SLDS 69

The birthday of the Empire’s sun, Emperor Arnold, was approaching.

The Emperor’s birthday festival was a grand event that took months just to prepare for. As she had every year, Empress Elizabeth took charge of the festival preparations again this year.

Perhaps conscious of the Emperor’s poor mood due to the series of grim incidents, she declared from the start that she would create the largest and most splendid banquet in history.

From the week leading up to the festival, the gates of the Imperial Palace were thrown wide open, and a stream of guests arrived. Most were nobles and bourgeois.

The large number of visitors signified the high influence of the Empire. No one hesitated to spend time and money to make a good impression on the Emperor.

The gifts they offered were enough to fill an entire castle, so it went without saying how formidable the Empire’s power was.

While the entire Imperial Palace was abuzz with preparations for the birthday festival, Alexis and Cecil were just as busy.

According to Imperial etiquette, members of the royal family had to personally attend to esteemed guests from foreign countries, so the two of them also had to put aside everything they were doing to welcome the visitors.

“Mr. Cecil, shall I prepare something for you to drink?”

“No. I just… want to walk alone for a bit. All of you may leave.”

After dismissing all his attendants, Cecil entered the greenhouse. These days, the Imperial Palace was teeming with people everywhere he went, so he needed a place to escape, even for a moment.

Entering the greenhouse, which was filled with all sorts of beautiful natural things, his cluttered mind was finally able to rest.

As he slowly walked, breathing in the fresh air given off by the trees, he soon spotted a familiar person.

Cecil couldn’t go any further and stopped in his tracks.

The man sitting on the bench had his long legs loosely crossed, his arms folded, and his head tilted back. His disheveled platinum-blond hair shone beautifully, catching the sunlight pouring down from the glass ceiling.

Alexis, sensing his presence, lifted his head, and upon spotting Cecil, he grinned. He beckoned with two fingers, and Cecil slowly walked toward him. He was both happy and surprised to see Alexis, and he felt a bit dazed.

“What brings you here?”

“Isn’t it for a similar reason as yours?”

He, too, had sought refuge in the greenhouse to find a place to rest. Cecil let out a short laugh, pik, and then sighed before plopping down on the seat next to Alexis.

“I’m bored to death. We’ve been at this for weeks, when it could all be done in a single day.”

“When I become emperor, I will unconditionally shorten the birthday festival to one day.”

“Please, do so.”

Perhaps sharing a hardship diminishes it. All they did was complain about their difficulties, but it felt like a weight had been lifted.

Cecil let his limbs go limp and leaned his head back. It had been so long since he had relaxed that his posture naturally became comfortable, even with Alexis next to him.

Fortunately, Alexis didn’t point it out. On the contrary, he also enjoyed the leisure in a comfortable posture.

“Your face looks quite worn out.”

“I was pestered a lot by the young duchess from Santia.”

“Ah, the five-year-old. She seemed quite sharp.”

“Still, a child is a child. She had me sit down and play with dolls. Once she starts, she goes until she sees the end of it, so it takes at least two or three hours.”

He added the supplementary explanation that he had been caught by the young duchess this morning as well and had just escaped.

Alexis, with his upper body turned at an angle, listened to Cecil’s lament. Leaning his head on his hand, he gazed at Cecil’s face and let out a faint snort.

“Is that why your lips are so red?”

At those words, Cecil was startled and rubbed his lips. He thought he had wiped them clean, but a scarlet color still stained the back of his hand.

“…Damn brat.”

“It seems the child used you as a substitute for a doll.”

Alexis reached out his hand and wiped away the remaining smudge near his mouth. As his thumb rubbed against his lips and the surrounding skin, Cecil froze stiffly.

“Children naturally like pretty things, after all.”

“I can’t believe my attendants saw me in this state and said nothing.”

“Maybe they left it because it suited you.”

There was a hint of laughter in Alexis’s reply. When Cecil whipped his head around, he saw a smiling face, just as he’d expected.

“Are you teasing me right now?”

“Fifty-fifty. That young thing chose a color that suits you well.”

“Wow… what…”

He was so dumbfounded he couldn’t even string a sentence together, and Alexis laughed out loud. He was truly enjoying this break.

Cecil, on the other hand, felt like he was going to die from his face burning up. He didn’t know why it was so hot. He was fanning himself with his hand to cool the heat when it happened.

“Mr. Cecil? Are you in here?”

A young, delicate voice came from the greenhouse entrance. It was the young duchess from Santia, looking for Cecil.

“Your Grace, you cannot come in here. Mr. Cecil is not in here.”

“Leo is here, and isn’t Leo Mr. Cecil’s head attendant?”

“That is correct, but… he is not here.”

