Chapter 175: Departure Festival (13)
The Dragon Emperor, Behad.
“…….”
As that name came to mind, I quietly stared at the bracelet in my hand.
……Now that I think about it, I should admit this—I had actually tried to avoid getting involved with Behad as much as possible and didn’t even want to talk to him.
It would be more accurate to say I had intentionally kept my distance from him.
And understandably so—he was a member of the imperial family, constantly in the public eye, and always surrounded by people, making him hard to approach.
……Though, in truth, that was more of an excuse.
In reality, I’d had multiple chances to form a connection not only with Behad, but with Mercedes as well.
In Behad’s case, he’d been the one to show interest and had approached me several times from the very beginning.
More than that, hadn’t the three of us—Allen, Behad, and I—even taken classes together?
And Mercedes? There was even less to say.
We were fellow disciples under Windy May, that unparalleled Archmage.
If you think about it, she, Cecilia, and I were practically like sworn siblings.
‘……Well.’
There had been a lot of complicated circumstances.
I thought that to myself, as if making excuses.
‘Most of all, I didn’t know anything about those two.’
That was the real reason.
Unlike with Cecilia or Allen, I knew virtually nothing about the twins.
At best, I only knew what everyone else probably knew as well.
On top of that, the situations we were in were completely different.
Cecilia and Allen.
Because I had at least a vague understanding of their future and circumstances, I had been able to involve myself more actively.
But Behad and Mercedes?
As I mentioned earlier, aside from the fact that they would become heroes in the future, there was very little known about them.
It was as if they were deliberately hiding their powers and backgrounds.
That’s why they naturally dropped in priority within my mind.
‘And…….’
My personal aversion to Princess Velita had also played a role.
Should I say that the experiences I had dealing with her had tainted my view of the rest of the imperial family?
In truth, whenever I thought of the Imperial House, I couldn’t help but recall less than pleasant impressions.
So even though I said I needed to form close relationships with all seven of them, I had, perhaps intentionally, excluded those two.
“Um……”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
At the voice beside me, I turned my head.
Menoruka was looking at me with eyes filled with both hope and anxiety.
“Do you know anything about this bracelet?”
Menoruka cautiously asked while watching my hardened expression.
“Do you perhaps… have any idea who it might be from?”
“…….”
I met her eyes for a moment.
They shimmered faintly, caught between pure hope and lurking unease.
I couldn’t bring myself to look away from those eyes.
Without avoiding her gaze, I slowly opened my mouth.
“I’m not certain, but… I have someone in mind.”
“Ah!”
Color returned to Menoruka’s face.
Letting out a small gasp without realizing it, she asked,
“Please… please tell me their name!”
“Behad.”
I answered shortly.
“I believe it may be the Third Prince of this Empire, Lord Behad.”
“Th-The Prince……?!”
Menoruka flinched and trembled.
Even a young Wyrmling, with little experience or knowledge, seemed to understand what it meant for someone to be of royal blood.
“I… I didn’t think it would be just anyone, but still……”
Muttering as if in shock, Menoruka almost clung to me as she asked,
“T-then… is there no way I could meet him? Even right now, I—!”
Seeing her blurting out words in a rush, I raised my hand gently to stop her.
“Just a moment, Menoruka. You need to calm down a little.”
“B-But……!”
“You heard what Miss Amaruah said earlier, didn’t you?”
I continued, speaking calmly.
“There was a misunderstanding that a child of your lineage had been murdered, and because of that, not only your parents but the elders of your lineage are now rushing to the capital. We still don’t know whether it was just a misunderstanding or if something else is going on.”
“That is……”
“……I hesitate to say this, but to be blunt, this is a situation that could escalate into a huge incident. Right now.”
“Ah……”
At those words, the excitement on Menoruka’s face faded a little.
She bit her lip gently in unease.
“First, you need to work with Miss Amaruah to resolve this issue clearly. Only then can your safety be guaranteed. Meeting him can come afterward—it won’t be too late.”
I added, trying to reassure her.
“Besides, it’s the period of the Departure Festival right now. All members of the imperial family must be incredibly busy. Even if you request a meeting, it won’t be easy to see him right away.”
“…….”
“……I understand how you feel. But you’ve waited over ten years, haven’t you? Surely you can wait just a few more days. I promise I’ll make sure the two of you meet.”
“O-Okay……”
Reluctantly, Menoruka nodded.
Her face was still filled with regret, but she seemed to understand that what I said wasn’t wrong.
“……Understood.”
She muttered as she brushed her face with her sleeve, as if to hide it.
Then, with a dispirited expression as if ashamed, she bowed her head to me.
“……Because of this girl’s rashness, I nearly caused trouble for you and Miss Amaruah. I apologize.”
“It’s alright. You said you’ve been waiting for over ten years. I completely understand how you must feel.”
“Thank you, truly… for your kind understanding.”
Even as she said that, Menoruka let out a small sigh, unable to fully hide her disappointment.
But soon enough, with a curious gleam in her eyes, she asked me again.
“So… you said his name was Lord Behad?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of person is Lord Behad? He must be… incredibly dignified and admirable, right?”
