”
The moment the thought took hold, a rush of strange impressions I had shoved deep into my mind came flooding back. When I had sunk beneath the water and lost consciousness…
I recalled that I couldn't bring back the exact moment Caesar had pulled me from drowning. Yet, on the other hand, what took place once we emerged from the water came back to me with terrifying clarity.
At that time… after I was dragged onto the shore, Caesar and I, we… didn't we do… something?
That… that thing where lips press against lips?
“Ah… Ahhh?!”
Overcome with mortification, an odd sound slipped from my throat. My body shrank back as heat rushed straight to my cheeks.
“Ren, what's the matter?”
Seeing my strange state, Caesar asked with genuine concern, but I could no longer look him in the eye.
The moment I lifted my head, my eyes fell straight upon his handsome lips, over and over again.
Those lips… How could I have forgotten that they had touched mine?
“…Ah, ahhh…”
No, absolutely not. It was nothing more than an absurd misunderstanding. I remembered reading in a book that there was a method to revive a drowning victim using mouth-to-mouth artificial respiration.
“Yes, that was it… It was medical treatment…”
At that, Caesar beamed with a bright smile.
“Yes, I was treating you.”
Truly, I had been on the verge of death, and our clever prince had saved me with that deed. Just as physical contact is inevitable when a physician examines a patient, this was no different. I strained every nerve to convince myself of that reasoning.
Just then, I felt a soft touch on my cheek. It was his usual gesture, the daily kiss, but this time it felt entirely different, leaving me uncharacteristically tense.
Yet the truth remained that having him close brought me peace. I closed my eyes and drew a long, deep breath. The moment I thought of Mercedes and Giovinetta, the dark clouds of dread in my chest began to disperse, and relief settled over me.
“Thank you, Caesar.”
“Mm.”
“For saving me.”
I reminded myself that I shouldn't remain trapped in embarrassment; he was the one who had preserved my life, after all. At that, Caesar leaned closer to me and said,
“Me too…”
He had grown remarkably adept at conveying what he wanted. The innocent way he offered his cheek, and those eyes brimmed with eager anticipation, were impossible to ignore. A parched thirst seized my throat, as though it were bone-dry. It was merely a kiss on the cheek, hardly worthy of such agitation; it was an everyday habit between us.
Even so, my muscles stiffened against my will. I pressed a gentle kiss to his left cheek, then to his right, each accompanied by the faint sound of contact.
Caesar beamed with pure delight. Seeing that smile of his, a faint numbness washed over my limbs, as though a warm water bottle had been placed over frozen hands in the dead of winter.
Held in his warm embrace, I drifted deep into thought. How was I to unravel all these knots?
Before long, a brilliant notion struck me.
“It seems we need to devise a plan.”
“A plan?”
“Yes, a surprise for everyone! What do you think?”
“I love surprises!”
We exchanged glances and shared a sly grin. I ruffled Caesar's hair and laughed softly.
Elda's body was discovered three days after Crown Princess Irenia accidentally plunged into the pond.
She was found bleeding from the mouth without any discernible cause, with dozens of silver coins scattered beside her. Yet by the time the captain of the guard arrived, the scavengers had gathered every last piece, leaving behind nothing.
Whenever an unexplained death occurred in the imperial palace, an inquiry followed. But Elda had been a maid devoid of lineage or backing, so no formal investigation was ever held.
At dawn, her corpse was tossed onto an offal cart and discarded beyond the palace walls. Yet a Rosentaria silver coin had been clutched so tightly in her fist that several men failed to wrench it free, and they abandoned the effort. No sooner had the body been dumped outside than a beggar happened by, severed her finger, and made off with the coin.
The official cause of Elda's death was registered simply as a “curse,” and the matter was closed.
As for Irenia, an entire week had passed since the incident, yet she touched neither food nor drink, refusing to step foot outside her bedchamber.
Gossip ran rampant throughout the palace, converging on a single consensus: “It is the curse.”
