Ch#239
I flinched, a reflexive action born of tension.
Did I have the Glass Slipper? Of course. It was tucked away in a corner of my room, simply because I loathed the idea of being entangled with him that much.
But what was his intention in asking this now? Moreover, he was calling me by the pseudonym I used at the masquerade ball—Cerula. As if he wanted to return to that time.
Is that why? For a moment, the words the Crown Prince had spoken to me before flashed through my mind.
‘Someday, you will come to find me with that single shoe. Then, I shall repay the debt of this hand as well.’
I ended up swallowing hard in front of him. After all, when the Crown Prince called me ‘Cerula,’ it was a time filled with sexual tension—a space where everything was permitted. I had only managed to return safely because I had dodged him skillfully enough.
At any rate, since then, we had met as a Crown Prince and a noble Lady, maintaining aristocratic etiquette. We acted as if we were meeting for the first time.
But today, with a single word, he was recalling that day when we shared provocative conversations beneath layers of masks, hiding our true intentions.
Whatever his intent, it was undoubtedly a rude attitude, and it made me quite irritated. How could I not be, when he was pressing me however he pleased?
So, I feigned ignorance and changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, I heard there was an order to check the horse Your Highness will be riding. May I take my leave now?”
Unable to contain my anger over my hair, I felt it was better to avoid him like this rather than continue the conversation. He was not a person with whom normal communication was possible.
While high society nobles were generally self-centered—and I was a selfish person myself—none compared to the Crown Prince. He was the most terrible-natured man I had ever seen. If he was like this as a Crown Prince, how much worse would he be once he became Emperor?
Thus, wanting to get away from him even a little faster and further, I forced my body to turn. A ribbon string was still held in the man’s hand, but I made an effort to ignore it.
“As Your Highness said, am I not currently a page? So, may I withdraw?”
Whether the Crown Prince read my flustered state or not, he laughed silently. Seeing such a handsome man smile softly made it feel as if the surroundings were sparkling. An ordinary woman would have likely trembled in ecstasy.
However, to me, he looked like a sated predator growling with blood on its mouth, which instead made my skin crawl.
“Take it. It is yours, so it is only right that I return it.”
But since the Crown Prince pointedly reached out to return the hair tie, I couldn't not accept it. As I nervously watched him and reached out to grasp the string dangling in the air, he let out a low laugh.
I was dying of anger, yet I couldn't understand what he found so amusing that he was smirking like that.
Internally, I was hurling all sorts of curses as I barely managed to grab the string, but suddenly, the Crown Prince pulled it forcefully toward his chest.
It was only natural that I, startled by the sudden action, was unprepared. As my body lunged forward, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
However, there was a firm hand gripping my shoulder. Simultaneously, the Crown Prince's unique scent wafted past the tip of my nose.
“You must be careful.”
You're the one who started it, so what do you mean be careful?
Those words surged violently up my throat, but I barely managed to endure by biting the tip of my tongue.
My hands were trembling not from surprise, but because they were overwhelmed by the urge to slap his cheek. Seeing him play around for his own amusement without a single thought for the other person made me feel quite pathetic.
To think this is the Crown Prince. I hope he gets wounded just enough not to interfere with eliminating the Grand Duke. Malice rose within me involuntarily.
Ah, how wonderful it would be if the rebellion hadn't happened—or rather, if he hadn't been born with the destiny to suppress it.
Suppreessing my sighs, I thanked him in a small voice, and his hand slid away. Since the ribbon string was finally in my hand, I quickly moved away from him. Then, without even taking the time to tie my hair, I hurried out of the tent.
Outside, darkness had settled before I knew it. Braziers flickered and burned throughout the camp.
I stared blankly at them for a moment, then shoved the ribbon string into a nearby brazier. Since the Crown Prince's hands had touched it, I didn't want to tie my hair with it. Though my hair fluttering in the night breeze was annoying, it was better than having something nauseating against my head.
Given my mood, even going to see the Crown Prince's horse was a chore. In truth, there was someone else to look after the horses, so even if I looked, I knew absolutely nothing.
