Chapter 14
He Knows a Secret
"…Then, please let me know if there's anything I can do to help."
"……."
Lucia didn't reply to his words and simply boarded the carriage.
In the carriage's mirror, as it moved away from him, she saw his suspicious figure, staring endlessly, despite claiming to be busy.
He had suddenly called for the carriage, saying he wanted to see her off, but the thought of the child being anxious if she was away from the residence for too long made her board without hesitation.
Seeing her off could be seen as a gesture from a well-known gentleman, but the questions from that day still lingered.
She knew he was like a light, attracting people easily, and that his reputation was good.
So, perhaps the gifts were just simple presents.
But what about the note? That absurd threat?
Lost in thought about his inexplicable behavior, she noticed the book he had been staring at.
The title of the book was,
[Parenting Methods Proven by Results.]
Whether it was because she hadn't seen the light and her immunity had weakened, it was the most popular book that the librarians had recommended with trembling bodies.
She examined the book for a moment, then turned it to see the cover after Leon had been startled by it.
There, she saw a portrait-like drawing of a silver-haired boy who looked exactly like a beautiful woman.
'…This boy, I feel like I've seen him somewhere.'
Just as she was about to take a closer look at the familiar face, the comfortable carriage of the Marquess of Ruwins suddenly slowed down.
"Lucia-nim, would you please wait a moment?"
The coachman said politely, bowing his head from outside the window.
Looking out the window, she saw that they were on the bridge over the river that separated the Imperial Palace and the hill.
As she got out of the carriage to assess the situation, she saw that the bridge was packed with carriages.
And when she looked down at the noisy sounds coming from under the bridge, she saw someone enjoying a boat ride in the distance.
She briefly considered walking, but since she had already told the coachman that she would wait, she reluctantly leaned against the bridge and turned her gaze to the river.
The shimmering water made it a perfect day for boating.
While enjoying the long-awaited leisure and looking at the scenery, something suddenly appeared in her view, catching her attention.
The bow of the luxurious houseboat she had seen earlier was slowly emerging from under the bridge where she was standing.
A leisurely houseboat flowing slowly along the river, accompanied by sweet laughter.
When the entire shape of the houseboat was revealed, there was only one man surrounded by ladies adorned like flowers.
Lucia's eyes met his as he slowly raised his head from under the bridge.
The man looked at Lucia, smiled brightly as if he had been waiting, and waved his hand.
He was a young man with a beauty that anyone would consider pretty.
Lucia looked at him, recognizing her, and began to search her memory.
"Oh my, Your Highness. Are you leaving already?"
"Your Highness, you've only been here for a little while, let's play some more! Please?"
'Your Highness……?'
The flower-like ladies were calling him Your Highness.
In Lucia's memory, there was only one person who was called Your Highness.
If her memory was correct, he was probably the crown prince of this empire.
*
As he got off the ornately decorated boat, the ladies adorned like flower petals followed him.
The group soon came up onto the bridge and encountered Lucia.
"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you on your way. Captain Lucia."
"Greetings to the little sun, Crown Prince."
As Lucia raised her head after bowing, the young man with a smile like a newly bloomed flower gazed at her, hardly resembling the Emperor's uncle-like son.
Crown Prince Iren Ashir Eldarion.
Light pink hair that seemed to match the spring sunshine, and honey-like golden eyes that seemed to drip with sweetness.
The dark circles under those captivating eyes seemed to be his only flaw, but according to the young ladies who chased after the Crown Prince, they actually felt a decadent charm from that part and were enthusiastic about it.
Indeed, his popularity, which even sublimated his shortcomings into charm, seemed to be due to the very strong blood of the most beautiful Empress who had once swept the continent.
"I was trying to enjoy myself alone, but I didn't expect to run into so many people like this."
He shrugged his shoulders with a hearty laugh, as if he couldn't help it.
"Oh my, Your Highness, this is fate!"
"Then that fate was mine? I came first."
"Oh my, the young lady often says things that are out of touch with reality. Hehe."
"The young lady is the same. Hehe."
If Leon was popular regardless of gender and age, he was especially popular with young ladies.
Perhaps it was because of the desires of young ladies who dreamed of bad boys.
"Yes. Then, goodbye."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lucia, who had finally decided to walk, took a step.
"Ah, wait a moment. Congratulations on reaching Sword Master, Captain."
Suddenly, he chased after her and abruptly held out something.
'…A rattle?'
A rattle with golden bells.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't a suitable gift for a Sword Master.
"Ah, aren't you too old to play with this?"
He shook the rattle and smiled playfully, apparently having heard about her childcare leave.
"……."
…Is he teasing me?
"Oh my! The captain of the Black Knights?"
"So that person is… on childcare leave?"
Some of the young ladies, knowing Lucia's situation, began to whisper among themselves.
'Annoying.'
The nobles who had been deeply involved in the war knew Lucia's personality and left immediately, but the immature ladies were different.
There were cases where they showed off their boldness, trusting in their families.
Like some of the nobles now.
"I didn't know you would have a child, Captain."
