SLDS 51

“Cecil Adrian, making a mistake like this. You do have a human side to you after all.”

Alexis teased as he helped Cecil up. By then, Yuria and Claude had also approached. Yuria brushed the grass off Cecil’s clothes and asked cautiously.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

It was just as Cecil was rubbing his flushed face and taking a long, deep breath. Alexis, who had been staring intently at him, crossed his arms and struck a crooked pose.

“Cecil, walk.”

“Pardon?”

“I said, walk.”

At the completely random command, Cecil was momentarily dumbfounded but took a step as ordered. However, the moment he took a couple of steps, he froze.

“…Ah.”

A dazed sound escaped Cecil’s mouth. Only now did he feel the throbbing in his left ankle. He had been so embarrassed that he hadn’t even realized the pain in his ankle.

“Allow me to take a look.”

Claude quickly bent his knee and felt Cecil’s left ankle.

There was a slight warmth around the ankle bone, and though faint, there were signs of swelling. Claude gently pressed the area around the ligament.

“Does it hurt?”

“…A little.”

Cecil, who was standing with his hand on Claude’s shoulder, frowned slightly. It really did hurt when he pressed it. However, it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t walk at all, just slightly uncomfortable.

“It seems you twisted it when you fell. It’s not a serious injury, but it would still be best to call a court physician to examine it.”

“Yes. As soon as we return to the Peridot Palace, the court physician…”

“Get on my back.”

Alexis’s stern voice cut the conversation short. At the same time, three faces turned toward him. A stunned Claude, a worried Yuria, and a pale Cecil. All of them were clearly surprised by the Crown Prince’s words.

“Your Highness, I will carry him on my back to the palace.”

Claude actively tried to stop him, saying he could not possibly allow the Crown Prince to perform such a disrespectful act.

Not only him, but there were plenty of well-built Royal Guards all around. Carrying Cecil on their backs would be no problem at all.

“Are you planning to spread the fact that Cecil is injured throughout the Imperial Palace? If the Empress finds out, with her personality, she’ll hardly stay quiet. We will use the Rias footpath, so be informed of that.”

The Rias footpath was a secret walking trail that only the imperial family could enter. It had the advantage of connecting to the seven main palaces through its branching paths, but it was rarely used because it was a roundabout way.

Today’s dinner had also been held in secret. With the situation with the Empress already so tense, adding any unpleasant news would be tantamount to giving her an excuse. Alexis pointed this out, and Claude had no choice but to agree.

“I will safely escort Yuria back.”

“That would be best.”

As the situation progressed without a single thought for his own opinion, Cecil’s complexion grew paler and paler. Finally, seeing Alexis bend his knees in front of him and offer his broad back, he put a hand to his forehead and sighed.

“There’s no need for this. I’m perfectly fine. I can walk.”

“Just know that the longer you resist, the longer I’ll be kneeling in front of the Royal Guards.”

“……”

Alexis’s broad back showed no sign of moving from in front of him. Cecil inadvertently glanced around.

The Royal Guards, scattered here and there along the forest path, were desperately staring at the ground to avoid looking at Alexis. But that didn’t hide the reality that the Crown Prince of the empire was lowering himself and bending his knee.

“…Hah.”

Cecil realized that this terrible standoff would only end if he gave in. He wrapped his arms over the squared shoulders and leaned his upper body against him. Meanwhile, his heart was pounding ridiculously, which was driving him crazy.

“Let’s go.”

As weight was added to his back, Alexis immediately straightened his knees. He lightly adjusted Cecil once and started walking. His steps were steady, as if he weren’t carrying a grown man on his back.

On the Rias footpath, not even the shadow of an ant could be found.

On both sides, in place of a wall, wisteria trees that soared well over an adult’s height were planted densely, and overhead, light purple wisteria flowers hung in clusters like grapes. It was a night where the moonlight seeped dimly through the branches and vines.