How was I supposed to know if the horse's complexion was good or bad? All I did was go and pull on the saddle once, or quietly stroke the horse's head while giving it some fodder, or at most, hear an explanation about the horse's condition to relay back to the Crown Prince. All while enduring the terrible stench of manure.
Still, it was better than not going at all. He was surely the type of person to find fault with it later. The Crown Prince was exactly that kind of man.
It was as I was letting out a sigh of resignation and quietly moving my steps.
“Would you come here for a moment?”
A familiar voice caught my footsteps. Turning my head, I saw Knight Aires standing a few paces away.
“Yes.”
I answered in a low voice and approached him. People nearby were glancing at us.
Perhaps because of that, his voice grew even colder. A tone he would never use with the usual me, but one familiar to others, flowed from the Knight of Ice. True to his nickname, it was a very chilling way of speaking.
“I have a task for you, so follow me.”
Anyone else wouldn't have dared to order the Crown Prince's page around, but publicly, he was known as the close friend of the Empire's little sun. Thus, he was able to take me to a place away from people without a second thought.
There shouldn't be a place in a military camp where one could avoid the eyes of others, but he skillfully brought me to a spot where there was little attention.
In that place where shadows lay softly, a gentle breeze blew, and stars sparkled beautifully overhead.
Knight Aires spoke in a gentle voice to me, as I was momentarily lost in the surrounding scenery.
“I apologize for calling you so suddenly. Since we depart at dawn, I wanted to see your face even for a moment. Though His Highness’s Shadow is guarding you, Lady, strangely, I cannot hide my lingering anxiety. Even I, who have been accustomed to battle for years, cannot overcome my trembling heart; I wonder how your heart must feel.”
“Knight...”
“But seeing you now, I am relieved to see you are well.”
“I am also glad that you are safe, Knight.”
As I spoke calmly, suppressing my shy heart, Knight Aires hesitated for a moment. His earlobes were flushed deep red, recognizable even in the dark night.
“May I ask an impertinent favor? What can a man say who couldn't even properly keep a single talisman you personally gave him? But even so, would it be possible for you to bestow grace upon me once more?”
At the word 'grace,' Knight Halverd suddenly came to mind. And my actions toward the Knight of Blue. Suddenly, I felt a pang of guilt in a corner of my heart. So, I asked him in a tiny voice.
“Did you just say grace?”
“Yes. I dared to let that word escape my lips. Without even knowing shame.”
“You mean, so that you may return safely, Knight?”
“Yes.”
“Am I even worthy of such a thing?”
At my question, Knight Aires smiled. It was a smile so sweet it felt as if my heart would melt.
“I am already a heretic. Ah, do you still not know where my faith is directed? Must I fall prostrate at your feet for you to believe?”
Good heavens. I flushed at his extreme words. While I had often seen people in high society trying to win a woman's favor with cliché words like 'my heart' or 'my flower,' I had never seen anyone deify the object of their affection like this man.
It was absurd, yet it made my heart flutter. I felt breathless under his gaze, which watched me as if I were his everything.
“So please, bestow grace upon me. On my forehead, so that I may pierce through the enemy's schemes with cold reason; on my palms, so that I may become a brave sword and the protector of our allies; and finally,”
His finger lightly brushed my lips. It was chillingly cold as it passed by with the wind, but my lips turned hot as if they had caught fire.
“Please confirm that my heart belongs to you.”
“If I do so...”
“Yes, if you do so.”
“I shall...”
Strangely, my voice was trembling. I swallowed hard, so quietly he couldn't hear, and studied the man's expression.
Ah, yes. Who else in the world would look at me so lovingly? Even though we were only together for a moment, he looked as happy as someone who had everything. It was an ecstasy different from the fluttering of giving grace.
Therefore, I couldn't refuse his request.
“May I dare to bestow grace upon you, wishing for your safe return, Knight?”
“Yes, please do so.”
My hands were sweating from tension. But feigning composure, I reached out and took the knight's hand—the hand that held the sword. Then, I turned it over and kissed his palm directly.