“Don’t lie to me! Are you looking down on me because I’m a child? Do you know who my father is?”

The young duchess was scolding the head attendant quite sharply. Hearing that, Cecil winced and hunched his body.

“Damn it! How long has it been since we parted, and she’s looking for me again!”

The whispered exclamation reached Alexis’s ears. He glanced down at Cecil, who was hiding his body using him as a shield.

“Who was the young duchess’s father again?”

“Duke Märchen of Santia.”

“Ah, the one who will be the next king.”

No wonder the child was so haughty. Alexis snorted and uncrossed his legs.

When the young duchess finally entered the greenhouse, Cecil was practically at a loss. Her small body was peeking around here and there, closing the distance.

“It seems my rest is over…. I shall be on my way now.”

He was about to get up in a state of half-resignation when Alexis abruptly grabbed his wrist.

“If I help you, what will you do for me?”

“…Are you going to play with her for me, Your Highness?”

“Of course not. I hate babysitting, too.”

He couldn’t understand what on earth he was planning to do, so he just stared blankly down at Alexis’s face.

Then, Alexis pulled on the wrist he was holding. At the sudden action, Cecil fell onto his thigh, and Alexis’s arm wrapped around his thin waist like a shackle.

“You need to hold on tight. Your face will be visible.”

“There’s no way this will hide me…!”

In that time, the young duchess had come closer, and the sound of her treading on the grass was clearly audible.

Mr. Cecil? As the child’s characteristically high-pitched voice was heard, Cecil hastily wrapped his arms around Alexis’s shoulders and buried his face in them.

By a hair’s breadth, the young duchess appeared. Pushing aside a giant monstera leaf, the young duchess peeked her head out, saw the Crown Prince sitting on the bench, and let out a cute gasp, “Oh!”

“Who entered the Imperial greenhouse without permission?”

Alexis asked, still holding Cecil in his arms. His voice and fierce glare were merciless for a greeting to a child.

“Your Grace, a greeting, your greeting.”

The head attendant, Leo, quickly nudged the young duchess’s shoulder. He couldn’t believe the situation he was seeing with his own eyes, but now was not the time to question it.

Fortunately, it seemed she had at least been taught her etiquette properly, as the young duchess clutched the hem of her dress and politely paid her respects.

“Odette Märchen, the young duchess of Santia, greets the great star of the Empire.”

The sight of the child moving her small arms and legs to offer a greeting was quite cute, and a hint of a smile spread across Alexis’s eyes. No, it was natural, as he hadn’t been angry in the first place.

He spoke in a much gentler voice.

“Young Duchess Märchen. It seems you came because you were curious about the greenhouse, but as you can see, I am currently using it, so I would appreciate it if you would leave.”

“The greenhouse is very beautiful, Your Highness. …But I did not come to see the greenhouse; I was looking for Mr. Cecil.”

“Cecil? Well, I have not seen him. As you can see, I was in the middle of enjoying some time with my lover.”

Alexis tightened the arm wrapped around his waist. So much so that the slender waist was squeezed tight.

At this, the young duchess of Santia tilted her head.

“Isn’t the person sitting on Your Highness’s lap Mr. Cecil?”

“That cannot be. The only person who can sit on my lap is the lover I adore.”

“But he is not wearing a dress.”

“Instead, he is wearing expensive clothes.”

“His hair is short, too.”

“…The young duchess is quite full of questions.”

Even though he deliberately lowered his voice, it failed to intimidate the child. The young duchess of Santia was simply fascinated to see the Crown Prince and his lover.

“Young duchess, my lover is shy and is having a difficult time. We do not wish to be disturbed, so would you please leave us be?”

Alexis smiled and kissed the nape of Cecil’s neck. Cecil, who had been as quiet as a mouse without making a single sound until then, trembled as if having a seizure. The vibration was transmitted without filter, and the Crown Prince’s smile deepened.

To the child’s eyes, it was a scene that looked ever so much like that of lovers. With that, the young duchess conceded and curtsied again.

“My apologies. I will be on my way.”

Cecil and Alexis remained in their embrace for a long time, until the pitter-patter of her walking feet grew distant. When the surrounding attendants gave a signal by clearing their throats, ahem, only then did Cecil let out the breath he had been holding and lift his head.

“She fell for it. A child is a child after all.”

“…”

“It looks like your face is about to bleed, Cecil Adrian.”

Cecil let out a huff of air, hoo. It was obvious his face was burning without even looking. His heart felt like it was going to explode, and he wasn’t sure if it would ever calm down.

After barely catching his breath, Cecil asked.

“You seem to enjoy it when I’m startled.”

“It was fun for a change. There should be amusements like this.”

“…So what should I do for you?”

At those words, an elegant curve formed on Alexis’s lips.