“The curse has caught up at last.”
“We believed the Crown Princess carried the blood of a great mage and would shield herself… but look at her now…”
Every mysterious tragedy was unfailingly laid at the feet of curses. All of it was pinned on the cursed First Prince, which was why people continued to die, or so they claimed.
Giovinetta paid a visit to Irenia shortly thereafter, acting under Celestina's orders. Celestina had sensed something unnatural in Irenia's seclusion and commanded her to investigate.
‘Irenia's continued silence strikes me as suspicious… Go see what is truly happening. Claim it is a visit out of sisterly concern.’
‘Irenia is hardly the sort to crumble over such a thing. She will get over it on her own.’
‘I told you to go. No arguments!’
Giovinetta seethed with resentment at the domineering command, remaining foul-tempered since dawn and forcing her maid, Marta, to tread on eggshells all day long.
“Why must I be the one to check if she is alive or dead?!”
“Because, my lady, if you bear her ill will… a calamity might follow…”
Marta was gripped by the dread that Irenia might have taken her own life—a stain that would bring disgrace upon their family as well.
“You don't know her, Marta. Irenia is stubborn to the core; she would never kill herself.”
Marta presented an assortment of subdued, modest gowns, but not a single one found favor with Giovinetta.
Then, quite abruptly, she rose and singled out a particular dress.
“I shall wear this one.”
Marta shuddered the moment her gaze fell upon it, hastily crossing herself.
“B-but my lady, such attire defies all etiquette…”
When Marta hesitated, Giovinetta pierced her with a glare.
“Did I not give you an order? Just do as you're told!”
Knowing full well that refusal would earn her a slap, Marta bowed in submissive haste and, despite her deep unease, dressed her mistress with mounting apprehension.
Thus, around noon, Giovinetta arrived at the Emerald Wing where Irenia resided.
The moment she crossed the threshold, she sneered inwardly at the wretched state of the place. It remained as dark and dreary as ever, cursed with an unkempt garden unworthy of any noble dwelling.
Upon seeing her, Delfina, who had met her before, hurried down in utter fluster to receive the guest.
“Honestly, what is the grand tragedy of falling into a pond that she must cut herself off from the world for days?”
Delfina took in Giovinetta's attire from head to toe, then bowed low.
“B-but Her Highness the Crown Princess…”
“Go upstairs and inform her that her older sister has arrived, and she ought to receive me as a proper guest at once.”
“Ah, understood.”
Delfina backed away hesitantly to announce the visit, but she did not return until Giovinetta's patience was thoroughly exhausted, delivering her message with a flat tone.
“Her Highness the Crown Princess says she does not wish to see anyone.”
At that, Giovinetta bristled with insult at being so blatantly spurned. Yet as she turned the matter over, suspicion began to stir—for such meek avoidance was entirely uncharacteristic of Irenia.
‘She is hardly the sort to keep quiet like this, is she?’
That stubborn girl who never surrendered easily! Beside her, Marta added in a hushed tone,
“Might it be because she endured an ordeal that nearly claimed her life? As they say, she nearly drowned in the pond.”
“Perhaps you are right…”
Giovinetta mulled it over and found Marta's reasoning plausible enough. Irenia had no one to lean on, having entered the Imperial Palace entirely alone without any backing. Perhaps the fright had broken her spirit and dissolved her resolve.
Indeed, picturing her reduced to such a miserable, broken state brought Giovinetta a flicker of petty satisfaction, which she concealed behind a veneer of stern concern before scolding Delfina in a reproachful tone.
“Even if she has suffered much, is it not shameful to turn away her own older sister from her maiden home? I cannot simply return empty-handed. Our mother has been beside herself with worry, so I must see her before I take my leave.”
Faced with her unrelenting insistence, Delfina found no choice but to yield, leading the way to the bedchamber.
Giovinetta knocked upon the door of the Crown Princess's bedchamber herself, yet not the faintest sound answered from within.
FADE OUT