“May you become the sharpest sword and raise the prestige of the Empire.”
Afterward, I lifted my head high. He, who had knelt before me at some point, was watching me.
I used my fingers to gently brush his hair to the side. His revealed forehead was white and smooth, like a well-refined stone. My lips, slightly chapped from not having anything applied to them, touched his smooth skin.
“May you possess the coldness to see through the enemy's plots.”
Then, I lowered my head slightly. My gaze met Knight Aires's. He was smiling quietly, the corners of his eyes crinkling deeply.
As I gathered my courage and leaned in a bit further, the tips of our noses brushed lightly as if sharing a kiss. Our breaths mingled in the air, softly entwining.
“And so, I desperately pray that you return whole.”
Chok.
In the darkness, the moist sound echoed with a provocative intensity. It was a resonance so great it was hard to believe it was made by soft, full skin meeting.
A moment later, the single sound led into a deep connection as our breaths began to mingle into one. It was as quiet as the darkness surrounding us, yet it was an emotion that sparkled like the shining stars.
Furthermore, it was a desperation that not even the most devout believer in the Empire could possess. This was the only solace Michael Aires could have on the battlefield.
***
With the final battle ahead, everyone remained vigilant throughout the night. After all, the barbarians had already exhausted the soldiers' spirits with several night raids. Since it was a battle with everything at stake, it was only natural to try and sap the enemy's morale.
Therefore, the Imperial Army struck first. The Crown Prince formed a raid group consisting only of the Grand Duke's people to attack the Eriñus camp.
The enemy army, hit by a stealthy raid in the quiet dawn, was as chaotic as a poked beehive.
Even though they had prepared for a night raid, chaos was inevitable as they were stirred up here and there by spies who had been bribed in advance. The effort of persistently working on the enemy for a long time had paid off.
The soldiers cooked and ate their meals early in the morning. As they put pouches of dried meat inside their chests and prepared for the battle lines, they were chillingly sharp.
Instead of a frontal march, the army was departing in separate divisions to carry out the operation.
From eavesdropping on the Crown Prince's conversation, I heard the army including Knight Halverd would break through the flank, while the army with Knight Aires would break through the front.
While they had won every major battle, they had lost many minor skirmishes, and the number of soldiers with a severed limb was gradually increasing.
Some walked around with one ear wrapped in bandages because a barbarian had bitten it off.
While their contempt for the enemy remained, most wanted to finish quickly and return home, so today's battle was extremely important.
Before dawn had even broken, the Eriñus hung the coffin containing the Emperor's corpse from a large tree and provoked us by striking the exterior with wood.
While they said they were striking the coffin, in truth, it was no different from insulting the Emperor's body, so everyone from the Crown Prince down to the lowliest slave ground their teeth and cursed the barbarians.
I did not see it, as hiding myself before the war began was my priority.
“Come here for a moment.”
But someone caught me before I could take cover. This knight was very familiar to my eyes, as he had entered and exited the Crown Prince's tent several times to report on the war situation.
Though I was the Crown Prince's page, I had fundamentally arrived as the child of a fallen noble, so the knight's words were close to a command.
“Go to the stables and attach this to His Highness’s horse.”
“What is it?”
“A small flag with the Imperial crest. The previous one fell off, so it must be replaced now.”
Recalling that a similar flag had been attached to the Crown Prince's saddle before, I bowed my head.
I wondered if this was important to the war situation, but by nature, nobles loved to show off where they belonged even in the midst of a fight, so they didn't overlook even such small matters. This was true even for the Crown Prince.
I should attach it quickly and stay out of the way.
Arriving at the stables with quick steps, I turned my gaze toward where the Crown Prince's horse was kept. However, someone was already standing in front of the horse before me.
“Oh?”
As a short sound escaped me involuntarily, my face hardened upon meeting the gaze of the person there. If my memory was correct, he was definitely...
“What is it?”
It was the man who had been close to the Grand Duke's side, like his right hand.
Shards of the Broken Glass Shoe