If lovers had walked this path, it would have surely been an incredibly romantic stroll, but unfortunately, the two of them kept their mouths tightly shut. In the pervading silence, only the sound of Alexis’s footsteps, rustle rustle, echoed.

Unable to bear the awkwardness, Cecil twisted his body. With only his arms wrapped around the shoulders and his torso lifted away, his posture became uncomfortable for anyone to see.

“Get on properly, if you fall from here, you’ll smash your head this time.”

Then, as expected, a sharp voice flew at him. As if he had eyes on the back of his head, Alexis keenly noticed Cecil’s discomfort.

“……”

Cecil once again wrapped his arms tightly around Alexis’s shoulders and pressed his chest against his back. Afraid that his pounding heartbeat would be transmitted to him, he had to squeeze his eyes shut and give himself a pep talk.

“Come to think of it, I met you here once.”

Alexis, who had been walking while looking only forward, said suddenly.

“Here? I don’t remember.”

“It was a very long time ago. Was it perhaps when you had just entered the Imperial Palace? I remember being quite surprised because it was the first time I had ever seen a child younger than me in person.”

If it was right after he entered the Imperial Palace, he would have been only five years old, so there was no way Cecil would have any memory of it.

“I think you probably wandered off on your own in the Imperial Palace and ended up here. Do you know what you said the moment you saw me while crying in fear?”

“…What did I say?”

“Prince.”

Cecil was dumbfounded. Soon after, his face burned up. No matter how childish his behavior was in his youth, the embarrassment was being borne entirely by his future self.

Alexis continued, laughing softly.

“It seems my status looked high even to that little child. You promptly asked if I was the prince who came to save you. While your nose was running and all.”

“…So what did Your Highness do?”

“I sternly scolded you, saying I wasn’t a prince, but the Crown Prince.”

“You were heartless.”

“Well, I hated you. You and Empress Elizabeth, who suddenly appeared, were extremely detestable. I was a child too, and I was immature. I took that out on you, who was even younger.”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“But you were smiling with your tear-stained face, for some reason. You reached out your short hands and ran toward me. I think you said you were scared so I should hold you. Though you fell before you got more than a few steps.”

As if the scene from that time came to mind, Alexis let out a small laugh.

Cecil, being carried on his back, simply bit his lip tightly as he looked at Alexis’s firm nape and short-cropped hair.

“You were cute, though. The fact that I still remember it seems like it was an unforgettable memory for me too.”

“Please, forget it now. I beg you.”

“Who would have known that cute child would grow up to be so cold. Of course, you’re still just as good at falling down.”

Alexis adjusted Cecil once more. The lean body lifted up and settled lightly onto Alexis’s back. The thought that he was all grown up suddenly came to mind. That much time had passed, and the two had become adults.

“It would have been nice if we had gotten along like this when we were young. The time that has passed feels a little wasteful.”

“It would have been difficult. Everything that happened in the past only served to make any favorable feelings disappear.”

After the death of the former Empress, Crown Prince Alexis had grown up amidst numerous checks and a sense of anxiety of immeasurable depth. The years he had been threatened for the position of Crown Prince were well over ten.

Not only that, he must have heard news of Empress Elizabeth even in the Black Forest. While he was risking his life to fight, the thought of the Empress slowly eating away at his position must have made every single day feel like he was being pushed to the edge of a cliff.

Cecil, too, was one of the people who had pushed Alexis to that cliff. Although it was an act committed out of a misguided affection, he had to atone and reflect on it for the rest of his life.

“It’s all in the past anyway. Look at us now. Haven’t we become this close?”

“…I will do well.”

“Of course. You like me, don’t you?”

As the lighthearted joke flowed into his ear, Cecil tightened his arms, hugging the firm shoulders tightly. For some reason, the corners of his eyes grew hot, and he had to bury his face in the back of his arm.

This was enough. How could he ask for more? The mere fact that Alexis had accepted him was more than enough for Cecil to live the rest of his life.

Feeling the warm body heat and the living, breathing Alexis with his whole body, he squeezed out a difficult reply.

“Yes, I like you.”