Iren said, folding his sparkling eyes seductively in half.
He seemed to be thinking of continuing to speak even though there were so many eyes watching.
"You wouldn't know. Then, goodbye……."
Noticing that she was trying to leave after responding appropriately, the Crown Prince grabbed Lucia's sleeve.
And immediately let go of her hand, hesitated, looked around, unlike himself, and said with a slightly flushed face.
"Wait, just a moment. There's something I want to say… I've actually. I've actually been watching you for a long time."
"Yes!?"
"Oh my goodness!"
"Ugh…!"
Instead of the person he was talking to, the ladies next to him were surprised and shouted at his bombshell statement.
Among them, there was also a surprised servant supporting a lady who was holding her forehead and trying to collapse.
Iren was embarrassed, but smiled with satisfaction for the first time in a while.
It was because he knew exactly how people would react to what he had said.
He had never been satisfied since he was a child.
The only indulgence he, who was not in good health, could afford was to see how cruel a child could become in the position of Crown Prince.
It was Lucia who made him come to his senses like this.
Lucia was sixteen years old when he first met her.
Lucia, who was assigned to guard the Crown Prince as soon as she joined the royal guard, treated the Crown Prince with her unchanging personality.
And it goes without saying that his life, which had grown up like a flower in a greenhouse, changed 180 degrees with her brutal touch.
Iren was five years older than Lucia's sixteen years old at the time, but he still laughed again at her consistent indifference.
And at his consistently trembling heart.
"Captain, you haven't said who the child's father is yet, have you?"
"……."
'This is the second time he's asked this question. Is it not enough that the Emperor is the guarantor?'
Lucia was still worried about something else, even though he was talking so directly.
"Your Highness……! Are you just comforting her?"
"Yes! Are you joking? She's a knight. A strong woman who does things that men do!"
The shocked ladies began to bark like sensitive chihuahuas.
Then, just as the girls who had confirmed the Crown Prince's unusual face one by one fell silent.
A platinum-blonde lady, who had been quietly closing her mouth, covered her mouth with a fan as if she were uttering something impure.
"Hmm. Looking at the timing, it's when the war was coming to an end. Did something happen there? For example, did she spend the night with someone before getting married as a woman……?"
"Oh my! Oh my goodness……!"
"Such impure!"
The girls were making a fuss as if it were their own business.
Lucia simply gazed at the ever-changing youths in front of her.
A relaxed adult does not get truly angry even if very young children insult them.
So Lucia was not angry.
But in the book she had read earlier, she remembered a passage that said that even if a child is not made to understand the situation and is simply allowed to pass, they can grow up to be an adult who gets angry for no reason.
Worried elder Lucia approached the not-yet-grown foxes.
The ladies, who had been laughing for a long time, blinked their rabbit-like eyes as if they were embarrassed by the shadow of a carnivore.
"Wh-what are you going to do?"
"If you, if you come any closer, I'll tell my father about this situation!"
Lucia looked down at the frightened girls for a long time and answered the Crown Prince's question.
"I don't intend to say in the future either. There were so many people I spent the night with at that time that it's hard to pick just one."
Then, the innocent young ladies did not know what to imagine, and could not close their reddened faces and open mouths.
It could really cause a big misunderstanding, but it was partly true.
There were countless nights spent in the war for four years, regardless of gender.
The platinum-blonde lady, perhaps not expecting her to come out like this, backed away from Lucia, who was approaching her with an angry face.
But then,
"Your Highness the Crown Prince!! Are you alright!"
The guard protecting the Crown Prince quickly ran up and supported Iren.
The Crown Prince was blocking the nosebleed that was gushing from his nose with a very flushed face.
And whether the blood that gushed out of him had splashed on Lucia, he pushed away the soldier and approached her, blocking his nose.
"Oh, what should I do? I'm really sorry. There's blood on your clothes……."
Lucia, looking at Iren worrying about the blood on her clothes, wished he would wipe his own blood well.
Knowing or not knowing her uncomfortable expression, Lucia blocked his hand holding out a blood-stained handkerchief.
Then, was that clumsy touch planned?
The Crown Prince grabbed her wrist in an instant.
Lucia, who could not easily shake off the touch of royalty, hesitated, and he took advantage of her hesitation to come closer.
"Do you know where the closest place to the training camp you were in is?"
A low, deep voice whispered in her ear.
Lucia was embarrassed when he, who was mostly a 12-year-old in her memory, overwhelmed her with his unexpectedly tall height.
"The Crown Prince's Palace where I am is right there. It's not a lie that I've been watching you. Watching the training ground where you are every morning is one of my secret routines."
Lucia, who was listening to the Crown Prince's whispers, began to feel uncomfortable as he continued to speak.
"But, your child doesn't seem to be born very small. I've never seen your stomach full, so, well……. Ah, so now this has become a secret between you and me?"
"……!!"
Iren smiled as much as his sweet eyes could close, and then slowly moved away from the hardened Lucia.
"You see, I want to get to know you first."
And with those words, the Crown Prince collapsed with a nosebleed that would not stop.