It was a question filled with pure hope.
Like the dreams and romance of a first love, the kind of thought that brought a smile just by imagining it.
“…….”
And at that moment, I was at a loss for words.
Behad.
The public’s opinion of him… couldn’t be called good, not even as a polite lie.
“Well.”
Weirdo, fool, and even womanizer—wasn’t that what they called him?
The first two might’ve been exaggerations, but honestly, the last one wasn’t all that wrong.
He was quite famous for stirring up romantic rumors everywhere he went.
“Hmm……”
Of course, I was already well aware of what kind of man Behad was.
Contrary to how he appeared, he was more gallant and full of loyalty than anyone else, and in critical moments, he never hesitated to throw himself into danger—he was a true hero.
But… that wasn’t something I could explain here and now.
“So…”
After a moment of thought, I chose the most positive words I could muster.
“He’s open-hearted and has a bold personality. Just like you said, he’s very striking in appearance as well.”
“……”
As she looked at me with desperate anticipation, I nodded.
“And… yes, he’s still unmarried.”
“Ahh…!”
When I added that last part with emphasis, Menoruka’s eyes sparkled again.
She burst into a radiant smile, then quickly covered her mouth with her sleeve, as if realizing her slip.
Even so, she kept smiling to herself, clearly satisfied.
‘Come to think of it…’
I suddenly recalled the future.
In the future, Behad remained unmarried just like he was now.
And if I remembered correctly, didn’t that “womanizer” reputation quietly disappear at some point?
‘Could it be…’
Was it because of this woman—Menoruka?
Now that I thought about it, he always said the dragon he rode was his greatest companion and soulmate…
‘Tch.’
…Something told me I really shouldn’t think about this any further.
Shaking off the stray thoughts, I turned my head.
Step, step.
Right on cue, footsteps reached my ears.
Turning to look, I saw Amaruah had returned, wearing her usual serious expression.
Her gaze immediately fell on Menoruka.
“Child.”
Amaruah spoke in a gentle yet firm tone.
“For now, you’ll need to stay with me for a while.”
“Y-Yes…?”
Menoruka responded, flustered.
“It seems there’s… some kind of misunderstanding within your lineage. Until that’s properly resolved, I think it’s safest for you to remain by my side. For your sake, and for ours.”
With a shrug, Amaruah continued.
“To be honest, if you were to vanish, it’s obvious the capital would be turned upside down. And if something were to actually happen to you? That would be a catastrophe. I need to keep you where I can see you. Besides, as an adult, I can’t just leave a young child to wander alone in a faraway land.”
“Ah, um…”
“…So at least until that misunderstanding is cleared up, stay with me. I know it’s not ideal, but please try to understand our position too.”
Menoruka hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded quietly, perhaps sensing Amaruah’s sincere concern.
“I understand… Then, please excuse me for a moment.”
“Thank you for understanding. You look exhausted from lack of sleep—go into my room and rest a little.”
With a hesitant nod, Menoruka followed Amaruah’s lead toward the inner room.
As she walked, she suddenly turned back to look at me.
“Lord Lian. Please… please tell Lord Behad that I’ve returned. And… please make sure we meet again…”
“Yes, I understand. I promise.”
I nodded seriously.
Only then did Menoruka finally seem at ease. With a faint smile, she headed toward the room Amaruah had just come from.
“Phew…”
Once Menoruka was gone, Amaruah let out a deep sigh and turned to face me.
She was pressing her temples firmly with her fingers, looking completely drained.
“Really getting my money’s worth for that brooch.”
She muttered under her breath, sounding more tired than anything.
Amaruah licked her dry lips, as if choosing her next words carefully.
“I’ll need to investigate more thoroughly first… but thankfully, it doesn’t look like the child is in any direct danger, so you don’t need to worry about that part.”
“…Nothing bad will happen, right?”
“Even if something does, I’ll make sure it doesn’t.”
She added firmly.
“Until we fully understand what’s going on, I’ll do everything in my power to protect her—so don’t worry about that. You just… yes, like that child said, go pass along a message to the rascal who stole a Wyrmling’s heart.”
“…Yes. That’s what I intend to do.”
I nodded.
“But it’s the middle of Departure Festival preparations right now. I’m not sure if Menoruka will understand. I mean, she said she did, but still…”
“Ah, right. I forgot.”
Amaruah nodded as if she’d just remembered, then slumped into a nearby chair.
“Well, go on now.”
She gestured tiredly at me.
“As promised, I’ll take full responsibility for this matter, so don’t worry. It’s the Departure Festival, isn’t it? The others must be waiting for you downstairs.”
She waved her hand again.
“There’s nothing more you or I can do right now anyway. Go enjoy the festival.”
Her words made it clear she wanted to be alone—because she was tired, and because she just didn’t want to be bothered.
So I gave her a silent, polite nod and quietly exited the library.
“Oh, right. Lian.”
“Yes?”
Something suddenly flew through the air.
I caught it reflexively, and Amaruah spoke in a languid voice.
“Hang that on the door on your way out.”
[Temporary Holiday]
That’s what the sign in my hand said.